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To explore the Co/Cr ratio impact on the high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF)-sprayed WC-Co-Cr coatings microstructure and performances, three kinds of WC-Co-Cr coatings, namely WC-4Co-10Cr, WC-7Co-7Cr, and WC-10Co-4Cr, were prepared by using a high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying process. The three coatings' phase composition, microstructure, basic mechanical properties, abrasive wear, and corrosion resistance were investigated. The results show that all three WC-Co-Cr coatings comprise the main phase WC, minor W2C, and amorphous W-Co-Cr phase, besides the WC-4Co-10Cr coating containing a small amount of CrxCy phase. In addition, WC-7Co-7Cr coating exhibited the highest hardness and abrasive wear resistance, followed by WC-10Co-4Cr and WC-4Co-10Cr coatings. The corrosion resistance as a hierarchy was found to be WC-10Co-4Cr > WC-7Co-7Cr > WC-4Co-10Cr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop mapping at an earlier time within the growing season benefits agricultural management. However, crop spectral information is very limited at the early crop phenological stages, leading to difficulties for within-season crop identification. In this study, we proposed a deep learning-based fusion method for crop mapping within the growing season, which first learned a priori information (i.e., pre-season crop types) from historical crop planting data and then integrated the a priori information with the satellite-derived crop types estimated from spectral times-series data. We expect that preseason crop types provided by crop rotation patterns is an effective supplement to spectral information to generate reliable crop maps in the early growing season. We tested the proposed fusion method at three representative sites in the U.S. with different crop rotation intensities and one site with cloudy weather conditions in the Sichuan Province of China. The experimental results showed that the fusion method incorporated the strengths of pre-season crop type estimates and the spectral-based crop type estimates and thus achieved higher crop classification accuracy than the two estimates throughout the growing season. We found that pre-season crop estimates had a higher accuracy in the scenarios with either nearly continuous planting or half-time planting of the same crop. In addition, the historical crop type data strongly affected the performance of pre-season crop estimates, suggesting that high-quality historical crop planting data are particularly important for crop identification at earlier times in the growing season. Our study highlighted the great potential for near real-time crop mapping through the fusion of spectral information and crop rotation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial leaf blight is a devastating disease of rice worldwide. The resistant genes are routinely transferred from landraces to cultivated varieties through backcross breeding along with marker-assisted selection. In the present study, we use the gene-specific markers to screen the rice landraces in Yunnan Province of China. We collected 404 representative samples of 24 different rice landraces from Yunnan Province of China. The initial PCR-based screening suggested that the leaf blight resistance was not evenly distributed in Yunnan Province. Our results indicate that there is a complete loss of resistance for landraces based on xa5 and xa13 genes. On the other hand, landraces harboring Xa7 and Xa21 showed a high level of resistance. Using gene-specific PCR-based data, we were able to identify the resistant, susceptible and heterozygous populations across Yunnan Province. The widely used Xa21 gene alone showed a remarkable level of resistance throughout the province, indicating its potential to develop broad-spectrum resistance in rice germplasm. The key aspects of bacterial blight spread according to local sites in Yunnan Province and the resistance conferred by different landraces due to the presence of different resistance genes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rice blast disease (caused by Magnaporthe oryzae) is a devastating disease in China. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of interaction for the cognate avirulence (AVR) gene with host resistance (R) genes, as well as their genetic evolution is essential for sustainable rice production. In the present study, we conducted a high-throughput nucleotide sequence polymorphism analysis of the AVR-Pi9 gene that was amplified from the rice-growing regions of the Yunnan Province in China. We detected the presence of seven novel haplotypes from 326 rice samples. In addition, the sequences of AVR-Pi9 were also obtained from two non-rice hosts, Eleusine coracana and Eleusine indica. The sequence analysis revealed the insertions and deletions in the coding and non-coding regions of the gene. The pathogenicity experiments of these haplotypes on previously characterized monogenic lines showed that the newly identified haplotypes are virulent in nature. The breakdown of resistance was attributed to the development of new haplotypes. Our results suggest that the mutation in the AVR-Pi9 gene is an alarming situation in the Yunnan province and thus needs attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate localization of partial discharge in GIS equipment remains a key focus of daily maintenance for substations, which can be achieved through advanced detection and location techniques, as well as regular maintenance and testing of the equipment. However, there is currently an issue with low accuracy in the localization algorithm. Aiming at the problems of low precision and local optimization of the swarm intelligence algorithm in partial discharge localization system of GIS equipment, this paper proposes a 3D localization algorithm based on a time difference of arrival (TDOA) model of the improved artificial fish swarm algorithm (IAFSA). By introducing the investigation behaviour of the artificial bee colony(ABC) algorithm into the artificial fish swarms algorithm (AFSA), this algorithm is more efficient to jump out of the local extremum, enhance the optimization performance, improve the global search ability and overcome the premature convergence. Furthermore, more precise positioning can be achieved with dynamic parameters. The results of the testing function show that IAFSA is significantly superior to AFSA and particle swarm optimization (PSO) in terms of positioning accuracy and stability. When applied to partial discharge localization experiments, the maximum relative positioning error is less than 2.5%. This validates that the proposed method in this paper can achieve high-precision partial discharge localization, has good engineering application value, and provides strong support for the safe operation of GIS equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has promising applications in civil engineering. However, the elastic modulus of UHPC is relatively low compared with its compressive strength, which may result in insufficient stiffness in service. This work was carried out to explore the feasibility of producing UHPC with high elastic modulus by nano-Al2O3 (NA). Based on particle densely packing theory, the initial mixture of UHPC was designed via the modified Andreasen and Andersen model. An experimental investigation was conducted to systematically examine the effects of NA on different properties of UHPC, including its fluidity, mechanical properties, durability, and microstructure. It was found that: (1) Compared with UHPC without NA, the flexural strength, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of UHPC were improved by 7.38–16.87%, 4.08–20.58%, and 2.89–14.08%, respectively, because of the incorporation of NA; (2) the addition of NA had a prohibiting impact on the threshold pore diameter and porosity of UHPC, which suggested that NA could be conducive to its pore structure; (3) the incorporation of NA led to a decline of 2.9–11.76% in the dry shrinkage of UHPC, which suggested that incorporating NA in a proper amount could reduce the risk of cracking and alleviate the dry shrinkage of UHPC; (4) the optimal amount of NA in UHPC was 1.0%, considering the effects of NA on workability, mechanical properties, microstructure, and the durability of UHPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a serious neurodegenerative disease wherein the progressive destruction of dopaminergic neurons results in a series of related movement disorders. Effective oral delivery of anti-Parkinson's drugs is challenging owing to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the limited plasma exposure. However, polymeric nanoparticles possess great potential to enhance oral bioavailability, thus improving drug accumulation within the brain. In this work, biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PEG-PTMC) nanoparticles (PPNPs) were developed to deliver Ginkgolide B (GB) as a potent treatment for PD, aiming to enhance its accumulation within both the blood and the brain. The resultant GB-PPNPs were able to facilitate sustained GB release for 48 h and to protect against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+)-induced neuronal cytotoxicity without causing any toxic damage. Subsequent pharmacokinetic studies revealed that GB-PPNPs accumulated at significantly higher concentrations in the plasma and brain relative to free GB. Oral GB-PPNP treatment was also linked to desirable outcomes in an animal model of PD, as evidenced by improvements in locomotor activity, levels of dopamine and its metabolites, and tyrosine hydroxylase activity. Together, these data suggest that PPNPs may represent promising tools for the effective remediation of PD and other central nervous system disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages are dynamic cells susceptible to the local microenvironment which includes tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in cancers. TAMs are a collection of heterogeneous macrophages, including M1 and M2 subtypes, shaped by various activation modes and labeled with various markers in different tumors. CCL22+-infiltrating cells are thought to be significantly associated with the prognosis of cervical cancer patients. Moreover, CCL22 is an established marker of M2a macrophages. Although the phenotypic identification of M1 and M2 macrophages is well established in mice and human macrophages cultured in a medium with fetal calf serum (FCS), fewer studies have focused on M2 subtypes. In addition, the question of whether CCL22 affects polarization of M2a macrophages remains unanswered. This study constructed a co-culture system to shape TAMs in vitro. We found that CCL22 was mainly secreted by TAMs but not cervical cancer cell lines. Human peripheral blood monocytes were differentiated into uncommitted macrophages (M0) and then polarized to M1, M2a, M2b, and M2c macrophages using LPS plus IFNr, IL-4, LPS plus IL1β, and IL-10, respectively. Using flowcytometry, we found CD80++ was the marker of M1 and M2b, CD206++ was the marker of M2a, and CD163++ was the marker of M2c, compared with M0 macrophages. By regulating CCL22, we found that the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD206 in TAMs was significantly affected compared to the control group. Therefore, CCL22 could polarize TAMs of cervical cancer toward M2a macrophages. In conclusion, our study revealed that CCL22 could be a therapeutic target for cervical cancer, which might be because of its role in regulating macrophage polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric constant of CCTO materials can be as high as 104, which makes it suitable for use in electronic devices but the high dielectric loss limits its application. In this paper, a series of Sr and Zr co-doped CCTO ceramics having the formula Ca0.8Sr0.2Cu3Ti4−xZrxO12 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) were obtained via a solid-state reaction technique. We force the effect of the Zr content on the phase composition, microstructure, cationic valence states, impedance, and dielectric properties of the as-prepared ceramics to reduce dielectric loss. The results demonstrate that Sr and Zr co-doping increases dielectric constant and reduces dielectric loss simultaneously, and the maximum dielectric constant (1.87 × 105, 1 Hz) and minimum dielectric loss (0.43, 102 Hz) are obtained when x = 0.3. Mixed Cu+/Cu2+ and Ti3+/Ti4+ valence states are observed to coexist in the co-doped material lattices, which promote dipole polarization, and thereby increase the dielectric constant of the ceramics. The dielectric properties of the materials are analyzed according to the internal barrier layer capacitance model, which elucidates the contributions of the grains and grain boundaries to dielectric performance. The maximum grain boundary resistance (3.7 × 105 Ω) is obtained for x = 0.3, which contributes toward the minimum dielectric loss (0.43) obtained for this ceramic at a frequency less than 1 kHz. The average grain sizes of the samples decrease with increasing Zr content, which is the primary factor increasing the grain boundary resistance of the co-doped ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing conventional neurosurgical navigation systems' high costs and complexity, this study explores the feasibility and accuracy of a simplified, cost-effective mixed reality navigation (MRN) system based on a laser crosshair simulator (LCS). A new automatic registration method was developed, featuring coplanar laser emitters and a recognizable target pattern. The workflow was integrated into Microsoft's HoloLens-2 for practical application. The study assessed the system's precision by utilizing life-sized 3D-printed head phantoms based on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 19 patients (female/male: 7/12, average age: 54.4 ± 18.5 years) with intracranial lesions. Six to seven CT/MRI-visible scalp markers were used as reference points per case. The LCS-MRN's accuracy was evaluated through landmark-based and lesion-based analyses, using metrics such as target registration error (TRE) and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). The system demonstrated immersive capabilities for observing intracranial structures across all cases. Analysis of 124 landmarks showed a TRE of 3.0 ± 0.5 mm, consistent across various surgical positions. The DSC of 0.83 ± 0.12 correlated significantly with lesion volume (Spearman rho = 0.813, p < 0.001). Therefore, the LCS-MRN system is a viable tool for neurosurgical planning, highlighting its low user dependency, cost-efficiency, and accuracy, with prospects for future clinical application enhancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first results of functional properties of nitrogenized silver-permalloy thin films deposited on polyethylene terephthalic ester {PETE (C10H8O4)n} flexible substrates by magnetron sputtering. These new soft magnetic thin films have magnetization that is comparable to pure Ni81Fe19 permalloy films. Two target compositions (Ni76Fe19Ag5 and Ni72Fe18Ag10) were used to study the effect of compositional variation and sputtering parameters, including nitrogen flow rate on the phase evolution and surface properties. Aggregate flow rate and total pressure of Ar+N2 mixture was 60 sccm and 0.55 Pa, respectively. The distance between target and the substrate was kept at 100 mm, while using sputtering power from 100-130 W. Average film deposition rate was confirmed at around 2.05 nm/min for argon atmosphere and was reduced to 1.8 nm/min in reactive nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the functional properties. Nano sized character of films was confirmed by XRD and SEM. It is found that the grain size was reduced by the formation of nitride phase, which in turns enhanced the magnetization and lowers the coercivity. Magnetic field coupling efficiency limit was determined from 1.6-2 GHz frequency limit. The results of comparable magnetic performance, lowest magnetic loss, and highest surface free energy, confirming that 15 sccm nitrogen flow rate at 115Wis optimal for producing Ag-doped permalloy flexible thin films having excellent magnetic field coupling efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the body, which is triggered by a body energy intake larger than body energy consumption. Due to complications such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes (T2DM), obstructive pneumonia and arthritis, as well as high mortality, morbidity and economic cost, obesity has become a major health problem. The global prevalence of obesity, and its comorbidities is escalating at alarming rates, demanding the development of additional classes of therapeutics to reduce the burden of disease further. As a central energy sensor, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has recently been elucidated to play a paramount role in fat synthesis and catabolism, especially in regulating the energy expenditure of brown/beige adipose tissue and the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT). This review discussed the role of AMPK in fat metabolism in adipose tissue, emphasizing its role in the energy expenditure of brown/beige adipose tissue and browning of WAT. A deeper understanding of the role of AMPK in regulating fat metabolism and energy expenditure can provide new insights into obesity research and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different types of partial discharge (PD) in gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) cause different damage to GIS insulation, correctly identifying the PD type is very important for evaluating the insulation status of GIS. This paper proposes a PD pattern recognition method based on an improved feature fusion convolutional neural network (IFCNN) to fully use the time-frequency features of PD pulses to realize PD pattern recognition. Firstly, the one-dimensional time-domain feature sequence of the PD pulse and the corresponding wavelet time-frequency diagram are applied as inputs. Secondly, the convolutional neural network (CNN) with two parallel channels is used for feature extraction, the extracted fault information is fused, and the shallow features of the wavelet time-frequency diagram are fused to prevent feature loss caused by pooling operation. Finally, the extracted features are sent to the classifier to recognize different types of PD. The discharge data of different types of PD are obtained for testing by experiments and simulation. Compared with 1-D CNN and 2-D CNN under the same specification, the proposed method can mine more potential local features of discharge pulses by fusing the time-frequency features of PD pulses in different dimensions, and improves the recognition accuracy to 95.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer is primarily caused by the infection of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV). Moreover, tumor immune microenvironment plays a significant role in the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively identify predictive biomarkers from immunogenomics associated with cervical cancer prognosis. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) public database has stored abundant sequencing or microarray data, and clinical data, offering a feasible and reliable approach for this study. In the present study, gene profile and clinical data were downloaded from TCGA, and the Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort) database. Wilcoxon-test was used to compare the difference in gene expression. Univariate analysis was adopted to identify immune-related genes (IRGs) and transcription factors (TFs) correlated with survival. A prognostic prediction model was established by multivariate cox analysis. The regulatory network was constructed and visualized by correlation analysis and Cytoscape, respectively. Gene functional enrichment analysis was performed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). A total of 204 differentially expressed IRGs were identified, and 22 of them were significantly associated with the survival of cervical cancer. These 22 IRGs were actively involved in the JAK-STAT pathway. A prognostic model based on 10 IRGs (APOD, TFRC, GRN, CSK, HDAC1, NFATC4, BMP6, IL17RD, IL3RA, and LEPR) performed moderately and steadily in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients with FIGO stage I, regardless of the age and grade. Taken together, a risk score model consisting of 10 novel genes capable of predicting survival in SCC patients was identified. Moreover, the regulatory network of IRGs associated with survival (SIRGs) and their TFs provided potential molecular targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To semantically understand remote sensing images, it is not only necessary to detect the objects in them but also to recognize the semantic relationships between the instances. Scene graph generation aims to represent the image as a semantic structural graph, where objects and relationships between them are described as nodes and edges, respectively. Some existing methods rely only on visual features to sequentially predict the relationships between objects, ignoring contextual information and making it difficult to generate high-quality scene graphs, especially for remote sensing images. Therefore, we propose a novel model for remote sensing image scene graph generation by fusing contextual information and statistical knowledge, namely RSSGG_CS. To integrate contextual information and calculate attention among all objects, the RSSGG_CS model adopts a filter module (FiM) that is based on adjusted transformer architecture. Moreover, to reduce the blindness of the model when searching semantic space, statistical knowledge of relational predicates between objects from the training dataset and the cleaned Wikipedia text is used as supervision when training the model. Experiments show that fusing contextual information and statistical knowledge allows the model to generate more complete scene graphs of remote sensing images and facilitates the semantic understanding of remote sensing images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interplanting is an efficient method of improving nutrient utilization. However, the impact of intraspecific interplanting on rhizosphere microbial nitrogen cycling needs to be studied further. In this study, two corn cultivars were selected as the materials: Zhengdan958 (ZD958, high nitrogen use efficiency) and Denghai3622 (DH3622, low nitrogen use efficiency). Three planting patterns (interplanting, ZD958 monocropping, and DH3622 monocropping) were set up to study the effects of interplanting on crop growth and rhizosphere microbial nitrogen cycle function under two nitrogen levels: low nitrogen (140 kg N ha−1) and normal nitrogen (280 kg N ha−1). The results showed that the grain yield and nitrogen content in interplanting were significantly increased due to an enhanced leaf area index and root dry weight. The nitrogen accumulation and nitrogen use efficiency were enhanced by 8.14% and 19.38% in interplanting, which resulted in reductions in NH4+ and NO3− content in the rhizosphere. Interplanting enhanced rhizosphere nitrogen cycling processes; nitrification, denitrification, and nitrate reduction were increased. This study demonstrated that interplanting promotes corn nitrogen acquisition from the soil and indirectly regulates rhizosphere microbial function. These findings imply that the intraspecific interplanting of crops with appropriate functional traits is a promising approach to establishing diversified, productive, and efficient resource utilization ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variance or complete loss of the avirulence gene (Avr) enables the pathogen to escape resistance protein (R) recognition. The field resistance effectiveness of the R gene is determined by its corresponding Avr gene in field isolates. To effectively deploy the rice blast R gene Pi54, the distribution, variation and evolution of the corresponding Avr gene, AvrPi54, were determined through PCR amplification, pathogenicity assay, gene sequences and evolutionary analysis. Among 451 Pyricularia isolates from rice and non-rice hosts, including Oryza rufipogon, Digitaria sanguinalis, Eleusine coracana, E. indica and Musa sp. in Yunnan province, the PCR amplification result showed that AvrPi54 alleles existed among 218 (48.3%) isolates including rice isolates, O. rufipogon isolates and E. coracana isolates. Pathogenicity assay showed that 336 (74.5%) isolates were avirulent to Tetep (holding Pi54). Five AvrPi54 haplotypes were identified among 142 isolates through the gene sequence. These haplotypes were determined to be avirulent to Pi54 through pathogenicity assay. Four novel haplotypes (H2 to H5) of the AvrPi54 gene would provide new target sites for rice blast control. Haplotype diversity analysis indicated that there existed a lower genetic diversity of AvrPi54 for P. oryzae populations (five haplotypes, Hd = 0.127, π = 2.9 × 10−4) in this study. Neutrality tests showed that AvrPi54's genetic variation was affected by purified selection. Haplotype network and phylogeny analysis showed that H1 was an ancestral haplotype and was widely distributed in rice isolates and O. rufipogon isolates, while H5 diverged early and evolved independently. These results indicate that the gene evolves slowly and stably and is a comparatively conserved Avr gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both clinicopathological and experimental studies have suggested that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a key role in cervical cancer progression and are associated with poor prognosis in the respects of tumor cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression. Therefore, having a clear understanding of TAMs is essential in treating this disease. In this review, we will discuss the origins and categories of macrophages, the molecules responsible for forming and reeducating TAMs in cervical cancer (CC), the biomarkers of macrophages and the therapy development targeting TAMs in CC research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The offset tracking technique based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image intensity information can estimate glacier displacement even when glacier velocities are high and the time interval between images is long, allowing for the broad use of this technique in glacier velocity monitoring. Terrestrial laser scanners, a non-contact measuring system, can measure the velocity of a glacier even if there are no control points arranged on a glacier. In this study, six COSMO-SkyMed images acquired between 31 July and 22 December 2016 were used to obtain the glacial movements of five glaciers on the northern slope of the central Himalayas using the offset tracking approach. During the period of image acquirement, a terrestrial laser scanner was used, and point clouds of two periods in a small area at the terminus of the Pingcuoliesa Glacier were obtained. By selecting three fixed areas of the point clouds that have similar shapes across two periods, the displacements of the centers of gravity of the selected areas were calculated by using contrast analyses of feature points. Although the overall low-density point clouds data indicate that the glacial surfaces have low albedos relative to the wavelength of the terrestrial laser scanner and the effect of its application is therefore influenced in this research, the registration accuracy of 0.0023 m/d in the non-glacial areas of the scanner's measurements is acceptable, considering the magnitude of 0.072 m/d of the minimum glacial velocity measured by the scanner. The displacements from the point clouds broadly agree with the results of the offset tracking technique in the same area, which provides further evidence of the reliability of the measurements of the SAR data in addition to the analyses of the root mean squared error of the velocity residuals in non-glacial areas. The analysis of the movement of five glaciers in the study area revealed the dynamic behavior of these glacial surfaces across five periods. G089972E28213N Glacier, Pingcuoliesa Glacier and Shimo Glacier show increasing surface movement velocities from the terminus end to the upper part with elevations of 1500 m, 4500 m, and 6400 m, respectively. The maximum velocities on the glacial surface profiles were 31.69 cm/d, 62.40 cm/d, and 42.00 cm/d, respectively. In contrast, the maximum velocity of Shie Glacier, 50.60 cm/d, was observed at the glacier's terminus. For each period, G090138E28210N Glacier exhibited similar velocity values across the surface profile, with a maximum velocity of 39.70 cm/d. The maximum velocities of G089972E28213N Glacier, Pingcuoliesa Glacier, and Shie Glacier occur in the areas where the topography is steepest. In general, glacial surface velocities are higher in the summer than in the winter in this region. With the assistance of a terrestrial laser scanner with optimized wavelengths or other proper ground-based remote sensing instruments, the offset tracking technique based on high-resolution satellite SAR data should provide more reliable and detailed information for local and even single glacial surface displacement monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperspectral image classification has been acknowledged as the fundamental and challenging task of hyperspectral data processing. The abundance of spectral and spatial information has provided great opportunities to effectively characterize and identify ground materials. In this paper, we propose a spectral and spatial classification framework for hyperspectral images based on Random Multi-Graphs (RMGs). The RMG is a graph-based ensemble learning method, which is rarely considered in hyperspectral image classification. It is empirically verified that the semi-supervised RMG deals well with small sample setting problems. This kind of problem is very common in hyperspectral image applications. In the proposed method, spatial features are extracted based on linear prediction error analysis and local binary patterns; spatial features and spectral features are then stacked into high dimensional vectors. The high dimensional vectors are fed into the RMG for classification. By randomly selecting a subset of features to create a graph, the proposed method can achieve excellent classification performance. The experiments on three real hyperspectral datasets have demonstrated that the proposed method exhibits better performance than several closely related methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice blast is a very serious disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, which threatens rice production and food supply throughout the world. The avirulence (AVR) genes of rice blast are perceived by the corresponding rice blast resistance (R) genes and prompt specific resistance. A mutation in AVR is a major force for new virulence. Exploring mutations in AVR among M. oryzae isolates from rice production fields could aid assessment of the efficacy and durability of R genes. We studied the probable molecular-evolutionary patterns of AVR-Pib alleles by assaying their DNA-sequence diversification and examining their avirulence to the corresponding Pib resistance gene under natural conditions in the extremely genetically diverse of rice resources of Yunnan, China. PCRs detected results from M. oryzae genomic DNA and revealed that 162 out of 366 isolates collected from Yunnan Province contained AVR-Pib alleles. Among them, 36.1–73.3% isolates from six different rice production areas of Yunnan contained AVR-Pib alleles. Furthermore, 36 (28.6%) out of 126 isolates had a transposable element (TE) insertion in AVR-Pib, which resulted in altered virulence. The TE insertion was identified in isolates from rice rather than from Musa nana Lour. Twelve AVR-Pib haplotypes encoding three novel AVR-Pib variants were identified among the remaining 90 isolates. AVR-Pib alleles evolved to virulent forms from avirulent forms by base substitution and TE insertion of Pot2 and Pot3 in the 5′ untranslated region of AVR-Pib. These findings support the hypothesis that functional AVR-Pib possesses varied sequence structures and can escape surveillance by hosts via multiple variation manners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Managing patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and comorbid heart failure (HF) with reduced (HFrEF) or mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) is of clinical importance but a great challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical benefit of the combined radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) and left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) procedure in AF patients complicated with systolic HF. Methods: AF patients with HFrEF or HFmrEF who underwent the combined RFCA and LAAC procedure were prospectively enrolled in the LAACablation registry. The procedural complications and long-term outcomes were evaluated. Another cohort of AF patients with systolic HF who did not undergo either RFCA or LAAC were used for prognosis comparison. Results: Among 802 AF patients who underwent the combined procedure, 65 patients were comorbid with systolic HF (25 with HFrEF and 40 with HFmrEF). The overall procedural complication rate was 9.2%, which was mainly attributed to acute decompensated HF (6.2%). Accompanied with markedly reduced AF burden (from median [25th, 75th percentile]: 100 [100, 100] to 0 [0, 1.2]%, p < 0.001), upward trajectories of cardiac function were observed in 51 (78.4%) patients, showing improvement in New York Heart Classification (p < 0.01), natriuretic peptide levels (from 1492 [809, 3259] to 413 [163, 880] pg/mL, p < 0.001) and left ventricular EF (from 42.6 ± 5.3 to 53.8 ± 8.2%, p < 0.001). During the 27-month follow-up period, death, thromboembolism, major bleeding, and HF rehospitalization were observed in three, one, one, and four patients, respectively. The observed event rates showed a significant reduction compared with the non-procedure AF-HF cohort (n = 138; for composite endpoint: hazard ratio: 2.509, 95% confidence interval: 1.415–4.449, p = 0.002) and with the respective rates predicted by risk scores. Conclusions: Combining RFCA and LAAC achieves acceptable safety and credible long-term efficacy in AF patients with systolic HF. Further randomized studies are warranted in a larger patient cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed Reality Navigation (MRN) is pivotal in augmented reality-assisted intelligent neurosurgical interventions. However, existing MRN registration methods face challenges in concurrently achieving low user dependency, high accuracy, and clinical applicability. This study proposes and evaluates a novel registration method based on a laser crosshair simulator, evaluating its feasibility and accuracy. A novel registration method employing a laser crosshair simulator was introduced, designed to replicate the scanner frame's position on the patient. The system autonomously calculates the transformation, mapping coordinates from the tracking space to the reference image space. A mathematical model and workflow for registration were designed, and a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) application was developed on HoloLens-2. Finally, a head phantom was used to measure the system's target registration error (TRE). The proposed method was successfully implemented, obviating the need for user interactions with virtual objects during the registration process. Regarding accuracy, the average deviation was 3.7 ± 1.7 mm. This method shows encouraging results in efficiency and intuitiveness and marks a valuable advancement in low-cost, easy-to-use MRN systems. The potential for enhancing accuracy and adaptability in intervention procedures positions this approach as promising for improving surgical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis, characterized by glutamate overload, glutathione depletion, and cysteine/cystine deprivation during iron- and oxidative-damage-dependent cell death, is a particular mode of regulated cell death. It is expected to effectively treat cancer through its tumor-suppressor function, as mitochondria are the intracellular energy factory and a binding site of reactive oxygen species production, closely related to ferroptosis. This review summarizes relevant research on the mechanisms of ferroptosis, highlights mitochondria's role in it, and collects and classifies the inducers of ferroptosis. A deeper understanding of the relationship between ferroptosis and mitochondrial function may provide new strategies for tumor treatment and drug development based on ferroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a quark combination model with the equal-velocity combination approximation, we study the production of hadrons with strangeness and charm flavor quantum numbers in Pb+Pb collisions at s N N = 5.02 TeV. We present analytical expressions and numerical results for these hadrons' transverse momentum spectra and yield ratios. Our numerical results agree well with the experimental data available. The features of strange and charm hadron production in the quark–gluon plasma at the early stage of heavy ion collisions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Although there are various treatments for tumors, chemotherapy is still one of the most dominant and irreplaceable treatment modalities nowadays. Unfortunately, chemotherapy is often accompanied by serious toxic side effects. Therefore, the search for new targets for antitumor drug action and the synthesis of new antitumor drugs has been a major topic of research in cancer therapy. With the development of medical science, excellent anti-tumor drugs need not only good therapeutic effects and less toxic side effects, but also preferably lower doses that can achieve therapeutic effects. Organelle-targeted antitumor agents can meet these requirements and have become one of the hot spots for antitumor drug research nowadays, such as mitochondria-targeted antitumor drugs. This review focuses on the application of triphenylphosphine (TPP) in mitochondria-targeted drugs and summarizes the common mitochondria-targeted carriers currently available, in the hope of providing a reference for the development of better mitochondria-targeted agents for tumor therapy. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and the most important impediments to the efforts to increase life expectancy worldwide. Currently, chemotherapy is the main treatment for cancer, but it is often accompanied by side effects that affect normal tissues and organs. The search for new alternatives to chemotherapy has been a hot research topic in the field of antineoplastic medicine. Drugs targeting diseased tissues or cells can significantly improve the efficacy of drugs. Therefore, organelle-targeted antitumor drugs are being explored, such as mitochondria-targeted antitumor drugs. Mitochondria is the central site of cellular energy production and plays an important role in cell survival and death. Moreover, a large number of studies have shown a close association between mitochondrial metabolism and tumorigenesis and progression, making mitochondria a promising new target for cancer therapy. Combining mitochondrial targeting agents with drug molecules is an effective way of mitochondrial targeting. In addition, hyperpolarized tumor cell membranes and mitochondrial membrane potentially allow selective accumulation of mitochondria-targeted drugs. This enhances the direct killing of tumor cells by drug molecules while minimizing the potential toxicity to normal cells. In this review, we discuss the common pro-mitochondrial agents, the advantages of triphenylphosphine (TPP) in mitochondrial-targeted cancer therapy and systematically summarize various TPP-based mitochondria-targeting anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is extremely critical to improve treatment and extend survival. W3 is an aptamer that can specifically bind to mCRC cells with high affinity. Graphene oxide (GO) is a two-dimensional graphitic carbon nanomaterial, which has widely used in constructing biosensors. In this study, we have developed a no-wash fluorescent aptasensor for one-step and sensitive detection of mCRC LoVo cells. It is based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between GO and the W3 aptamer labeled with 5-carboxyfluorescein (FAM). GO can quench the green fluorescence of the FAM-labeled W3 (FAM-W3). In the presence of the target cells, FAM-W3 preferentially binds the target cells and detaches from the surface of GO, leading to the fluorescence of FAM recovery. It was demonstrated that the fluorescence recovery increases linearly in a wide range of 0~107 cells/mL (R2 = 0.99). The GO-based FAM-labeled W3 aptasensor (denoted as FAM-W3-GO) not only specifically recognizes mCRC cell lines (LoVo and HCT116), but also sensitively differentiates the target cells from mixed cells, even in the presence of only 5% of the target cells. Furthermore, FAM-W3-GO was applied to detect LoVo cells in human whole blood, which showed good reproducibility with an RSD range of 1.49% to 1.80%. Therefore, FAM-W3-GO may have great potential for early diagnosis of mCRC. This strategy of GO-based fluorescent aptasensor provides a simple, one-step, and highly sensitive approach for the detection of mCRC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the method of field decomposition, a widely used technique in relativistic magnetohydrodynamics, to study the small velocity approximation (SVA) of the Lorentz transformation in Maxwell equations for slowly moving media. The "deformed" Maxwell equations derived using SVA in the lab frame can be put into the conventional form of Maxwell equations in the medium's co-moving frame. Our results show that the Lorentz transformation in the SVA of up to O (v / c) (v is the speed of the medium and c is the speed of light in a vacuum) is essential to derive these equations: the time and charge density must also change when transforming to a different frame, even in the SVA, not just the position and current density, as in the Galilean transformation. This marks the essential difference between the Lorentz transformation and the Galilean one. We show that the integral forms of Faraday and Ampere equations for slowly moving surfaces are consistent with Maxwell equations. We also present Faraday equation in the covariant integral form, in which the electromotive force can be defined as a Lorentz scalar that is independent of the observer's frame. No evidence exists to support an extension or modification of Maxwell equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac hypertrophy is defined as increased heart mass in response to increased hemodynamic requirements. Long-term cardiac hypertrophy, if not counteracted, will ultimately lead to heart failure. The incidence of heart failure is related to myocardial infarction, which could be salvaged by reperfusion and ultimately invites unfavorable myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. The Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs) are membrane transporters that exchange one intracellular proton for one extracellular Na+. The first discovered NHE isoform, NHE1, is expressed almost ubiquitously in all tissues, especially in the myocardium. During myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, NHE1 catalyzes increased uptake of intracellular Na+, which in turn leads to Ca2+ overload and subsequently myocardial injury. Numerous preclinical research has shown that NHE1 is involved in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, but the exact molecular mechanisms remain elusive. The objective of this review is to demonstrate the potential role of NHE1 in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure and investigate the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

View planning (VP) is a technique that guides the adjustment of the sensor's postures in multi-view perception tasks. It converts the perception process into active perception, which improves the intelligence and reduces the resource consumption of the robot. We propose a generic VP system for multiple kinds of visual perception. The VP system is built on the basis of the formal description of the visual task, and the next best view is calculated by the system. When dealing with a given visual task, we can simply update its description as the input of the VP system, and obtain the defined best view in real time. Formal description of the perception task includes the task's status, the objects' prior information library, the visual representation status and the optimization goal. The task's status and the visual representation status are updated when data are received at a new view. If the task's status has not reached its goal, candidate views are sorted based on the updated visual representation status, and the next best view that can minimize the entropy of the model space is chosen as the output of the VP system. Experiments of view planning for 3D recognition and reconstruction tasks are conducted, and the result shows that our algorithm has good performance on different tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical ventilation consumes a huge amount of global energy. Natural ventilation is a crucial solution for reducing energy consumption and enhancing the capacity of atmospheric self-purification. This paper evaluates the impacts of indoor-outdoor temperature differences on building ventilation and indoor-outdoor air pollutant dispersion in urban areas. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is employed to simulate the flow fields in the street canyon and indoor environment. Ventilation conditions of single-side ventilation mode and cross-ventilation mode are investigated. Air change rate, normalized concentration of traffic-related air pollutant (CO), intake fraction and exposure concentration are calculated to for ventilation efficiency investigation and exposure assessment. The results show that cross ventilation increases the air change rate for residential buildings under isothermal conditions. With the indoor-outdoor temperature difference, heating could increase the air change rate of the single-side ventilation mode but restrain the capability of the cross-ventilation mode in part of the floors. Heavier polluted areas appear in the upstream areas of single-side ventilation modes, and the pollutant can diffuse to middle-upper floors in cross-ventilation modes. Cross ventilation mitigates the environmental health stress for the indoor environment when indoor-outdoor temperature difference exits and the personal intake fraction is decreased by about 66% compared to the single-side ventilation. Moreover, the existence of indoor-outdoor temperature differences can clearly decrease the risk of indoor personal exposure under both two natural ventilation modes. The study numerically investigates the building ventilation and pollutant dispersion in the urban community with natural ventilation. The method and the results are helpful references for optimizing the building ventilation plan and improving indoor air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to further strengthening, in the current asymmetric information environment, the informed level of operators about network performance. Specifically, in view of the burst and perishability of a packet loss event, to better meet the real-time requirements of current high-speed backbone performance monitoring, a model for Packet Loss Measurement at the access network boundary Based on Sampled Flow (PLMBSF) is presented in this paper under the premise of both cost and real-time. The model overcomes problems such as the inability of previous estimation to distinguish between packet losses before and after the monitoring point, deployment difficulties and cooperative operation consistency. Drawing support from the Mathis equation and regression analysis, the measurement for packet losses before and after the monitoring point can be realized when using only the sampled flows generated by the access network boundary equipment. The comparison results with the trace-based passive packet loss measurement show that although the proposed model is easily affected by factors such as flow length, loss rate, sampling rate, the overall accuracy is still within the acceptable range. In addition, the proposed model PLMBSF, compared with the trace-based loss measurement is only different in the input data granularity. Therefore, PLMBSF and its advantages are also applicable to aggregated traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several researchers have reported the use of cholesterol-based carriers in drug delivery. The presence of cholesterol in cell membranes and its wide distribution in the body has led to it being used in preparing carriers for the delivery of a variety of therapeutic agents such as anticancer, antimalarials and antivirals. These cholesterol-based carriers were designed as micelles, nanoparticles, copolymers, liposomes, etc. and their routes of administration include oral, intravenous and transdermal. The biocompatibility, good bioavailability and biological activity of cholesterol-based carriers make them potent prodrugs. Several in vitro and in vivo studies revealed cholesterol-based carriers potentials in delivering bioactive agents. In this manuscript, a critical review of the efficacy of cholesterol-based carriers is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis, a newly described type of iron-dependent programmed cell death that is distinct from apoptosis, necroptosis, and other types of cell death, is involved in lipid peroxidation (LP), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Accumulating evidence has highlighted vital roles for ferroptosis in multiple diseases, including acute kidney injury, cancer, hepatic fibrosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, ferroptosis has become one of the research hotspots for disease treatment and attracted extensive attention in recent years. This review mainly summarizes the relationship between ferroptosis and various diseases classified by the system, including the urinary system, digestive system, respiratory system, nervous system. In addition, the role and molecular mechanism of multiple inhibitors and inducers for ferroptosis are further elucidated. A deeper understanding of the relationship between ferroptosis and multiple diseases may provide new strategies for researching diseases and drug development based on ferroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fouling mechanism of the anion exchange membrane (AEM) induced by natural organic matter (NOM) in the absence and presence of calcium ions was systematically investigated via the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (xDLVO) approach. Sodium alginate (SA), humic acid (HA), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were utilized as model NOM fractions. The results indicated that the presence of calcium ions tremendously aggravated the NOM fouling on the anion exchange membrane because of Ca-NOM complex formation. Furthermore, analysis of the interaction energy between the membrane surface and foulants via xDLVO revealed that short-range acid–base (AB) interaction energy played a significant role in the compositions of interaction energy during the electrodialysis (ED) process. The influence of NOM fractions in the presence of calcium ions on membrane fouling followed the order: SA > BSA > HA. This study demonstrated that the interaction energy was a dominating indicator for evaluating the tendency of anion exchange membranes fouling by natural organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geological disasters are responsible for the loss of human lives and for significant economic and financial damage every year. Considering that these disasters may occur anywhere—both in remote and/or in highly populated areas—and anytime, continuously monitoring areas known to be more prone to geohazards can help to determine preventive or alert actions to safeguard human life, property and businesses. Remote sensing technology—especially satellite-based—can be of help due to its high spatial and temporal coverage. Indeed, data acquired from the most recent satellite missions is considered suitable for a detailed reconstruction of past events but also to continuously monitor sensitive areas on the lookout for potential geohazards. This work aims to apply different techniques and methods for extensive exploitation and analysis of remote sensing data, with special emphasis given to landslide hazard, risk management and disaster prevention. Multi-temporal SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) interferometry, SAR tomography, high-resolution image matching and data modelling are used to map out landslides and other geohazards and to also monitor possible hazardous geological activity, addressing different study areas: (i) surface deformation of mountain slopes and glaciers; (ii) land surface displacement; and (iii) subsidence, landslides and ground fissure. Results from both the processing and analysis of a dataset of earth observation (EO) multi-source data support the conclusion that geohazards can be identified, studied and monitored in an effective way using new techniques applied to multi-source EO data. As future work, the aim is threefold: extend this study to sensitive areas located in different countries; monitor structures that have strategic, cultural and/or economical relevance; and resort to artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to be able to analyse the huge amount of data generated by satellite missions and extract useful information in due course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acid-base homeostasis is crucial for numerous physiological processes. Na + / HCO 3 − cotransporters (NBCs) belong to the solute carrier 4 (SLC4) family, which regulates intracellular pH as well as HCO 3 − absorption and secretion. However, knowledge of the structural functions of these proteins remains limited. Electrogenic NBC (NBCe-1) is thought to be the primary factor promoting the precise acid–base equilibrium in distinct cell types for filtration and reabsorption, as well as the function of neurons and glia. NBC dysregulation is strongly linked to several diseases. As such, the need for special drugs that interfere with the transmission function of NBC is becoming increasingly urgent. In this review, we focus on the structural and functional characteristics of NBCe1, and discuss the roles of NBCe1 in the kidney, central nervous system (CNS), and related disorders, we also summarize the research on NBC inhibitors. NBCe1 and the related pathways should be further investigated, so that new medications may be developed to address the related conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The efficiency of balneotherapy (BT) for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) remains elusive. (2) Methods: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, Clinicaltrials.gov, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to 31 May 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with at least one indicator were included, i.e., pain, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Tender Points Count (TPC), and Beck's Depression Index (BDI). The outcome was reported as a standardized mean difference (SMD), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and I2 for heterogeneity at three observational time points. GRADE was used to evaluate the strength of evidence. (3) Results: Amongst 884 citations, 11 RCTs were included (n = 672). Various BT regimens were reported (water types, duration, temperature, and ingredients). BT can benefit FMS with statistically significant improvement at different time points (pain of two weeks, three and six months: SMD = −0.92, −0.45, −0.70; 95% CI (−1.31 to −0.53, −0.73 to −0.16, −1.34 to −0.05); I2 = 54%, 51%, 87%; GRADE: very low, moderate, low; FIQ: SMD = −1.04, −0.64, −0.94; 95% CI (−1.51 to −0.57, −0.95 to −0.33, −1.55 to −0.34); I2 = 76%, 62%, 85%; GRADE: low, low, very low; TPC at two weeks and three months: SMD = −0.94, −0.47; 95% CI (−1.69 to −0.18, −0.71 to −0.22); I2 = 81%, 0; GRADE: very low, moderate; BDI at six months: SMD = −0.45; 95% CI (−0.73 to −0.17); I2 = 0; GRADE: moderate). There was no statistically significant effect for the TPC and BDI at the remaining time points (TPC at six months: SMD = −0.89; 95% CI (−1.85 to 0.07); I2 = 91%; GRADE: very low; BDI at two weeks and three months: SMD = −0.35, −0.23; 95% CI (−0.73 to 0.04, −0.64 to 0.17); I2 = 24%, 60%; GRADE: moderate, low). (4) Conclusions: Very low to moderate evidence indicates that BT can benefit FMS in pain and quality-of-life improvement, whereas tenderness and depression improvement varies at time phases. Established BT regimens with a large sample size and longer observation are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Chemotherapy is commonly used directly or as neo-adjuvant therapy for the management of breast cancer with its attendant adverse effects, underscoring the need to develop biocompatible bioactive compounds for pharmacological applications. The aim of this study is to encapsulate carboplatin (CP) with silk fibroin protein (SF) by using an ionic gelation method as a drug carrier system and assess the apoptotic effect on MCF-7 breast cancer cells during in vitro studies. The characterization of silk fibroin encapsulated carboplatin (SFCP) microparticles was analyzed by FTIR spectrophotometer, SEM, Mastersizer, and biodegradation methods. The encapsulation efficiency and release profile of SFCP microparticles were analyzed by an indirect UV–Vis spectrophotometric method. An apoptotic screening of MCF-7 cells was carried out with 10–200 µg/mL CP loaded SFCP, which were cultured for 24, 48, and 72 h. Data were analyzed using the Student's t test and analysis of variance. FTIR and drug release studies confirmed an interaction of silk fibroin with the carboplatin moiety. SFCP showed successful encapsulation of the carboplatin moiety. Apoptotic screening showed a dose dependent increase in absorbance, indicating significant cell death (p < 0.05). Thus, the direct apoptotic effect of SFCP microparticles on MCF-7 was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of the ionic cross-linking mode on the ability to control physical properties and in vitro release behavior of the dexamethasone (DEX) drug from chitosan (CS) and chitosan/hydroxyapatite (CS/HA) beads was investigated. CS solutions without and with HA and DEX were dripped into two coagulation solutions, prepared with a non-toxic ionic crosslinker (sodium tripolyphosphate, TPP) and distilled water, one at pH = 9.0 and other at pH = 6.0. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed changes on the surface topology of the beads, with a reduction of roughness for beads prepared at pH = 6.0 and an increase for the one prepared at pH = 9.0. The diameter and sphericity of the beads prepared at pH = 6.0 proved more uniform and had a larger pore size with a good interconnectivity framework. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) suggested a higher crosslinking degree for beads prepared at pH = 6.0, corroborated by X-ray diffraction profiles (XRD) analysis that indicated a decrease in the crystalline structure for such beads. In in vitro drug release data, all beads presented a sustained release during the studied period (24 h). The drug release rate was affected by the pH of the coagulation solution used in the preparation of the beads. The in vitro kinetics of the release process was of the Peppas–Sahlin model, controlled by both diffusion and relaxation of polymer chains or swelling (anomalous transport mechanism). Our results suggest that DEX-loaded CS/HA beads, crosslinked in TPP coagulation solution at pH = 9.0, led to a decrease in the DEX release rate and prolonged the release period. Thus, this composition might have prospective as a functional material for bone and cartilage tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature (HT) has recently become one of the most important abiotic stresses restricting crop production worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators in plant development and stress responses. However, knowledge of miRNAs of maize in response to HT is limited. In this study, we simultaneously adopted miRNA sequencing and transcriptome profiling to analyze the differential expression of miRNAs and mRNAs in maize during exposure to HT stress. Our analysis revealed 61 known miRNAs belonging to 26 miRNA families and 42 novel miRNAs showing significant differential expression, with the majority being downregulated. Meanwhile, the expression of 5450 mRNAs was significantly altered in the same stressed tissues. Differentially expressed transcripts were most significantly associated with response to stress, photosynthesis, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and signal transduction pathways. In addition, we discovered 129 miRNA–mRNA pairs that were regulated antagonistically, and further depiction of the targeted mRNAs indicated that several transcription factors, protein kinases, and receptor-like-protein-related transmembrane transport and signaling transduction were profoundly affected. This study has identified potential key regulators of HT-stress response in maize and the subset of genes that are likely to be post-transcriptionally regulated by miRNAs under HT stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foam is a kind of ideal fluid for profile control in petroleum engineering, which has attracted intense interests of scholars globally in recent years. In this study, a foam system stabilized with anionic surfactants and clay particles was proposed for profile control in reservoirs, and the formulation was optimized experimentally. Moreover, flooding experiments in visible porous media models and in sandpacks were conducted to test the plugging effect of the foam system on reservoirs, and the effects of different factors such as gas–liquid ratio, temperature and permeability on profile control were also evaluated. According to the experimental results, the clay-HY-2 system was elected for its satisfactory foamability, stability, and salinity resistance, and the optimum concentrations of HY-2 and clay particle are 0.6 wt% and 5.0 wt%, respectively. Compared with traditional foam fluids, the clay-HY-2 system can form denser and smaller bubbles in high- and middle-permeable layers, enhancing the plugging effect there, while there are less bubbles in low-permeable layers, i.e., the restriction on the flow in narrow structures is slight. The clay-HY-2 foam can perform the efficient and uniform profile control effect on sandpacks when the foam quality is around 50%. The resistance factor of the foam decrease gradually with the increasing temperature, however, the resistance factor remains higher than 350.0 when the temperature reaches 80.0 °C. When the permeability exceeds 1502.0 mD, the clay-HY-2 foam can perform deep profile control in reservoirs, and the resistance factor are not sensitive to the change of permeability when it exceeds 3038.0 mD. Besides, the site application case shows that the clay-HY-2 foam do have good profile control effect on reservoirs, i.e., improving oil production and declining water cut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]