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Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) serve as calcium ion sensors and play crucial roles in all aspects of plant life cycle. While CDPK gene family has been extensively studied in various plants, there is limited information available for CDPK members in oat, an important cereal crop worldwide. Totally, 60 AsCDPK genes were identified in oat genome and were classified into four subfamilies based on their phylogenetic relationship. The members within each subfamily shared similar gene structure and conserved motifs. Collinearity analysis revealed that AsCDPK gene amplification was attributed to segmental duplication events and underwent strong purifying selection. AsCDPK promoters were predicted to contain cis-acting elements associated with hormones, biotic and abiotic stresses. AsCDPK gene expressions were induced by different salt stresses, exhibiting stress-specific under different salt treatments. Moreover, overexpression of AsCDPK26 gene enhanced salt resistance in C. reinhardtii, a single-cell photoautotrophic model plants. Further analysis revealed a significant correlation between AsCDPK26 and Na+/H+ antiporter 1 (p

To explore the influence of tailings particle size distribution on strength and damage characteristics of filling body, uniaxial compression, scanning electron microscopy, and digital image correlation (DIC) tests were carried out on the filling body composed of ultrafine tailings (median particle size D50=10.1 m), fine tailings (D50=37.1 m), and coarse tailings (D50=121.31 m), and the strength and microstructure characteristics were analyzed. Based on the cusp mutation theory, the damage identification index of the filling body was established using wavelet packet technology, and the damage characteristics of the filling body were quantitatively analyzed. The results reveal that the strength and elastic modulus of the filling body first increase and then decrease with the increase of D50, but the influence of tailings particle diameter on the strength and elastic modulus of the filling body is reduced with the increase of slurry concentration. Compared with the ultrafine and coarse tailings filling body, the coarse and fine particles of the fine tailings filling body are more closely combined, and its porosity is the lowest and microstructure compactness is the best. The energy change rate (ECR) mutation point is defined as the threshold of the backfill specimen damage mutation, which is used to distinguish the stable damage stage and the accelerated damage stage of the specimen, and the damage mutations of the ultrafine, fine, and coarse tailings filling body occur when their stresses reach 92.83%, 92.31%, and 72.93% of the corresponding peak stresses. With the increase of D50, the failure mode of the filling body changes from shear failure to tensile failure, with the ECR increasing from 20.65% to 28.25%, and the damage degree is gradually aggravated. The research results lay the foundation for improving the particle gradation of mine tailings and enhancing the strength of filling body.

This study describes a new species of Polyxenida from China, Lophoturus sineprocessus sp. nov., along with a species newly recorded from China: Eudigraphis nigricans (Miyosi, 1947), and provides additional descriptions of Eudigraphis sinensis Ishii & Liang, 1990 and Polyxenus hangzhoensis Ishii & Liang, 1990. The study conducted mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing for all four species and constructed a phylogenetic tree based on the molecular data. The comprehensive morphological descriptions and molecular analyses confirm the addition of one new species and one newly recorded species for the Polyxenida fauna of China, elevating the total number of known Polyxenida species in the country from 10 to 12. The study also includes an identification key for Polyxenida species in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean energy products have increased market share over the past few years. The ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs), however, do not enjoy such a favorable status in China. This research uses the theory of planned behavior to investigate accommodation operators' readiness to adopt GSHPs and the factors that impact their decision. A total of 251 accommodation operators across the nation were investigated. The results show that, financial benefits and policy privilege play a significant positive role in promoting the installation of GSHPs, while the deterrents include installation cost, installation condition, and technical maturity. Unlike previous studies, environmental awareness does not contribute significantly. The insights reached in this research can be used to guide future improvements in ground source heat pump technology, as well as serve as a resource for relevant government departments in developing effective marketing campaigns.

In order to explore the pore structure characteristics of phase change energy storage backfill and their influence on the strength deterioration of backfill, a composite phase change material was prepared with butyl stearate as the phase change material and expanded perlite as the adsorption medium. Cement and tailings were mixed to prepare backfills with different additive amounts of the composite phase change material. The strength and structure characteristics of the phase change energy storage backfill with different addition amounts were obtained by using the methods of CT (computer tomography) scanning, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) analysis, and uniaxial compression test, and the influence mechanism was analyzed. The results show that: i) The porosity of phase change energy storage backfill increases gradually with the increase of the addition amount. The macropore porosity increases approximately linearly, the proportion of macropores increases gradually, and the pores approximate to sphere. ii) With the increase of the amount of phase change material, the connectivity of the backfill increases, the pore throat length increases, and the number of macropores increases. The pore throat coordination number is concentrated below 5, and the fractal dimension decreases first and then increases significantly, resulting in complex pore distribution. iii) With 5% additive amount, the uniaxial compressive strength of backfill decreases by 30.2% due to the increase of macropores and pore connectivity. With 10% additive amount, the pore size distribution becomes uniform and the uniaxial compressive strength decreases by 48.9%.

In this era of industry 4.0, the role of technology is getting bigger and broader in the industry. This technology has changed some of the old habits and paradigms in the relationship between companies and job seekers. One of the changes currently occurring is that job seekers can find information related to a company through an online collaborative company review which can be found easily on the employment website. This study aims to determine what information job seekers consider essential from an online collaborative review of a company. Data from the 203 millennial generations in Indonesia were collected. The study results found that the most sought-after variable from an online collaborative company review was Basic salary exposition, followed by Job description. The following variable is Work-life balance or working condition, followed by the Company profile variable, Benefits and incentives, Positive things about a company, and negative things about a company.

PURPOSE To compare computed tomography (CT)-guided transthoracic lung biopsies (CTLB) with and without pre-procedure 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET)/CT images in the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules/masses. METHODS This is a case-control study in a single center. The data of patients with a transthoracic lung biopsy guided by CT and pre-procedure 18F-FDG PET/CT (group 2, here called the "PETCTLB" group), including demographics, clinical characteristics, and biopsy-related parameters, were collected. The PET/CT scan was performed within 15 days before the biopsy. The data from patients with CTLB were used as controls (group 1). Biopsies for all patients were performed by the same physician between January 2019 and December 2021. The final diagnosis was based on surgical outcomes, or imaging findings, and the results of at least one 6-month follow-up. The demographics and clinical characteristics of patients, lesions and biopsy-related variables, diagnostic yields, and incidence of complications were compared between the two groups. Two-tailed t-tests were used to compare the mean values in the two independent groups, while categorical variables were compared using the Pearson chi-squared test, and P values < 0.05 were considered to be significant. RESULTS A total of 84 patients were included, and 84 biopsies of 84 lung nodules/masses were analyzed. The demographics and clinical characteristics of group 2 (n = 39; 21 men; mean age, 63.2 ± 9.29 years) and group 1 (n = 45; 30 men; mean age, 61.2 ± 12.3 years) had no significant difference (P = 0.230 and 0.397, respectively). The procedure duration (11.1 ± 3.0 vs. 12.9 ± 3.3 minutes, P = 0.008), the number of samples (2.6 ± 0.5 vs. 3.1 ± 0.4, P < 0.001), diagnostic accuracy (97.4% vs. 82.2%, P = 0.033), and bleeding complication (25.6% vs. 42.2%, P = 0.034) of group 2 and group 1 were statistically different. CONCLUSION A biopsy guided by CT plus pre-procedure 18F-FDG PET/CT (PETCTLB) is a safe procedure that can provide a precise diagnosis in the majority of lung nodules/masses. It has better diagnostic performance than CTLB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombosis and inflammation are primary contributors to the onset and progression of ischemic stroke. The contactkinin pathway, initiated by plasma kallikrein (PK) and activated factor XII (FXIIa), functions bidirectionally with the coagulation and inflammation cascades, providing a novel target for therapeutic drug development in ischemic stroke. In this study, we identified a bat-derived oligopeptide from Myotis myotis (Borkhausen, 1797), designated LE6 (Leu-Ser-Glu-Glu-Pro-Glu, 702 Da), with considerable potential in stroke therapy due to its effects on the contact kinin pathway. Notably, LE6 demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on PK and FXIIa, with inhibition constants of 43.97 μmol/L and 6.37 μmol/L, respectively. In vitro analyses revealed that LE6 prolonged plasma recalcification time and activated partial thromboplastin time. In murine models, LE6 effectively inhibited carrageenan-induced mouse tail thrombosis, FeCl3-induced carotid artery thrombosis, and photochemically induced intracerebral thrombosis. Furthermore, LE6 significantly decreased inflammation and stroke injury in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion models. Notably, the low toxicity, hemolytic activity, and bleeding risk of LE6, along with its synthetic simplicity, underscore its clinical applicability. In conclusion, as an inhibitor of FXIIa and PK, LE6 offers potential therapeutic benefits in stroke treatment by mitigating inflammation and preventing thrombus formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the mechanism of how sensory experiences influence visitors’ digital engagement with a destination through establishing a strong bond and identification between a destination and tourist utilizing a two-step process. First, visitors’ sensory experiences in a destination are identified through a content analysis of online review comments posted by visitors. Afterward, the effects of those sensory experiences on visitors’ digital engagement through destination dependence and identification with that destination are examined. Findings suggest that sensory experiences are critical antecedents of visitors’ bond and identification with a destination. Visitors’ positive destination-related sensory experiences increase their dependence on and identification with the destination, and this dependence and identification positively influence their digital engagement behavior on social media.

The cross joints, which are ubiquitous in real rock mass, have significant influences on the fracture characteristics of rock mass but it has not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, the 3D printed samples with cross joints are made. The mechanical fracture characteristics of rock samples with cross joints under uniaxial compression are studied by means of acoustic emission, CT scanning technology and DIC image analysis. The results show that the relationships between fracture fractal dimension (DB) and uniaxial strength, elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio have similar trends when the dip angle of primary joint is small, which has a better accordance than that of a much larger primary joint dip angle. There is a much better regularity of fracture mode of the former than that of the latter. When the dip angle of the primary joint is large, the clustered microfracture AE events occur under the tension between the joint and the block in the compaction and elastic stages, while this phenomenon will not occur when the dip angle of the primary joint is small. In DIC strain nephogram, the micro strain on the fracture propagation path is prior to the macro fracture. The fracture mode can be predicted by calculating the maximum area of micro strain under compression. The primary joint plays the main role in the fracture initiation angle and fracture propagation mode, and the acoustic emission and fractal characteristics are unified. When the secondary joint is parallel to the maximum principal stress, the total rock damage is mainly caused by the propagation of the primary joint, and the accumulative AE events (AAEE) and DB are the largest, implying that the fracture mode is more complex when the AAEE and DB is much larger. The three-dimensional fracture mode is mainly characterized as 2-3 tension wing fracture surfaces caused by the expansion of joints ends. On the internal three-dimensional macro fracture surface, there are discontinuous structures affected by incomplete tension failure.

Numerical simulation is a normal method for slope stability analysis in open-pit mines. Slope model construction is the basis of numerical simulation, and the accuracy of topographic measurement data has an important influence on the accuracy of slope stability analysis. In recent years, low-altitude and low-speed small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been widely used in geological surveys, which provide a feasible method for rapid terrain measurement under complex conditions. Considering the situation of the rapid change of slope shape of the open-pit mine, the complex terrain, and the difficulty of manual measurement, a single-lens small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to perform low-altitude photogrammetry on an open-pit mine slope. Through UAV flight tests, the influence of the rotation angle of the UVA mounted lens on the slope measurement accuracy was compared and studied. Finally, a high-precision slope digital elevation model (DEM) was obtained, which was converted into a three-dimensional FLAC3D model using several softwares such as Surfer and Rhino. A rapid establishment was realized from the UAV measurement to the 3D numerical model. The following research conclusions can be obtained for reference: when the target slope is less than 45°, the rotation angle of UAV mounted lens has a large influence on the slope measurement accuracy. When the lens rotation angle is between 70° and 90°, relatively higher measurement accuracy can be obtained. Compared with manual measurement, the slope shape obtained by the UAV photogrammetry is more in line with the actual slope shape. After a series transformation of the aerial photos of UAV using the PhotoScan, Surfer, Rhino, etc., a 3D numerical model can be quickly built, and better numerical simulation results can be obtain to meet the needs of slope stability analysis.