Search

Objective: Resveratrol, a natural product found in plants, is a polyphenolic compound with strong antioxidant activity. In order to enhance the antioxidant activity of resveratrol, we have used a natural product emodin, which has multiple hydroxyl group structure similar to resveratrol. Methods: In this study, we investigated the antioxidant activities of resveratrol and emodin in vitro respectively, including their abilities to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide radicals. Results and Discussion: our results demonstrated that the combination of resveratrol and emodin significantly enhances antioxidant activity. And the process of their DPPH radical scavenging follows a first-order reaction kinetics equation. Finally, a possible mechanism for the scavenging of DPPH free radicals by resveratrol and emodin was proposed. Conclusions: We found that emodin combined with resveratrol can increase antioxidant activity. This study provides a new sight to enhance antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: The primary objective of this review is to explore the pathophysiological roles and clinical implications of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in the context of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We seek to understand how Lp(a) contributes to inflammation and arteriosclerosis, aiming to provide new insights into the mechanisms of ASCVD progression. Recent Findings: Recent research highlights Lp(a) as an independent risk factor for ASCVD. Studies show that Lp(a) not only promotes the inflammatory processes but also interacts with various cellular components, leading to endothelial dysfunction and smooth muscle cell proliferation. The dual role of Lp(a) in both instigating and, under certain conditions, mitigating inflammation is particularly noteworthy. Summary: This review finds that Lp(a) plays a complex role in the development of ASCVD through its involvement in inflammatory pathways. The interplay between Lp(a) levels and inflammatory responses highlights its potential as a target for therapeutic intervention. These insights could pave the way for novel approaches in managing and preventing ASCVD, urging further investigation into Lp(a) as a therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity, heart failure following cancer therapy has a significant mortality rate. Gene-targeted therapy promotes the re-entry of existing cardiomyocytes into the cell cycle to achieve myocardial regeneration, which is a promising strategy for preventing and treating heart failure after myocardial infarction. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are considered as potential targets for myocardial regeneration due to their strong stability, resistance to degradation, and potential role in heart development and cardiovascular diseases. By comparing the myocardial tissue of mice in the sham operation group and the Doxorubicin therapy group (DOX), we observed a significant decrease in Cirsorbs expression in the DOX group. Cirsorbs was predominantly localized in cardiomyocytes and exhibited high conservation. Subsequent investigations revealed that Cirsorbs could promote myocardial proliferation and inhibit myocardial apoptosis. Mechanistic studies further demonstrated that Cirsorbs could bind to miR99 and reduce its expression level. Meanwhile, miR99 was found to bind to GATA4 mRNA and decrease its expression level. The binding of Cirsorbs to miR99 alleviated the repression of miR99, thereby enhancing GATA4 expression and the transcription of downstream cyclin A2 and cyclin E1. This, in turn, increased cardiomyocyte proliferation and reduced apoptosis. In conclusion, Cirsorbs holds promise as an effective target for myocardial regeneration in reducing cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microreactor with two types of immobilized enzymes, exhibiting excellent orthogonal performance, represents an effective approach to counteract the reduced digestion efficiency resulting from the absence of a single enzyme cleavage site, thereby impacting protein identification. In this study, we developed a hydrophilic dual-enzyme microreactor characterized by rapid mass transfer and superior enzymatic activity. Initially, we selected KIT-6 molecular sieve as the carrier for the dual-IMER due to its three-dimensional network pore structure. Modification involved co-deposition of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and acrylamide (AM) as amine donors, along with dopamine to enhance material hydrophilicity. Remaining amino and double bond functional groups facilitated stepwise immobilization of trypsin and Glu-C. Digestion times for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine hemoglobin (BHb) on the dual-IMER were significantly reduced compared to solution-based digestion (1 min vs. 36 h), resulting in improved sequence coverage (91.30% vs. 82.7% for BSA; 90.24% vs. 89.20% for BHb). Additionally, the dual-IMER demonstrated excellent durability, retaining 96.08% relative activity after 29 reuse cycles. Enhanced protein digestion efficiency can be attributed to several factors: (1) KIT-6’s large specific surface area, enabling higher enzyme loading capacity; (2) Its three-dimensional network pore structure, facilitating faster mass transfer and substance diffusion; (3) Orthogonality of trypsin and Glu-C enzyme cleavage sites; (4) The spatial effect introduced by the chain structure of PEI and glutaraldehyde’s spacing arm, reducing spatial hindrance and enhancing enzyme–substrate interactions; (5) Mild and stable enzyme immobilization. The KIT-6-based dual-IMER offers a promising technical tool for protein digestion, while the PDA/PEI/AM-KIT-6 platform holds potential for immobilizing other proteins or active substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid and sensitive dengue non-structural protein 1 (NS1) detection assay is essential for the treatment of disease and currently releases high medical cost burdens. To address the limitations of conventional LFIA strips, we have developed an improved Sup35NM-Z-based LFIA that immobilizes antibodies on cellulose membranes in an orientated manner to increase the sensitivity of LFIA strips. A dual-functional Sup35NM nanofibril was fabricated by fusion with the antibody binding domain; resultant nanofibril from the amyloid Sup35NM was sprayed on the T-line to orientate the capture antibody and produces fluorescence signals. Antibody binding analysis showed that self-assembly of the Sup35NM monomer does not affect the binding activity of the Z-domain with the antibody. The NS1 for DENV-2 infection was chosen as a model target antigen to assess the feasibility of the Sup35NM-Z-domain-based LFIA platform. Under optimal conditions, the Sup35NM-Z-domain-based LFIA detected NS1 within 15 min with a detection limit of 1.29 ng/ml, while the detection limit of traditional LFIA with the same concentration of anti-NS1-Ab1 on the T-line by conventional physical adsorption was 2.20 ng/ml, 1.7 times higher than that of Sup35NM-Z-domain-based LFIA. As compared to traditional LFIAs, the Sup35NM-Z-based LFIA had a wide detection range of 1.29–625 ng/mL. The LFIA's clinical performance in identifying NS1 was also assessed using 15 clinical samples. The LFIA accurately recognized positive and negative samples, equal to 86.7% accuracy. The developed Sup35NM-Z-domain-based LFIA in this study offers great potential for the identification of target markers because of its greatly improved sensitivity and wider detection range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic nanoparticles combined with semiconductive metal oxides are considered to be ideal candidates for electromagnetic wave absorption materials, benefiting from suitable conductivity, matched magnetism and strong polarization. In this work, Co–ZnO binary MOF (ZIF-67, ZIF-8)-based carbon composites were fabricated via a facile synthesis route. After optimization of composition and technological parameters, the synthesized nanocomposites acquired optimal electromagnetic characteristics and exhibited superb microwave absorption ability. The lowest reflection loss of the Co–ZnO–C-800 sample reached − 44.8 dB at 9.2 GHz with a thickness of 2.9 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) was 6.95 GHz (6.59–13.54 GHz). The microwave loss mechanism of the nanocomposite material mainly involved dielectric loss and magnetic resonance absorption. This work provides an ingenious design and synthesis strategy for novel lightweight electromagnetic wave absorbers with broadband EAB and strong absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the urgent need for adaptive infrared (IR) electrochromic devices, the improvement in electrochromic performance based on polyaniline (PANI) conducting polymers has become an outstanding challenge. In recent years, the acid doping strategy has been proven to increase the IR modulation ability of PANI, in particular for the Bronsted acid doping. Herein, the effects of copper ions, a Lewis acid, on the structure and electrochromic properties of polyaniline were investigated. Compared to pure polyaniline, the Cu-doped PANI porous films show better IR modulation ability. With the increasing concentration of copper ions, the Cu-doped PANI porous films exhibit a trend in volcanic patterns for the emittance variation (∆ε), depending on the number of polarons and bipolarons. The optimal IR emissivity (ε) modulation obtained on Cu-doped PANI films shows the ∆ε modulation of 0.35 and 0.3 in the wavelength range of 8–14 µm and 2.5–25 µm, superior to previously reported pure sulfuric acid-doped PANI. Furthermore, a flexible IR electrochromic device was fabricated with the present Cu-doped PANI porous films. The modulation of the emittance variation varied between 0.513 and 0.834 (∆ε = 0.32 in ranges of wavelength 8–12 µm), suggesting the great potential for applications in military camouflage and intelligent IR thermal management. We believe that the results in this work will provide a novel perspective and avenue for improving the IR modulation ability of electrochromic devices based on polyaniline conducting polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tendon regeneration highly relies on biomechanical and biochemical cues in the repair microenvironment. Herein, we combined the decellularized bovine tendon sheet (DBTS) with extracellular matrix (ECM) from tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) to fabricate a biomechanically and biochemically functional scaffold (tECM-DBTS), to provide a functional and stem cell ECM-based microenvironment for tendon regeneration. Our prior study showed that DBTS was biomechanically suitable to tendon repair. In this study, the biological function of tECM-DBTS was examined in vitro, and the efficiency of the scaffold for Achilles tendon repair was evaluated using immunofluorescence staining, histological staining, stem cell tracking, biomechanical and functional analyses. It was found that tECM-DBTS increased the content of bioactive factors and had a better performance for the proliferation, migration and tenogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) than DBTS. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that tECM-DBTS promoted tendon regeneration and improved the biomechanical properties of regenerated Achilles tendons in rats by recruiting endogenous stem cells and participating in the functionalization of these stem cells. As a whole, the results of this study demonstrated that the tECM-DBTS can provide a bionic microenvironment for recruiting endogenous stem cells and facilitating in situ regeneration of tendons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the method of low-damage gas-assisted laser processing of carbon fiber reinforced plastics, using QCW450 quasi-continuous fiber laser cutting machine (maximum peak power 4500 W), and laser scribing carbon fiber reinforced plastics with three gas-assisted methods: coaxial nitrogen, coaxial oxygen, and coaxial oxygen paraxial nitrogen compound gas-assisted, and study the influence of the three on cutting quality. At the same time, the single factor experiment method is used to study the impact of laser peak power, scanning speed, and gas pressure on processing quality, mainly analyzing the size of the heat-affected zone of the cutting section, the cutting depth, and the width of the upper slit, and analyze the action mechanism of gas-assisted laser processing of carbon fiber reinforced plastics. The experimental results show that nitrogen can bring a certain cooling effect during high-power and high-speed processing. Oxidation exothermic effect of oxygen can promote the removal of thermal melting of materials, and high-pressure airflow can take away a part of the excess heat and erosion of the residual kerf. Meanwhile, the nitrogen and oxygen mixed gas assists comprehensively in reducing thermal damage and improving the feasibility of etching. The greater the laser peak power, the deeper the etching depth, and the greater the width of the heat-affected zone, the higher the cutting speed, the width of the heat-affected zone, and the cutting depth will decrease. Too much or too little gas pressure is not conducive to improving quality. This research provides a reference for low-damage gas laser processing carbon fiber reinforced plastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium is a trace element necessary for the growth of organisms. Moreover, selenium supplementation can improve the immunity and fertility of the body, as well as its ability to resist oxidation, tumors, heavy metals, and pathogenic microorganisms. However, owing to the duality of selenium, excessive selenium supplementation can cause certain toxic effects on the growth and development of the body and may even result in death in severe cases. At present, increasing attention is being paid to the development and utilization of selenium as a micronutrient, but its potential toxicity tends to be neglected. This study systematically reviews recent research on the toxicological effects of selenium, aiming to provide theoretical references for selenium toxicology-related research and theoretical support for the development of selenium-containing drugs, selenium-enriched dietary supplements, and selenium-enriched foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quorum sensing (QS) disruption is considered as a potential alternative strategy to combat bacterial diseases in aquaculture. In this study, we isolated and identified bacteria degrading QS molecules from pond sediment and fish intestine. A total of 132 strains were obtained in the enrichment culture, of which two strains were identified as Enterobacter sp. f003 and Staphylococcus sp. sw120, being isolated from the fish intestine and pond sediment, respectively. We found that strains f003 and sw120 could degrade acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) and cause no hemolysis of sheep red blood cells. The AHL lactonase (aiiA) homologous gene in the two strains was detected in PCR amplification and the high-degrading activity to N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL) and AHLs secreted from pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila was assessed. Meanwhile, the artificial infection of cyprinid C arassius auratus gibelio with intraperitoneal injection showed that the two strains were avirulent. Therefore, the obtained indigenous bacteria are candidate probiotics against pathogenic A. hydrophila in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Saikosaponin D (SSD), a major bioactive component isolated from Radix Bupleuri, has been reported to exert neuroprotective properties. Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate the anti-depressant-like effects and the potential mechanisms of SSD. Methods: Behavioural tests including sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT) and forced swim test (FST) were performed to study the antidepressant-like effects of SSD. In addition, we examined corticosterone and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels to evaluate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. Furthermore, hippocampal neurogenesis was assessed by testing doublecortin (DCX) levels, and neurotrophic molecule levels were also investigated in the hippocampus of rats. Results: We found that unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) rats displayed lost body weight, decreased sucrose consumption in SPT, reduced locomotive activity in OFT, and increased immobility time in FST. Chronic treatment with SSD (0.75, 1.50 mg/kg) remarkably ameliorated the behavioral deficiency induced by UCMS procedure. SSD administration downregulated elevated serum corticosterone levels, as well as alleviated the suppression of GR expression and nuclear translocation caused by UCMS, suggesting that SSD is able to remit the dysfunction of HPA axis. In addition, Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that SSD treatment significantly increased the generation of neurons in the hippocampus of UCMS rats indicated by elevated DCX levels. Moreover, hippocampal neurotrophic molecule levels of UCMS rats such as phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (p-CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were raised after SSD treatment. Conclusions: Together, Our results suggest that SSD opposed UCMS-induced depressive behaviors in rats, which was mediated, partially, by the enhancement of HPA axis function and consolidation of hippocampal neurogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavobacterium columnare is the pathogenic agent of columnaris disease in aquaculture. Using a recently developed gene deletion strategy, two genes that encode the Glyco_hydro_19 domain (GH19 domain) containing proteins, ghd-1 and ghd-2, were deleted separately and together from the F. columnare G wild type strain. Surprisingly, the single-, Δ ghd-1 and Δ ghd-2, and double-gene mutants, Δ ghd-1 Δghd -2, all had rhizoid and non-rhizoid colony morphotypes, which we named Δ ghd-1, Δ ghd-2, Δ ghd-1 Δ ghd-2, and NΔ ghd-1, NΔ ghd-2, and NΔ ghd-1 Δ ghd-2. However, chitin utilization was not detected in either these mutants or in the wild type. Instead, skimmed milk degradation was observed for the mutants and the wild type; the non-rhizoid strain NΔ ghd-2 exhibited higher degradation activity as revealed by the larger transparent circle on the skimmed milk plate. Using zebrafish as the model organism, we found that non-rhizoid mutants had higher LD values and were less virulent because zebrafish infected with these survived longer. Transcriptome analysis between the non-rhizoid and rhizoid colony morphotypes of each mutant, i.e., NΔ ghd -1 versus (vs) Δ ghd-1, NΔ ghd-2 vs Δ ghd-2, and NΔ ghd-1 Δ ghd-2 vs Δ ghd-1 Δ ghd-2, revealed a large number of differentially expressed genes, among which 39 genes were common in three of the pairs compared. Although most of these genes encode hypothetical proteins, a few molecules such as phage tail protein, rhs element Vgr protein, thiol-activated cytolysin, and TonB-dependent outer membrane receptor precursor, expression of which was down-regulated in non-rhizoid mutants but up-regulated in rhizoid mutants, may play a role F. columnare virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonal and inter-annual variations of Arctic cyclone are investigated. An automatic cyclone tracking algorithm developed by University of Reading was applied on the basis of European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-interim mean sea level pressure field with 6 h interval for 34 a period. The maximum number of the Arctic cyclones is counted in winter, and the minimum is in spring not in summer. About 50% of Arctic cyclones in summer generated from south of 70°N, moving into the Arctic. The number of Arctic cyclones has large inter-annual and seasonal variabilities, but no significant linear trend is detected for the period 1979-2012. The spatial distribution and linear trends of the Arctic cyclones track density show that the cyclone activity extent is the widest in summer with significant increasing trend in CRU (central Russia) subregion, and the largest track density is in winter with decreasing trend in the same subregion. The linear regressions between the cyclone track density and large-scale indices for the same period and pre-period sea ice area indices show that Arctic cyclone activities are closely linked to large-scale atmospheric circulations, such as Arctic Oscillation (AO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Pacific-North American Pattern (PNA). Moreover, the pre-period sea ice area is significantly associated with the cyclone activities in some regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the accuracy of MRI features in differentiating the pathological grades of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNENs). A total of 31 PNENs patients were retrospectively evaluated, including 19 cases in grade 1, 5 in grade 2, and 7 in grade 3. Plain and contrastenhanced MRI was performed on all patients. MRI features including tumor size, margin, signal intensity, enhancement patterns, degenerative changes, duct dilatation and metastasis were analyzed. Chi square tests, Fisher's exact tests, one-way ANOVA and ROC analysis were conducted to assess the associations between MRI features and different tumor grades. It was found that patients with older age, tumors with higher TNM stage and without hormonal syndrome had higher grade of PNETs (all P<0.05). Tumor size, shape, margin and growth pattern, tumor pattern, pancreatic and bile duct dilatation and presence of lymphatic and distant metastasis as well as MR enhancement pattern and tumor-topancreas contrast during arterial phase were the key features differentiating tumors of all grades (all P<0.05). ROC analysis revealed that the tumor size with threshold of 2.8 cm, irregular shape, pancreatic duct dilatation and lymphadenopathy showed satisfactory sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing grade 3 from grade 1 and grade 2 tumors. Features of peripancreatic tissue or vascular invasion, and distant metastasis showed high specificity but relatively low sensitivity. In conclusion, larger size, poorlydefined margin, heterogeneous enhanced pattern during arterial phase, duct dilatation and the presence of metastases are common features of higher grade PNENs. Plain and contrast-enhanced MRI provides the ability to differentiate tumors with different pathological grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new climatology of cyclones in the Southern Ocean is generated by applying an automated cyclone detection and tracking algorithm (developed by Hodges at the Reading University) for an improved and relatively high-resolution European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric reanalysis during 1979-2013. A validation shows that identified cyclone tracks are in good agreement with a available analyzed cyclone product. The climatological characteristics of the Southern Ocean cyclones are then analyzed, including track, number, density, intensity, deepening rate and explosive events. An analysis shows that the number of cyclones in the Southern Ocean has increased for 1979-2013, but only statistically significant in summer. Coincident with the circumpolar trough, a single high-density band of cyclones is observed in 55°-67°S, and cyclone density has generally increased in north of this band for 1979-2013, except summer. The intensity of up to 70% cyclones in the Southern Ocean is less than 980 hPa, and only a few cyclones with pressure less than 920 hPa are detected for 1979-2013. Further analysis shows that a high frequency of explosive cyclones is located in the band of 45°-55°S, and the Atlantic Ocean sector has much higher frequent occurrence of the explosive cyclones than that in the Pacific Ocean sector. Additionally, the relationship between cyclone activities in the Southern Ocean and the Southern Annular Mode is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During antibody drug research and development, it is important to make sure the protein therapeutics are biosynthesized correctly, and peptide mapping works as a powerful analytical approach to confirm the identity of the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this study, a novel quality control method combining tryptic peptide mapping with QDa detector for characterization of biotherapeutics was developed and validated. The peptides derived from complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of adalimumab were used as surrogates of adalimumab. Ten other antibody drugs were used to assess the method specificity. The results showed that this method has high specificity due to the high UV-MS selectivity; the limit of detection was 20 μg mL; carry-over was about 1.69 %. Additionally, other validation parameters, like stability, were also evaluated. This novel LC-UV-QDa method may be a simple, cost-effective and robust peptide-mapping method for other recombinant monoclonal antibodies during routine quality control analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbon is heat-treated in a H atmosphere at 600, 800, and 1000 °C for 1 h, respectively, to be used as electrode material for electrical double layer capacitors (EDLCs). After heat treatment, the surface morphology has no obvious change as compared with the raw material. The specific surface area and pore volume of sample treated at 600 °C have a slightly increase while those of samples treated at higher temperature decrease. XPS and elemental analysis indicate that oxygen containing functional groups on the sample are significantly reduced after treatment. The electrochemical performance of samples was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests in 1 M TEABF/PC electrolyte. The sample treated at 600 °C shows the optimized electrochemical performance with increase capacitance, enhanced stability, and improved energy density. Its initial specific capacitance is near 127 F/g, and initial coulombic efficiency is about 52 %. At 3.0 V, its energy density reaches 32 Wh/kg and specific capacitance is about 70 F/g at 1 A/g even after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. Thus, heat treatment at 600 °C under H atmosphere is an effective method to improve electrochemical properties of EDLCs based on activated carbon material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although varieties of surgical repair techniques and materials have been used to repair rotator cuff defects, re-tearing frequently occurs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the postoperative outcomes of rotator cuff repairs with a decellularized tendon slices (DTSs) graft in a rabbit model. Methods: Large defects in the infraspinatus tendons were created bilaterally in 21 rabbits. The graft group underwent reconstruction of the defects with the DTSs grafts, while the defect group did not undergo any treatment. The specimens underwent histological observation, biomechanical testing, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detection at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery. In addition, 2 rabbits that were not operated on were used for MRI detection as a normal reference. Results: Histological analysis revealed that the graft promoted host cell ingrowth and tissue integration, and a tendon-like structure developed at 12 weeks. The ultimate tensile load had a significant difference between specimens at 4 and 12 weeks in the graft group, but there was no significant difference between the graft group and the defect group. In the graft group, the stiffness at 12 weeks was significantly greater than that at 4 or 8 weeks, and it was also greater than the stiffness in the defect group at 12 weeks. MRI demonstrated that the signal strength of the regenerative tissue from the graft group at 12 weeks was similar to that of normal infraspinatus tendon. Conclusion: The DTSs graft allowed for incorporation of host tendon and improved the biomechanical performance of the regenerative tendon. Therefore, the graft could be a promising bioscaffold to enhance the surgical repair of large rotator cuff defects and consequently improve the clinical outcome of rotator cuff tears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantified risk assessment (QRA) needs mathematicization of risk theory. However, attention has been paid almost exclusively to applications of assessment methods, which has led to neglect of research into fundamental theories, such as the relationships among risk, safety, danger, and so on. In order to solve this problem, as a first step, fundamental theoretical relationships about risk and risk management were analyzed for this paper in the light of mathematics, and then illustrated with some charts. Second, man-machine-environment-management (MMEM) theory was introduced into risk theory to analyze some properties of risk. On the basis of this, a three-dimensional model of risk management was established that includes: a goal dimension; a management dimension; an operation dimension. This goal management operation (GMO) model was explained and then emphasis was laid on the discussion of the risk flowchart (operation dimension), which lays the groundwork for further study of risk management and qualitative and quantitative assessment. Next, the relationship between Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) and Risk Management was researched. This revealed that the FSA method, which the international maritime organization (IMO) is actively spreading, comes from Risk Management theory. Finally, conclusion were made about how to apply this risk management method to concrete fields efficiently and conveniently, as well as areas where further research is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventionally, least mean square rule which can be named CMAC-LMS is used to update the weights of CMAC. The convergence ability of CMAC-LMS is very sensitive to the learning rate. Applying recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm to update the weights of CMAC, we bring forward an algorithm named CMAC-RLS. And the convergence ability of this algorithm is proved and analyzed. Finally, the application of CMAC-RLS to control nonlinear plant is investigated. The simulation results show the good convergence performance of CMAC-RLS. The results also reveal that the proposed CMAC-PID controller can reject disturbance effectively, and control nonlinear time-varying plant adaptively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]