Search

CeO2-ZrO2-La2O3 supported Pt-Pd bimetallic three-way catalysts (0.6Pt-0.4Pd/CZL) were synthesized through the conventional impregnation method and then subjected to severe thermal aging. Reactivating treatments under different temperatures were then applied to the aged catalysts above. Three-way catalytic performance evaluations and dynamic operation window tests along with detailed physio-chemical characterizations were carried out to explore possible structure–activity evolutions during the reactivating process. Results show that the reactivating process conducted at proper temperatures (500~550 °C) could effectively restore the TWC catalytic performance and widen the operation window width. The suitable reactivating temperature ranges are mainly determined by the decomposing temperature of PMOx species, the thermal stability of PM-O-Ce species, and the encapsulation temperature of precious metals by CZL support. Reactivating under appropriate temperature helps to restore the interaction between Pt and CZL support to a certain extent and to re-expose part of the encapsulated precious metals. Therefore, the dynamic oxygen storage/release capacity, redox ability, as well as thermal stability of PtOx species, can be improved, thus benefiting the TWC catalytic performances. However, the excessively high reactivating temperature would cause further embedment of Pd by CZL support, thus leading to a further decrease in both dynamic oxygen storage/release capacity and the TWC catalytic performance after reactivating treatment.

5Cu-USY and Ce-doped 5Cu8Ce-USY zeolite catalysts were prepared by the conventional impregnation method. The obtained catalysts were subjected to the hydrothermal ageing process. The catalytic performance of the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR) was evaluated on both fresh and aged catalysts. Physical/chemical characterizations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were performed, along with detailed in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) experiments including CO adsorption, NH3 adsorption, and NO + O2 reactions. Results showed that, for the 5Cu-USY catalyst, hydrothermal ageing treatment could somehow improve the low-temperature SCR activity, but it also led to significant formation of unfavorable byproducts NO2 and N2O. Such an activity change can be attributed to hydrothermal ageing inducing the migration of isolated Cu+ species in the sodalite cavities towards the super cages of the USY zeolites. The increased content of Cu+ species in the super cages was beneficial for the low-temperature activity improvement, but, at the same time, it also facilitated ammonia oxidation at high temperatures. Ce doping after hydrothermal ageing has a “double-edged sword” effect on the catalytic performance. First of all, Ce doping can inhibit Cu species migration by self-occupying the internal cage sites; thus, the catalytic performance of 5Cu8Ce-USY-700H remains stable after ageing. Secondly, Ce doping introduces a CuOx–CeO2 strong interaction, which facilitates lattice oxygen mobility by forming more oxygen vacancies so as to increase the concentration of surface active oxygen. These changes, on the one hand, could help to promote further oxidative decomposition of nitrate/nitrite intermediates and improve the catalytic performance. But, on the other hand, it also causes the byproduct generation to become more severe.

A series of supported MnOx/MgAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) catalysts were prepared by hydrothermal co-precipitation to investigate their catalytic performances for low-temperature formaldehyde oxidation reactions. Activity tests show that the 10Mn/Mg3Al1-LDH catalyst exhibits higher efficiency for low-temperature formaldehyde oxidation with a high CO2 yield. It also shows remarkable long-term operational stability as well as good adaptability to different velocities and humidities. Various characterizations were carried out to establish the possible structure–activity correlations. The results show that there were a large number of hydroxyl groups in the 10Mn/MgAl-LDH catalysts, and the hydroxyl groups were positively correlated with Mg2+ content. The outstanding catalytic performance of 10Mn/Mg3Al1-LDH can be attributed to abundant surface hydroxyl groups, surface adsorbed oxygen and higher Mn4+/Mn3+ ratios. Through in situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (in situ FTIR), it was revealed that formaldehyde was gradually converted into CO2 and water with dioxymethylene (DOM), formate and carbonate as the major intermediates under the action of both active oxygen and active hydroxyl groups. The active oxygen and active hydroxyl groups consumed in the process are continuously replenished by the effective reaction between the oxygen molecules in the air and the active site of the catalyst. The low-temperature asynchronous conversion of formaldehyde results in the accumulation of some intermediates on the catalyst surface covering the active center, which induces catalyst deactivation.

Because the generator power-measuring equipment is often accompanied by electrical interference in a complex electromagnetic environment in an actual thermal power plant, the output signal will change or even distort while it passes through the devices of acquisition and conversion. Several practical cases have found that the abnormal generation change phenomenon, impulse or oscillation caused by electrical interference, has different effects on the load regulation of steam turbines. These faults also exist in combined-cycle power plants (CCPPs). However, the insufficient installed capacity and operating life of CCPPs domestically cause similar load mutation failures that are scarcely found. We had to acknowledge that CCPPs and steam turbine regulation characteristics differ. It is of great value to study the influence of differences in load mutation on the load regulation of single-shaft CCPPs. We extracted the fault characteristics of two sudden load change phenomena using the operation data of an actual steam turbine and analyzed them through simulation. Furthermore, a fault detection and isolation method for sudden load changes in a single-shaft CCPP was proposed and the simulation results verified the method’s effectiveness.

Pharmacogenetic testing technology can effectively determine the individual differences among patients and scientifically assist doctors to select the most suitable drugs for each patient. In this study, an electrochemical biosensor based on magnetic α-Fe2O3/Fe3O4 heterogeneous nanosheets was constructed to detect Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1 type AA (VKORC1*2). Firstly, we fabricated magnetic α-Fe2O3/Fe3O4 heterogeneous nanosheets as the substrate material for electrochemical biosensors. Subsequently, the material surface was modified with Au nanoparticles to facilitate the connection of sensing probes and enhance current signal amplification. The electrochemical biosensor showed a negative linear relationship with the concentrations of target DNA (tDNA, VKORC1*2 gene) within 1 pM − 1 μM, a limit of detection was (LOD) = 0.36 pM, and a limit of quantification was (LOQ) = 1.19 pM. The biosensor demonstrated exceptional specificity, reproducibility, and stability. In real sample analysis, it exhibited a recovery range of 96.63 % − 110.57 % (RSD ≤ 3.07 %) for various tDNA concentrations, thereby indicating its promising potential in clinical diagnostics.

Due to its adjustable pore structure, the metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention in the treatment of organic dye molecules in wastewater. However, the general tuning of the pore channels of MOFs is mainly by changing the chain length of the organic ligands and metal nodes. This approach not only limits the types of MOFs, but also limits the treatment of a large number of dye methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dye molecules in the wastewater. Hence, we synthesized photoresponsive Zn-AzDC/TPA MOF as adsorbents to adsorb and release organic dye molecules in a photo-controlled manner. The photoresponsive Zn-AzDC/TPA was prepared using a mixed ligand strategy, in which the azobenzene carboxylic acid derivative (AzDC) served as a photoresponsive ligand and terephthalic acid (TPA) served as a non-active ligand in coordination with zinc ion. The optical and structural properties of the synthesized Zn-AzDC/TPA was characterized by UV–vis, FT-IR, PXRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, and pore analysis. Interestingly, it was found that the photoresponsive AzDC unit of Zn-AzDC/TPA demonstrated reversible trans–cis isomerization under the alternating UV and visible light, resulting in reversible changes in the pore size of the Zn-AzDC/TPA. Its photoresponse properties can trapp and release dye molecules under light-driven conditions. This result provides a new direction for the application of photoresponsive MOF and also lays a foundation for the study of diversified optically responsive materials.

Cavitation erosion is a general phenomenon in the fields of aviation, navigation, hydraulic machinery, and so on, causing great damage to fluid machinery. With the vast requirements in deep ocean applications, it is urgent to study the mechanism of cavitation erosion and the cavitation erosion resistance of different materials under high hydrostatic pressure to predict and avoid the effect of cavitation erosion. In this work, the spatially confined cavitation bubble cloud associated with Gaussian-like intensity distribution sonoluminescence (SL) was produced by a spherically focused ultrasound transducer with two opening ends near metallic plates under different hydrostatic pressures (0.1, 3, 6, and 10 MPa). The cavitation erosion effects on copper, 17-4PH stainless steel and tungsten plates were studied. Through coupling analysis towards the SL intensity distribution, the macro/micro morphology of cavitation erosion, and the physical parameters of different metallic materials (hardness, yield strength, and melting point), it is found that with increasing hydrostatic pressure, the erosion effect is intensified, the depth of cavitation pits increases, the phenomenon of melting can be observed on materials with relatively low melting points, and the cavitation erosion experienced an evolution process from high-temperature creep to fracture. This work has also established a method for the evaluation of materials’ cavitation erosion resistance with measurable SL intensity distribution, which is promising to promote the designing and selection of anti-cavitation materials in deep-sea applications.

Carbon dots (CDs) prepared from biomass usually produce poor quantum yield and reproducibility. A fine separation of raw materials may enhance the fluorescence performance. In this work, embryos of cumin seeds were precisely chosen as the carbon source to prepare (CDs) through hydrothermal method. The obtained product (CDs-E) possessed a higher quantum yield of 10.60 % than those synthesized with testas or whole seeds, which may be due to the relatively smaller particle size and more C-N functional groups. Rutin, as a common natural active component, could quench the fluorescence of CDs-E notably through internal filtering effect. Herein, a highly selective fluorescent sensor based on CDs-E for detecting rutin was proposed with a linearity range of 0.05 ∼ 30 μM and a detection limit of 0.015 μM obtained. Additionally, the developed method was successfully applied for the detection of rutin in Flos Sophorae, rutin tablets and capsules. This work showed the significance of fine classification for natural carbon source in preparation of CDs and provided a feasible method for quality monitoring of rutin-related pharmaceuticals, health care products and traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

Hyperuricemia (HUA), recognized as the fourth “high” condition following hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, is a metabolic disorder that severely impairs renal function. Spike lavender essential oil (SLEO) exhibits substantial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and can inhibit xanthine oxidase (XOD), suggesting its potential therapeutic potential against HUA. This of this study aimed to analyze the chemical constituents of SLEO with potential efficacy in treating HUA and to explore their mechanisms of action. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) combined with a greedy algorithm identified linalool, β-pinene, and β-caryophyllene as key active components of SLEO. Through network pharmacology “weight coefficient” method, the NOD-like signaling pathway emerged as a significant mechanism for SLEO in treating HUA. Investigating an in vitro uric acid (UA)-induced HK-2 cell model revealed that SLEO effectively inhibited the production of IL-1β and IL-18 in the supernatant of HK-2 cells compared to the NLRP3 (antagonist MCC950). Additionally, a HUA rat model demonstrated that SLEO administration significantly reduced hyperuricemia pathological indicators, such as UA, XOD, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, with renal histopathological sections showing a marked reduction in following SLEO treatment. Metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses further highlighted significant changes in differential metabolites such as arachidonic acid and glycine, as well as the regulation of differential genes such as pycard and PTGS2 in rats.Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, molecular docking and in vitro XOD activity inhibition assays elucidated the active components mechanisms of SLEO in treating HUA and associated renal inflammation. The findings concluded that SLEO mitigates HUA and renal inflammation by modulating the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway and the NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, linalool, β-pinene and β-caryophyllene in SLEO were shown to reduce UA production and lower UA levels in vivo by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, thereby alleviating HUA-induced renal injury.

Gas control in the upper corner of the natural coal mining face with high gas is always a difficult problem that troubles the safe production of the working face. Among them, a high gas-prone natural coal mining face with ground air leakage is more likely to cause gas and CO to exceed limits in the corner of the working surface and is difficult to control. The traditional treatment methods often have some problems; for example, it is easy to increase air leakage in the gob with the method of gas extraction in the gob, which is not conducive to the prevention and control of spontaneous combustion of coal in the gob. At present, the more effective method is the pressure-equalization method. However, the pressure-equalization measures need to establish a complex pressure-equalization system, and close cooperation between the systems is required; once the system power fails or equipment failure occurs, the pressure-equalization state changes randomly, and it is easy to cause gas over-limits and other faults. Therefore, this paper presents a new method to control gas in the gob of a coal seam by pumping the gob of the upper-adjacent layer, using the negative pressure of pumping, and balancing the negative pressure of the upper-adjacent layer and the gob of the coal seam to form a new pressure-equalization relationship. This method can prevent the toxic and harmful gases in the goaf of the upper-adjacent layer from escaping into the passageway of the gob of the local coal seam, reduce the air leakage in the goaf, and benefit the gas control and spontaneous coal combustion prevention in the goaf.

Electrochemical water-splitting is widely acknowledged as a renewable strategy for hydrogen production, but it is primarily constrained by the sluggish reaction kinetics of the anode oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In our study, we employ a fast room-temperature corrosion engineering strategy for the construction of a sulfur-doped Ni-Fe layered dihydroxide catalyst (S-NiFe LDH). With the assistance of a sulfur source, microsphere morphology with an ultra-thin lamellar surface cross-arrangement can be rapidly grown on the surface of an iron foam substrate, ensuring a substantial electrochemical interface. The composition of Ni species in the catalysts can be regulated by simply adjusting the amount of Ni2+ and reaction time. Functioning as an OER catalyst, the S-NiFe LDH demonstrates high activity and reaction kinetics, featuring a minimal overpotential of 120.0 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 39.5 mV dec−1 and a notable electrical double-layer capacitance (Cdl) of 31.3 mF cm−2. The remarkable electrocatalytic performance can be attributed to its distinctive three-dimensional (3D) structure and sulfur dopants, which effectively regulate the electrochemical interface and electronic structure of NiFe LDH. This work provides valuable insights for expeditious materials design.

Large-area oriented ZnO nanoarrays (including nanowire, nanorod, and nanotube) on ITO glass substrates are synthesized via the simple hydrothermal, electrodeposition, and electrochemical etching approach. The morphology of ZnO nanoarrays is controlled by adjusting the reaction temperature, reaction time, and current density. The scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) results indicate the successful preparation of large-area oriented ZnO nanoarrays with different types, and the energy-dispersive X-microanalysis spectrum (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirm that the composition of the obtained nanoarrays is ZnO. More importantly, the as-prepared ZnO nanotube arrays are observed with about a 40% increase in ultraviolet absorption intensity compared to the ZnO nanowire/nanorod arrays, due to having larger specific surface areas. The as-prepared different types of ZnO nanoarrays have great potential for applications in low-cost and high-performance optoelectronic devices.

MXene (Ti3C2Tx) is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors. However, the current MXene material preparation process often requires hydrofluoric acid, and the etched MXene is easily oxidized and stacked, which is not conducive to the transfer of electrons and ions. In this study, we proposed a high concentration of sodium hydroxide solution mixed with sodium hypochlorite solution as an etchant for the preparation of fluorine-free MXene (Ti3C2Tx). Based on the alkali-assisted hydrothermal method, Ti3AlC2 was used as the raw material, and 10 % NaClO aqueous solution was added as the oxidant during the etching process to accelerate the etching and in-situ generate TiO2 with excellent conductivity. When the oxidation time is 12 h and the amount of NaClO is 0.2 mL, the TiO2 particles in-situ generated by the oxidation of Ti element in MXene are evenly distributed on the surface and interlayer of the material, which effectively curbs the stacking problem between the Ti3C2Tx layers and improves the specific surface area of the material. The prepared MXene/TiO2 electrode in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte, − 0.5–0.2 V voltage window, the highest mass specific capacity can reach 321F/g, and after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles, the capacitance retention rate can still reach 86.4 %, which is higher than the capacitance retention rate of Ti3C2Tx material (81.7 %).

Objectives: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disorder characterized by skin inflammation caused by an imbalance in the immune response. The efficacy of lavender essential oil in treating atopic dermatitis has been demonstrated; however, its specific mechanism of action and active components remain unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the therapeutic effects and possible mechanism of action of LEO on AD in a 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced dermatitis mice model. Methods: To determine the efficacy of LEO, serum levels of the cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α were tested in Kunming mice, and network pharmacology was used to predict the targets and mechanisms of LEO in AD treatment, after which network pharmacology was combined with metabolomics to construct complex response–enzyme–gene networks and investigate their potential associations. Based on the predicted mechanisms, skin tissues were further examined by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting analysis, and the skin epidermis was stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and toluidine blue (TB). Results: LEO significantly suppressed the basal levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the DNCB-induced mice model and predicted that Th17 cell differentiation is a critical pathway for LEO-based network pharmacology in AD treatment. As for the cytokines associated with the Th17 cell differentiation pathway, further experiments verified that LEO significantly reduced the protein expression of interleukin-17A (IL-17A)、Phosphorylated JAK2 (p-JAK)、Phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3), and Retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) but increased the expression of Foxp3. Additionally, the results of combined network pharmacology and metabolomics analysis showed that LEO could improve two metabolic pathways, namely, linoleic acid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism, by regulating the Th17 cell differentiation pathway; identify two key metabolites (linoleic acid, arachidonic acid); and regulate two differential genes (PTGS1, HPGD). Conclusion: LEO may alleviate DNCB-induced skin inflammation by inhibiting the STAT3/RORγt pathway in Th17 cell differentiation, and reducing the expression of associated inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and improving the metabolism of linoleic and arachidonic acid in vivo.

Abstract Cr2Si2Te6 (CST) is a van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnetic semiconductor. The unique spin model and temperature-dependent magnetic ordering of CST provide opportunities for the next generation of two-dimensional (2D) spintronic devices. Here, abnormal magneto-transport properties are found in CST nanoflakes with variations in thickness. Interestingly, the thickness-dependent magnetoresistance (MR) effect exhibits a nonlinear change as a function of the magnetic field, temperature, and thickness. At a certain temperature below Curie temperature (T c ), a sign reversal of MR ratio from positive to negative can even be detected with thickness reduction. At the temperature range from T c to 60 K, the Hall effect also presents a transformation from nonlinear behavior in thick layer CST to linear behavior in thin layer CST. These distinctive magneto-transport properties are attributed to the variation of spin correlation with thickness in CST nanoflakes. These findings probe the unique magneto-transport properties of CST and associate it with ferromagnetic correlation, which provides a basis for subsequent spintronics device design based on this material. This work also offers new insights into the relationship between sample thickness, transport properties, and spin correlation of other vdW ferromagnets. It lays a foundation for future vdW magnet-based device fabrication and possible spintronic applications.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a relapsing and reoccurring inflammatory bowel disease. The treatment effect of Alhagi maurorum and stem cell extracts on UC remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective role of Alhagi maurorum combined with stem cell extract on the intestinal mucosal barrier in an intestinal inflammation mouse model. Sixty mice were randomly divided into a control group, model group, Alhagi group, MSC group, and MSC/Alhagi group. MSC and Alhagi extract were found to reduce the disease activity index (DAI) scores in mice with colitis, alleviate weight loss, improve intestinal inflammation in mice (p < 0.05), preserve the integrity of the ileal wall and increase the number of goblet cells and mucin in colon tissues. Little inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in the Alhagi, MSC, or MSC/Alhagi groups, and the degree of inflammation was significantly alleviated compared with that in the model group. The distribution of PCNA and TNF-alpha in the colonic tissues of the model group was more disperse than that in the normal group (p < 0.05), and the fluorescence intensity was lower. After MSC/Alhagi intervention, PCNA and TNF-alpha were distributed along the cellular membrane in the MSC/Alhagi group (p < 0.05). Compared with that in the normal control group, the intensity was slightly reduced, but it was still stronger than that in the model group. In conclusion, MSC/Alhagi can alleviate inflammatory reactions in mouse colonic tissue, possibly by strengthening the protective effect of the intestinal mucosal barrier.

Introduction: Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roce.) is a widely consumed food item and a prominent traditional Chinese medicinal herb. The intrinsic quality of ginger may differ due to variations in its origin and processing techniques. To evaluate the quality of ginger, a straightforward and efficient discriminatory approach has been devised, utilizing 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol as benchmarks.Methods: In order to categorize ginger samples according to their cultivated origins with different longitude and latitude (Shandong, Anhui, and Yunnan provinces in China) and processing methods (liquid nitrogen pulverization, ultra-micro grinding, and mortar grinding), similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed. Furthermore, there was a quantitative determination of the significant marker compounds gingerols, which has considerable impact on maintaining quality control and distinguishing ginger products accurately. Moreover, discrimination analysis (DA) was utilized to further distinguish and classify samples with unknown membership degrees based on the eigenvalues, with the aim of achieving optimal discrimination between groups.Results: The findings obtained from the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data revealed that the levels of various gingerols present in all samples exhibited significant variations. The study confirmed that the quality of ginger was primarily influenced by its origin and processing method, with the former being the dominant factor. Notably, the sample obtained from Anhui province and subjected to liquid nitrogen pulverization demonstrated the highest content of gingerols.Conclusion: The results obtained from the analysis of SA, HCA, PCA, and DA were consistent and could be employed to evaluate the quality of ginger. As such, the combination of HPLC fingerprints and chemo metric techniques provided a dependable approach for comprehensively assessing the quality and processing of ginger.

Abstract MnSe and Co0.85Se embedded in nitrogen‐doped carbon nanofibers (MnSe/Co0.85Se/N‐CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning and high‐temperature calcination, and evaluated for the first time as sodium/potassium‐ion battery anode material via constant current charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.Ex‐situ XRD revealed the potassium storage mechanism of MnSe/Co0.85Se/N‐CNFs, indicating that its capacity was mainly provided by the conversion reaction. Compared with MnSe/N‐CNFs and Co0.85Se/N‐CNFs, the reversible capacity and cycling performance of MnSe/Co0.85Se/N‐CNFs were significantly improved due to the synergistic effect of bimetals. The MnSe/Co0.85Se/N‐CNFs electrode showed a charging capacity of 262.3 mAh g−1 after 700 cycles at 1 A g−1 in Na‐ion batteries and a discharge capacity of 183.4 mAh g−1 after 400 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 in K‐ion batteries, The results showed that binder‐free binary metal MnSe/Co0.85Se/N‐CNFs have a certain development prospect as anode for sodium/potassium‐ion batteries.

Magnetically induced self-assembly technology was used to construct a label-free electrochemical biosensor based on magnetic Mg0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4-Au nanocomposites for the sensitive detection of cancer antigen 125 (CA125). To aim for this, Mg0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles were first prepared via the rapid combustion process. The average diameter of the nanoparticles calcined at 800 °C with the absolute ethanol volume of 20 mL was about 169.3 nm. Then Au was used for the surface modification by NaBH4 reduction reaction approach. The magnetic glassy carbon electrode (MGCE) was modified by Mg0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4-Au via a magnetic induction self-assembly process. The reduced thiol-modified single-stranded DNA was attached to the Mg0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4-Au nanocomposites by Au-S bonds without any coupling agent. CA125 antigen was grabbed directly by its aptamer DNA due to its specific identification with the aptamer. Finally, the modified electrodes were blocked with BSA and then characterized. Finally, DPV analysis was used for CA125 detection, the novel fabricated biosensor demonstrated good detection properties for CA125 with a linear range of 5–125 U/mL and a detection limit of 4.4 U/mL. The results showed that the aptamer sensor had good specificity, repeatability, and stability. The feasibility of our sensor for the determination of CA125 was also demonstrated by measuring CA125 levels in serum using the Roche gold-standard instrument of the People’s Hospital of Danyang as the reference value. The recoveries of real serum samples were 94.65–101.71%, and RSDs were 1.26–4.65%. Moreover, the surface of the electrode could be cleaned and reused by magnetic separation, greatly reducing the cost and providing the possibility for a point-of-care test (POCT). This work demonstrated a new strategy for integrating both nanostructures and biocompatibility to build advanced cancer biomarker sensors with wide applications.

In the marine high-pressure low-temperature environment, it is difficult to regulate the low-temperature rheology of the drilling fluid, and the spilled natural gas is easy to generate solid gas hydrate in the wellbore, causing problems such as wellbore blockage and increasing the risk of safe drilling operations. Although there are many researches on the invasion process of drilling fluid and the development of new hydrate inhibition, there is still a lack of research on the inhibition system suitable for drilling fluid. Therefore, this paper uses the self-developed hydrate formation evaluation experimental device to simulate and analyze the effect of inhibitors in reservoir environment and optimize the scheme of drilling fluid inhibition system. The results show that: (1) Through the improvement of the experimental device of water bath methane hydrate (MH) evaluation, the accuracy and parallel control of the equipment are enhanced, and the methane hydrate formed by sea water (SW) is less than that of distilled water (DW), and the structure of methane hydrate formed by distilled water is more compact. (2) Through the evaluation experiment of single inhibitor A3, PAC and CMC inhibition system, it was found that A3 had the best inhibition effect, and when the inhibitor concentration was 1.5 wt%, it had the best inhibition effect. (3) The influence of clay types on the formation of methane hydrate is also significantly different. Bentonite soil Red (BSR) has better inhibition performance than Bentonite soil Yellow (BSY), and its ' hut ' structure formed at low temperature is the reason for the formation of methane hydrate. (4) The inhibition ability of A3 inhibitor in BSY system and BSR system solution in general, the addition of KCl can play a strong synergistic inhibition ability with A3 in BSR system, and its electric field reduces the activation energy of water molecules as well as the consumption of free water is the reason to reduce the generation of methane hydrate.

YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 1 (YTHDF1), an m6A reader, has a role in the development and progression of breast cancer as well as the immunological microenvironment. The networks of competing endogenous RNA in cancer have received much attention in research. In tumor gene therapy, the regulatory networks of m6A and competing endogenous RNA are increasingly emerging as a new route. We evaluated the relationship between the YTHDF1 expression, overall survival, and clinicopathology of breast cancer using TCGA, PrognoScan, and other datasets. We used Western blot to demonstrate that YTHDF1 is substantially expressed in breast cancer tissues. Furthermore, we explored YTHDF1′s functions in the tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, and tumor microenvironment. Our findings indicate that YTHDF1 is a critical component of the m6A regulatory proteins in breast cancer and may have a particular function in the immunological microenvironment. Crucially, we investigated the relationship between YTHDF1 and the associated competitive endogenous RNA regulatory networks, innovatively creating three such networks (Dehydrogenase/Reductase 4-Antisense RNA 1-miR-378g-YTHDF1, HLA Complex Group 9-miR-378g-YTHDF1, Taurine Up-regulated 1-miR-378g-YTHDF1). Furthermore, we showed that miR-378g could inhibit the expression of YTHDF1, and that miR-378g/YTHDF1 could impact MDA-MB-231 proliferation. We speculate that YTHDF1 may serve as a biomarker for poor prognosis and differential diagnosis, impact the growth of breast cancer cells via the ceRNA network axis, and be a target for immunotherapy against breast cancer.

The accurate prediction of binding free energy is a major challenge in structure-based drug design. Quantum mechanics (QM)-based approaches show promising potential in predicting ligand–protein binding affinity by accurately describing the behavior and structure of electrons. However, traditional QM calculations face computational limitations, hindering their practical application in drug design. Nevertheless, the fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method has gained widespread application in drug design due to its ability to reduce computational costs and achieve efficient ab initio QM calculations. Although the FMO method has demonstrated its reliability in calculating the gas phase potential energy, the binding of proteins and ligands also involves other contributing energy terms, such as solvent effects, the ‘deformation energy’ of a ligand’s bioactive conformations, and entropy. Particularly in cases involving ionized fragments, the calculation of solvation free energy becomes particularly crucial. We conducted an evaluation of some previously reported implicit solvent methods on the same data set to assess their potential for improving the performance of the FMO method. Herein, we develop a new QM-based binding free energy calculation method called FMOScore, which enhances the performance of the FMO method. The FMOScore method incorporates linear fitting of various terms, including gas-phase potential energy, deformation energy, and solvation free energy. Compared to other widely used traditional prediction methods such as FEP+, MM/PBSA, MM/GBSA, and Autodock vina, FMOScore showed good performance in prediction accuracies. By constructing a retrospective case study, it was observed that incorporating calculations for solvation free energy and deformation energy can further enhance the precision of FMO predictions for binding affinity. Furthermore, using FMOScore-guided lead optimization against Src homology-2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP-2), we discovered a novel and potent allosteric SHP-2 inhibitor (compound 8).

Recently, the trend of obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent, and the underlying pathogenesis of obesity is complex and needs to be researched further. In this study, we report a decreased expression of let-7a-5p in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of animals with obesity. Using the RNA oligo, let-7a-5p over-expression or suppression–expression is achieved, impacting the proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes in vitro. Srebf2 mechanistically interacts with the metabolic effect of let-7a-5p and participates in lipid accumulation by regulating Srebf2 downstream signaling. Moreover, let-7a-5p binds to Thbs1 to interact with the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, down-regulating the phosphorylation levels of AKT, mTOR, and S6K1 to decrease lipid accumulation. In conclusion, our study highlights the physiological significance of let-7a-5p in lipid accumulation and suggests that the let-7a-5p/Srebf2 and let-7a-5p/Thbs1/PI3K-AKT-mTOR axes may represent potential mechanisms for controlling lipid accumulation in obesity.

Super-hydrophilic and oleophobic functional materials can prevent pollution or adsorption by repelling oil, and have good circulation. However, traditional strategies for preparing these functional materials either use expensive fabrication machines or contain possibly toxic organic polymers, which may prohibit the practical application. The research of multifunctional ZnO microstructures or nanoarrays thin films with super-hydrophilic, antifouling, and antibacterial properties has not been reported yet. Moreover, the exploration of underwater oleophobic and self-cleaning antifouling properties in ZnO micro/nanostructures is still in its infancy. Here, we prepared ZnO microstructured films on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates (F-ZMF) for the development of advanced self-cleaning type super-hydrophilic and oleophobic materials. With the increase of the accelerators, the average size of the F-ZMF microstructures decreased. The F-ZMF shows excellent self-cleaning performance and hydrophilic (water contact angle ≤ 10°) and oleophobic characteristics in the underwater antifouling experiment. Under a dark condition, F-ZMF-4 showed good antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) with inhibition rates of 99.1% and 99.9%, respectively. This study broadens the application scope of ZnO-based material and provides a novel prospect for the development of self-cleaning super-hydrophilic and oleophobic materials.

Obesity has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, and there is a need for a deeper understanding of the complex pathogenesis underlying the obesity condition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate how a high-fat diet (HFD) affects protein expression in a female-rabbit model compared to a standard normal-diet group (SND), to gain comprehensive insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in obesity. To achieve this objective, a tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics analysis was conducted to examine the molecular changes occurring in the white adipose tissue (WAT) from the HFD and SND groups. The sequencing results identified a total of 4215 proteins, among which 151 proteins exhibited significant differential expression. Specifically, there were 85 upregulated proteins and 66 downregulated proteins in the HFD group compared to the SND group. Further analysis of these differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) revealed their involvement in crucial biological processes, including energy metabolism, hormonal regulation, and inflammatory response. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the impact of HFD on protein expression in a female-rabbit model, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity and the associated metabolic disorders.

Intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) are equipped with extensive electronic control units which offer convenience but also pose significant cybersecurity risks. Penetration testing, recommended in ISO/SAE 21434 “Road vehicles—Cybersecurity engineering”, is an effective approach to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities in ICVs. However, there is limited research on vehicle penetration testing from a black-box perspective due to the complex architecture of ICVs. Additionally, no penetration testing framework has been proposed to guide security testers on conducting penetration testing for the whole vehicle. The lack of framework guidance results in the inexperienced security testers being uncertain about the processes to follow for conducting penetration testing. Moreover, the inexperienced security testers are unsure about which tests to perform in order to systematically evaluate the vehicle’s cybersecurity. To enhance the penetration testing efficiency of ICVs, this paper presents a black-box penetration testing framework, ICVTest. ICVTest proposes a standardized penetration testing process to facilitate step-by-step completion of the penetration testing, thereby addressing the issue of inexperienced testers lacking guidance on how to initiate work when confronted with ICV. Also, ICVTest includes 10 sets of test cases covering hardware and software security tests. Testers can select appropriate test cases based on the specific cybersecurity threats faced by the target object, thereby reducing the complexity of penetration testing tasks. Furthermore, we have developed a vehicle cybersecurity testing platform for ICVTest that seamlessly integrates various testing tools. The platform enables even novice testers to conduct vehicle black-box penetration testing in accordance with the given guidance which addresses the current industry’s challenge of an overwhelming number of testing tasks coupled with a shortage of skilled professionals. For the first time, we propose a comprehensive black-box penetration testing framework and implement the framework in the form of a cybersecurity testing platform. We apply ICVTest to evaluate an electric vehicle manufactured in 2021 for assessing the framework’s availability. With the aid of ICVTest, even testers with limited experience in automotive penetration can effectively evaluate the security risks of ICVs. In our experiments, numerous cybersecurity vulnerabilities were identified involving in-vehicle sensors, remote vehicle control systems, and in-vehicle controller area network (CAN) bus.

Hibiscus syriacus belongs to the Malvaceae family, and is a plant with medicinal, edible, and greening values. MADS-box transcription factor is a large family of regulatory factors involved in a variety of biological processes in plants. Here, we performed a genome-wide characterization of MADS-box proteins in H. syriacus and investigated gene structure, phylogenetics, cis-acting elements, three-dimensional structure, gene expression, and protein interaction to identify candidate MADS-box genes that mediate petal developmental regulation in H. syriacus. A total of 163 candidate MADS-box genes were found and classified into type I (Mα, Mβ, and Mγ) and type II (MIKC and Mδ). Analysis of cis-acting elements in the promoter region showed that most elements were correlated to plant hormones. The analysis of nine HsMADS expressions of two different H. syriacus cultivars showed that they were differentially expressed between two type flowers. The analysis of protein interaction networks also indicated that MADS proteins played a crucial role in floral organ identification, inflorescence and fruit development, and flowering time. This research is the first to analyze the MADS-box family of H. syriacus and provides an important reference for further study of the biological functions of the MADS-box, especially in flower organ development.

Obesity, a major global health issue, is increasingly associated with the integral role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in adipogenesis. Recently, we found that lncRNA-MSTRG4710 was highly expressed in the liver of rabbits fed a high-fat diet, but whether it is involved in lipid metabolism remains unclear. A series of experiments involving CCK-8, EDU, qPCR, and Oil Red O staining demonstrated that the overexpression of MSTRG4710 stimulated the proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes while its knockdown inhibited these processes. Bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-29b-3p was a potential target gene of MSTRG4710, and IGF1 was a downstream target gene of miR-29b-3p. Luciferase reporter gene analysis and qPCR analysis confirmed that miR-29b-3p was a potential target gene of MSTRG4710, and miR-29b-3p directly targeted the 3′UTR of IGF1. The overexpression of miR-29b-3p was observed to regulate IGF1 protein and mRNA levels negatively. Additionally, a total of 414 known differentially expressed genes between the miR-29b-3p mimic, miR-29b-3p negative control (NC), siMSTRG4710, and siMSTRG4710-NC group were screened via transcriptome sequencing technology. The GO- and KEGG-enriched pathways were found to be related to lipid metabolism. The study also established that miR-29b-3p targets IGF1 to inhibit preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. Notably, IGF1 knockdown significantly reduced preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, co-transfection of pcDNA3.1(+)-MSTRG4710 and mimics into rabbit preadipocytes revealed that the mimics reversed the promotional effect of pcDNA3.1(+)-MSTRG4710. In conclusion, these results uncover that MSTRG4710 positively regulated cell proliferation and adipogenesis by the miR-29b-3p/IGF1 axis. Our findings might provide a new target for studying adipogenesis in rabbit preadipocytes and obesity.

Obesity has become a major health problem worldwide, and increasing evidence supports the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in its pathogenesis. Recently, we found that miR-383-5p_1 is highly expressed in the perirenal fat of high-fat-fed rabbits, but it is not yet known whether miR-383-5p is involved in lipid metabolism. Here, we used transcriptome sequencing technology to screen 1642 known differentially expressed genes between miR-383-5p mimic groups and miR-383-5p negative control groups. Gene Ontology Resource (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were enriched in the pathway related to lipid metabolism, and glycine biosynthesis, the NOD receptor signal pathway and nonalcoholic fatty liver were significantly enriched. Afterwards, our research results indicated that miR-383-5p can promote the proliferation and differentiation of rabbit preadipocytes, and there is a direct targeting relationship with RAD51AP1. Mechanistically, miR-383-5p directly interacts with the lipid metabolism and participates in adipogenesis and lipid accumulation by targeting RAD51AP1. In conclusion, our data highlight a physiological role for miRNA in lipid metabolism and suggest the miR-383-5p/RAD51AP1 axis may represent a potential mechanism for controlling lipid accumulation in obesity.

Organelles play core roles in living beings, especially in internal cellular actions, but the hidden information inside the cell is difficult to extract in a label-free manner. In recent years, terahertz (THz) imaging has attracted much attention because of its penetration depth in nonpolar and non-metallic materials and label-free, non-invasive and non-ionizing ability to obtain the interior information of bio-samples. However, the low spatial resolution of traditional far-field THz imaging systems and the weak dielectric contrast of biological samples hinder the application of this technology in the biological field. In this paper, we used an advanced THz scattering near-field imaging method for detecting chloroplasts on gold substrate with nano-flatness combined with an image processing method to remove the background noise and successfully obtained the subcellular-grade internal reticular structure from an Arabidopsis chloroplast THz image. In contrast, little inner information could be observed in the tea chloroplast in similar THz images. Further, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and mass spectroscopy (MS) were also used to detect structural and chemical differences inside the chloroplasts of Arabidopsis and tea plants. The preliminary results suggested that the interspecific different THz information is related to the internal spatial structures of chloroplasts and metabolite differences among species. Therefore, this method could open a new way to study the structure of individual organelles.

In this study, we aimed to establish an innovative and efficient preparation method of potato resistant starch (PRS). To achieve this, we prepared type 3 resistant starch (RS3) from native potato starch (PS) using an ultrasonic method combined with autoclave gelatinization and optimized by the response surface method to study the structure and properties of potato RS3 (PRS3) and its effect on the quality of steamed bread. Under optimal treatment conditions, the PRS3 content increased from 7.5% to 15.9%. Compared with PS, the B-type crystal structure of PRS3 was destroyed, and the content of hydroxyl groups was increased, but no new chemical groups were introduced. PRS3 had a rougher surface and a lower crystallinity, gelatinization temperature, viscosity, setback value, and breakdown value. The low content (5%) of PRS3 had a stable viscosity and was easily degraded by bacteria, which can improve the quality of steamed bread to a certain extent. When the PRS3 content was over 10%, it competed with the gluten protein to absorb water, which reduced the contents of β-turn and α-helix in the dough, increased the contents of β-fold, and weakened the structure of the gluten network. It also decreased the specific volume and elasticity of the steamed bread and increased the spreading rate, hardness, and chewiness. Steamed bread prepared with a flour mixture containing 5% PRS3 was similar to the presidential acceptance of control flour. In this study, a new sustainable and efficient PRS3 preparation method was established, which has certain guiding significance for the processing of Functional steamed bread with high-resistant starch.

Accurate species identification is key to conservation and phylogenetic inference. Living plant collections from botanical gardens/arboretum are important resources for the purpose of scientific research, but the proportion of cultivated plant misidentification are un-tested using DNA barcodes. Here, we assembled the next-generation barcode (complete plastid genome and complete nrDNA cistron) and mitochondrial genes from genome skimming data of Torreya species with multiple accessions for each species to test the species discrimination and the misidentification proportion of cultivated plants used in Torreya studies. A total of 38 accessions were included for analyses, representing all nine recognized species of genus Torreya. The plastid phylogeny showed that all 21 wild samples formed species-specific clades, except T. jiulongshanensis. Disregarding this putative hybrid, seven recognized species sampled here were successfully discriminated by the plastid genome. Only the T. nucifera accessions grouped into two grades. The species identification rate of the nrDNA cistron was 62.5%. The Skmer analysis based on nuclear reads from genome skims showed promise for species identification with seven species discriminated. The proportion of misidentified cultivated plants from arboreta/botanical gardens was relatively high with four accessions (23.5%) representing three species. Interspecific relationships within Torreya were fully resolved with maximum support by plastomes, where Torreya jackii was on the earliest diverging branch, though sister to T. grandis in the nrDNA cistron tree, suggesting that this is likely a hybrid species between T. grandis and an extinct Torreya ancestor lineage. The findings here provide quantitative insights into the usage of cultivated samples for phylogenetic study.

Different toll collection types of vehicles and different distribution of tollbooths lead to the toll plaza diverging area becoming a typical vehicle weaving area with frequent crossing behaviors and conflicts on highways. This study aims to identify contributing factors to conflict risks of four RP by developing random parameters ordered logit models with heterogeneity in means and variances. The model can flexibly capture the unobserved heterogeneity of the contributing factors in different vehicle-following patterns. Real-world vehicle trajectory data obtained from the toll plaza diverging area in Nanjing, China, are used for model estimation. The results show that vehicle-following patterns with the same toll collection types have a higher percentage of severe conflict risks. The average acceleration of the following vehicles, lane-marking indicator, the initial lanes and lane changes of vehicles are significantly associated with the collision risk levels. The standard deviation of surrogate safety measures of all vehicles in sub-segments are found to differ significantly between vehicle-following patterns. Furthermore, a series of likelihood ratio tests are adopted to test the spatial dependence in sub-segments of the diverging area. The findings of this study could provide valuable information for safety improvement in toll plazas.

Traffic congestion detection based on vehicle detection and tracking algorithms is one of the key technologies for intelligent transportation systems. However, in expressway surveillance scenarios, small vehicle size and vehicle occlusion present severe challenges for this method, including low vehicle detection accuracy and low traffic congestion detection accuracy. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an improved version of the CrowdDet algorithm by introducing the Involution operator and bi-directional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) module, which is called IBCDet. The proposed IBCDet module can achieve higher vehicle detection accuracy in expressway surveillance scenarios by enabling long-distance information interaction and multi-scale feature fusion. Additionally, a vehicle-tracking algorithm based on IBCDet is designed to calculate the running speed of vehicles, and it uses the average running speed to achieve traffic congestion detection according to the Chinese expressway level of serviceability (LoS) criteria. Adequate experiments are conducted on both the self-built Nanjing Raoyue expressway monitoring video dataset (NJRY) and the public dataset UA-DETRAC. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed IBCDet outperforms the commonly used object detection algorithms in both vehicle detection accuracy and traffic congestion detection accuracy.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of single ultrasound (360 W, 20 min), single microwave (10 W/g, 120 s) and ultrasonic–microwave combination treatment on shrimp surimi gel properties. The structure and physicochemical properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) were also determined. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance showed that the fluidity of water molecules and the moisture content decreased, the stability and water holding capacity (WHC) increased after single ultrasound, single microwave and ultrasonic–microwave combination treatment. Compared with the traditional water bath treatment, ultrasound and microwave treatment reduced the total sulfhydryl content and promoted the formation of intermolecular disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions, which improved the compactness of the network structure of shrimp surimi gel. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that these treatments not only inhibited the degradation of MP, but also decreased the α-helix content and increased the β-sheet content. The three treatments also significantly reduced the particle size and decreased the solubility of MP. Overall, the effect of ultrasonic–microwave combination treatment was superior to that of either single treatment.

The shelf life of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables is affected by microbial growth, enzymatic browning, and loss of flavor. Although ultrasound (US) treatment is often used in the preservation of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, it has limited antibacterial and preservative effects. Here, we used cactus polysaccharides (CP) to enhance the preservative effect of ultrasound treatment and extended the shelf life of fresh-cut potatoes. The results showed that combined treatment (CP + US) exerted better antimicrobial and anti-browning effects than individual treatments (either US or CP alone). In addition, CP + US has no adverse effect on texture and quality properties, as well as reduced the mobility of internal water. Combination treatment not only significantly decreased the activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase (P

Wenchang A Depression in Pearl River Mouth Basin is the largest hydrocarbon generating depression in the west of the area. After more than 30 years of exploitation, a large amount of gas condensate has been produced near the wellbore, which will cause gas condensate damage to the reservoir. It is planned to reinject the self-produced gas from Well WC9-2-X and the gas transported from the WC14-3 gas field to relieve the condensate damage in the near-wellbore area by means of retrograde condensation. In this article, the phase state change process of condensate gas in Well WC9-2-X with temperature and pressure was firstly investigated, and then the retrograde condensation effect of two types of gas on condensate was investigated. The research shows that when the reservoir temperature is 158.80 °C, the dew point pressure of condensate gas is 20.71 MPa, and the maximum amount of condensate is 1.28% (P = 9.01 MPa). Although Wenchang 9–2 is a low condensate reservoir, in the process of depressurization and production over the years, gas condensate has gradually accumulated, resulting in a large amount of gas condensate near the wellbore. With the increase of the gas re-injection amount, the two types of gas have a significant effect on the retrograde condensation of the gas condensate. From the variation trend of the gas and oil density released by the retrograde condensation, it can be seen that the re-injection gas preferentially dissolves the light components in the condensate, and then gradually dissolves the heavy components. The self-produced gas (gas No. 1) of Well WC9-2-X is dominated by CH4 (78.33 mol%), and the CO2 / CH4 contents in the input waste gas (gas No. 2) of the WC14-3 gas field are 42.50 mol% / 41.60 mol%, respectively. The retrograde condensation effect of gas No. 2 is better than gas No. 1, mainly because the content of CO2 in gas No. 2 is high, and it is easier to achieve the effect of miscible dissolution of condensate when mixed with condensate.It is recommended that gas No.2 should be preferentially used in WC9-2-X well for reinjection of retrograde condensation to relieve condensate damage. This article provides theoretical support for gas re-injection to relieve condensate damage in Wenchang 9–2 gas field, and has important significance for long-term exploitation of condensate gas reservoir.

Although a single type of chemical agent (eg, gels, microspheres, surfactants, etc.) has achieved some effects in enhanced oil recovery of carbonate reservoirs, for pore-cavity-fracture carbonate reservoirs, the use of a single type of chemical agent does not perform well. The main objective of this study is to study the effect of different types of chemical agents in enhanced oil recovery of complex carbonate reservoirs. In order to determine the screening principle of chemical agents, the types of water channeling in the North Troyes reservoir were analyzed. For complex fractures, step by step plugging, multi-agent and multi-slug comprehensive intervention is carried out to ensure the plugging of high-permeability channels and inhibit the seepage of large channels. It can plug channeling fracture channel, adjust secondary dominant channel and reduce matrix flow resistance, so as to expand macroscopic swept volume and improve microscopic water flooding efficiency. The results show that it is difficult to comprehensively control water channeling in pore-cave-fracture carbonate reservoir, and the reservoir heterogeneity in the test area can be improved by mixing different types of control and flooding agents and carrying out deep profile control. The plugging rate of gel is 97.18 %, and the oil–water selection ratio is 0.45 in fractured core; the expansion rate of nano - microspheres is more than 3 times; the wetting modifier can improve the imbibition oil displacement efficiency by 14.76%, and the test result shown that nano - microspheres and wetting modifier have good synergistic oil displacement effect. The field application result shown that daily oil production of oil well in the test area increased by 5.0 m3/d and the daily water rate decreased by 19.0% compared with that before the control flooding. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of enhanced oil recovery in pore-cave-fracture carbonate reservoir.

Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae is a notorious soil-borne fungal disease and seriously threatens the yield of economic crops worldwide. During host infection, V. dahliae secretes many effectors that manipulate host immunity, among which small cysteine-rich proteins (SCPs) play an important role. However, the exact roles of many SCPs from V. dahliae are unknown and varied. In this study, we show that the small cysteine-rich protein VdSCP23 inhibits cell necrosis in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, as well as the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, electrolyte leakage and the expression of defense-related genes. VdSCP23 is mainly localized in the plant cell plasma membrane and nucleus, but its inhibition of immune responses was independent of its nuclear localization. Site-directed mutagenesis and peptide truncation showed that the inhibition function of VdSCP23 was independent of cysteine residues but was dependent on the N-glycosylation sites and the integrity of VdSCP23 protein structure. Deletion of VdSCP23 did not affect the growth and development of mycelia or conidial production in V. dahliae. Unexpectedly, VdSCP23 deletion strains still maintained their virulence for N. benthamiana, Gossypium hirsutum and Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. This study demonstrates an important role for VdSCP23 in the inhibition of plant immune responses; however, it is not required for normal growth or virulence in V. dahliae.