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Human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) is the primary receptor for cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 into human host cells. hACE2 is heavily glycosylated and glycans on the receptor may play a role in viral binding. Thus, comprehensive characterization of hACE2 glycosylation could aid our understanding of interactions between the receptor and SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, as well as provide a basis for the development of therapeutic drugs targeting this crucial interaction. Herein, 138 N-glycan compositions were identified, most of which are complex-type N-glycans, from seven N-glycosites of hACE2. Among them, 67% contain at least one sialic acid residue. At the level of glycopeptides, the overall quantification of sialylated glycan isomers observed on the sites N322 and N546 have a higher degree of NeuAc (α2–3)Gal (over 80.3%) than that of other N-glycosites (35.6–71.0%). In terms of O-glycans, 69 glycan compositions from 12 O-glycosites were identified, and especially, the C-terminus of hACE2 is heavily O-glycosylated. The terminal sialic acid linkage type of H1N1S1 and H1N1S2 are covered highly with α2,3-sialic acid. These findings could aid the investigation of the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and human host cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for predicting the generation voltage of a solid oxide fuel cell based on the data results of a stand-alone solid oxide fuel single cell simulation model under ideal conditions, with the aim of improving the generation efficiency and extending the service life of the solid oxide fuel cell. In this paper, a modified back propagation (BP) neural network algorithm is used to improve the prediction accuracy of the solid oxide fuel cell generation voltage by using the whale algorithm to optimize the BP neural network model to improve its convergence and achieve the effect of improving the prediction accuracy. First, the characteristics of the independent solid oxide fuel cell are introduced and simulated. Second, the long short-term memory network model, linear regression network model and BP neural network are simulated and compared, and the results show that the BP neural network prediction model is more accurate and can be optimized and improved. Finally, the BP neural network is optimized and simulated using the whale algorithm, and the simulation results show that the method has better convergence and higher prediction accuracy than the traditional BP neural network prediction model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different branch diameters of five-way tube affect the design of loading internal pressure in the hydroforming process, where the large-diameter branch is broken more easily than the small-diameter one due to the same ultimate stress of tube material in one-step forming method. Therefore, the first four-way and then five-way of multi-step forming (FFTF) method and the first three-way and then five-way of multi-step forming (FTTF) method were proposed to fabricate the 5A02 aluminum alloy five-way tube with two kinds of branch diameters to avoid the burst of large-diameter branch tube. The finite element simulation of five-way tube hydroforming process shows that the height of small-diameter branch tube is lower and serious wrinkles appear at the large-diameter branch tube in the one-step forming and FFTF method. By optimizing the length of punch, a five-way tube with a big branch height and uniform wall thickness was obtained with the FTTF method. The approach of lengthening the punch in the experiment increased the height of formed branch and reduced the wall thickness reduction rate of five-way tube in FTTF method. Overall, the findings mentioned above cannot only offer guide in creating five-way tube with excellent quality, but also be taken as reference to the hydroforming studies on multi-way tube in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to deal with the increasingly severe energy shortage problem, to find new energy solutions and to alleviate the dual pressure of domestic energy and environment, building a new type of multi-energy complementary power system has become one of the hot issues in recent years. This paper presents an optimal scheduling model of building integrated energy system (BIES) based on the comprehensive utilization of electricity, heat and gas. Based on the traditional combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system, this model adds wind power and photoelectric renewable energy power generation systems, ground source heat pump system and energy storage system. Then, taking the environmental cost and system operation and maintenance cost as the objective function, it is solved by using the improved multi-objective ant lion algorithm based on differential evolution. Finally, a building in Northeast China is taken as an example to verify the simulation. The simulation results show that the optimal scheduling model of building integrated energy system proposed in this paper can promote the consumption of renewable energy such as wind power and photoelectric, realize the peak cutting and valley filling of power load, effectively reduce the economic operation cost of the system, reduce carbon emissions and effectively solve the problem of environmental pollution to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare advanced non-parallel transmission zoomed diffusion-weighted imaging (nonPTX zoom-DWI) to conventional DWI (conv-DWI) for the assessment of prostate cancer (PCa). Methods: This retrospective study included 98 patients who underwent conv-DWI, nonPTX zoom-DWI, and T2-weighted imaging of the prostate. The image qualities of the two DWI sets, including the distortion of the prostate and the existence of artifacts, were evaluated. To compare the overall PCa and clinically important PCa (ciPCa) detection ability between the sets, lesions were scored using the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) version 2. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the lesions were also measured and compared. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare continuous variables, and the χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables. Two-sided P values of < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Non-PTX zoom-DWI yielded significantly better image quality and image analysis reproducibility than conv-DWI (all P < 0.001). Compared with conv-ADC, nonPTX zoom-ADC showed slightly better detection performance for overall PCa (AUC: 0.827 vs. 0.797; P = 0.55) and ciPCa (AUC: 0.822 vs. 0.749; P = 0.58). At a PI-RADS score of 4 as the cutoff value for PCa prediction, nonPTX zoom-DWI showed significantly higher diagnostic efficiency for overall PCa detection (sensitivity: 87.9% vs. 72.4%; specificity: 87.5% vs. 77.5%; both P < 0.05) and ciPCa detection (sensitivity: 86.3% vs. 74.5%; specificity: 72.3% vs. 63.8%; both P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Non-PTX zoom-DWI yields better image quality and higher PCa detection performance than Conv-DWI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confined spaces (e.g., containers, underground warehouses) are common storage places for storage tanks. The safety of confined spaces subjected to boiling liquid expansion vapour explosions (BLEVEs) is of vital significance but still not fully understood. In this study, a small visualization device was used to research the rapid depressurization in confined space. The effect of confined space on the rapid boiling mechanism and two-phase flow of liquids and vapours was investigated. The buffer of the confined space on the superheated boiling of liquids under different leakage conditions is researched by the pressure characteristic parameters. The results show that the superheated liquid leakage process is divided into three stages, i.e., rapid depressurization, slow depressurization, and pressure balance. In the stage of rapid depressurization, the nucleation and growth processes of bubbles can be mainly divided into static, bubble flow, and bullet flow. The vaporization of the leakage flow in the explosion-vented tank will decrease the depressurization rate to buffer the boiling explosion of the storage tank. Thus, as the release pressure increases, the average rate of pressure change increases in both vessels will accelerate the arrival of buffering in the confined space like the explosion-vented tank. In a small-discharge area ratio regime, the pressure change rate in both vessels increases as the discharge area ratio increases. In a large-discharge area ratio regime, the superheat degree no longer affects the pressure change rate due to the buffer of rapid vaporization and saturation of the explosion-vented tank. Finally, the effect of the confined space has been quantified to clarify why BLEVE does not occur in the confined space. This study deepens the understanding of complex failure and rapid depressurization in confined spaces and provides insights into the fire hazards of BLEVE accidents in confined spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanshinone IIA is an extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Labiatae) used to treat cardiovascular disorders. It shows potential anticonvulsant and cognition-protective properties. We investigated the mechanism of tanshinone IIA on antiepileptic and cognition-protective effects in the model of epileptic rats. Lithium chloride (LiCl)-pilocarpine-induced epileptic Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the following groups (n = 12): control (blank), model, sodium valproate (VPA, 189 mg/kg/d, positive control), tanshinone IIA low dose (TS IIA-L, 10 mg/kg/d), medium dose (TS IIA-M, 20 mg/kg/d) and high dose (TS IIA-H, 30 mg/kg/d). Then, epileptic behavioural observations, Morris water maze test, Timm staining, transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescence staining, western blotting and RT-qPCR were measured. Compared with the model group, tanshinone IIA reduced the frequency and severity of seizures, improved cognitive impairment, and inhibited hippocampal mossy fibre sprouting score (TS IIA-M 1.50 ± 0.22, TS IIA-H 1.17 ± 0.31 vs. model 2.83 ± 0.31), as well as improved the ultrastructural disorder. Tanshinone IIA increased levels of synapse-associated proteins synaptophysin (SYN) and postsynaptic dense substance 95 (PSD-95) (SYN: TS IIA 28.82 ± 2.51, 33.18 ± 2.89, 37.29 ± 1.69 vs. model 20.23 ± 3.96; PSD-95: TS IIA 23.10 ± 0.91, 26.82 ± 1.41, 27.00 ± 0.80 vs. model 18.28 ± 1.01). Tanshinone IIA shows antiepileptic and cognitive function-improving effects, primarily via regulating synaptic plasticity. This research generates a theoretical foundation for future research on potential clinical applications for tanshinone IIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indium phosphide (InP) Quantum dots (QDs) are becoming one of the most favorable alternatives of cadmium-based QDs in view of their heavy metal-free and tunable luminescence. However, the photoluminescence performances of InP QDs still remain to be improved especially for the aminophosphine based synthesis method. In this work, we present a one-pot synthesis route of InP/ZnS red QDs based on tris(dimethylamino)phosphine (DMP) phosphorus precursor by using ZnF 2 to generate HF and F ions in situ for the elimination of surface oxidative layer of InP cores and the passivation of indium dangling bonds. The synthesis conditions in terms of ZnF 2 concentration, reaction temperature and growth time, were further investigated in order to obtain an optimization of fluorescence properties of InP QDs. It is found that the PL QY of both InP and InP/ZnS QDs are significantly improved by the ZnF 2 additive. The PL QY of ∼16.4%, FWHM of 50 nm for pristine InP QDs and PL QY of ∼73%, emission peak of 628 nm, FWHM of 55 nm for ZnS shelled InP QDs can be obtained when the ratio of ZnF 2 to ZnCl 2 , reaction temperature and growth time are 1:1, 200 °C and 40 min, respectively. Compared with the InP/ZnS QDs synthesized without ZnF2 treatment (55% PL QY, 611 nm emission peak, 62 nm FWHM), the PL QY is increased by 32.7%. • ZnF 2 causes photoluminescence of InP QDs in oleylamine system. • In situ generation of HF can eliminate part of indium oxides and reduce defects. • F ions can passivate indium dangling bonds and change surface state. • The luminescence properties of InP/ZnS QDs are improved with the assistance of ZnF 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon/carbon composites (C/Cs) are widely used as thermal protection materials in aviation and aerospace field. Most of the fracture processes of C/Cs have been found to be profoundly affected by their interfacial properties. Specially arranged fiber bundle push-out test was utilized to determine the fiber bundle/matrix interface shear strength of one three-dimensionally reinforced C/Cs. In order to reveal the link between the interfacial properties and the failure behavior, the micromechanisms of damage initiation at the notch tip on the C/Cs was investigated in real-time during the flexural fracture tests through scanning elec-tion microscopy. Real-time fracture observation revealed that the damage was nucleated in the fiber bundle/matrix interfaces around the notch tip and the failure crack was success-fully observed along the fiber bundle/matrix interface. Fiber yarns acted as an obstacle to crack propagation hence it was necessary to increase the load to propagate the crack through the next fiber yarn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Immobilization of enzyme on detonation nanodiamond (dND, 3–10nm) and its application for efficient proteolysis have been demonstrated. By evaluation of the Michaelis constant (K m) and maximum velocity (V max) of immobilized enzyme, its activity was not impaired significantly by immobilization. And enzyme immobilized on dNDs exhibited much better thermal and chemical stabilities than its free counterpart and maintained high activity even after 10 times reuse. The efficient proteolysis by trypsin immobilized on dNDs (dND-trypsin) is demonstrated with the digestion of myoglobin (or other model protein) in a short time (5min). Large numbers of identified peptides obtained by dNDs-trypsin enable a higher degree of sequence coverage and more positive identification of proteins than those obtained by in-solution digestion and the commercial immobilized trypsin beads, respectively. Moreover, immobilization of peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) on dNDs was realized and resulted in faster sequential glycosidase digestion of glycopeptides in less than 10min. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is caused by intracranial aneurysm (IA) rupture and results in high rates of mortality and morbidity. Factors contributing to IA generation, growth and rupture can involve genetics, injury, hemodynamics, environmental factors, and inflammation, in which inflammatory factors are believed to play central roles in the whole natural history. Inflammatory reactions that contribute to IA development may involve synthesis of many functional proteins and expression of genes induced by changes of blood flow, external stimuli such as smoking, internal balance such as hormonal status changes, and blood pressure. Meanwhile, inflammatory reactions itself can evoke inflammatory cytokines release and aggregation such as MMPs, MCP-1, TNF-α and ZO-1, directly or indirectly promoting aneurysm growth and rupture. However, the details of these inflammatory reactions and their action on inflammatory chemokines are still unknown. Moreover, some agents with the function of anti-inflammation, lipid-lowering, antihypertension or inflammatory factor inhibition may have the potential benefit to reduce the risk of aneurysm development or rupture in a group of population despite the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Consequently, we reviewed the potential inflammatory responses and their mechanisms contributing to aneurysm development and rupture and sought intervention targets that may prevent IA rupture or generation. • Inflammatory factors have a tremendous impact on the overall development of IA. • ET-1- and ETBR can induce endothelial dysfunction before IA occurrence. • MMP-activated extracellular matrix degradation and macrophage- and TNF-α-mediated arterial wall inflammation lead to IA formation. • Anti-inflammation, lipid-lowering, antihypertension or inflammatory factor inhibition agents may have potential to reduce IA development or rupture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of forming a tube escalates inversely with the bending radius; a smaller radius corresponds to increased difficulty. A differential heating push-bending (DHP-B) forming approach was proposed, which established a nonuniform temperature field, enabling the formation of bent tubes with reduced bending radius. The impact of the temperature field and heating zones on the forming of the TA18 (Ti-3Al-2.5 V) bent tube (D = 20 mm, t = 1, r = 0.9 D) was investigated through finite element methods and experiments. The findings reveal that unilateral heating on the outer side of the tube results in the inward displacement of the neutral layer of the wall thickness, thus reducing the thickening on the intrados of the tube. Conversely, heating on the inner side of the tube instigates an outwards displacement of the neutral layer, leading to an increase in the inner thickening of the bend. Despite increasing the stress on the bent section, heating the outer side mitigates the material flow to the thickened area due to the nonuniform yield stress induced by the nonuniform temperature field, thereby reducing the generation of compressive strain. Furthermore, the study reveals that when heating is confined to the bent section or the straight-line section, the thickening is greater than when the entire outer side is heated. Finally, based on the finite element results, a TA18 bent tube with a bending radius of 0.9 D was successfully formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A push-spin integrated (P-SI) bending forming method was proposed for tubes with small bending radius. A spinning wheel device is incorporated on the inner side of the die's bend, allowing either passive or active rotation of the spinning wheel. This setup can reduce friction or alter the direction of the friction force at the intrados of the bent tube, enhancing the stress-strain condition therein. A finite element model for the P-SI bending forming was established. The simulation results indicate that this forming procedure reduces the sensitivity of the length of the output zone to the tube's internal medium reverse thrust. This is advantageous in mitigating the wrinkling defect of the bent tube by increasing the internal medium pressure. Additionally, it facilitates material flow at the intrados of the bent tube, extending the output zone's length and reducing the occurrence of excessive wall thickening. An experiment using a 0.9D aluminum alloy thin-walled tube with P-SI bending forming was conducted. The experimental results demonstrated that compared to the conventional push-bend forming technique, the output zone's length in tubes formed by the P-SI process doubled, which was consistent with the finite element simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) can provide useful information for phylogenetic relationships, gene rearrangement, and molecular evolution. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of two hermit crabs, Dardanus arrosor and Dardanus aspersus, were sequenced for the first time and compared with other published mitogenomes of Paguroidea. Each of the two mitogenomes contains an entire set of 37 genes and a putative control region, but they display different gene arrangements. The different arrangements of the two mitogenomes might be the result of transposition, reversal, and tandem duplication/random loss events from the ancestral pancrustacean pattern. Genome sequence similarity analysis reveals the gene rearrangement in 15 Paguroidea mitogenomes. After synteny analysis between the 15 Paguroidea mitogenomes, an obvious rearranged region is found in D. aspersus mitogenome. Across the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) tested, COI has the least and ND6 has the largest genetic distances among the 15 hermit crabs, indicating varied evolution rates of PCGs. In addition, the dN/dS ratio analysis shows that all PCGs are evolving under purifying selection. The phylogenetic analyses based on both gene order and sequence data present the monophyly of three families (Paguridae, Coenobitidae, and Pylochelidae) and the paraphyly of the family Diogenidae. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequences of 13 PCGs shows that two Dardanus species formed a sister group with five Coenobitidae species. These findings help to better understand the gene rearrangement and phylogeny of Paguroidea, as well as provide new insights into the usefulness of mitochondrial gene order as a phylogenetic marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to further explore the forming limits of thin-wall tube necking and thickening, and obtain sufficient thickness of the tube in the thickening area, local electric pulse-assisted forming experiments were carried out to study the effects of current intensity and feed speed on the necking and thickening forming of thin-wall tube. The experimental results show that with the increase in current intensity, the temperature in the forming area of the tube increases, and the forming load for necking and thickening decreases. However, with the increase in feed speed, the overall forming load for necking and thickening increases in general, and the smaller feed speed is more conducive to forming. Taking into account the forming efficiency and electrode loss, the corresponding forming process window is obtained for the manufacturing of good parts. That is, during the necking stage, the current intensity shall not be less than 300 A, and the feed speed shall not exceed 10 mm/min. During the thickening stage, the current intensity should not be less than 1400 A, and the feed speed should not exceed 1 mm/min. The target part is finally formed, with an average wall thickness of 5.984 mm in the thickening zone and a thickening rate of 303.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to elucidate the effects of lubricant groove shape, vertical load, swing angle and grease injection cycle on the friction and wear performances of journal bearings under the grease lubrication condition. Design/methodology/approach: Three different types of lubricant grooves, namely, numeral eight-shaped, axial straight line-shaped and circular blind hole-shaped, were designed and machined in the bearing bush of journal bearings. The tribological behaviors of these journal bearings were investigated on the self-developed reciprocating swing friction and wear tester. Experimental data including the friction coefficient, the friction temperature, the wear loss and wear time were analyzed in detail. The wear morphologies of friction pairs were observed by scanning electron microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope. Findings: The load carrying capacity and service life of the journal bearing with circular blind hole-shaped lubricant grooves are not affected. However, the load carrying capacities of journal bearings with numeral eight-shaped and axial straight line-shaped lubricant grooves are declined. The coverage areas of lubricating grease in the bearing bush are associated with the swing angle. The smaller the swing angle is, the more limited the coverage areas of lubricating grease get. Among these journal bearings, the maintenance-free time of journal bearing with circular blind hole-shaped lubricant grooves is the longest because of its large grease storage capacity. Originality/value: The journal bearing with circular blind hole-shaped lubricant grooves exhibits the excellent antifriction and wear-resistant properties, making it suitable for the application in the low-speed and heavy-load engineering conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety of coated steel belts (CSBs) is crucial for reliable elevator operation, as they are critical components in elevator systems. Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) testing is the preferred non-destructive method for evaluating CSBs due to its high sensitivity. Previous studies overlooked tensile stress's impact on in-service MFL testing of CSBs, potentially resulting in inaccurate defect assessments. This research aims to investigate the impact of tensile stress on the MFL signal of CSBs by developing a theoretical model, conducting finite element simulations, and performing experimental verification. In this paper, the rectangular edge defects are considered as the primary defect type in CSBs, and the applied stress on the CSBs varies from 30 MPa to 160 MPa. Under the above conditions, a linear relationship between MFL signal of CSBs and stress is established based on the simplified Jiles-Atherton model and magnetic dipole model suitable for CSBs. The finite element simulation and experiments further indicate that the MFL signal of CSBs increases linearly with the increasing tensile stress. The primary contributions of this study are establishing an MFL model suitable for CSBs and uncovering the linear relationship between the MFL signal of CSBs and tensile stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous melatonin (MT) regulates plant growth and mitigates stress in response to stress. To analyze the machinery of exogenous melatonin, which improves salt and alkaline tolerance in oats, MT's function was identified in the oat seed germination stage in our previous study. In this study, morphogenesis, photosynthetic physiology, hormone levels, and ion homeostasis were evaluated using the same MT treatment concentration. The results revealed that compared to the S45 treatment, the 100 μmol·L−1 MT treatment efficiently increased the seedling height and main root length of oat seedlings; promoted secondary root development; enhanced the root volume and root surface area; maintained a higher photosynthetic pigment content (carotenoids; chlorophyll a; chlorophyll b); raised the leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), conductance to H2O (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr); enhanced the light energy absorption and conversion of leaves; increased the leaf GA3, Tryptamine (TAM), and IAA contents; and decreased ABA levels. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that MT treatment also increased the contents of P, K, Ca, Mn, Cu, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mo, Cd, Al, Se, Ni, Co, and Ti; decreased the Na/K ratio; and maintained cellular ionic homeostasis in oat seedlings under saline–alkali stress, as compared with the untreated group. These findings showed that MT treatment enhanced the adaptation of oat to saline–alkali stress through regulating the physiological process of seedling growth. This suggests that MT plays a different role in improving saline–alkali tolerance in the germination and seedling stages of oat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is resistant to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and is associated with cognitive impairment. The modern Chinese medicine, compound Danshen dripping pills (CDDP), is clinically effective in treating epilepsy and improving cognitive impairment. Objective: This study evaluated the protective effects of CDDP alone and in combination with carbamazepine (CBZ) on kainic acid-induced TLE and cognitive impairment in rats. Materials and methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: control (sham operated), model, CDDP, CBZ and combined. A TLE model was then created via bilateral intrahippocampal injection of 0.35 μg kainic acid (KA). Rats received CDDP (85 mg/kg), CBZ (100 mg/kg) or combined (85 mg/kg CDDP +100 mg/kg CBZ) via intragastric administration for 90 d, respectively. Seizure intensity, apoptosis and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) were measured. Furthermore, the improvement in cognitive impairment and hippocampal neuronal damage was evaluated. Results: CDDP combined with CBZ significantly decreased seizure severity and frequency (p < 0.05) and ameliorated cognitive impairment (p < 0.05). The model group showed a significant reduction of neurons and Bcl-2/Bax expression in the hippocampus CA3 area (p < 0.01), the combined groups significantly reversed these change (p < 0.01). GDNF expression in the combined groups showed a clear increase over the model group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings support the use of CDDP as an adjuvant drug for the treatment of TLE and cognitive deficit. Its mechanism might be related to an anti-apoptosis effect and up-regulation of GDNF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saline–alkali stress is one of the major factors limiting oat seed germination. The regulatory role of melatonin (MT) as a naturally occurring active substance is well known, but the mechanism of MT-mediated intrinsic physiological regulation of oat seed germination under saline–alkali stress is unclear. Therefore, this study investigated (1) the variability of different MT seed soaking concentrations and times on the germination of oat seeds under saline–alkali stress, and (2) the possible physiological regulatory mechanisms of MT on the germination of oat seeds under saline–alkali stress. The results showed that seed vigor was significantly reduced under saline–alkali stress, and seed germination of oats was significantly inhibited; different concentrations of MT seed soaking treatments improved the germination rate, germination potential, germination index, vigor index, root length, germ length, fresh weight, and dry weight; and, overall, treatment improved seed germination and exhibited the phenomenon of "low promotion and high inhibition". The 100 μmol·L−1 MT seed soaking treatment effectively enhanced the activities of seed antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) and nonenzymatic antioxidants (GSH and AsA), affected the AsA-GSH cycle, and effectively increased the contents of osmoregulatory substances (proline, protein, and soluble sugar) by reducing levels of H2O2, OH−, and MDA, thus enhancing the tolerance of oats to saline–alkali and promoting seed germination. In conclusion, MT has a positive effect on the saline–alkali tolerance of oat seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The smaller the relative bending radius of the bent tube, the more difficult the tube blank is to be bent. In this paper, the push-bending process for the aluminum tube with a relative bending radius of 0.9D was analyzed through simulation. There was tangential tensile stress concentration occurring at the front endpoint of tube intrados, which increased the risk of cracking. That is because the bending tube's extrados moves less angular distance than its intrados by the uniform lubrication method, causing excessive deformation of the cross-section. Therefore, a differential lubrication method using the lubricant with a larger friction coefficient at intrados and the lubricant with a smaller friction coefficient at extrados was proposed to increase the angular velocity of the tube's extrados. It was found that the differential lubrication method helped avoid excessive thinning at the front endpoint of tube intrados through simulations. Furthermore, push-bending experiments of 5A02 aluminum alloy with a relative bending radius of 0.9D were carried out to investigate this effect. The experimental results showed that the differential lubrication method effectively avoided cracking, which agreed with the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To develop a clot-based radiomics model using CT imaging radiomic features and machine learning to identify cardioembolic (CE) stroke before mechanical thrombectomy (MTB) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Materials and methods: This retrospective four-center study consecutively included 403 patients with AIS who sequentially underwent CT and MTB between April 2016 and July 2021. These were grouped into training, testing, and external validation cohorts. Thrombus-extracted radiomic features and basic information were gathered to construct a machine learning model to predict CE stroke. The radiological characteristics and basic information were used to build a routine radiological model. A combined radiomics and radiological features model was also developed. The performances of all models were evaluated and compared in the validation cohort. A histological analysis helped further assess the proposed model in all patients. Results: The radiomics model yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.838 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.771–0.891) for predicting CE stroke in the validation cohort, significantly higher than the radiological model (AUC, 0.713; 95% CI, 0.636–0.781; p = 0.007) but similar to the combined model (AUC, 0.855; 95% CI, 0.791–0.906; p = 0.14). The thrombus radiomic features achieved stronger correlations with red blood cells (|rmax|, 0.74 vs. 0.32) and fibrin and platelet (|rmax|, 0.68 vs. 0.18) than radiological characteristics. Conclusion: The proposed CT-based radiomics model could reliably predict CE stroke in AIS, performing better than the routine radiological method. Key Points: • Admission CT imaging could offer valuable information to identify the acute ischemic stroke source by radiomics analysis. • The proposed CT imaging–based radiomics model yielded a higher area under the curve (0.838) than the routine radiological method (0.713; p = 0.007). • Several radiomic features showed significantly stronger correlations with two main thrombus constituents (red blood cells, |rmax|, 0.74; fibrin and platelet, |rmax|, 0.68) than routine radiological characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated process of biomass gasification and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) is investigated using energy and exergy analyses. The performance of the system is assessed by calculating several parameters such as electrical efficiency, combined heat and power efficiency, power to heat ratio, exergy destruction ratio, and exergy efficiency. A performance comparison of power systems for different gasification agents is given by thermodynamic analysis. Exergy analysis is applied to investigate exergy destruction in components in the power systems. When using oxygen-enriched air as gasification agent, the gasifier reactor causes the greatest exergy destruction. About 29% of the chemical energy of the biomass is converted into net electric power, while about 17% of it is used to for producing hot water for district heating purposes. The total exergy efficiency of combined heat and power is 29%. For the case in which steam as the gasification agent, the highest exergy destruction lies in the air preheater due to the great temperature difference between the hot and cold side. The net electrical efficiency is about 40%. The exergy combined heat and power efficiency is above 36%, which is higher than that when air or oxygen-enriched air as gasification agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A process of differential heating push-bending (DHP-B) was proposed to enhance the forming quality of thin-walled tubes with small bending radius. Finite element numerical simulation and the orthogonal test method were employed to optimize the process parameters, including temperature, friction coefficients of the inner and outer deformation zones (Z1 and Z2) as well as the guide zone (Z3), and the reverse thrust, for bending 5A02 aluminum alloy tubes with a diameter of 32 mm, a wall thickness of 1 mm, and a relative bending radius of 0.9. The thinning rate, ovality, and push-out amount were taken as the evaluation indexes to determine the primary and secondary relationships between the factors by the comprehensive balance method. Temperature, among these factors, had the most significant impact on these evaluation indexes. The variation of friction coefficient mainly affected thinning rate and ovality, whereas the reverse thrust primarily affected the push-out amount. The optimal parameter combinations were identified as a temperature of 300 °C, friction coefficient Z1 of 0.1, Z2 of 0.1, Z3 of 0.03, and reverse thrust of 27 MPa, as revealed by the results. Finally, the simulation results were validated by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plants suffer from various abiotic stresses during their lifetime, of which drought and salt stresses are two main factors limiting crop yield and quality. Previous studies have shown that abscisic acid (ABA) responsive element binding protein (AREB)/ ABRE binding factors (ABFs) in bZIP transcription factors are involved in plant stress response in an ABA-dependent manner. However, little is known about the properties and functions of AREB/ABFs, especially ABF3, in cotton. Results: Here, we reported the cloning and characterization of GhABF3. Expression of GhABF3 was induced by drought,salt and ABA treatments. Silencing of GhABF3 sensitized cotton to drought and salt stress, which was manifested in decreased cellular antioxidant capacity and chlorophyll content. Overexpression of GhABF3 significantly improved the drought and salinity tolerance of Arabidopsis and cotton. Exogenous expression of GhABF3 resulted in longer root length and less leaf wilting under stress conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana. Overexpressing GhABF3 significantly improved salt tolerance of upland cotton by reducing the degree of cellular oxidation, and enhanced drought tolerance by decreasing leaf water loss rate. The increased expression of GhABF3 up-regulated the transcriptional abundance of downstream ABA-inducible genes under salt stress in Arabidopsis. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results demonstrated that GhABF3 plays an important role in plant drought and salt tolerance. Manipulation of GhABF3 by biotechnology might be an important strategy to alter the stress resistance of cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated power system of biomass gasification with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and micro gas turbine has been investigated by thermodynamic model. A zero-dimensional electrochemical model of SOFC and one-dimensional chemical kinetics model of downdraft biomass gasifier have been developed to analyze overall performance of the power system. Effects of various parameters such as moisture content in biomass, equivalence ratio and mass flow rate of dry biomass on the overall performance of system have been studied by energy analysis. It is found that char in the biomass tends to be converted with decreasing of moisture content and increasing of equivalence ratio due to higher temperature in reduction zone of gasifier. Electric and combined heat and power efficiencies of the power system increase with decreasing of moisture content and increasing of equivalence ratio, the electrical efficiency of this system could reach a level of approximately 56%.Regarding entire conversion of char in gasifier and acceptable electrical efficiency above 45%, operating condition in this study is suggested to be in the range of moisture content less than 0.2, equivalence ratio more than 0.46 and mass flow rate of biomass less than 20 kg h −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new technology of local electrically assisted necking and thickening forming of 5A02 aluminum alloy tube is developed, to enhance the quality of tube necking and thickening and increase the thickness of the tube wall in thickening area. Advantages of the electroplasticity of pulse current are utilized to guarantee the forming quality of tube necking and thickening. Process parameters such as thickness of the guide block, contact mode of the upper electrode, and the cooling method were studied. The results indicate that the thicker the guide block, the less prone to premature bending and instability in the forming process. The integral electrode is the most stable and the best heat dissipation effect, which avoids the tube from internal buckling. With the increase of the cooling capacity, the average wall thickness increases first and then decreases. According to these results, a process scheme is designed, with which successful experiments have been performed. And the microstructures of the necking and thickening areas were studied by optical microscope. Local electrically assisted necking and thickening technology shows great benefits in tube extrusion forming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY An energy analysis of three typical solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power systems fed by methane is carried out with detailed thermodynamic model. Simple SOFC system, hybrid SOFC-gas turbine (GT) power system, and SOFC-GT-steam turbine (ST) power system are compared. The influences of air ratio and operative pressure on the performance of SOFC power systems are investigated. The net system electric efficiency and cogeneration efficiency of these power systems are given by the calculation model. The results show that internal reforming SOFC power system can achieve an electrical efficiency of more than 49% and a system cogeneration efficiency including waste heat recovery of 77%. For SOFC-GT system, the electrical efficiency and cogeneration efficiency are 61% and 80%, respectively. Although SOFC-GT-ST system is more complicated and has high investment costs, the electrical efficiency of it is close to that of SOFC-GT system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we present the novel functionalization of detonation nanodiamond (dND) with amino-phenyl boronic acid (APBA) assisted by poly-l-lysine (PL) and PEG-diglycolic acid (PEG) (dND-p-APBA). With the assistance of biocompatible poly-l-lysine and PEG, dND-p-APBA particles show good dispersibility in aqueous solution and plentiful boronic acid functional groups on the surface, which make it a novel material promising for glycoproteome. The dND-p-APBA particles demonstrate highly specific and efficient capture of glycopeptides from complex samples. In comparison with direct (or traditional) analysis, the novel method shows better specificity for glycopeptides even when non-glycopeptides are 40 times more than glycopeptides. Besides that, the detection sensitivity of glycopeptides could be increased 50 times by the novel strategy. Additionally, the recovery of glycopeptides is up to 72.2% and the glycopeptides even can be sensitively specifically enriched and detected in the presence of 1 M sodium chloride or 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. Furthermore, in combination with liquid chromatography electronspray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS), the novel approach was successfully applied to characterize one fraction of mouse liver, in which 40 different N-glycosylation peptides within 34 unique glycoproteins have been identified. Accordingly, the usefulness of the functionalized dND might be a promising efficient and specific analytical platform in glycoproteome analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Astrocytes are essential components of neurogenic niches that affect neurogenesis through membrane association and/or the release of soluble factors. To identify factors released from astrocytes that could regulate neural stem cell differentiation and proliferation, we used mild oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) to inhibit the secretory capacity of astrocytes. Using the Transwell co-culture system, we found that OGD-treated astrocytes could not promote neural stem cell differentiation and proliferation. Next, isobaric tagging for the relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomics techniques was performed to identify the proteins in the supernatants of astrocytes (with or without OGD). Through a multi-step analysis and gene ontology classification, 130 extracellular proteins were identified, most of which were involved in neuronal development, the inflammatory response, extracellular matrix composition and supportive functions. Of these proteins, 44 had never been reported to be produced by astrocytes. Using ProteinPilot software analysis, we found that 60 extracellular proteins were significantly altered (27 upregulated and 33 downregulated) in the supernatant of OGD-treated astrocytes. Among these proteins, 7 have been reported to be able to regulate neurogenesis, while others may have the potential to regulate neurogenesis. This study profiles the major proteins released by astrocytes, which play important roles in the modulation of neurogenesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A numerical model has been developed to simulate the effect of combustion zone geometry on the steady state and transient performance of a tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The model consists of an electrochemical submodel and a thermal submodel. In the electrochemical model, a network circuit of a tubular SOFC was adopted to model the dynamics of Nernst potential, ohmic polarization, activation polarization, and concentration polarization. The thermal submodel simulated heat transfers by conduction, convention, and radiation between the cell and the air feed tube. The developed model was applied to simulate the performance of a tubular solid oxide fuel cell at various operating parameters, including distributions of circuits, temperature, and gas concentrations inside the fuel cell. The simulations predicted that increasing the length of the combustion zone would lead to an increase of the overall cell tube temperature and a shorter response time for transient performance. Enlarging the combustion zone, however, makes only a negligible contribution to electricity output properties, such as output voltage and power. These numerical results show that the developed model can reasonably simulate the performance properties of a tubular SOFC and is applicable to cell stack design. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Congenital hypoplasia or aplasia of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery is associated with an increased incidence of berry aneurysms at the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) complex. We analyzed the factors contributing to ACoA aneurysm rupture. We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with ACoA aneurysms who had undergone cerebral angiography from July 2008 to January 2020. The risk factors for rupture were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. We used the imaging data of patients without intracranial aneurysms as the control population. We confirmed 253 aneurysms in 253 patients, including 137 men (54.2%) and 116 women (45.8%), with a mean age of 54.6 ± 12.7 years. Of the 253 aneurysms, 218 (86.2%) were ruptured and 35 (13.8%) were unruptured, with a mean diameter of 4.56 ± 1.96 mm and 3.24 ± 1.79 mm, respectively. Of the 253 aneurysms, 176 (69.6%) were <5 mm in diameter, 146 (83%) of which were ruptured. Of the 253 patients, 141 (55.7%) exhibited A1 segment hypoplasia or aplasia: 106 (41.9%) on the right side of the circle of Willis and 35 (13.8%) on the left. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the aneurysm diameter (odds ratio, 4.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.601–16.07; P = 0.003) and age <65 years (odds ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.062–0.48; P < 0.001) as independent predictors of rupture. ACoA aneurysms are small (<5 mm) and have a high risk of rupture. A1 segment hypoplasia or aplasia is a risk factor for ACoA aneurysm formation; however, it was uncorrelated with aneurysm diameter or rupture risk. The strongest independent risk factors for rupture were age <65 years and aneurysm diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) dysfunction contributes to vascular disease in diabetes mellitus. However, the molecular mechanism underlying EPC dysfunction and its contribution to delayed reendothelialization in diabetes mellitus remain unclear. Our study aimed to illustrate the potential molecular mechanism underlying diabetic EPC dysfunction in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of EPC transplantation on endothelial regeneration in diabetic rats. Methods: Late outgrowth EPCs were isolated from the bone marrow of rats for in vivo and in vitro studies. In vitro functional assays and Western blotting were conducted to reveal the association between C-X-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CXCR7) expression and diabetic EPC dysfunction. To confirm the association between cellular CXCR7 levels and EPC function, CXCR7 expression in EPCs was upregulated and downregulated via lentiviral transduction and RNA interference, respectively. Western blotting was used to reveal the potential molecular mechanism by which the Stromal-Derived Factor-1 (SDF-1)/CXCR7 axis regulates EPC function. To elucidate the role of the SDF-1/CXCR7 axis in EPC-mediated endothelial regeneration, a carotid artery injury model was established in diabetic rats. After the model was established, saline-treated, diabetic, normal, or CXCR7-primed EPCs were injected via the tail vein. Results: Diabetic EPC dysfunction was associated with decreased CXCR7 expression. Furthermore, EPC dysfunction was mimicked by knockdown of CXCR7 in normal EPCs. However, upregulating CXCR7 expression reversed the dysfunction of diabetic EPCs. The SDF-1/CXCR7 axis positively regulated EPC function by activating the AKT-associated Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (keap-1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) axis, which was reversed by blockade of AKT and Nrf2. Transplantation of CXCR7-EPCs accelerated endothelial repair and attenuated neointimal hyperplasia in diabetes mellitus more significantly than transplantation of diabetic or normal EPCs. However, the therapeutic effect of CXCR7-EPC transplantation on endothelial regeneration was reversed by knockdown of Nrf2 expression. Conclusions: Dysfunction of diabetic EPCs is associated with decreased CXCR7 expression. Furthermore, the SDF-1/CXCR7 axis positively regulates EPC function by activating the AKT/keap-1/Nrf2 axis. CXCR7-primed EPCs might be useful for endothelial regeneration in diabetes-associated vascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the influence of pressure control precision, the actual pressure in hydroforming process for the tube is usually greater than the design pressure, which causes the fracture of tube. The loading path of T-shaped tube hydroforming process was designed based on the control of limit pressure. First, the limit pressure of tube Pmax was obtained by improving the internal pressure until the tube cracked in the T-shaped tube hydroforming process without the feeding and a theoretical model for predicting instantaneous pressure is developed. Second, the tube bulge height Hmax and the maximum feeding Dmax were explored through manual operation of feeding and pressure in hydroforming machine, in which the overflow pressure is set to Pmax by using an overflow valve; finally, the loading path of internal pressure and feeding was designed using the ladder growth and linear growth in T-shaped tube hydroforming experiment in which the maximum pressure, the maximum feeding, and the overflow pressure (equal to internal pressure) were set to Pmax, Dmax, and Pmax, respectively. The results show that the obtained limit pressure Pmax can avoid the overpressure of the tube and restrain the fracture of the tube through the action of the overflow valve. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the prediction model to figure up Pmax was verified through experiments: the theoretical prediction value of the established model was consistent with the experimental true value. Compared with the T-shaped tube formed by linear loading path, the wall thickness of the formed T-shaped tube by ladder loading path is more evenly distributed without wrinkles and fractures and the height of the formed branch tube close to Hmax. At the same time, it is found that under the differential lubrication tube blank, the time of obtaining a suitable loading path is significantly reduced, and the collocation of ladder mode is simpler and more efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Necking technology was widely used in the airplane pull rod parts. The tube end of airplane pull rod parts made by the traditional technology (such as spinning) was insufficient to thread directly, and it needed to rivet the threaded sleeve, which result in the low joint strength of airplane pull rod parts. Alternatively, a method of necking and thickening for a thin-walled tube using differential temperature extrusion was proposed for the purpose of threading directly. In this work, the effects of temperature and friction during the process of necking and thickening for 5A02 aluminum alloy thin-walled tube were conducted by finite element (FE) simulations and experiments. The simulation results showed that the higher the temperature was and the lower the friction coefficient was, the bigger the thickness of thickening area in the tube end was, which benefited to thread directly. Then, FE simulation was verified to be reliable by experiments. Subsequently, the effect of temperature on the microstructure in the thickening area of the formed workpiece was investigated by the optical microscopy. The microstructural morphology showed the grain size of the thickening area in the formed workpiece coarsened in comparison with the unformed tube when the material was heated at high temperature during the process of necking and thickening of tube. And the higher temperature was, the coarser the grain in the thickening area was. Finally, the reasonable forming temperature and friction was proposed for improving the micro and macro forming quality of the airplane pull rod parts under the necking and thickening process for thin-walled tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) orientation on the mechanical properties and fracture mechanisms of a vertically aligned CNT/C composite was studied in this work by a combination of nanoindentation and micropillar compression techniques. The results suggest stronger response of the composite when loading parallel to the CNT orientation. This led to higher Young's modulus and hardness (≈34 GPa and ≈3.75 GPa) at this direction than those at perpendicular direction (≈19 GPa and ≈2.6 GPa). The mechanical anisotropy led to fracture mechanisms that were also dependent on the CNT orientation. At 0° direction, the composite was fractured into segments by splitting of the micropillar. While at 90° direction, the composite was much brittle and was fractured by dual shearing, implying a strong CNT/C interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Epilepsy is a common life-threatening neurological disorder that is often drug-resistant and associated with cognitive impairment. The traditional Chinese patent medicine Songling Xuemaikang capsules (SXC) is clinically used for epilepsy therapy and alleviation of cognitive impairment. Objective: This study investigates the neuronal protective effect of SXC combined with carbamazepine (CBZ) on epilepsy and cognitive impairment in kainic acid-kindled SD rats. Materials and methods: Kainic acid-kindled rats were established by injection of 0.45 μg kainic acid and randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 14): saline (sham-operated), control, CBZ, SXC and CBZ + SXC combined group. Rats in the treatment groups received CBZ (50 mg/kg/d), SXC (600 mg/kg/d) or combined CBZ (50 mg/kg/d) + SXC (600 mg/kg/d) via intragastric injection for 60 days. Epileptic behaviours, cognitive impairment, neuronal apoptosis and expression of p-Akt, Akt and caspase-9 were measured, and the alleviation of cognitive damage and neuronal apoptosis was analyzed. Results: The combined administration of SXC and CBZ significantly decreased the frequency of seizures (1.2 ± 0.3) and the number of episodes (1.3 ± 0.5) above stage III (p < 0.05). Neuronal apoptosis was improved (p < 0.01), and cognitive damage was ameliorated (p < 0.05).The level of p-Akt was enhanced (p < 0.01) whereas the expression of caspase-9 was evidently inhibited (p < 0.01) in the combined group. Conclusions: The present findings confirm that the combined use of SXC with CBZ can effectively control epileptic seizures, alleviate damage to hippocampal neurons and protect against cognitive impairment. The mechanism of action might be related to the upregulation of p-Akt and inhibition of caspase-9 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel dextranase was purified from Penicillium cyclopium CICC-4022 by ammonium sulfate fractional precipitation and gel filtration chromatography. The effects of temperature, pH and some metal ions and chemicals on dextranase activity were investigated. Subsequently, the dextranase was used to produce dextran with specific molecular mass. Weight-average molecular mass (Mw) and the ratio of weight-average molecular mass/number-average molecular mass, or polydispersity index (Mw/Mn), of dextran were measured by multiple-angle laser light scattering (MALS) combined with gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The dextranase was purified to 16.09-fold concentration; the recovery rate was 29.17%; and the specific activity reached 350.29 U/mg. Mw of the dextranase was 66 kDa, which is similar to dextranase obtained from other Penicillium species reported previously. The highest activity was observed at 55 °C and a pH of 5.0. This dextranase was identified as an endodextranase, which specifically degraded the α-1,6 glucosidic bonds of dextran. According to metal ion dependency tests, Li+, Na+ and Fe2+ were observed to effectively improve the enzymatic activity. In particular, Li+ could improve the activity to 116.28%. Furthermore, the dextranase was efficient at degrading dextran and the degradation rate can be well controlled by the dextranase activity, substrate concentration and reaction time. Thus, our results demonstrate the high potential of this dextranase from Penicillium cyclopium CICC-4022 as an efficient enzyme to produce specific clinical dextrans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A novel vertically aligned carbon nanotube/dense SiC (VACNT/SiC) composite was fabricated by cyclic precursor infiltration and pyrolysis technique. It exhibits ultrahigh Young's modulus, hardness and compressive strength thanks to the dense microstructure, which surpass the values ever reported in literature. The VACNT/SiC composite is always stronger at 0° loading direction than at 90° direction with respect to CNT orientation due to the stronger axial property of individual CNT, despite that different deformation mechanisms were demonstrated at the two loading directions. Specifically, interfacial debonding occurred during fracture of the VACNT/SiC composite, which suggests a weak bonding nature of the VACNT/SiC interface. Graphical abstract Mechanical anisotropy of a novel nanostructured composite made up by high-density vertically aligned CNT arrays and dense SiC matrix. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first study on serum IgG glycome profiling in patients with echinococcosis. • Found the potential IgG glycans biomarkers for the diagnosis of echinococcosis. • IgG glycans follow up cystic echinococcosis progress. Echinococcosis caused by larval stage of the genus Echinococcus, is a serious and potentially fatal parasitic zoonosis distributed globally. The two types of the disease in human are cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE). As the biological and encysting characteristics of the parasite, early diagnosis remains to address. In the present study, we demonstrate the value of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) glycome as a potential diagnostic biomarker for echinococcosis. Serum IgG glycome profiles were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography in a cohort comprised of 127 echinococcosis patients, of them 98 were diagnosed as CE and 29 as AE. IgG N-glycome analysis in pretreatment serum of echinococcosis patients presents 25 glycans and 64 derived traits. Compared with IgG glycans of healthy control group, neutral glycans, fucosylation and agalactosylated N-glycans increased while sialylation and galactosylation decreased in echinococcosis patients. Combined with a machine-learning-based approach, we built three biomarker combinations to distinguish CE, AE and healthy controls. Meanwhile, galactosylation, sialylation and A2BG2S1 in IgG glycan profiles were evidently associated with different types of CE (from CE1 to CE5). Our findings suggest that the alterations in IgG N-glycome may be of value in CE and AE diagnosis and follow-up CE disease progress. The role of IgG N-glycans as diagnostic biomarker remains to be verified in future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upland cotton is a leading natural fiber crop; and an important source of vegetable oil and protein. The protein content and fatty acid composition are important nutritional indicators of cottonseed. In order to establish rapid, high throughout, nondestructive and low-cost method for cottonseed nutrition evaluation, phenotypic data of seed kernel protein, oil and fatty acid content were combined with preprocessed near-infrared spectra of shell-intact cottonseed from 179 upland cotton genotypes to establish calibration models for these cottonseed nutrients. A total of 17 kinds of fatty acids were stably detected and quantitatively determined using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) technology, including 7 kinds of fatty acids which were detected in cottonseed, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. Finally, 19 NIR calibration models were established through partial least squares regression analysis, and evaluated by cross-validation and external verification. Results indicated that 16 models for seed protein, oil, and 14 fatty acids (capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, pentadecanoic acid, palmitic acid, heptadecanoic acid, linoleic acid, arachidic acid, cis-11-eicosenoic acid, linolenic acid, heneicosanoic acid, docosanoic acid, tridecanoic acid, and lignoceric acid) achieved acceptable or satisfactory prediction ability. Three calibration models for palmitoleic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid obtained moderate prediction ability with R 2 cal above 0.7 which could be used in rough screening. Nine fatty acids in cottonseed were modeled for the first time. These results broadened our understanding of the fatty acid profile of cottonseed oil and laid a foundation for fast, nondestructive evaluation of cottonseed nutrient quality for cotton breeding, processing and marketing. • 17 fatty acids, including 7 for the first time were stably detected in cottonseed. • NIR models for protein and oil content in cottonseed were established. • NIR calibration models for 17 fatty acids in cottonseed were constructed. • NIR models for 9 fatty acids were established for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]