Search

Abstract Accelerating the design of Ni-based single crystal (SX) superalloys with superior creep resistance at ultrahigh temperatures is a desirable goal but extremely challenging task. In the present work, a deep transfer learning neural network with physical constraints for creep rupture life prediction at ultrahigh temperatures is constructed. Transfer learning enables deep learning model breaks through the generalization performance barrier in the extrapolation space of ultrahigh temperature creep properties in the case of a very small dataset, which is the key to achieving the above design goal. Transfer learning is demonstrated to be effective in utilizing the prior compositional sensitivities information contained in the pre-trained model, and motivates the fine-tuned model to capture the particular relationship between composition and creep rupture life at ultrahigh temperature. Aiming to find advanced SX superalloys applied at 1200 °C, the proposed transfer learning-based model guides us to design a superalloy with a verified creep rupture life of ~170 h at 80 MPa, which exceeds the state-of-art value by 30%. The improved γ/γ′ interface strengthening, which is effectively regulated by the Mo/Ta ratio to form γ′ rafting with longer, flatter interfaces and achieve stronger interfacial bonding, is revealed as the dominant mechanism behind combining experiments and first-principles calculations. Moreover, the excellent extrapolation ability of the proposed model is further confirmed to enhance the efficiency of active learning by reducing its dependence on the initial dataset size. This study provides a pioneering AI-driven approach for the rapid development of Ni-based SX superalloys applied in advanced aero-engine blades.

Abstract Background Malnutrition is implicated in human metabolic disorders, including hepatic steatosis and myosteatosis. The corresponding nutrient signals and sensors as well as signalling pathways have not yet been well studied. This study aimed to unravel the nutrient‐sensing mechanisms in the pathogenesis of steatosis. Methods Plin2, a lipid droplet (LD) protein‐inhibiting lipolysis, is associated with steatosis in liver and muscle. Taking advantage of the Gal4‐UAS system, we used the Drosophila melanogaster wing imaginal disc as an in vivo model to study the regulation of Plin2 proteostasis and LD homeostasis. Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells were used for western blotting, immunoprecipitation assays, amino acid‐binding assays and ubiquitination assays to further investigate the regulatory mechanisms of Plin2 in response to nutrient signals. Mouse AML12 hepatocytes, human JHH‐7 and SNU‐475 hepatoma cells were used for immunofluorescence, western blotting and immunoprecipitation to demonstrate that the mode of Plin2 regulation is evolutionarily conserved. In addition, we purified proteins from HEK293 cells and reconstituted in vitro cell‐free systems in amino acid‐binding assays, pulldown assays and ubiquitination assays to directly demonstrate the molecular mechanism by which Ubr1 senses amino acids to regulate Plin2 proteostasis. Results As a lipolysis inhibitor, Plin2 was significantly elevated in liver (P

Abstract Cinnamon aqueous extract’s active substance base remains unclear and its mechanisms, mainly the therapeutic target of anti-Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related GABAergic synaptic dysfunction, remain unclear. Here, 30 chemical components were identified in the aqueous extract of cinnamon using LC/MS; secondly, we explored the brain-targeting components of the aqueous extract of cinnamon, and 17 components had a good absorption due to the blood–brain barrier (BBB) limitation; thirdly, further clustering analysis of active ingredient targets by network pharmacology showed that the GABA pathway with GABRG2 as the core target was significantly enriched; then, we used prominent protein–protein interactions (PPI), relying on a protein-metabolite network, and identified the GABRA1, GABRB2 and GABRA5 as the closest targets to GABRG2; finally, the affinity between the target and its cognate active compound was predicted by molecular docking. In general, we screened five components, methyl cinnamate, propyl cinnamate, ( +)-procyanidin B2, procyanidin B1, and myristicin as the brain synapse-targeting active substances of cinnamon using a systematic strategy, and identified GABRA1, GABRB2, GABRA5 and GABRG2 as core therapeutic targets of cinnamon against Alzheimer's disease-related GABAergic synaptic dysfunction. Exploring the mechanism of cinnamon’ activities through multi-components and multiple targets strategies promise to reduce the threat of single- target and symptom-based drug discovery failure.

BackgroundStroke is a leading cause of death worldwide, but it is unclear whether circulating lipids and lipid-lowering drugs are causally associated with stroke and its subtypes.MethodsWe used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine the effects of blood lipids and lipid-lowering drugs on stroke and its subtypes.ResultsThe inverse variance weighted Mendelian randomization (IVW-MR) revealed the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.17–1.83; p = 0.0008) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.21–1.77; p = 0.0001) was positively correlated with large artery stroke (LAS). However, no causal effect was found in LDL-C and apoB on LAS risk when we conducted mvMR. The IVW-MR also found a suggestive evidence that decreased LDL-C levels mediated by the PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9) gene were associated with a reduced risk of any stroke (AS) (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.13–1.52; p = 0.0003), any ischemic stroke (AIS) (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.10–1.51; p = 0.001), and LAS (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.15–2.59; p = 0.008), while NPC1L1 (Niemann-Pick C1-like protein)-mediated LDL-C levels were associated with a higher risk of small vessel stroke (SVS) (OR, 6.10; 95% CI, 2.13–17.43; p = 0.0008). The SMR revealed that expression of PCSK9 was associated with risk of AS (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.03–1.28; p = 0.01), AIS (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.14–1.29; p = 0.03), cardioembolic stroke (CES) (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.01–1.61; p = 0.04). And, a significant association was found between the expression of NPC1L1 and the risk of SVS (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.00–1.32; p = 0.04).ConclusionWe cautiously find that LDL-C and apoB was positively correlated with LAS. These findings suggest that the reducing LDL-C levels could be an effective prevention strategy for reducing the risk of stroke.

China has a long history in the artificial domestication of wild boars. Many swine breeds with local characteristics have been bred in combination with local conditions, making China become the country with the richest swine resources in the world. Generally, most indigenous swine breeds in China present excellent meat quality traits such as delicate tenderness and high intramuscular fat content, but also show slower growth rate, lower lean meat rate, and lower feed conversion ratio when compared to western swine breeds. Although cross-breeding through introducing western lean swine lineage could improve the growth and meat yield of indigenous swine breeds, there are adverse effects on meat quality traits. In addition, the introduction of western swine breeds has already brought a serious impact on local swine breeds, leading to a sharp decline in the number of many indigenous swine breeds in China, and even being threatened with extinction. The application of gene editing technology has brought many breakthroughs in the genetic improvement of indigenous swine breeds. Here, we review the developmental history of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, and progress of its application in the genetic improvement of swine, including reproduction, meat yield, disease resistance, and sex controlling. This review will facilitate to understand the special role of gene editing technology in domestic pig breeding.

A major challenge in the field of diabetic wound healing is to confirm the body's intrinsic mechanism that could sense the immune system damage promptly and protect the wound from non-healing. Accumulating literature indicates that macrophage, a contributor to prolonged inflammation occurring at the wound site, might play such a role in hindering wound healing. Likewise, other immune cell dysfunctions, such as persistent neutrophils and T cell infection, may also lead to persistent oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction during diabetic wound healing. In this article, we discuss recent advances in the immune cellular components in wounds under the diabetic milieu, and the role of key signaling mechanisms that compromise the function of immune cells leading to persistent wound non-healing.

Eye movement is an important indicator of information-seeking behavior and provides insight into cognitive strategies which are vital for decision-making. Various measures based on eye movements have been proposed to capture humans’ ability to process information in a complex environment. The effectiveness of these measures has not yet been fully explored in the field of air traffic management. This paper presents a comparative study on eye-movement measures in air traffic controllers with different levels of working experience. Two commonly investigated oculomotor behaviors, fixation and saccades, together with gaze entropy, are examined. By comparing the statistical properties of the relevant metrics, it is shown that working experience has a notable effect on eye-movement patterns. Both fixation and saccades differ between qualified and novice controllers, with the former type of controller employing more efficient searching strategies. These findings are useful in enhancing the quality of controller training and contributing to an understanding of the information-seeking mechanisms humans use when executing complex tasks

The continuous development of the social economy, has stimulataed an increase in the satndard of living and increased the deman for consumption resulting in the demand for high-quality and safe food has continued to increase. The so-called food safety means that the food that people eat under certain conditions will not harm human health. Frequent food safety incidents have highlighted the seriousness of my country's food safety problems and exposed loopholes in my country's food safety supervision. This article aims to study the construction of the Internet of Things technology in the food industry chain safety information traceability system, research on the RFID technology, GPS technology, and sensor technology in the Internet of things technology, and also conduct some research on the modules of the food industry chain safety information traceability system. This paper proposes to integrate the Internet of Things technology into the construction of the food industry chain safety information traceability system. First, a detailed analysis of some of the technologies that may be used is carried out, and then through the investigation of people on food safety and other aspects, and the food traceability system satisfaction survey. The experimental results in this article show that 40% of women pay more attention to food safety. Of course, in the satisfaction survey of the food safety traceability system based on the Internet of Things technology, it has been recognized by more than 20% of the people.

Conventional reservoir drill-in fluids used for drilling reservoirs in Weizhou Oilfield encounter rheological problems that result in technical problems such as hole-cleaning in openhole horizontal intervals. Hence, novel drill-in fluid was developed by optimizing the additive quantity and particle size distribution. Lab tests showed that novel drill-in fluids boast high low shearing rate viscosity, and provide promising cutting, carrying, and suspension capabilities. Furthermore, the novel drill-in fluids performed well in reservoir protection, with a permeability recovery rate of more than 90%. The novel drill-in fluids also have high inhibition capabilities with a linear expansion rate of mud shale as low as 10%, with a rolling recovery rate of up to 96.48%. Field application results showed no pipe-stuck was encountered during tripping in the horizontal interval when using the novel drill-in fluid. Moreover, by using the novel drill-in fluids, skin factor was reduced from 20.0 to −3.0, and daily oil production was double what was expected. It was concluded that novel drill-in fluids meets the demand of horizontal drilling intervals in Weizhou Oilfield and improves hole-cleaning and reservoir protection in the horizontal well.

Abstract Background Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most economically significant pathogens in the Chinese swine industry. ORF5 and nsp2 are highly variable regions of the PRRSV genome. Therefore, nsp2 and GP5 are often selected for investigation of variations and phylogenetic analyses for their genetic diversities. Knowledge of the molecular evolution of PRRSV field strains may contribute to the control of PRRS in China. Results The results of multiple sequence alignments of GP5 showed that there is 84.5–100% aa identity among the 56 strains in this study. These strains shared 84.5–99.0% aa identity with the prototypical type 2 PRRSV VR-2332 and 56.6–59.2% with strain LV, prototypical type 1 PRRSV. Phylogenetic analysis showed there is considerable diversity among PRRSV ORF5 and the existence of two lineages (5 and 8). Most of the strains were classified into lineage 8 with multiple sub-lineages (3, 4 and 6). Moreover, PRRSV strains with 5 novel patterns of deletions or insertions in the nsp2 region were found. Conclusions Phylogenetic analysis based on ORF5 sequences indicated the diversity of PRRSV in southern parts of China and the strains with 30 aa deletion in nsp2 are dominant in the porcine population. Also, new PRRSV strains with different patterns of deletions or insertions in nsp2 are emerging. The data presented here constitute a useful basis for further epidemiological studies regarding the heterogeneity of PRRSV strains in China and provide a basis for the prevention of PRRS in southern parts of China.

Objective: The coexistence of maternal malignancy and pregnancy has received increasing attention in Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) studies. Malignancy in pregnant women potentially affects the copy number variation (CNV) profile in NIPT results. Only one case of hematologic cancer has been reported in a Hong-Kong pregnant women, and solid tumors have never been reported in pregnant Chinese women. Case report: The patients with dysgerminoma and cervical cancer showed aberrant chromosomal aneuploidies in NIPT and concordant patterns of genome disruption in tumor tissues. The genomic aberrations in the gastric cancer patient had similar copy number variation pattern of gastric cancer. Conclusion: The findings in this study and the literature review further validate the effect of maternal malignancy on the copy number variation profile in NIPT data and strengthen the possibility of detecting malignant tumors with NIPT in the future. Keywords: Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), Copy number variation (CNV) profile, Massively parallel sequencing, Maternal malignancy, Multiple aneuploidies

Prefabricated box culvert is a new structure in road engineering, whose health is very important to road safety. The use of acoustic emission (AE) as a detection method and the use of other improved algorithms to evaluate the damage of prefabricated box culverts are still insufficient. In this paper, two kinds of prefabricated box culverts are tested and studied, and the damage process of the box culverts is analysed based on the AE parameters of the box culvert using the traditional fuzzy C-means method (FCM). In addition, an improved algorithm based on the combination of grid density and distance (G-DFCM) was proposed, which was simulated and applied to the AE data analysis of the prefabricated box culvert. The research results show that the application effect of the G-DFCM algorithm is good, which not only overcomes the shortcomings of the original algorithm but also improves the effectiveness of the algorithm. This work can provide a supplement to the damage identification of fabricated box culverts.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has had a devastating impact on the pig industry in China, and monitoring its genetic diversity is important for epidemiological surveillance and understanding its evolution. Here, we determine the complete genome sequences of two PRRSV strains, GXYL1403 and GXNN1839. Comparative, phylogenetic, and recombination detection program analyses show that the two isolates are recombinant strains with large-fragment amino acid deletions in nsp2. GXYL1403 possesses a unique deletion region of 124 amino acids in nsp2, and GXNN1839 contains a deletion of 131 amino acids in nsp2 as compared with VR2332. Further analysis of the full-length sequence suggests that GXYL1403 is a natural recombinant between sublineages 8.1 (CH-1a like) and 8.3 (JXA1-like). The recombination site of GXYL1403 is located in nsp9–nsp12 (8961nt−11181nt). GXNN1839 is a natural recombinant between the lineage 5 (VR-2332-like) and lineage 1 (NADC30-like) strains. The recombination events occurred in nsp9 (7872nt-8162nt) and in ORF2 (12587nt−13282nt) in the genome of GXNN1839. These results provide new evidence that PRRSV strains circulating in the environment have undergone recombination among the different lineages or sublineages of field strains, and these add to our understanding of RNA combination events that occur in PRRSV.

Air traffic controllers have to make quick decisions to keep air traffic safe. Their behaviors have a significant impact on the operation of the air traffic management (ATM) system. Automation tools have enhanced the ATM system’s capability by reducing the controller’s task-load. Much attention has been devoted to developing advanced automation in the last decade. However, less is known about the impact of automation on the behaviors of air traffic controllers. Here, we empirically tested the effects of three levels of automation—including manual, attention-guided, and automated—as well as varying traffic levels on eye movements, situation awareness and mental workload. The results showed that there are significant differences in the gaze and saccade behaviors between the attention-guided group and automated group. Traffic affected eye movements under the manual mode or under the attention-guided mode, but had no effect on eye movements under the automated mode. The results also supported the use of automation for enhancing situation awareness while reducing mental workload. Our work has potential implications for the design of automation and operation procedures.

Rubber aggregates produced from waste rubber materials and environmentally friendly basalt fibers are excellent concrete modification materials, which significantly improve the working performance and mechanical properties of concrete. This paper studied the influences of water-binder ratio, basalt fiber content and rubber content on the properties of rubber-basalt fiber modified concrete (RBFC). Based on the response surface method (RSM), optimization schemes of three preparation parameters were designed. The results showed that all preparation parameters have significant impacts on the slump. The rubber content has a closer relationship with the compressive strength and the quadratic term of the basalt fiber content has a significant impact on the flexural strength. According to the analysis, the optimal mix ratio which possesses reliable accuracy compared with experimental results includes a water-binder ratio of 0.39, a basalt fiber content of 4.56 kg/m3 and a rubber content of 10%,

The paper presents a panel-based robotic mannequin for garment fitting. This robot can deform the shell panels and change their positions to simulate different consumers’ body shapes. Then it will replace consumers to try on the clothes remotely, so as to avoid the troubles caused by geographical location. This paper mainly introduces the structural design and optimization of a new fitting robot, which comprises the optimization of the shell panels, the design of the mechanical structure, and the optimization of the control system. Furthermore, to obtain the fitting results of different body postures, we design a detachable arm structure. Based on the above work, we develop a new prototype of the female robotic mannequin. The testing results show that the accuracy of the deformation and the stability of the whole structure are improved. The fitting robot can accurately simulate most of the female human bodies and smoothly complete the remote fitting process. It can be applied to garment e-commerce, personalized customization and virtual fitting.

Marine fish are generally unable or have low ability for the biosynthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) from C18 PUFA precursors, with some notable exceptions including the herbivorous marine teleost Siganus canaliculatus in which such a capability was recently demonstrated. To determine whether this is a unique feature of S. canaliculatus or whether it is common to the herbivorous marine teleosts, LC-PUFA biosynthetic pathways were investigated in the herbivorous euryhaline Scatophagus argus. A putative desaturase gene was cloned and functionally characterized, and tissue expression and nutritional regulation were investigated. The full-length cDNA was 1972 bp, containing a 1338 bp open-reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 445 amino acids, which possessed all the characteristic features of fatty acyl desaturase (Fad). Functional characterization by heterologous expression in yeast showed the protein product of the cDNA efficiently converted 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 to 18:4n-3 and 18:3n-6, respectively, indicating Δ6 desaturation activity. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that highest Δ6 fad mRNA expression was detected in liver followed by brain, with lower expression in other tissues including intestine, eye, muscle, adipose, heart kidney and gill, and lowest expression in stomach and spleen. The expression of Δ6 fad was significantly affected by dietary lipid and, especially, fatty acid composition, with highest expression of mRNA in liver of fish fed a diet with a ratio of 18:3n-3/18:2n-6 of 1.72:1. The results indicated that S. argus may have a different LC-PUFA biosynthetic system from S. canaliculatus despite possessing similar habitats and feeding habits suggesting that LC-PUFA biosynthesis may not be common to all marine herbivorous teleosts.

The mechanical properties of the rotary drilling system are analyzed in depth and the complex mechanical behaviors of integral tubular strings and the effects of joints are studied. The results show that before the mechanical calculation of the drilling string, the inversion of the friction coefficient by the near-well data can improve the calculation accuracy of the friction and torque of the string. Rotating casing can ensure smooth running in the extended well. The injection of light medium can alleviate the axial force, but it is not enough to ensure safe running, which needs to be combined with the rotating casing method. By increasing the rotation per minute and reducing the weight on bit, the buckle of drill string can be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), a widely used and environmentally significant legacy brominated flame retardant, is frequently found in farmland soil near electronic waste disposal sites and manufacturing facilities. Due to their high adsorption and dehalogenation capabilities, nanoparticles have become a prominent solution for soil remediation. Herein, Cu/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) were prepared and the use of these particles was investigated for the removal of BDE-209 from soil. Optimal conditions, including 9.1 wt% Cu loading and acidic environments, were identified to enhance the removal efficiency. The process involves desorption from soil, adsorption onto BNPs, and subsequent degradation. The contributions of adsorption and degradation were investigated by isolating the BNPs after the experiments conducted herein. Initially, adsorption played an important role, accounting for 25 %–38 % of the total removal, but this decreased to 14 % to 20 % as the reaction progressed, reaching at the equilibrium adsorption capacity after ∼3 h. Notably, hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) congeners were absent in all soil, BNP, and aqueous solution samples, indicating that stepwise debromination primarily drives the degradation process.