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Conventional coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir models for injection fall-off testing often disregard the quadratic pressure gradient's impact. This omission leads to discrepancies in simulating the transient behavior of formation fluids and extracting critical reservoir properties. Accurate determination of permeability, storability, and other properties is crucial for effective reservoir characterization and production forecasting. Inaccurate estimations can lead to suboptimal well placement, ineffective production strategies, and ultimately, missed economic opportunities. To address this shortcoming, we present a novel analytical model that explicitly incorporates the complexities of the quadratic pressure gradient and dual-permeability flow mechanisms, prevalent in many CBM formations where nanopores are rich, presenting a kind of natural nanomaterial. This model offers significant advantages over traditional approaches. By leveraging variable substitution, it facilitates the derivation of analytical solutions in the Laplace domain, subsequently converted to real-space solutions for practical application. These solutions empower reservoir engineers to generate novel type curves, a valuable tool for analyzing wellbore pressure responses during injection fall-off tests. By identifying distinct flow regimes within the reservoir based on these type curves, engineers gain valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of formation fluids. This model goes beyond traditional approaches by investigating the influence of the quadratic pressure gradient coefficient, inter-porosity flow coefficient, and storability ratio on the pressure response. A quantitative comparison with traditional models further elucidates the key discrepancies caused by neglecting the quadratic pressure gradient. The results demonstrate the proposed model's ability to accurately depict the non-linear flow behavior observed in CBM wells. This translates to more reliable pressure and pressure derivative curves that account for the impact of the quadratic pressure gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tree-Seed Algorithm (TSA) has been effective in addressing a multitude of optimization issues. However, it has faced challenges with early convergence and difficulties in managing high-dimensional, intricate optimization problems. To tackle these shortcomings, this paper introduces a TSA variant (DTSA). DTSA incorporates a suite of methodological enhancements that significantly bolster TSA's capabilities. It introduces the PSO-inspired seed generation mechanism, which draws inspiration from Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to integrate velocity vectors, thereby enhancing the algorithm's ability to explore and exploit solution spaces. Moreover, DTSA's adaptive velocity adaptation mechanism based on count parameters employs a counter to dynamically adjust these velocity vectors, effectively curbing the risk of premature convergence and strategically reversing vectors to evade local optima. DTSA also integrates the trees population integrated evolutionary strategy, which leverages arithmetic crossover and natural selection to bolster population diversity, accelerate convergence, and improve solution accuracy. Through experimental validation on the IEEE CEC 2014 benchmark functions, DTSA has demonstrated its enhanced performance, outperforming recent TSA variants like STSA, EST-TSA, fb-TSA, and MTSA, as well as established benchmark algorithms such as GWO, PSO, BOA, GA, and RSA. In addition, the study analyzed the best value, mean, and standard deviation to demonstrate the algorithm's efficiency and stability in handling complex optimization issues, and DTSA's robustness and efficiency are proven through its successful application in five complex, constrained engineering scenarios, demonstrating its superiority over the traditional TSA by dynamically optimizing solutions and overcoming inherent limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The besiege and conquer algorithm has shown excellent performance in single-objective optimization problems. However, there is no literature on the research of the BCA algorithm on multi-objective optimization problems. Therefore, this paper proposes a new multi-objective besiege and conquer algorithm to solve multi-objective optimization problems. The grid mechanism, archiving mechanism, and leader selection mechanism are integrated into the BCA to estimate the Pareto optimal solution and approach the Pareto optimal frontier. The proposed algorithm is tested with MOPSO, MOEA/D, and NSGAIII on the benchmark function IMOP and ZDT. The experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can obtain competitive results in terms of the accuracy of the Pareto optimal solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant hormone jasmonic acid plays an important role in plant growth and development, participating in many physiological processes, such as plant disease resistance, stress resistance, organ development, root growth, and flowering. With the improvement in living standards, people have higher requirements regarding the quality of vegetables. However, during the growth process of vegetables, they are often attacked by pests and diseases and undergo abiotic stresses, resulting in their growth restriction and decreases in their yield and quality. Therefore, people have found many ways to regulate the growth and quality of vegetable crops. In recent years, in addition to the role that JA plays in stress response and resistance, it has been found to have a regulatory effect on crop quality. Therefore, this study aims to review the jasmonic acid accumulation patterns during various physiological processes and its potential role in vegetable development and quality formation, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. The information provided in this manuscript sheds new light on the improvements in vegetable yield and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aphis gossypii Glover is an important pest in cotton plantations. Medicago sativa L. (alfalfa) is a host plant for the aphid Aphis craccivora Koch and may prove to be an important reservoir of natural enemies to combat this pest. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of different mowing frequencies of alfalfa traps on A. gossypii and their natural enemies, using both ground survey data and UAV remote sensing data. The alfalfa was mowed twice to facilitate the transfer of this primary natural enemy to the cotton fields. Ground surveys were carried out every five days to gather data, while temporal niche and niche overlap methods were used for further analysis. Findings collected over a period ranging from day 31 to day 91 indicated that compared to their counterparts with no alfalfa traps, the cotton fields containing these pest control measures demonstrated a reduction in the A. gossypii population of approximately 16%. A survey conducted 5 days after mowing the alfalfa on days 61 and 71 found that the cotton fields with alfalfa traps experienced a 24.14% and 26.09% reduction in A. gossypii numbers. In contrast, the cotton fields without alfalfa traps experienced a 76.92% and 55.08% increase in cotton aphid numbers during the same period. It is noteworthy that the cotton fields with alfalfa traps showed a delayed onset of cotton aphid damage of approximately 5 days compared to the fields without alfalfa traps. This discovery has significant implications for understanding the ecological control mechanism of A. gossypii within alfalfa traps. Planting alfalfa traps around fields in Xinjiang could be promoted as a method to prevent and control aphid damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, loess landslide events have attracted increasing attention in the South Jingyang tableland. To elucidate the mechanical mechanism of landslide initiation in the region, this work collected undisturbed loess and paleosol samples taking from the Q2 strata in the South Jingyang tableland. A range of direct shear tests were carried out to explore the strength evolution law of shear zone soil subjected to a varying initial moisture content. In addition, soil water characteristic curves (SWCCs) were also charted and used for predicting the unsaturated shear strength. The findings show that the basic physical properties of the paleosol are different from those of loess due to their different pedogenic environments. The normal stress level and initial moisture content jointly determine whether the shear behavior is strain hardening or strain softening. The shear strength and strength parameters evidently diminish with an increasing initial moisture content, and cohesion contributes to the vast majority of strength attenuation. Paleosol samples possess higher values in shear strength and strength parameters than loess samples due to their stronger inter-particle cementation. The predictive formulas of unsaturated shear strength for undisturbed loess and paleosol are proposed, respectively, based on the Vanapalli model, and the calculated values of the strength prediction model are in perfect agreement with the experimental values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed a rapid and effective method for enriching the culture of nitrifying bioflocs (NBF) from aquacultural brackish water. The self-designed mixotrophic mediums with a single or mixed addition of sodium acetate, sodium citrate, and sucrose were used to investigate the enrichment process and nitrification efficiency of NBF in small-scale reactors. The results showed that NBF with an MLVSSs from 1170.4 mg L−1 to 2588.0 mg L−1 were successfully enriched in a period of less than 16 days. The citrate group performed the fastest enrichment time of 10 days, while the sucrose group had the highest biomass of 2588.0 ± 384.7 mg L−1. In situ testing showed that the highest nitrification efficiency was achieved in the citrate group, with an ammonia oxidation rate of 1.45 ± 0.34 mg N L−1 h−1, a net nitrification rate of 2.02 ± 0.20 mg N L−1 h−1, and a specific nitrification rate of 0.72 ± 0.14 mg N g−1 h−1. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that Nitrosomonas (0.0~1.0%) and Nitrobacter (10.1~26.5%) were dominant genera for AOB and NOB, respectively, both of which had the highest relative abundances in the citrate group. Linear regression analysis further demonstrated significantly positive linear relations between nitrification efficiencies and nitrifying bacterial genera and gene abundance in NBF. The results of this study provide an efficient enrichment culture method of NBF for the operation of biofloc technology aquaculture systems, which will further promote its wide application in modern intensive aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study constructs a power switching device open-circuit fault diagnosis model for a three-level neutral point clamped inverter based on the multi-scale shuffled convolutional neural network (MSSCNN) and extracts and classifies the fault information contained in the output current of inverters. The model employs depthwise separable convolution and channel shuffle techniques to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce model complexity. The experimental results show that the new model has lower model complexity, better noise resistance and higher average diagnostic accuracy compared with fault diagnosis models based on CNN, ResNet, ShuffleNet V2 and Mobilenet V3 networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. The pathophysiology remains poorly understood; however, alterations in the small intestinal microbiome have been observed. Current treatments for FD with drugs are limited, and there are certain safety problems. A class of active probiotic bacteria can control gastrointestinal homeostasis, nutritional digestion and absorption, and the energy balance when taken in certain dosages. Probiotics play many roles in maintaining intestinal microecological balance, improving the intestinal barrier function, and regulating the immune response. The presence and composition of intestinal microorganisms play a vital role in the onset and progression of FD and serve as a critical factor for both regulation and potential intervention regarding the management of this condition. Thus, there are potential advantages to alleviating FD by regulating the intestinal flora using probiotics, targeting intestinal microorganisms. This review summarizes the research progress of probiotics regarding improving FD by regulating intestinal flora and provides a reference basis for probiotics to improve FD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep low-rank coalbed methane (CBM) resources are numerous and widely distributed in China, although their exploration remains in its infancy. In this work, gas adsorption (N2/CO2), mercury intrusion porosimetry, and 3D CT reconstruction were performed on five coal samples of deep and shallow low-rank coal from northeast China to analyze their pore structure. The impact of the features in the pore structure at full scale on the capacity for methane adsorption and seepage is discussed. The results indicate that there are significant differences between deep low-rank coal and shallow low-rank coal in terms of porosity, permeability, composition, and adsorption capacity. The full-scale pore distribution was dispersed over a broad range and exhibited a multi-peak distribution, with the majority of the peak concentrations occurring between 0.45–0.7 nm and 3–4 nm. Mesopores are prevalent in shallow coal rock, whereas micropores are the most numerous in deep coal rock. The primary contributors to the specific surface area of both deep and superficial coal rock are micropores. Three-dimensional CT reconstruction can characterize pores with pore size greater than 1 μm, while the dominating equivalent pore diameters (Deq) range from 1 to 10 μm. More mini-scale pores and fissures are observed in deep coal rock, while shallow coal rock processes greater total and connection porosity. Multifractal features are prevalent in the fractal qualities of all the numbered samples. An enhancement in pore structure heterogeneity occurs with increasing pore size. The pore structure of deep coal rock is more heterogeneous. Furthermore, methane adsorption capacity is favorably connected with D1 (0.4 nm < pore diameter ≤ 2 nm), D2 (2 nm < pore diameter ≤ 5 nm), micropore volume, and specific surface area and negatively correlated with D3 (5 nm < pore diameter ≤ 50 nm), showing that methane adsorption capability is primarily controlled by micropores and mesopores. Methane seepage capacity is favorably connected with the pore volume and connected porosity of macropores and negatively correlated with D4 (pore diameter > 50 nm), indicating that the macropores are the primary factor influencing methane seepage capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global warming crisis becomes increasingly serious, sustainable dispatch strategies that can reduce CO2 emissions are gradually developed. Aiming at the problems of poor synergy between carbon capture systems (CCS) and P2G as well as the potential of the source-load interaction of microgrids with electric vehicles for carbon reduction that needs to be explored, this paper proposes a source-load coordinated low-carbon economic dispatch strategy for microgrids, including electric vehicles. Firstly, considering the low-carbon operation characteristics of CCS and P2G, a comprehensively flexible and cooperative operation mode for CCS and P2G is constructed. Secondly, based on the carbon reduction potential of demand response on the energy consumption side, a demand response optimal scheduling model considering the participation of electric vehicles in the microgrid is established. Finally, based on the complementary characteristics of low-carbon resources on both sides of the microgrid, a source-load coordinated low-carbon economic dispatch strategy for the microgrid is proposed. The results show that the strategy proposed in this paper can fully use the energy time-shift advantage of CCS and P2G and can combine EVs and other load-side resources to flexibly participate in demand-side response, which effectively realizes source-load synergy and improves the low carbon and economy of the microgrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HMGB1 is a key late inflammatory mediator upregulated during air-pollution-induced oxidative stress. Extracellular HMGB1 accumulation in the airways and lungs plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung injury. Decreasing extracellular HMBG1 levels may restore innate immune cell functions to protect the lungs from harmful injuries. Current therapies for air-pollution-induced respiratory problems are inadequate. Dietary antioxidants from natural sources could serve as a frontline defense against air-pollution-induced oxidative stress and lung damage. Here, a standardized botanical antioxidant composition from Scutellaria baicalensis and Acacia catechu was evaluated for its efficacy in attenuating acute inflammatory lung injury and sepsis. Murine models of disorders, including hyperoxia-exposed, bacterial-challenged acute lung injury, LPS-induced sepsis, and LPS-induced acute inflammatory lung injury models were utilized. The effect of the botanical composition on phagocytic activity and HMGB1 release was assessed using hyperoxia-stressed cultured macrophages. Analyses, such as hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining for lung tissue damage evaluation, ELISA for inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, Western blot analysis for proteins, including extracellular HMGB1, and bacterial counts in the lungs and airways, were performed. Statistically significant decreases in mortality (50%), proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and chemokines (CINC-3) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and increased bacterial clearance from airways and lungs; reduced airway total protein, and decreased extracellular HMGB1 were observed in in vivo studies. A statistically significant 75.9% reduction in the level of extracellular HMGB1 and an increase in phagocytosis were observed in cultured macrophages. The compilations of data in this report strongly suggest that the botanical composition could be indicated for oxidative-stress-induced lung damage protection, possibly through attenuation of increased extracellular HMGB1 accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives, county-level areas assume a pivotal role in orchestrating diverse initiatives for low-carbon development. However, empirical evidence is limited. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the driving factors of carbon peak and carbon peak path at the county level, using Shandong Province as a case study. Employing data related to economic development, industrial structure, land utilization, energy consumption, and emission characteristics, a principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized to extract the following five driving factors of carbon peak: green transformation, urbanization, industrial construction, energy consumption, and environmental constraints. Subsequently, K-means clustering identified five cluster areas: (1) agricultural transformation pending area, (2) low-carbon lagging area, (3) industrial transformation area, (4) low-carbon potential areas, and (5) low-carbon demonstration area. Based on these areas, this study further elucidates spatial combination models of carbon peak within the urban system, spanning central cities, coastal cities, resource-based cities, and agricultural cities. The paper enhances comprehension of the integral role county-level areas play in achieving China's carbon reduction objectives. By providing nuanced insights into diverse developmental trajectories and spatial interactions, the study contributes to effective low-carbon strategy formulation. The findings underscore the importance of considering specific county attributes in urban areas to devise precise optimization strategies and trajectories, ultimately facilitating the realization of carbon peak goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual perception plays a crucial role in foraging, avoiding predators, mate selection, and communication. The regulation of color vision is largely dependent on opsin, which is the first step in the formation of the visual transduction cascade in photoreceptor cells. Short-wave-sensitive 1 (sws1) is a visual pigment that mediates short-wavelength light transduction in vertebrates. The depletion of sws1 resulted in increased M-opsin in mice. However, there is still no report on the visual function of sws1 in teleost fish. Here, we constructed the sws1 knockout medaka using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The 6 dph (days post-hatching) medaka sws1−/− larvae exhibited significantly decreased food intake and total length at the first feeding stage, and the mRNA levels of orexigenic genes (npy and agrp) were significantly upregulated after feeding. The swimming speed was significantly reduced during the period of dark-light transition stimulation in the sws1-mutant larvae. Histological analysis showed that the thickness of the lens was reduced, whereas the thickness of the ganglion cell layer (GCL) was significantly increased in sws1−/− medaka larvae. Additionally, the deletion of sws1 decreased the mRNA levels of genes involved in phototransduction (gnb3b, grk7a, grk7b, and pde6c). We also observed increased retinal cell apoptosis and oxidative stress in sws1 knockout medaka larvae. Collectively, these results suggest that sws1 deficiency in medaka larvae may impair visual function and cause retinal cell apoptosis, which is associated with the downregulation of photoconduction expression and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthocyanins are important secondary metabolites in fruits, and anthocyanin accumulation in the flesh of peach exhibits a spatial pattern, but the relevant mechanism is still unknown. In this study, the yellow-fleshed peach, cv. 'Jinxiu', with anthocyanin accumulation in the mesocarp around the stone was used as the experimental material. Red flesh (RF) and yellow flesh (YF) were sampled separately for flavonoid metabolite (mainly anthocyanins), plant hormone, and transcriptome analyses. The results showed that the red coloration in the mesocarp was due to the accumulation of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, with an up-regulation of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes (F3H, F3′H, DFR, and ANS), transportation gene GST, and regulatory genes (MYB10.1 and bHLH3). Eleven ERFs, nine WRKYs, and eight NACs were also defined as the candidate regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis in peach via RNA-seq. Auxin, cytokinin, abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC, ethylene precursor) were enriched in the peach flesh, with auxin, cytokinin, ACC, and SA being highly accumulated in the RF, but ABA was mainly distributed in the YF. The activators and repressors in the auxin and cytokinin signaling transduction pathways were mostly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. Our results provide new insights into the regulation of spatial accumulation pattern of anthocyanins in peach flesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem that the black coating for spacecraft optical stealth easily falls off, this study constructs a light-absorbing spacecraft surface based on a micro/nanostructure through imitating a natural light-trapping structure. In this paper, we first analyze the optical properties of a basic stealth structure with the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method and establish a mapping relationship between the light absorption rate of the basic stealth structure and its multiscale factors. Then, imitating the microstructural characteristics of the blackened parts of butterfly wings, we design a multilayered and multiscale complex stealth structure to achieve the optical stealth characteristics of low reflection and high absorption of sunlight on the surface of the spacecraft. Simulation analysis shows that the bionic microstructure can be used to change the optical properties of the metal surface to a certain wavelength band; the complex stealth structure designed based on the butterfly wing can absorb 80.18% of visible light and reduce the overall brightness of the high-orbiting spacecraft by four orders of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity is an essential resource that plays a vital role in modern society, and its demand has increased rapidly alongside industrialization. The accurate forecasting of a country's electricity demand is crucial for economic development. A high-precision electricity forecasting framework can assist electricity system managers in predicting future demand and production more accurately, thereby effectively planning and scheduling electricity resources and improving the operational efficiency and reliability of the electricity system. To address this issue, this study proposed a hybrid forecasting framework called T-LGBKS, which incorporates TPE-LightGBM, k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and the Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) methods. The T-LGBKS framework was tested using Chinese provincial panel data from 2005 to 2021 and compared with seven other mainstream machine learning models. Our testing demonstrated that the proposed framework outperforms other models, with the highest accuracy ( R 2 = 0.9732 ). This study also analyzed the interpretability of this framework by introducing the SHAP method to reveal the relationship between municipal electricity consumption and socioeconomic characteristics (such as how changes in economic strength, traffic levels, and energy structure affect urban electricity demand). The findings of this study provide guidance for policymakers and assist decision makers in designing and implementing electricity management systems in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medaka (Oryzias latipes) is an excellent vertebrate model for studying the development of the retina. Its genome database is complete, and the number of opsin genes is relatively small compared to zebrafish. Short wavelength sensitive 2 (sws2), a G-protein-coupled receptor expressed in the retina, has been lost in mammals, but its role in eye development in fish is still poorly understood. In this study, we established a sws2a and sws2b knockout medaka model by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We discovered that medaka sws2a and sws2b are mainly expressed in the eyes and may be regulated by growth differentiation factor 6a (gdf6a). Compared with the WT, sws2a−/− and sws2b−/− mutant larvae displayed an increase in swimming speed during the changes from light to dark. We also observed that sws2a−/− and sws2b−/− larvae both swam faster than WT in the first 10 s of the 2 min light period. The enhanced vision-guided behavior in sws2a−/− and sws2b−/− medaka larvae may be related to the upregulation of phototransduction-related genes. Additionally, we also found that sws2b affects the expression of eye development genes, while sws2a is unaffected. Together, these findings indicate that sws2a and sws2b knockouts increase vision-guided behavior and phototransduction, but on the other hand, sws2b plays an important role in regulating eye development genes. This study provides data for further understanding of the role of sws2a and sws2b in medaka retina development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative bone and joint disease that can lead to disability and severely affect the quality of life of patients. However, its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. It is currently believed that articular cartilage lesions are an important marker of the onset and development of osteoarthritis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of multifunctional regulatory RNAs that are involved in various physiological functions. There are many differentially expressed lncRNAs between osteoarthritic and normal cartilage tissues that play multiple roles in the pathogenesis of OA. Here, we reviewed lncRNAs that have been reported to play regulatory roles in the pathological changes associated with osteoarthritic cartilage and their potential as biomarkers and a therapeutic target in OA to further elucidate the pathogenesis of OA and provide insights for the diagnosis and treatment of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furin is a potential target protein associated with numerous diseases; especially closely related to tumors and multiple viral infections including SARS-CoV-2. Most of the existing efficient furin inhibitors adopt a substrate analogous structure, and other types of small molecule inhibitors need to be discovered urgently. In this study, a high-throughput screening combining virtual and physical screening of natural product libraries was performed, coupled with experimental validation and preliminary mechanistic assays at the molecular level, cellular level, and molecular simulation. A novel furin inhibitor, permethrin, which is a derivative from pyrethrin I generated by Pyrethrum cinerariifolium Trev. was identified, and this study confirmed that it binds to a novel allosteric pocket of furin through non-competitive inhibition. It exhibits a very favorable protease-selective inhibition and good cellular activity and specificity. In summary, permethrin shows a new parent nucleus with a new mode of inhibition. It could be used as a highly promising lead compound against furin for targeting related tumors and various resistant viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing global trend to encourage citizen participation in solving urban problems, and there is worldwide consensus that the public voice needs to be considered. This study uses an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to focus on the factors influencing resident engagement following changes in renewal strategies in older residential communities in China. Empirical analysis was carried out based on structural equation modeling (SEM) of a completed questionnaire with 865 respondents. The results showed that Neighborhood Relations (NR) had a positive impact on Participation Attitude (PA); both PA and Awareness Participation (AP) had a positive effect on Self-evaluation (SE), and SE and AP had a positive impact on Participation Guarantee (PG). A survey was also conducted on residents' concerns and perceptions of the redevelopment of the old neighborhood, analyzing the current issues of residents' more significant concerns. It showed that public emergencies can affect residents' inherent perceptions. This study enriches the China-specific focus of the issue and is a reference for similar studies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two video satellites of the second and third batch of Zhuhai-1 microsatellites (referred to as OVS-2A/3A) are operational with their hyperspectral satellites, which improves the data acquisi-tion capability of the Zhuhai-1 remote sensing satellite constellation. Contrary to the linear array push-broom hyperspectral satellites and plane array CCD video satellites, the OVS satellite is equipped with a planar array Bayer pattern sensor, which can obtain single-band grayscale images by push-broom imaging. Additionally, the Bayer color reconstruction algorithm can interpolate sensor data to provide RGB color band information. Therefore, for the Bayer pattern push-broom sensor, the relative calibration method of linear push-broom or array cameras cannot be directly applied. The radiometric calibration of the Bayer pattern push-broom imaging mode has become a matter of concern; therefore, this study developed a radiometric calibration method for the Bayer pattern push-broom sensor of the OVS satellite and verified its effectiveness and accuracy. OVS images were used to perform on-orbit relative radiometric calibration, and the calibration accu-racy, including streaking metrics and root-mean-square error, was better than 1%, meeting the specification requirements for the OVS satellite. Visually, after calibration correction, the streaking and striping noise of the Bayer images was removed, and the radiometric quality of the image was considerably improved, providing a good data basis for subsequent research in remote sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statin treatment is accepted to prevent adverse cardiovascular events. However, statin therapy has been reported to be dose-dependently associated with increased risk for new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is expressed in adipose tissue and is positively correlated with lipid metabolism. It is, however, unknown if PCSK9 participates in adipocyte insulin resistance occurring as a result of statin use. Our goal was to use an in vitro adipose tissue explant approach to support the hypothesis that PCSK9 regulates statin-induced new-onset T2DM. Studies were performed using Pcsk−/− and C57Bl/6J control mice. Pcsk9−/− and control mice were fed a high-fat diet to affect a state of chronically altered lipid metabolism and increased PCSK9. Epididymal fat was excised and incubated with atorvastatin (1 µmol/L) in the absence and presence of insulin or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). PCSK9 mRNA was evaluated using quantitative rtPCR. We further examined the effects of atorvastatin on insulin-mediated AKT signaling in adipose tissue explants by immunoblotting. Atorvastatin was found to upregulate PCSK9 gene expression in adipose tissue. The metabolic intermediate GGPP is required to downregulate PCSK9 expression. PCSK9 deficiency protects against statin-induced impairments in insulin signaling. Moreover, supplementation with GGPP reversed atorvastatin-induced suppression of insulin signaling. Furthermore, the basal and atorvastatin-stimulated release of free fatty acids was observed in adipose tissue from wild-type mice but not PCSK9 deficient mice. Collectively, we describe a novel mechanism for PCSK9 expression in adipose tissue that could mediate statin-impaired adipose insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the research on the prediction of the remaining useful life (RUL) of machinery mainly focuses on multi-sensor feature extraction and then uses the features to predict RUL. In complex operations and multiple abnormal environments, the impact of noise may result in increased model complexity and decreased accuracy of RUL predictions. At the same time, how to use the sensor characteristics of time is also a problem. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a dual-channel long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network model. Compared with the existing methods, the advantage of this method is to adaptively select the time feature and then perform first-order processing on the time feature value and use LSTM to extract the time feature and first-order time feature information. As the RUL curve predicted by the neural network is zigzag, we creatively designed a momentum-smoothing module to smooth the predicted RUL curve and improve the prediction accuracy. Experimental verification on the commercial modular aerospace propulsion system simulation (C-MAPSS) dataset proves the effectiveness and stability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pueraria lobata (known as Gegen) is an edible and medicinal herb that is a nutritious medicine food homology plant in China. Previous studies indicated that P. lobata plays an essential role in controlling cytokines. However, the exact mechanism of the inflammation response is still unknown. In this study, we observed the uptake of P. lobata-derived exosomes (Exos) in isolated mouse macrophages. Our results show that P. lobata-derived Exos shift M1 macrophages toward the M2. These data present that P. lobata and puerarin might exert and enhance anti-inflammatory effects through the activation of exosomes and shifts in macrophage polarization, providing strong evidence for the application of P. lobata as novel an anti-inflammatory therapeutic biomaterial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for evaluating the dominant seepage channel (DSC) water flooding in a layered sandstone reservoir is proposed and applied in an oilfield based on the water-cut derivative. The water-cut derivative curve of the reservoir with DSC shows double peaks. Therefore, based on the analysis of geology and production characteristics, the evaluation method of DSC is established. The evaluation index is proposed to quantitatively characterize the development degree of DSC and determine its distribution in a water-flooding reservoir. The test data validate that the proposed method can not only accurately determine the DSC and quantitatively evaluate its development degree, but also show its dynamic change. This method will be a powerful guide for water controlling and oil stabilizing in the adjustment stage of sandstone reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is an important food crop all over the world. It can be infected by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which results in a significant reduction in rice yield. The infection mechanism of M. oryzae has been an academic focus for a long time. It has been found that G protein, AMPK, cAMP-PKA, and MPS1-MAPK pathways play different roles in the infection process. Recently, the function of TOR signaling in regulating cell growth and autophagy by receiving nutritional signals generated by plant pathogenic fungi has been demonstrated, but its regulatory mechanism in response to the nutritional signals remains unclear. In this study, a yeast amino acid permease homologue MoGap1 was identified and a knockout mutant of MoGap1 was successfully obtained. Through a phenotypic analysis, a stress analysis, autophagy flux detection, and a TOR activity analysis, we found that the deletion of MoGap1 led to a sporulation reduction as well as increased sensitivity to cell wall stress and carbon source stress in M. oryzae. The ΔMogap1 mutant showed high sensitivity to the TOR inhibitor rapamycin. A Western blot analysis further confirmed that the TOR activity significantly decreased, which improved the level of autophagy. The results suggested that MoGap1, as an upstream regulator of TOR signaling, regulated autophagy and responded to adversities such as cell wall stress by regulating the TOR activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statin treatment is accepted to prevent adverse cardiovascular events. However, atorvastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, has been reported to exhibit distinct effects on senescent phenotypes. Whether atorvastatin can induce adipose tissue senescence and the mechanisms involved are unknown. The effects of atorvastatin-induced senescence were examined in mouse adipose tissue explants. Here, we showed that statin initiated higher levels of mRNA related to cellular senescence markers and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), as well as increased accumulation of the senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) stain in adipose tissues. Furthermore, we found that the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and Fe2+ were elevated in adipose tissues treated with atorvastatin, accompanied by a decrease in the expression of glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), indicating an iron-dependent ferroptosis. Atorvastatin-induced was prevented by a selective ferroptosis inhibitor (Fer-1). Moreover, supplementation with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP), a metabolic intermediate, reversed atorvastatin-induced senescence, SASP, and lipid peroxidation in adipose tissue explants. Atorvastatin depleted GGPP production, but not Fer-1. Atorvastatin was able to induce ferroptosis in adipose tissue, which was due to increased ROS and an increase in cellular senescence. Moreover, this effect could be reversed by the supplement of GGPP. Taken together, our results suggest that the induction of ferroptosis contributed to statin-induced cell senescence in adipose tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Identifying source areas and migratory pathways is very important for monitoring and providing an early warning of migratory pests. The newly invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), which is a serious threat to China's food production, migrates along two migratory pathways in China: the eastern pathway and the western pathway. The Sichuan Province, located in Southwest China, is an important node along the western pathway of S. frugiperda. However, the source areas and migratory pathway of S. frugiperda in Sichuan are not clear. As a result, trajectory simulations were used to study the source areas and migratory pathways of S. frugiperda in Sichuan. The results showed that the source area of S. frugiperda in Sichuan was widely distributed. The source areas were located not only along the western national migration pathway but also along the eastern pathway. S. frugiperda migrated to Sichuan from the source areas via 6 potential pathways, 1 pathway into southwest Sichuan and 5 pathways into the Sichuan basin. This study can provide new information on the migratory pathways of S. frugiperda in China and can help with the monitoring and early warning of the presence of S. frugiperda in Sichuan and throughout all of China. The Sichuan Province, located in Southwest China, is one of China's main maize-producing areas, and is also an important node along the north-south migratory pathways that pests follow within China. After its invasion, the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), was found in 70.81% of all counties in Sichuan. However, FAW source areas and their migratory pathways into Sichuan remain unclear. This study simulated FAW sources and their migratory pathways into Sichuan during 2020 and 2021 using the trajectory simulation platform HYSPLIT with flight behavior parameters. Additionally, the seasonal horizontal wind field was also analyzed with the meteorological graphics processing software GrADS. The results showed that sporadic FAW migration into Sichuan began in April. By May, FAWs were found in much of the Sichuan Basin and moved further north and west in June. Except for year-round breeding areas, FAW sources varied monthly and expanded northward and eastward. The source areas were concentrated in Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, and Myanmar on the western pathway of national migration and also in Vietnam, Guangxi, and Hunan of the eastern pathway. At various times, parts of Sichuan have also served as sources for other parts of Sichuan. FAWs migrated to Sichuan from the source areas via 6 potential pathways, 1 pathway into southwest Sichuan and 5 pathways into the Sichuan basin. The southwestern airflow from the Bay of Bengal, the southeastern airflow controlled by the western Pacific subtropical high, and the local topographically influenced airflow could provide the airflow needed for FAW migration. This work provides new information that can assist the monitoring and warning of the presence of FAW and support integrated management strategies for this pest in Sichuan and throughout China. [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]

The stability and accuracy of the on-orbit radiometric calibration of hyperspectral sensors are prerequisites for the quantitative application of satellite hyperspectral data. The Zhuhai-1 micro-nano satellite constellation is composed of eight hyperspectral satellite missions. The Orbita Hyperspectral Sensor (OHS) on board each satellite has a gradient filter spectroscopic design. When observing the Earth, eight integration stages can be set for each band according to different lighting conditions. Due to high manufacturing costs, OHSs are not equipped with on-board calibration devices. Therefore, it is very difficult to accurately calibrate OHSs for all of the integration stages. On the other hand, it is extremely important to ensure radiometric consistency between different OHSs within the Zhuhai-1 micro-nano satellite constellation. To carry out the rapid radiometric calibration of the Zhuhai-1 constellation, an on-orbit radiometric calibration model considering all of the integration stages related to hyperspectral sensors was built based on the BOA reflectance and atmosphere parameters published by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) radiometric calibration network (RadCalNet). The RadCalNet product was used to derive the TOA radiance base in the Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) radiative transfer (RT) model. In this paper, we analyzed the radiometric stability of the same sensor and the consistency of different calibration results regarding four RadCalNet sites, and the on-orbit radiometric performance evaluation of OHSs was also carried out. The data retrieved from OHSs regarding hyperspectral surface reflectance were preliminarily validated using site-synchronous surface reflectance measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most successful group of organisms, mammals occupy a variety of niches on Earth as a result of macroevolution. Transcription factors (TFs), the fundamental regulators of gene expression, may also have evolved. To examine the relationship between TFs and mammalian macroevolution, we analyzed 140,821 de novo-identified TFs and their birth and death histories from 96 mammalian species. Gene tree vs. species tree reconciliation revealed that placental mammals experienced an upsurge in TF losses around 100 million years ago (Mya) and also near the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg boundary, 66 Mya). Early Euarchontoglires, Laurasiatheria and marsupials appeared between 100 and 95 Mya and underwent initial diversification. The K-Pg boundary was associated with the massive extinction of dinosaurs, which lead to adaptive radiation of mammals. Surprisingly, TF loss decelerated, rather than accelerated, molecular evolutionary rates of their target genes. As the rate of molecular evolution is affected by the mutation rate, the proportion of neutral mutations and the population size, the decrease in molecular evolution may reflect increased functional constraints to survive target genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (BOTDR) suffers from a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and severe sensing reliability due to the influence of the stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold and bend loss. In this study, a simple and low-cost distributed sensing structure, with a single-mode input fiber alignment fusion and a 50 μm diameter graded index multimode sensing fiber, is designed, and the SNR characteristic is investigated. Through theoretical derivation and experimental verification, a higher SNR and excellent bending resistance are realized in BOTDR. The experimentally measured improvements in the SNR of the proposed sensing structure over the SMF at the beginning and end of a 5 km fiber are 2.5 dB and 1.3 dB, respectively. The minimum bending radius of the sensing structure is 2.25 mm, which is much better than that of the SMFs. The bidirectional optical losses between the SMF and the 50 μm graded index multimode fiber are measured by a simple experiment system and are 0.106 dB and 1.35 dB, respectively. The temperature-sensing characteristics of the sensing structure are measured by the self-built frequency-shift local heterodyne BOTDR sensor, and the measured temperature sensitivity and accuracy are 0.946 MHz/℃ and 1 ℃, respectively. The design provides a reference for BOTDR with a high SNR and has great potential for structural safety and health monitoring of infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unknown what determines genetic diversity and how genetic diversity is associated with various biological traits. In this work, we provide insight into these issues. By comparing genetic variation of 14,671 mammalian gene trees with thousands of individual human, chimpanzee, gorilla, mouse, and dog/wolf genomes, we found that intraspecific genetic diversity can be predicted by long-term molecular evolutionary rates rather than de novo mutation rates. This relationship was established during the early stage of mammalian evolution. Moreover, we developed a method to detect fluctuations of species-specific selection on genes based on the deviations of intraspecific genetic diversity predicted from long-term rates. We showed that the evolution of epithelial cells, rather than connective tissue, mainly contributed to morphological evolution of different species. For humans, evolution of the immune system and selective sweeps caused by infectious diseases are the most representative examples of adaptive evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the requirements of charging the mainstream rechargeable batteries, in this work, a dual-bridge resonant converter (DBRC) is operated as a battery charger. Thanks to the features of this topology, the required high efficiency can be achieved with a wide range of battery voltage and current by using different modulation variables. Firstly, a typical charging process including constant-voltage stage and constant-current stage is indicated. Then, two different modulation methods of the DBRC are proposed, both of which can realize constant-voltage charging and constant-current charging. Method I adopts phase-shift modulation with constant switching frequency while Method II adopts varying frequency modulation. Furthermore, as guidance for practical application, the design principles and detailed design procedures of the DBRC are customized for the two modulation methods respectively in order to reduce the switching loss and conduction loss. Consequently, the full soft-switching operation with low rms tank current is achieved under the two modulation methods, which contributes to the high efficiency of the whole charging process. At last extensive simulation and experimental tests on a lab prototype converter are performed, which prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed modulation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The packing characteristics of aggregates are very important for aggregate blend design, which is closely related to the performance of mixtures. In this study, an indoor packing experiment was designed to investigate the behaviors of single-size particle packing and two-size particle packing. The effects of particle composition, particle size and size ratio, particle morphology on packing characteristics were also evaluated. Two kinds of aggregates (crushed stone and gravel) with significant morphological differences were selected for the test. The angularity of the aggregates was quantitatively analyzed using the variance of mean curvature ( S C m 2 ) of particle surface in accordance with the 3-D scanning measurements. Based on the test results, the packing characteristics of aggregates were analyzed using the air void content (Va) and the packing function index (Ipf) proposed in this paper. It is shown that the analysis results of packed ideal spheres cannot be directly used to describe the packing characteristics of aggregates. Particle morphology has a significant impact on packing characteristics, especially on the Va. The Va of packed aggregates with poor angularity is significantly smaller than that with good angularity. Ipf can be used to quantitatively distinguish the packing function of particles. The test results show that the packing function of particles cannot be simply divided into the skeleton building and air voids filling. Generally, the particles in packed blend have both of these functions. The packing function of particles depends not only on the particle size, but also on the composition of particles with different size. When the size ratio and volume ratio are the same, the packing characteristics of the two-size particle blends will still change with the change of the particle size. The exploration of packing behaviors of single- size and two- size particle aggregates is helpful for analyzing the packing behaviors of blends with multi-size particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthocyanins are the main pigments in flowers and fruits. These pigments are responsible for the red, red-purple, violet, and purple color in plants, and act as insect and animal attractants. In this study, phenotypic analysis of the purple flower color in eggplant indicated that the flower color is controlled by a single dominant gene, FAS. Using an F2 mapping population derived from a cross between purple-flowered 'Blacknite' andwhite-flowered 'Small Round', Flower Anthocyanidin Synthase (FAS) was fine mapped to an approximately 165.6-kb region between InDel marker Indel8-11 and Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences (CAPS) marker Efc8-32 on Chromosome 8. On the basis of bioinformatic analysis, 29 genes were subsequently located in the FAS target region, among which were two potential Anthocyanidin Synthase (ANS) gene candidates. Allelic sequence comparison results showed that one ANS gene (Sme2.5_01638.1_g00003.1) was conserved in promoter and coding sequences without any nucleotide change between parents, whereas four single-nucleotide polymorphisms were detected in another ANS gene (Sme2.5_01638.1_g00005.1). Crucially, a single base pair deletion at site 438 resulted in premature termination of FAS, leading to the loss of anthocyanin accumulation. In addition, FAS displayed strong expression in purple flowers compared with white flowers and other tissues. Collectively, our results indicate that Sme2.5_01638.1_g00005.1 is a good candidate gene for FAS, which controls anthocyanidin synthase in eggplant flowers. The present study provides information for further potential facilitate genetic engineering for improvement of anthocyanin levels in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen posing an urgent threat to global public health, and the capsule is necessary for K. pneumoniae infection and virulence. Phage-derived capsule depolymerases have shown great potential as antivirulence agents in treating carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) infections. However, the therapeutic potential of phages encoding depolymerases against CRKP remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified a long-tailed phage SRD2021 specific for mucoid CRKP with capsular K47 serotype, which is the predominant infectious K-type in Asia. Genome sequencing revealed that ΦSRD2021 belonged to the Drulisvirus genus and exhibited a capsular depolymerase domain in its tail fiber protein. A transposon-insertion library of host bacteria was constructed to identify the receptor for ΦSRD2021. We found that most phage-resistant mutants converted to a nonmucoid phenotype, including the mutant in wza gene essential for capsular polysaccharides export. Further knockout and complementation experiments confirmed that the Δwza mutant avoided adsorption by ΦSRD2021, indicating that the K47 capsular polysaccharide is the necessary receptor for phage infection. ΦSRD2021 lysed the bacteria mature biofilms and showed a therapeutic effect on the prevention and treatment of CRKP infection in the Galleria mellonella model. Furthermore, ΦSRD2021 also reduced the colonized CRKP in mouse intestines significantly. By recognizing the host capsule as a receptor, our results showed that ΦSRD2021 may be used as a potential antibacterial agent for K47 serotype K. pneumoniae infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic trees based on multiple genomic loci enable us to estimate the evolution of functional constraints that operate on genes based on lineage-specific fluctuation of the evolutionary rate at particular gene loci, "gene–branch interactions". Using this information as predictors, our previous work inferred that the common ancestor of placental mammals was nocturnal, insectivorous, solitary, and bred seasonally. Here, we added seven new continuous traits including lifespan, bodyweight, and five reproduction-related traits and inferred the coevolution network of 14 core life history traits for 89 mammals. In this network, bodyweight and lifespan are not directly connected to each other; instead, their correlation is due to both of them coevolving with gestation period. Diurnal mammals are more likely to be monogamous than nocturnal mammals, while arboreal mammals tend to have a smaller litter size than terrestrial mammals. Coevolution between diet and the seasonal breeding behavior test shows that year-round breeding preceded the dietary change to omnivory, while seasonal breeding preceded the dietary change to carnivory. We also discuss the evolution of reproductive strategy of mammals. Genes selected as predictors were identified as well; for example, genes function as tumor suppressor were selected as predictors of weaning age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a widely distributed non-protein amino acid mediated the regulation of nitrate uptake and Al3+ tolerance in plants. However, there are few reports about the involvement of GABA in the regulation of iron (Fe) acquisition and translocation. Here, we show that GABA regulates Fe homeostasis in rice seedlings. Exogenous GABA decreased the chlorophyll concentration in leaves, with or without Fe supply. Over-expression of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) gene, coding a crucial enzyme of GABA production, elevated endogenous GABA content and caused more leaf chlorosis than wild type (Nipponbare). GABA inhibited Fe transportation from roots to shoots and GABA application elevated the expression levels of Fe deficiency (FD)-related genes under conditions of Fe-sufficiency (FS), suggesting that GABA is a regulator of Fe translocation. Using Perls' blue staining, we found that more ferric iron (Fe3+) was deposited in the epidermal cells of roots treated with GABA compared with control roots. Anatomic section analysis showed that GABA treatment induced more aerenchyma formation compared with the control. Aerenchyma facilitated the oxidization of soluble ferrous iron (Fe2+) into insoluble Fe3+, resulted in Fe precipitation in the epidermis, and inhibited the transportation of Fe from roots to shoots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplemental oxygen therapy with supraphysiological concentrations of oxygen (hyperoxia; >21% O2) is a life-saving intervention for patients experiencing respiratory distress. However, prolonged exposure to hyperoxia can compromise bacterial clearance processes, due to oxidative stress-mediated impairment of macrophages, contributing to the increased susceptibility to pulmonary infections. This study reports that the activation of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) with the delete allosteric agonistic-positive allosteric modulator, GAT107, decreases the bacterial burden in mouse lungs by improving hyperoxia-induced lung redox imbalance. The incubation of RAW 264.7 cells with GAT107 (3.3 µM) rescues hyperoxia-compromised phagocytic functions in cultured macrophages, RAW 264.7 cells, and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages. Similarly, GAT107 (3.3 µM) also attenuated oxidative stress in hyperoxia-exposed macrophages, which prevents oxidation and hyper-polymerization of phagosome filamentous actin (F-actin) from oxidation. Furthermore, GAT107 (3.3 µM) increases the (1) activity of superoxide dismutase 1; (2) activation of Nrf2 and (3) the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in macrophages exposed to hyperoxia. Overall, these data suggest that the novel α7nAChR compound, GAT107, could be used to improve host defense functions in patients, such as those with COVID-19, who are exposed to prolonged periods of hyperoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contact force/torque between the end-effector of the space manipulator and the target spacecraft will reduce the efficiency and safety of the capture task. A capture strategy using PD-impedance combined control algorithm is proposed to achieve compliant contact between the chaser and target spacecraft. In order to absorb the impact energy, a spring-damper system is designed at the end-effector, and the corresponding dynamics model is established by Lagrange's equation. Then a PD-impedance control algorithm based on steady-state force tracking error is proposed. Using this method, a compliant contact between the chaser and target spacecraft is realized while considering the dynamic coupling of the system. Finally, the general equation of the reference trajectory of the manipulator end-effector is derived according to the relative velocity and impact direction. The performance of the proposed capture strategy is studied by a co-simulation of MSC Adams and MATLAB Simulink in this paper. The results show that the contact plane at the end-effector of the manipulator can decelerate and detumble the target spacecraft. Besides, the contact force, relative velocity, and angular velocity all decrease to zero gradually, and the final stable state can be maintained for a prescribed time interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate registration is an essential prerequisite for analysis and applications involving remote sensing imagery. It is usually difficult to extract enough matching points for inter-band registration in hyperspectral imagery due to the different spectral responses for land features in different image bands. This is especially true for non-adjacent bands. The inconsistency in geometric distortion caused by topographic relief also makes it inappropriate to use a single affine transformation relationship for the geometric transformation of the entire image. Currently, accurate registration between spectral bands of Zhuhai-1 satellite hyperspectral imagery remains challenging. In this paper, a full-spectrum registration method was proposed to address this problem. The method combines the transfer strategy based on the affine transformation relationship between adjacent spectrums with the differential correction from dense Delaunay triangulation. Firstly, the scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) extraction method was used to extract and match feature points of adjacent bands. The RANdom SAmple Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm and the least square method is then used to eliminate mismatching point pairs to obtain fine matching point pairs. Secondly, a dense Delaunay triangulation was constructed based on fine matching point pairs. The affine transformation relation for non-adjacent bands was established for each triangle using the affine transformation relation transfer strategy. Finally, the affine transformation relation was used to perform differential correction for each triangle. Three Zhuhai-1 satellite hyperspectral images covering different terrains were used as experiment data. The evaluation results showed that the adjacent band registration accuracy ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 pixels. The structural similarity measure and cosine similarity measure between non-adjacent bands were both greater than 0.80. Moreover, the full-spectrum registration accuracy was less than 1 pixel. These registration results can meet the needs of Zhuhai-1 hyperspectral imagery applications in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, novel ternary kaolin/CeO2/g-C3N4 composite was prepared by sol-gel method followed by hydrothermal treatment. The self-assembled 3D "sandwich" structure consisting of kaolin, CeO2 and g-C3N4 nanosheets, was systematically characterized by appropriate techniques to assess its physicochemical properties. In the prerequisite of visible-light irradiation, the removal efficiency of ciprofloxacin (CIP) over the kaolin/CeO2/g-C3N4 composite was about 90% within 150 min, 2-folds higher than those of pristine CeO2 and g-C3N4. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the improved photo-induced charge separation efficiency and the large specific surface area, which was determined by electrochemical measurements and N2 physisorption methods, respectively. The synergistic effect between the kaolin and CeO2/g-C3N4 heterostructure improved the photocatalytic performance of the final solid. The trapping and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments demonstrated that the hole (h+) and superoxide radicals (•O2−) played an important role in the photocatalytic process. The photocatalytic mechanism for CIP degradation was also proposed based on experimental results. The obtained results revealed that the kaolin/CeO2/g-C3N4 composite is a promising solid catalyst for environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical ventilation with hyperoxia is the major supportive measure to treat patients with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, prolonged exposure to hyperoxia can induce oxidative inflammatory lung injury. Previously, we have shown that high levels of airway high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) mediate hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (HALI). Using both ascorbic acid (AA, also known as vitamin C) and sulforaphane (SFN), an inducer of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), we tested the hypothesis that dietary antioxidants can mitigate HALI by ameliorating HMGB1-compromised macrophage function in phagocytosis by attenuating hyperoxia-induced extracellular HMGB1 accumulation. Our results indicated that SFN, which has been shown to attenute HALI in mice exposed to hyperoxia, dose-dependently restored hyperoxia-compromised macrophage function in phagocytosis (75.9 ± 3.5% in 0.33 µM SFN versus 50.7 ± 1.8% in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) control, p < 0.05) by reducing oxidative stress and HMGB1 release from cultured macrophages (47.7 ± 14.7% in 0.33 µM SFN versus 93.1 ± 14.6% in DMSO control, p < 0.05). Previously, we have shown that AA enhances hyperoxic macrophage functions by reducing hyperoxia-induced HMGB1 release. Using a mouse model of HALI, we determined the effects of AA on hyperoxia-induced inflammatory lung injury. The i.p. administration of 50 mg/kg of AA to mice exposed to 72 h of ≥98% O2 significantly decreased hyperoxia-induced oxidative and nitrosative stress in mouse lungs. There was a significant decrease in the levels of airway HMGB1 (43.3 ± 12.2% in 50 mg/kg AA versus 96.7 ± 9.39% in hyperoxic control, p < 0.05), leukocyte infiltration (60.39 ± 4.137% leukocytes numbers in 50 mg/kg AA versus 100 ± 5.82% in hyperoxic control, p < 0.05) and improved lung integrity in mice treated with AA. Our study is the first to report that the dietary antioxidants, ascorbic acid and sulforaphane, ameliorate HALI and attenuate hyperoxia-induced macrophage dysfunction through an HMGB1-mediated pathway. Thus, dietary antioxidants could be used as potential treatments for oxidative-stress-induced acute inflammatory lung injury in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growing number of earth observation missions and commercial low-earth-orbit (LEO) constellation plans have provided a strong motivation to get accurate LEO satellite position and velocity information in real time. This paper is devoted to improve the real-time kinematic LEO orbits through fixing the zero-differenced (ZD) ambiguities of onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) phase observations. In the proposed method, the real-time uncalibrated phase delays (UPDs) are estimated epoch-by-epoch via a global-distributed network to support the ZD ambiguity resolution (AR) for LEO satellites. By separating the UPDs, the ambiguities of onboard ZD GPS phase measurements recover their integer nature. Then, wide-lane (WL) and narrow-lane (NL) AR are performed epoch-by-epoch and the real-time ambiguity–fixed orbits are thus obtained. To validate the proposed method, a real-time kinematic precise orbit determination (POD), for both Sentinel-3A and Swarm-A satellites, was carried out with ambiguity–fixed and ambiguity–float solutions, respectively. The ambiguity fixing results indicate that, for both Sentinel-3A and Swarm-A, over 90% ZD ambiguities could be properly fixed with the time to first fix (TTFF) around 25–30 min. For the assessment of LEO orbits, the differences with post-processed reduced dynamic orbits and satellite laser ranging (SLR) residuals are investigated. Compared with the ambiguity–float solution, the 3D orbit difference root mean square (RMS) values reduce from 7.15 to 5.23 cm for Sentinel-3A, and from 5.29 to 4.01 cm for Swarm-A with the help of ZD AR. The SLR residuals also show notable improvements for an ambiguity–fixed solution; the standard deviation values of Sentinel-3A and Swarm-A are 4.01 and 2.78 cm, with improvements of over 20% compared with the ambiguity–float solution. In addition, the phase residuals of ambiguity–fixed solution are 0.5–1.0 mm larger than those of the ambiguity–float solution; the possible reason is that the ambiguity fixing separate integer ambiguities from unmodeled errors used to be absorbed in float ambiguities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second batch of Zhuhai-1 microsatellites was successfully launched on 26 April 2018. The batch included four Orbita hyperspectral satellites (referred to as OHS-A, OHS-B, OHS-C, and OHS-D) and one video satellite (OVS-2A), which have excellent hyperspectral data acquisition abilities. For the first time in China, a number of hyperspectral satellite networks have been realized. To ensure the application of hyperspectral remote sensing data, a series of on-orbit geometry processing and accuracy verification studies has been carried out on the "Zhuhai-1" hyperspectral camera since the satellite was launched. This paper presents the geometric processing methods involved in the production of Zhuhai-1 hyperspectral satellite basic products, including geometric calibration and basic product production algorithms. The OHS images were used to perform on-orbit geometric calibration, and the calibration accuracy was better than 0.5 pixels. The registration accuracy of the image spectrum of the basic product after calibration, the single orientation accuracy, and the accuracy of the regional network adjustment were evaluated. The spectral registration accuracy of the OHS basic products is 0.3–0.5 pixels, which is equivalent to the spectral band calibration accuracy. The single orientation accuracy is better than 1.5 pixels and the regional network adjustment accuracy is better than 1.2 pixels. The generated area orthoimages meet the seamless edge requirements, which verifies that the OHS basic product image has good regional mapping capabilities and can meet the application requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface texture is a very important factor affecting the anti-skid performance of pavements. In this paper, entropy theory is introduced to study the decay behavior of the three-dimensional macrotexture and microtexture of road surfaces in service based on the field test data collected over more than 2 years. Entropy is found to be feasible for evaluating the three-dimensional macrotexture and microtexture of an asphalt pavement surface. The complexity of the texture increases with the increase of entropy. Under the polishing action of the vehicle load, the entropy of the surface texture decreases gradually. The three-dimensional macrotexture decay characteristics of asphalt pavement surfaces are significantly different for different mixture designs. The macrotexture decay performance of asphalt pavement can be improved by designing appropriate mixtures. Compared with the traditional macrotexture parameter Mean Texture Depth (MTD) index, entropy contains more physical information and has a better correlation with the pavement anti-skid performance index. It has significant advantages in describing the relationship between macrotexture characteristics and the anti-skid performance of asphalt pavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]