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Three-dimensional human pose estimation focuses on generating 3D pose sequences from 2D videos. It has enormous potential in the fields of human–robot interaction, remote sensing, virtual reality, and computer vision. Existing excellent methods primarily focus on exploring spatial or temporal encoding to achieve 3D pose inference. However, various architectures exploit the independent effects of spatial and temporal cues on 3D pose estimation, while neglecting the spatial–temporal synergistic influence. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel 3D pose estimation method with a dual-adaptive spatial–temporal former (DASTFormer) and additional supervised training. The DASTFormer contains attention-adaptive (AtA) and pure-adaptive (PuA) modes, which will enhance pose inference from 2D to 3D by adaptively learning spatial–temporal effects, considering both their cooperative and independent influences. In addition, an additional supervised training with batch variance loss is proposed in this work. Different from common training strategy, a two-round parameter update is conducted on the same batch data. Not only can it better explore the potential relationship between spatial–temporal encoding and 3D poses, but it can also alleviate the batch size limitations imposed by graphics cards on transformer-based frameworks. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed method significantly outperforms most state-of-the-art approaches on Human3.6 and HumanEVA datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the changes in proteins and volatile flavor compounds that occur in bacon during low-temperature smoking (LTS) and identify potential correlations between these changes. To achieve this, a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and proteomics was employed. A total of 42 volatile flavor compounds were identified in the bacon samples, and, during LTS, 11 key volatile flavor compounds with variable importance were found at a projection value of >1, including 2′,4′-dihydroxyacetophenone, 4-methyl-2H-furan-5-one, Nonanal, etc. In total, 2017 proteins were quantified at different stages of LTS; correlation coefficients and KEGG analyses identified 27 down-regulated flavor-related proteins. Of these, seven were involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, metabolic pathways, or amino acid metabolism, and they may be associated with the process of flavor formation. Furthermore, correlation coefficient analysis indicated that certain chemical parameters, such as the contents of free amino acids, carbonyl compounds, and TCA cycle components, were closely and positively correlated with the formation of key volatile flavor compounds. Combined with bioinformatic analysis, the results of this study provide insights into the proteins present in bacon at various stages of LTS. This study demonstrates the changes in proteins and the formation of volatile flavor compounds in bacon during LTS, along with their potential correlations, providing a theoretical basis for the development of green processing methods for Hunan bacon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the key constituent of tea polyphenols, presents challenges in terms of its lipid solubility, stability, and bioavailability because of its polyhydroxy structure. Consequently, structural modifications are imperative to enhance its efficacy. This paper comprehensively reviews the esterification techniques applied to EGCG over the past two decades and their impacts on bioactivities. Both chemical and enzymatic esterification methods involve catalysts, solvents, and hydrophobic groups as critical factors. Although the chemical method is cost-efficient, it poses challenges in purification; on the other hand, the enzymatic approach offers improved selectivity and simplified purification processes. The biological functions of EGCG are inevitably influenced by the structural changes incurred through esterification. The antioxidant capacity of EGCG derivatives can be compromised under certain conditions by reducing hydroxyl groups, while enhancing lipid solubility and stability can strengthen their antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer properties. Additionally, esterification broadens the utility of EGCG in food applications. This review provides critical insights into developing cost-effective and environmentally sustainable selective esterification methods, as well as emphasizes the elucidation of the bioactive mechanisms of EGCG derivatives to facilitate their widespread adoption in food processing, healthcare products, and pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota may represent potential strategies for Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment. Our previous research revealed a decreased abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk) in PD mice; however, whether Akk is beneficial to PD is unknown. To answer this question, the mice received MPTP intraperitoneally to construct a subacute model of PD and were then supplemented with Akk orally for 21 consecutive days. Motor function, dopaminergic neurons, neuroinflammation, and neurogenesis were examined. In addition, intestinal inflammation, and serum and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) analyses, were assessed. We found that Akk treatment effectively inhibited the reduction of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and partially improved the motor function in PD mice. Additionally, Akk markedly alleviated neuroinflammation in the striatum and hippocampus and promoted hippocampal neurogenesis. It also decreased the level of colon inflammation. Furthermore, these aforementioned changes are mainly accompanied by alterations in serum and fecal isovaleric acid levels, and lower intestinal permeability. Our research strongly suggests that Akk is a potential neuroprotective agent for PD therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The K-Rb-21Ne co-magnetometer exhibits poorer dynamic performance due to the larger equivalent magnetic field generated by alkali metal atoms. In this study, the impact of the atomic number density of alkali metal atoms and noble gas atoms in the cell on the dynamic performance of the atomic ensemble is investigated quantitatively. Relationships between the slow-decay term in the transient response attenuation of the Spin-Exchange Relaxation-Free (SERF) co-magnetometer to interference magnetic fields and the number densities of noble gas atoms as well as alkali metal atoms are established. Based on the established model, the relationship between the number density of 21Ne atoms and dynamic performance is investigated using cells with five different noble gas pressures. Then, we investigate the impact of the number density of alkali metal atoms using a cell with a pressure of 2.1 atm at different temperatures. The results indicate that, as the number density of alkali metal atoms or noble gas atoms in the cell increases, the dynamic performance of the system improves, which provides a theoretical basis for the design of cell parameters for SERF co-magnetometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, citrus peels were extracted using various conventional and deep eutectic solvents (DESs). Compared to other citrus peel extracts, the DES extract based on choline chloride showed notably higher total phenolic and flavonoid content levels, along with superior antioxidant activity, among these extracts. Consequently, this study aimed to further investigate the inhibitory effects of the choline chloride based DES extract on the production of both free and bound heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in roast pork meat patties. The results indicated that the addition of choline chloride-based DES extracts, particularly the choline chloride-carbamide based DES extract, can effectively reduce the oxidation of lipids and proteins by quenching free radicals. This approach proves to be the most efficient in reducing the formation of both HAs and AGEs, leading to a significant reduction of 19.1–68.3% and 11.5–66.5% in free and protein-bound HAs, respectively. Moreover, the levels of free and protein-bound AGEs were reduced by 50.8–50.8% and 30.5–39.8%, respectively, compared to the control group. Furthermore, the major phenolics of citrus peel extract identified by UHPLC-MS were polymethoxylated flavonoids (PMFs) including hesperidin, isosinensetin, sinensetin, tetramethoxyflavone, tangeretin, and hexamethoxyflavone, which inferring that these compounds may be the main active ingredients responsible for the antioxidant activity and inhibition effects on the formation of HAs and AGEs. Further research is needed to explore the inhibitory effects and mechanisms of PMFs with different chemical structures on the formation of HAs and AGEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western dietary patterns (WDP) and typical food groups may play a major role in the risk of behavioral health disorders. Nevertheless, the relationships between WDP, common food categories, and mental health disorders lack consistency and remain incompletely understood in relation to potential mechanisms. Therefore, the objective of the present study was conducted to synthesize available evidence linking WDP and typical food groups to these outcomes. Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE were searched up to August 2023. Random effect meta-analyses were performed to obtain pooled odds ratio and the relative risk for the prevalence of outcomes and the incidence of outcomes, respectively. A total of 54 articles were included. WDP was associated with increased risk of both depression (1.19; 95% CI: 1.06–1.32) and depressive symptoms (1.20; 95% CI: 1.08–1.34). Except for high-fat dairy products, food groups are associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and depressive symptoms. This review presents evidence to further understand the relationship between WDP, typical food groups, and the incidence of behavioral health disorders, and more randomized controlled trials and cohort studies are urgently required to confirm these findings and elucidate potential mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the intricate dynamics of trust in human–robot interaction (HRI), particularly in the context of modern robotic systems enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI). By grounding our investigation in the principles of interpersonal trust, we identify and analyze both similarities and differences between trust in human–human interactions and human–robot scenarios. A key aspect of our research is the clear definition and characterization of trust in HRI, including the identification of factors influencing its development. Our empirical findings reveal that trust in HRI is not static but varies dynamically with the complexity of the tasks involved. Notably, we observe a stronger tendency to trust robots in tasks that are either very straightforward or highly complex. In contrast, for tasks of intermediate complexity, there is a noticeable decline in trust. This pattern of trust challenges conventional perceptions and emphasizes the need for nuanced understanding and design in HRI. Our study provides new insights into the nature of trust in HRI, highlighting its dynamic nature and the influence of task complexity, thereby offering a valuable reference for future research in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building load prediction is one of the important means of saving energy and reducing emissions, and accurate cold load prediction is conducive to the realization of online monitoring and the optimal control of building air conditioning systems. Therefore, a joint prediction model was proposed in this paper. Firstly, by combining the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) method with sensitivity analysis, the optimal combination of parameters that influence building cooling load (BCL) were obtained. Secondly, the parameters of the support vector machine (SVM) model were improved by using the genetic algorithm (GA), and a GA-SVM prediction model was proposed to perform building hourly cold load prediction. Then, when there is a demand for the fluctuation prediction of BCL or extreme weather conditions are encountered, the information granulation (IG) method is used to fuzzy granulate the data. At the same time, the fluctuation range of the BCL was obtained by combining the prediction of the established GA-SVM model. Finally, the model was validated with the actual operational data of a large public building in Xi'an. The results show that the CV-RMSE and MAPE of the GA-SVM model are reduced by 58.85% and 68.04%, respectively, compared with the SVM for the time-by-time BCL prediction, indicating that the optimization of the SVM by using the GA can effectively reduce the error of the prediction model. Compared with the other three widely used prediction models, the R2 of the GA-SVM model is improved by 4.75~6.35%, the MAPE is reduced by 68.00~72.76%, and the CV-RMSE is reduced by 59.69~64.97%. This proved that the GA-SVM has higher prediction accuracy. In addition, the joint model was used for BCL fluctuation range prediction, and the R2 of the prediction model was 97.27~99.68%, the MAPE was 2.59~2.84%, and the CV-RMSE was only 0.0249~0.0319, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the joint prediction model. The results of the study have important guiding significance for building load interval prediction, daily energy management and energy scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectively inhibiting the formation of heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is crucial to human health. In the present study, chemical model systems were used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of seven hydrocolloids on HA and AGE formation. The results showed that hydrocolloids effectively inhibited the formation of two major AGEs. However, their inhibitory action against HA formation showed unexpected results, wherein alginic acid, carrageenan and konjac glucomannan promoted the formation of 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), harmane, norharmane and 2-amino-3,8-dimethyl-imidazo [4,5-f]-quinoline (MeIQx). Only chitosan and pectin showed significant inhibitory effects on HAs, reducing HA levels by 34.5–56.3% and 30.1–56.6%, respectively. In grilled beef patties, the addition of 1.5% chitosan and pectin significantly decreased AGE and HA content by 53.8–67.0% and 46.9–68.1%, respectively. Moreover, it had a limited impact on quality and sensory properties. Further mechanism studies conducted in model systems revealed that chitosan and pectin decreased the formation of key intermediates of AGEs and HAs. These findings suggest that chitosan and pectin are powerful inhibitors against AGE and HA formation with minimal impact on food quality. Therefore, their application in meat preparation and processing could effectively decrease human dietary exposure to HAs and AGEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customers are prominent resources in every business for its sustainability. Therefore, predicting customer churn is significant for reducing churn, particularly in the high-churn-rate telecommunications business. To identify customers at risk of churning, tactical marketing actions can be strategized to raise the likelihood of the churn-probable customers remaining as customers. This might provide a corporation with significant savings. Hence, in this work, a churn prediction system is developed to assist telecommunication operators in detecting potential churn customers. In the proposed framework, the input data quality is improved through the processes of exploratory data analysis and data preprocessing for identifying data errors and comprehending data patterns. Then, feature engineering and data sampling processes are performed to transform the captured data into an appropriate form for classification and imbalanced data handling. An optimized ensemble learning model is proposed for classification in this framework. Unlike other ensemble models, the proposed classification model is an optimized weighted soft voting ensemble with a sequence of weights applied to weigh the prediction of each base learner with the hypothesis that specific base learners in the ensemble have more skill than others. In this optimization, Powell's optimization algorithm is applied to optimize the ensemble weights of influence according to the base learners' importance. The efficiency of the proposed optimally weighted ensemble learning model is evaluated in a real-world database. The empirical results show that the proposed customer churn prediction system achieves a promising performance with an accuracy score of 84% and an F1 score of 83.42%. Existing customer churn prediction systems are studied. We achieved a higher prediction accuracy than the other systems, including machine learning and deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational studies have shown abnormal changes in trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels in the peripheral circulatory system of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. TMAO is a gut microbiota metabolite that can cross the blood–brain barrier and is strongly related to neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is one of the pathological drivers of PD. Herein, we investigated the effect of TMAO on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD model mice. TMAO pretreatment was given by adding 1.5% (w/v) TMAO to the drinking water of the mice for 21 days; then, the mice were administered MPTP (20 mg/kg, i.p.) four times a day to construct an acute PD model. Their serum TMAO concentrations, motor function, dopaminergic network integrity, and neuroinflammation were then assayed. The results showed that TMAO partly aggravated the motor dysfunction of the PD mice. Although TMAO had no effect on the dopaminergic neurons, TH protein content, and striatal DA level in the PD mice, it significantly reduced the striatal 5-HT levels and aggravated the metabolism of DA and 5-HT. Meanwhile, TMAO significantly activated glial cells in the striatum and the hippocampi of the PD mice and promoted the release of inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus. In summary, higher-circulating TMAO had adverse effects on the motor capacity, striatum neurotransmitters, and striatal and hippocampal neuroinflammation in PD mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroinflammation is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease, including the massive activation of microglia and astrocytes and the release of inflammatory factors. Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) is reported to mediate cell death and inflammatory signaling, and is markedly elevated in the brain in PD mouse models. Here, we aim to explore the role of RIPK1 in regulating the neuroinflammation of PD. C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP; 20 mg/kg four times/day), followed by necrostatin-1 treatment (Nec-1, RIPK1 inhibitor; 1.65 mg/kg once daily for seven days. Notably, the first Nec-1 was given 12 h before MPTP modeling). Behavioral tests indicated that inhibition of RIPK1 greatly relieved motor dysfunction and anxiety-like behaviors of PD mice. It also increased striatal TH expression, rescue the loss of dopaminergic neurons, and reduce activation of astrocytes in the striatum of PD mice. Furthermore, inhibition of RIPK1 expression reduced A1 astrocytes' relative gene expression (CFB, H2-T23) and inflammatory cytokine or chemokine production (CCL2, TNF-α, IL-1β) in the striatum of PD mice. Collectively, inhibition of RIPK1 expression can provide neuroprotection to PD mice, probably through inhibition of the astrocyte A1 phenotype, and thus RIPK1 might be an important target in PD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soilless cultivation has increased in China. Like vegetables or ornamental plants, tomatoes can be cultivated in soilless culture systems. Fusarium wilt (FW) is an economic tomato disease. The nature and amount of volatile organic compounds in Trichoderma asperellum PT-15 were investigated, and 6-pentyl-α-pyrone (6-PP) was detected. Furthermore, the effect of 6-PP on Fusarium oxysporum HF-26 was evaluated. Results revealed that 25 mg/L 6-PP was the optimal concentration inhibiting F. oxysporum HF-26 and that the content of fusaric acid decreased considerably compared to that of the control. FUB1, FUB4, and FUB10 toxin synthesis and transport genes were downregulated. Additionally, VelA, velB, and LaeA genes were downregulated, reducing F. oxysporum mycelial growth and hyphae formation. 6-PP was added to the soilless culture solution in a greenhouse experiment. The results showed that an antifungal–nutrient solution containing 25 mg/L 6-PP significantly suppressed FW with 70.71% efficacy and a 27.23% disease index (DI), which were higher efficacy and lower DI than that of the control. Furthermore, treatment with an antifungal–nutrient solution containing 6-PP increased the levels of defence enzymes 24 h post-inoculation (hpi) compared with those at other time periods. The relative expression levels of the PR1, NPR1, PR2, and PR5 genes were considerably upregulated at 24 hpi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inside a spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) co-magnetometer with a high-pressure buffer gas atomic cell, the magnetic field gradient causes the decoherence of atomic spins to produce magnetic-field gradient relaxation. This paper presents a new method for the accurate measurement of magnetic field gradient relaxation of alkali metal atoms and inert atoms of strongly coupled spin systems under triaxial magnetic field gradients in the K-Rb-21Ne co-magnetometer. The magnetic field gradient relaxation of alkali metal atoms is measured using a step magnetic field modulation method, and the magnetic field gradient relaxation of inert atoms is measured using a combined free induction decay and spin growth method. The method does not require the use of large background magnetic fields and RF fields to maintain the atoms in the SERF state, does not require additional optics, and is not affected by the pumping or detecting of optical power. A kinetic model that considers a large electron-equivalent magnetic field was designed and a gradient relaxation model was developed. The quadratic coefficients of the experimentally measured gradient relaxation curves fit the theoretical model well over the range of the applied magnetic field gradients, confirming the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of atomic spin polarization distribution in spin-exchange relaxation free (SERF) magnetometer is an important topic for improving the sensitivity and consistency of multi-channel magnetic field measurement applications. A novel spin polarization spatial distribution measurement method is presented based on the transient response of the magnetometer after modulating the pumped light with a chopper. Polarization is obtained by a slow-down factor based on the fast spin-exchange interaction effects. Longitudinal and transverse polarization distributions are measured simultaneously without interrupting the operation of the SERF status. Under different oscillating magnetic fields, the spin polarization is measured at the cell centroid. Residual magnetic field inside the magnetometer is obtained from the linear relationship between the precession frequency and the oscillating magnetic field. The one-dimensional polarization distributions in the x, y, and z axes are measured using a digital micromirror device with a resolution of 0.25 cm. The measurement results conform to the Lambert-Bier absorption law and the Gaussian distribution law. Furthermore, 7 × 7 two-dimensional spatial distribution measurements of polarization on the xy and yz planes are performed. Nonuniformity of 1.04 in the xy plane and 1.82 in the yz plane in the built magnetometer. Compared with other measurement methods, the distribution measurement method proposed is independent of optical depth and suitable for low polarization and high polarization applications. Based on the results of the proposed measurement method of spin polarization spatial distribution, further compensation can improve the application consistency of multi-channel magnetic field measurements and improve the sensitivity of single-channel differential measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing calibration methods for contact parameters of soil discrete elements are primarily based on a single physical property of soil (e.g., natural accumulation angle and shear characteristics). To solve this limitation, a calibration method based on the area difference method was proposed in accordance with the actual operation effect of ridge and furrow opener. The typical clay loam in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (moisture content of 20.66% ± 1%) was used as the research object. The Hertz–Mindlin with JKR Cohesion contact model was selected, and the static friction factor and rolling friction factor between soil and 65Mn steel were determined by inclined plane mechanics method. Soil tank ridge and furrow opening experiments and quadratic orthogonal rotation combined tests were carried out. MATLAB software was used to carry out polynomial fitting and the constant integral solution to the ridge and the cross-sectional contour data of the furrow obtained from the measured and simulated ridge and furrow opening experiments to establish the regression model of area difference. The optimization function in Design-Expert software was adopted. The optimal parameter combination was obtained by optimizing the regression model with the minimum area difference as the target. Based on the above parameter combination, the relative error of cross-sectional area of the furrow that was obtained by simulation test and soil tank test was 9.15%. Finally, the comparison of the traction resistance of the simulation and the soil tank test at the stable working stage indicated that the relative error between the simulated value and the measured value was 10.4%, which is less than the acceptable error of 15% in general statistics and within a reasonable range. The results showed that the particle movement and mechanical properties of the soil simulation model were basically consistent with the actual soil after parameter optimization and calibration. In this study, a precise discrete element simulation model of the typical clay loam in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River based on the area difference method was constructed, which lays a theoretical basis for later exploration of the interaction mechanism between the typical clay loam and the soil contact components in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) is a specific factor in red meat that induces intestinal disease. Our aim was to investigate the effect of Neu5Gc on the intestinal barrier as well as its mechanism of endocytosis and exocytosis. Ten specific inhibitors were used to explore the mechanism of Neu5Gc endocytosis and exocytosis by Caco-2 cells. Amiloride hydrochloride and cytochalasin D had the strongest inhibitory effect on the endocytosis of Neu5Gc. Sodium azide, dynasore, chlorpromazine hydrochloride, and nystatin also inhibited Neu5Gc endocytosis. Dynasore exhibited a stronger inhibitory effect than that of chlorpromazine hydrochloride or nystatin alone. Exocytosis inhibitors, including nocodazole, brefeldin A, monensin, and bafilomycin A, inhibited the transmembrane transport of Neu5Gc. Monensin promoted the exocytosis of Neu5Gc from Caco-2 cells. In another experiment, we observed no significant inhibitory effects of monensin and brefeldin A. Dietary concentrations of Neu5Gc induced prominent damage to intestinal tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin, and claudin-1 and promoted the phosphorylation of IκB-α and P65 to activate the canonical Nuclear Factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway. Neu5Gc increased the RNA levels of pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α and inhibited those of anti-inflammatory factors TGF-β and IL-10. BAY, an NF-κB signaling pathway inhibitor, attenuated these changes. Reductions in the levels of ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1 were recovered in response to BAY. Our data reveal the endocytosis and exocytosis mechanism of Neu5Gc and prove that Neu5Gc can activate the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway, regulate the transcription of inflammatory factors, thereby damaging intestinal barrier function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature of the alkali metal cell, which affects the density of the alkali-metal vapor and the gas pressure, is usually difficult to measure directly. However, the temperature of the alkali-metal cell and the density of the alkali-metal vapor are important parameters that affect the performance of the atomic sensor. In this paper, a device that can directly measure the internal temperature of an alkali metal cell in real time is designed for the first time to explore the relationship between alkali-metal vapor density and temperature. Alkali-metal vapor density is measured using the absorption spectrum. The pressure broadening model, combined with the transition of four hyperfine levels, was used to fit the absorption line of 87Rb D1 under the action of 700 Torr N2, and a good fitting effect was obtained. The experimental results show that the density of 87Rb is less than the value calculated by the empirical formula. Based on the experimental results, we give the calculation formula of 87Rb density with an uncertainty of only 4% and obtain the temperature dependence index of the line width and linear displacement of 87Rb in N2 by analyzing the absorption spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is related to cancer. The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) has been linked to the prognosis of many types of cancer. The present study aimed to determine the prognostic value of the SII in glioblastoma (GBM) patients based on meta-analysis and single-center retrospective analysis. Relevant publications published before 1 October 2022 were identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library databases, and Web of Science. Moreover, 208 GBM patients from Zhongnan Hospital were incorporated. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses determined the prognostic significance of inflammatory markers. By combining these indicators, we developed scoring systems. Nomograms were also built by incorporating independent variables. The accuracies of nomograms were evaluated by Harrell's concordance index (c-index) and the calibration curve. According to meta-analysis, an elevated SII predicted the worst overall survival (OS) (Hazard ratio [HR] = 1.87, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a higher SII (>510.8) (HR = 1.782, p = 0.007) also predicted a poorer outcome in a retrospective cohort. The scoring systems of SII-NLR (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) showed the best predictive power for OS. The nomogram without MGMT (c-index = 0.843) exhibited a similar accuracy to that with MGMT (c-index = 0.848). A pre-treatment SII is independently associated with OS in GBM. A nomogram integrating the SII-NLR score may facilitate a comprehensive survival evaluation independent of molecular tests in GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen rapid development of chip-scale atomic devices due to their great potential in the field of biomedical imaging, namely chip-scale atomic magnetometers that enable high resolution magnetocardiography (MCG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). For atomic devices of this kind, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) have become the most crucial components as integrated pumping sources, which are attracting growing interest. In this paper, the application of VCSELs in chip-scale atomic devices are reviewed, where VCSELs are integrated in various atomic bio-sensing devices with different operating environments. Secondly, the mode and polarization control of VCSELs in the specific applications are reviewed with their pros and cons discussed. In addition, various packaging of VCSEL based on different atomic devices in pursuit of miniaturization and precision measurement are reviewed and discussed. Finally, the VCSEL-based chip-scale atomic magnetometers utilized for cardiac and brain magnetometry are reviewed in detail. Nowadays, biosensors with chip integration, low power consumption, and high sensitivity are undergoing rapid industrialization, due to the growing market of medical instrumentation and portable health monitoring. It is promising that VCSEL-integrated chip-scale atomic biosensors as featured applications of this kind may experience extensive development in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread use of magneto-sensitive elements, magnetic shields are an important part of electronic equipment, ultra-sensitive atomic sensors, and in basic physics experiments. Particularly in Spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) co-magnetometers, the magnetic shield is an important component for maintaining the SERF state. However, the inherent noise of magnetic shield materials is an important factor limiting the measurement sensitivity and accuracy of SERF co-magnetometers. In this paper, both amorphous and nanocrystalline materials were designed and applied as the innermost magnetic shield of an SERF co-magnetometer. Magnetic noise characteristics of different amorphous and nanocrystalline materials used as the internal magnetic shielding layer of the magnetic shielding system were analyzed. In addition, the effects on magnetic noise due to adding aluminum to amorphous and nanocrystalline materials were studied. The experimental results show that compared with an amorphous material, a nanocrystalline material as the inner magnetic shield layer can effectively reduce the magnetic noise and improve the sensitivity and precision of the rotation measurement. Nanocrystalline material is very promising for inner shield composition in SERF co-magnetometers. Furthermore, its ultra-thin structure and low cost have significant application value in the miniaturization of SERF co-magnetometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are important harmful products formed simultaneously during the thermal processing of food. In order to develop a green, efficient method that can be used to control the production of two harmful products simultaneously in food processing. In the present study, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were used to extract ginger, and this method produced significantly higher levels of total phenolic and flavonoid content as well as an antioxidant activity than ginger extracted using conventional solvents. Herein, we further investigated the inhibitory effects of DES extracts from ginger on the generation of HAs and AGEs in roast beef patties. All the nine DES extracts reduced the formation of HAs and AGEs, and the application of choline chloride–lactic-acid-based DES extract caused a signification reduction of 44.33%, 29.38%, 50.95%, 78.61%, 21.94%, and 17.52% of the PhIP, MeIQx, MeIQ, 4,8-DiMeIQx, Harmane, and Norhamane content, and those for Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and Nε-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL) were 49.08% and 58.50%, respectively. Furthermore, the proximate and texture profile changes of beef patties as well as the precursors (creatine, creatinine, and glucose) of HAs and AGEs were evaluated to determine the mechanism of ginger DES extracts on the formation of HAs and AGEs and the physical/chemical changes of ginger DES extracts on beef patties. This study develops a new method for reducing the amount of HAs and AGEs in meat, which will help food manufacturers produce healthier meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ferrite magnetic shield is widely used in ultra-high-sensitivity atomic sensors because of its low noise characteristics. However, its noise level varies with temperature and affects the performance of the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) co-magnetometer. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and suppress the thermal magnetic noise. In this paper, the thermal magnetic noise model of a ferrite magnetic shield is established, and the thermal magnetic noise of ferrite is calculated more accurately by testing the low-frequency complex permeability at different temperatures. A temperature suppression method based on the improved heat dissipation efficiency of the ferrite magnetic shield is also proposed. The magnetic noise of the ferrite is reduced by 46.7%. The experiment is basically consistent with the theory. The sensitivity of the co-magnetometer is decreased significantly, from 1.21 × 10 − 5 ° /s/Hz 1 / 2 to 7.02 × 10 − 6 ° /s/Hz 1 / 2 at 1 Hz. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. In addition, the study is also helpful for evaluating the thermal magnetic noise of other materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a high-performance magnetic shielding structure composed of MnZn ferrite and mu-metal film. The use of the mu-metal film with a high magnetic permeability restrains the decrease in the magnetic shielding coefficient caused by the magnetic leakage between the gap of magnetic annuli. The 0.1–0.5 mm thickness of mu-metal film prevents the increase of magnetic noise of composite structure. The finite element simulation results show that the magnetic shielding coefficient and magnetic noise are almost unchanged with the increase in the gap width. Compared with conventional ferrite magnetic shields with multiple annuli structures under the gap width of 0.5 mm, the radial shielding coefficient increases by 13.2%, and the magnetic noise decreases by 21%. The axial shielding coefficient increases by 22.3 times. Experiments verify the simulation results of the shielding coefficient of the combined magnetic shield. The shielding coefficient of the combined magnetic shield is 16.5%. It is 91.3% higher than the conventional ferrite magnetic shield. The main difference is observed between the actual and simulated relative permeability of mu-metal films. The combined magnetic shielding proposed in this study is of great significance to further promote the performance of atomic sensors sensitive to magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Torreya grandis is an important economic forestry product in China, whose seeds are often consumed as edible nuts, or used as raw materials for oil processing. To date, as an important by-product of Torreya grandis, comprehensive studies regarding the Torreya grandis seed coat phenolic composition are lacking, which greatly limits its in-depth use. Therefore, in the present study, the Torreya grandis seed coat was extracted by acid aqueous ethanol (TE), and NMR and UHPLC-MS were used to identify the major phenolics. Together with the already known phenolics including protocatechuic acid, catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin gallate, the unreported new compound 2-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenylethyl) malonic acid was discovered. The results of the antioxidant properties showed that both TE and 2-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenylethyl) malonic acid exhibited strong ABTS, DPPH, and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity, and significantly improved the O/W emulsion's oxidation stability. These results indicate that the TE and 2-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenylethyl) malonic acid could possibly be used in the future to manufacture functional foods or bioactive ingredients. Moreover, further studies are also needed to evaluate the biological activity of TE and 2-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenylethyl) malonic acid to increase the added value of Torreya grandis by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used in Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks, especially in remote areas where communication infrastructure is unavailable, due to flexibility and low cost. However, the joint optimization of locations of UAVs and relay path selection can be very challenging, especially when the numbers of IoT devices and UAVs are very large. In this paper, we formulate the joint optimization of UAV locations and relay paths in UAV-relayed IoT networks as a graph problem, and propose a graph neural network (GNN)-based approach to solve it in an efficient and scalable way. In the training procedure, we design a reinforcement learning-based relay GNN (RGNN) to select the best relay path for each user. The theoretical analysis shows that the time complexity of RGNN is two orders lower than the conventional optimization method. Then, we jointly exploit location GNN (LGNN) and RGNN trained to optimize the locations of all UAVs. Both GNNs can be trained without relying on the training data, which is usually unavailable in the context of wireless networks. In inference procedure, LGNN is first used to optimize the location of UAVs, and then RGNN is used to select the best relay path based on the output of LGNN. Simulation results show that the proposed approach can achieve comparable performance to brute-force search with much lower time complexity when the network is relatively small. Remarkably, the proposed approach is highly scalable to large-scale networks and adaptable to dynamics in the environment, which can hardly be achieved using conventional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two newly developed non-contact dielectric measurement techniques were applied to characterize the complex permittivity spectra of a ceramic state polymer electrolyte. The Capacitance Bridge was employed to measure the electrolyte sample in a frequency range from 50 Hz to 20 KHz with a novel air gap method. The newly designed in-waveguide measurement by VNA (vector network analyzer) was applied to measure the electrolyte in the frequency range from 8.2 GHz to 40 GHz. Both methods are newly developed non-contact techniques and there was no physical contact on the polymer sample film surface during the measurement. The weak contact error in traditional measurement could be completely avoided in these non-contact methods. The ionic conductivity and complex electrical conductivity can be derived from the accurate complex dielectric spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies indicate that the stereo-ATI carrier-envelope phase meter (CEPM) is an effective method to determine the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of each and every single few-cycle laser pulse. In this method, a two-dimensional parametric asymmetry plot (PAP), which can be obtained with the measured data in two short time-of-flight intervals, is applied to extract the CEP. Thus, part of the data containing useful CEP information is discarded in the PAP method. In this work, an improved method was developed to effectively exploit most of the experimental data. By this method, we achieve a CEP precision of 57 mrad over the entire 2 π range for 5.0 fs laser pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donkey-hide gelatin, also called Ejiao (colla corii asini), is commonly used as a food health supplement and valuable Chinese medicine. Its growing popular demand and short supply make it a target for fraud, and many other animal gelatins can be found as adulterants. Authentication remains a quality concern. Peptide markers were developed by searching the protein database. However, donkeys and horses share the same database, and there is no specific marker for donkeys. Here, solutions are sought following a database-independent strategy. The peptide profiles of authentic samples of different animal gelatins were compared using LC-QTOF-MS/MS. Fourteen specific markers, including four donkey-specific, one horse-specific, three cattle-specific, and six pig-specific peptides, were successfully found. As these donkey-specific peptides are not included in the current proteomics database, their sequences were determined by de novo sequencing. A quantitative LC-QQQ multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method was further developed to achieve highly sensitive and selective analysis. The specificity and applicability of these markers were confirmed by testing multiple authentic samples and 110 batches of commercial Ejiao products, 57 of which were found to be unqualified. These results suggest that these markers are specific and accurate for authentication purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible bird's nest (EBN) is an expensive health food. There are many adulterants in the market. It remains challenging to discriminate EBN from its adulterants due to a lack of high-specificity markers. Besides, the current markers are confined to soluble fraction of EBN. Here, both soluble and insoluble fractions were analyzed by LC-QTOF-MS/MS. A total of 26 high-specificity peptides that were specific to EBN were selected as qualitative authentication markers. Among them, 10 markers can discriminate EBN from common adulterants, 13 markers discriminate white EBN from grass EBN/common adulterants, and 3 markers discriminate grass EBN from white EBN/common adulterants. Three of them, which showed high signal abundance (Peak area ≥ 106) and satisfactory linearity (R2 ≥ 0.995) with EBN references, were selected as the assay marker; and their peptide sequences were confidently identified by searching database/de novo sequencing. Based on these markers, a qualitative and quantitative analytical method was successfully developed and well-validated in terms of linearity, precision, repeatability, and accuracy. The method was subsequently applied to detect EBN products on the market. The results indicated that more than half of EBN products were not consistent with what the merchants claimed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysaccharides, which exert immunoregulatory effects, are becoming more and more popular as food supplements; however, certain components of ordinary foods could be reducing the polysaccharides beneficial effects. Quercetin, a flavonoid found in common fruits and vegetables, is one such component. This study investigated the effects of quercetin on Astragalus polysaccharide RAP induced-macrophage activation. The results show quercetin decreases the NO production and iNOS gene expression in RAW264.7 cells, and it inhibits the production of cytokines in RAW264.7 cells and peritoneal macrophages. Western blot analysis results suggest that quercetin inhibits the phosphorylation of Akt/mTORC1, MAPKs, and TBK1, but has no effect on NF-κB in RAP-induced RAW264.7 cells. Taken together, the results show that quercetin partly inhibits macrophage activation by the Astragalus polysaccharide RAP. This study demonstrates that quercetin-containing foods may interfere with the immune-enhancing effects of Astragalus polysaccharide RAP to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the application characteristics of the K-Rb-21Ne comagnetometer, a space-stable navigation mechanization is designed and the requirements of the comagnetometer prototype are presented. By analysing the error propagation rule of the space-stable Inertial Navigation System (INS), the three biases, the scale factor of the z-axis, and the misalignment of the x- and y-axis non-orthogonal with the z-axis, are confirmed to be the main error source. A numerical simulation of the mathematical model for each single error verified the theoretical analysis result of the system’s error propagation rule. Thus, numerical simulation based on the semi-physical data result proves the feasibility of the navigation scheme proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem whereby the size of the hole formed by the existing hole-forming device of hole-punching transplanters is significantly inconsistent with the theoretical size as it is impacted by the inserting and lifting methods, a scheme for eliminating the forward speed of the whole machine by the horizontal linear velocity of reverse rotation of the hole-forming mechanism is proposed to vertically insert and lift the hole-forming device in accordance with the working characteristics of hole-punching transplanting and the agronomic requirements of rapeseed transplanting. In addition, a novel type of reverse-rotating soil-taking-type hole-forming device for the pot seedling transplanting machine for rapeseed was developed. A test bench for the hole-forming device was set and its effectiveness was verified in the soil bin. It was found, from the test results, that, when the forward speed of the hole-forming device was between 0.25 m/s and 0.45 m/s, the average qualified rates of hole forming of the device were 95.2%, 94.0% and 93.3%, respectively; the average change rates of the hole size were 2.3%, 2.9% and 5.5%, respectively; and the average error between the theoretical value of effective depth and the experimental value was between 2.0% and 5.6%. The average angle between the hole-forming stage trajectory of the hole opener and the horizontal direction at different forward speeds was higher than 88.0°; the coefficient of variation was between 0.16% and 0.64%; the perpendicularity of the hole-forming operation was high; the change rates of soil porosity of the hole wall were between 8.2% and 9.3%; and the average soil heave degrees at the hole mouth after the completion of the hole-forming operation were 3.9%, 4.1% and 4.2%, respectively. The average soil stability rates of the hole wall were 91.9%, 91.2% and 91.0%, respectively. The different performances of the hole-forming device were confirmed to meet the requirements of rapeseed pot seedling transplanting. This study can provide a reference for the structural improvement and optimization of the hole-punching transplanter for rapeseed pot seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of liquid smoke prepared from different woods on physicochemical parameters, sensory quality, and protein and lipid oxidation were determined in bacons during process and storage. The relationship between the antioxidant activity of smoked liquid and the quality of bacon was further explored through chemometric analysis. Results showed that liquid smoke prepared from different woods differed in phenolic and carboxyl compounds and antioxidant capacity. Bacon processed with different liquid smoke had different antioxidant capacity, lipid and protein oxidation during storage, and sensory quality. The concentration of phenols was positively highly correlated with the antioxidant capacity of both liquid smoke and fresh bacon, but negatively correlated with lipid and protein oxidation in bacon. Among the five woods, liquid smoke made from Punica granatum L. showed higher antioxidant capacity, but bacon smoked with Armeniaca vulgaris Lam had better overall eating quality. This study reveals that selection of woods to prepare antioxidant fumigant is a feasible approach to retard oxidative spoilage of meat products. Future study is need for the development of composite smoke flavorings to improve both oxidative stability and sensory quality of foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel benzothiazole-2-thiol derivatives were synthesized and their structures determined by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and HRMS (ESI). The effects of all compounds on a panel of different types of human cancer cell lines were investigated. Among them, pyridinyl-2-amine linked benzothiazole-2-thiol compounds 7d, 7e, 7f and 7i exhibited potent and broad-spectrum inhibitory activities. Compound 7e displayed the most potent anticancer activity on SKRB-3 (IC50 = 1.2 nM), SW620 (IC50 = 4.3 nM), A549 (IC50 = 44 nM) and HepG2 (IC50 = 48 nM) and was found to induce apoptosis in HepG2 cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of 2-(3-fluoro-4-nitrophenoxy)-N-phenylacetamide compounds were designed, synthesized and in vitro assessed for their antitubercular activities by a microdilution method. All the novel derivatives exerted potent or moderate active against M. tuberculosis H37Rv, with MIC values ranging from 4 to 64 μg/mL. The most potent derivative 3m showed an identical MIC value of 4 μg/mL for both M. tuberculosis H37Rv and rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis 261. It demonstrated no inhibitory effects against six different tumor cell lines by a MTT assay and had a good safety profile in a vero cell line, providing a good lead for subsequent optimization in search of novel affordable antitubercular agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve novel acenaphthene derivatives have been synthesized. The structures of all compounds were confirmed by 1H-NMR, MS and elemental analysis. Their antitumor activities were evaluated in six human solid tumor cell lines, namely non-small cell lung cancer (H460), human colon adenocarcinoma (SW480), human breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-468 and SKRB-3), human melanoma cell (A375) and human pancreatic cancer (BxPC-3) . Among them, compound 3c shows the best antitumor activity against SKRB-3 cell line, as high as the positive control adriamycin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan is the only cationic polysaccharide found in nature. It has broad application prospects in biomaterials, but its application is limited due to its poor solubility in water. A novel chitosan derivative was synthesized by amidation of chitosan with 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid and sialic acid. The chitosan derivatives were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and measurement of the zeta potential. We also investigated the solubility, cytotoxicity, and blood compatibility of chitosan derivatives. 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid and sialic acid could be grafted onto chitosan molecular chains. The thermal stability of the synthesized chitosan derivatives was decreased and the surface was positively charged in water and phosphate-buffered saline. After chitosan had been modified by 18 β-glycyrrhetinic acid and sialic acid, the solubility of chitosan was improved greatly in water and phosphate-buffered saline, and percent hemolysis was <5%. Novel amphiphilic chitosan derivatives could be suitable polymers for biomedical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its criticality for airport business, duty-free shopping at the retail stores of airports has received scant attention. To overcome this difference, this study explains the complex process via which travelers show their willingness to repurchase in the context of airport retail stores. A quantitative process comprising a field survey is conducted for data collection. The measurement quality is assessed and established through the evaluation of a measurement model. As a result of analyzing the structural equation model, it was found that the perceived performance, utilitarian value, hedonic value, and satisfaction evaluation of airport retail stores play a crucial role in determining traveler willingness to repurchase. The conceptual framework encompassing these concepts also adequately accounts for traveler willingness to repurchase. Moreover, our results from the invariance assessment reveal that the moderating impact of shopping engagement on the hypothesized relationship between utilitarian value and satisfaction evaluation is significant. Overall, the proposed direct associations among theoretical constructs within our framework are well supported. Furthermore, the efficacy of the proposed theoretical framework for a clear understanding of airport shoppers' post-purchase behaviors is successfully identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was an empirical effort to uncover the influence of eco-design of airport buildings on customer approach responses and behaviors. A survey methodology with empirical data analysis was used to attain the research purpose. Our findings revealed that eco-design contributes to enhancing airport reputation and airport customers' subjective well-being. In addition, eco-design, reputation, and well-being directly/indirectly increase customer approach intentions. Our result also indicated that the association between eco-design and airport reputation is under the significant influence of biospheric value. Moreover, airport reputation and subjective well-being mediated the effect of eco-design on intentions. The comparative importance of airport reputation in determining approach intentions was identified. Overall, the proposed theoretical framework satisfactorily accounted for approach intentions. Given the lack of knowledge about eco-design in the airport literature, this research help boosts airport researchers' and practitioners' understanding of the role of eco-design and its criticality in explicating approach formation and behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research was an empirical endeavor to build a sturdy theorization linking trust in supervisor and co-worker supports, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced personal accomplishment, and hotel employee turnover at workplace. A quantitative approach and survey methodology were utilized. This research successfully explored the intricate associations between trust-in-support factors and burnout dimensions and uncovered the possible influence of such relationships on employee turnover in the hotel context. In addition, emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment among burnout constituents significantly affected turnover. These variables also strengthened the influence of trust in supervisor support on hotel employee turnover, acting as significant mediators. A salient role of emotional exhaustion in escalating employee turnover was unearthed. Overall, this research demonstrated the importance of trust in support and its role in reducing the burnout phenomenon among hotel employees and explaining their voluntary turnover decision formation in a satisfactory manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical heating elements, which are widely used to heat the vapor cell of ultrasensitive atomic magnetometers, inevitably produce a magnetic field interference. In this paper, we propose a novel measurement method of the amplitude of electrical-heating-induced magnetic field for an atomic magnetometer. In contrast to conventional methods, this method can be implemented in the atomic magnetometer itself without the need for extra magnetometers. It can distinguish between different sources of magnetic fields sensed by the atomic magnetometer, and measure the three-axis components of the magnetic field generated by the electrical heater and the temperature sensor. The experimental results demonstrate that the measurement uncertainty of the heater's magnetic field is less than 0.2 nT along the x-axis, 1.0 nT along the y-axis, and 0.4 nT along the z-axis. The measurement uncertainty of the temperature sensor's magnetic field is less than 0.02 nT along all three axes. This method has the advantage of measuring the in-situ magnetic field, so it is especially suitable for miniaturized and chip-scale atomic magnetometers, where the cell is extremely small and in close proximity to the heater and the temperature sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the public cloud, FPGA-based SmartNICs are widely deployed to accelerate network functions (NFs) for datacenter operators. We argue that with the trend of network as a service (NaaS) in the cloud is also meaningful to accelerate tenant NFs to meet performance requirements. However, in pursuit of high performance, existing work such as AccelNet is carefully designed to accelerate specific NFs for datacenter providers, which sacrifices the flexibility of rapidly deploying new NFs. For most tenants with limited hardware design ability, it is time-consuming to develop NFs from scratch due to the lack of a rapidly reconfigurable framework. In this paper, we present a reconfigurable network processing pipeline, i.e., DrawerPipe, which abstracts packet processing into multiple "drawers" connected by the same interface. NF developers can easily share existing modules with other NFs and simply load core application logic in the appropriate "drawer" to implement new NFs. Furthermore, we propose a programmable module indexing mechanism, namely PMI, which can connect "drawers" in any logical order, to perform distinct NFs for different tenants or flows. Finally, we implemented several highly reusable modules for low-level packet processing, and extended four example NFs (firewall, stateful firewall, load balancer, IDS) based on DrawerPipe. Our evaluation shows that DrawerPipe can easily offload customized packet processing to FPGA with high performance up to 100 Mpps and ultra-low latency (<10 µs). Moreover, DrawerPipe enables modular development of NFs, which is suitable for rapid deployment of NFs. Compared with individual NF development, DrawerPipe reduces the line of code (LoC) of the four NFs above by 68%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southbound protocol of Software Defined Networking (SDN) enables the direct access into SDN switches which accelerates the innovation and deployment of network functions in the data plane. Correspondingly, SDN switches that support the new southbound protocol and provide high performance are developed continuously. Therefore, there is an increasing need for testing tools to test such equipment in terms of protocol correctness and performance. However, existing tools have deficiencies in flexibility for verifying the novel southbound protocol, time synchronization between the two planes, and supporting more testing functions with less resource consumption. In this paper, we present the concept of CPU & FPGA co-design Tester (CFT) for SDN switches, which provides flexible APIs for test cases of the control plane and high performance for testing functions in the data plane. We put forward an efficient scheduling algorithm to integrate the control plane and the data plane into a single pipeline which fundamentally solves the time asynchronization between these two planes. Due to the reconfigurable feature of our proposed pipeline, it becomes possible to perform different testing functions in one pipeline. Through a prototype implementation and evaluation, we reveal that the proposed CFT can verify the protocol correctness of SDN switches on the control plane while providing no-worse performance for tests on the data plane compared with commercial testers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs) have a unique ability to firmly adhere to different surfaces in aqueous environments via the special amino acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). The catechol groups in DOPA are a key group for adhesive proteins, which is highly informative for the biomedical domain. By simulating MAPs, medical products can be developed for tissue adhesion, drug delivery, and wound healing. Hydrogel is a common formulation that is highly adaptable to numerous medical applications. Based on a discussion of the adhesion mechanism of MAPs, this paper reviews the formation and adhesion mechanism of catechol-functionalized hydrogels, types of hydrogels and main factors affecting adhesion, and medical applications of hydrogels, and future the development of catechol-functionalized hydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the dynamic random error compensation accuracy of the Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) gyroscope at different angular rates, an adaptive filtering approach based on the dynamic variance model was proposed. In this paper, experimental data were utilized to fit the dynamic variance model which describes the nonlinear mapping relations between the MEMS gyroscope output data variance and the input angular rate. After that, the dynamic variance model was applied to online adjustment of the Kalman Filter measurement noise coefficients. The proposed approach suppressed the interference from the angular rate in the filtering results. Dynamic random errors were better estimated and reduced. Turntable experiment results indicated that the adaptive filtering approach compensated for the MEMS gyroscope dynamic random error effectively both in the constant angular rate condition and the continuous changing angular rate condition, thus achieving adaptive dynamic random error compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysaccharides, which exert immunoregulatory effects, are becoming more and more popular as food supplements; however, certain components of ordinary foods could be reducing the polysaccharides beneficial effects. Quercetin, a flavonoid found in common fruits and vegetables, is one such component. This study investigated the effects of quercetin on Astragalus polysaccharide RAP induced-macrophage activation. The results show quercetin decreases the NO production and iNOS gene expression in RAW264.7 cells, and it inhibits the production of cytokines in RAW264.7 cells and peritoneal macrophages. Western blot analysis results suggest that quercetin inhibits the phosphorylation of Akt/mTORC1, MAPKs, and TBK1, but has no effect on NF-κB in RAP-induced RAW264.7 cells. Taken together, the results show that quercetin partly inhibits macrophage activation by the Astragalus polysaccharide RAP. This study demonstrates that quercetin-containing foods may interfere with the immune-enhancing effects of Astragalus polysaccharide RAP to a certain extent.

According to the application characteristics of the K-Rb- 21 Ne comagnetometer, a space-stable navigation mechanization is designed and the requirements of the comagnetometer prototype are presented. By analysing the error propagation rule of the space-stable Inertial Navigation System (INS), the three biases, the scale factor of the z -axis, and the misalignment of the x - and y -axis non-orthogonal with the z -axis, are confirmed to be the main error source. A numerical simulation of the mathematical model for each single error verified the theoretical analysis result of the system's error propagation rule. Thus, numerical simulation based on the semi-physical data result proves the feasibility of the navigation scheme proposed in this paper., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.