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The discontinuation of pumping and drainage activities upon the cessation of mining operations leads to the gradual accumulation of groundwater. This inflow into mined-out areas affects the properties of the rock, disturbing the previously stable goaf and exacerbating instability. In this study, we advance an existing theoretical framework pertaining to the residual deformation of mines by delineating the mechanisms through which groundwater influences the degradation of the overlying strata in goaf areas. Using analogous material simulation experiments and rigorous theoretical analyses, we clarify the specific mechanisms by which groundwater causes structural damage to these regions. The deformation of overlying rock is divided into three different forms: the compressive deformation of rock, the sliding instability of rock, and the rotational instability of rock. The main contributions of this study are its refinement of the existing theory of the residual deformation of mines, an analysis of the damage mechanisms of groundwater, and suggestions regarding technical support for targeted treatment measures in affected mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Group ACYW135 meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPV-ACYW135) is a classical common vaccine used to prevent Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y, and W135, but studies on the vaccine at the transcriptional level are still limited. In the present study, mRNAs and lncRNAs related to immunity were screened from the spleens of mice inoculated with MPV-ACYW135 and compared with the control group to identify differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in the immune response. The result revealed 34375 lncRNAs and 41321 mRNAs, including 405 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and 52 DE mRNAs between the MPV group and the control group. Results of GO and KEGG enrichment analysis turned out that the main pathways related to the immunity of target genes of those DE mRNAs and DE lncRNAs were largely associated with positive regulation of T cell activation, CD8-positive immunoglobulin production in mucosal tissue, alpha-beta T cell proliferation, negative regulation of CD4-positive, and negative regulation of interleukin-17 production, suggesting that the antigens of MPV-ACYW135 capsular polysaccharide might activate T cell related immune reaction in the vaccine inoculation. In addition, it was noted that Bach2 (BTB and CNC homolog 2), the target gene of lncRNA MSTRG.17645, was involved in the regulation of immune response in MPV-ACYW135 vaccination. This study provided a preliminary catalog of both mRNAs and lncRNAs associated with the proliferation and differentiation of body immune cells, which was worthy of further research to enhance the understanding of the biological immune process regulated by MPV-ACYW135. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the literature has shown that generalized reciprocity and negative reciprocity as exchange norms can significantly influence employees' outcomes, knowledge about how and when the two types of norms influence employees' well-being is limited. Based on social exchange theory and self-determination theory, we built and investigated a model by conducting a large questionnaire survey with 551 employees and managers. The results of the structural equation model supported our hypotheses. First, generalized reciprocity is positively related to well-being, and negative reciprocity is negatively related to well-being. Both intrinsic motivation and perceived organizational obstruction can meditate roles in the above relationships. Moreover, strength use can enhance the relationship between generalized reciprocity and intrinsic motivation, and it can also weaken the relationship between negative reciprocity and perceived organizational obstruction. Our research represents a significant step towards better understanding the work-related implications of imbalanced reciprocity, highlighting the destructive influence of negative reciprocity on employees' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sucrose nonfermenting 1-related protein kinase (SnRK) plays an important role in responding to abiotic stresses by phosphorylating the target protein to regulate various signaling pathways. However, little is known about the characteristics, evolutionary history, and expression patterns of the SnRK family in black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.) or other Rosaceae family species. In this study, a total of 209 SnRK genes were identified in 7 Rosaceae species and divided into 3 subfamilies (SnRK1, SnRK2, and SnRK3) based on phylogenetic analysis and specific motifs. Whole-genome duplication (WGD) and dispersed duplication (DSD) were considered to be major contributions to the SnRK family expansion. Purifying selection was the primary driving force in the SnRK family evolution. The spatial expression indicated that the RoSnRK genes may play important roles in different tissues. In addition, the expression models of 5 RoSnRK2 genes in response to abiotic stresses were detected by qRT-PCR. The proteins encoded by RoSnRK2 genes localize to the cytoplasm and nucleus in order to perform their respective functions. Taken together, this study provided an analysis of the SnRK gene family expansion and evolution, and contributed to the current knowledge of the function of 5 RoSnRK2 genes, which in turn expanded understanding of the molecular mechanisms of black raspberry responses to abiotic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PPV23) is a classical common vaccine used to prevent pneumococcal disease. In past decades, it was thought that vaccination with this vaccine induces humoral immunity, thereby reducing the disease associated with infection with 23 common serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp). However, for this polysaccharide vaccine, the mechanism of immune response at the transcriptional level has not been fully studied. To identify the lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) and mRNAs in spleens related to immunity after PPV23 vaccination in mice, high-throughput RNA sequencing of spleens between a PPV23 treatment group and a control group were performed and evaluated in this study. The RNA-seq results identified a total of 41,321 mRNAs and 34,375 lncRNAs, including 55 significantly differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs and 389 DE lncRNAs (p < 0.05) between the two groups. GO and KEGG annotation analysis indicated that the target genes of DE lncRNAs and DE mRNAs were related to T-cell costimulation, positive regulation of alpha–beta T-cell differentiation, the CD86 biosynthetic process, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, indicating that the polysaccharide component antigens of PPV23 might activate a cellular immune response during the PPV23 immunization process. Moreover, we found that Trim35 (tripartite motif containing 35), a target gene of lncRNA MSTRG.9127, was involved in regulating immunity. Our study provides a catalog of lncRNAs and mRNAs associated with immune cells' proliferation and differentiation, and they deserve further study to deepen the understanding of the biological processes in the regulation of PPV23 during humoral immunity and cellular immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superhydrophobic surface can be prepared by two methods; one is by reducing the surface energy, and the other is by constructing a micro-nano rough structure. To achieve high superhydrophobic performance in terms of durability, the firm combination of hydrophobic coating and substrate is particularly important. Here, we use polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a low surface energy monomer, water-borne polyurethane (WPU) as a dispersing aid, and use high-power ultrasound to disperse PDMS in water to make emulsion. The polyester matrix is etched by atmospheric plasma, dipped in PDMS emulsion, dried, and finally baked to induce PDMS on the surface of polyester fiber to cross-link into film. A series of tests on the self-cleaning polyester fabric prepared by this method show that when the concentration of PDMS is 8 g/L and the mass ratio of PDMS to WPU is 20:1, the water contact angle (WCA) reaches the maximum value of 148.2°, which decreases to 141.5° after 200 times of washing and 138.6° after 5000 times of rubbing. Before and after PDMS coating, the tensile strength of polyester fabric increases from 489.4 N to 536.4 N, and the water vapor transmission decreases from 13,535.7 g/(m2·d) to 12,224.3 g/(m2·d). This research is helpful to the large-scale production of self-cleaning polyester fabric. In the future, on the basis of this research, we will add functional powder to endow self-cleaning polyester fabric with higher hydrophobicity and other properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A running transformer frequently experiences interturn faults; they are typically difficult to detect in their early stages but eventually progress to interturn short circuits, which cause damage to the transformer. Therefore, finding out the fault mechanism of the full interturn fault process can provide a theoretical basis for transformer fault detection. In this paper, an electromagnetic-solid mechanics coupled finite element model consistent with an actual oil-immersed three-phase transformer is established. The transient process of winding from interturn discharge to interturn short circuit is simulated to study the electromagnetic characteristics as well as the mechanical characteristics during transformer failure. The model parameters of the transformer are simulated to obtain the fault current, electromagnetic parameters and other performance parameters to study the characteristics of the magnetic field and coil force when interturn faults occur. Finally, the vibration of the transformer casing is used to detect as well as diagnose the transformer fault situation, providing a theoretical basis for the study of transformer detection and diagnosis capability improvement measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in-depth study of the operational efficiency of Internet banks is essential to enhance banks' competitiveness and sustainable development. We use the two-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to divide the operational process of Internet banks into the value operation stage (stage 1) and the value creation stage (stage 2). This paper adopts the R&D investment that reflects the characteristics of Internet banks as the input of the value operation stage in the two-stage DEA model. It examines the operating efficiency of China's Internet banks from 2018 to 2019, including stage efficiency and comprehensive efficiency. The empirical analysis results indicate that the contribution of stage 2 to the comprehensive efficiency is higher than that of stage 1. Similarly, it can also be shown that the average values of the stage efficiency and comprehensive efficiency of Internet banking in 2019 are higher than those in 2018. In addition, the Kruskal–Wallis test shows no significant difference in the average comprehensive efficiency of Internet banks in the three major economic belts. These results have significant strategic implications for managers, regulators, and policymakers who share a common interest in boosting financial sustainability and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nano-grating standard with accurate linewidth can not only calibrate the magnification of nano-measurement instruments, but can also enable comparison of linewidths. Unfortunately, it is still a challenging task to control the linewidth of nano-grating standards. Accordingly, in this paper, atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to regulate the linewidth of the one-dimensional grating standards with a pitch of 1000 nm, fabricated by electron beam lithography (EBL). The standards were measured using an atomic force microscope (AFM) before and after ALD, and the linewidth and pitch of the grating were calculated through the gravity center method. The obtained results prove that the width of a single grating line in the standard can be regulated with great uniformity by precisely utilizing ALD. Meanwhile, the proposed method does not affect the pitch of grating, and the measurement uncertainty of standards is less than 0.16% of the pitch, thereby demonstrating a high surface quality and calibration reliability of the standards, and realizing the integration of linewidth and pitch calibration functions. Moreover, the precise and controllable fabrication method of the micro-nano periodic structure based on ALD technology has many potential applications in the fields of optoelectronic devices and biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation process of the Chinese provincial industrial system consists of four stages, namely the production (P) stage, wastewater treatment (WWT) stage, solid waste treatment (SWT) stage, and sulfur dioxide treatment (SDT) stage. Based on this structure, a four-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is developed to evaluate the eco-efficiency, production efficiency, wastewater treatment efficiency, solid waste treatment efficiency, and sulfur dioxide treatment efficiency of provincial industrial systems in China, considering the undesirable output and variable returns to scale (VRS). Based on the objective data from 2011 to 2015, the following conclusions are drawn: Firstly, the eco-efficiency of the Chinese provincial industrial system has not been significantly improved during the study period, and the average eco-efficiency score is low, only 0.3805. Secondly, the reasons for the low eco-efficiency of the industrial system are different in the Eastern, Central, Western, and Northeastern regions. Thirdly, compared with the P stage, industrial WWT stage, and SWT stage, the efficiency of SDT stage is still relatively weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phthalonitrile-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) copolymers were prepared by adding two different POSS cage mixtures: epoxycyclohexyl POSS (EP0408) and N-phenylaminopropyl POSS (AM0281). The cure behavior and properties of these polymerswere analyzed and compared using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), Fourier transform far infrared (FTIR) measurements, and rheometric studies. The POSS-containing polymers showed higher chemical reactivity, better thermal stability and better mechanical performance in comparison to their unmodified counterparts. All the polymers showed water absorption below 1.5%. As revealed by FTIR measurements, the polymerization products contained triazine ring structures that were responsible for the superior thermal properties exhibited by these POSS-containing polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) is an acute life-threatening manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc) caused by obliterative vasculopathy and thrombotic microangiopathy. Evidence suggests a pathogenic role of immunoglobulin G (IgG) targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR). We therefore dissected SRC-associated vascular obliteration and investigated the specific effects of patient-derived IgG directed against angiotensin II type 1 (AT1R) and endothelin-1 type A receptors (ETAR) on downstream signaling events and endothelial cell proliferation. SRC-IgG triggered endothelial cell proliferation via activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and subsequent activation of the E26 transformation-specific-1 transcription factor (Ets-1). Either AT1R or ETAR receptor inhibitors/shRNA abrogated endothelial proliferation, confirming receptor activation and Ets-1 signaling involvement. Binding of Ets-1 to the tissue factor (TF) promoter exclusively induced TF. In addition, TF inhibition prevented endothelial cell proliferation. Thus, our data revealed a thus far unknown link between SRC-IgG-induced intracellular signaling, endothelial cell proliferation and active coagulation in the context of obliterative vasculopathy and SRC. Patients' autoantibodies and their molecular effectors represent new therapeutic targets to address severe vascular complications in SSc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence and prevalence of metabolic syndrome has steadily increased worldwide. As a major risk factor for various diseases, metabolic syndrome has come into focus in recent years. Some natural aporphine alkaloids are very promising agents in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome and its components because of their wide variety of biological activities. These natural aporphine alkaloids have protective effects on the different risk factors characterizing metabolic syndrome. In this review, we highlight the activities of bioactive aporphine alkaloids: thaliporphine, boldine, nuciferine, pronuciferine, roemerine, dicentrine, magnoflorine, anonaine, apomorphine, glaucine, predicentrine, isolaureline, xylopine, methylbulbocapnine, and crebanine. We particularly focused on their impact on metabolic syndrome and its components, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, endothelial dysfunction, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia and obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hyperuricemia and kidney damage, erectile dysfunction, central nervous system-related disorder, and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis. We also discussed the potential mechanisms of actions by aporphine alkaloids in metabolic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an essential electrolyte for the human body, the potassium ion (K+) plays many physiological roles in living cells, so the rapid and accurate determination of serum K+ is of great significance. In this work, we developed a solid-contact ion-selective electrode (SC-ISE) using MoS2/Fe3O4 composites as the ion-to-electron transducer to determine serum K+. The potential response measurement of MoS2/Fe3O4/K+-ISE shows a Nernst response by a slope of 55.2 ± 0.1 mV/decade and a low detection limit of 6.3 × 10−6 M. The proposed electrode exhibits outstanding resistance to the interference of O2, CO2, light, and water layer formation. Remarkably, it also presents a high performance in potential reproducibility and long-term stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Softening of fruit during the postharvest storage, which is mainly associated with both compositional and spatial changes of polysaccharides within cell wall, affects the texture and quality of fruit. Current research on the fruit softening mechanism lacks an understanding of the overall softening at the cell level. The objective of this work was to investigate the change in the spatial distribution of cell wall polysaccharides in peach flesh cells at both single- and multiple-cell levels in a label-free way during the postharvest storage. Nonmelting peaches (Prunus persica L. Batsch cv."Zhonghuashoutao") at commercial maturity were stored at 0 °C and 20 °C. Firmness measurement and chemical analysis were performed at each storage time. In addition, three molecular imaging techniques, namely confocal Raman microspectroscopy (CRM), Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIRM), and stimulated Raman scattering microscopy (SRS) were used to visualize changes in the spatial distribution of cell wall polysaccharides of peach fruit in a label-free way during the postharvest storage. The combination of CRM and FTIRM provided complementary spectral information to visualize the spatial changes of cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin in the cell wall of peach flesh during softening at the single-cell level, and found that the cell wall polysaccharides tended to be concentrated in the cell corner of parenchymal cells at the late stage. Furthermore, SRS, which is an ultrafast Raman imaging technique (approximately three or four orders of magnitude faster than CRM), was used for high-throughput cell wall phenotypes measurement. Different degradation degrees of parenchymal cells during fruit softening were found based on the gray-scale statistical analysis of SRS data. In general, cell wall polysaccharides decreased during softening and tended to be concentrated in the cell corner for most parenchymal cells at the late stage, but there were also some cells not in line with the whole softening trends. The results show that there were differences in the content and spatial changes of cell wall polysaccharides among parenchymal cells of peach fruit during the softening process, and the hybrid use of CRM, FTIRM, and SRS is a promising method for simultaneous visualization of changes in cell wall polysaccharides of peach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a further investigation was carried out on the synthesis mechanism, optimal manufacturing conditions, and curing behavior of a sucrose-ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (SADP) adhesive. The results of 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy confirmed that SADP was composed of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), deoxyfructosazine (DOF), amino compounds, Schiff base, monosaccharides, and oligosaccharide. The optimal hot-pressing conditions were a hot-pressing temperature of 170 °C, a hot-pressing time of 7 min, and a spread rate of 120 g/m2. The wet shear strength of plywood bonded at optimal manufacturing conditions met the requirements of China National Standard (GB/T 9846-2015). Thermal analysis and insoluble mass proportion measurements showed that the main curing behavior of the SADP adhesive occurred at curing temperatures higher than 145 °C, and more than 50% insoluble mass was formed when the heating time was longer than 5 min. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicated that cross-linking of the cured adhesive was promoted by prolonging the heating time. In addition, pyrolysis gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) confirmed that the cured SADP adhesive was composed of furan and nitrogen-containing compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous research, sucrose and citric acid were used to synthesize an eco-friendly plywood adhesive. Herein, further research was performed to determine the optimal hot-pressing conditions and curing behavior of a sucrose-citric acid (SC) adhesive. The results of dry and wet shear strength measurements showed that the optimal hot-pressing temperature, hot-pressing time, and spread rate of plywood samples bonded by the SC adhesive were 190 °C, 7 min, and 140 g/m2, respectively. When plywood was bonded at the optimal hot-pressing conditions, the wet shear strength met the requirements of the China National Standard GB/T 9846-2015. Thermal analysis showed that the thermal degradation and endothermic reaction temperatures of the SC 25/75 adhesive were lower than either sucrose or citric acid individually. In addition, the insoluble mass proportion increased with the heating temperature and time. The Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometr (Py-GC/MS) analysis confirmed that the SC adhesive was cured by the reaction between furan compounds, saccharide, and citric acid, and the resulting polymer appeared to be joined by ether linkages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are of great interest due to wide range applications, especially in nanomedicine. However, they face challenges preventing their further applications such as rapid agglomeration, oxidation, etc. Appropriate surface modification of IONPs can conquer these barriers with improved physicochemical properties. This review summarizes recent advances in the surface modification of IONPs with small organic molecules, polymers and inorganic materials. The preparation methods, mechanisms and applications of surface-modified IONPs with different materials are discussed. Finally, the technical barriers of IONPs and their limitations in practical applications are pointed out, and the development trends and prospects are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrowband interference and wideband interference are both common jamming signals against synthetic aperture radar, which can degrade the signal severely. To suppress interference effectively, an interference suppression method based on short-time fractional Fourier transform (STFrFT) is proposed. After transforming the signal into the time-frequency domain through STFrFT, an adaptive gain coefficient is determined for the instantaneous frequency spectrum at every certain time. The gain coefficient can be preserved while suppressing the interference. Finally, we obtain the useful signal by inverse STFrFT. The simulation and performance analysis show the effectiveness and validity of the proposed algorithm for measured data.

The superhydrophobic surface can be prepared by two methods; one is by reducing the surface energy, and the other is by constructing a micro-nano rough structure. To achieve high superhydrophobic performance in terms of durability, the firm combination of hydrophobic coating and substrate is particularly important. Here, we use polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a low surface energy monomer, water-borne polyurethane (WPU) as a dispersing aid, and use high-power ultrasound to disperse PDMS in water to make emulsion. The polyester matrix is etched by atmospheric plasma, dipped in PDMS emulsion, dried, and finally baked to induce PDMS on the surface of polyester fiber to cross-link into film. A series of tests on the self-cleaning polyester fabric prepared by this method show that when the concentration of PDMS is 8 g/L and the mass ratio of PDMS to WPU is 20:1, the water contact angle (WCA) reaches the maximum value of 148.2°, which decreases to 141.5° after 200 times of washing and 138.6° after 5000 times of rubbing. Before and after PDMS coating, the tensile strength of polyester fabric increases from 489.4 N to 536.4 N, and the water vapor transmission decreases from 13,535.7 g/(m 2 ·d) to 12,224.3 g/(m 2 ·d). This research is helpful to the large-scale production of self-cleaning polyester fabric. In the future, on the basis of this research, we will add functional powder to endow self-cleaning polyester fabric with higher hydrophobicity and other properties., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) is an acute life-threatening manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc) caused by obliterative vasculopathy and thrombotic microangiopathy. Evidence suggests a pathogenic role of immunoglobulin G (IgG) targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR). We therefore dissected SRC-associated vascular obliteration and investigated the specific effects of patient-derived IgG directed against angiotensin II type 1 (AT 1 R) and endothelin-1 type A receptors (ET A R) on downstream signaling events and endothelial cell proliferation. SRC-IgG triggered endothelial cell proliferation via activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and subsequent activation of the E26 transformation-specific-1 transcription factor (Ets-1). Either AT 1 R or ET A R receptor inhibitors/shRNA abrogated endothelial proliferation, confirming receptor activation and Ets-1 signaling involvement. Binding of Ets-1 to the tissue factor (TF) promoter exclusively induced TF. In addition, TF inhibition prevented endothelial cell proliferation. Thus, our data revealed a thus far unknown link between SRC-IgG-induced intracellular signaling, endothelial cell proliferation and active coagulation in the context of obliterative vasculopathy and SRC. Patients' autoantibodies and their molecular effectors represent new therapeutic targets to address severe vascular complications in SSc.