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Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) cutting tool materials were prepared by mixing cBN (85 wt.%) and TiN-Ti-Co (15 wt.%) micropowders under high temperature and ultra-high pressure. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were employed to analyse the phase composition and microstructure of the composites. The effects of sintering temperature on the mechanical properties and cutting performance of the PcBN ceramics were also investigated. The results indicated that at the ultra-high pressure of 6GPa and temperatures ranging from 1400 to 1700°C, the PcBN composites consist of BN, TiN, TiB2 and Co phases. The PcBN sintered at 1700°C exhibited the most favourable comprehensive mechanical properties, including a flexural strength of 909MPa and microhardness of 36.8GPa. In addition, the cutting tool fabricated from the PcBN composite sintered at 1700°C showed superior cutting performances in testing with 40Cr mechanical parts.

Abstract [Objective] To explore the response and adaptation of leaf functional traits of Atractylodes chinensis to Horqin sandy land. [Methods] Semi-wild A . chinensis. seeds from four seed sources were transplanted to the Chinese (Mongolian) medicinal herb research base in Naiman Banner through a homogeneous gardening experiment. The leaves of three-year-old A . chinensis were used as materials, to examine how A . chinensis's leaf structure and functional properties responded to and adapted to the sandy land of Horqin. [Results] The degree of leaf cleavage in the lower portion of the A . chinensis introduced from Zhalute Banner was evident. Additionally, the thickness of the upper and lower epidermal cells of the leaves of the A . chinensis introduced from Weichang County and Zhalute Banner were found to have significantly higher coefficients of variation and plasticity indices than those of the other seed source sites; additionally, their palisade/spongy ratios and the tightness of their tissues and structures were greater. The top layer of A . chinensis leaves from Arong Banner and Zhalute Banner sources had a greater number of stomata, whereas the upper layer of A . chinensis leaves from Harqin Banner had less stomata and a low stomatal density. A . chinensis leaves from the Zhalute Banner and Weichang County sources had a robust photosynthetic capacity, and the leaves from the Harqin Banner sources had a notably greater number of stomata in the lower epidermis than the leaves from the other three sources. [Conclusion] The results show that A . chinensis from Weichang County and Zhalute Banner are highly adaptable to the Horqin Sandy land.

The BCR-ABL fusion gene, formed by the fusion of the breakpoint cluster region protein (BCR) and the Abl Oncogene 1, Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (ABL) genes, encodes the BCR-ABL oncoprotein, which plays a crucial role in leukemogenesis. Current therapies have limited efficacy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) because of drug resistance or disease relapse. Identification of novel strategies to treat CML is essential. This study aims to explore the efficiency of novel CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)/dual-single guide RNA (sgRNA)-mediated disruption of the BCR-ABL fusion gene by targeting BCR and cABL introns. A co-expression vector for Cas9 green fluorescent protein (GFP)/dual-BA-sgRNA targeting BCR and cABL introns is constructed to produce lentivirus to affect BCR-ABL expression in CML cells. The effects of dual-sgRNA virus-mediated disruption of BCR-ABL are analyzed via the use of a genomic sequence and at the protein expression level. Cell proliferation, cell clonogenic ability, and cell apoptosis are assessed after dual sgRNA virus infection, and phosphorylated BCR-ABL and its downstream signaling molecules are detected. These effects are further confirmed in a CML mouse model via tail vein injection of Cas9-GFP/dual-BA-sgRNA virus-infected cells and in primary cells isolated from patients with CML. Cas9-GFP/dual-BA-sgRNA efficiently disrupts BCR-ABL at the genomic sequence and gene expression levels in leukemia cells, leading to blockade of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase signaling pathway and disruption of its downstream molecules, followed by cell proliferation inhibition and cell apoptosis induction. This method prolongs the lifespan of CML model mice. Furthermore, the effect is confirmed in primary cells derived from patients with CML.

Abstract The functionally pleiotropic ectoenzyme CD38 is a glycohydrolase widely expressed on immune and non-hematopoietic cells. By converting NAD+ to ADP-ribose and nicotinamide, CD38 governs organismal NAD+ homeostasis and the activity of NAD+-dependent cellular enzymes. CD38 has emerged as a major driver of age-related NAD+ decline underlying adverse metabolic states, frailty and reduced health span. CD38 is upregulated in systemic sclerosis (SSc), a chronic disease characterized by fibrosis in multiple organs. We sought to test the hypothesis that inhibition of the CD38 ecto-enzymatic activity using a heavy-chain monoclonal antibody Ab68 will, via augmenting organismal NAD+, prevent fibrosis in a mouse model of SSc characterized by NAD+ depletion. Here we show that treatment of mice with a non-cytotoxic heavy-chain antibody that selectively inhibits CD38 ectoenzyme resulted in NAD+ boosting that was associated with significant protection from fibrosis in multiple organs. These findings suggest that targeted inhibition of CD38 ecto-enzymatic activity could be a potential pharmacological approach for SSc fibrosis treatment.

With the advancement of technology, the “partial construction” model is no longer able to meet the current information requirements of the aviation industry. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a complete “global informatization”, that is, an airport data center, which comprehensively includes multiple production management systems within the airport group, achieves information sharing, data analysis, and intelligent decision-making, thereby enabling the airport to achieve more accurate and reliable comprehensive economic and socially sustainable development. The current network storage technology often generates massive amounts of data when processing it, which leads to an increase in storage cycles and a decrease in storage performance. On this basis, the FPGA interface in FLASH chips was studied and analyzed in detail. On this basis, the FPGA receiving module is used to accurately receive and filter the massive data obtained, and convert it into high-quality FLASH format for daily use and maintenance. By analyzing the three-layer architecture, a large-scale network data storage solution based on the three-layer architecture is proposed. Finally, an implementation scheme for a new distributed storage system based on this model is presented, and simulation results are provided.

With the continuous development of China’s economy, the process of urbanisation and industrialisation has been accelerating, and coupled with the emergence of new energy, China’s urban energy consumption has undergone huge transformation. The urban energy Internet (UEI) is an important part of the country’s ‘carbon peak and carbon neutrality’, and it is also one of the key tasks in the planning, construction and operation of the power grid transformation. The traditional grid-side planning model relies on a single deterministic planning method, and there is less consideration for new influencing factors, which has been difficult to meet the energy demand in the context of the energy Internet. In this paper, research on UEI planning based on the fuzzy synthesis method is proposed. First, the basic architectural model of UEI is constructed. At the same time, the impact of distributed generation, energy storage, demand response, communication and other key technologies on the planning of active distribution networks in the distribution network planning under the UEI is analysed. Then, a fuzzy comprehensive method is proposed to calculate the weight of UEI planning. Finally, the planning and research of UEI prospects from the aspects of equipment form, system planning, operation control, business model and collaborative development are discussed.

C13H7BrClF3N2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 9.4183(18) Å, b = 15.185(3) Å, c = 13.1826(18) Å, β = 133.905(8)°, V = 1358.4(4) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0420, wRref(F2) = 0.1015, T = 293 K.

This research investigates the influence of water-cement ratio and recycled aggregate content on the chlorine erosion resistance of RAC by conducting a combination of experimental and theoretical analysis. In addition, a mathematical equation is developed to represent the chloride ion transport mechanism in RAC, taking into account fluid mechanics, energy conservation, and pore structure evolution characteristics. Furthermore, mathematical analysis and modeling are used to forecast the life of the chloride ion erosion process. The results show that both the recycled coarse aggregate replacement rate and the water-cement ratio adversely affect the chloride erosion resistance of RAC. The chloride diffusion coefficient model based on pore structure characteristic parameters exhibits high prediction accuracy. This model helps increase the use of recycled aggregates and fosters the growth of the circular economy in the construction industry sector by offering a theoretical foundation for evaluating and maintaining the durability of RAC.

Aiming at the problems of image edge blur and detail loss in most image denoising models, an image denoising model based on improved fractional calculus is proposed. Through the classification of image noise, the integer order PDE model is discussed. Based on the mathematical theory of fractional calculus, the fractional PDE model is discussed. The model is improved by combining texture detection operator, gray value detection operator, smoothing factor and fast algorithm. The simulation experiment of the model is carried out based on MATLAB simulation platform. The results show that the improved model is significantly better than other comparison models in image denoising effect, and the operation efficiency is higher.

Persistent organic pollutants will cause harm to living organisms and the environment, so it is necessary to strengthen environmental monitoring, find pollutants in time and take effective measures to control them. This paper analyzes the characteristics of persistent pollutants, from the water, atmosphere, soil these dimension analysis of environmental monitoring, and put forward the corresponding Suggestions, including improve the environmental monitoring system, the advanced monitoring system and detection methods,reasonable layout of monitoring points, intensify environmental protection propaganda, grasp the influence of pollutants, transmission law, etc., to provide reference for pollution control.

Loose layers are the locus of human activities. The high-quality 3D modeling of loose layers has essential research significance and applicability in engineering geology, hydraulic and hydroelectric engineering, and urban underground space design. To address the shortcomings of traditional 3D loose-layer modeling based on borehole data, such as the lack of bedrock surface constraints, simple strata pinch-out processing, and the higher fitting error of the strata surface, a 3D loose-layer modeling method based on the stratum development law is proposed. The method mainly uses three different virtual boreholes, bedrock-boundary virtual boreholes, pinch-out virtual boreholes, and densified virtual boreholes, to control the stratigraphic distribution. Case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of this 3D loose-layer modeling method in the Qinhuai District of Nanjing and Hangkonggang District of Zhengzhou. Compared to the previous methods that interpolated stratigraphic surfaces with elevation information, the method proposed in this article interpolates the stratum thickness based on stacking, which could improve the interpolation accuracy. In the area where the loose layers and exposed bedrock are alternately distributed, stratigraphic thickness errors’ mean and standard deviation decreased by 2.11 and 2.13 m. In the pure loose-layer area, they dropped by 0.96 and 0.33 m. In addition, the proposed approach allows us to infer the different stratigraphic distribution patterns accurately and complete 3D loose-layer model construction with higher accuracy and a good visualization effect.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a major mechanism of acute brain damage in ischemic stroke. Pre-ischemic exercise is an effective method to reduce ischemic injury. However, the regulation by pre-ischemic exercise of MAPK pathway and associated mechanisms in animal models remains unclear.

Objective To evaluate the lumbar multifidus muscle in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to analyze the degeneration features of lumbar multifidus muscle in the convex and concave sides of different lumbar segments and the correlation with severity of spinal deformity. Methods A cross-sectional trial was performed on 45 DLS subjects (DLS group) and 42 healthy individual (control group) who were recruited among the public by our hospital from March 2019 to June 2021. Image J software was employed to measure and calculate the cross-sectional area (CSA), functional cross-sectional area (FCSA) and fat infiltration rate (FIR) of the multifidus muscles beside the central planes of the intervertebral discs of 5 lumbar segments, L1-L2 and L5-S1, on T2WI images. The Cobb angle of lumbar coronal scoliosis in DLS group was measured by full-length spinal X-ray series. The degeneration features of multifidus muscle in each segment of lumbar vertebrae in DLS group and their correlation with Cobb angle of lumbar scoliosis were analyzed. Results The FCSA of the convex and concave multifidus muscles at L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels were significantly smaller in the DLS group than the control group (P < 0.05). The FIR of the convex and concave multifidus muscles at L1-S1 levels were obviously higher in the DLS group than the control group (P < 0.05). The DLS group had statistically smaller FCSA in the concave side than the convex multifidus muscles at L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels (P < 0.05). In the DLS group, the Cobb angle was positively correlated with FCSA difference index of L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels (r=0.310, 0.559, P < 0.05). Conclusion In DLS patients, degeneration of multifidus muscle corresponding to the lower lumbar levels (L4-L5 and L5-S1) is positively correlated with the severity of scoliosis, and the condition is more serious in the concave side than the convex side. It is suggested that the degeneration of multidus muscle is not an initiating factor of DLS, but may be a compensatory factor.

A diode-end-pumped self-mode-locked Tm,Ho:LuLiF4 (LLF) laser is demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. At the incident pump power of 3.4 W, the stable self-mode-locked operation of the Tm,Ho:LLF laser was realized without any additional devices in the resonator. Further increasing the incident pump power to 6.8 W, the maximum average output power of 1.07 W was achieved at 2068 nm with a pulse width of 746 ps and a repetition frequency of 468 MHz. The experimental results indicate that the Tm,Ho:LLF crystal is promising to generate the high-power self-mode-locked solid-state laser at 2 μm waveband. The self-mode-locked Tm,Ho:LLF laser has potential applications in optical communication, remote sensing, material process, and nonlinear frequency conversion.

O'Sullivan-Mcleod syndrome is a very rare variant of MND with a good prognosis. Its clinical feature is distal lower motor neuron syndrome of both upper limbs, and there is no effective treatment at present. We reported a case of O'Sullivan-Mcleod syndrome in this paper.The patient exhibited with middle-aged progressive distal muscle weakness and atrophy of both upper limbs, without sensory, cognitive or behavioral impairment and without pyramidal tract sign. Laboratory examination, imaging and genetic tests showed no obvious abnormalities. EMG revealed neurogenic damage to the small muscles of both hands. Now we retrospectively analyzed the clinical features of a patient with O'Sullivan-McLeod syndrome, and data from 18 cases for comparative analysis, in order to improve its understanding by clinicians.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00891 knockdown is associated with poor prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, but the underlying mechanism remains to be further explored. Here, we found that LINC00891 expression is downregulated in lung cancer tissues and cell lines compared with that in adjacent normal tissues and normal lung epithelial cells. LINC00891 overexpression impedes cell proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in lung cancer cells. Mechanistic research showed that GATA2 directly binds to LINC00891 promoter and transcriptionally regulates LINC00891 expression. Meanwhile, GATA2 was identified as a target of miR-128-3p, and it is negatively regulated by miR-128-3p. Moreover, overexpression of GATA2 suppresses lung cancer cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT process. Furthermore, LINC00891 restrains the RhoA pathway activity, and treatment with CCG-1423 (a specific RhoA pathway inhibitor) antagonizes the promoting effect of LINC00891 knockdown on cell malignant behaviors. Additionally, silencing of LINC00891 promotes xenograft tumor growth, which can be reversed by administration with CCG-1423. In summary, LINC00891 regulated by the miR-128-3p/GATA2 axis restrains lung cancer cell malignant progression and hinders xenograft tumor growth by suppressing the RhoA pathway.

Objective To explore the characteristics of thoracic and lumbar mobility in patients with degenerative spine deformity (DSD). Methods A total of 60 patients with degenerative spine deformity (DSD) admitted in our hospital from May 2018 to May 2021 were recruited in the study, and another 40 healthy individuals who taking physical examination during same period served as control group. The patients including 39 cases of scoliosis convex to the left and 21 cases to the right. A handheld joint actiometer was used to measure thoracic vertebrae left-right lateral flexion, left-right rotation, and lumbar vertebrae flexion and extension, left and right lateral flexion in the deformed group and control group. The parameters, including coronal Cobh angle (CA) and apical vertebra (AV) were measured on the X-ray films of the whole spine in the standing position. The apical vertebra rotation (AVR) was measured on the cross-sectional T2W1 image of MRI. Differences in thoracic and lumbar vertebrae range of motion (ROM) were compared between the 2 groups, and the correlation of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae ROM with AVR and CA angle were analyzed in the deformed group. Results The overall ROM of the lumbar lateral flexion, flexion, extension and the ROM of the thoracic vertebra rotation were significantly smaller than those of the control group (P < 0.01). In the left-sided curved deformities, the lumbar flexion, extension, lateral flexion (concave) and thoracic rotation (concave, convex) were significantly smaller than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In the right-sided curved deformities, the lumbar extension, lumbar flexion (concave, convex), and thoracic rotation (concave, convex) were significantly small than in the control group (P < 0.05). In the deformed group, the lumbar lateral flexion (convex) was significantly negatively correlated with both CA angle (r=-0.282, P=0.035) and AVR (r=-0.343, P=0.010). Conclusion DSD patients have limitations in spinal mobility in all directions. The mobility limitation for lumbar spine mainly focuses on flexion and extension (sagittal plane) and lateral flexion (coronal plane), while mobility limitation for thoracic vertebrae mainly concentrates on rotation. The lateral flexion mobility on the convex side are closely associated with the Cobb angle and AVR.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of disorders in which progressive loss of neurons due to abnormal protein deposits causes structural and functional changes in the brain, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). In brain imaging studies of neurodegenerative diseases, resting ⁃ state fMRI (rs ⁃fMRI) has been widely used, with most studies analysing static features of brain function. However, the human brain is dynamic and its neural activity is non ⁃ stationary, and static studies can not reveal the time ⁃ varying features of brain function. In recent years, many studies have used dynamic analysis of brain function based on rs ⁃fMRI in order to reveal the dynamic nature of complex neural activity in the brain and further investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms and diagnostic markers of disease. In this paper, we will briefly introduce the rs ⁃fMRI analysis method, the common methods of rs ⁃fMRI ⁃ based dynamic analysis of brain function and its application and research progress in common neurodegenerative diseases.

Phenolic aerogel is a type of nanoporous resin-based material with low density, high specific surface area, excellent thermal insulation performance, and a high carbon residue rate which has been widely used in the field of thermal protection. However, the development of phenolic aerogel is limited by the complex and expensive preparation technique, inadequate oxidation/ablation resistance, and excessive brittleness. As a result, academic research is constantly concentrated on low-cost preparation methods and efficient modification of phenolic aerogel. This review gives a description of the preparation technology, modification techniques, and application fields of phenolic aerogel and summarizes the limitations. Now, phenolic aerogel is not applied widely due to its complex and expensive preparation technique. Moreover, phenolic aerogel shows greater brittleness and insufficient mechanical property. The prospective future developments of the materials were prospected, and the phenolic aerogel with environmental protection, efficient thermal protection, and low cost will be the mainstream research direction.

By using monotonic and cyclic loading tests, the Poisson curves along the fiber bundles directions of a 2D-C/SiC composite were obtained during various axial tensile and compressive loading processes. And the effects of axial damage evolution process on the Poisson effect of composite were studied. The results show that composite shows significant negative Poisson’s ratio behaviors with increasing tensile damage during loading process, but the Poisson’s ratio behaviors become almost linear and positive when the damage evolution process stops. In addition, the Poisson effect becomes weaker with increasing damage degree within composite. The SEM (scanning electron microscope) analysis results of fractured surfaces on tensile specimens indicate that, during tensile damage evolution process, the matrix cracks and interface debondings occurring along the loading direction will generate vertical extension deformation on composite, which is large enough to cover up the transverse elastic Poisson contraction caused by applied tensile load, so 2D-C/SiC composite shows significant negative Poisson’ ratio behaviors. And the weaker Poisson effect of composite is mainly caused by the increasing discontinuity of composite, which is caused essentially by increasing cracking damage during tensile damage evolution process.

Objective To explore the effect of sodium hydroxide(NaOH) and rapamycin(Rapa) alone or their combination in treating Tsc2-null(Tsc2-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Methods The wild type and Tsc2-/- cells were treated with NaOH and/or Rapa and divided into 4 groups: control, NaOH group, Rapa group, and combination (Combo) group. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and colony formation. Flow cytometry was used to detect the potential influence on cell cycle. The protein expression of S6, p-S6, p-4EBP1 was detected by Western blot. Results Compared to control group, Tsc2-/- cells in NaOH and Rapa groups both showed a reduced proliferation ability and colony counting (P＜0.05); additionally, only in Rapa group, the percentage of Tsc2-/- cells in G1 phase increased and the protein level of p-S6 and p-4EBP1 all decreased (P＜0.05). Compared with NaOH and Rapa groups, Tsc2-/- cells in Combo group had a further decreased in proliferation ability and colony number and an increased G1 phase percentage (P＜0.05). But the level of p-S6 and p-4EBP1 of Tsc2-/- cells in Combo group was significantly lower than those in NaOH group (P＜0.05). Conclusions NaoH(15 μmol/L) enhances the suppressing poliferation efficacy of Rapa in Tsc2-/- cells.

Objective To systematically characterize the dynamic expression pattern, stage specificity and co-expression pattern of RNA-binding protein (RBPs) and to predict their potential regulatory role in mouse spermatogenesis. Methods The whole transcriptome sequencing data of six spermatogenic cells types were integrated for analyzing the differentially expressed RBPs during spermatogenesis;STEM was used to analyze the dynamic expression pattern of RBPs; WGCNA was used to identify the RBPs co-expressed pattern; The differentially expressed and co-expressed RBPs were analyzed by the ClusterProfiler tool for GO function enrichment analysis. Results A total of 519 stage-specific RBPs were identified during spermatogenesis, and there were 7 dynamic expression patterns, of which RBPs at the meiotic stage accounted for the highest proportion; GO enrichment analysis showed that RBPs were mainly involved in the selective splicing, processing or translation of mRNA; WGCNA analysis showed that 246 RBPs were co-expressed, among which RBPs at the meiotic stage accounted for the highest proportion. Conclusions RBPs exhibit stage specificity and play a regulatory role in spermatogenesis with a coordinated expression mode. It functions mainly in the process of RNA processing or splicing in the early stage of spermatogenesis, and is have significant impact on the process of ribosome assembly or RNA translation in the later stage.

As one of important candidates for advanced aerocraft engine hot components, SiC/SiC composites would undergo oxidative and corrosive damage when subjected to high temperature combustion environment. Oxidation behavior of SiC/SiC composites at 1100-1300 ℃ in air was investigated in the present work, to clarify the oxidative and corrosive behavior of the composites. The oxidation kinetics curves were obtained. The morphology and composition evolution of the oxidized materials were analyzed by SEM, XPS and XRD. The results show that the oxidation kinetics of SiC/SiC composites at 1100-1300 ℃ follow the parabolic law and the oxides on the surface mainly consist of silica. Slight oxidation occurs at 1100 ℃. The oxidation rate increases with increasing temperature. The oxidation process is mainly concentrated in the BN interface phase and the pores of the matrix. The bending strength of the composite decreases with the oxidation extent.

With rapid urbanization, administrative zoning adjustment has become an important means for local governments to promote urban development. The adjustment brings rapid expansion of land elements for core urban areas. Would the local government strengthen the land operation with adjusted zoning to attract investment and financing? The micro-transaction data of land transfer in the adjusted areas in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2007 to 2018 were taken as samples. The methods used include multi-stage Difference in Difference and Triple Difference models. On the basis of controlling urban economic and land parcel characteristics, this paper discusses whether the administrative division adjustment has strengthened the land operation degree in the adjusted area. The results show that: 1) compared with the areas without administrative zoning adjustment, the price of industrial land in the adjusted areas reduced by a significant 14.6%, and the transferred area of industrial land increased by a remarkable 61.5%. The transfer price of residential and commercial land increased by 13.3% and 6.9%, respectively, and their total transfer expense rose by 25%. The empirical results show that administrative zoning adjustment strengthens the operation of land transfers in the adjusted areas, and shifts more industrial land at a lower price to attract investment and commercial and residential land at a higher price for more "land finance." 2) In the first five years after the administrative zoning adjustment, land price increased significantly, but the policy effect was not substantial after five years, indicating that the strengthening of land operation had a short-term effect. 3) Because of the difficulties in regional integration, different types of administrative zoning adjustments inflate land prices to varied degrees. Compared with "consolidation of municipal districts" and "adjustment of the scope of municipal districts," "withdrawal of cities (counties) to set up districts" has a lower impact on land price. This paper aims to reveal the land transmission mechanism behind the performance of administrative zoning adjustment policy, and provide new empirical evidence for the evaluation of administrative zoning adjustment in China, starting from the role of local governments and using the micro-transaction data of land transfer.

In order to reasonably evaluate the ecological environment of Dari County in the source region of the Yellow River, the characteristics and actual conditions of Dari County's ecological environment are taken into account, and the principles of representativeness, scientificity, operability and systematicness of index are followed. An evaluation index system is established for Dari County based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) conceptual framework. Combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the cloud model, an ecological environment evaluation model for Dari County is established, and the ecological environment of Dari County is quantitatively evaluated. The model organically combines the ambiguity and randomness of the uncertainty concept. It not only describes the ambiguity of the evaluation level with a membership function, but also considers the randomness of the membership itself using the concept of superentropy, which is more in line with the actual evaluation object. The results indicate that the ecological situation of Dari County is in a ‘general’ state that should be urgently protected for sustainable development, and land degradation is the most important factor affecting the ecological environment of Dari County. HIGHLIGHTS A model method combining AHP and cloud model.; The ecological environment of Dari County is in a general state.; The evaluation index system of Dari County based on PSR framework is proposed.; Land degradation is an important factor affecting the ecology of Dari County.; The evaluation model can take into account both ambiguity and randomness.;

Objective To explore the role of Echinococcus granulosus aquaporins (EgAQPs) in the accumulation of hydatid fluid. Methods The secondary hydatids cultured in vitro and inoculated in BALB/c mice were collected respectively, and the relative transcription expression levels of 12 EgAQPs genes from the hydatid cysts cultured in vitro and in mice were detected by RT-qPCR. Six gene coding region fragments of EgAQP, EgAQP1, EgAQP3, EgAQP4-1, EgAQP4-4 and EgAQP9-1 were amplified using cDNA templates. The other 6 genes coding region fragments of EgAQPs (EgAQPAn.G, EgAQPFA-CHIP, EgAQP4-2, EgAQP4-3, EgAQP4-5 and EgAQP9-2) were amplified with chemical synthesis. The water permeability of these 12 EgAQPs genes were detected in Xenopus laevis (X. laevis), and the expression of EgAQPs on the oocytes membranes was detected by Western blotting. Results The volume of hydatid cultured in vitro and in vivo was increased gradually with the extension of culture time, and there was more and more transparent hydatid fluid in hydatid cyst. The results of RT-qPCR showed that the relative transcription levels of EgAQPs genes in the hydatid cysts were very low or even undetectable except for EgAQP3 and EgAQP9-1 at the beginning of culture in vitro. There were no significant differences in relative volume change rates and water permeability coefficients of X. laevis oocytes injected with EgAQPs genes when compared with the negative control, and these EgAQPs genes did not show water channel functions in the oocytes. Western blot assay displayed that there was no expression of EgAQPs genes in total, cytoplasmic and membrane protein on the oocytes. Conclusion The transcription levels of EgAQPs genes are quite low in the encystation process of protoscolex, and their heterologous expression do not show water channel functions in X. laevis oocytes.

In digital volume correlation (DVC), random image noise in volumetric images leads to increased systematic error and random error in the displacements measured by subvoxel registration algorithms. Previous studies in DIC have shown that adopting low-pass pre-filtering to the images prior to the correlation analysis can effectively mitigate the systematic error associated with the classical forward additive Newton-Raphson (FA-NR) algorithm. However, the effect of low-pass pre-filtering on the state-of-the-art inverse compositional Gauss-Newton (ICGN) algorithm has not been investigated so far. In this work, we focus on the effect of low-pass pre-filtering on two mainstream subvoxel registration algorithms (i.e., 3D FA-NR algorithm and 3D IC-GN algorithm) used in DVC. Basic principles and theoretical error analyses of the two algorithms are described first. Then, based on numerical experiments with precisely controlled subvoxel displacements and noise levels, the influences of image noise on the displacements measured by two subvoxel algorithms are examined. Further, the effects of low-pass pre-filtering on these two subvoxel algorithms are examined for simulated image sets with different noise levels and deformation modes. The results show that the low-pass pre-filtering can effectively suppress the systematic errors for the 3D FA-NR algorithm, which is consistent with the previously drawn conclusion in DIC. On the contrary, different form the 3D FA-NR algorithm, the 3D IC-GN algorithm itself can reduce the influence of image noise, and the effect of low-pass pre-filtering on it is not so obvious as on 3D FA-NR algorithm.