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Commitment scheme is a fundamental cryptographic primitive that serve as building blocks for many other two-party protocols. In this paper, we propose a novel quantum bit commitment scheme, which is secure and does not require quantum memory. Our scheme processes the quantum information using coherent states and unambiguous state discrimination (USD) measurements, which can be experimentally realized by linear optics and photon detectors. We ensure the unconditionally hiding and binding property by preventing both Alice and Bob from obtaining complete information about the commitment in committing stage, and eliminate the requirement for quantum memory by performing USD measurements and phase shifts immediately after receiving the coherent states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variation in the mitochondrial genome is linked to important biological functions and various human diseases. Recent progress in single-cell genomics has established single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) as a popular and powerful technique to profile transcriptomics at the cellular level. While most studies focus on deciphering gene expression, polymorphisms including mitochondrial variants can also be readily inferred from scRNAseq. However, limited attention has been paid to investigate the single-cell landscape of mitochondrial variants, despite the rapid accumulation of scRNAseq data in the community. In addition, a diploid context is assumed for most variant calling tools, which is not appropriate for mitochondrial heteroplasmies. Here, we introduce MitoTrace, an R package for the analysis of mitochondrial genetic variation in bulk and scRNAseq data. We applied MitoTrace to several publicly accessible data sets and demonstrated its ability to robustly recover genetic variants from scRNAseq data. We also validated the applicability of MitoTrace to scRNAseq data from diverse platforms. Overall, MitoTrace is a powerful and user-friendly tool to investigate mitochondrial variants from scRNAseq data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Learning with Errors (LWE) problem is a versatile basis for building various purpose post-quantum schemes. Goldwasser et al. [ISC 2010] initialized the study of a variant of this problem called the Entropic LWE problem, where the LWE secret is generated from a distribution with a certain min-entropy. Brakerski and Döttling recently further extended the study in this field, and first proved the hardness of the Entropic LWE problem with unbounded secret [Eurocrypt 2020], then gave a similar result for the Entropic Ring-LWE problem [TCC 2020]. In this work, we systematically study the hardness of the Entropic Module-LWE problem. Adapting the "lossiness approach" to the module setting, we give lower entropy bounds for the secret distributions that guarantee the hardness of the Entropic Module-LWE problem in both search and decision cases, where results are divided into two settings: bounded and unbounded norm. We also present that our search entropy lower bound in the unbounded case is essentially tight. An application of our bounded result is to deduce the hardness for the Binary Module-LWE problem. One of our central techniques is a new generalized leftover hash lemma over rings, which might be of independent interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum digital signature is a basic cryptographic primitive with extensive application, such as e-commerce and e-government. In this paper, we propose a quantum digital signature scheme of 2-bit messages based on the idea of superdense teleportation. In our scheme, the sender randomly generates a quantum signature by applying some unitary transformations on her registers and measuring them with Bell basis, and the receivers verify the quantum signature by applying some unitary transformations on their registers and measuring them with computational basis. Since the sender's measurement result, which is randomly obtained, partially determines the public key and thus participates the receivers' verification, no arbitrator is required. By quantum mechanics, we also show that our scheme of 2-bit messages is unconditionally secure. In addition, our scheme can be used to securely sign multi-bit messages by simple iteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid increase of renewable energy sources, the variability and uncertainty in power systems are significantly increased, and the power system operation is facing more and more challenges. In the traditional dynamic economic dispatch (DED) of transmission systems, the frequency and voltage regulation effects are not actively utilized. In addition, the transmission systems and distribution systems are optimized separately; the transmission–distribution coordination effect is not considered. In this article, a new DED is proposed. The optimal scheduling results are obtained by making a balance between operating cost and reliability cost. Both the automatic regulation effect and transmission–distribution coordination effect are explored and exploited in terms of the equivalent reserve, which can reduce the reserve provided by generating units, and can further enhance the security and economics of power system operation. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed model are illustrated by case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• HS-1 revealed anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells and DSS-induced colitis mice. • In vivo and in vitro studies showed that HS-1 inhibited PDE4 and activated cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling. • Targeting the anti-inflammatory properties of PDE4 is a promising strategy for treating UC. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a recurrent intestinal inflammatory disease which poses a serious threat to the life of patients. However, there are no specific drugs for UC yet. Hypericum sampsonii Hance (HS) is a Chinese herbal medicine traditionally used to treat enteritis and dysentery. Our previous studies have demonstrated that HS holds potential anti-UC effects, and a novel compound named Hypersampsonone H (HS-1) isolated from HS possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity. However, the beneficial effects of HS-1 on UC remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of HS-1 on UC and its potential mechanisms, both in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro model was employed using LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of HS-1 and its possible mechanisms. Furthermore, the therapeutic efficacy and potential mechanisms of HS-1 against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis were assessed through histopathological examination, biochemical analysis, and molecular docking. In vitro, HS-1 significantly reduced LPS-induced inflammatory responses, as indicated by inhibiting NO production, down-regulating the overexpression of COX-2 and iNOS, as well as regulating the imbalanced levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10. Moreover, HS-1 also inhibited the expression of PDE4, elevated the intracellular cAMP level, and promoted the phosphorylation of CREB, thereby activating the PKA/CREB pathway in RAW264.7 cells. In vivo , HS-1 demonstrated therapeutic capacity against DSS-induced colitis by alleviating the symptoms of colitis mice, regulating the abnormal expression of inflammatory mediators, protecting the integrity of intestinal epithelial barrier, and reducing tissue fibrosis. Consistently, HS-1 was found to decrease the expression of PDE4 isoforms, subsequently activating the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway. Furthermore, the molecular docking results indicated that HS-1 exhibited a high affinity for PDE4, particularly PDE4D. Further mechanistic validation in vitro demonstrated that HS-1 possessed a synergistic effect on forskolin and an antagonistic effect on H-89 dihydrochloride, thereby exerting anti-inflammatory effects through the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway. We disclose that HS-1 serves as a promising candidate drug for the treatment of UC by virtue of its ability to reduce DSS-induced colitis via the inhibition of PDE4 and the activation of cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic shielding (EMI) materials are becoming more and more important because of the increasingly serious radiation pollution. The preparation of high mechanical strength, ultrathin, lightweight, flexible materials with excellent EMI shielding performance have so far been elusive. Here, we try to prepare an ultrathin, lightweight and flexible film with excellent EMI shielding performance using one-dimensional aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and two-dimensional few-layered Ti 3 C 2 T x through a simple filtration method. The ultimate tensile strength and strain of the film are up to 116.71 MPa and 2.64%. The EMI shielding effectiveness and the specific EMI shielding efficiency are 34.71 dB and 21971.37 dB cm2 g−1, which will be no recession after 1000 times bending. Our results show that a practical EMI shielding material with excellent performances has been successfully prepared, which will be widely applied in wearable electronics, robot joints, and precision instrument protection and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical investigation of Hypericum sampsonii Hance resulted in the isolation of thirty-five polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols including six new ones (1 , 3 , 5 , and 15 – 17). Their structures were elucidated by UV, IR, NMR, HRESIMS, and calculated ECD analysis. Some compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. Compounds 1 and 26 showed significant inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production, and markedly suppressed the protein expression of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs), as a new member of carbon family, attracted extensive attention in industry and science field. It has considered to be as a promising nanomaterial for applications in the field of materials science, energy storage and optics science due to its extraordinary mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. Hence, in this study, we carried out a facile and efficient strategy for preparing poly (phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO)/GONRs(PGR) composite fibers via one-pot in situ polycondensation method for enhancement in mechanical and thermal properties. The GONRs sheets in this work were obtained by unwrapping multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) side walls, and then directly reacted with PBO monomer 4,6-diaminoresorcinol(DAR) and covalently grafted on PBO molecular chains. The structure and morphology of GONRs and modified GONRs were well demonstrated by the FT-IR, XPS and TEM analysis for confirming the formation of chemical bond between GONRs and PBO molecular chains. The mechanical and thermal properties of PGR composite fibers were also investigated. It was found that the performance of composite fibers about 32.1% improvement in tensile modulus, 24.2% in tensile strength and 10.5% thermal stability, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numerical simulation length of the cassette model is determined by studying the effects of the cassette frame rotated alone and the rotated together with the agitator on mixing under different cassette lengths. The effects of different rotating speed, filling ratio of silicon particles, shape and number of agitators on the mixing characteristics of silicon particles in the cassette are studied when the outer frame of the cassette rotated alone and the cassette rotated together with the agitator. The mixing degree is quantitatively analyzed by particle trajectory, mixing index and rate, and the optimum working conditions of each influencing parameter are obtained. The results show that considering the computation time and the influence of the two motion modes on the mixing index and rate, the numerical simulation length of the cassette model is 115 mm. In order to obtain the best mixing effect and mixing speed, it is recommended that the rotating speed of the cassette is 8.91 rad/s, the filling rate is 23.60 %, and the shape of the agitator is rectangular and the number is 6. When the cassette and agitator rotate together, the filling rate has little effect on particle mixing. Considering the production efficiency, mixing effect and rate, as well as the stability of mixing, the recommended speed is 4.08 rad/s, the filling rate is 41.40 %, and the rectangular shape and number of six agitators are ideal choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene with unique nanostructures possess fascinating properties which has inspired extensive research on the incorporation of graphene into polymer matrix to improve the properties. So, in this report, we take a facile and effective approach, one-pot in situ polymerization, to prepare graphene oxide (GO)/Poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) composite fibers. The GO sheets were first modified by 4, 6-diaminoresorcinol (DAR) a PBO monomer, another monomer terephthalic acid (TPA) were then added for further polymerization. The NH 2 -functionalized GO (DAR-GO) sheets are an excellent initial platform for molecular chains grafting. It promote the dispersion of GO sheets in PBO matrix and form strong interaction with the PBO molecular chains to enhance load transfer. The tensile module and tensile strength of the PBO-DAR-GO composite fibers containing 1.0 wt% DAR-GO are increased by 35.9% and 19.6%, respectively compared with neat PBO fibers. In addition, the thermal stability of composite fibers also enhanced with DAR-GO content increasing. This approach supplies a novel strategy for preparing ultra-strong properties PBO composite fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved RT- PCR was developed and validated for the detection of Yam mild mosaic virus ( YMMV). Sequences of the coat protein core region of 19 Chinese isolates were obtained, and analysis indicated the presence of different genetic variants. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the Chinese isolates were divided into two distinct clusters. Complete genomic sequences of two distinct Chinese variants were determined to be 9527 and 9529 nucleotides long, excluding the 3′ poly (A) tail. Their genomic structure and organization were virtually identical to that of a Brazilian isolate. The two variants shared identity of 87.3% to one another and 83.9-84.6% to the Brazilian variant at the genomic sequence level. Phylogenetic analyses supported that they represented two distinct YMMV lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The security model of repudiable ring signature is improved. • A more efficient repudiable ring signature scheme is proposed. • The security of the proposed scheme is strictly proved. Ring signature, introduced by Rivest et al. [Asiacrypt'01], allows a person to sign a document on behalf of an ad-hoc group (or ring) while hiding the identity of the actual signer. But the anonymity provided by the ring signature scheme can be used to conceal a malicious signer and put other ring members under suspicion. Fortunately, Park et al. [Crypto'19] proposed a repudiable ring signature scheme which can overcome this disadvantage. However, the construction of Park et al. [Crypto'19] is not compact, in other word, the size of signatures and repudiations in their scheme increases with the square of the ring size. In this paper, we propose the first logarithmic-size repudiable ring signature scheme, which means the size of signatures and repudiations grows only logarithmically in the ring size. Moreover, in terms of security model, we present a new requirement (repudiation-unforgeability), which requires 'no one can forge a valid repudiation'. Our scheme is the first repudiable ring signature scheme satisfies this new requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bcl-2 is one of the most important antiapoptotic members in mammals and prevents many forms of apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Our previous study revealed that overexpression of Bcl-2 significantly suppressed H2O2/NaCl-induced programmed cell death via inhibiting the transcriptional activation of OsVPE2 and OsVPE3 in transgenic rice. However, Ca2+ and K+ homeostasis of this process remains largely unknown. In the present study, we investigate whether nonselective cation channels (NSCC) blockers affect Bcl-2 function in rice under salt stress and how Bcl-2 affects ion homeostasis in salt stress-induced PCD. The results showed that overexpression of Bcl-2 significantly decreased transient elevations in the cytosolic Ca2+ levels, inhibited NaCl-induced K+ efflux but not H+ efflux across the plasma membrane, and further suppressed the expression levels of OsVPE2 and OsVPE3, leading to the inhibition of salt-induced PCD and increase of tolerance to salt stress in transgenic rice. During the NaCl-induced PCD, the effects of a NSCC blocker La3+ on ion homeostasis and VPEs expression in wild-type were similar to the effects of Bcl-2 overexpression in transgenic line. However, a synergistic effect of Bcl-2 and La3+ was not obviously detectable. Our results suggested that Bcl-2 played an important role in suppression of NaCl-induced PCD by disruption of ion homeostasis, providing an insight into the mechanistic study of plant VPEs, cytosolic Ca2+ level and K+ efflux. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The complete genome of sweet potato latent virus (SPLV) was determined to be 10081 nucleotides long excluding the 3' poly (A) tail. The genome contains a single large open reading frame encoding a polyprotein of 3247 amino acids. Its genomic organization is typical of potyviruses and contains motifs conserved in members of the genus Potyvirus. Pairwise comparisons show that SPLV shares identities of 50.0 %-56.3 % to other potyviruses at the genomic sequence level. Phylogenetic analysis shows that SPLV is closely related to four other sweet potato potyviruses in the sweet potato feathery mottle virus lineage, but it lacks the unique PISPO in the P1 region of those viruses. The genome analyses confirm that SPLV is a distinct sweet potato virus in the genus Potyvirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The large-scale fabrication of aramid nanofiber membrane (ANFM) with proper porous size was proposed. • The ANFM displayed superior mechanical properties and impressively wettability for organic electrolyte. • Simultaneously suppression of lithium dendrites and remarkable improvement of cycle life were achieved for ANFM separator. • Li-ion batteries can operate stability at a high temperature (150℃) environment. Huge volume changes, uncontrolled side-reactions with electrolytes and irregular dendrite induced short-circuits have impeded practical application in rechargeable batteries based on metallic electrodes including lithium (Li), sodium (Na) and aluminum (Al). Separator with superior mechanical strength represent attractive alternatives to inhibit metal-dendrite growth while preventing capacity fading by stabilizing the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). However, the challenge of simultaneous retaining high thermal resistance and good electrolyte wettability still have been not overcome in commonly used separators. Here we show that these key properties can be acquired in a porous membrane fabricated from Kevlar microfiber-derived aramid nanofibers (ANFs) prepared in a facile and scalable vacuum filtration method. The obtained ANFs membrane (ANFM), which yields mechanically strong that are markedly effective in inhibit dendrite growth as well as provides good electrolyte wettability to ensure excellent electrochemistry performance. Benefitting from these merits, ANFM guarantee stable cycling of Li-ion or Na-ion rechargeable batteries paired with conventional intercalating cathodes (LiCoO 4 and Na 2 Ti 3 O 7) even at a high operated temperature (150 ℃ for Li-ion battery). Replacing polyolefins-based separator with an ANFM appear to offer a major step towards dendrite-free Li /Na batteries and potentially other metal-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete genomic sequences of two isolates of pokeweed mosaic virus (PkMV) were determined to be 9512 nucleotides long, excluding the poly(A) tail. Their genomic organization is typical of potyviruses and contains conserved motifs found in members of the genus Potyvirus. Pairwise comparisons showed that PkMV and other members of the genus Potyvirus share 51.0-57.5 % sequence identity at the genome sequence level and 39.8-53.0 % at the polyprotein sequence level. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PkMV is most closely related to several viruses in the PVY group of the genus Potyvirus. The genomic information obtained for PkMV suggests that this virus is a distinct potyvirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sugarcane mosaic disease (SMD) caused by the Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) and Sugarcane streak mosaic virus (SCSMV) and sugarcane yellow leaf disease (SYLD) caused by the Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) are the two most prevalent and economically important viral diseases of sugarcane. In this study, a one-step quadruplex reverse transcription (RT)-PCR method that employed virus-specific primers was developed for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of SCMV, SrMV, SCSMV and SCYLV. Several sets of primers for each target virus were evaluated for their sensitivity and specificity by simplex and quadruplex RT-PCR. The optimum primer combinations and concentrations, RT temperature and time, and PCR annealing temperature and extension time were determined for the quadruplex RT-PCR. The assay was then validated using sugarcane samples affected with SMD and/or SYLD collected from sugarcane breeding fields and farmers’ fields in southern China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

AbstractRecycling and recovery of domestic waste pose significant challenges in terms of accurate object positioning and ranging, areas where conventional methods, heavily reliant on monocular image processing, often fail due to limited distance data and reduced precision. This study introduces an innovative strategy for the localization and ranging of recyclable waste objects, leveraging the NanoDet-Plus model within a binocular stereo vision context. A dataset, the Binocular Recyclable Domestic Waste Dataset (BRDWD), was constructed, with transfer learning executed via the pretrained MULTI-TRASH monocular dataset. Procedures encompassed stereo camera calibration and rectification to address geometric distortions, while the integration of the Semi-Global Block Matching (SGBM) algorithm supplied disparity details for triangulation-based distance computations. Enhancements to the NanoDet-Plus model led to improved target accuracy, evidenced by a mean average precision at a threshold of 0.5 (mAP@0.5) reaching 91.88% and a detection speed of 15 frames per second (FPS). Assessments verified a ranging error below 5% within the 0.5 to 1.2-meter span, aligning well with the requirements of typical recyclable waste sorting and recycling situations. Additionally, a human-machine interface was developed utilizing Pyside6, enabling image uploads, real-time result visualization, and interactive process control, thereby furnishing pivotal advancements for the automation and intellectualization of waste categorization and recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the restoration of iron cultural relics, the removal of rust from these artifacts is necessary. However, this rust removal process may lead to inconsistent local color on the iron relics. To address this, mending materials are applied to treat the surface, ensuring consistent local color. In the surface treatment of iron cultural relics, a significant challenge lies in modulating the color of these mending materials. The corrosion products of Yuquan Iron Pagoda are mainly Fe3O4, γ-FeO(OH), α-FeO(OH) and α-Fe2O3, with contents of 13.1, 16.1, 40.2 and 30.6%, respectively. Due to their structural stability and suitable color characteristics, Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 are selected as the primary raw materials for the repair material. This study employs machine learning methods to predict the color of mending materials corresponding to varying contents of α-Fe2O3, Fe3O4, and epoxy resin. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Light Gradient Boost Machine (LightGBM) algorithms are utilized to develop the model, and the predictive performance of these three algorithms is compared. XGBoost exhibits the best prediction performance, achieving a square correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.94238 and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.68485. Additionally, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method is employed to analyze the most crucial raw material affecting the color of mending materials, which is identified as Fe3O4. The study illustrates the specific process of employing this model by applying it to the surface treatment of the Yuquan Iron Pagoda, demonstrating the practicality of the model. This model can be applied to assist in the surface treatment of other iron cultural relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) represents a major global health challenge. Drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) poses a substantial obstacle to effective TB treatment. Identifying genomic mutations in MTB isolates holds promise for unraveling the underlying mechanisms of drug resistance in this bacterium. Methods: In this study, we investigated the roles of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in MTB isolates resistant to four antibiotics (moxifloxacin, ofloxacin, amikacin, and capreomycin) through whole-genome analysis. We identified the drug-resistance-associated SNVs by comparing the genomes of MTB isolates with reference genomes using the MuMmer4 tool. Results: We observed a strikingly high proportion (94.2%) of MTB isolates resistant to ofloxacin, underscoring the current prevalence of drug resistance in MTB. An average of 3529 SNVs were detected in a single ofloxacin-resistant isolate, indicating a mutation rate of approximately 0.08% under the selective pressure of ofloxacin exposure. We identified a set of 60 SNVs associated with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), among which 42 SNVs were non-synonymous mutations located in the coding regions of nine key genes (ctpI, desA3, mce1R, moeB1, ndhA, PE_PGRS4, PPE18, rpsA, secF). Protein structure modeling revealed that SNVs of three genes (PE_PGRS4, desA3, secF) are close to the critical catalytic active sites in the three-dimensional structure of the coding proteins. Conclusion: This comprehensive study elucidates novel resistance mechanisms in MTB against antibiotics, paving the way for future design and development of anti-tuberculosis drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We have re-annotated the genome of tsetse fly and identified novel miRNAs based on a series of reliable bioinformatics tools. • 25 proteins and 35 miRNAs were found to be associated with trypanosome survival. • Two miRNAs (miR-619-5p and miR-2490-3p) were observed to target several critical genes that participated in the infection of human African trypanosomiasis. • Ten miRNAs were found to be unique in tsetse fly compared to other insects. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, causes millions of deaths worldwide. HAT is primarily transmitted by the vector tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans). Early diagnosis remains a key objective for treating this disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved small non-coding RNAs that play key roles in vector-borne diseases. To date, the roles of proteins and miRNAs in HAT disease have not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we have re-annotated the function of protein-coding genes and identified several miRNAs based on a series of bioinformatics tools. A batch of 81.1 % of tsetse fly proteins could be determined homology in mosquito genome, suggesting their probable similar mechanisms in vector-borne diseases. A set of 11 novel salivary proteins and 14 midgut proteins were observed in the tsetse fly, which could be applied to the development of vaccine candidates for the control of HAT disease. In addition, 35 novel miRNAs were identified, among which 10 miRNAs were found to be unique in tsetse fly. Pathway analysis of these 10 miRNAs indicated that targets of miR-15a-5p were significantly enriched in the HAT-related neurotrophin signaling pathway. Besides, topological analysis of the miRNA-gene network indicated that miR-619-5p and miR-2490-3p targeted several genes that respond to trypanosome infection, including thioester-containing protein Tep1 and heat shock protein Hsp60a. In conclusion, our work helps to elucidate the function of miRNAs in tsetse fly and establishes a foundation for further investigations into the molecular regulatory mechanisms of HAT disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a dynamic analysis model for a catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) system based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) method, combined with continuum mechanics and finite element theory. This model uses absolute slope coordinates instead of traditional angle coordinates to better describe the large deformation and large displacement of the cables. The paper derives the element mass matrix, generalized stiffness matrix, and the element external load matrix, including the Morison force transformed into the ANCF framework, based on the virtual work principle. The accuracy and reliability of the ANCF program are validated using static and dynamic beam models, as well as submerged tether models. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the ANCF mooring cable model with OpenFAST and MoorDyn accentuates the program's practical value in real engineering applications. Finally, we systematically analyzed the dynamic characteristics of a CALM single-point mooring system, revealing that the mooring forces in the cables significantly influence the high-frequency motion of the buoy. Additionally, the reduction in the length of the mooring cables, to an appropriate extent, enhances the stability of the system, which further attests to the effectiveness and practicality of the ANCF model that has been developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock slope landslides and underground construction destabilization are frequently attributed to shear impairment by intermittent joints, and the support by bolts represents an indispensable technique for reinforcing jointed rocks. Therefore, we conducted laboratory experiments on intermittently jointed rock-like materials that were anchored, employing various anchoring inclination angles and methods, to investigate the influence of bolt anchoring on the shear properties and acoustic emission characteristics of intermittently jointed rock-like materials. Experimental results revealed that the peak shear strength of the anchored intermittently jointed rock-like materials is proportional to the bolt inclination angle. The strain on the joint is inversely related to the peak shear strength and the bolt inclination angle. The full-length anchorage and end anchorage can drastically enhance the mechanical traits of intermittently jointed rock-like materials, effectively impeding the proliferation of shear cracks after reaching the peak shear strength. The anchorage inclination exhibits a positive correlation with the accumulative acoustic emission (AE) energy and, conversely, a negative correlation with the peak AE count. In geotechnical engineering, the anchoring effect of anchor bolts can enhance the integrity of fractured rock masses and improve overall stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countless data generated in Smart city may contain private and sensitive information and should be protected from unauthorized users. The data can be encrypted by Attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE), which allows encrypter to specify access policies in the ciphertext. But, traditional CP-ABE schemes are limited because of two shortages: the access policy is public i.e., privacy exposed; the decryption time is linear with the complexity of policy, i.e., huge computational overheads. In this work, we introduce a novel method to protect the privacy of CP-ABE scheme by keyword search (KS) techniques. In detail, we define a new security model called chosen sensitive policy security: two access policies embedded in the ciphertext, one is public and the other is sensitive and hidden. If user's attributes don't satisfy the public policy, he/she cannot get any information (attribute name and its values) of the hidden one. Previous CP-ABE schemes with hidden policy only work on the "AND-gate" access structure or their ciphertext size or decryption time maybe super-polynomial. Our scheme is more expressive and compact. Since, IoT devices spread all over the smart city, so the computational overhead of encryption and decryption can be shifted to third parties. Therefore, our scheme is more applicable to resource-constrained users. We prove our scheme to be selective secure under the decisional bilinear Diffie-Hellman (DBDH) assumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proxy re-encryption (PRE) schemes, which nicely solve the problem of delegating decryption rights, enable a semi-trusted proxy to transform a ciphertext encrypted under one key into a ciphertext of the same message under another arbitrary key. Cohen first pointed out the insufficiency of the security under chosen-plaintext attacks (CPA) of PREs in PKC 2019, and proposed a strictly stronger security notion, named security under honest re-encryption attacks (HRA), of PREs. Surprisingly, a few PREs satisfy the stronger HRA security and almost all of them are pairing-based till now. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first direct construction of HRA secure single-hop PREs based on standard LWE problems with comparably small and polynomially-bounded parameters in this paper. Combining known reductions, the HRA security of our PREs could also be guaranteed by the worst-case basic lattice problems (e.g. SIVP γ with γ = O ̃ (n 3. 5)). Our single-hop PRE schemes are key-private, which means that the implicit identities of a re-encryption key will not be revealed even in the case of a proxy colluding with some corrupted users. Meanwhile, our single-hop PRE schemes are also post-compromise (PCS) secure, ensuring that a re-encrypted ciphertext remains confidential even when the past key, potential old ciphertexts and the re-encryption key have been exposed. Some discussions about key-privacy of multi-hop PREs are also proposed, which indicates that several constructions of multi-hop PREs do not satisfy their key-privacy definitions. • Proxy Re-Encryption Based on Standard LWE Assumptions. • Security Against Honest Re-Encryption Attacks. • Strong Post-Compromise Security and Key Privacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How many species of life are there on Earth? This is a question that we want to know but cannot yet answer. Some scholars speculate that the number of species may reach 2.2 billion when considering cryptic diversity and that each morphology‐based insect species may contain an average of 3.1 cryptic species. With nearly two million described species, such high estimates of cryptic diversity would suggest that cryptic species are widespread. The development of molecular species delimitation has led to the discovery of a large number of cryptic species, and cryptic biodiversity has gradually entered our field of vision and attracted more attention. This paper introduces the concept of cryptic species, how they evolve, and methods by which they may be discovered and confirmed, and provides theoretical and methodological guidance for the study of hidden species. A workflow of how to confirm cryptic species is provided. In addition, the importance and reliability of multi‐evidence‐based integrated taxonomy are reaffirmed as a way to better standardize decision‐making processes. Special focus on cryptic diversity and increased funding for taxonomy is needed to ensure that cryptic species in hyperdiverse groups are discoverable and described. An increased focus on cryptic species in the future will naturally arise as more difficult groups are studied, and thereby, we may finally better understand the rules governing the evolution and maintenance of cryptic biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document summarizes a study on the allergen profile of the storage mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae. The study used multi-omic approaches to identify allergen homologues in the mite's genome and found that gene expression levels were important for proteomic identification. The researchers discovered several ungrouped homologues of known allergens but did not investigate the immunological aspects of these allergens. Overall, the research provides a comprehensive understanding of the allergen complexity of T. putrescentiae. [Extracted from the article]

Globally, insect pollinators that are linked to increased yields in many crops have experienced severe population declines. Crop diversification is often proposed as an effective conservation measure to boost pollinator populations. Here, we investigate the potential benefits of mixed oilseed rape/milk vetch cultivation for wild pollinator communities by comparing it with oilseed rape monocultures. Studying 8 mixed and 10 monocropping fields positioned along a gradient of increasing semi‐natural habitat coverage in mountainous agricultural landscapes, we found that agricultural landscapes with mixed cultivation harboured higher wild pollinator diversity than oilseed rape monocropping landscapes. This positive effect was observed irrespective of the proportion of semi‐natural habitat. Meanwhile, the pollinator community composition in mixed cultivation landscapes was similar to that of oilseed rape monoculture landscapes, and, contrary to expectations, mixed cultivation did not benefit specific pollinator trait groups like cavity‐nesting bees. Overall, we believe the higher pollinator diversity linked to mixed cultivation can increase insect‐pollinated crop yields, and mixed oilseed rape‐milk vetch cultivation might represent a potential mitigation measure for the negative impacts agricultural intensification has on wild pollinator communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the rapid development of human society, there has been a notable surge in waste production, which has resulted in environmental pollution and degradation. This is a pervasive issue that requires attention. To address the environmental problems caused by waste generation and advance the development of recyclable domestic waste detection, this article proposes waste classification as a solution. Traditional waste sorting methods have proven to be inefficient and prone to errors, hence the need for a more effective approach. A multiobjective recyclable domestic waste detection and classification method based on improved You Only Look Once v5s (YOLOv5s) is proposed in this study. In this study, the network structure is enhanced through the implementation of the Bidirectional Pyramid Network (BiFPN). The coordinate attention mechanism is then incorporated to elevate the accuracy of the model. Additionally, the loss function is refined by adopting the Efficient Intersection Over Union Loss (EIOU_Loss) metric to further optimize network performance. Finally, the introduction of the Ghost convolution module reduces parameter count and significantly improves the real-time detection speed. The waste dataset named Multi-classified Recyclable Domestic Trash Identification Dataset (MULTI-TRASH), which is composed of machine shooting, web crawler, and artificial photography, is used for verification due to its good generalization and representativeness. The mean Average Precision at a threshold of 0.5 (mAP@0.5) value of 94.8% is achieved by the improved model, which is a 30.72% reduction in the number of parameters and a 1.2% improvement in the mAP@0.5 value compared with YOLOv5s. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is proved by a comparison with other target detection algorithms. This study aims to provide technical references for the development of a recyclable domestic waste detection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a data-driven distributionally robust chance constrained real-time dispatch (DRCC-RTD) considering renewable generation forecasting errors. The proposed DRCC-RTD model minimizes the expected quadratic cost function and guarantees that the two-sided chance constraints are satisfied for any distribution in the ambiguity set. The Wasserstein-distance-based ambiguity set, which is a family of distributions centered at an empirical distribution, is employed to hedge against data perturbations. By applying the reformulation linearization technique (RLT) to relax the quadratic constraints of the worst-case costs and constructing linear reformulations of the DRCCs, the proposed DRCC-RTD model is cast into a deterministic linear programming (LP) problem, which can be solved efficiently by off-the-shelf solvers. Case studies are carried out on a 6-bus system and the IEEE 118-bus system to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnSe/95SiO2–5B2O3 nanocomposites were prepared by a sol-gel method and in situ growth technique. X-ray diffraction patterns showed the typical interplanar spacing corresponding to the cubic phase of ZnSe. Transmission electron microscopy studies indicated that an average particle size of the ZnSe nanocrystals is around 5.0 nm. UV-visible spectroscopy was carried out to determine the band gap of the ZnSe nanocrystals and a blueshift was observed as compared to that of the ZnSe bulk materials. A single-beam Z-scan measurement showed that the nanocomposites have two-photon absorption (TPA) and a negative nonlinear refraction at the wavelength of 532 nm; the TPA coefficient β and the nonlinear refractive index n2 are 19.94 cm/GW and 1.0×10-10 esu, respectively. The nonlinearity of the nanocomposites is higher than that of the ZnSe bulk materials due to special surface structure and high surface activity of the ZnSe nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The full potential for using DNA barcodes for profiling functional trait diversity has yet to be determined in plants and animals; thus, we outline a general framework for quantifying functional trait diversity of insect community DNA and propose and assess the accuracy of three methods for achieving this. We built a novel dataset of traits and DNA barcodes for wild bees in China. An informatics framework was developed for phylogeny‐based integration of these data and prediction of traits for any subject barcodes, which was compared with two distance‐based methods. For Phylogenetic Assignment, we additionally conducted a species‐level analysis of publically available bee trait data. Under the specimen‐level dataset, the rate of trait assignment was negatively correlated with distance between the query and the nearest trait‐known reference, for all methods. Phylogenetic Assignment was found to perform best under several criteria; particularly, it had the lowest false‐positive rate (rarely returning a state prediction where success was unlikely; where the distance from query to the nearest reference was high). For a wider range of compiled traits, conservative life‐history traits showed the highest rates of assignment; for example, sociality was predicted with confidence at 53%, parasitism at 44% and nest location at 33%. As outlined herein, automated trait assignment might be applied at scale to either barcodes or metabarcodes. With further compilation and databasing of DNA barcode and trait data, the rate and accuracy of trait assignment is expected to increase to the point of being a widely viable and informative approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interfacial properties between carbon fiber (CF) and matrix play a key role in the mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites. To improve the mechanical properties of fibers/epoxy composites without sacrificing tensile strength of base fibers, carbon black (CB) was introduced onto the surface of CFs by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The distribution of CBs on the fiber surface and the change of the surface roughness were analyzed, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Raman spectroscopy indicated that the defects of CF surface were repaired by CB. The wettability and surface energy of modified CFs increased obviously in comparison with those of the untreated CFs. Meanwhile, a significant increase of interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), interface shear strength tests (IFSS) and impact property were achieved in the 5-min-modified CFs, which was 22.0, 44.4 and 22.7%, respectively. In addition, the tensile strength (TS) of modified CFs showed a slight increase compared with that of untreated CFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphioxus species are considered living fossils and are important in the evolutionary study of chordates and vertebrates. To explore viral homologous sequences, a high-quality annotated genome of the Beihai amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri beihai) was examined using virus sequence queries. In this study, 347 homologous fragments (HFs) of viruses were identified in the genome of B. belcheri beihai, of which most were observed on 21 genome assembly scaffolds. HFs were preferentially located within protein-coding genes, particularly in their CDS regions and promoters. A range of amphioxus genes with a high frequency of HFs is proposed, including histone-related genes that are homologous to the Histone or Histone H2B domains of viruses. Together, this comprehensive analysis of viral HFs provides insights into the neglected role of viral integration in the evolution of amphioxus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demand of electricity, the development of the urban power grid has drawn a lot of attention in China. In order to focus on the analysis of an urban power grid, the remaining part of the large-scale power grid used is to be reduced. The accuracy of the equivalence is key to urban power grid research. In this paper, a multistep dynamic equivalent method based on district dividing is proposed. Based on the electrical distance, voltage level, and geographic location, the external system is divided into outer layer, inner layer, and buffer subsystem. Each district is separately reduced by different methods. The proposed technique is illustrated by a real large-scale power grid in the south of China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hypericum sampsonii Hance (Yuanbaocao), a traditional herbal medicine with various pharmacological properties, is traditionally used to treat diarrhea and enteritis in China for hundreds of years. Investigations have uncovered its anti-inflammatory effects and corresponding bioactive constituents in H. sampsonii , however, the mechanisms of action for the treatment of enteritis are still unclear. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of H. sampsonii in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice model. The major ingredients of the ethyl acetate extract (HS) in H. sampsonii were analyzed by UPLC-QTOF-MS. The inflammatory state of UC mice was caused by 3% DSS once daily for seven days. During DSS treatment, the mice in the positive drug group and the other three groups were orally administered 5-ASA (positive control) or HS daily. After treatment with HS or 5-ASA for a week, colonic pathological observation and the molecular biological index were performed for therapeutic evaluation, including visual inspection in the length and weight of colons and spleens, pathological morphology by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, determination of oxidative markers, inflammatory cytokines and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels in colonic tissues as well as spleen index. Gene expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, antioxidant enzymes and PDE4 were detected using kits and PCR, while the expression of colonic tight junction proteins and relative signals of PKA/CREB signaling pathway were analyzed by Western blot. The main components in HS were found to be polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs). HS distinctly alleviated DSS-stimulated UC-like lesions symptoms as evidenced by a significant recovery from body weight, colon lengths, and histological injuries of colons. HS reduced the accumulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and improved the mRNA level of IL-10. Simultaneously, the colonic mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-17, iNOS and COX-2 were all significantly suppressed by HS in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, HS restored the protein expression of tight junction-associated protein (ZO-1 and occluding). Besides, HS significantly inhibited the protein level of PDE4 and decreased the expressions of PKA and phosphorylated CREB. This is the first work about main composition and anti-UC effect of Hypericum sampsonii Hance. For the first time, this study reveals HS is not toxic in a single dose and exert significantly protective effect in DSS-colitis mice. The underlying mechanisms may involve the improvement to inflammatory status, the protection for intestinal barrier function, the inhibition of PDE4, and the activation of PKA/CREB signaling pathway. This study provided an experimental basis for the traditional application of H. sampsonii Hance in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery. [Display omitted] • List of highlights. • Polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols were the main composition of Hypericum sampsonii. • Hypericum sampsonii exert significantly protective effect in DSS-colitis mice. • The underlying mechanisms may involve PDE4/PKA/CREB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) can mitigate fluctuations of renewable-energy output due to its large-scale storage capacities, high ramp rate, and quick start-up time. It has become a novel choice for energy storage in microgrids. An islanded microgrid, which consists of wind turbines (WTs), photovoltaic (PV) array, diesel generators, and CAES, is investigated in this paper. The constant-pressure CAES is modeled in terms of its power capacity and energy capacity. A bi-level program (BLP) is proposed for the microgrid planning problem. It considers optimization of operation at the design stage of microgrids. The sizing problem is formulated on the upper level (UL), while the unit commitment (UC) problem with spinning-reserve requirement for the microgrid is described on the lower level (LL). The effectiveness of the approach is validated by case studies where the proposed methodology is compared to other similar ones. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As a new member of the high-performance organic polymer aerogel, polybenzoxazine (PBz) aerogel has the advantages of high strength, good heat resistance and flame retardancy, which is an ideal thermal insulation and ablation-resistant material. However, the influence of the structure of PBz's monomers on their properties has not been thoroughly explored, resulting in a gap between their properties and theoretical values, which largely limits their applications. Herein, in order to optimize the properties of PBz aerogels, the benzoxazine aerogels with various structures were prepared by adjusting the ratio of the oxazine rings using a simple atmospheric pressure drying method. The results showed that the chemical structure played a crucial role in the properties of aerogels, which not only determined the extent of the sol-gel reaction, but also regulated the rigidity and hydrogen bonding interactions within the polymer. Through optimization and hydrogen bonding regulation, the compressive strength of aerogels can be reached up to 76.25 MPa which was superior to current reported works. In addition, the stabilized chemical structure enabled the aerogels to have good thermal stability (peak thermal decomposition temperature of more than 500 °C) as well as low thermal conductivities of the range of 0.0560–0.0627 W/m·K. The combination of good mechanical properties, high thermal stability and low thermal conductivities offers a potential materials system for robust thermal superinsulation under extreme conditions. [Display omitted] • Three Bz monomers were synthesized and aerogels were prepared using low temperature gelation and ambient pressure drying. • The chemical structure of Bz not only decided the extent of sol-gel reaction, but also tuned H-bond interactions in PBz. • Good mechanical properties, high thermal stability and low thermal conductivities were combined by the PBz aerogel. • The gel reaction chemistry of PBz aerogel was enriched, which offered a reference to design other polymer-based aerogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel strain of Japanese yam mosaic virus (JYMV-CN) was identified in a yam plant with foliar mottle symptoms in China. The complete genomic sequence of JYMV-CN was determined. Its genomic sequence of 9701 nucleotides encodes a polyprotein of 3247 amino acids. Its organization is virtually identical to that of two JYMV isolates from Japan. With the latter, it shares nucleotide sequence identities of only 74.7-74.8 %, indicating it might be a member of a new species. However, sequence analysis of the polyprotein and individual proteins suggested that the Chinese isolate is a divergent JYMV strain in the process of speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses the real medical records and web pages of Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B to extract structured medical knowledge, and obtains a total of 8,563 entities, 96,896 relationships, 32 entity types, and 40 relationship types. The structured data was stored in the Neo4j graph structure database, and a knowledge graph of Chinese medical diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B was constructed. The knowledge map is used as a structured data source to provide high-quality knowledge information for the medical question and answer system based on hepatitis B disease. Applying the deep learning method to the question identification and knowledge response of the question answering system makes the hepatitis B medical intelligent question answering system has important research and application significance. The question-and-answer system takes aim at hepatitis B, a public health problem in the world and leverages the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine for diagnosis and treatment. It provides a reference for doctors' disease diagnosis, treatment, and patient self-care. Its value is important for the treatment of hepatitis B disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both classification rate and accuracy are crucial for the recyclable PET bottles, and the existing combination methods of SVM all simply use SVM as the unit classifier, ignoring the improvement of SVM's classification performance in the training process of deep learning. A linear multi hierarchical deep structure based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) is proposed to cover this problem. A novel definition of the input matrix in each layer enhances the optimization of Lagrange multipliers in Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) algorithm, thus the datapoint in maximum interval of SVM hyperplane could be recognized, improving the classification performance of SVM classifier in this layer. The loss function defined in this paper could control the depth of Linear Multi Hierarchical SVM (LMHSVM), the generalization parameters are added in the loss function and the input matrix to enhance the generalization performance of LMHSVM. The process of creating Bottle dataset by Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is introduced meanwhile, reducing the data size of bottles. Experiments are conducted on LMHSVM and multiple typical classification algorithms with Bottle dataset and UCI datasets, the results indicated that LMHSVM has excellent classification performances than FNN classifier, LIBSVM (Gaussian) and GFS-AdaBoost-C in KEEL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conventional contingency analysis (CA), the overloading of transmission lines is identified by the violation of current or power flow rather than the temperature rise. Thus, the transient thermal behavior of transmission lines is usually neglected, which may cause underestimation of power transfer capability and lead to misoperations. In this paper, a new CA method that considers the transient thermal behavior of overhead transmission lines is proposed, where a transient heat balance based power flow (THB-PF) model is established to estimate the temperature dynamics of the lines after contingencies. The THB-PF model is represented by algebraic differential equations, which can be solved as a sequence of extended power flow problems by discretizing the differential equations into difference equations. Moreover, a simplified solution method for the THB-PF is also developed, in which the THB difference equations are linearized and solved separately from the power flow equations. The simplified method can yield an acceptable approximate solution within a considerably shorter time. Numerical simulations verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conductor temperature of an overhead transmission line varies with time and space, which has an important impact on the system operation. In this paper, the conductor temperature is solved iteratively by the CIGRE heat balance equation. The time–space variation of conductor temperature of a 220-kV transmission line is analyzed using real meteorological data from Weihai. Considering the temporal distribution characteristics, the seasonal model of the conductor temperature is given. Considering the spatial distribution, the mean value model, the weight average model, and the segmentation model are established. The system power flow involving the conductor temperature is established based on the relationship between conductor temperature and transmission line parameters. Through the calculation of power flow and the analysis of the maximum power transmission capability, the accuracy of the segmentation model is verified. The results show that the conductor temperature of overhead lines has obvious time–space variation characteristics. It is necessary to consider the time–space variation when analyzing the operation state of power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of urban economy and the growing integration of renewable energy, there are increasing challenges on the urban power grid. Due to the transmission stress and short-circuit current limitation, the traditional urban power grid cannot satisfy the new requirements. Multivoltage-level dc grid (MDCG) is an alternative approach to the urban power grid upgrade. This paper presents an MDCG topology, which can be used in a future urban power grid. Three operation modes of an urban MDCG are proposed: auto operation mode, power-limited operation mode, and stand-alone operation mode. The auto operation mode is the normal one for urban MDCG. The power-limited operation mode is designed to keep the capability to support urban high voltage ac transmission grid in emergencies. The stand-alone operation mode is used to keep stability in case the dc–dc converter system outage occurs. The combination control of three operation modes is put forward to enhance the reliability of urban MDCG in various operating conditions. The simulation results show that the proposed operation modes and combination control are effective and have good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Vacuolar processing enzymes (VPEs) are cysteine proteinases that act as crucial mediators of programmed cell death (PCD) in plants. In rice, however, the role of VPEs in abiotic stress-induced PCD remains largely unknown. In this study, we generated OsVPE3 overexpression and suppression transgenic lines to elucidate the function of this gene in rice. Results: Survival rate and chlorophyll retention analyses showed that suppression of OsVPE3 clearly enhanced salt stress tolerance in transgenic rice compared with wild type. Furthermore, fragmentation of genomic DNA was inhibited in plants with down-regulated OsVPE3. Vital staining studies indicated that vacuole rupture occurred prior to plasma membrane collapse during salt-induced PCD. Notably, overexpression of OsVPE3 promoted vacuole rupture, whereas suppression of OsVPE3 attenuated or delayed the disintegration of vacuolar membranes. Moreover, we found that suppression of OsVPE3 caused decreased leaf width and guard cell length in rice. Conclusions: Taken together, these results indicated that suppression of OsVPE3 enhances salt tolerance by attenuating vacuole rupture during PCD. Therefore, we concluded that OsVPE3 plays a crucial role in vacuole-mediated PCD and in stomatal development in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss how acrylic resin influences the smoke generation of intumescent flame retardant coatings. Design/methodology/approach – Thermal decomposition kinetics is used in this study to simulate the burning process. The thermal decomposition of acrylic resin can be identified in the intumescent coatings through the multi-peak fitting of derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) curves. The dormant influence of acrylic resin, combined with the smoke density, is calculated. Findings – Multiple peaks fitting method of DTG curves helps estimate the decomposition process of acrylic resin in flame retardant coating. Combining DTG data with the smoking curve, smoking generation of acrylic resin during the combustion could be evaluated. The decomposition conversion rate of acrylic resin is 21.13 per cent. Acrylic resin generates 34.64 per cent of the total amount of smoke produced during the combustion of intumescent flame retardant coatings. Research limitations/implications – All the other intumescent flame retardant coating systems could be studied using the same approach as that used in this work to achieve an improved understanding of the smoke generation process during combustion. Practical implications – The method developed here provided a simple and practical solution to analyse the decomposition and smoking generation of acrylic resin in the coating mixtures. It also can be used to analyse any thermal decomposition process of any mixed compounds. Originality/value – The analysis method to evaluate resin’s smoking generation of coating’s total generation is novel, and it could be applied in all kinds of coatings and mixtures to estimate the smoking generation of one composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibrous carbon materials have been attracted many researchers' attentions. Carbon fibers have been developed as one of the most important industrial materials for modern science and technology since 1960s [1] . Due to the superior mechanical properties including high-specific strength and modulus, low density and thermal expansion, heat resistance, and chemical stability, carbon fibers as reinforcement materials have provided the impetus for researchers in developing high-performance composite materials. Nowadays, carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are widely applied in the industries of aeronautic, aerospace, sporting goods, as well as new energy. The region between the fibers and matrix, contains unique micromechanical properties, is characteristically called the interphase and influence the bulk composite properties. Interface between fibers (reinforcements) and matrix is an important component for CFRP which may govern the CFRP performances [2] . For example, the interphase determines the off-axis strength and impact toughness of CFRP, environmental stability of CFRP and functional performance of CFRP. The effect of interface on composite can be achieved by regulating the composition, structure and distribution of the interface [3] . It has been proved that there has an optical interface for polymer based composite through the match of composite interface, reinforcement and polymer matrix. However, in terms of the smooth surface and chemical inertness of carbon fiber, the interface between carbon fiber and resin matrix is unsatisfactory. The interface should be modified and carefully controlled, which can be through by increasing the surface polarity of carbon fiber, improving the wettability between carbon fiber and resin, as well as promoting the chemical reaction. Obey these principles, the interfacial modification methods have been well developed. The universality of carbon fiber and polymer matrix, and the variability of the composite material forming process result in the complexity of polymer-based composites interface problems. Meanwhile the scale of the interface region is very small, it has great difficulty in characterizing the chemical structure, physical properties and mechanical characteristics. Recently, a series of effective characterization methods have been developed and initial interface characterization system is always being improved. With interface characterization techniques, the interfacial composition, structure morphology and micro-mechanical characteristics of interface can be researched easily, which can provide the basis for studying the interface physical and chemical properties. Hence interface characterization techniques not only are theory researches, but also have important practical significance for solving practical application problems of carbon fiber composites. Interface characterization techniques have become an important research direction of interface engineering research. In this paper, the researches in this field of carbon fiber interface were described, such as carbon fiber composite material characterization methods, interface control, and interfacial modification methods. With reference to the research achievements of a large number of scholars at present, so their current development trend were systemic concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]