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Ecological traits are functional characteristics measurable at the species level and provide valuable insights into how organisms respond to environmental constraints. Here, we investigated how diatom trait‐groups and individual species respond to environmental variables, and identified indicator species that are particularly sensitive to environmental variation. Diatoms were sampled at 129 sites in the subarctic streams of Norwegian islands and mainland, and were categorised into three trait groups: high‐profile species that live in an erect position, low‐profile species living in low position along the surface, and motile diatoms. Data were analysed using a recently developed method known as Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities, which is a flexible framework for joint species distribution modelling. We found that diatom trait‐groups responded relatively weakly to measured environmental variables but showed positive or negative relationships with major ion levels of the water (e.g., conductivity, calcium [Ca2+], sodium [Na+] or chlorine [Cl−]). Variance partitioning showed a similar, important contribution of the chemical variables for all of the trait groups, while the contributions of physical variables and especially random (spatial) factors were notably lower for all trait groups. Our findings also highlighted considerable among‐species variation in their relation to environmental variables within the trait groups. Notably, we identified a high number of indicator species within each trait group that were explained by specific environmental factors, mostly chemical variables (conductivity, pH, total nitrogen and phosphorus, Ca2+, Na+, Cl−). Our study suggests that certain diatom species can be considered as useful environmental indicators but the variability in species preferences within the trait group may in some circumstances hamper the use of ecological traits in environmental assessments. Thus, we suggest using species‐level ecology combined with trait information to better track environmental change when using diatoms as indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo vinegar is a liquid biomass with a huge yield and complex chemical composition. At present, the relative quantification of bamboo vinegar has been investigated in most studies. To analyze twelve compounds from bamboo vinegar simultaneously, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and an external standard method were used to develop an analytical method. In this method, chromatographic separations of all compounds were above 1.5. The linear range was between 0.100 and 10.000 mg/L, and the coefficient of determination (R2) was between 0.9981 and 0.9997, indicating a good linear relationship. The limit of detection (LOD) was between 0.004 and 0.780 mg/L; the limit of quantitation (LOQ) was between 0.016 and 3.120 mg/L; the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of instrument precision and method stability were less than 8%; the recovery rate was between 89.25% and 113.77%, and its RSD was between 0.44% and 5.70%. Using this method, fourteen bamboo vinegars and six wood vinegars were analyzed, and it was found that the content of propionic acid, phenol, and 2-methoxyphenol was higher in most samples. In addition, the differences in physicochemical properties between distilled bamboo vinegar and its original solution after atmospheric distillation were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The instability of product quality and low printing efficiency are the main obstacles to the widespread application of 3D printing in the manufacturing industry. Optimizing printing parameters can substantially improve product quality and printing efficiency. However, existing methods for optimizing process parameters primarily rely on computationally expensive numerical simulations or costly physical experiments, which cannot balance model accuracy and experiment cost. To the best of our knowledge, almost no relevant papers have been found to address the issues of product quality and printing efficiency in 3D printing from experimental data‐driven perspective. In this paper, we propose a method that integrates multiobjective Bayesian optimization (MOBO) with experimental data‐driven, aiming at obtaining more accurate optimization results at a lower cost. Distinguishing from previous studies, the proposed method utilizes experimental data instead of predicted values to update the model and find the optimal process parameters based on expected hypervolume improvement. The results of the 3D printing case study show that the proposed method can better model and optimize the highly fluctuating 3D printing process and obtain the optimal process parameters at a much lower cost. In addition, confirmatory experiments verify that the proposed method achieves higher printing efficiency while maintaining product quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ear rot caused by the Fusarium species has led to a decline in maize yield and kernel quality worldwide. The changes in the population structure of pathogens and the widespread planting of susceptible maize varieties have exacerbated the occurrence and harm of ear rot in China. Therefore, it is very important to establish the species composition of Fusarium and evaluate the resistance of the main cultivated hybrids. In this study, 366 single conidial isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained from three provinces of Northeast China. F. verticillioides, F. subglutinans, F. proliferatum, F. oxysporum, and F. graminearum species complex (FGSC) were identified, with F. verticillioides being the most prevalent with a frequency of 44.0%. Based on the TEF-1α gene sequences analysis, the FGSC populations consisted of two independent species: F. boothii and F. graminearum, which account for 23.8% and 5.7% of the total isolates, respectively. Additionally, the resistance to ear rot by 97 maize hybrids commonly planted in Northeast China was evaluated by inoculation with F. verticillioides during 2021 and 2022. The results showed that the disease parameters of different hybrids varied significantly (p < 0.05). Approximately half of the hybrids had damage rates ranging from 0 to 15%, and 79.4% of the hybrids had a severity rating of less than 5.5. In total, 49 (50.5%) hybrids were rated as moderately resistant, which was the dominant resistance category, and 71 hybrids (73.2%) were identified as moderately to highly resistant to ear rot. Current research confirms that Fusarium ear rot in maize is mainly caused by F. verticillioides in Northeast China, and many hybrids are resistant to the disease. This study will guide growers to scientifically deploy resistant commercial hybrids to control ear rot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban surface water is an important freshwater resource, and the surface water environment is increasingly being destroyed. Dynamic monitoring of surface water is of great significance for protecting the ecological environment. Remote sensing technology provides technical support for surface water monitoring, which overcomes the drawbacks of traditional manual sampling. It has been widely applied in surface water monitoring. The paper systematically reviews the research progress of remote sensing technology in surface water monitoring from the aspects of remote sensing data, inversion models and water quality parameters. Advantages and disadvantages of inversion models (analytical methods, empirical methods, semi-empirical methods, machine learning methods and comprehensive methods) are compared and analysed. Furthermore, we summarize the research progress of remote sensing technology in monitoring chlorophyll a (Chl-a), total suspended matter (TSM), coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM), transparency and non-photosensitive parameters. Although remote sensing technology provides new ideas for surface water monitoring, there are still some problems that need to be solved, such as remote sensing signals being affected by the atmosphere, poor portability of inversion models, low resolution of satellite sensors, and susceptibility to external factors. Therefore, future research should combine multi-source data, conduct in-depth research on the optical characteristics of surface water bodies, optimize inversion methods, construct transferable inversion models, break through temporal and spatial limitations, and promote the rapid development of surface water pollution monitoring and warning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of information technology and machine learning fuels the rapid evolution of today's educational landscape. Revolutions in both fields and a common goal of improving education drive this transformative journey. In a time when resources and information are more readily available than ever, traditional teaching strategies are changing to include digital tools that meet the various needs of students. For a teaching services support system (TSS), this paper proposed a novel machine learning-based model that utilizes the powerful backpropagation (BP) neural network, well known for its machine learning and data analysis capabilities. Increasing the effectiveness of online learning is the primary objective of the TSS, which focuses on contributing to a complete learning environment and promoting self-directed learning. This work closely examines the construction and functionality of the BP neural network within the TSS, contribution visions into input–output mechanisms, activation functions, and weight coefficients. This novel approach can bring concerning a digital age educational revolution by increasing the effectiveness and caliber of online learning, rekindling students' enthusiasm for learning, and making the best use of teaching resources. In addition, the research explores the field of data-mining-based online teaching support services in Open Universities. It clarifies the system's architecture, which includes virtual teaching modules, resource management, and user authentication. Machine learning methods such as adaptive genetic algorithms and BP neural networks optimize the system's architecture. Experimental results achieved remarkable BP neural network accuracy and stability, significantly enhancing instructional quality and student engagement. The results show an impressive 83.4% accuracy, outperforming traditional methods such as SVM, KNN, DT, RF, and XGBoost. This demonstrates how learning outcomes and productivity can be enhanced by incorporating machine learning into education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In robust parameter design for blocked experiments, the correlation of response observations within each block and model parameter uncertainty often impact acquiring ideal operating conditions. In this paper, a Bayesian mixed regression-based multi-response surface modeling and optimization method is suggested to address the above issues. Firstly, the mixed effects model is incorporated into the Bayesian framework, and posterior distributions of the model parameters are derived using Bayes' theorem. Secondly, the hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm is employed to calculate the model parameters. Thirdly, the expected quality loss function satisfying the specification is constructed to lessen the impact of outliers on the results of optimization, and the optimal factor settings are obtained by the hybrid genetic algorithm. In addition, the posterior probability is used to assess the conformance of the optimization results. Finally, a simulated study and real-world example of the additive manufacturing process are used to illustrate the viability of the proposed method. Compared with the current techniques, the proposed method can reduce the impact of model uncertainty on the modeling and optimization results, leading to more conformant and robust optimization results. • The correlation of observations within block and model parameter uncertainty are considered. • The priors of covariance of random effect and standard deviation of random error are extended to non-conjugate priors. • Compared with MCMC, the HMC algorithm improves efficiency. • In the blocked experiment, both quality loss and the conformance of optimization results are simultaneously considered. • On the application side, the problem of quality design for multiple 3D printers printing simultaneously is solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNA (circRNA) plays multiple roles in the development of esophageal cancer (EC). Herein, we investigate the function of circ_0001944 in EC progression and the related mechanism. Expression of circ_0001944, microRNA-338-5p (miR-338-5p), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1), E-cadherin and N-cadherin was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting or immunohistochemistry assay. Cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration were investigated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), flow cytometry, transwell invasion and wound-healing assays, respectively. Glucose consumption was detected by Glucose Assay Kit. Lactate production was analyzed by Lactate Assay Kit. ATP/ADP ratio was determined by ADP/ATP ratio Assay Kit. The associations among circ_0001944, miR-338-5p and PDK1 were identified by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. Xenograft mouse model assay was used to explore the role of circ_0001944 on tumor tumorigenesis in vivo. Circ_0001944 and PDK1 expression were significantly upregulated, while miR-338-5p was downregulated in EC tissues and cells in contrast with normal esophageal tissues and cells. Circ_0001944 knockdown inhibited EC cell proliferation, invasion, migration and glycolysis but induced apoptosis. Meanwhile, circ_0001944 depletion suppressed tumor tumorigenesis in vivo. Mechanistically, circ_0001944 bound to miR-338-5p, and miR-338-5p targeted PDK1. In addition, miR-338-5p inhibitors attenuated circ_0001944 depletion-induced effects in EC cells. The regulation of miR-338-5p on EC progression involved the downregulation of PDK1. Further, circ_0001944 controlled PDK1 expression through miR-338-5p. Circ_0001944 knockdown inhibited EC development and glycolysis by regulating the miR-338-5p/PDK1 pathway, providing a promising target for EC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of industrialization generated an urgent requirement for the catalytic conversion of CO2 into high-value-added chemical products. Herein, a class of novel bifunctional metalloporphyrin-based hyper-crosslinked ionic polymer (ImHCP-Co) was synthesized via one-pot Friedel–Crafts alkylation and quaternization reactions. The obtained bifunctional ImHCP-Co showed a high BET surface area and sufficient CO2 adsorption capacity. Relying on the synergistic effect of the electrophilic and nucleophilic functionalities, the as-prepared ImHCP-Co showed an excellent performance in CO2 cycloaddition using epichlorohydrin as the substrate (99% conversion and 99% selectivity) and can be carried out without any solvents or cocatalysts to afford a high turnover number. Importantly, it could also convert various epoxide substrates into the corresponding cyclic carbonates and can maintain 82.5% of its catalytic ability after 5 cycles. The catalytic mechanism was systematically explained by DFT calculation and proved the cooperative effect of Co2+ centers and nucleophilic Cl− in the catalytic process. This study provides a new avenue for the design and preparation of HCP-based multifunctional catalysts used for the treatment of greenhouse gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an vital neurotransmitter, and the reaction to obtain GABA through biocatalysis requires coenzymes, which are therefore limited in the production of GABA. In this study, polyacrylamide hydrogels doped with chitosan and waste toner were synthesized for glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and coenzyme co-immobilization to realize the production of GABA and the recovery of coenzymes. Enzymatic properties of immobilized GAD were discussed. The immobilized enzymes have significantly improved pH and temperature tolerance compared to free enzymes. In terms of reusability, after 10 repeated reuses of the immobilized GAD, the residual enzyme activity of immobilized GAD still retains 100% of the initial enzyme activity, and the immobilized coenzyme can also be kept at about 32%, with better stability and reusability. And under the control of no exogenous pH, immobilized GAD showed good performance in producing GABA. Therefore, in many ways, the new composite hydrogel provides another way for the utilization of waste toner and promises the possibility of industrial production of GABA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is a fundamental indicator of plant growth status in agronomy and environmental research. With the rapid development of drone technology, the estimation of crop LAI based on drone imagery and vegetation indices is becoming increasingly popular. However, there is still a lack of detailed research on the feasibility of using image texture to estimate LAI and the impact of combining texture indices with vegetation indices on LAI estimation accuracy. In this study, two key growth stages of winter wheat (i.e., the stages of green-up and jointing) were selected, and LAI was calculated using digital hemispherical photography. The feasibility of predicting winter wheat LAI was explored under three conditions: vegetation index, texture index, and a combination of vegetation index and texture index, at flight heights of 20 m and 40 m. Two feature selection methods (Lasso and recursive feature elimination) were combined with four machine learning regression models (multiple linear regression, random forest, support vector machine, and backpropagation neural network). The results showed that during the vegetative growth stage of winter wheat, the model combining texture information with vegetation indices performed better than the models using vegetation indices alone or texture information alone. Among them, the best prediction result based on vegetation index was RFECV-MLR at a flight height of 40 m (R2 = 0.8943, RMSE = 0.4139, RRMSE = 0.1304, RPD = 3.0763); the best prediction result based on texture index was RFECV-RF at a flight height of 40 m (R2 = 0.8894, RMSE = 0.4236, RRMSE = 0.1335, RPD = 3.0063); and the best prediction result combining texture and index was RFECV-RF at a flight height of 40 m (R2 = 0.9210, RMSE = 0.3579, RRMSE = 0.1128, RPD = 3.5575). The results of this study demonstrate that combining vegetation indices and texture from multispectral drone imagery can improve the accuracy of LAI estimation during the vegetative growth stage of winter wheat. In addition, selecting a flight height of 40 m can improve efficiency in large-scale agricultural field monitoring, as this study showed that drone data at flight heights of 20 m and 40 m did not significantly affect model accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf blight disease (LBD) caused by Pantoea agglomerans is a newly emerged oat disease in China that causes great economic and yield losses of oat production. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of 13 antimicrobial agents against P. agglomerans and recommend agents with better control efficacy for use. The antibacterial potential of four concentrations of each agent was evaluated under in vitro conditions. Zhongshengmycin and ethylicin were the most effective in inhibiting the growth of P. agglomerans; their bacteriostatic rates (85.0% and 84.8%, respectively) were higher while EC50 lower (0.31 and 0.90, respectively) than other agents. The greenhouse and field experiment suggested that the greatest fresh weight per plant (57.26 g and 57.93 g), forage yield (22.53 t/ha and 22.21 t/ha) and control efficacy (>75%) were obtained after spraying twice with zhongshengmycin or ethylicin in the LBD occurrence phase, with lower yields and control by kasugamycin + dicopper chloride trihydroxide, kasugamycin + oxine copper, benziothiazolinone, copper hydroxide, phenanthrenecarboxylicacid, copper, picoxystrobin, chloroisobromine cyanuric acid, oxathiapiprolin or azoxystrobin. Foliar application of zhongshengmycin or ethylicin can therefore be used for the effective management of LBD of oat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) is characterized by a violent cytokine storm-driven inflammation and is associated with a predisposition to severe disease. The treatment strategy for HTG-AP consists mainly of conventional symptomatic and lipid-lowering treatments. For early-stage HTG-AP, blood purification (BP) can rapidly and effectively reduce serum triglyceride and inflammatory cytokine levels, block the development of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and improve patient outcomes. Currently, the primary modalities for BP in patients with HTG-AP include plasma exchange, hemoperfusion, and hemofiltration. When using BP to treat patients with HTG-AP, a comprehensive analysis incorporating the elevated lipid levels and severity of the patient's condition contributes to the selection of different treatment modes. Moreover, the timing of the treatment is also imperative. Early intervention is associated with a better prognosis for patients with HTG-AP requiring lipid-lowering treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning (ML) has been applied in civil engineering to predict the compressive strength of concrete with high accuracy. In this paper, five boosting ensemble algorithms, i.e., XGBoost, AdaBoost, GBDT, LightGBM, and CatBoost, were used to predict the compressive strength of high-performance concrete (HPC). The models were evaluated using performance indicators such as R2, root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE). The results showed that the CatBoost model had the highest accuracy with a R2 (0.970) and a RMSE (2.916). The prediction accuracy of the model was increased through hyperparameter optimization, which got a higher with a R2 (0.975) and a RMSE (2.863). Meanwhile, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was used to explain the output results of the optimal model (CatBoost), which generated explainable insights that further revealed the complex relationship between the prediction model parameters. The results showed that AGE, W/B, and W/C had the most impact on high-performance concrete compressive strength (HPCCS) prediction, which was similar to the results of sensitivity analysis. This study provided a theoretical basis and technical guidance for developing the mix design of a new high-performance concrete (HPC) system. In the future, the interpretable results of the model output should be iteratively checked and validated in the actual laboratory in order to provide guidance for engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In robust parameter design (RPD), estimating the response surface model from the noisy experimental data is critical for parameter optimization. The multivariate Gaussian process (MGP) model has become a popular tool for response surface modelling. However, most existing MGP models may not effectively evaluate the uncertainty of noisy data. This article proposes a stochastic MGP for efficient emulation and robust optimization by considering uncertainty. Firstly, the hierarchical modelling technique is adopted to estimate the relationship model with noisy data. Secondly, the hyperparameters are estimated by the Gibbs technique, and the Bayesian averaging method is used to measure the parameter uncertainty. Finally, a novel optimization model integrated with the Bayesian averaging and quality loss function is developed to find the optimal solution. Two case studies are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed approach obtains smaller quality loss than the existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge about elevational β diversity patterns and processes is limited for microorganisms, especially in sensitive aquatic ecosystems at high latitudes. Our aim is to investigate elevational β diversity patterns and underlying assembly processes for three biofilm microbial groups in subarctic freshwater ponds.We sampled 89 ponds covering an elevational gradient from 10 to 1038 m above sea level in subarctic Finland and Norway. The microbial groups studied included benthic diatoms, cyanobacteria, and bacteria (i.e., bacteria other than cyanobacteria). We expected to find elevational distance decay in community similarity, driven primarily by variation in the local environment. We further tested whether the level of β diversity decreased towards higher elevations, and whether the relative influence of deterministic and stochastic processes on community assembly changed along the elevational gradient, with increasing effect of deterministic processes at higher elevations under more extreme environmental conditions. As statistical methods, we used generalised dissimilarity modelling, Mantel tests, and a null model with Raup–Crick dissimilarities.For all microbial groups, community dissimilarities increased with increasing environmental or elevational distances. The pure effects of environment were significant for all groups, and pH was the most important variable affecting community dissimilarities. Mean community dissimilarities generally decreased with elevation for all microbial groups. The communities were influenced by both deterministic and stochastic processes, the former of which was stronger towards higher elevations. The influence of deterministic processes was strongest for bacteria. Generally, the communities under deterministic control were more similar to each other than expected by chance.Elevational β diversity patterns of subarctic pond microorganisms primarily reflected environmental effects, showing decreasing β diversity towards high elevations owing to stronger environmental filtering. The relative effects of deterministic or stochastic assembly processes varied among microbial groups, highlighting the need for including multiple groups when studying biodiversity patterns and underlying ecological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional robust parameter design methods mainly focus on the optimization of quantitative quality characteristics. However, computer experiments involving qualitative and quantitative mixed input and output occur frequently in the manufacturing industry, which prompted the authors to develop an effective meta-modeling and optimization technique for such experiments. This article combines the latent variable Gaussian process (LVGP) model and fuzzy set theory to create a mixed multi-response LVGP (MMR-LVGP) model involving qualitative and quantitative mixed input and output. Then, the optimization scheme is established by comprehensively weighing the location and dispersion effects of each quality characteristic to find the joint optimal solution of qualitative and quantitative factors. Numerical and industrial cases are used to illustrate the validity of the proposed method in the modeling and optimization of experimental data with qualitative and quantitative mixed input and output or spatio-temporal structure. The comparison results indicate that the proposed method is preferred over existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical J2 plasticity theory is the most popular continuum plasticity model. However, this plasticity theory is inapplicable for some metals due to the tension/compression asymmetry behavior. According to our previous study, the tension and compression mechanical response of laser-solid-formed Ti–6Al–4V alloy was significantly different in not only yield stress but also work hardening rate. In this study, effects of temperature and strain rate on the tension/compression asymmetry behavior of laser-solid-formed Ti-6Al-4V alloy were analyzed. Through mechanism discussion, different activations of slip systems and deformation twinning were considered to be the main causes of the tension/compression asymmetry. Finally, an improved constitutive model was developed, considering the synergistic effects of temperature, strain rate, and stress state on the plastic behavior of laser-solid-formed Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The calibrated model can accurately describe the temperature and strain rate dependences of the tension/compression asymmetry behavior. To verify the applicability of the developed constitutive model at different stress state, dynamic shear tests and finite element simulations were conducted at different temperatures. The improved constitutive model was shown to be able to predict the plastic behavior of laser-solid-formed Ti–6Al–4V alloy at different stress states over a wide range of temperatures and strain rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smale pointed out a very important problem in dynamical systems theory is to find the minimal set. In this paper, we show that if a flow on compact metric space has the M 0 -shadowing property or the M 1 2 -shadowing property, then it is chain transitive. In addition, we prove that a Lyapunov stable flow with the M 0 -shadowing or the M 1 2 -shadowing is topologically transitive. Furthermore, it also is a minimal flow. As an application, we obtain that a C1 generic vector field X ^ of a closed smooth 3-dimensional manifold with Sing (X ^) = ∅ is Anosov provided that it has the M 0 -shadowing property or the M 1 2 -shadowing property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs) are involved in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. However, the roles and mechanisms of ADAMs in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remain unclear. Transactivator of transcription (Tat) induces inflammatory response in astrocytes, thereby leading to neuronal apoptosis in the central nervous system. In this study, we determined that ADAM17 expression was upregulated during soluble Tat stimulus in HEB astroglial cells. Inhibition of ADAM17 suppressed Tat-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines production and rescued the astrocytes-derived conditioned media (ACM)-mediated SH-SY5Y neural cells apoptosis. Moreover, ADAM17 mediated Tat-triggered inflammatory response in a NF-κB-dependent manner. Conversely, Tat induced ADAM17 expression via NF-κB signaling pathway. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB signaling inhibited Tat-induced inflammatory response, which could be rescued by overexpression of ADAM17. Taken together, our study clarifies the potential role of the ADAM17/NF-κB feedback loop in Tat-induced inflammatory response in astrocytes and the ACM-mediated neuronal death, which could be a novel therapeutic target for relief of HAND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flange joints with spigots are widely used in aero-engines. The spigot will restrict the shear slipping between flanges, which, in turn, affects the stiffness characteristics of the joint. The current model and research on flange joints without spigots may not be suitable for the dynamic characteristics of aero-engines. Moreover, the complexity of contact pairs limits the application of the flange joint finite element (FE) model in aero-engine dynamics analysis. Therefore, a simplified analytical model of a flange joint with a spigot is proposed in this paper. First, the stiffness characteristic of the flange joint with a spigot is studied using the FE method. Second, a corresponding experiment is executed to verify the result of the FE analysis. Furthermore, based on the former FE and experimental analysis, one section of a flange joint is simulated by the Jenkins friction model and a spring. Then, a simplified analytical model of the entire flange joint is built according to the different statuses of each section. Finally, a simulation analysis of the stiffness characteristic is performed. The result shows that the simplified analytical model can be utilized to describe the bending stiffness characteristic of the flange joint with a spigot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In production design processes, multiple correlated responses with different distributions are often encountered. The existing literature usually assumes that they follow normal distributions for computational convenience, and then analyzes these responses using traditional parametric methods. A few research papers assume that they follow the same type of distribution, such as the t-distribution, and then use a multivariate joint distribution to deal with the correlation. However, these methods give a poor approximation to the actual problem and may lead to the recommended settings that yield substandard products. In this article, we propose a new method for the robust parameter design that can solve the above problems. Specifically, a semiparametric model is used to estimate the margins, and then a joint distribution function is constructed using a multivariate copula function. Finally, the probability that the responses meet the specifications simultaneously is used to obtain the optimal settings. The advantages of the proposed method lie in the consideration of multiple correlation patterns among responses, the absence of restrictions on the response distributions, and the use of nonparametric smoothing to reduce the risk of model misspecification. The results of the case study and the simulation study validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pb and BHA in Pb-BHA-NaOL collector assembled by lead nitrate (Pb), benzohydroxamic acid (BHA), and sodium oleate (NaOL) with a 240:120:1 molar ratio in scheelite flotation have the common defects of flotation reagents including high cost, environmental pollution and reducing hydrometallurgy efficiency. Therefore, in this study, the efficient desorption and reuse of Pb and BHA adsorbed on the scheelite surfaces was first proposed. The desorption test results showed that 80.71% Pb and 70.93% BHA could be efficiently desorbed from the scheelite concentrate surfaces through strong stirring for 15 min at pH 13.0 and a speed of 1600 r/min. The reuse of the desorbed collector could save 67% Pb and 75% BHA. The results of desorption and reuse tests of the real ore also exhibited high feasibility in industrial application. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that Pb-O, C=O, and C-N groups of Pb and BHA adsorbed on the scheelite surfaces obviously weakened or disappeared. Atomic force microscopy analysis further confirmed that most of the Pb and BHA on the scheelite surfaces were removed. Therefore, this work not only solves the above defects of the collector but also provides a reference for the desorption and reuse of other flotation reagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the stabilisation and set stabilisation problems for a class of switched Boolean control networks (SBCNs) with periodic switching signal via a semi-tensor product method. First, algebraic forms are constructed for SBCNs with periodic switching signal. Second, based on the algebraic formulations, the stabilisation and set stabilisation of SBCNs with periodic switching signal are discussed, and some new results are presented. Furthermore, constructive procedure of open loop controllers is given, and the design algorithms of switching signal-dependent state feedback controllers via antecedence solution technique are derived. The study of illustrative examples shows the good performance of the methods presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water security in the ecotone between semi-humid and semi-arid regions (EHA) is very vulnerable and sensitive to climate change and human interferences. Urban turf irrigation is a primary consumer of urban water resources in the EHA, which places huge pressures on water security by substantial irrigated water use due to the expansion of urban turf planting. Based on a 2-year (2020–2021) turf experiment in Zhangjiakou City, a typical water-deficit city in the EHA of northern China, the water budget for turf was measured and analyzed. Furthermore, the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) was employed to evaluate the optimal irrigation scheme for turf. The results showed that the average volumetric water content in the 0–40 cm soil layer was maintained above 23% in 2020–2021. The evapotranspiration in growth period of turf accounted for more than 70% of the annual evapotranspiration, and the deep seepage in turf soil accounted for 49.67% and 60.28% of the total precipitation and irrigation in 2020 and 2021, respectively, during the vigorous growth period of the turf from May to September. The calibrated RZWQM2 showed a robust ability to simulate the water changes in turf. The d-values (consistency index) between the simulated and observed volumetric water contents and evapotranspiration were both greater than 0.90. In the aspects of irrigation scenarios, the T60%-12 scenario (TA-B, where A is 100%, 80%, 60% or 40% of the total irrigation amount and B is the number of irrigation events corresponding to A) was determined as the best irrigation schedule in our study area because of lower evapotranspiration, seepage and higher turf soil water storage under this irrigation scenario, also resulting from the comparison of different irrigation scenarios using the entropy-weight-TOPSIS method. In such an optimal scenario, T60%-12 irrigation treatment reduced the irrigated water requirement of turf by 40% (142.06 mm) and the seepage amount by 28.07% (39.05 mm), and had the lowest negative impacts on the turf growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an organic−inorganic thermoelectric composite material, a flexible, reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/silver sulfide (Ag2S)/methyl cellulose (MC) film was fabricated by a two-step method. Firstly, a rGO/Ag2S composite powder was prepared by a chemical synthesis method, and then, the rGO/Ag2S/MC composite film was prepared by a combined screen printing and annealing treatment process. The rGO and rGO/Ag2S composite powders were evenly dispersed in the rGO/Ag2S/MC composite films. A power factor of 115 μW m−1 K−2 at 520 K was acquired for the rGO/Ag2S/MC composite film, which is ~958 times higher than the power factor at 360 K (0.12 μW m−1 K−2), mainly due to the significant increase in the electrical conductivity of the composite film from 0.006 S/cm to 210.18 S/cm as the test temperature raised from 360 K to 520 K. The as-prepared rGO/Ag2S/MC composite film has a good flexibility, which shows a huge potential for the application of flexible, wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wear of the tibial insert is one of the primary factors leading to the failure of total knee arthroplasty. As materials age, their wear performance often degrades. Supplementing highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) with dodecyl gallate (DG) can improve the oxidation stability of tibial inserts for use in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study aimed to evaluate the wear resistance of HXLPE supplemented with DG (HXLPE-DG) tibial inserts before and after accelerated aging. HXLPE-DG tibial inserts were subjected to wear testing of up to 5 million loading cycles according to ISO 14243, and the resulting wear particles were analyzed according to ISO 17853. The wear rate, number, size, and shape of the wear particles were analyzed. The average wear rate of the unaged samples was 4.39 ± 0.75 mg/million cycles and was 3.22 ± 1.49 mg/million cycles for the aged samples. The unaged tibial inserts generated about 2.80 × 107 particles/mL following the wear test, but this was considerably lower for the aged samples at about 1.35 × 107 particles/mL. The average equivalent circle diameter (ECD) of the wear particles from the unaged samples was 0.13 μm (max: 0.80 μm; min: 0.04 μm), and it was 0.14 μm (max: 0.66 μm; min: 0.06 μm) from the aged samples. Moreover, 22.1% of the wear particles from the unaged samples had an aspect ratio (AR) of >4 (slender shape), while this was 15.4% for the aged samples. HXLPE-DG improves the wear performance of the material over time. HXLPE-DG is a novel material that has been demonstrated to have antiaging properties and high wear resistance, making it a promising candidate for use in TKA. Nevertheless, the results are preliminary and will be clarified in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the robust control invariance and robust set stabilization problems based on a semi‐tensor product method for a class of mix‐valued logical control networks (MVLCNs) with disturbances. First, a calculation method for the largest robust control invariant subset contained in a given set is proposed. Second, based on the robust control invariant subset, the robust set stabilization of MVLCNs is discussed, and new results are presented. Furthermore, the design algorithm of time‐optimal state feedback stabilizers via antecedence solution technique is derived. The study of an illustrative example shows the effectiveness of the obtained new results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wasp Anastatus disparis is an egg endoparasitoid of a number of Lepidopteran pest species. To better understand the A. disparis olfactory system, we observed the antennal sensilla of males and females under a scanning electron microscope and quantified their sizes and morphological characteristics. We identified the types of sensilla and counted the numbers and locations of the different types on the dorsal and ventral antennal surfaces. The antennae of A. disparis are geniculate, with flagella that comprise 11 subsegments in females and eight in males. The mean antenna length was 1324.10 ± 52.50 μm in females and 1323.93 ± 65.20 μm in males. Ten sensillum types were identified in both sexes: Böhm bristles (BBs), sensilla trichodea (ST, with subtypes STI and STII), sensilla chaetica (SCh), sensilla basiconica (SB, with subtypes SBI and SBII), sensilla placodea (SP), sensilla coeleoconica (SCo), sensilla grooved peg (SGP), sensilla auricillica (SAu), sensilla campaniformia (SCa), and glandular pores (GPs). The total numbers of BBs, STI, SBII, SCa, SCo, and GPs did not differ significantly between the sexes, whereas the total numbers of SCh, SBI, and SAu were significantly greater in females, and those of STII, SP, and SGP were significantly lower. The types, number, and density of antennal sensilla increased from the base to the end. The possible functions of these sensilla in host-detection behavior are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA editing is a post-transcriptional process that alters RNA sequence in a site-specific manner. A-to-I editing is the most abundant as well as the most well-studied type of RNA editing. About 0.5% of A-to-I editing sites were located in the coding regions. Despite of thousands of identified A-to-I nonsynonymous editing sites, the function of nonsynonymous editing was poorly studied. Here, we found that the nonsynonymous editing was significantly enriched in the ubiquitination site, compared to the synonymous editing. This enrichment was also in a modification type dependent manner, since it was not significantly enriched in other modification types. This observation was consistent with previous study that the codons for lysine (AAG and AAA) were enriched in the preferred deamination site for RNA editing. The peptides from proteomic data in CPTAC supported that mRNAs harboring edited ubiquitination sites can be translated into protein in cells. We identified the editing sites on ubiquitination site were significantly differential edited between tumor and para-tumor samples as well as among different subtypes in TCGA datasets and also correlated with clinical outcome, especially for the nonsynonymous editing sites on GSTM5, WDR1, SSR4 and PSMC4. Finally, the enrichment analysis revealed that the function of these above genes was specifically enriched in the immune response pathway. Our study shed a light on understanding the functions of nonsynonymous editing in tumorigenesis and provided nonsynonymous editing targets for potential cancer diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diamane, the thinnest sp3-hybridized diamond film, has attracted great interest due to its excellent mechanical, electronic, and thermal properties inherited from both graphene and diamond. In this study, the friction properties of surface hydrogenated and fluorinated diamane (H- and F-diamane) are investigated with dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the first time. Our calculations show that the F-diamane exhibits approximately equal friction to graphene, despite the presence of morphological corrugation induced by sp3 hybridization. Comparative studies have found that the coefficient of friction of H-diamane is about twice that of F-diamane, although they have the same surface geometric folds. These results are attributed to the packed charge surface of F-diamane, which can not only effectively shield carbon interactions from two contacting films, but also provide strong electron–electron repulsive interaction, resulting in a large interlayer distance and a small wrinkle of potential energy at the interface. The interesting results obtained in this study have enriched our understanding of the tribological properties of diamane, and are the tribological basis for the design and application of diamane in nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy communities (RECs) are energy innovations that promote the consumption of renewable energy in residential sectors and reduce fossil energy consumption and carbon emissions. However, according to the diffusion of innovation theory, residential consumers should be divided into distinct innovation diffusion groups considering participation in RECs, and differentiated guidance strategies should be adopted. By using the agglomerative clustering method, this study clustered the research objects into three innovation diffusion groups based on the innovativeness indicator: "Earlier Adopters," "Mid-term Adopters," and "Later Adopters.". And then the willingness to participate in RECs for different groups was explained by a structural model, which was constructed by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and altruistic values of value–belief–norm (VBN). By comparing the simulating results of the structural model for each group, the differences in the characteristics of the three innovation diffusion groups and the effects of factors affecting the willingness of participating RECs were revealed: comparing to other groups, "Earlier Adopters" of RECs are significantly more adventurous. Simultaneously, the three groups showed obvious differences in the perception level of community identity, altruistic values, and subjective norms. Generally, the "Later adopters" have obviously lower perception level of the above three factors, however, the impacts of these factors on the willingness of participating RECs for each group are more complex. The willingness of "Earlier Adopters" to participate in RECs is significantly more affected by attitudes toward behavior and altruism, the willingness of "Mid-term Adopters" is significantly more affected by perceived behavior control (PBC), and the willingness of "Later Adopters" is significantly more affected by subjective norms and community identity. Based on these findings, different guiding strategies that needed to be adopted for increasing the willingness of participating RECs for each group are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government policies that contain incentives have promoted the development of China's electric vehicle (EV) market from its inception. However, following the dramatic evolution of the EV market, the incentives impose a considerable burden on the State. It is time to consider abolishing various policy incentives. This paper uses the discrete choice experiment (DCE) model to study how consumer behaviours are influenced by the different policies. A system dynamics simulation model is constructed to simulate long-term EV development trends while considering the impacts of these policies. The simulations use the results from the DCE model to measure the sensitivity to policy changes of consumer purchase intentions (measured by consumers' willingness to purchase EVs). Finally, in relation to likely future policy trends, this study designs policy portfolio scenarios that are a strong mix, mid-mix, weak mix, or fully market-oriented with varied timing for policy implementation, and that are likely to affect the growth of China's EV market. The results of the simulation indicate that the optimal policies: (1) continue to increase government expenditure and support for the construction of charging facilities; (2) make charging more accessible and convenient; and (3) implement bans on the sale of fossil-fuelled cars. The results also show that the ideal timing for banning the sale of fossil-fuelled cars and, in parallel, cancelling current incentive policies (e.g. consumer purchase subsidies) is around 2025. These changes could reduce government expenditure and thus confer substantial financial savings, and they would effectively promote a significant increase in EV sales. Key policy insights Increasing support for the construction of charging facilities, improving the access and convenience of charging, and implementing bans on the sale of fossil-fuelled cars could increase consumer willingness to purchase EVs in China. Support for the construction of basic charging facilities should continue to increase and accelerate leading up to 2025; this would promote a significant increase in EV sales. To send clear near-term signals to the EV market – both consumers and producers, the Chinese government could usefully implement a ban on the sale of fossil-fuelled cars by around 2025 and in parallel abolish the current incentives policy for EVs. Abolishing current policy incentives (e.g. subsidies and VAT tax exemption) in the same time frame as other policies (e.g. support for charging infrastructure and a ban on fossil-fuelled cars), could lead to substantial financial savings to the government and a rapid scaling in the market for EVs. Lessons learned from China's potentially large and rapidly growing EV market will have implications for other countries in Asia and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A series of novel chiral hyper-crosslinked polymer composite membranes (CHCPs/PSS) were fabricated by surface-initiated Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction on the porous SiO 2 substrate. • The resulting chiral hyper-crosslinked polymers showed a micro/mesoporous morphology, high BET surface areas and good thermal and chemical stability. • The membrane fabrication conditions were optimized, the percent enantiomeric excess (ee%) and permeability reached 91.2 %, 6.31 × 10−2 m2/h for phenylalanine and 24.4 %, 1.56 m2/h for ibuprofen, respectively. • Static adsorption and quantum chemical computation proved that the adsorption energy difference between the chiral polymer and enantiomers results in the effective separation. With the rapid development of the pharmaceutical industry, efficient enantiomeric resolution is of great significance for the preparation of single enantiomer drugs. Herein, several kinds of chiral hyper-crosslinked polymer composite membranes (CHCPs/PSS) were fabricated by surface-initiated Friedel-crafts alkylation reaction on the porous SiO 2 substrate for enantioseparation. The membrane fabrication conditions were optimized by changing various monomer concentrations, polymerization times and substrate pore sizes using phenylalanine as separated substance and the percent enantiomeric excess (ee%) reached 91.2 % with a permeability up to 6.31 × 10−2 m2/h which was 1012 folders higher than the traditional chiral polymer membranes. Besides, the enantioseparation of disparate enantiomers including clinical drug were also evaluated using CHCPs/PSS membranes to expand its application scope. The ee% and permeability reached 9.48 % and 5.13 × 10−1 m2/h for tryptophan and 24.4 % and 1.56 m2/h for ibuprofen, respectively. Static adsorption and quantum chemical computation were utilized to analyze the separation mechanism and the results indicated that the adsorption energy difference which resulted from the multiple interactions contributed to the effective separation of enantiomers. Consequently, this work will provide a new method for the application of chiral hyper-crosslinked polymer membranes in enantiomeric separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the microstructure evolution and the corresponding mechanical properties of V-containing low carbon ultra-fine bainitic steel during tempering were studied. The results show that during the initial stages of tempering, part of retained austenite in V-containing ultra-fine bainite steel transforms into bainite. The stability of the retained austenite improves when the tempering period is increased to 5 h. Simultaneously, nano-sized VC precipitates are precipitated in the microstructure. On the one hand, these phases can give full play to the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect by modulating the carbon content of the retained austenite. On the other hand, they can also reduce the lattice distortion in the matrix and combine it with the lower dislocation density, thereby improving the plasticity of the specimen. At the same time, the fine precipitated phase can also effectively improve the toughness of the cleavage crack region in the transition zone, preventing the micro-cracks from generating at the interface of the precipitated phase and then extending to the adjacent matrix to cause fracture, so that the uniform elongation, total elongation, impact toughness at room temperature and impact toughness at low temperature of the 5 h specimen are as high as 8.8 ± 0.2 %、16.2 ± 0.7 %、113 ± 4 J/cm2 and 76 ± 2 J/cm2, respectively. Furthermore, the primary contribution of the strengthening mechanism in the microstructure has shifted from fine grain strengthening and dislocation strengthening to precipitation strengthening, and part of the retained austenite undergoes a martensitic transformation during cooling, resulting in the highest yield strength of 1086 MPa for the 5 h specimen. The tensile strength is effectively maintained at 1402 MPa by increasing the tempering period, which has good tempering resistance, to achieve the comprehensive performance optimization of bainitic steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but potentially life-threatening immune syndrome associated with an excessive systemic inflammatory response. Viral infection caused HLH is the most common secondary HLH, but there are relatively few reports of HLH caused by bacterial infection. The present study is the first case of HLH caused by Streptococcus intermedia meningitis.Case Presentation: The patient is an 11-year-old and 9-month-old boy. The main symptoms are fever, headache, and vomiting. The imaging finding of the brain is cerebritis and brain abscess. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) routine test showed increased nucleated cells, but the smear and culture of CSF were negative. The metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of CSF detected Streptococcus intermedius, and the body temperature of the children returned to normal after antibiotic treatment according to etiology. One week later, the child developed fever again, with Kawasaki disease-like manifestations. After high-dose immunoglobulin therapy, the body temperature returned to normal again. The routine blood test showed a progressive decrease in leukocytes and platelets, and bone marrow biopsy detected histiocytes phagocytosed blood cells. Then infection-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (IAHS) was diagnosed, high-dose methylprednisolone and sequential therapy were given and the patient's recovery was encouraging.Conclusions: Our case shows that HLH can also be secondary to Streptococcus intermediate infection, and early bone marrow biopsy is the golden standard for HLH diagnosis. mNGS can improve the detection sensitivity for pathogens when traditional pathogenic tests are negative. Conventional chemotherapy regimens may not be required for IAHS when high-dose glucocorticoids and immunoglobulin therapy are effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of a standardized tracheostomy decannulation protocol in patients with prolonged tracheostomy referred to a rehabilitation hospital. Methods: This prospective cohort study recruited conscious patients with prolonged tracheostomy who were referred to the pulmonary rehabilitation department of a tertiary rehabilitation hospital between January 2019 and December 2021. A pulmonary rehabilitation team used a standardized tracheostomy decannulation protocol developed by the authors. The primary outcome was the success rate of decannulation. Secondary outcomes included decannulation time from referral and reintubation rate after a follow-up of 3 months. Results: Of the 115 patients referred for weaning from mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy decannulation over the study period, 80.0% (92/115) were finally evaluated for tracheostomy decannulation. The mean time of tracheostomy in patients transferred to our department was 70.6 days. After assessment by a multidisciplinary team, 57 patients met all the decannulation indications and underwent decannulation. Fifty-six cases were successful, and 1 case was intubated again. The median time to decannulation after referral was 42.7 days. Reintubation after a follow-up of 3 months did not occur in any patients. Conclusions: A standardized tracheostomy decannulation protocol implemented by a pulmonary rehabilitation team is associated with successful tracheostomy decannulation in patients with prolonged tracheostomy. Not every tracheostomy patient must undergo upper airway endoscopy before decannulation. Tolerance of speaking valve continuously for 4 h can be used as an alternative means for tube occlusion. A swallow assessment was used to evaluate the feeding mode and did not affect the final decision to decannulate. Trial registration: 2018bkky-121. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, an increasing number of studies have indicated that circular RNA plays crucial roles in regulating tumor development and chemoresistance. Using two high-throughput RNA sequence datasets, we previously found that circEXOC6B was downregulated in colon cancer. However, its role and mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) remained unknown. Methods: Real-time quantitative PCR was used to examine the expression of circEXOC6B in CRC tissues. In vivo and in vitro functional experiments were performed to determine the suppressor role of circEXOC6B in CRC progression. RNA pull-down, mass spectrometry, RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation, co-immunoprecipitation, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and immunofluorescence were applied to investigate the possible mechanisms connecting circEXOC6B to CRC growth and 5-fluorouracil-induced apoptosis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation, dual-luciferase assay, western blot, and immunohistochemistry were used to explore the mechanisms underlying the HIF1A regulation of RRAGB transcription. Results: circEXOC6B was downregulated in CRC tissues, and its lower expression was associated with poor prognosis of patients. Functional experiments showed that circEXOC6B inhibited growth and increased the 5-fluorouracil-induced apoptosis of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circEXOC6B inhibited the heterodimer formation of RRAGB by binding to it, thereby suppressing the mTORC1 pathway and HIF1A level. In addition, HIF1A upregulated the transcription of RRAGB by binding to its promoter region. Altogether, the results demonstrated that a HIF1A-RRAGB-mTORC1 positive feedback loop drives tumor progression in CRC, which could be interrupted by circEXOC6B. Conclusions: circEXOC6B inhibits the progression of CRC and enhances the chemosensitivity of CRC cells to 5-fluorouracil by antagonizing the HIF1A-RRAGB-mTORC1 positive feedback loop. circEXOC6B is a possible therapeutic target for CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Mountains are pivotal to maintaining habitat heterogeneity, global biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services to humans. They have provided classic model natural systems for plant and animal diversity gradient studies for over 250 years. In the recent decade, the exploration of microorganisms on mountainsides has also achieved substantial progress. Here, we review the literature on microbial diversity across taxonomic groups and ecosystem types on global mountains. Microbial community shows climatic zonation with orderly successions along elevational gradients, which are largely consistent with traditional climatic hypotheses. However, elevational patterns are complicated for species richness without general rules in terrestrial and aquatic environments and are driven mainly by deterministic processes caused by abiotic and biotic factors. We see a major shift from documenting patterns of biodiversity towards identifying the mechanisms that shape microbial biogeographical patterns and how these patterns vary under global change by the inclusion of novel ecological theories, frameworks and approaches. We thus propose key questions and cutting‐edge perspectives to advance future research in mountain microbial biogeography by focusing on biodiversity hypotheses, incorporating meta‐ecosystem framework and novel key drivers, adapting recently developed approaches in trait‐based ecology and manipulative field experiments, disentangling biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships and finally modelling and predicting their global change responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco black shank is a kind of soil-borne disease caused by the Oomycete Phytophthora parasitica. This disease is one of the most destructive diseases to tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) growth worldwide. At present, various measures have been taken to control this disease, but they still have different challenges and limitations. Studies have shown that β-aminobutyric acid (BABA), a nonprotein amino acid, can enhance disease resistance in plants against different varieties of pathogens. However, it is unclear whether BABA can induce plants to resist Phytophthora parasitica infection. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effect and related mechanism of BABA against tobacco black shank. Our results showed that 5 mmol.L-1 BABA had an obvious anti-inducing effect on the pathogenic fungus and could effectively inhibit the formation of dark spots in the stems. The results also showed that a large amount of callose deposition was observed in BABA-treated tobacco. Furthermore, the application of BABA induced the accumulation of H2O2 in tobacco and effectively regulated the homeostasis of reactive oxygen in tobacco plants, reducing the toxicity of H2O2 to plants while activating the defense system. In addition, BABA spray treatment could induce an increase in the concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid-isoleucine (JA-Ile) in tobacco, and the gene expression results confirmed that BABA upregulated the expression of SA-related genes (PR1, PR2 and PR5), JA-related genes (PDF1.2) and ET-related genes (EFE26 and ACC oxidase) in tobacco plants. Taken together, BABA could activate tobacco resistance to black shank disease by increasing H2O2 accumulation, callose deposition, plant hormone (SA and JA-Ile) production, and SA-, JA-, and ET- signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reheat cracking susceptibility of welded joints has been evaluated by 900°C high-temperature constant load test and 750°C–900°C high-temperature slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test on welded joints of TP347 steel, and the influencing factors and mechanism of reheat cracking in welded joints have been further investigated by microcosmic characterization techniques of SEM and EDS, etc. The result shows the critical fracture stress of TP347 steel welded joints at 900°C is 24 MPa, which is much lower than 80% of the high-temperature yield strength of base material, indicating that the reheat crack of the welded joint is highly sensitive at this temperature; the average reduction of area (RoA) of welded joints obtained by 750°C–900°C SSRT test at each temperature is below 20%, which means all welded joints have a reheat cracking susceptibility in this temperature range, and the reheat cracking susceptibility increases with the rising of temperature. Based on study and analysis using microcosmic methods of optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and energy spectrum analysis, it is found that welded joints of TP347 steel have a high reheat cracking susceptibility because the high temperature accelerates the diffusion of Cr, Nb, and impurity elements to the grain boundary, and a large quantity of carbides and low-melting-point eutectics are collected and precipitated at the grain boundary to reduce the plasticity of the grain boundary. Since there is a high welding residual stress in welded joints, cavities are formed under the action of the stress at a high temperature, and the merging of cavities causes the formation of cracks which extend along the grain boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there is less attention paid to the relationship between the frequency of travel and built environment, especially in households. In this paper, some of the determining factors in the frequency of daily cycling per household were explored based on the data from 2018 Daily Trip Survey in Xianyang, China. Then a two-level linear model was construct to identify the determining factors in the frequency of per capita daily cycling of household. According to the research results, 22.8% of the differences in the per capita cycling frequency of household are due to the differences between communities. In terms of community factors, the densities of road networks and educational facilities delivered a significantly positive impact on the per capita daily cycling frequency of family; on the contrary, the densities of medical facilities, intersections and POI delivered a significantly negative impact. Per capita cycling frequency varies considerably between households. For instance, the number of bicycles owned and the number of school-age children have a significantly positive impact on the per capita daily cycling frequency of family. However, car ownership, household income and occupation composition impose a significantly negative impact. The findings of this study would benefit the transportation engineers and planners who are keen to boost the use of active means of transportation for residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) can function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to impact the development of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). Human circ_0001946 has been identified as a potential anticancer factor in ESCC, yet our understanding of its molecular basis remains limited. Methods: Circ_0001946, microRNA (miR)‐1290 and SRY‐box transcription factor 6 (SOX6) were quantified by quantitative reasl‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) or immunoblotting. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK‐8 and EDU assays. Cell apoptosis and invasion were evaluated by flow cytometry and transwell assays, respectively. Cell migration was detected by transwell and wound‐healing assays. The direct relationship between miR‐1290 and circ_0001946 or SOX6 was determined by dual‐luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Xenograft model assays were used to assess the role of circ_0001946 in tumor growth. Results: Circ_0001946 expression was attenuated in human ESCC, and circ_0001946 increase impeded cell proliferation, invasion, migration and enhanced apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, circ_0001946 increase diminished xenograft growth in vivo. Mechanistically, circ_0001946 bound to miR‐1290, and re‐expression of miR‐1290 reversed circ_0001946‐dependent cell properties. SOX6 was a miR‐1290 target and it was responsible for the regulation of miR‐1290 in cell properties. Furthermore, circ_0001946 functioned as a ceRNA to regulate SOX6 expression via miR‐1290. Conclusion: Our findings uncover an undescribed molecular mechanism, the circ_0001946/miR‐1290/SOX6 ceRNA crosstalk, for the anti‐ESCC activity of circ_0001946. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed-borne fungal pathogens may reduce seed germination rates, but their effects on seed quality and nutrition may vary. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of these pathogens on the nutrition and quality of Avena sativa (B7) and A. nuda (B2) seeds. A total of 10 fungal genera (Alternaria, Aspergillus, Bipolaris, Cladosporium, Pyrenophora, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Hypomyces, Nigrospora and Pleosporaely) isolated from B2 and B7 seeds were inoculated in oat seeds and stored for 360 d. The results showed that the content of moisture, protein, ether extract, total starch, β-glucan, phytic acid, total phosphorus and Ca of B2 and B7 seeds were significantly decreased by seed-borne pathogenic fungi (including Bipolaris, Cladosporium and Fusarium spp.) during the storage period (P < 0.05). Moreover, B2 seeds showed higher moisture content, bulk density, protein, total starch, β-glucan, total phosphorus and Ca than B7 under control (CK) and other fungal treatments. However, the thousand-grain weight, ash, fiber and phytic acid of B2 seeds were lower than B7 seeds. Seed-borne fungal pathogens may reduce the quality and nutrition of oat seeds, and as a result, seed vigor, storability and storage longevity could be negatively affected by seed-borne fungal pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The properties and structure of ecological networks in marine microbial communities determine ecosystem functions and stability; however, the principles of microbial network assemblages are poorly understood. In this study, we revealed the influences of species phylogeny and niches on the self-organization of marine microbial co-occurrence networks and provided a mathematical framework to simulate microbial network assemblages. Our results provide deep insights into network stability from the perspective of network assembly principles and not just network properties, such as complexity and modularity. Evolutionary and ecological processes are primary drivers of ecological network constrictions. However, the ways that these processes underpin self-organization and modularity in networks are poorly understood. Here, we performed network analyses to explore the evolutionary and ecological effects on global marine microbial co-occurrence networks across multiple network levels, including those of nodes, motifs, modules and whole networks. We found that both direct and indirect species interactions were evolutionarily and ecologically constrained across at least four network levels. Compared to ecological processes, evolutionary processes generally showed stronger long-lasting effects on indirect interactions and dominated the network assembly of particle-associated communities in spatially homogeneous environments. Regarding the large network path distance, the contributions of either processes to species interactions generally decrease and almost disappear when network path distance is larger than six. Accordingly, we developed a novel mathematical model based on scale-free networks by considering the joint effects of evolutionary and ecological processes. We simulated the self-organization of microbial co-occurrence networks and found that long-lasting effects increased network stability via decreasing link gain or loss. Overall, these results revealed that evolutionary and ecological processes played key roles in the self-organization and modularization of microbial co-occurrence networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the impact of the urban built environment on online car-hailing, an increasingly popular mode of urban transportation, is crucial for developing corresponding transportation strategies and addressing sustainable urban planning. This paper captures that the form and orientation of the neighborhood network have a certain degree of influence on travel behavior. Therefore, the road network orientation entropy indicator is introduced based on the originally built environment elements, and the orientation-order (OO) indicator calculation model is constructed to normalize it. This study further tests and verifies its impact on the travel behavior of online car-hailing, thereby improving the factor characterization of neighborhood design latitude in the urban built environment. From the perspective of spatial correlation and spatial heterogeneity, the optimal models are selected by model comparative analysis, namely, the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and the mixed geographically weighted regression model (MGWR). Based on the optimal model estimation results, the influence mechanism of the urban built environment on the spatial-temporal distribution of online car-hailing travel in three cases (considering road network density (RD), considering RD and OO, considering OO) is compared and analyzed. The results show that the model fitting considering the OO is the best in the above three cases, and the OO has a significant impact on DiDi travel compared with the RD in this study, which verifies the rationality and necessity of selecting the OO in this study. In addition, catering service, corporate business, and OO have significant positive spillover effects, while the spillover effects of sports and leisure service and land-use mix are negative. The indicators of the bus station, residential district, catering service, shopping service, corporate business, land-use mix, life service, and OO have significant spatial heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new leaf blight disease of oat (Avena sativa) was observed in many oat fields in Huan county, Gansu Province of China, during 2018–2019. Typical symptoms appeared as yellow necrotic and water‐soaked lesions. The lesions developed from tip to base of leaves and eventually resulted in leaf withering. Disease incidence on plants (leaves) was approximately 36%–100%. A gram‐negative bacterium was isolated from the necrotic lesions of all samples. Coupled with multigene sequence (16S rRNA and gyrB gene) analyses, Biolog Gen III MicroStation, morphological, physiological, and biochemical characterization identified the pathogen as Pantoea agglomerans. Pathogenicity tests by wounding and injection inoculations in the greenhouse established that P. agglomerans could induce typical symptoms as observed in the field. The infection rate in leaves was 44%–71% after 14 days. In addition, host range tests showed that P. agglomerans could infect other plant hosts, including Sorghum sudanense, Medicago sativa, Fagopyrum esculentum, Setaria italica, and Zea mays. This is the first report of P. agglomerans causing bacterial leaf blight disease (LBD) on oat in China. The current study can provide a foundation for the prevention of this disease in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Considering robust parameter design in highly fluctuating 3D printing process • Fast estimation of parameters using Woodbury identities and chain rule • Modeling of coupled signal and noise is considered in the stochastic Kriging framework • Quantifying both cognitive uncertainty and aleatoric uncertainty through stochastic computer model. 3D printing technology has been developing rapidly in recent years, but product quality control has become one of the main obstacles to its widespread use in manufacturing. A new stochastic computer model and robust optimization method are proposed for the highly fluctuating 3D printing process to improve the stability of the printed product quality. Firstly, the signal and noise are jointly modeled, and the idea of latent variables in machine learning is incorporated to overcome the limitation that the replication times of the stochastic Kriging model must be greater than one. Then, the chain rule and Woodbury identity are utilized to reduce the time required for hyperparameter estimation of the model. Finally, the optimization objective function is constructed based on the Taguchi quality loss function, and optimal process parameters are found using a genetic algorithm. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the robust optimization method based on heteroskedasticity Gaussian process model proposed in this paper can estimate model hyperparameters faster and predict results more accurately. Furthermore, the prediction and validation results of 3D printing experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials discovery is usually done using high-throughput computational screening. The use of costly and complex direct density functional theory (DFT) simulation methods has been commonly used to determine subtle trends in spin-state ordering and inorganic bonding of inorganic materials and, in general, to predict the electronic structure properties of transition metal complexes. A Gaussian process regression (GPR) framework consisting of four kernel functions is introduced for spin-state splitting estimation through inorganic chemistry-appropriate empirical inputs. To this end, the present study reviewed an extensive range of data values from earlier works. According to statistical analysis, the GPR model showed very good performance. The coefficients of determination were calculated to be 0.986 for the exponential and Matern kernel functions, suggesting the highest predictive power of these methods. Moreover, the sensitivity of output to inputs was measured. Artificial intelligence (AI) helped accurately predict the target values through various input ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukemia is a type of dangerous cancer in humans. Many efforts have been done to find effective drugs to treat leukemia. One of the suitable options is the antioxidant molecules. Thus, the discovery of novel metabolites against cancer cells is of interest in current biomedicine. HMG-CoA Reductase activity was determined according to the method described by Takahashi S. et al. The MTT protocol was applied to determine the anti-leukemia potentials of 4-Butylresorcinol. Because of the 4-Butylresorcinol study, IC50 of HMG-CoA reductase enzyme: 182.04 micromolar was obtained, for urease IC50 was 91.44 micromolar. Molecular docking calculations were made to learn the theoretical activities of the 4-Butylresorcinol against the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase reductase (PDB ID: 4I6A) and urease enzyme (PDB ID: 4H9M). Afterward, ADME/T calculations were made so that the molecule could be used as a drug. Additionally, the anticancer effects of molecule samples against the leukemia cells (KASUMI-1, HL-60, THP-1‎, K-562‎, RS4;11‎, and MOLT-4‎) were investigated. The aim of this study is to find a candidate compound for drug design that we recorded 4-Butylresorcinol as a good inhibitor and as an anticancer potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]