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This study delves into assessing the effectiveness of modified magnetic seeds in treating oily wastewater through magnetic flocculation. Initially, the research focuses on characterizing the magnetic seeds' properties and evaluating their oil adsorption capabilities pre- and post-modification. The investigation identifies a correlation between the adsorption process and the second-stage kinetic magnetic seed model as well as the Langmuir model, both before and after modification. Moreover, the study highlights the enhanced adsorption capacity of modified magnetic seeds for chemical oxygen demand in comparison with conventional ones. Interestingly, both types of seeds display a closer conformity with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model concerning their oil adsorption behaviors. In the magnetic flocculation process, polymerized aluminum chloride serves as the flocculant at a specific concentration in conjunction with magnetic seeds. Optimal treatment conditions involve maintaining a particular water temperature and pH level. These conditions facilitate a chemical oxygen demand removal rate of 75.5% and an impressive 93.2% efficiency in removing oil content. As a result, utilizing modified magnetic seeds exhibits substantial potential in degrading pollutants within oily wastewater treatment. This approach not only enhances adsorption capabilities when combined with magnetic flocculation but also provides valuable theoretical insights into treating oily wastewater via magnetic flocculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing rates of autoimmune and inflammatory disease present a burgeoning threat to human health1. This is compounded by the limited efficacy of available treatments1 and high failure rates during drug development2, highlighting an urgent need to better understand disease mechanisms. Here we show how functional genomics could address this challenge. By investigating an intergenic haplotype on chr21q22—which has been independently linked to inflammatory bowel disease, ankylosing spondylitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and Takayasu’s arteritis3–6—we identify that the causal gene, ETS2, is a central regulator of human inflammatory macrophages and delineate the shared disease mechanism that amplifies ETS2 expression. Genes regulated by ETS2 were prominently expressed in diseased tissues and more enriched for inflammatory bowel disease GWAS hits than most previously described pathways. Overexpressing ETS2 in resting macrophages reproduced the inflammatory state observed in chr21q22-associated diseases, with upregulation of multiple drug targets, including TNF and IL-23. Using a database of cellular signatures7, we identified drugs that might modulate this pathway and validated the potent anti-inflammatory activity of one class of small molecules in vitro and ex vivo. Together, this illustrates the power of functional genomics, applied directly in primary human cells, to identify immune-mediated disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic opportunities.ETS2—which is associated with inflammatory bowel disease, ankylosing spondylitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and Takayasu’s arteritis—is a central regulator of human inflammatory macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide band gap semiconductor Ga2O3 has become an excellent UV detection material due to its suitable band gap, high crystalline quality and thermal stability. In this paper, the microstructure of Ga2O3 with different thicknesses is characterized and the solar-blind detection performance of Ga2O3/p-Si heterojunctions are further investigated. XRD and UV–VIS demonstrate that Ga2O3 sputtered for 20 min is amorphous with a band gap of 4.98 eV, as the sputtering time increases, Ga2O3 grows along the (002) crystal plane and the band gap increases. XPS reveals that the lattice oxygen content in the Ga2O3 increases with the sputtering time, however, the Ga3+ content reaches a peak in Ga2O3 sputtered for 1.5 h. And the increasing of the binding energy between Ga-O in Ga2O3/p-Si heterojunctions accelerates response speed. Electrical experiments show that the heterojunction consisting of sputtered 1.5 h Ga2O3 and p-Si reaches a higher PDCR, with a value of 6684 at 5.7 V. Meanwhile, the rise and decay time of the heterojunction are 0.13 s and 0.14 s at 0 V, and the decay time gradually increases from 0.1 to 0.7 s with increasing the applied voltage. However, insertion of 20 nm Si-doped Ga2O3 as a hole-blocking layer at the interface of p-Si and Ga2O3 remarkably declines the decay time under various applied biases and causes no obvious damage to the photo current of the heterojunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, in situ investigation of the coupling damage mechanisms of SnAgCu/Cu solder joints under thermal cycling and current was carried out to compare the thermal fatigue under the same temperature range, and to analyze the influence of temperature. It was found that the current increased the temperature of the solder joint, making it obviously higher than the ambient temperature. On the other hand, there was little difference between the thermal–electrical coupling damage and thermal fatigue before a significant increase in solder temperature; the interfacial plastic deformation was only slightly more serious, and the electromigration was not significant. With an increasing number of thermal cycles, the damage, resistance, and temperature of the solder joint increased, and the plastic deformation resistance of the solder decreased, leading to further damage and temperature increase, exhibiting an accelerating damage process. After the temperature reached a certain degree, the solder softened significantly, and its deformation behavior was similar to that of high-viscosity fluids, resulting in surface unevenness with significant height differences. As the temperature of the solder joint increased, the electromigration of Cu in the solder gradually increased, and the migration rate was dominated by the solder grain orientation. With higher peak temperature of the ambient thermal cycle, the thermal cycling–electric current coupling damage rate increased substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy of moving object detection has a great impact on the accuracy of extracting the shape center coordinates of moving workpieces. The classic inter-frame difference method has "cavity" and "double shadow" issues for workpieces with comparable internal colors. In order to solve this problem, a moving object detection algorithm combining the three-frame difference method and Online Moving Window Robust Principal Component Analysis (OMWRPCA) is proposed. By using the OMWRPCA to extract the background image in the current frame and comparing it to the previous and current frames, the "cavity" and "double shadow" problems are avoided as well as the effects of background pixels. This paper presents a case study of a visual sorting experiment bench in an "intelligent manufacturing production demonstration line". The experiments show that the workpiece shape center coordinates obtained by the improved moving object detection algorithm are closer to the actual value than those obtained by the traditional algorithm, and the F-measure scores are above 0.8, which are more accurate than the other two algorithms. It is compared with the traditional algorithm of the frame difference method and the Online Mixture of Gaussian Matrix Factorization (OMoGMF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a time-dependent expansion model of mudstone based on the rheological theory is developed. The model is validated with the results of the free expansion test of mudstone under lateral limits. We have explained the physical significance of all the parameters in the model. The ultimate strain of the mudstone flooding expansion is determined by the swelling force and progressive expansion elastic modulus. The expansion model can be used to describe and predict the time-dependent expansion of the mudstone submerged under water. The time-dependent expansion model is introduced to generalize the Einstein's three-dimensional static stable constitutive relation to a nonstable dynamic three-dimensional constitutive relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy has been widely accepted as renewable and clean energy source. However, safety problems exist in the process of hydrogen energy transportation and storage. On-site hydrogen production has great potential to solve safety problems, and dimethyl ether (DME) is an excellent hydrogen carrier. There are four ways for hydrogen production from DME, and they are DME steam reforming, partial oxidation of DME, autothermal reforming of DME, and plasma reforming of DME, respectively. Catalysts are essential for the first three reactions and the last one could achieve the activation of DME just through election catalysis. To the best of our knowledge, a review of hydrogen production from DME has not been reported, which should be discussed systematically. In this review, the advantages and disadvantages of different DME reforming processes are discussed, and the progress of catalysts for the reforming processes as well as the effects of catalysts in the reactions are summarized. This paper also provides the rational design of highly efficient catalysts on DME in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides play an irreplaceable role in modern agriculture, while their inefficient and widespread use of pesticides has also inadvertently caused some toxic effects on non-target organisms and the environment. Therefore, environmentally friendly and sustainable remediation techniques are urgently needed to be developed for pesticide contamination reduction. To overcome the drawbacks of bioremediation using free-living microorganisms, immobilization technique has been rapidly developed for efficient remediation of pesticide contamination in recent years. Biochar has been widely used as a promising vehicle for microbial immobilization due to its good porous structure and superior adsorption properties that favor microbial colonization and growth. This review emphasizes the recent trends and applications of biochar immobilization microorganism for the remediation of pesticide pollution. Firstly, the merits and demerits of individual free-degradation strains and biochar for pesticide contamination remediation are discussed. Secondly, the methods of biochar immobilization microorganism (e.g., adsorption, entrapping, and covalent bonding) are introduced. Thirdly, the mechanisms, environmental factors, and potential risks of using biochar immobilization microorganism for pesticide contamination remediation are demonstrated and summarized. Finally, suggestions and future prospects for the research and practical application of biochar immobilization microorganism are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric bubbles are sub-10nm spherical vortices of electric dipoles that can spontaneously form in ultra-thin ferroelectrics. While the static properties of electric bubbles are well established, little to nothing is known about the dynamics of these particle-like structures. Here, we reveal pathways to realizing both the spontaneous and controlled dynamics of electric bubbles in ultra-thin Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3 films. In low screening conditions, we find that electric bubbles exhibit thermally-driven chaotic motion giving rise to a liquid-like state. In the high screening regime, we show that bubbles remain static but can be continuously displaced by a local electric field. Additionally, we predict and experimentally demonstrate the possibility of bubble teleportation - a process wherein a bubble is transferred to a new location via a single electric field pulse of a PFM tip. Finally, we attribute the discovered phenomena to the hierarchical structure of the energy landscape. Nanoscale ferroelectric domains called electric bubbles are shown to behave as dynamical particles. Using atomistic simulations and experiments, the authors reveal a bubble liquid phase and demonstrate teleportation-like displacements of single bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of interactions between 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone (PCM) and cucurbit[7]uril (Q[7]) was determined via UV-vis spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that PCM and Q[7] were able to formed a 1 : 1 host–guest inclusion complex (PCM@Q[7]) with a binding constant of 2.9×108 L/mol. These interactions significantly increased the aqueous solubility of PCM by 2.4 fold, leading to an extended release duration of PCM in both artificial gastric and intestinal juices. However, the stability of PCM in artificial gastroenteric juices remained unaffected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in almost all biological processes. However, there is little research on the effects of lncRNAs on estrus and early fetal development. In this study, 12 lncRNA libraries were constructed by high-throughput sequencing using sheep ovaries at luteal phase, follicular phase, 30, and 45 days of pregnancy. The target genes of DElncRNAs were predicted as cis or trans, to which functional and pathway analysis were performed. A total of 21 125 mRNAs and 5084 lncRNAs were identified in 12 samples from Dolang sheep. Among these, 418 mRNAs and 49 lncRNAs were differentially expressed. 341 target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were obtained for enrichment analyses using the GO and KEGG. GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis showed that differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNA target genes were mainly involved in signal transduction, metabolic pathways, immune system, endocrine, AMPK signaling pathway, etc. It was realized that LOC105612389, BGIG9940_27655, RPS28, BGIG9940_27548 and BGIG9940_27563 lncRNA were significantly elevated at 30 and 45 days of gestation and were involved in early fetal development, which had a significant prognosis value for early pregnancy. Our study highlighted the putative contributions of lncRNAs in regulating expression of genes associated with early fetal development and regulation in sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biopsy puncture is commonly used to extract the suspected tissue of cancer for cytological diagnosis. However, the low accuracy and poor performance instability of puncture sample can lead to misdiagnosis. For this problem, the technology of vibration assisted was applied in the process of soft tissue puncture in this paper. The influence of process parameters on the puncture performances were investigated and analyzed. The results indicate that the method of vibration assisted has significant advantages on the puncture performances compared with conventional puncture. The fracture toughness is increased with the increase of insertion velocity and vibration frequency. And, the needle deflection is decreased with the increase of vibration frequency. The conclusions prompt the application of vibration assisted puncture technology in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moons potentially harbouring a global ocean are tending to become relatively common objects in the Solar System1. The presence of these long-lived global oceans is generally betrayed by surface modification owing to internal dynamics2. Hence, Mimas would be the most unlikely place to look for the presence of a global ocean3. Here, from detailed analysis of Mimas’s orbital motion based on Cassini data, with a particular focus on Mimas’s periapsis drift, we show that its heavily cratered icy shell hides a global ocean, at a depth of 20–30 kilometres. Eccentricity damping implies that the ocean is likely to be less than 25 million years old and still evolving. Our simulations show that the ocean–ice interface reached a depth of less than 30 kilometres only recently (less than 2–3 million years ago), a time span too short for signs of activity at Mimas’s surface to have appeared.An analysis of the orbital motion of Saturn’s moon Mimas shows that a recently formed global subsurface ocean lies beneath its cratered icy shell and that this ocean is probably still evolving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of Hh pathway demonstrates therapeutic potential for many diseases. Smo is the main target for the development of Hh pathway modulators. However, compared with Smo antagonist, the development of Smo agonists is lagging behind. Based on our previous work, a series of vismodegib derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their potential to activate the Hh pathway were evaluated via determining the up-regulation of known pathway target genes Gli1, whcih revealed that many target compounds could activate the Hh pathway. XH-16 and XH-17, with the strongest agonistic effect, could upregulate the expression of Gli1 by more than 50% at a concentration of 10 μM. In vitro cytotoxicity against A549 and the MDA-MB-231 cells was evaluated and the results revealed that XH-16 and XH-17 did not exhibit cytotoxicity at a concentration of 50 μM. Molecular docking results confirmed that XH-16 and XH-17 could bind to Smo indicating that their agonistic effect on the Hh pathway may be due to the activation of Smo. XH-16 and XH-17 with novel molecular scaffold could be used as a lead compound for the development of Smo agonists. Moreover, the research process was introduced in a medicinal chemistry experimental course to assist undergraduates in understanding the core of medicinal chemistry and building capabilities for independently carrying out a medicinal chemistry project. And the teaching practice experiences were summed up to provide suggestions for the development of exploratory experimental course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work evaluated the performance of thermophilic aerobic co-composting of municipal sludge and blue-green algae and explored the dissolved organic matter dynamic evolution simultaneously. The results of 28-day monitoring demonstrated that the addition of blue-green algae greatly upgraded the municipal sludge thermophilic aerobic composting performance with the highest microcystin removal efficiency averaging 94.9%, germination index over 90% and moisture content below 45% at municipal sludge: blue-green algae ratio of 4:1. The synergistic effect of municipal sludge and blue-green algae enhanced microbial activity through creating a better aerobic composting environment and, therefore, improved the permeability of the input streams. Three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectra of the input streams were resolved by the parallel factor analysis model, and the main components were humic acid-like (Component 1), fulvic acid-like (Component 2), tryptophan-like (Component 3), and tyrosine-like (Component 4). In addition, the relative Fmax of Component 1 and Component 2 increased during aerobic composting, while the Fmax of Component 3 and Component 4 decreased sharply. The variation indicated that aerobic co-composting could enhance the decomposition of protein-like substances and promote the generation of humus-like substances, thus leading to the increased humification. Hence, the aerobic co-composting of municipal sludge and blue-green algae provided important theoretical support for the scale-up engineering treatment of MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly developed equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) route BC-UD2 was applied to extrude the Fe9Cr1.5W0.7Si (in weight) ferrite/martensitic steel, and the microstructural evolution and its effect on the internal friction (IF) behavior were investigated systematically. Microstructural characterization indicates that the initial ferrite/martensitic structure was broken into a fine laminar structure with a roughly 45 deg inclination to the extrusion direction (ED), and the corresponding initial weak Goss and ⟨ 111 ⟩ ‖ RD texture evolves into typical extrusion fibers b1, b2, and b3. At the same time, M23C6 and MX phases were partially dissolved after extrusion, which leads to a decrease in the Zener–Smith dragging force. Combined with the high stored energy produced by ECAP, both of them induced the decrease of recrystallization temperature and the increase of interfacial migration density during recrystallization, as revealed by the high-temperature IF behavior. In particular, the intensity variation of the recrystallization peak is also consistent with the hardness variation during annealing. The correlation between microstructure characterization results and IF behavior reflects the accuracy and reliability of the IF technique for the study of recrystallization behavior of structural materials in nuclear reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastic pollution in freshwaters has received attention globally. The Han River is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, and limited information is available on microplastic pollution in this river. The occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in the surface waters of the middle and lower reaches of the Han River along Hubei Province were investigated in this study. Microplastic abundance ranged from 2315 ± 603 to 8406 ± 2055 n/m3 and generally showed an increasing trend along the flow direction. Small-sized (< 500 μm) fibers were the most dominant microplastics. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and polyamide (PA) were the main polymer microplastic types detected via Raman and FTIR spectroscopic identification. SEM analysis revealed degradation textures on some microplastics, which illustrated that they had experienced various levels of mechanical erosion and chemical weathering, but some fibers consisted of primary microplastics. EDS analysis revealed that the heavy metals Zn, Ni, and Cu were absorbed on the microplastics. According to analyses of microplastic morphological and microscopic characteristics, clothes laundering, plastic wastes from human activities, and agricultural production may be the microplastic sources in the Han River water. We suggest treating microplastics from domestic sewage and managing plastic wastes around the Han River basin to reduce microplastic pollution from these sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TaTe4, a metallic charge-density wave (CDW) material discovered decades ago, has attracted renewed attention due to its rich interesting properties, such as pressure-induced superconductivity and candidate nontrivial topological phase. Here, using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio calculation, we systematically investigate the electronic structure of TaTe4. At 26 K, we observe a CDW gap as large as 290 meV, which persists up to 500 K. The CDW-modulated band structure shows a complex reconstruction that closely correlates with the lattice distortion. Inside the CDW gap, there exist highly dispersive energy bands contributing to the remnant Fermi surface and metallic behavior in the CDW state. Interestingly, our ab initio calculation reveals that the large CDW gap mainly opens in the electronic states with out-of-plane orbital components, while the in-gap metallic states originate from in-plane orbitals, suggesting an orbital texture that couples with the CDW order. Our results shed light on the interplay between electron, lattice, and orbital in quasi-one-dimensional CDW materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of experiments were performed to systematically investigate the evolution of the acoustic emission characteristics, dynamic elastic modulus, and axial residual strain of rock under different cyclic loading paths. These results provide experimental support for the damage accumulation and fatigue/failure characteristics of rock structures, and for the construction of a new nonlinear fatigue cumulative damage model suitable for rock materials. More active acoustic emissions are associated with greater acoustic emission intensity, which reflects the association between the dynamic elastic modulus and greater damage. Under increasing cyclic loading, the axial residual strain increases stepwise with increasing load level, following a nonlinear function. Under decreasing cyclic loading, the axial residual strain decreased stepwise and nonlinearly with decreasing load level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-speed strain field measurement based on digital image correlation (DIC) is limited by high equipment cost and large transmission bandwidth requirements for high-speed cameras. Emerging event-based cameras offer microsecond time resolution and low power consumption, generate events by asynchronously detecting illumination intensity changes at each pixel, have potential for applications in high-speed strain field measurements as a low-cost solution. Objective: Using an event camera to directly capture a deformation process has some limitations, including motion blur, unclear images, and uneven gray scale quantization. This paper proposes a new method to avoid the above limitations. Methods: A strobe light is used to assist image reconstruction for event cameras. Event cameras can generate events using a strobe light to illuminate the object with white speckle on black background, to obtain a speckle image at a specific moment, and then use DIC to obtain the displacement and strain fields. Results: Validation experiments were performed, capturing 2D displacement and strain fields at 1000 frames per second with 1280 × 800 pixel resolution, and DIC matching error = 0.4 pixels. Conclusions: This paper introduces a novel using strobe lighting to assist image reconstruction for event cameras. This technique presents a cost-effective alternative for high-speed deformation measurements, bypassing the constraints of directly capturing the deformation process with an event camera. The proposed method exhibits remarkable adaptability to the motion speed of the object being measured, while maintaining high temporal resolution and low data redundancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the thermal-electrical coupling damage behavior of the SnAgCu/Cu solder joints at a temperature close to the melting point of the SnAgCu solder was investigated. Plastic deformation and/or local melting in the solder joints were observed. Plastic deformation occurs in the solid solder, and the degree of deformation is related to the solder grain orientation, while the solder softens and the slip bands are not obvious. When some solder not adjacent to the Cu pad melts at higher temperature, solidification looseness and surface oxidation appear at the melting zone. For these two conditions, electromigration of Cu obviously increases the content of the Cu6Sn5 in the solder, sometimes at the anode side, and the density of the Cu6Sn5 in each solder grain is related with the solder grain orientation, while the interfacial Cu6Sn5 layer at the cathode side is very thin. If the solder adjacent to the Cu pads melts, the Cu pad will be rapidly dissolved, especially at the cathode side, makes the Cu6Sn5 in the melting zone increases significantly, and the pattern of the Cu6Sn5 is a solidification dendrite. In this condition, electromigration of Cu is much more severe and the solder joint can fail more easily. It is proved that soften, local melting of solder and significant electromigration occur at the high temperature, and the mechanical property and corrosion resistance of the solder joint decrease sharply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diuron is a widely used herbicide worldwide, and its toxic effects on aquatic and amphibious organisms have received extensive concerns. However, little information is available regarding the impacts of diuron on non-target soil organism earthworm. Thus, this work investigated the toxic effects of environmentally relevant concentrations (i.e., 0.05, 0.5, and 5.0 mg/kg soil) of diuron on earthworm Eisenia fetida according to multiple biomarkers including oxidative stress, DNA damage, and histopathology. Results showed that diuron significantly induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and presented a dose–effect relationship (R2 > 0.6) during the first 21 days of exposure. On the seventh day, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in E. fetida exposed to 0.05, 0.5, and 5.0 mg/kg of diuron decreased by 3.3%, 17.8%, and 37.4% with respect to the control, respectively, while the activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), as well as the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased to varying degrees. Diuron resulted in low damage of coelomocyte DNA in E. fetida, while no tissue damage was observed on days 7 and 14. At the end of exposure period (28 d), except for ROS, all other biomarkers in the diuron-treated groups were restored to the control level. Integrated biological response (IBR) showed that ROS and GST are sensitive biomarkers to monitor the potential toxicity effect of diuron on E. fetida. The results of this study provide valuable information for risk assessment of diuron on soil ecosystem health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sidewall pressure of the filter is one of the dominant parameters that determine its dust cleaning performance. However, the flow field characteristics of pulse-jet dust cleaning have a great influence on the sidewall pressure distribution. This study aimed to determine the prediction and calculation methods of the sidewall pressure of the filter under different experimental conditions. Based on the theory of fluid impinging jet, a numerical simulation was used to investigate the sidewall pressure distribution law in this study. It was found that the pressure stable phase plays a major role in cleaning dust, and the pulse-jet dust cleaning process can be divided into five sections in the stable phase. The relationship between central axis velocity, inlet pressure, injection distance, and filter structural size at five sections was summarized. Subsequently, the sidewall pressure distribution was obtained by the distribution law of velocity field. Finally, these results were verified by experiments, and the resulting error was less than 23%. The study findings can be used to evaluate the effect of dust cleaning in engineering, assist in selecting dust cleaning parameters, and provide theoretical reference for designing pulse-jet dust cleaning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to utilize refinery sludge with high value added, pyrolysis method with refinery sludge for preparing a carbonaceous adsorption composite was proposed in this study. The prepared carbonaceous adsorption composite was characterized by the removal efficiency of butyl xanthate and diethyldithiocarbamate in synthetic flotation wastewater. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and specific surface area analysis were used to explore the properties of the raw materials and production. The results showed that optimum preparation conditions were the temperature of 800 °C, heating rate of 8 °C/min, N2 flow of 140 mL/min for 45 min. With the best preparation conditions, the removal efficiency of butyl xanthate and diethyldithiocarbamate was 95.73% and 88.07%, respectively. The carbonaceous adsorption composite was mainly composed of fixed carbon of 46.96% and ash of 48.42%. The fixed carbon formed the porous skeleton structure of composite, while the ash was embedded in the skeleton in the form of anorthite, kyanite, and pyrite. The specific surface area was 204 m2/g, and the average pore diameter was 6.83 nm. It is proved feasible to prepare carbonaceous adsorption composite with refinery sludge for the removal of butyl xanthate and diethyldithiocarbamate in synthetic flotation wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define and investigate a class of partial orders, called one-sided w -core partial orders, extending the recently introduced w -core partial order. We give several characterizations. In particular, it is shown that a is below b under the left w -core partial order (resp., right w -core partial order) if and only if a is below b under the left star partial order (resp., wa is below wb under the right sharp partial order, provided that w is invertible). Also, the relationship with several well-known other partial orders is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ubiquitination process refers to the classification of intracellular proteins by ubiquitin molecules under the action of a series of special enzymes (ubiquitin-activating enzymes, ligases, conjugating enzymes, etc.), and selecting target protein molecules for specific modification. The process of ubiquitination indicates that ubiquitination plays an important role in protein localization, metabolism, regulation, and degradation. At present, the development of novel, high-efficiency, and specific USP7 small-molecule inhibitors and the research on the mechanism of action of these inhibitors to specifically recognize the USP7 enzyme are low in fuel. In this review, the activation process of deubiquitinase USP7 is elaborated, and the small molecule inhibitors are divided into three sites of action according to the different sites of action in the catalytic domain of USP7 and the mechanism of these small molecule compounds inhibiting the activation process of USP7 are dissected. At the same time, the full-length structure of USP7 and the design strategy of representative USP7 inhibitors are briefly described. In addition, we summarize the characteristics of the spatial structure and mechanism of action of each action site and discuss the limiting factors of USP7 inhibitor development. This review may promote small-molecule compounds to generate novel high-efficiency and specific USP7 inhibitors based on backbone structure modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural sewage collection networks play extremely important roles in rural sewage treatment, and the lack of a suitable collection model makes this task difficult. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop a new method to collect and deal with rural sewage. This paper establishes a rural sewage optimal collection model (RSOCM) with critical distance (d) and sewage quota per unit area (qs) as the constraint factors. The implementation of critical distance for rural sewage collection pipeline networks was demonstrated for 38 rural areas in the Huicheng District, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province of China. The average critical distances of 22 m, 38 m, 29 m, 29 m, 41 m, and 55 m were demonstrated for Sandong Town, Ma'an Town, Luzhou Town, Ruhu Town, Hengli Town, and Shuikou Subdistrict, respectively. The qs is used to create the best possible pipe network layout, determine the appropriate treatment method, and reduce construction costs. This model can be widely applied to sewage collection in rural areas of China, where the overall sewage collection system can implement different regional strategies to maximize rural pollution control and protect the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dynamic measurement and analysis of rotating components is an arduous and complex task that has always attracted great attention from the engineering community. Objective: In order to propose a low-cost, efficient, high-precision, and high temporal and spatial resolution rotating vibration measurement scheme, three-dimensional Digital Image Correlation (3D DIC) combined with down-sampling technology is employed. Two defects of this scheme hinder its wide application: the additional initial shape function estimation in rotation correlation of DIC and the cumbersome experimental operation process of traditional down-sampling. Therefore, an extension of down-sampling technology and a comparative study on efficient initial value estimation algorithms were researched. Methods: Comparative experiments of extended down-sampling proposed in this paper and high-frequency sampling were carried out on a rotating disc for its vibration Operational Deflection Shapes (ODSs) measurement. During the data processing procedure, an efficient initial value estimation algorithm is recommended by comparing the efficiency and accuracy of Fourier-Mellin Transform-based (FMT-based), Scale Invariant Feature Transform-based (SIFT-based), and Hough Transform-based (HT-based) algorithms. Results: The experimental results indicate that the FMT-based algorithm is the most efficient, and its estimation accuracy guarantees accurate and efficient convergence of the sub-pixel iteration process, though slightly lower than that of the SIFT-based algorithm; The harmonic response and natural response ODSs of the disc were obtained in the high-frequency sampling experiment, and the corresponding harmonic response ODSs were obtained in the extended down-sampling experiment. The precision of the amplitude of obtained ODSs is on the order of submicron. Conclusions: The proposed extended down-sampling technology has been verified to circumvent the limitation of the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem, and accurately restore different orders of harmonic response ODSs with sampling once at a low frequency. Combined with extended down-sampling technology, 3D DIC becomes an efficient, submicron precision, full-field rotating vibration measurement scheme with high temporal and spatial resolution using low-cost conventional cameras. Simultaneously, the FMT-based rotation parameters estimation algorithm can efficiently provide accurate initial value estimation for 3D DIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Camera calibration is a key process in optical deformation measurement techniques, like close-range photogrammetry and digital image correlation (DIC). Traditionally, an expensive calibration board with precisely machined feature points is employed in camera calibration. Low-precision calibration boards will lead to unstable camera parameters and worse length measurement accuracy (the relative measurement accuracy high than 0.1%). Objective: To introduce camera calibration methods capable of achieving high measurement accuracy even with low-precision calibration boards, and give practices guide on selecting suitable calibration methods and judging calibration results. Methods: Three calibration methods are introduced and discussed. In the iterative board-points method, all the feature points on the calibration board are flexible. The coordinates of all the feature points and camera parameters are iteratively updated and solved simultaneously. In the fixing 3-points method, three feature points on the calibration boards are selected and the distances between them are measured precisely; the locations of these points are fixed in the optimization process. Both the simulation experiments and the real experiments were carried out to study the performance of the three calibration methods. Results: Experimental results showed that both the iterative board-points method and the fixing 3-points method can effectively improve the accuracy of calculated camera parameters. Compared with the iterative board-points method, the fixing 3-points method restores the calibration board more precisely, as well as showing improved reproducibility and higher measurement accuracy. The relative accuracy of 3D distance measurement is also increased from 0.1% to 0.01 %, even using a low-precision paper calibration board. Conclusions: High measurement accuracy can be obtained using the fixing 3-points calibration method, even with a low-precision calibration board. This will decrease the cost and expand the application of optical measurement, especially in large structure deformation measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the high-speed national economic development and ever-accelerating modern industry, enormous municipal solid wastes (MSW) have been generated, and the energy consumption has been increasing significantly. Throughout the world, direct landfill disposal or dumping on the ground is mostly used as the disposal method of domestic wastes. The construction of dumping grounds not only occupies a large quantity of land resources but also consumes a large number of financial and material resources, unavoidably leading to pollution of land, groundwater, and air. Thus, the social issues triggered by landfills have been increasingly prominent. Moreover, large financial and material resources have been consumed in the large-scale construction of coal mine roadways. However, these roadways are abandoned after the exploitation of mineral resources, causing serious waste of resources. Given the two problems above, this study aimed to use abandoned coal mine roadways as the permanent landfill site. Through the investigation and analysis, the feasibility of abandoned coal mine roadways for landfill was analyzed in the aspects of key landfill techniques and features of abandoned coal mine roadways. Besides, the applicability and feasibility of this method were comprehensively assessed, and on this basis, the preliminary design of abandoned coal mine roadways as landfill sites was proposed, with the expectation of supporting the promotion and development of this method in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indentation tests at various depths confirm that the scale factor, f, which was proposed to modify the Nix-Gao model, is governed only by intrinsic properties of materials, but the connection between f and intrinsic properties is still unknown. From this, a connection is established between f and pertinent parameters, such as activation volume, V, and theoretical strength, G. Moreover, considering the interaction between adjacent indentations, we define a critical scale factor feff to describe the strengthening interface, which is found proportional to indentation depth for the given material. It is also found that larger feff is preferred for high-strength high-entropy alloys and/or medium-entropy alloys than pure metals. Combining f and feff of Ni, CoNi, CoCrNi and FeCoCrNi metals and alloys, a model describing dislocation density distribution in indentation plastic zone is established, in which the plastic zone includes three parts, i.e., the indentation zone of equivalent conical indenter, the detectable dislocation enhancement region, and the low dislocation density region. The inconsonant trends of f and feff can be explained by the existing of dislocation saturation zone in the plastic zone. The gradient plastic zone model proposed here graphically depicts the dislocations motion, as well as its reinforcement effect. Furthermore, this model lends credence to modify the framework which describes the mechanical response of materials under nanoindentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TRANSPORTIN1(TRN1) belongs to the importin β family, which is composed of 17 members in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Its homologs in yeast and mammalian cells mainly participate in target proteins' nuclear import and regulate many biological processes. In addition, increasing evidence indicate they also have other functions. To search for more functions of TRN1, we carefully analyzed the phenotypes and allelism of its mutants and found that it was required for shoot apical meristem (SAM) and root apical meristem (RAM) development and maintenance. Further evidence showed that TRN1 affected the development of the apical meristem of plants by influencing the expression of WUS, CLV3, STM, PLT1, PLT2, SHR, and CYCB1:1 during plant growth and development. TRN1 influenced the responses of plants to auxin by regulating the expression of PINs, and the mutant of TRN1 decreased the sensitivity to auxin. TRN1C could interact with several auxin-related proteins, and the expression pattern of some auxin-related genes in trn1-3 mutants was changed. These results indicated that TRN1 may be essential for the auxin-mediated plant development. Therefore, TRN1, as a nuclear transport protein in A. thaliana, was involved in many biological processes by affecting the transport of a series of substrate proteins. This study provided some conditions for us to search for TRN1 substrates in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Neuritic plaques containing amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein constitute major neuropathological hallmarks of AD. The neurotoxicity of aggregated Aβ has been implicated as a critical cause in the pathogenesis of AD. The aim of this study was to exam the use of neoagarohexaose (NAH) in the potential treatment of AD effects, using SH-SY5Y neuronal cell line exposed to β-amyloid protein (Aβ1-42). The present study was designed to explore the neuroprotective effects of NAH on neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells as a function of dosage. The cells were exposed to Aβ1-42 with or without NAH (26.7, 53.4, and 106.8 μM) and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used for detecting the viability of treated cells. In treated cells, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined using their manufacturer kits. Flow cytometry analysis was used to assess apoptosis, changes in intracellular calcium concentration, and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) after treatment. Additionally, changes in the mechanism of Aβ1-42 aggregation in the presence of NAH were explored using thioflavin T (ThT) and Congo red (CR) assays. The results showed that incubation with NAH prior to Aβ1-42 exposure increased cell survival and prevented reactive oxygen species generation. Moreover, NAH decreased the apoptotic rate, inhibited MMP depolarization, reversed the change in intracellular calcium concentration, enhanced the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, and decreased the level of MDA. In addition, the results showed that NAH, which reduced the absorption of the amyloid indicator ThT and CR dyes, was a potent inhibitor of Aβ fibrillogenesis. In conclusion, NAH protects SH-SH5Y cells from Aβ-induced damage by reducing oxidative stress and weakens the spontaneous amyloid formation of Aβ fibrils in vitro and can inhibit the amyloidization of amyloid β protein (Aβ). This study shows that NAH may be a promising anti-AD drug candidate for AD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of matchable multi-heterojunction with appropriate morphology provides a good strategy for improving the performance of semiconductor photocatalyst in degrading organic pollutants. Herein, binary WO3/Bi2WO6 nanosheets coupled with various contents of mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanoparticles for constructing TiO2/WO3/Bi2WO6 heterojunction composite photocatalysts are hydrothermally fabricated. The investigation on structure and properties in the TiO2/WO3/Bi2WO6 ternary photocatalysts in terms of the incorporation of TiO2 is systematically conducted by using characterization techniques. The results show that the TiO2/WO3 /Bi2WO6 ternary composite at the optimized Ti/W ratio of 1:2 has the highest visible light-irradiated MB degradation, which is 9.5 times and 2.8 times that of pure TiO2 and pristine WO3/Bi2WO6 nanosheets, respectively. The effective charge separation between TiO2 and WO3/Bi2WO6 has been confirmed by PL and current–voltage (I-V) characteristics. A possible mechanism is clarified through the active species trapping experiments using various scavengers, indicating that photogenerated holes and • OH radicals play a key role. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of the unique structure with some favorable properties, including the elevation of the separation efficiency of photoinduced electron–hole pairs at the multi-heterojunction interfaces with appropriate band structures as well as more active adsorption sites of mesoporous/nanosheet microstructure in the degradation process. This research may provide a simple method for design and preparation of novel heterojunction photocatalysts for enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CHR12 and CHR23, which are members of the SWI2/SNF2 chromatin remodeling ATP family, play an important role in the growth and development of Arabidopsis thalianaL. They are involved in a series of physiological processes that encompass embryonic development to flowering. We used the microscope, electron microscope and gene chip to understand the role of CHR12 and CHR23 in the apical meristem development of Arabidopsis. We used yeast two-hybrid sieve library to screen the proteins that might interact with CHR23 and verified by yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementary experiments. Finally, we analyzed the molecular mechanism of enhanced drought resistance of chr12 chr23 by RNA-seq and qPCR. The double mutants of chr12 chr23 have obvious developmental defects and these defects can be restored. Genes that were differentially expressed in chr12 chr23 stem tip tissues participated in more than 20 biological pathways. At the same time, we found that CHR23 could bind to the drought-stress-related protein Di19. In addition, chr12 chr23 double mutants were highly tolerant of drought stress. In this study, we prove that CHR12 and CHR23 are not only necessary for the maintenance and differentiation of stem cells in the SAM and RAM, but also participate in the regulationof hypocotyl growth. In addition, they also play an important role in drought stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the uniqueness of meromorphic functions that share five small functions dealing with multiple values in one angular domain of the unit disc by using the conformal mapping method. Our results include a five-valued theorem of meromorphic functions sharing five small functions in the angular domain. These results extend achievements obtained by some scholars and enrich the uniqueness theory of meromorphic functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The p-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) released by the plant itself has becoming the main autotoxin for tea ratoon continuous cropping, which had influenced the recycling land/natural resources and economic benefits of the crop. In this study, continuous cropping of Wuyi rock tea at the same area for 32 years' soil was collected to obtain an effective HBA degrading strain. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain ZL22 was isolated and subject to morphological identification and phylogenetic analysis. Biodegradation experiments showed that it could tolerate a high (5 g/L) HBA concentration and under optimal conditions degraded it within 7 days. The enzyme optimization of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase was 30°C, pH 6 and maintained at least 90% residual activity enzyme activity within 25 min. This result indicated that ZL22 possessed an HBA degradation pathway and not only rapidly degraded the autotoxic substance, but also helped strain ZL22 to colonize the rhizosphere soil by using HBA as a carbon source. P. fluorescens ZL22 has a great potential for relieving continuous cropping obstacles and has wild application for rhizosphere soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining deep machine learning with silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), we have developed a novel method for whole blood analysis for cancer detection applications. The whole blood was collected from two groups: one group of patients (n = 26) with lung cancer and another group of healthy volunteers (n = 45). The logistic regression (LR), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), decision tree (DT), and random forest (RF) algorithms were employed to develop a diagnostic model using the same spectral data. The results show that the diagnostic accuracy of LR, KNN, DT, and RF models was 87, 66, 77, and 83%, respectively. LR is superior to other algorithms in the SERS spectra classification of whole blood. We therefore believe that this proposed strategy will have great clinical potential for SERS technology combined with LR and act as a complementary method for the detection of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium plays an essential role in plant developmental process, especially in pollen tube growth. Verapamil, an inhibitor of calcium channels, could affect extracellular calcium ion influx. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of verapamil on pollen tube growth of Malus domestica and the possible cytological mechanism. Results showed that verapamil affected pollen germination and tube growth in a dose dependent manner. 20 μM verapamil promoted pollen germination and tube growth, while 700 μM verapamil inhibited pollen germination and tube growth. Results from non-invasive ion-selective electrode technique and fluorescent labeling showed that 700 μM verapamil decreased calcium influx and disturbed [Ca2+]c gradient at pollen tube apex. In addition, 700 μM verapamil also affected actin filaments. Further results demonstrated that 700 μM verapamil influenced distribution of pollen tube wall components such as callose, acid pectins and esterified pectins, Fourier-transform infrared analysis (FTIR) of chemical composition supported the above results. In summary, 700 μM verapamil triggered multiple cellular changes including Ca2+ influx, [Ca2+]c gradient, actin filaments and pollen tube wall components. Based on the above results, we speculated that 700 μM verapamil inhibited apical growth of pollen tubes through altering Ca2+ influx, [Ca2+]c gradient, actin filaments and cell wall components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: This study assessed the prognostic value of LCR in patients with cancer-associated malnutrition (CAM). Systemic inflammatory markers, particularly the lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR), are related to the survival of patients with CAM. The present retrospective analysis based on a prospective multicenter cohort study, which involved 1,437 hospitalized patients with CAM. Methods: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of ten inflammatory indicators — LCR, advanced lung cancer inflammation index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, prognostic nutritional index, modified Glasgow prognostic score, systemic immune-inflammation index, albumin-to-globulin ratio, LCR score, glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio—were constructed. Nutritional status, blood markers, and quality of life (QoL) were evaluated within 48 h of admission. The overall survival (OS) was evaluated from September 1 to December 29, 2021. Results: A total of 1,431 cancer patients diagnosed with malnutrition based on the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. Male patients were 62.8% of all, and the mean age was 60.66 years old. The AUC of LCR was higher than that of other inflammatory markers. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) of the Hazard ratios (HRs) showed an inverse L-shaped relationship with LCR. In addition, patients with low LCR had significantly poorer OS than those with high LCR. The addition of LCR to the model increased the predictive ability of 1-year mortality (AUC increase of 0.036), 3-year mortality (AUC increase of 0.038), and 5-year mortality (AUC increase of 0.031). Conclusions: Assessing the LCR can help the medical staff identify cancer patients with nutritional deficiency at high risk of oncological outcomes and develop individualized therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful synthesis of superconducting infinite-layer nickelate thin films with the highest Tc ≈ 15 K has ignited great enthusiasm for this material class as potential analogs of the high-Tc cuprates. Pursuing a higher Tc is always an imperative task in studying a new superconducting material system. Here we report high-quality Pr0.82Sr0.18NiO2 thin films with Tconset ≈ 17 K synthesized by carefully tuning the amount of CaH2 in the topotactic chemical reduction and the effect of pressure on its superconducting properties by measuring electrical resistivity under various pressures in a cubic anvil cell apparatus. We find that the onset temperature of the superconductivity, Tconset, can be enhanced monotonically from ~17 K at ambient pressure to ~31 K at 12.1 GPa without showing signatures of saturation upon increasing pressure. This encouraging result indicates that the Tc of infinite-layer nickelates superconductors still has room to go higher and it can be further boosted by applying higher pressures or strain engineering in the heterostructure films. Despite much recent effort, the highest reported Tc of the infinite-layer nickelates remains lower than 15 K. Here, the authors apply pressure to Pr0.82Sr0.18NiO2 thin films and observe a monotonic increase of Tc to 31 K at 12.1 GPa, an increase that does not level off with increasing pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(BixGa1-x)2O3 films were prepared at 820 °C by sol-gel method, an ethylene glycol solution of hydrated gallium nitrate and bismuth nitrate stabilized by monoethanolamine, of which crystallization, surface morphology and electronic structure as well as optical properties were studied in detail by X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. XRD showed Ga2O3 film prepared from solutions consisted of two crystal structures, β and γ, increasing Bi atoms into Ga2O3 that enable the inhibition of γ phase formation and (BixGa1-x)2O3 and Ga2O3 capable of holding the same monoclinic crystal structure. EDS displayed (BixGa1-x)2O3 films of varied compositions were obtained with content of different Bi atoms into the solution, which kept same monoclinic crystal as β-Ga2O3 when Bi ranged from 0 < x < 0.056. FTIR revealed that the absorption band below 480 cm−1 corresponded to the octahedral position of Ga2O3 and the Bi atoms in the (BixGa1-x)2O3 films substituted the Ga in the [GaO6] octahedron. XPS exhibited increasing Bi content raised Ga3+/Ga ratio. UV-VIS provided evidence that optical band gap of (BixGa1-x)2O3 down to 3.2 eV indicating Bi-doping achieved Ga2O3 band gap tunable, concurrently, the bowing parameter c = 1.83 eV was obtained on the basis of the fitting curve of band gap. Highlights: The addition of Bi can effectively inhibit the formation of γ-phase gallium oxide and change the cell parameters of gallium oxide. The range of Bi in bismuth gallium oxide alloy with monoclinic crystal structure is 0 < x < 0.056. Bi atoms mainly replace Ga in [GaO6] octahedron. Bi atoms increase the proportion of Ga3+/Ga in bismuth gallium oxide alloy. Increasing the content of Bi atoms effectively reduces the band gap of bismuth gallium oxide alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A potential iron phosphate (FePO4) catalyst was prepared using a low-temperature solid-state method for the heterogeneous Fenton-like degradation of methyl blue (MB). A variety of parameters affecting the MB removal rate, including temperature, initial pH, catalyst usage, H2O2 and MB concentration, was studied in detail. The prepared FePO4 exhibited a highly efficient catalytic reaction with seven cycle performance. In addition, a free radical masking experiment revealed the existence of a hydroxyl radical (•OH) and indicated that the degradation of MB was mainly due to the oxidation caused by •OH. This work suggests FePO4 is an efficient material, which is responsible for the catalytic degradation of the azo dye MB through a heterogeneous Fenton-like system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]