Search

The development of soybean (Glycine max) is regulated by the photoperiod, with genes related to photoperiod sensitivity primarily focused on the flowering time. However, their roles in post-flowering reproductive development and the mechanisms by which the photoperiod affects them are not yet determined. In this study, we found that pod formation is sensitive to the photoperiod. Long-day conditions tended to extend the time from flowering to pod formation, and the first wave of flowers tended to fall off. Additionally, the photoperiod affected the pistil morphology; under short-day conditions, the stigma had a curved hook-like structure that facilitated better interaction with the filaments when pollen was released, ultimately influencing the timing of pod formation. Photoperiod-insensitive mutants, lacking E1 family and Evening Complex (EC) genes, showed no difference in the pod formation time under long-day or short-day conditions. Hormone content analysis and transcriptome data analysis indicated that various hormones, reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst pathway signals, and the application of sucrose solution in vitro might influence floral organ abscission.

N-heterocyclic carbenes are widely exploited as ligands in transition metal catalysis, but are largely limited to N-arylimidazolylidenes. Here, the authors report on the steric and electronic properties of thiazol-2-ylidenes, demonstrating that their enhanced π-electrophilicity makes them attractive as carbene ligands in transition metal-catalysed electrophilic cyclization reactions.

Objective(s): Mast cells are important immune cells that primarily localize in the interface between the host and external environment, and protect us from pathogen infection. However, they are also involved in the pathology of allergic diseases such as asthma and atopic dermatitis. A novel S phase kinase-associated protein 1 (SKP1) inhibitor 6-O-angeloylplenolin (6-OAP), was studied with its potential ability to alleviate the anti-IgE-induced inflammatory responses of primary human cultured mast cells (HCMCs) and LAD2 cell line. Materials and Methods: We isolated the HCMCs from the buffy coat of voluntary blood donors. The effects of 6-OAP on mast cell activation were evaluated by measuring degranulation, cytokine release, migration, calcium influx, and ERK phosphorylation using spectro-fluorescence assay, multiplex cytometric bead assay/ELISA, migration assay, Fluo-4 calcium flux assay, and western blot, respectively. Results: It was found that 6-OAP exerted anti-inflammatory effects on human mast cells by dose-dependently suppressing the anti-IgE-mediated degranulation and release of cytokines such as proinflammatory cytokines (IL-8 and TNF-α), growth factors (GM-CSF, VEGF, and FGF), and chemokines (CCL2 and CCL3) in HCMC and LAD2 cells. It also suppressed the migration of immature HCMCs induced by CXCL12. Moreover, the process of calcium influx and ERK phosphorylation in activated HCMC cells were inhibited by 6-OAP administration. Conclusion: Our results showed that 6-OAP inhibited anti-IgE-induced inflammatory responses of human mast cells via suppressing calcium influx and ERK phosphorylation.

This study analyzed the characteristics of 133 Haemophilus parasuis isolates in southern China. These isolates belonged to eleven serovars (1, 2, 4-10, 13 and 15) with 12.0% of them being characterised as non-typable. A relatively high level in resistance was encountered for trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole (89.9%), tetracycline (75.3%), amoxicillin (69.1%), streptomycin (63.6%), carbenicillin (60.2%), kanamycin (46.6%) and ampicillin (45.6%). A total of 60% of the isolates were negative for group 1 virulence-associated autotransporters (vtaA). All group 1 vtaA negative isolates fell into polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) type I, while all group 1 vtaA positive isolates were classified as PAGE type II. The results of Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) indicated a high degree of variation, 45 isolates in the study were assigned into 31 sequence types with 28 of these being new (not found in the MLST database). Antimicrobial resistance was observed in every serovar, there was no statistically significant correlation between the antimicrobial resistance and the serovars. The isolates allocated to clade 2 (based on MLST target sequences) showed the molecular characteristics of highly pathogenic strains in whole-cell protein profiling, vtaA groups 1, superoxide dismutase (sodA) sequence and MLST.

Capsaicin is a capsaicinoid in hot chili peppers, with excellent antibacterial and antimicrobial activities and a good safety profile, but its poor solubility and instability restrict its effectiveness. This limitation may be mitigated by encapsulation. Herein, capsaicin microcapsules (CCMs) were prepared through layer-by-layer self-assembly, using chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan as shell materials. The chemical and microstructure structural characterization was evaluated by the methods of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The SEM indicated the microcapsules were irregular in shape with an average size of about 100 μm. The encapsulation had a high loading efficiency of 64.31%. FTIR and XRD revealed the absence of the interaction between the core and shell materials and the amorphous nature of the CCMs. The analysis results of the microcapsules’ release behavior showed the burst release of capsaicin in 7 days and a slow progression afterward in three solutions, with the highest release properties in a basic solution, followed by acidic and neutral salt solutions. The entomotoxicity of CCMs was conducted against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and its efficacy was compared with pure capsaicin. The CCMs were found to be highly effective against this pest. The LC50 value for capsaicin and its microcapsules was 31.37 and 29.75 mg/kg on adults, respectively. According to these values, T. castaneum’s development and reproduction were significantly inhibited compared with the control group. The excellent physicochemical characteristics and insecticidal performance show a high application value for integrated pest control.

Cohesive non-swelling soil (CNS) cushion technology is widely used to solve swelling deformation problems in expansive soil areas. However, the swelling inhibition mechanism is still not fully understood. In this study, the inhibition effect on expansive soil using a CNS layer was studied by performing five types of laboratory model tests under unidirectional seepage. The results showed that CNS cushion technology produced a sound inhibition effect on the swelling characteristics of expansive soil. It was shown that the cations in the CNS layer moved downward and accumulated on the surface of solids and produced an electrical environment inside the expansive soil. In this process, the adsorbed hydrated cations participated in ion exchange with the expansive soil, leading to the modification effect on its swelling potential. Meanwhile, the adsorbed water membrane surrounding the expansive soil aggregates formed by the hydrated cations obstructed further adsorption of water molecules, which inhibited the swelling development of expansive soil. Therefore, the swelling inhibition mechanism can be attributed to three factors: (i) modification effect, (ii) electrical environment, and (iii) deadweight of the CNS layer. The combined contribution of modification effect and electrical environment can be considered as an electric charge effect, which mainly controls the swelling characteristics of expansive soil. Keywords: Cohesive non-swelling soil (CNS), Expansive soil, Unidirectional seepage, Electric charge effect, Swelling inhibition mechanism

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, destructive inflammatory skin disease of which a painful nodule or pustule breaks down to form a progressively enlarging ulcer. Ulcerations associated with PG may occur after trauma or injury to the skin. The etiology has not been clearly elucidated. Our report described a PG patient with a heterozygous splice-donor-site mutation in NFKB1 (c.730+5G>A) causing the absence of exon 8 and the formation of truncated p105 (p.Asp191_Lys244delinsGlu; p105delEx8), which led to distinct symptoms of high fever and excessive inflammation in wound area after routine surgical procedures. The functional analysis showed that the variant caused reduced phosphorylation of p105 and resulted in the decreased processing of p105 to p50. We conclude that the patient's symptoms were caused by dysregulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

The evidential reasoning (ER) approach has been widely applied to aggregate evaluation information in multi-expert multi-criterion decision-making (MEMCDM) problems with uncertainties. However, the comprehensive results derived by the ER approach remain uncertain. In this study, we propose a Deng-entropy-based ER approach for MEMCDM problems to reduce the uncertainty. Firstly, we reassign the remaining belief of the uncertain evaluation information to the focal elements of the given evaluations. Afterward, we introduce the Deng entropy to respectively calculate the objective weights of criteria and those of experts, so as to reduce the subjective uncertainty in MEMCDM. Then, the ER approach is applied twice to generate the comprehensive evaluations of alternatives. A method is introduced to rank alternatives corresponding to their comprehensive evaluations, forming a Deng-entropy-based ER approach for MEMCDM problems with uncertainty. An illustrative example of screening the people at high risk of lung cancer is provided, and comparative analyses are given to show the rationality and superiority of the proposed method.

Based on the complex vector theory, a more comprehensive doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) impedance model under series compensated network, taking both outer loops and phase-locked loop (PLL) dynamic into consideration, is developed in stationary reference frame (αβ-frame). Then the complex vector-based impedance model is combined with the equivalent RLC circuit to intuitively and quantitatively explain the mechanism of sub-synchronous resonance (SSR) and its mitigation methods. The impact of the RSC controllers and series compensation level on the equivalent impedance and the SSR frequency of the DFIG system are analyzed. The mechanism of the two mitigating SSR methods, one is damping control and the other is virtual inductance control, is revealed based on the complex vector impedance model. Finally, the accuracy of the derived model and the theoretical analysis are verified by simulation.

In order to evaluate the traffic-load-induced cumulative deformation of road high liquid limit subgrade soil, a series of laboratory tests are performed to determine the physical and mechanical properties of high liquid limit soil. A cumulative deformation model is then developed with consideration of the effects of dynamic deviator stress, the number of repeated loadings, and the material properties of subgrade soil. Based on Lu’s vehicle-road-ground coupling model, the traffic-load-induced stress, which is very important in predicting cumulative settlement of the subgrade, is calculated explicitly. The layerwise summation method is used to evaluate the traffic-load-induced cumulative deformation. Moreover, a parametric study is conducted using numerical computation and the results show that the traffic-load-induced cumulative deformation is mainly generated from the shallow soil, and the additional dynamic load plays an important role in analyzing the traffic-load-induced settlement.

The frost heave and thaw settlement caused by freeze-thaw cycles will seriously affect the engineering properties of soil. This paper attempts to comparatively investigate the deterioration effect of freeze-thaw cycles on the mechanical properties of compacted clay in closed and open systems. The specimens were frozen and thawed from the top to bottom in two systems. The moisture contents and deformations after freeze-thaw cycles were measured. Mechanical parameters of soil were examined through triaxial compression tests. Results show that the moisture content and deformation of soil change evidently with the increase of freeze-thaw cycles in the open system, while these parameters in the closed system change little. In the open system, the attenuation rate of failure strength, elastic modulus, and angle of internal friction of soil subjected to 7 freeze-thaw cycles are all about 2 times as large as that in the closed system and the attenuation rate of cohesion is even 4 times of that in the closed system. These differences reveal that the deterioration effect of freeze-thaw cycles on soil strength is aggravated after water supply. These findings indicate that soil structure damage and moisture content increase is the dominant factor affecting engineering properties of the soil in the open system.

In this article, a graphene-assembled film (GAF)-based compact and low-profile ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) antenna is presented and tested for wearable applications. The highly conductive GAFs (~106 S/m) together with the flexible ceramic substrate ensure the flexibility and robustness of the antenna, which are two main challenges in designing wearable antennas. Two H-shaped slots are introduced on a coplanar-waveguide (CPW) feeding structure to adjust the current distribution and thus improve the antenna bandwidth. The compact GAF antenna with dimensions of 32 × 52 × 0.28 mm3 provides an impedance bandwidth of 60% (4.3–8.0 GHz) in simulation. The UWB characteristics are further confirmed by on-body measurements and show a bending insensitive bandwidth of ~67% (4.1–8.0 GHz), with the maximum gain at 7.45 GHz being 3.9 dBi and 4.1 dBi in its flat state and bent state, respectively. Our results suggest that the proposed antenna functions properly in close proximity to a human body and can sustain repetitive bending, which make it well suited for applications in wearable devices.

The study of compacted clay material under dynamic load coupled with dry-wet cycling is one of the most important areas in the field of transportation. In this paper, experiments in terms of compacted clay under dynamic load coupled with dry-wet cycling are performed, and synchronous resistivity tests are also conducted. According to the test results, the influences of cumulative plastic strain, dry-wet cycles, and amplitudes on the soil resistivity are analyzed. Then a new damage factor based on resistivity is proposed to evaluate the long-term performance of compacted clay material. The result of research shows that the evolution of the soil resistivity can be divided into two stages, which has a contrary tendency with that of cumulative plastic strain. The dry-wet cycles and amplitudes have a significant effect on the damage of the compacted soil, which indicates that the dry-wet cycling of compacted soil materials should not be ignored in road engineering, especially in rainy and humid areas.

The swelling properties of expansive soil at different depths were investigated by the laboratory model test. It was experimentally found that the swelling deformation of different expansive soil layers was obviously different under unidirectional seepage. Pore solution collection boxes were designed to collect the pore solution of different soil layer interfaces during the saturation process. Cation concentration tests were then used to analyze the migration regulation of cations in these soil layers. Results showed that the divalent cations in the surface soil layer migrated downward along with water molecules and aggregated around clay particles to form the electrical environment in expansive soil. Additionally, swelling tests were performed to compare with their initial values to research the variation of swelling behavior of expansive soil at different depths after completion of the model test. It was observed that the swelling potential of the surface expansive soil layer at a depth of 0–30 mm was released while that of the middle and bottom ones at depths of 90–120 mm and 180–210 mm was inhibited. An analysis on the above results was used to clarify the mechanism controlling the swelling difference of different expansive soil layers. This swelling difference may be explained by the joint effect of two factors that can be treated as an electric charge effect, namely (i) the modification effect, (ii) the electrical environment.

The mechanism, regioselectivity, and chemoselectivity in a gold-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of diynones with alcohols to give furan-3-carboxylate derivatives were explored by density functional theory (DFT). The obtained results revealed that the first step of the global reaction involves a nucleophilic attack of a pyridine-N-oxide derivative on the catalyst-ligated diynone, forming a vinyl intermediate that can isomerize to an α,α'-dioxo gold carbene upon the cleavage of the N--O bond. In the second step, a nucleophilic addition is also completed via pyridine-N-oxide instead of an alcohol proposed in the experiment. In the following steps, the selective nucleophilic addition of alcohol, 1,2-alkynyl migration, five-membered cyclization, and protodeauration lead to the furan-based products with the regeneration of the gold catalyst. The unique features of regio- and chemoselectivity were investigated in detail by the global reactivity index (GRI) and distortion/interaction analyses. Apart from fully rationalizing the experimental data, the DFT results provide an important contribution to understanding, optimizing, and further developing the related types of organic transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed a two-way coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) approach to analyze the evolution of clogging in slurry shield tunneling quantitatively. The interactions between clay particles and slurry were considered by exchanging three interaction forces, including buoyancy force, pressure gradient force, and drag force. The CFD-DEM coupling approach was first benchmarked by comparing cutterhead torque and total thrust with field monitored data of a practical slurry shield tunnel project. The evolution process of the particle phase and the fluid phase over time was presented. The results indicated that fewer than 70% of the particles can be washed away in time by the circulating slurry. About 9% of the particles adhered to the submerged wall, resulting in increased cutterhead torque and thrust. Through parametric analysis, the influence of the shield driving parameters on the clay clogging behavior is further explored. The time history of cutterhead torque or thrust can be used as a criterion for judging whether clogging has occurred. Additionally, a new assessment method of clogging risk and an optimization strategy of driving parameters were proposed, which were intended to provide some guidance for similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]