Search

An efficient in vitro micropropagation system for Platanus × acerifolia 'F03', a radiation mutant that has not flowered for 19 yr, has been established. Axillary buds were used as explants. After sprouting on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 0.3 mg·L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) together with 0.05 mg·L−1 α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), the best medium for multiplication and elongation was MS basal medium supplemented with 0.1 mg·L−1 6-benzylaminopurine and with a multiplication rate of 3.43 ± 0.57. Plantlets over 1.5 cm could root on McCown Woody Plant Medium (WPM) supplemented with 0.01 mg·L−1 α-naphthaleneacetic acid and 7.0 g·L−1 agar with an ideal rooting rate and transplanting survival rate of 100 ± 0%. The optimum survival rate was possible when trays were covered with a thin plastic lid for more than 14 d. After transplanting, air humidity and temperature were crucial for young plant survival. The system established here could serve as a pathway for commercial production of the line and provide sterile leaf explants for regeneration and further genetic improvement of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saline and alkaline stresses limit plant growth and reduce crop yield. Soil salinization and alkalization seriously threaten the sustainable development of agriculture and the virtuous cycle of ecology. Biofertilizers made from plant growth−promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) not only enhance plant growth and stress tolerance, but also are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. There have been many studies on the mechanisms underlying PGPRs enhancing plant salt resistance. However, there is limited knowledge about the interaction between PGPR and plants under alkaline–sodic stress. To clarify the mechanisms underlying PGPR's improvement of plants' tolerance to alkaline–sodic stress, we screened PGPR from the rhizosphere microorganisms of local plants growing in alkaline–sodic land and selected an efficient strain, Bacillus altitudinis AD13−4, as the research object. Our results indicate that the strain AD13−4 can produce various growth-promoting substances to regulate plant endogenous hormone levels, cell division and differentiation, photosynthesis, antioxidant capacity, etc. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the strain AD13−4 significantly affected metabolism and secondary metabolism, signal transduction, photosynthesis, redox processes, and plant–pathogen interactions. Under alkaline–sodic conditions, inoculation of the strain AD13−4 significantly improved plant biomass and the contents of metabolites (e.g., soluble proteins and sugars) as well as secondary metabolites (e.g., phenols, flavonoids, and terpenoids). The 16S rRNA gene sequencing results indicated that the strain AD13−4 significantly affected the abundance and composition of the rhizospheric microbiota and improved soil activities and physiochemical properties. Our study provides theoretical support for the optimization of saline–alkali-tolerant PGPR and valuable information for elucidating the mechanism of plant alkaline–sodic tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki) is a termite species recognized for its capacity to cause substantial harm to trees and buildings. Termites have co-evolved with pathogenic bacteria, leading to the emergence of a robust innate defense mechanism. Termicin, an antimicrobial peptide, plays a pivotal role in safeguarding termites against external threats. This study has successfully devised a method for the rapid production of inactivated dsRNA-HT115, thereby augmenting the efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Beauveria bassiana (Bb) against termites. Additionally, it lays the groundwork for a novel approach to termite control. Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki) is a subterranean termite species known for causing severe damage to trees and structures such as dams. During the synergistic evolution of O. formosanus with pathogenic bacteria, the termite has developed a robust innate immunity. Termicin is a crucial antimicrobial peptide in termites, significantly contributing to the defense against external infections. Building upon the successful construction and expression of the dsRNA-HT115 engineering strains of dsOftermicin1 and dsOftermicin2 in our laboratory, this work employs the ultrasonic breaking method to establish an inactivated dsOftermicins-HT115 technological system capable of producing a substantial quantity of dsRNA. This approach also addresses the limitation of transgenic strains which cannot be directly applied. Treatment of O. formosanus with dsOftermicins produced by this method could enhance the virulence of both Bt and Bb to the termites. This study laid the theoretical groundwork for the development of novel termite immunosuppressants and for the advancement and application of termite biological control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making accurate predictions of chaotic dynamical systems is an essential but challenging task with many practical applications in various disciplines. However, the current dynamical methods can only provide short-term precise predictions, while prevailing deep learning techniques with better performances always suffer from model complexity and interpretability. Here, we propose a new dynamic-based deep learning method, namely the dynamical system deep learning (DSDL), to achieve interpretable long-term precise predictions by the combination of nonlinear dynamics theory and deep learning methods. As validated by four chaotic dynamical systems with different complexities, the DSDL framework significantly outperforms other dynamical and deep learning methods. Furthermore, the DSDL also reduces the model complexity and realizes the model transparency to make it more interpretable. We firmly believe that the DSDL framework is a promising and effective method for comprehending and predicting chaotic dynamical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Post-weaning diarrhea significantly impacts the survival and growth performance of piglets. This study aimed to obtain further insights into the metabolic changes in post-weaning diarrhea. The results showed that purine metabolism and hexosamine biosynthetic pathway were disturbed in diarrheal weaned piglets. This study suggests further studies could focus on dietary strategies, including energy strategies, ultimately alleviate diarrhea in weaning piglets via purine metabolism and hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. Post-weaning diarrhea significantly contributes to the high mortality in pig production, but the metabolic changes in weaned piglets with diarrhea remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the differential metabolites in the urine of diarrheal weaned piglets and those of healthy weaned piglets to reveal the metabolic changes associated with diarrhea in weaned piglets. Nine 25-day-old piglets with diarrhea scores above 16 and an average body weight of 5.41 ± 0.18 kg were selected for the diarrhea group. Corresponding to the body weight and sex of the diarrhea group, nine 25-month-old healthy piglets with similar sex and body weights of 5.49 ± 0.21 kg were selected as the control group. Results showed that the serum C-reactive protein and cortisol of piglets in the diarrhea group were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of TNF-α, IFN-γ in the jejunum and colon, and IL-1β in the jejunum were increased in diarrhea piglets (p < 0.05), accompanied by a reduction in the mRNA expression of ZO-1, ZO-2, and CLDN1 in the jejunum and colon (p < 0.05); mRNA expression of OCLN in the colon also occurred (p < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis of urine revealed increased levels of inosine, hypoxanthine, guanosine, deoxyinosin, glucosamine, glucosamine-1-p, N-Acetylmannosamine, chitobiose, and uric acid, identified as differential metabolites in diarrhea piglets compared to the controls. In summary, elevated weaning stress and inflammatory disease were associated with the abnormalities of purine metabolism and the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway of weaned piglets. This study additionally indicated the presence of energy metabolism-related diseases in diarrheal weaned piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can be easily promoted by antibiotics, however, the structural effects of antibiotics on the proliferation of ARGs dynamic and the associated mechanisms remain obscure in, especially, activated sludge sequencing batch reactors. In the present study, the effects of 9 sulfonamides (SAs) with different structures on the proliferation dynamic of sulfonamide resistance genes (Sul s) in the activated sludge sequencing batch reactors and the corresponding mechanisms were determined (30 days), and the results showed that the largest proliferation value (∆ A R) of Sul s dynamic for SAs (sulfachloropyridazine) was approximately 2.9 times than that of the smallest one (sulfadiazine). The proliferation of Suls was significantly related to the structural features (minHBint6, SssNH, SHBd and SpMax2_Bhm) that represent the biological activity of SAs. To interpret the phenomenon, a mechanistic model was developed and the results indicated that the biodegradation of SAs (T 1/2) rather than conjugative transfer frequency or mutation frequency tends to be the key process for affecting Sul s proliferation. T 1/2 was proved to be dependent on the interactions between SAs and receptors (E binding), the cleavage mode (bond dissociation energy), and the site of nucleophilic assault. Besides, the metagenomic analysis showed that SAs posed significant effect on antibiotic resistome and Tnp31 played a vital role in the proliferation of Suls. Overall, our findings provide important insight into a theoretical basis for understanding the structural effects of SAs on the proliferation of ARGs in SBR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the interaction of main marine organisms on localized corrosion of 316L stainless steel in the Dalian Sea area. Design/methodology/approach: The steel plate was immersed in the Dalian Sea area for nine months to observe the biofouling and localized corrosion. The local potential distribution on the steel plate covered by marine organisms was measured. The local electrochemical measurements were performed to facilitate understanding the interfacial status under different biofouling conditions. The local surface morphologies and corrosion products were characterized. Findings: The localized corrosion of stainless steel is mainly induced by the attachment of barnacles on the steel. The mussels have no influence on the localized corrosion. The cover of sea squirts could mitigate the localized corrosion induced by barnacles. Both crevice corrosion and pitting corrosion were found beneath the barnacle without the covering of sea squirts. The pitting damage was more serious than the crevice corrosion in the Dalian Sea area. The probing of sulfur element indicates that the potential growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria at barnacle center. Originality/value: The above findings revealed that the interaction of marine organisms has significant influences on the localized corrosion of stainless steel. The influences of macro-fouling and micro-fouling on localized corrosion are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil saline–alkalization inhibits plant growth and development and seriously affects crop yields. Over their long-term evolution, plants have formed complex stress response systems to maintain species continuity. R2R3-MYB transcription factors are one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, widely involved in plant growth and development, metabolism, and stress response. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), as a crop with high nutritional value, is tolerant to various biotic and abiotic stress. In this study, we identified 65 R2R3-MYB genes in quinoa, which are divided into 26 subfamilies. In addition, we analyzed the evolutionary relationships, protein physicochemical properties, conserved domains and motifs, gene structure, and cis-regulatory elements of CqR2R3-MYB family members. To investigate the roles of CqR2R3-MYB transcription factors in abiotic stress response, we performed transcriptome analysis to figure out the expression file of CqR2R3-MYB genes under saline–alkali stress. The results indicate that the expression of the six CqMYB2R genes was altered significantly in quinoa leaves that had undergone saline–alkali stress. Subcellular localization and transcriptional activation activity analysis revealed that CqMYB2R09, CqMYB2R16, CqMYB2R25, and CqMYB2R62, whose Arabidopsis homologues are involved in salt stress response, are localized in the nucleus and exhibit transcriptional activation activity. Our study provides basic information and effective clues for further functional investigation of CqR2R3-MYB transcription factors in quinoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saline-alkali stress seriously affects the yield and quality of crops, threatening food security and ecological security. Improving saline-alkali land and increasing effective cultivated land are conducive to sustainable agricultural development. Trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide, is closely related to plant growth and development and stress response. Trehalose 6-phosphate synthase (TPS) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP) are key enzymes catalyzing trehalose biosynthesis. To elucidate the effects of long-term saline-alkali stress on trehalose synthesis and metabolism, we conducted an integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis. As a result, 13 TPS and 11 TPP genes were identified in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) and were named CqTPS1-13 and CqTPP1-11 according to the order of their Gene IDs. Through phylogenetic analysis, the CqTPS family is divided into two classes, and the CqTPP family is divided into three classes. Analyses of physicochemical properties, gene structures, conservative domains and motifs in the proteins, and cis-regulatory elements, as well as evolutionary relationships, indicate that the TPS and TPP family characteristics are highly conserved in quinoa. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses of the sucrose and starch metabolism pathway in leaves undergoing saline-alkali stress indicate that CqTPP and Class II CqTPS genes are involved in the stress response. Moreover, the accumulation of some metabolites and the expression of many regulatory genes in the trehalose biosynthesis pathway changed significantly, suggesting the metabolic process is important for the saline-alkali stress response in quinoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important crops grown worldwide, and saline–alkali stress seriously affects the yield and quality of rice. It is imperative to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying rice response to saline–alkali stress. In this study, we conducted an integrated analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome to elucidate the effects of long-term saline–alkali stress on rice. High saline–alkali stress (pH > 9.5) induced significant changes in gene expression and metabolites, including 9347 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 693 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Among the DAMs, lipids and amino acids accumulation were greatly enhanced. The pathways of the ABC transporter, amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glutathione metabolism, TCA cycle, and linoleic acid metabolism, etc., were significantly enriched with DEGs and DAMs. These results suggest that the metabolites and pathways play important roles in rice's response to high saline–alkali stress. Our study deepens the understanding of mechanisms response to saline–alkali stress and provides references for molecular design breeding of saline–alkali resistant rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promise of compute‐in‐memory (CIM) for energy‐efficient deep neural network (DNN) tasks has been demonstrated. However, most previous CIM works typically focus on low‐precision DNN computing. To enable high‐precision DNN computing, this work presents a novel SRAM‐CIM design that fully supports half‐precision floating‐point (FP16) MAC operations. To maximize the energy efficiency, an efficient in‐memory bit‐parallel approach for conducting exponent operations and the bitwise in‐memory booth encoder for reducing mantissa multiplication latency are proposed. Moreover, by enabling the pipeline of exponent and mantissa processing, the hardware utilization is improved with high throughput achieved. The proposed design is analyzed in 40 nm CMOS technology. The evaluation shows that the SRAM‐CIM achieves a frequency of 714 MHz and a peak energy efficiency of 1.53 TFLOPS/W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium crown rot (FCR) of wheat, an important soil-borne disease, presents a worsening trend year by year, posing a significant threat to wheat production. Fusarium pseudograminearum cv. b was reported to be the dominant pathogen of FCR in China. Peroxisomes are single-membrane organelles in eukaryotes that are involved in many important biochemical metabolic processes, including fatty acid β-oxidation. PEX11 is important proteins in peroxisome proliferation, while less is known in the fungus F. pseudograminearum. The functions of FpPEX11a, FpPEX11b, and FpPEX11c in F. pseudograminearum were studied using reverse genetics, and the results showed that FpPEX11a and FpPEX11b are involved in the regulation of vegetative growth and asexual reproduction. After deleting FpPEX11a and FpPEX11b, cell wall integrity was impaired, cellular metabolism processes including active oxygen metabolism and fatty acid β-oxidation were significantly blocked, and the production ability of deoxynivalenol (DON) decreased. In addition, the deletion of genes of FpPEX11a and FpPEX11b revealed a strongly decreased expression level of peroxisome-proliferation-associated genes and DON-synthesis-related genes. However, deletion of FpPEX11c did not significantly affect these metabolic processes. Deletion of the three protein-coding genes resulted in reduced pathogenicity of F. pseudograminearum. In summary, FpPEX11a and FpPEX11b play crucial roles in the growth and development, asexual reproduction, pathogenicity, active oxygen accumulation, and fatty acid utilization in F. pseudograminearum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum is a significant disease among cereal crops. In F. graminearum, biosynthesis of leucine, which is a branched chain amino acid, is achieved by converting α-isopropylmalate to β-isopropylmalate catalyzed by isopropylmalate isomerase encoded by LEU1. Considering the potential for targeting this pathway by fungicides, we characterized the gene FgLEU1 (FGSG-09589) in the Fusarium graminearum genome using bioinformatics methods. For functional characterization, we constructed a deletion mutant of FgLEU1 (ΔLEU1) through homologous recombination. Compared with the wild-type strain PH-1, ΔLEU1 showed slower colony growth and fewer aerial mycelia. Leucine addition was needed to ensure proper mutant growth. Further, ΔLEU1 showed decreased conidial production and germination rates, and could not produce ascospores. Moreover, ΔLEU1 showed complete loss of pathogenicity and reduced ability to produce deoxynivalenol (DON) and aurofusarin. Upstream and downstream genes of FgLEU1 were significantly upregulated in ΔLEU1. Contrary to previous reports, the deletion mutant was more resistant to osmotic stress and cell wall-damaging agents than the wild-type. Taken together, FgLEU1 plays a crucial role in leucine synthesis, aerial mycelial growth, sexual and asexual reproduction, pathogenicity, virulence, and pigmentation in Fusarium graminearum, indicating its potential as a target for novel antifungal agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Thoracic surgery often causes postoperative delirium (POD) in geriatric patients. This study aimed to explore the effect of ultrasound-guided continuous thoracic paravertebral block (UG-TPVB) on POD in geriatric patients undergoing pulmonary resection. Methods Total 128 patients who underwent pulmonary resection were randomly allocated to either the conventional patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) group or the UG-TPVB group (n = 64 per group). The consumption of opioid agents (propofol and remifentanil), postoperative hospital stay, postoperative pulmonary atelectasis, postoperative nausea/vomiting, and postoperative itchiness were recorded. The diagnosis of delirium was dependent on the Nursing Delirium Screening Scale. The postoperative pain was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) score. The serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α were used to evaluate the postoperative neuroinflammation. Results The consumption of propofol and remifentanil, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative pulmonary atelectasis, postoperative nausea/vomiting, and postoperative itchiness in the UG-TPVB group were lower than that in the PCA group. Compared with the PCA group, the prevalence of POD was decreased in the UG-TPVB group. In addition, use of UG-TPVB not only reduced postoperative pain (VAS score) but also decreased postoperative neuroinflammation compared with PCA in geriatric patients undergoing pulmonary resection. Conclusions This study determined the benefits of UG-TPVB over PCA, providing an effectiveness approach to alleviate POD in geriatric patients undergoing pulmonary resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the unmanned ship networking scenario, the position of the unmanned ship changes continuously, leading to the result that the desired transmitters and the interference transmitters may exchange identities at any time. The traditional interference alignment technique cannot solve the interference. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an adaptive interference alignment scheme based on the dynamic selection of the desired transmitters for the unmanned ship network. Firstly, according to the characteristics of the unmanned ship networking scene, a new measurement value the non-directional user signal to interference ratio W is proposed, and the desired user set and connection mode are selected through the calculation of W. Secondly, the corresponding interference alignment scheme is designed. The iterative interference alignment algorithm is used for non-directional users, while partial interference alignment algorithm is used for directional users, and the proof of algorithm convergence is given. Lastly, the scheme can dynamically select and update the desired user set and connection mode when the position of the unmanned ship changes, and the corresponding interference alignment scheme will also perform adaptive updates. Experimental results indicate that the scheme can select the optimal connection mode according to the current position of the unmanned ship and eliminate the interference caused by the undesired transmitter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is mainly determined by intramuscular preadipocyte adipogenesis. Epigenetic modifications are known to have a regulatory effect on IMF. As N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant epigenetic modification in eukaryotic RNAs. In the present study, we used m6A methylation and RNA sequencing (seq) to identify the m6A-modified RNAs associated with the adipogenic differentiation of intramuscular preadipocytes. Among them, the expression and m6A level of phosphorylase kinase subunit G1 (PHKG1) were found to be significantly changed during adipogenesis. Further studies revealed that knockdown of the methylase METTL3 decreased the m6A methylation of PHKG1 and led to a reduction in PHKG1. Moreover, knockdown of PHKG1 promoted adipogenic differentiation by upregulating the expression of adipogenic genes. In addition, we found that the IMF content in the longissimus thoracis (LT) of Bamei (BM) pigs was greater than that in Large White (LW) pigs, whereas the m6A and PHKG1 expression levels were lower in BM pigs. These findings indicate that the m6A level and expression of PHKG1 were significantly correlated with IMF content and meat quality. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the mechanism by which m6A modification regulates IMF deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The polar Co 8 NiS 8 /Ni 3 S 2 heterostructure anchored on 3D CNF networks were prepared. • The synergistic catalysis of Co 8 NiS 8 /Ni 3 S 2 promotes rapid transformation of LiPSs. • The Li-S battery delivers a high specific capacity of 1532.6 mA h g−1 at 0.1C. The polar Co 8 NiS 8 /Ni 3 S 2 heterostructures anchored on 3D carbon nanofiber networks (CNFs) were prepared as catalysts modifying the separator of lithium-sulfur batteries. The Co 8 NiS 8 /Ni 3 S 2 combining the synergistic chemisorption and catalysis effect, can effectively alleviate the shuttle effect, while the CNFs further accelerate the transfer of ions and electrons through the separator. Based on the synergistic effect, the modified Li-S battery delivers a high initial specific capacity of 1532.6 mA h g−1 at 0.1C and a high reversible discharge capacity of 519.7 mA h g−1 at 2C over 500 cycles with 0.061 % decay per cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size-selected Au (923 ± 23 atoms) cluster soft-landed on amorphous carbon and MgO(100) surface were imaged by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM). Au923 clusters presents multiplicity geometries on amorphous carbon and epitaxial relationship with MgO(100) surface. It is found that there is a projected size of Au923 clusters shrinking when landed on the MgO surface. This is due to the limited observation direction caused by the epitaxial relationship between the facet of Au923 clusters and Mg(100) lattice. This study highlights the different observation direction of electron microscopy images of clusters can result in the change of projected area. Such visual size changes can not be neglected in the cluster studies at atomic resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a selective agonist of α2-adrenergic receptors with anesthetic activity and neuroprotective benefits. However, its mechanism of action at the molecular level remains poorly defined. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of DEX on oxygen-glucose deprivation/ reperfusion (OGD/R)-induced neuronal apoptosis in PC12 cells, and evaluated its underlying mechanism(s) of neuroprotection and anti-inflammation. Methods: An OGD/R model in PC12 cells was established. PC12 cells were cultured and divided into control, OGD/R, and OGD/R + DEX (1 μM, 10 μM, 50 μM) groups. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and expression profiles were determined by qRT-PCR, western blot analysis, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The interaction between miRNA and its downstream targets was evaluated through luciferase reporter assays. Results: DEX significantly decreased apoptosis rates and inhibited interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) release (P < 0.05). While expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Caspase-3 was down-regulated, expression of Bcl-2 was upregulated in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Interestingly, miR-17-5p expression was down-regulated in the OGD/R group (compared to controls). Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a key regulator of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling, was identified as a novel target of miR-17-5p in PC12 cells. miR-17-5p expression was upregulated in the OGD/R + DEX group, suppressing TLR4 expression and reducing the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Conclusion: DEX inhibits OGD/R-induced inflammation and apoptosis in PC12 cells by increasing miR-17-5p expression, downregulating TLR4, and inhibiting NF-κB signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manganese production industry produces a large amount of sulfide purification sludge (SPS) every year, representing a hazardous solid waste but also a valuable secondary resource for Ni, Co, and Mn. In this paper, the recovery of Ni, Co, and Mn from the SPS was achieved by (i) leaching with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, (ii) selectively extracting nickel, cobalt and manganese, (iii) solvent extraction for zinc removal, and finally obtained the battery-grade Ni-Co-Mn sulfate solution. During the hydrogen peroxide solution leaching stage, the leaching efficiency of Co, Mn, and Ni reached 98.5%, 98.6%, and 95.6%, respectively. A synergistic extraction system (SES) consisting of decyl 4-picolinate and dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid was used to selectively extract Ni, Co, and part of Mn, and the extraction of Ni and Co was >99.8% and 95.5%, respectively. The loaded organic was subjected to four-stage countercurrent scrubbing using a 5 g/L H 2 SO 4 solution, resulting in nearly 100% removal of Ca and Mg. After that, 150 g/L H 2 SO 4 was used to strip Ni, Co, and Mn from the loaded organic to obtain a crude Ni-Co-Mn sulfate solution. Finally, D2EHPA was utilized for the extraction of impurity Zn from the stripping solution to obtain a battery-grade Ni-Co-Mn sulfate solution with <5 × 10−4 g/L of Zn. Compared to traditional technology, the novel process not only enables the recovery of valuable Ni, Co, and Mn in SPS but also facilitates their direct preparation into battery-grade nickel‑cobalt‑manganese sulfate solution, which has the advantages of a short process and high added value. • A novel process for the recovery of valuable metals from the SPS was introduced. • The battery-grade Ni-Co-Mn sulfate solution can be prepared. • Valuable metals Ni, Co, and Mn were selectively leached with an H 2 O 2 solution to separate valuable metals from iron and aluminum. • Selective co-extraction of all Ni and Co as part of Mn using a synergistic extraction system (SES). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A total of 930 metabolites were identified in quinoa sprouts. • 232 metabolites responded significantly to saline-alkali stress. • Saline-alkali stress decreased the concentration of flavonoids and phenolic acids. • Different metabolites were mainly enriched in flavonoid and amino acid pathways. Quinoa sprouts are a green vegetable rich in bioactive chemicals, which have multiple health benefits. However, there is limited information on the overall metabolic profiles of quinoa sprouts and the metabolite changes caused by saline-alkali stress. Here, a UHPLC-MS/MS-based widely targeted metabolomics technique was performed to comprehensively evaluate the metabolic profiles of quinoa sprouts and characterize its metabolic response to saline-alkali stress. A total of 930 metabolites were identified of which 232 showed significant response to saline-alkali stress. The contents of lipids and amino acids were significantly increased, while the contents of flavonoids and phenolic acids were significantly reduced under saline-alkali stress. Moreover, the antioxidant activities of quinoa sprouts were significantly affected by saline-alkali stress. The enrichment analysis of the differentially accumulated metabolites revealed that flavonoid, amino acid and carbohydrate biosynthesis/metabolism pathways responded to saline-alkali stress. This study provided an important theoretical basis for evaluating the nutritional value of quinoa sprouts and the changes in metabolites in response to saline-alkali stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new Pd nanoparticle electrode with high dechlorination activity was prepared. • Dendrite-like Ni-Cu-P was adopted as the interlayer. • The increased Pd2+ facilitated C Cl bond cleavage and the dechlorination of 2,4-DCP. • A fairly low Pd load (0.42 mg/cm2) was used. A new electrode with high electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination activity was prepared by pulse electrodeposition of Pd nanoparticles on a dendrite-like Ni-Cu-P interlayer with foam nickel as the substrate. The physical and chemical properties of the composite electrode were systematically investigated by various characterizations. The dechlorination performance was evaluated with 2,4-dichlorophenol as the model pollutant. The results indicated that in 150 min the dechlorination efficiency over the electrode without the Ni-Cu-P interlayer was only 52.7 %, while 100 % of 2,4-dichlorophenol could be removed by the composite electrode. The enhanced dechlorination performance was mainly attributed to the synergic effect between Pd nanoparticles and the Ni-Cu-P interlayer. The dendrite morphology of Ni-Cu-P facilitated Pd nanoparticle dispersion, thus providing more active sites and reducing the consumption of Pd. Furthermore, the Ni-Cu-P interlayer assisted Pd0 to produce more active hydrogen and increased the content of Pd2+ to promote C Cl bond cleavage. Consequently, the dechlorination performance was improved. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research has successfully explored a monitoring method that does not necessitate modifications to the current structure of the fastening system and ensures that the intrinsic force distribution remains undisturbed, which is the pioneering use of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) strain sensors to test the strain of iron pads to reflect the force of fastener support points. Then, through the laboratory single-point loading test and finite element simulation, the feasibility of the monitoring method has been confirmed, and the resolution is higher than the traditional method. Subsequently, based on the experimental environment of high-speed railway commissioning, dynamic long-term monitoring research was conducted, and relevant calibration experiments and finite element simulation analyses were carried out. The experimental research and finite element simulation analysis revealed the superior ability of the method in capturing intricate data details, with the field experiment verifying a high resolution markedly surpassing other existing methods. Furthermore, by monitoring the same train, the data were found to be highly repeatable, which confirmed the ability of the monitoring method to stably reflect the dynamic behavior of the train. Overall, the monitoring method provided in this research could monitor the fastener reaction force in real time for an extended period and accurately record its periodic dynamic loading cycle pattern, which provides important data support for the structural health condition of the ballastless track and the safe operation assessment of trains. • A novel long-term monitoring method of fastener reaction force has been proposed. • The established simulation model can accurately simulate the mechanical transfer mechanism of iron pads in the dynamic model. • Laboratory tests combined with static simulation and field tests with dynamic simulation were carried out. • The strain in the iron pad can be converted to the fastener reaction force by inversion. • The strain per unit kN of the iron pad is large to highlight the ability to collect data under complex conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic corrosion process under the condensed liquid droplet was studied using both wire beam electrode (WBE) and steel coupon. Results indicate that the formation process and size variation of the droplet have a significant influence on the corrosion behaviour, which could be effectively monitored by the WBE technique. Within the condensate droplet, the anode and cathode primarily accumulate at the edge of the droplet, with the cathode positioned at the outer side and the anode at the inner side. The micro-cell current is identified as the main controlling factor for the corrosion process at the cathodic region, resulting in uniform corrosion with the formation of main corrosion products composed by lepidocrocite and goethite. Conversely, the corrosion process at the anodic region is mainly controlled by the macro-cell current, with the occurrence of localized corrosion. The corrosion product inside of the droplet primarily consists of magnetite. Additionally, the corrosion rate under the centre of the droplet is relatively low. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate effects of circular RNA (circRNA) 001372 and its antagonist miRNAs-148b-3p on propofol-induced neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation in rat brain and pheochromocytoma cells. Sprague Dawley rats in propofol model group (n = 6) were intraperitoneal injected with propofol (50 mg/kg) and in sham control group (n = 6) without any treatment. Twenty-four h later, brain tissues were acquired during pentobarbital anesthesia. PC-12 cells were transfected with or without circRNA001372 mimics, circRNA001372 inhibitor, negative mimics or miRNA-148b-3p for 48 h and then treated with propofol (100 μM) for 48 h. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR and gene chips were used for detecting levels of circRNA001372, Haemotoxylin and Eosin staining for cell morphology, MTT for cell viability, flow cytometry for apoptosis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL17 and IL-18, and Western blots for phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, phosphorylated Akt, and nuclear factor (NF) κB, dual-light luminescent reporter gene assay for luciferase reporter. The propofol anesthesia in rats decreases levels of circRNA001372 and increases levels of cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, IL17 and IL-18, resulting in the neurocyte damage in brain. In propofol-treated PC-12 cells, the inhibition of circRNA001372 increases apoptosis and cell damage makers, including LDH, IL-1β, IL-6, IL17, IL-18, resulting in the reduction of cell viability, which have been revised after over-expression of circRNA001372. MiRNA-148b-3p reduces circRNA001372-incresed PI3K and pAKt levels but enhances the circRNA001372-decreased NFκB level. CircRNA001372 suppresses propofol-induced neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation through PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway in rat brain and neurocytes. MiRNA-148b-3p antagonizes the effects of circRNA001372. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel prescribed finite-time output feedback control scheme for quadrotor trajectory tracking control. The proposed control scheme considers the quadrotor modeling containing uncertain nonlinearities and strong coupling. The neural observer is set up to estimate the unknown state variables. The main difficulty caused by the time-vary coefficient matrix to design a state observer is overcame by the convex combination technique. To get a prescribed finite-time tracking performance, Barrier Lyapunov Function (BLF) approach is presented for control design. The constructed controllers guarantee that the tracking errors meet the prescribed accuracy in a pre-specified finite settling time. Finally, a simulation example verifies the effectiveness of the control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce gas disasters in low permeability and high gas coal seams and improve gas predrainage efficiency, conventional deep hole presplitting blasting permeability increasing technology was refined and perfected. The damage degree of coal and rock blasting was quantitatively evaluated by using the value range of the damage variable D. According to the actual field test parameters of coal seam #3 in the Sanyuan coal mine, Dlim = 0.81 ~ 1.0 was the coal rock crushing area, Dlim = 0.19 ~ 0.81 was the coal rock crack area, and Dlim = 0 ~ 0.19 was the coal rock disturbance area. The blasting models under different blasting parameters were established by ANSYS/LS-DYNA software. The influence radius of single-hole blasting was 3.1 m, the hole diameter of double-hole blasting was 113 mm, the hole spacing was 5.5 m, and the delayed blasting time was 25 ms. According to the numerical simulation results, the determined parameters were tested on the working face of the 1312 transportation roadway in coal seam #3 of the Sanyuan coal mine. The results show that after blasting, the permeability of the original coal seam was increased by more than 30 times, the gas concentration was increased by 2.16 times, and the single hole purity and mixing volume were increased by 4.73 and 4.27 times, respectively. The positive effects of deep hole presplitting blasting permeability enhancement technology on the pressure relief and permeability enhancement of a low pressure and high gas coal seam were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tucker decomposition is proposed to reduce the memory requirement of the far-fields in the fast multipole method (FMM)-accelerated surface integral equation simulators. It is particularly used to compress the far-fields of FMM groups, which are stored in three-dimensional (3-D) arrays (or tensors). The compressed tensors are then used to perform fast tensor-vector multiplications during the aggregation and disaggregation stages of the FMM. For many practical scenarios, the proposed Tucker decomposition yields a significant reduction in the far-fields’ memory requirement while dramatically accelerating the aggregation and disaggregation stages. For the electromagnetic scattering analysis of a $30\lambda $ -diameter sphere, it reduces the memory requirement of the far-fields more than 87% while it expedites the aggregation and disaggregation stages by a factor of 15.8 and 15.2, respectively, where $\lambda $ is the wavelength in free space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce gas disasters in low permeability and high-gas coal seams and improve gas predrainage efficiency, conventional deep-hole presplitting blasting permeability increasing technology was refined and perfected. The numerical calculation model of presplitting blasting was established by using ANSYS/LS-DYNA numerical simulation software. The damage degree of coal and rock blasting was quantitatively evaluated by using the value range of the damage variable D. According to the actual field test parameters of coal seam #3 in the Sanyuan coal mine, Dlim = 0.81–1.0 was the coal rock crushing area, Dlim = 0.19–0.81 was the coal rock crack area, and Dlim = 0–0.19 was the coal rock disturbance area. By comparing and analysing the damage distribution nephogram of coal and rock mass under the influence of different millisecond blasting time interval and the blasting effect of simulation model, the optimal layout parameters of multilayer through cracks were obtained theoretically. And, the determined parameters were tested on the working face of the 1312 transportation roadway in coal seam #3 of the Sanyuan coal mine. The permeability effect was compared and analysed through the analysis of the gas concentration, gas purity, and mixing volume before and after the implementation of deep-hole presplitting blasting antireflection technology, as well as the change of gas pressure, attenuation coefficient, permeability coefficient, and other parameters between blasting coal seams. The positive role of millisecond blasting in reducing pressure and increasing permeability in low permeability and high-gas coal seam were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a nonlinear receding horizon game-theoretic planner for autonomous cars in competitive scenarios with other cars. The online planner is specifically formulated for a multiple-car autonomous racing game, in which each car tries to advance along a given track as far as possible with respect to the other cars. The algorithm extends previous work on game-theoretic planning for single-integrator agents to be suitable for autonomous cars in the following ways: 1) by representing the trajectory as a piecewise polynomial; 2) incorporating bicycle kinematics into the trajectory; and 3) enforcing constraints on path curvature and acceleration. The game-theoretic planner iteratively plans a trajectory for the ego vehicle and then the other vehicles in sequence until convergence. Crucially, the trajectory optimization includes a sensitivity term that allows the ego vehicle to reason about how much the other vehicles will yield to the ego vehicle to avoid collisions. The resulting trajectories for the ego vehicle exhibit rich game strategies such as blocking, faking, and opportunistic overtaking. The game-theoretic planner is shown to significantly outperform a baseline planner using model-predictive control, which does not take interaction into account. The performance is validated in high-fidelity numerical simulations with three cars, in experiments with two small-scale autonomous cars, and in experiments with a full-scale autonomous car racing against a simulated vehicle (video is available at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmIcLEh8KMje4rYBqRANDuKvqFvj7LCRp). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The assessment of skin aging through skin measurements faces limitations, making perceived age evaluation a more valuable and direct tool for assessing skin aging. Given that the aging process markedly affects the appearance of the eye contour, characterizing the eye region could be beneficial for perceived age assessment. This study aimed to analyze age‐correlated changes in the eye contour within the Chinese Han female population and to develop, validate, and apply a multiple linear regression model for predicting perceived age. Materials and methods: A naïve panel of 107 Chinese women assessed the perceived ages of 212 Chinese Han women. Instrumental analysis evaluated periorbital parameters, including palpebral fissure width (PFW), palpebral fissure height (PFH), acclivity of palpebral fissure (AX), angle of inner canthal (AEN), and angle of outer canthal (AEX). These parameters were used to construct a multiple linear regression model for predicting the perceived ages of Chinese Han women. A combined treatment using Fotona 4D and an anti‐aging eye cream, formulated with plant extracts, peptides, and antioxidants, was conducted to verify the cream's anti‐aging efficacy and safety. This eye cream was then tested in a large‐scale clinical trial involving 101 participants. The prediction model was employed in this trial to assess the perceived ages of the women after an 8‐week application of the eye cream. Results: All parameters were observed to decrease with age. An intergroup comparison indicated that eyelid aging in Chinese Han women accelerates beyond the age of 50. Consequently, a linear regression model was constructed and validated, with the perceived age being calculated as 183.159 ‐ 1.078 * AEN ‐ 4.487 * PFW + 6.061 * PFH ‐ 1.003 * AX ‐ 0.328 * AEX. The anti‐aging efficacy and safety of the eye cream were confirmed through combined treatment with Fotona 4D, showing improvements in wrinkles, elasticity, and dark circles under the eyes. In a large‐scale clinical evaluation using this eye cream, a perceived age prediction model was applied, suggesting that 8 weeks of use made participants appear 2.25 years younger. Conclusion: Our study developed and validated a multiple linear regression model to predict the perceived age of Chinese Han women. This model was successfully utilized in a large‐scale clinical evaluation of anti‐aging eye cream, revealing that 8 weeks of usage made participants appear 2.25 years younger. This method effectively bridges the gap between clinical research and consumer perceptions, explores the complex factors influencing perceived age, and aims to improve anti‐aging formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate and compare the gut microbiota structures in complete intensive feeding pattern (CP) and extensive feeding pattern (EP) groups, a total of 20 pigs were divided into two groups and fed the same diet. The fecal microbial composition was profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results showed that seventeen predominant genera were present in each pig sample and constituted the phylogenetic core of the microbiota at the class level. The abundance of most of the core microbial flora were significantly higher in the CP group than in the EP group (P < 0.05), while the abundance of Gammaproteobacteria was significantly lower in the CP group than in the EP group (P < 0.05). The CP group had significantly greater community diversity, richness, and evenness than the EP group (P < 0.05). Functional prediction analysis indicated that intestinal microbial species potentially led to faster growth and an increased fat accumulation capacity in the CP group; however, disease resistance was weaker in the CP group than in the EP group. In conclusion, EP pigs have a wider range of activity and better animal welfare than CP pigs, which helps reduce the occurrence of diseases and neurological symptoms. To explore the effect of intestinal flora on disease resistance in pigs at the molecular level, Coprococcus, which is a key gut bacterium in the intestine, was selected for isolation and purification and cocultured with intestinal epithelial cells. qPCR was performed to determine the effect of Coprococcus on SLA-DRB gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells. The results showed that Coprococcus enhanced SLA-DRB gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells. The results provide useful reference data for further study on the relationship between intestinal flora and pig disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VoxCap, a fast Fourier transform (FFT)-accelerated and Tucker-enhanced integral equation simulator for capacitance extraction of voxelized structures, is proposed. The VoxCap solves the surface integral equations (SIEs) for the conductor and dielectric surfaces with three key attributes that make the VoxCap highly CPU and memory-efficient for the capacitance extraction of the voxelized structures: 1) VoxCap exploits the FFTs for accelerating the matrix-vector multiplications during the iterative solution of the linear system of equations arising due to the discretization of SIEs; 2) during the iterative solution, VoxCap uses a highly effective and memory-efficient preconditioner that reduces the number of iterations significantly; and 3) VoxCap employs the Tucker decompositions to compress the block Toeplitz and circulant tensors, requiring the largest memory in the simulator. By doing so, it reduces the memory requirement of these tensors from hundreds of gigabytes to a few megabytes and the CPU time required to obtain the Toeplitz tensors from tens of minutes (even hours) to a few seconds for very large-scale problems. VoxCap is capable of accurately computing capacitance of arbitrarily shaped and large-scale voxelized structures on a desktop computer. VoxCap’s accuracy, efficiency, and capability are demonstrated through capacitance extraction of various large-scale structures, including the parallel meander lines discretized by more than a hundred million panels and analyzed on a commodity desktop computer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insertion of dead time will lead to the distortion of output waveforms, which seriously affects the characteristics of the ac induction motor control system. In order to reduce the output distortion of three-level T-type inverters caused by dead time insertion, an online feedback dead time compensation method is developed. In this method, the compensation time is obtained and further corrected by the online feedback of duty cycle. Meanwhile, current polarity judgment is accurately realized by sampling the neutral point (NP) potential and three-phase output terminal voltage potentials. In addition, in this article, we take the NP potential fluctuation into account to approximate the true situation. The developed method can be applied to both open-loop and closed-loop motor drive systems. To verify the effectiveness of the method, essential simulation and experiments are carried out. Compared with the traditional methods, the developed method can prominently reduce the output waveform distortion. Simulation results emphasize that the proposed scheme can significantly improve the performance of three-level inverters, and the identical conclusion is obtained on 210 V/2.24 kW motor platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chicken embryonic stem cells (cESCs) isolated from the egg at the stage X hold great promise for cell therapy, tissue engineering, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological applications. They are considered to be pluripotent cells with the capacity to self-renewal and differentiate into specialized cells. However, long-term maintenance of cESCs cannot be realized now, which impedes the establishment of cESC line and limits their applications. Therefore, the separation locations, isolation methods, and culture conditions especially the supplements and action mechanisms of cytokines, including leukemia inhibitory factor, fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, bone morphogenic protein, and activin for cESCs in vitro, have been reviewed here. These defined strategies will contribute to identify the key mechanism on the self-renewal of cESCs, facilitate to optimize system that supports the derivation and longtime maintenance of cESCs, establish the cESC line, and develop the biobank of genetic resources in chicken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A hierarchical porous structure and fast mass transfer IL-HHPM was designed. • IL as monomer increase the specific surface area and multiple functional groups. • A new rapid and miniaturized IL-HHPM-MCSCE method was first developed. • A new HPLC method for detection of OSIM and AZ5104 in urine was proposed. Osimertinib (OSIM) is widely used as a mainstream drug for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the lack of a rapid extraction and detection method for OSIM and its metabolite, AZ-5104, has limited clinical drug metabolism and drug resistance research because the drug is unstable. In this study, a new ionic liquid hybrid hierarchical porous material (IL-HHPM) was synthesized with hierarchical porous structures, including micropores (1.6–2.0 nm), mesopores (2.0–50.0 nm), macropores (50.0–148.7 nm), and multiple functional groups via a one-step hydrothermal method using silanized ionic liquids (IL) as functionalized hybrid monomer. The IL-HHPM has the advantages of a high specific surface area (437.4 ± 4.6 m2 g−1), sizable pore volume (0.74 cm3 g−1), and fast mass transfer, additionally, the IL-HHPM adsorbed OSIM and AZ-5104 via π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding. OSIM and AZ-5104 were rapidly extracted and measured in human urine using rapid and miniaturized centrifugal spin-column extraction (MCSCE), which was based on the IL-HHPM. The optimized factors for the extraction recoveries of OSIM and AZ-5104 were adsorbent dosage (8.0 mg), sample volume (0.5 mL), and operation time (9.0 min), and markedly reduced the adsorbent dosage and operation time. The IL-HHPM-MCSCE-HPLC method displayed good linearity (0.02−5.00 μg mL−1, r ≥ 0.9997), satisfying accuracy (spiked recoveries of 87.7%−100.0%), and good precision (RSDs ≤ 7.0%). The developed method is rapid, sensitive, and reproducible for the simultaneous determination of trace level of OSIM and AZ-5104 in human urine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern GPGPUs have employed multi-threading to hide the long off-chip memory access latency caused by frequent cache misses. However, the limited cache capacity shared by thousands of concurrently running warps will introduce serious cache contention problem, which results in high cache miss rates to hurt the overall GPGPU performance. To address this problem, this paper proposes a novel cache technology (Re-Cache) by exploiting locality characteristics and reconfiguring the memory hierarchy including the unused shared memory space and the idle registers of pending warps without extra storage overhead for GPGPUs. To further improve the utilization efficiency of the Re-Cache space, this paper proposes a dynamic and reconfigurable cache organization for Re-Cache that explores the spatial and temporal locality differences and changes among the running applications. Re-Cache dynamically reconfigures the cache organization as the adaptive prefetch region and victim region according to the differences and changes of the spatial and temporal locality by catching the locality characteristics for each load instruction. For the high-locality load instructions, the prefetch region stores the subsequent data blocks to exploit the spatial locality of the running threads among all streaming multiprocessors and warps, while the victim region collects the evicted data blocks from the upper memory hierarchy to exploit the temporal locality. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed Re-Cache reduces up to 34.82% and 31.62% cache misses, while improving about 47.17% and 14.96% IPC performance compared with the state-of-the-art designs for cache-sensitive kernels and benchmarks, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lineage reprogramming has become a potential strategy for therapy of cardiac diseases. Somatic cells can be directly converted into the induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) without passing through an induced pluripotent stem cell stage; this strategy has some advantages such as directional differentiation and preferable security. However, there are still many challenges which need to be further studied, such as identification of safer induced factors, exploration of molecular mechanisms, improvement of the mature level of iCMs and so on. Therefore, the structures of key factors, including transcription factors, microRNAs (miRNAs), epigenetic regulators and small molecules and their functions in the cardiac development and lineage reprogramming, molecular mechanisms underlying lineage conversion, strategies for generating matured iCMs, and major challenges were reviewed to lay the foundation for further applications of iCMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Floating-point fast Fourier transform (FFT) has been widely expected in scientific computing and high-resolution imaging applications due to the wide dynamic range and high processing precision. However, it suffers high area and energy overhead problems in comparison to fixed-point implementations. To address these issues, this paper presents an area- and energy-efficient hybrid architecture for floating-point FFT computations. It minimizes the required arithmetic units and reduces the memory usage significantly by combining three different parts. The serial radix-4 butterfly (SR4BF) is used in the single-path delay commutator (SDC) part to minimize the required arithmetic units with 100% adder utilization ratio obtained. A modified single-path delay feedback (MSDF) architecture is proposed to achieve a tradeoff between arithmetic resources and memory usage by using the new half radix-4 butterfly (HR4BF) with 50% adder utilization ratio obtained. The intermediate caching buffer is modified accordingly in the MSDF part. By combining both the advantages on arithmetic units reducing and memory usage optimization in different parts, the optimized area and power are obtained without throughput loss. The logic synthesis results in a 65 nm CMOS technology show that the energy per FFT is about 331.5 nJ for 1024-point FFT computations at 400 MHz. The total hardware overhead is equivalent to 460k NAND2 gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cellulases are glycosylated enzymes that have wide applications in fields like biofuels. It has been widely accepted that glycosylation of cellulases impact their performance. Trichoderma reesei is the most important cellulase-producer and cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) is the most important cellulase from T. reesei. Therefore, the glycosylation of T. reesei CBHI has been a focus of research. However, investigations have been focused on N -glycosylation of three of the four potential glycosylation sites, as well as O -glycosylation on the linker region, while a full picture of glycosylation of T. reesei CBHI is still needed. In this work, with extensive mass spectrometric investigations on CBHI from two T. reesei strains grown under three conditions, several new discoveries were made: 1) N45 and N64 are N -glycosylated with high mannose type glycans; 2) the catalytic domain of CBHI is extensively O -glycosylated with hexoses and N -acetylhexosamines; 3) experimental evidence on the mannosylation of carbohydrate binding domain (other than the linker adjacent region) was found. With structural analysis, we found several glycosylation sites (such as T383, S8, and S46) are located at the openings of the substrate-binding tunnel, and potentially involve in the binding of cellulose. These investigations provide a full and comprehensive picture on the glycosylation of CBHI from T. reesei , which benefits the engineering of CBHI by raising potential sites for modification. Highlights • The glycosylation sites and types were determined for T. reesei CBHI. • High mannose type glycosylation was found at N45 and N64. • The catalytic domain is O -glycosylated with hexoses and N -acetylhexosamines. • The carbohydrate binding module is O -glycosylated with mannose. • Several O -glycosylation sites may be involved in the binding of cellulose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of molybdenum and nickel from Ni-Mo ore was attempted using oxidation complexation acid leaching. The effects of leaching temperature, leaching time, concentration of sodium chlorate and hydrochloric acid as well as sodium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaching of nickel and molybdenum were investigated. The addition of phosphate anion can react with molybdenum and form Standberg type phosphomolybdic heteropoly acid, which can improve the leaching of molybdenum. 98.5% of molybdenum and 95.0% of nickel can be leached at a leaching temperature of 90 °C for a leaching time of 3 h with hydrochloric acid concentration of 2.4 mol/L, sodium chlorate concentration of 1.88 mol/L and sodium dihydrogen phosphate concentration of 1.8 mol/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synchronicity of rain and heat in the summer of China's monsoon region provides sufficient water and heat resources for maize growth. However, the intra-annual distribution of precipitation and the probability of extreme precipitation have been inevitably altered by the ongoing climate change, thus affecting the matching degree between precipitation and crop water requirements (MDPCWR). Evaluating the extent to which the MDPCWR will change in the future is of great importance for food security and the sustainable management of water resources. In this study, considering that different growth stages of crops have different sensitivities to water stress, the AquaCrop model was used to calculate the MDPCWR more accurately. In addition, a cumulative distribution function-transform (CDF-t) method was used to remove the bias of 11 global climate models (GCMs) under two typical emission scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) from phase six of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). A comprehensive investigation was conducted on how maize growth, water consumption, and the MDPCWR will respond to future climate change with CO2 concentration enrichment in the Huang–Huai–Hai (3H) region in China by driving a well-tested AquaCrop model with the bias-corrected GCMs outputs. The results indicate the following: (1) The CDF-t method can effectively remove seasonal bias, and it also performs well in eliminating the bias of extreme climate events. (2) Under the SSP2-4.5 scenario, the average maximum temperature will increase by 1.31 °C and 2.44 °C in 2021–2050 and 2051–2080, respectively. The average annual precipitation will increase up to 96.8 mm/year, but it will mainly occur in the form of heavy rain. (3) The increased maize evapotranspiration rate does not compensate for the decreased crop water requirement (up to −32 mm/year), due to a shorter growth cycle. (4) The farmland cultivation layer is not able to hold a significant amount of precipitation, due to the increased frequency of heavy rains, resulting in increased irrigation water requirements for maize over the next two periods, with the maximum value of 12 mm/year. (5) Under different scenarios, the projected future MDPCWR will decrease by 9.3–11.6% due to changes in precipitation patterns and crop water requirements, indicating that it will be more difficult for precipitation to meet the water demand of maize growing in the 3H region. The results can provide comprehensive information to understand the impact of climate change on the agricultural water balance and improve the regional strategy for water resource utilization in the 3H region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater produced in the process of vanadium extraction from vanadium slag is treated by reduction and neutralization which produces a V-Cr-bearing reducing slag. The recovery of vanadium and chromium from this slag was investigated by a comprehensive route including sulfuric acid leaching, selective oxidation of low valent vanadium and hydrolysis precipitation of vanadium and chromium. Under the most suitable conditions including a leaching time of 4 h, sulfuric acid addition of 74 wt% and leaching temperature of 90 °C, the leaching of vanadium and chromium reached 90.9% and 97.8%, respectively. The vanadium of low valent in leach solution was selectively oxidized by manganese dioxide with the oxidation of 96.9%, while Cr(III) was not oxidized. The hydrolysis precipitation method was used to separate and recover V(V) and Cr(III), and the recovery of vanadium and chromium reached 98.3% and 99.1%, respectively. The overall vanadium and chromium recovery was 86.5% and 96.9%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colitis is a common and complex intestinal inflammatory disease in which lactate, a metabolite of anaerobic glycolysis, plays a crucial role. Our study aimed to investigate the alleviated effect of lactate in colitis, and to provide a nutritional measure to alleviate colitis injury. The variations in colonic lactate in piglets with DSS-induced colitis were investigated in Experiment 1 (Exp.1). Thirty weaned pigs were allotted into three groups and sampled at different stages of DSS-induced colitis (days 0, 5, and 7). The colonic level of lactate and interleukin 10 (IL-10) was significantly decreased on day 5 when compared to day 0. Colonic lactate, IL-10, and G protein receptor 81 (GPR81) levels were significantly increased on day 7 when compared to day 5. Sixty weaned piglets were assigned to control (basal diet), DSS (basal diet with DSS gavage), or lactate (2% lactate supplementation diet with DSS gavage) groups to investigate the effects of lactate on DSS-induced colitis in Experiment 2 (Exp.2). Lactate reduced the disease activity index (DAI), DSS-induced impairment of colonic structure in response to the critical inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 18 (IL-18) when compared with the DSS group. Furthermore, GPR-81 levels, colonic M2 macrophages, and IL-10 levels, the colonic antioxidant capacity, colonic butyrate levels were increased, and eventually improved growth performance post-colitis. The results of this study show that lactate was decreased at the peak of colitis, accumulated in subsidized colitis. Furthermore, dietary lactate supplementation helped to alleviate DSS-induced colitis injury. [Display omitted] • At peak colitis, colonic lactate levels decrease but increase once it has subsided. • The GPR81-related immunoregulatory signal pathway activates during colitis subsides. • Dietary lactate supplementation alleviates DSS-induced impairment in piglets. • Dietary lactate supplementation activates the GPR81-related immunoregulatory signal pathway, and promotes colonic M2-like macrophages polarization. • Dietary lactate supplementation alleviates DSS-induced growth retardation in piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic biohydrogen is a promising renewable energy source that could be a potential alternative to the unsustainable fossil fuel-based energy. Biohydrogen production could be performed by Clostridium thermocellum that is the fastest known cellulose-degrading bacterium. Previous investigations have shown that the co-culture of C. thermocellum JN4 and a non-cellulolytic bacterium Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum GD17 produces more hydrogen than the C. thermocellum JN4 mono-culture, but the mechanism of this improvement is unknown. In this work, we carried out genomic and evolutionary analysis of hydrogenase-coding genes in C. thermocellum and T. thermosaccharolyticum, identifying one Ech-type [NiFe] hydrogenase complex in each species, and, respectively, five and four monomeric or multimeric [FeFe] hydrogenases in the two species. Further transcriptional analysis showed hydrogenase-coding genes in C. thermocellum are regulated by carbon sources, while hydrogenase-coding genes in T. thermosaccharolyticum are not. However, comparison between transcriptional abundance of hydrogenase-coding genes in mono- and co-cultures showed the co-culturing condition leads to transcriptional changes of hydrogenase-coding genes in T. thermosaccharolyticum but not C. thermocellum. Further metabolic analysis showed T. thermosaccharolyticum produces H at a rate 4-12-fold higher than C. thermocellum. These findings lead to the suggestion that the improvement of H production in the co-culture over mono-culture should be attributed to changes in T. thermosaccharolyticum but not C. thermocellum. Further suggestions can be made that C. thermocellum and T. thermosaccharolyticum perform highly specialized tasks in the co-culture, and optimization of the co-culture for more lignocellulosic biohydrogen production should be focused on the improvement of the non-cellulolytic bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of antimicrobial resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in poultry products has been a public concern, as it severely endangers food safety and human health. In this study, we investigated 90 antimicrobial resistant Klebsiella strains that were isolated from a commercial broiler slaughter plant in Shandong province of China. Nearly all (89/90) of the isolates were identified as infectious phylogenetic group KpI-type K. pneumoniae . Out of these 90 strains, 87 (96.7%) were multidrug-resistant isolates, and 87 (96.7%) were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates. An analysis of the prevalence of quinolone resistance genes showed that 7.8%, 77.8%, 26.7%, and 2.2% of the strains carried the qnrA , qnrB , qnrS , and qepA genes, respectively. An analysis of beta-lactam resistance genes showed that a high percentage of the strains contain the bla TEM (76.7%), bla SHV (88.9%), and bla CTX-M (75.6%) genes, among which three bla SHV subtypes ( bla SHV-1 , n = 30; bla SHV-11 , n = 38; bla SHV-12 , n = 12) and three bla CTX-M subtypes ( bla CTX-M-14 , n = 14; bla CTX-M-15 , n = 35; bla CTX-M-55 , n = 19) were found. A further investigation of mobile genetic elements involved in horizontal multidrug resistance gene transfer showed the presence of class 1 and 2 integrons in 77 (85.6%) and five (5.6%) isolates, respectively, while no class 3 integrons were detected. Four types of class 1 integrons containing specific gene cassette arrays ( dfrA12 – orfF – aadA2 , dfrA17 – aadA5 , dfrA1 – aadA1 , and empty) were identified. Only one gene cassette array ( dfrA1 – sat2 – aadA1 ) was detected in the class 2 integrons. Furthermore, four different types of insertion sequence common region 1 (IS CR1 )-mediated downstream structures were successfully identified in 46 class 1 integron-positive isolates, among which IS CR1 – sapA- like– qnrB2 – qacE Δ 1 was the most commonly observed structure. Chi-square tests revealed a significant association between ESBL genes, plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes, and class 1 integrons ( p < 0.01). Additional conjugation experiments confirmed this relationship ( p < 0.01) in transconjugants by finding that a high percentage of PMQR genes (74.0%) and class 1 integrons (73.7%) were co-transferred with ESBL genes. Finally, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed, and it revealed that the isolates from chickens are widely distributed in humans, and that antimicrobial resistance is not only disseminated by clonal spreading, but largely by horizontal gene transfer. These results suggest that horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes by mobile genetic elements, such as integrons, plays a major role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, elucidating the structures of drug resistance integrons is of great importance to the commercial broiler slaughter plant in Shandong, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water-compatible dummy molecularly imprinted resin (MIR) was synthesized in water using melamine, urea, and formaldehyde as hydrophilic monomers of co-polycondensation. A triblock copolymer (PEO-PPO-PEO, P123) was used as porogen to dredge the network structure of MIR, and N -(1-naphthyl) ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, which has similar shape and size to the target analytes, was the dummy template of molecular imprinting. The obtained MIR was used as the adsorbent in a green miniaturized solid-phase extraction (MIR⬜mini-SPE) of plant growth regulators, and there was no organic solvent used in the entire MIR⬜mini-SPE procedure. The calibration linearity of MIR⬜mini-SPE⬜HPLC method was obtained in a range 5⬜250 ng mL ↙1 for IAA, IPA, IBA, and NAA with correlation coefficient (r) Ⱕ0.9998. Recoveries at three spike levels are in the range of 87.6⬜100.0% for coconut juice with relative standard deviations Ⱔ8.1%. The MIR⬜mini-SPE method possesses the advantages of environmental friendliness, simple operation, and high efficiency, so it is potential to apply the green pretreatment strategy to extraction of trace analytes in aqueous samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A meta -analysis based on up-to-date literatures summarized the influence of concomitant gastric acid suppressants on efficacies of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with NSCLC. • Use of gastric acid suppressants in NSCLC patients receiving PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors is associated with worse survival outcomes. • These results were primarily obtained by studies evaluating the influence of PPIs. • A combined use of gastric acid suppressants and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in NSCLC patients should be cautious. Influence of concomitant use of gastric acid suppressants (GAS) on survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving programmed death-1/ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors has rarely been comprehensively evaluated. A meta -analysis was performed to systematically evaluate the effect of concomitant GAS in NSCLC patients receiving PD-1/PD-L1inhibitors. Relevant observational studies were identified by search of Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases from inception to May 26, 2022. A random-effect model which incorporates the possible between-study heterogeneity was used to combine the results. Ten retrospective and one prospective cohort studies including 5892 patients were patients were included. Influence of concomitant proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was evaluated in ten studies, and influence of GAS, including PPIs or histamine type-2 receptor antagonists were evaluated in one study. Pooled results showed that concomitant use of GAS was associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS, adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20 to 1.45, P < 0.001; I2 = 0%) and overall survival (OS, adjusted HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.48, P < 0.001; I2 = 0%) in NSCLC patients taking PD-1/PD-L1inhibitors. Subgroup analyses indicated that the association between concomitant use of GAS and poor survival in NSCLC patients taking PD-L1inhibitors was consistent in univariate and multivariate studies (P values for subgroup difference both > 0.05 for PFS and OS). The meta -analysis by summarizing the up-to-date literatures showed that use of GAS, primarily PPIs, may be associated with poor survival outcomes in patients with NSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For scientific computing and high-resolution imaging applications, this paper presents a pipelined reconfigurable processor to implement variable-length single-precision floating-point FFT/IFFT and DCT/IDCT computations compatible with the IEEE 754 standard. In order to minimize the total hardware overhead and power consumption, a reconfigurable radix-4 butterfly (RR4BF) is proposed to reduce 75% adders in comparison to the conventional parallel radix-4 butterfly, and the partially shared Ping-Pong structured register bank (PSPPRB) provides an efficient and specific intermediate data caching mechanism to realize the maximized adder resource utilization ratio in RR4BF and to guarantee the high throughput for the pipelined design. Moreover, fused floating-point 4-input adder and fused floating-point 2-term dot product unit are proposed, which can not only improve about 3 dB signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR), but also save 28% and 19% hardware overhead compared with discrete implementations and previous state-of-the-art design, respectively. Simulation results show that the latency for FFT computations is about 25% of the R4SDF design without any throughput loss, and over 139 dB SQNR is achieved. Logic synthesis results in a 65 nm CMOS technology show that the power consumption ranges from 43.5 mW to 372.3 mW for 16- to 1024-point FFTs at 500 MHz, and the total hardware overhead is equivalent to 543k NAND2 gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]