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Accurate determination of the number and location of immature small yellow peaches is crucial for bagging, thinning, and estimating yield in modern orchards. However, traditional methods have faced challenges in accurately distinguishing immature yellow peaches due to their resemblance to leaves and susceptibility to variations in shooting angles and distance. To address these issues, we proposed an improved target-detection model (EMA-YOLO) based on YOLOv8. Firstly, the sample space was enhanced algorithmically to improve the diversity of samples. Secondly, an EMA attention-mechanism module was introduced to encode global information; this module could further aggregate pixel-level features through dimensional interaction and strengthen small-target-detection capability by incorporating a 160 × 160 detection head. Finally, EIoU was utilized as a loss function to reduce the incidence of missed detections and false detections of the target small yellow peaches under the condition of high density of yellow peaches. Experimental results show that compared with the original YOLOv8n model, the EMA-YOLO model improves mAP by 4.2%, Furthermore, compared with SDD, Objectbox, YOLOv5n, and YOLOv7n, this model's mAP was improved by 30.1%, 14.2%,15.6%, and 7.2%, respectively. In addition, the EMA-YOLO model achieved good results under different conditions of illumination and shooting distance and significantly reduced the number of missed detections. Therefore, this method can provide technical support for smart management of yellow-peach orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The replacement intervals for infusion sets may differ among healthcare institutions, which may have an impact on the occurrence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Nevertheless, there exists a limited amount of high-quality evidence available to assist clinicians in determining the most suitable replacement intervals for infusion sets. Therefore, the objective of this trial is to compare the efficacy of 24-h and 96-h replacement intervals for infusion sets on CLABSI among critically ill adults who have central venous access devices. Methods: This is a multicenter, parallel-group randomized controlled trial that will investigate the effect of infusion set replacement intervals on CLABSI in adult patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). The study will enroll 1240 participants who meet the inclusion criteria, which includes being 18 years or older, expected to stay in the ICU for longer than 96 h, and in need of central venous access. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a control group receiving a 96-h replacement interval or a treatment group receiving a 24-h replacement interval. Planned Outcome: The primary outcome of this trial is the rate of CLABSI within 28 days after randomization. Conclusion: This is the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of infusion set replacement at 24-h and 96-h intervals on CLABSI in ICU patients. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT05359601. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of angular momentum on galaxy formation and evolution has been studied for several decades. Our recent two papers using IllustrisTNG-100 simulation have revealed the acquisition path of the angular momentum from large-scale environment (satellites within hundreds of kpc) through the circumgalactic medium (CGM) to the stellar discs, putting forward the co-rotation scenario across the three distance scales. In real observations, although the rotation signature for the CGM and environmental three-dimensional angular momentum are difficult to obtain, line-of-sight kinematics of group member galaxies and stellar disc kinematics of central galaxies are available utilizing existing group catalogue data and integral field unit (IFU) data. In this paper, we use (1) the group catalogue of SDSS DR7 and MaNGA IFU stellar kinematic maps and (2) the group catalogue of GAMA DR4 data and SAMI IFU stellar kinematic maps, to test if the prediction above can be seen in real data. We found the co-rotation pattern between stellar discs and satellites can be concluded with 99.7 per cent confidence level (∼3σ) when combining the two data sets. And the random tests show that the signal can be scarcely drawn from random distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural fiber composites are receiving more and more attention because of their greenness and low cost. Among natural fibers, bamboo is characterized by fast growth, a short cultivation period, high strength and good toughness, and is one of the strongest natural fibers in the world. A bamboo-fiber-reinforced polymer composite (BFRPC) has the characteristics of high mechanical strength, low density, degradability, etc. It has the industrial applicability comparable to metal materials, the same strong corrosion resistance as composites such as glass and carbon fibers, and the same immunity to electromagnetic interference and low thermal conductivity as natural materials. Its unidirectional specific strength and unidirectional specific modulus is higher than that of glass fiber, second only to the extremely high price of carbon fiber, which is playing an increasingly important role in the field of composite materials, and can be widely used in the fields of wind power, construction, aviation, automotive, medical care and so on. At present, it has been initially used in packaging, automotive and transportation fields, and is expected to replace petroleum-based plastics in various fields. In addition to their environmental protection and green production, they have excellent physical properties. This paper provides an overview of the mechanical properties of bamboo-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites and thermoset composites that have been developed so far, such as tensile strength, flexural properties and impact strength. In addition, the prospects of bamboo-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites for automotive, packaging and agricultural applications are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in children. Early diagnosis and intervention can remodel the neural structure of the brain and improve quality of life but may be inaccurate if based solely on clinical symptoms and assessment scales. Therefore, we aimed to analyze multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from the existing literature and review the abnormal changes in brain structural–functional networks, perfusion, neuronal metabolism, and the glymphatic system in children with ASD, which could help in early diagnosis and precise intervention. Structural MRI revealed morphological differences, abnormal developmental trajectories, and network connectivity changes in the brain at different ages. Functional MRI revealed disruption of functional networks, abnormal perfusion, and neurovascular decoupling associated with core ASD symptoms. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed abnormal changes in the neuronal metabolites during different periods. Decreased diffusion tensor imaging signals along the perivascular space index reflected impaired glymphatic system function in children with ASD. Differences in age, subtype, degree of brain damage, and remodeling in children with ASD led to heterogeneity in research results. Multimodal MRI is expected to further assist in early and accurate clinical diagnosis of ASD through deep learning combined with genomics and artificial intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the upper and lower motor neurons, which can lead to death from respiratory failure within 3–5 years after the onset of this disease. Nowadays, no drug can effectively slow down the progression of this disease. High-calorie therapy, an emerging complementary alternative treatment, has been reported in studies to prolong the survival time of patients, prevent muscle atrophy and provide a better prognosis. However, no systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to summarize the evidence of this therapy. This meta-analysis comprehensively evaluates the effectiveness and safety of high-calorie therapy for treating ALS. Methods: We searched the electronic databases from inception to 1 April 2023: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Ovid/Medline, and ProQuest. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the inclusion criteria were performed by meta-analysis. All statistical analyses were performed in STATA software. Results: A total of six eligible RCTs were included in this meta-analysis, involving 370 ALS patients. The meta-analyses showed that high-calorie therapy had superiority in improving body weight (SMD = 1, 95% CI 0.36, 1.65) and BMI (SMD = 0.83, 95% CI 0.02, 1.63). With respect to safety, there was no difference between the high-calorie therapy and the control group regarding the number of adverse events (RR = 3.61, 95% CI 0.08, 162.49). However, ALSFRS-R scores (SMD = 0.34, 95% CI − 0.4, 1.08), survival rate (RR = 1.23, 95% CI 0.98, 1.55), and lipid profile (LDL: SMD = 0.21, 95% CI − 0.33, 0.75; HDL: SMD = 0.17, 95% CI − 0.37, 0.71; TC: SMD = 0.21, 95% CI − 0.33, 0.75), CRP (SMD = 0.85, 95% CI − 1.37, 3.06) showed no significant difference compared to the control groups. Conclusions: High-calorie therapy is effective in gaining weight and BMI with few side effects. However, no significant superiority was detected in ALSFRS-R scores, survival time, lipid profile, and CRP indicator. The overall quality of the included studies is high, and the results have some credibility, but future corroboration by high-quality RCTs is also expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given rapid global urban development, increases to impervious surfaces, urban population growth, building construction, and energy consumption result in the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon. However, the spatial extent of UHIs is not clearly mapped in many UHI studies based on a remote sensing approach. Therefore, we developed a method to extract the spatial extent of the UHI during the period from 2000 to 2021 in Nanjing, China, and explored the impact of urban two- and three-dimensional expansion on UHI spatial extent and UHI intensity. After cropland effects (i.e., bare soil) were eliminated, our proposed method combines the Getis-Ord-Gi* and the standard deviation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI STD) to extract the UHI area from Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 images using land surface temperature (LST) spatial autocorrelation characteristics and the seasonal variation of vegetation. Our results show the following: (1) Bare farmland has a large influence on the extraction results of UHI—combined with the seasonal variation characteristics of NDVI STD, the impact of bare soil on UHI extraction was highly reduced, strongly improving the accuracy of UHI extraction. (2) The dynamics of the UHI area are consistent with the changes in the built-up area in Nanjing at both spatial and temporal scales, but with the increase of the urban green ratio, the UHI area of mature urban areas trends to decrease due to the cooling effect of green space. (3) The accumulation of population and GDP promote the vertical expansion of urban buildings. When the two-dimensional expansion of the city reaches saturation, the UHI intensity is primarily affected by three-dimensional urban expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Surface-associated microbe contamination by Gram-negative bacteria poses a serious problem in medical care. Cationic peptides or polymers are the main materials used for antibacterial surface coating, but the positive charge may lead to blood coagulation. Therefore, exploiting surface coating which is free of positive charge and is effective for Gram-negative bacteria inactivation is in urgent need. In this study, inspired by the affinity between lipopolysaccharides of Gram-negative bacteria and Toll-like receptors of immune cells, we develop a leucine-based tetrapeptide coating strategy for combating Gram-negative bacteria. The obtained surface has excellent bactericidal activity against Gram-negative bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. A 1 mm2 coated glass surface could kill > 9.9 × 104 CFU bacteria in 1 h and has nearly no damage to mammal cells. Moreover, this surface coating strategy could be applied on various surfaces like glass slices, glass capillary cavity and thermoplastic polyurethane slices. And the coated surface could largely mitigate the microbe contamination in an in vivo subcutaneous implantation. This work paves a new way for antibacterial surface-coating which is behaving no positive charge and is of great importance for biomedical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of fiber shape on the mechanical responses of fiber assemblies under compression, tension, and shear deformations are numerically investigated using the discrete element method (DEM). Simulations of the compression of ring-shaped fibers are consistent with experimental results, verifying the discrete element method code. In the compressive tests of S-shaped fibers, pressure exhibits a nonmonotonic dependence on fiber curvature; while in the tensile tests, yield tensile stress generally decreases with increasing fiber curvature. In the shear tests, yield shear stress decreases with increasing fiber curvature for the S-shaped fibers, and the smallest yield shear stresses and the smallest coordination numbers are obtained for U-shaped and Z-shaped fibers. It is interesting to observe that for the assemblies of various fiber shapes, yield shear stress increases with increasing maximum Feret diameter of the fibers, which characterizes the largest dimension of a fiber between two parallel tangential lines. These novel observations of the effects of fiber shape provide some guidelines for material designs with the fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and efficient estimation of forest volume or biomass is critical for carbon cycles, forest management, and the timber industry. Individual tree detection and segmentation (ITDS) is the first and key step to ensure the accurate extraction of detailed forest structure parameters from LiDAR (light detection and ranging). However, ITDS is still a challenge to achieve using UAV-LiDAR (LiDAR from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) in broadleaved forests due to the irregular and overlapped canopies. We developed an efficient and accurate ITDS framework for broadleaved forests based on UAV-LiDAR point clouds. It involves ITD (individual tree detection) from point clouds taken during the leaf-off season, initial ITS (individual tree segmentation) based on the seed points from ITD, and improvement of initial ITS through a refining process. The results indicate that this new proposed strategy efficiently provides accurate results for ITDS. We show the following: (1) point-cloud-based ITD methods, especially the Mean Shift, perform better for seed point selection than CHM-based (Canopy Height Model) ITD methods on the point clouds from leaf-off seasons; (2) seed points significantly improved the accuracy and efficiency of ITS algorithms; (3) the refining process using DBSCAN (density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise) and kNN (k-Nearest Neighbor classifier) classification significantly reduced edge errors in ITS results. Our study developed a novel ITDS strategy for UAV-LiDAR point clouds that demonstrates proficiency in dense deciduous broadleaved forests, and this proposed ITDS framework could be applied to single-phase point clouds instead of the multi-temporal LiDAR data in the future if the point clouds have detailed tree trunk points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-based polyurethane paint is widely used for wood furniture by virtue of the eco-friendliness, rich gloss, and flexible tailorability of its mechanical properties. However, its low solution (water or alcohol) resistance and poor hardness and wear resistance limit its application. The emerging graphene oxide has a high specific surface area and abundant functional groups with excellent mechanical properties, endowing it with great potential to modify waterborne polyurethane as a nanofiller. In this study, graphene oxide prepared by Hummers' method is introduced in the chemosynthetic waterborne polyurethane through physical blending. The testing results demonstrate that the appropriate usage of graphene oxide at 0.1 wt% could obviously improve water absorption resistance and alcohol resistance, significantly enhancing the mechanical properties of waterborne polyurethane paint. The corresponding tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and pendulum hardness of the graphene oxide-modified paint film increase by 62.23%, 14.76%, and 12.7%, respectively, compared with the pristine paint film. Meanwhile, the composite paint film containing graphene oxide possesses superiority, including gloss, abrasion resistance, pendulum hardness, and tensile strength in contrast with the commercial paint. The use of graphene oxide to enhance the waterborne polyurethane possesses strong operability and practical value, and could provide useful reference for the modification of waterborne wood paint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The significance of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2 in numerous solid tumors and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been demonstrated, but Apatinib remains largely unexplored. In this study, whether Apatinib combined with homoharringtonine (HHT) kills AML cell lines and its possible mechanisms have been explored. Methods. AML cell lines were treated with Apatinib and HHT in different concentrations with control, Apatinib alone, HHT alone, and Apatinib combined with HHT. The changes of IC50 were measured by CCK8 assay, and apoptosis rate, cell cycle, and the mitochondrial membrane potential in each group were measured by flow cytometry. Finally, the possible cytotoxicity mechanism was analyzed by Western blotting. Results. Our results noted that Apatinib combined with HHT remarkably inhibited cell proliferation, reduced the capacity of colony-forming, and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in AML cells. Mechanistically, Apatinib and HHT play a role as a suppressor in the expression of VEGFR-2 and the downstream signaling cascades, such as the PI3K, MAPK, and STAT3 pathways. Conclusion. Our preclinical data demonstrate that Apatinib combined with HHT exerts a better antileukemia effect than Apatinib alone by inhibiting the VEGFR-2 signaling pathway, suggesting the potential role of Apatinib and HHT in the treatment of AML. This study provides clinicians with innovative combination therapies and new therapeutic targets for the treatment of AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-changing global economy and sudden global public health events have posed challenges to financial resilience worldwide. As its important role in maintaining domestic economic stability, safeguarding national security, and enhancing international status, financial resilience has long been widely studied. However, few studies have empirically explored how technological progress affects financial resilience. Based on data from 30 provinces in China, this study adopts a panel two-way fixed effect model to identify the impact of technological progress on financial resilience and the underlying mechanisms. Results show that technological progress can significantly enhance financial resilience, and this impact is stronger in provinces with large population size, high employment proportion in the tertiary sector, high social consumption capacity, and provinces located in Central China. Further, technological progress have a positive impact on financial resilience through increased asset liquidity and government intervention. • Technological progress can significantly promote financial resilience. • This impact has heterogenetiy in provinces with different population, employment, consumption and geographical location. • Technological progress can enhance financial resilience through increased asset liquidity and government intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chongming Island, the third largest island in China, has experienced dramatic shoreline changes due to erosion, river deposits, and human activities. While previous studies have shown the capacity of Landsat series images to extract shoreline dynamics, the spatial variation of shoreline dynamics and their corresponding driving factors remain unclear. Therefore, we established a method to monitor the shoreline dynamics of Chongming Island from 1984 to 2020 and to evaluate the driving factors of shoreline changes using a novel approach to Landsat image analysis. The method, based on the LISA (local indicator of spatial autocorrelation) concept, automatically extracted the shoreline from Landsat imagery. The results show that the LISA method, based on the SWIR1 band, has a high capacity for shoreline extraction in Chongming Island. By distinguishing the responses of the eastern and northern shorelines to upstream sediment loads and comprehensively analyzing the driving factors of eastern and northern dynamics, we found that: (i) although upstream sediment loads decreased dramatically, the shoreline of Chongming Island is still expanding due to human activities (i.e., reclamation and an estuary project) and sediment re-suspension from near-shore or cross-shore currents; (ii) the expansion of Chongming Island was initially due to the dynamics at the eastern shoreline, but the expansion of the eastern shoreline slowed after 2008 as upstream sedimentation slowed, less construction of cofferdams took place, and the Qingcaosha Reservoir was constructed; (iii) the northern shoreline of Chongming Island expanded rapidly after 1999, due to the merger of Xinlongsha, Xincunsha, and Chongming Island, and the transport of coastal and offshore sediments by hydrodynamic processes; and (iv) the main driving factors of eastern shoreline movement on Chongming Island are cofferdam reclamation and coastal engineering, and the changes at the northern shoreline are mainly affected by reclamation projects, offshore sediment supplies, and upstream sediment inflow. The results of this study provide theoretical fundamentals for land reclamation and future urban planning for Chongming Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The study aimed to determine the effect of azithromycin combined with palm massage on the pulmonary function of children suffering from mycoplasma pneumonia, as well as associated complications. Methods. A total of 60 cases of children suffering from mycoplasma pneumonia admitted to our hospital from May 2018 to May 2020 were selected as study subjects and assigned to either the observation group or the control group. Lung function indices and changes in the levels of inflammatory markers were measured before and after treatment in both groups, and the results were compared to assess treatment efficacy. Results. There was no statistically significant difference in lung function indices between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05), while there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups after treatment (P < 0.05), with the observation group outperforming the control group. Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference in the levels of such inflammatory markers as IL-6 and TNF-α between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). After treatment, there was a decrease in the levels of inflammatory markers in both groups, but a much larger decrease was seen in the observation group (P < 0.05) than in the control group. The total treatment efficacy in the observation group was 93.3%, which was significantly higher than that of 70.0% in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The application of palm massage combined with azithromycin in the treatment of children suffering from mycoplasma pneumonia produces outstanding results in terms of relieving symptoms and improving pulmonary function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though research has shown that the spectral parameters of yellow-edge, red-edge and NIR (near-infrared) shoulder wavelength regions are able to estimate green cover and leaf area index (LAI), a large amount of dead materials in grasslands challenges the accuracy of their estimation using hyperspectral remote sensing. However, the exact impact of dead vegetation cover on these spectral parameters remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the influences of dead materials on the spectral parameters in the wavelength regions of yellow-edge, red-edge and NIR shoulder by comparing normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI) including the common red valley at 670 nm and NDVI using the red valley extracted by a new statistical method. This method, based on the concept of segmented linear regression, was developed to extract the spectral parameters and calculate NDVI automatically from the hyper-spectra. To fully understand the impact of dead cover on the spectral parameters (i.e., consider full coverage combinations of green vegetation, dead materials and bare soil), both in situ measured and simulated hyper-spectra were analyzed. The impact of dead cover on LAI estimation by those spectral parameters and NDVI were also evaluated. The results show that: (i) without considering the influence of bare soil, dead materials decreases the slope of red-edge, the slope of NIR shoulder and NDVI, while dead materials increases the slope of yellow-edge; (ii) the spectral characteristics of red valley disappear when dead cover exceeds 67%; (iii) large amount of dead materials also result in a blue shift of the red-edge position; (iv) accurate extraction of the red valley position enhances LAI estimation and reduces the influences of dead materials using hyperspectral NDVI; (v) the accuracy of LAI estimation using the slope of yellow-edge, the slope of red-edge, red-edge position and NDVI significantly drops when dead cover exceeds 72.3–74.5% (variation among indices). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Organic mulch is an important management practice in agricultural production to improve soil quality, control crop pests and diseases and increase the biodiversity of soil microecosystem. However, the information about soil microbial diversity and composition in litchi plantation response to organic mulch and its attribution to litchi downy blight severity was limited. This study aimed to investigate the effect of organic mulch on litchi downy blight, and evaluate the biodiversity and antimicrobial potential of soil microbial community of litchi plantation soils under organic mulch. Results: Organic mulch could significantly suppress the disease incidence in the litchi plantation, and with a reduction of 37.74% to 85.66%. As a result of high-throughput 16S rRNA and ITS rDNA gene illumine sequencing, significantly higher bacterial and fungal community diversity indexes were found in organic mulch soils, the relative abundance of norank f norank o Vicinamibacterales, norank f Vicinamibacteraceae, norank f Xanthobacteraceae, Unclassified c sordariomycetes, Aspergillus and Thermomyces were significant more than that in control soils. Isolation and analysis of antagonistic microorganism showed that 29 antagonistic bacteria strains and 37 antagonistic fungi strains were unique for mulching soils. Conclusions: Thus, we believe that organic mulch has a positive regulatory effect on the litchi downy blight and the soil microbial communities, and so, is more suitable for litchi plantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Organic mulch is an important management practice in agricultural production to improve soil quality, control crop pests and diseases and increase the biodiversity of soil microecosystem. However, the information about soil microbial diversity and composition in litchi plantation response to organic mulch and its attribution to litchi downy blight severity was limited. This study aimed to investigate the effect of organic mulch on litchi downy blight, and evaluate the biodiversity and antimicrobial potential of soil microbial community of litchi plantation soils under organic mulch. Results: Organic mulch could significantly suppress the disease incidence in the litchi plantation, and with a reduction of 37.74% to 85.66%. As a result of high-throughput 16S rRNA and ITS rDNA gene illumine sequencing, significantly higher bacterial and fungal community diversity indexes were found in organic mulch soils, the relative abundance of norank f norank o Vicinamibacterales, norank f Vicinamibacteraceae, norank f Xanthobacteraceae, Unclassified c sordariomycetes, Aspergillus and Thermomyces were significant more than that in control soils. Isolation and analysis of antagonistic microorganism showed that 29 antagonistic bacteria strains and 37 antagonistic fungi strains were unique for mulching soils. Conclusions: Thus, we believe that organic mulch has a positive regulatory effect on the litchi downy blight and the soil microbial communities, and so, is more suitable for litchi plantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical orthogonal codes (OOCs) were designed for multimedia optical CDMA systems with quality of service requirements in optical fiber networks. Two-dimensional (2-D) multiple-weight optical orthogonal codes have been invested as they can overcome the drawbacks of nonlinear effects in large spreading sequences. In this paper, we reveal the combinatorial properties of optimal 2-D OOCs and focus our attention on the constructions for a family of optimal 2-D multiple-weight optical orthogonal codes by combinatorial methods, such as incomplete difference matrix, h-perfect cyclic packing, and skew starter. In particular, an improved construction of skew starters with multiple weights is also proposed to solve the existence of optimal multiple-weight optical orthogonal codes. Our numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed construction is very helpful for optimizing the utilization of optical network effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two‐spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticate is an important agricultural pest worldwide. It is extremely polyphagous and has developed resistance to many pesticides. Here, we assessed the pesticide resistance of seven field populations of T. urticae in China, their target site mutations and the activities of their detoxification enzymes. The results showed that abamectin and the traditional pesticides pyridaben, profenofos and bifenthrin had higher resistance or lower toxicity than more recently developed pesticides including chlorfenapyr, spinetoram, cyflumetofen, cyenopyrafen, bifenazate and B‐azolemiteacrylic. The frequency of point mutations related to abamectin resistance, G314D in the glutamate‐gated chloride channel 1 (GluCl1) and G326E in GluCl3, ranged 47%–70% and 0%–97%, respectively. The frequency of point mutations in A1215D and F1538I of the voltage‐gated sodium channel gene (VGSC), which may increase resistance to pyrethroids, ranged 88%–100% and 10%–100%, respectively. For target sites related to organophosphate resistance, mutation frequencies ranged 25%–92% for G119S and 0%–23% for A201S in the acetycholinesterase gene (Ace). Mutation G126S in the bifenazate resistance‐related cytochrome b gene (Cytb) was observed in three of the seven T. urticae populations. Higher activities of detoxification enzymes (P450, GST, CarEs and UGTs) were observed in two T. urticae populations, with significant difference in the XY‐SX population. These results provide useful information on the status of pesticide resistance of T. urticae in China and suggest that T. urticae field populations may have multiple resistance mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical orthogonal codes (OOCs) were designed for multimedia optical CDMA systems with quality of service requirements in optical fiber networks. Two-dimensional (2-D) multiple-weight optical orthogonal codes have been invested as they can overcome the drawbacks of nonlinear effects in large spreading sequences. In this paper, we reveal the combinatorial properties of optimal 2-D OOCs and focus our attention on the constructions for a family of optimal 2-D multiple-weight optical orthogonal codes by combinatorial methods, such as incomplete difference matrix, h-perfect cyclic packing, and skew starter. In particular, an improved construction of skew starters with multiple weights is also proposed to solve the existence of optimal multiple-weight optical orthogonal codes. Our numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed construction is very helpful for optimizing the utilization of optical network effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf spot, caused by Neofusicoccum parvum, is an important disease limiting the growth of Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) in the field. This disease was first observed in Deqing (Guangdong Province, China) in 2018, manifesting as circular or irregularly shaped necrotic lesions along the leaf margins and tips, enlarging to irregular lesions with numerous black dots. Representative isolates were isolated from affected leaves and identified based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the translation elongation factor 1‐α (EF1‐α) gene and a portion of the β‐tubulin gene (TUB2). Colonies were initially white on PDA, turning grey–black after 7 days. The conidia were fusiform to oval, hyaline, thin‐walled with rounded apices and truncate bases. The pathogen was placed in the same clade as Neofusicoccum parvum in phylogenetic trees constructed using concatenated sequences of ITS, EF1‐α and TUB2 genes. Based on morphological and phylogenetic data, the pathogen was identified as N. parvum. On infected leaves, Koch's postulates were fulfilled, and the same pathogen re‐isolated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of N. parvum causing disease on Chinese cinnamon worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Soy whey wastewater generated from tofu production contains rich nutrients but has a very short shelf‐life. In this study, salt‐added soy whey was used as the liquid substrate instead of brine for the production of soy whey soy sauce (SWSS), and the sensory description, physicochemical properties, microbial community and volatile compounds were compared with traditional soy sauce (SS). The results indicated that amino nitrogen and reducing sugar were significantly higher in SWSS at the initial fermentation, but physicochemical properties and intensities of sensory attributes were not significantly different in the final product of SWSS and SS. Meyerozyma was the predominant genus at 90 and 120 days, while Candida became the most abundant at the end of fermentation in SWSS. A total of 89 volatile compounds were identified in SWSS and SS, correlation analysis indicated the acetic acid and phenylethyl alcohol were negatively affected by Aspergillus while positively affected by Candida. This study provided a promising and zero‐waste solution to biotransforming soy whey into soy sauce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient method for the oxidation of silanes to silanols with oxygen is described. The reaction proceeded under the catalysis of the photoredox catalyst Ru(bpy)3Cl2.6H2O by irradiation with 30 W blue LED. The reaction exhibited good substrate scope with up to 88 % yield. The applicability of the present methodology is demonstrated by gram scale synthesis. A plausible reaction mechanism is also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poststroke spasticity (PSS) patients with muscle spasticity are effectively relieved by low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or extracorporeal shock wave treatment (ESWT). However, there are relatively few reports about the difference in the efficacy of rTMS and ESWT for PSS. In this study, we examined and recorded the levels of UE motor section of the Fugl–Meyer Motor Assessment Scale (FMA-UE), myoelectric signal time-domain range integral values (iEMG), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) before and after treatment to observe the differences in treatment effects between rTMS and ESWT in patients with PSS. 66 patients with PSS were enrolled in the study and signed an informed consent form, and the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Hospital of Soochow University (2019008). The patients were divided into rTMS group, ESWT group, and regular group according to the random number table method, and there were 22 patients in each group. The rTMS group and ESWT group were treated with rTMS and ESWT on the basis of conventional treatment in the regular group, 5 times a week, and the total treatment time was 4 weeks. The results of the study showed that iEMG, MAS, FMA-UE, and MBI scores in the rTMS, ESWT, and regular groups were significantly ameliorated after treatment compared with those before treatment. The efficacy of the ESWT group was significantly better than in the regular group and slightly better than in the rTMS group, as shown by the iEMG, MAS, FMA-UE, and MBI scores, and the iEMG score of the ESWT group was significantly better than the rTMS group, while there were no significant differences in other indexes. The FMA-UE and MBI scores in the rTMS group were significantly better than those in the regular group after treatment in the rTMS group; however, the comparison between iEMG and MAS scores was not statistically significant. It can be seen that both rTMS and ESWT can alleviate upper limb flexor spasm, improve upper limb motor function, and improve activities of daily living in patients with PSS. Among them, ESWT has better antispasmodic effect and better short-term treatment effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel broad‐wavelength‐absorbing photoinitiator based on phenacyl phenothiazinium hexafluroantimonate (P‐PTh) possessing both phenacyl and phenothiazine chromophoric groups was reported. P‐PTh absorbs light at UV, Visible and Near‐IR region. Photophysical, photochemical, and computational investigations revealed that P‐PTh in solution decomposes at all wavelengths by homolytic and heterolytic cleavages and generates cationic and radical species, which could efficiently initiate cationic and free radical polymerizations. It is anticipated that the photoinitiator with such wavelength flexibility may open up new pathways in curing applications of formulations of pigment systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel broad‐wavelength‐absorbing photoinitiator based on phenacyl phenothiazinium hexafluroantimonate (P‐PTh) possessing both phenacyl and phenothiazine chromophoric groups was reported. P‐PTh absorbs light at UV, Visible and Near‐IR region. Photophysical, photochemical, and computational investigations revealed that P‐PTh in solution decomposes at all wavelengths by homolytic and heterolytic cleavages and generates cationic and radical species, which could efficiently initiate cationic and free radical polymerizations. It is anticipated that the photoinitiator with such wavelength flexibility may open up new pathways in curing applications of formulations of pigment systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key feature of a large population of low-mass, late-type disc galaxies are star-forming discs with exponential light distributions. They are typically also associated with thin and flat morphologies, blue colours, and dynamically cold stars moving along circular orbits within co-planar thin gas discs. However, the latter features do not necessarily always imply the former, in fact, a variety of different kinematic configurations do exist. In this work, we use the cosmological hydrodynamical IllustrisTNG simulation to study the nature and origin of dynamically hot, sometimes even counter-rotating, star-forming disc galaxies in the lower stellar mass range (between |$5\times 10^9\, \mathrm{M_{\odot }}$| and |$2\times 10^{10}\, \mathrm{M_{\odot }}$|⁠). We find that being dynamically hot arises in most cases as an induced transient state, for example due to galaxy interactions and merger activities, rather than as an age-dependent evolutionary phase of star-forming disc galaxies. The dynamically hot but still actively star-forming discs show a common feature of hosting kinematically misaligned gas and stellar discs, and centrally concentrated on-going star formation. The former is often accompanied by disturbed gas morphologies, while the latter is reflected in low gas and stellar spins in comparison to their dynamically cold, normal disc counterparts. Interestingly, observed galaxies from MaNGA with kinematic misalignment between gas and stars show remarkably similar general properties as the IllustrisTNG galaxies, and therefore are plausible real-world counterparts. In turn, this allows us to make predictions for the stellar orbits and gas properties of these misaligned galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Background Design Methods Data Sources Results Conclusion Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care Reporting Method Patient and Public Contribution The study was aimed at exploring the current scope of hospital to home transitional care programmes for stroke survivors.Stroke survivors face the dilemma of solving many complex problems that leave survivors at high risk for readmission as they discharge from hospital. The transitional care model has proved to be effective in reducing readmissions and mortality, thereby improving health outcomes and enhancing patient satisfaction for survivors with stroke.A scoping review.Conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Methodology for Scoping Reviews.A comprehensive search was conducted in nine databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, Medline, China Knowledge Net‐work, Wanfang Database and China Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed) from January 2014 to June 2023.Title and abstract screening was performed on 10,171 articles resulting in 287 articles for full‐text screening. Full‐text screening yielded 49 articles that met inclusion criteria.This study identified transitional care programmes for stroke survivors, as well as areas for future consideration to be explored in more depth to help improve transitional care for stroke survivors as they transition from hospital to home.This study demonstrates that multidisciplinary collaboration becomes an integral part of the transitional care model for stroke survivors, which provides comprehensive and precise medical care to them.PRISMA checklist for scoping reviews.No patient or public contribution was part of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The serum concentrations of IL-6 and tumor necrosis TNF-α were increased in MSDD patients and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- challenged rats. • Tocilizumab could relieve the depression-like behaviors induced by LPS via alleviating the "inflammatory storm" and the impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity. • IL-6 is predictive in distinguishing depression from controls. Depression is a common mental disease with disastrous effect on the health and wealth globally. Focusing on the role for inflammation and immune activation in the pathogenesis of depression, many tries have been taken into effect targeting at the blockage of inflammatory cytokines, among which interleukin- 6 (IL-6) and its receptor antagonist tocilizumab attracts more attention, with inconsistent findings. Moderate to severe depressive disorder (MSDD) patients were enrolled and the serum concentrations of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) measured, their correlation with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 (HAMD-24) scores was analyzed, and their role in discriminating MSDD patients from the health controls were evaluated. Meanwhile, a depression rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of LPS, and tocilizumab was administrated doing 50 mg/kg via intravenous injection. The behavioral performance was observed, the serum concentration of IL-6, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein (CRP) was measured, and the protein expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in the hippocampus were also detected. The activity of the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was observed, and the protein expression levels in the hippocampus were detected via western blot. Moreover, the immunofluorescence staining (IF) technique was used to investigate the co-location of IL-6 and neuron (MAP2), astrocyte (GFAP), or microglial (IBA-1). The results showed that the serum IL-6 level was significantly increased in the MSDD patients and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged rats, with a significant correlation with the HAMD-24 scores or struggling time in the FST and corticosterone (CORT) abundance. Results of ROC analysis showed a significant diagnosis value of IL-6 in discriminating MSDD patients or depression rats from the controls in the present study. Tocilizumab could relieve the depression-like behaviors induced by LPS, together with a normal abundance of serum CORT and hypothalamic CRH expression. Moreover, tocilizumab could alleviate the "inflammatory storm" and impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity in LPS-challenged depression rats, inhibiting the hyperactivation of astrocyte and microglia, decreasing the peripheral and central abundance of IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α, and balancing the hippocampal expression levels of synaptic plasticity-associated proteins and key molecular in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results indicated a predictive role of IL-6 in discriminating depression from controls, and demonstrated an antidepressant effect of tocilizumab in LPS-challenged rats, targeting at the inflammatory storm and the subsequent impairments of hippocampal synaptic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combination therapy, functioned by the integration of two or more therapies, simultaneously, into one platform, have gained wide popularity to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria in both the clinical trials and fundamental researches. Here, a multifunctional cationic Cu(I)-covalent organic framework (COF), denoted as HLV Cu, which could realize the joint action of photothermal/photodynamic/cationic/enzymatic therapies was facilely fabricated as an antimicrobial therapy platform. This material enables an amplified synergistic therapeutic effects to combat bacteria. The intrinsic photothermal activity could enhance the enzymatic activity, which is closely related to temperature to effectively catalyze the generation of toxic hydroxyl radical (•OH) from low concentration H 2 O 2 to synergize with photothermal therapy. The positive charged skeleton structure allows the material to interact better with the bacterial membrane, which could decrease the diffusion distance of reactive oxygen species (ROS), realizing the quickly and effectively killing of bacteria. Under the laser irradiation, the present HLV-Cu could act as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent, delivering an extremely high sterilization efficiency of 100% towards the gram positive (S. aureus) and gram negative (E. coli) model microorganisms, simultaneously, at a low dose of agents. Altogether, this work offers a new and safe antibiotic-free treatment option for high-efficiency combination antimicrobial therapy. A multifunctional cationic Cu(I)-covalent organic framework (COF), was facilely fabricated as an antimicrobial therapy platform, realizing the joint action of photothermal/photodynamic/cationic/enzymatic therapies. [Display omitted] • A multifunctional cationic Cu(I)-covalent organic framework is prepared. • HLV-Cu can function as a smart antimicrobial therapy platform. • HLV-Cu realizes the joint action of photo/cationic/enzymatic therapies. • HLV-Cu enables an amplified synergistic therapeutic effects to combat bacteria. • HLV-Cu acts as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent with high sterilization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of liver disease worldwide. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is a more severe type of NAFLD. Exercise improves NASH, by reversing steatosis, and may arrest fibrosis. However, the mechanisms underlying these interactions are unknown. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a fuel-sensing enzyme that is activated by energy stress. Mammalian target of rapamycin in complex 1 (mTORC1) is a nutrient sensor that regulates protein synthesis. In NASH, AMPK activity is low and mTORC1 is high. In healthy persons, exercise activates AMPK and suppresses mTORC1. We examined the effects of exercise on hepatic ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation, a downstream target of AMPK and mTORC1 in patients with NASH. Methods: Three subjects with biopsy-proven NASH underwent a structured, 20-week aerobic exercise intervention, five-days a week for 30-min at a moderate intensity (40–55% of VO2max). Immunofluorescence staining for rpS6 phosphorylation in hepatic tissue was quantified by ImageJ software. Results: Following 20-weeks of aerobic exercise, rpS6 levels were significantly attenuated (3.9 ± 1.9 pre-exercise vs. 1.4 +/0.4 post-exercise, p = 0.04). Conclusions: These findings suggest exercise modulates the AMPK/mTORC1 pathway in patients with NASH and may guide the design of future studies into the mechanism of how exercise improves NASH and possibly reverses fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Ni–Zn battery is a distinguished member in the family of closed Zn-based batteries due to its ideal power density and voltage. However, when it is employed as a power supply for electric vehicles, its defects in terms of specific capacitance and energy density become obvious. Herein, to resolve this problem, a hybrid battery system was created through a combination of Ni–Zn and Zn–air batteries at the cell level. In a hybrid battery system, oxygen vacancy rich NiO with S,N co-modified mesoporous carbon as a matrix was used as the cathode material. This cathode material showed a high specific capacitance of 202.1 mA h g−1 at 1.0 A g−1. When the current density reduces to 20 A g−1, this value decreases to 130.2 mA h g−1, which implies that 64.4% of specific capacitance was retained. It also exhibits excellent OER and ORR activities. For the hybrid battery system, when the discharge process was carried out at 1 mA cm−2, there were two voltage plateaus at 1.72 and 1.12 V, which originated from Ni–Zn and Zn–air, respectively. In this case, its specific capacitance and energy density reaches 800.3 mA h g−1 and 961 W h kg−1, respectively. The hybrid battery also possesses perfect stability during multi-cycle charge–discharge tests. The construction of this hybrid battery system develops a new road to prepare a power supply device with high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial transmembrane channel (ATC) analogs are developed for overcoming biological membrane barriers and realizing transmembrane drug delivery, which are mostly studied within artificial lipid bilayers and thus lacked enough stability in practical applications on living cells. Here, natural endocytosis of silica‐based 1D nanomaterials (nanowires) with an ultrahigh aspect ratio is investigated. Enlightened by partially endocytosed ultralong silica nanowires, ATC that can penetrate living cell membranes for transmembrane transportation of small drug molecules is creatively constructed, resulting in enhanced drug delivery efficacy and decreased the half maximal inhibitory concentration. For the first time, an in‐depth study of the cellular uptake of 1D nanomaterials with ultrahigh aspect ratios (from 10 to 120) into living cells is carried out. Through confocal laser scanning microscopy observation, the endocytosis process of ultralong nanowires, including full uptake of short nanowires and partial uptake of longer nanowires, is clarified. Theoretical simulation is performed to give a fundamental understanding on the endocytosis mechanism of ultralong 1D silica nanowires. The simulation results demonstrate the time‐dependent internalization dynamics of the nanowires, which agrees well with our experimental results. This work not only clarifies the cellular interaction between 1D nanomaterials and living cells, but also pioneers the use of natural endocytosis of 1D nanomaterials for constructing ATC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The protein kinase target of rapamycin (mTOR) in complex 1 (mTORC1) is activated by amino acids and in turn upregulates anabolic processes. Under nutrient-deficient conditions, e.g., amino acid insufficiency, mTORC1 activity is suppressed and autophagy is activated. Intralysosomal amino acids generated by autophagy reactivate mTORC1. However, sustained mTORC1 activation during periods of nutrient insufficiency would likely be detrimental to cellular homeostasis. Thus, mechanisms must exist to prevent amino acids released by autophagy from reactivating the kinase.Objective: The objective of the present study was to test whether mTORC1 activity is inhibited during prolonged leucine deprivation through ATF4-dependent upregulation of the mTORC1 suppressors regulated in development and DNA damage response 1 (REDD1) and Sestrin2.Methods: Mice (8 wk old; C57Bl/6 × 129SvEV) were food deprived (FD) overnight and one-half were refed the next morning. Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) deficient in ATF4, REDD1, and/or Sestrin2 were deprived of leucine for 0-16 h. mTORC1 activity and ATF4, REDD1, and Sestrin2 expression were assessed in liver and cell lysates.Results: Refeeding FD mice resulted in activation of mTORC1 in association with suppressed expression of both REDD1 and Sestrin2 in the liver. In cells in culture, mTORC1 exhibited a triphasic response to leucine deprivation, with an initial suppression followed by a transient reactivation from 2 to 4 h and a subsequent resuppression after 8 h. Resuppression occurred concomitantly with upregulated expression of ATF4, REDD1, and Sestrin2. However, in cells lacking ATF4, neither REDD1 nor Sestrin2 expression was upregulated by leucine deprivation, and resuppression of mTORC1 was absent. Moreover, in cells lacking either REDD1 or Sestrin2, mTORC1 resuppression was attenuated, and in cells lacking both proteins resuppression was further blunted.Conclusions: The results suggest that leucine deprivation upregulates expression of both REDD1 and Sestrin2 in an ATF4-dependent manner, and that upregulated expression of both proteins is involved in resuppression of mTORC1 during prolonged leucine deprivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the Fundamental Plane (FP) evolution of early-type galaxies in the IllustrisTNG-100 simulation (TNG100) from redshift z  = 0 to z  = 2. We find that a tight plane relation already exists as early as z  = 2. Its scatter stays as low as ∼0.08 dex across this redshift range. Both slope parameters b and c (where R  ∝ σ b I c with R , σ, and I being the typical size, velocity dispersion, and surface brightness) of the plane evolve mildly since z  = 2, roughly consistent with observations. The FP residual |$\rm Res$| (⁠|$\equiv \, a\, +\, b\log \sigma \, +\, c\log I\, -\, \log R$|⁠ , where a is the zero-point of the FP) is found to strongly correlate with stellar age, indicating that stellar age can be used as a crucial fourth parameter of the FP. However, we find that 4 c + b + 2 = δ, where δ ∼ 0.8 for FPs in TNG, rather than zero as is typically inferred from observations. This implies that a tight power-law relation between the dynamical mass-to-light ratio M dyn/ L and the dynamical mass M dyn (where M dyn ≡ 5σ2 R / G , with G being the gravitational constant) is not present in the TNG100 simulation. Recovering such a relation requires proper mixing between dark matter and baryons, as well as star formation occurring with correct efficiencies at the right mass scales. This represents a powerful constraint on the numerical models, which has to be satisfied in future hydrodynamical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flexible fiber Discrete Element Method (DEM) is advanced to investigate heat transfer of fibrous materials in a rotating drum dryer. Heat exchange is considered between fiber and fiber, fiber and drum, fiber and air, and air and drum. In addition, the heat conduction and temperature variation within a single fiber along its major axis are also modeled. It is observed that the heat conduction through solid-solid contacts is much faster than the air-solid convection. Fibers of larger flexibility or smaller aspect ratios are packed more densely with larger numbers of fiber-fiber and fiber-wall contacts, causing a larger heat transfer coefficient between the fiber bed and drum. A larger fiber-fiber friction coefficient leads to a smaller heat transfer coefficient by inhibiting the movement of contacting fibers and reducing the number of contacts. Three distinct regimes are identified for the complex effect of fiber-wall friction coefficient on the heat transfer. Unlabelled Image • Conductive heat transfer in the axial direction within a long fiber is considered • Flexible fibers have more contacts and faster heat transfer than stiff fibers • Effect of fiber-fiber friction coefficient is limited when it is greater than 0.75 • Three distinct regimes are identified for fiber-wall friction coefficient effect [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• S. cerevisiae BDX and H. vineae HV6 overproduced 2-phenylethyl alcohol (2-PE) and 2-phenylethyl acetate (2-PEA), respectively. • Phe improved 2-PE and 2-PEA concentrations in pure BDX and HV6 cultures, respectively. • 14.9 fold increment of 2-PEA and 42.0 % reduction of 2-PE in mixed fermentation. • 2-PEA and 2-PE were enhanced by 52.8 % and 44.4 % by Phe, respectively. • HV6 and BDX have synergistic effect on 2-PEA in mixed fermentation. 2-Phenylethyl acetate (2-PEA) is a desired aroma compound in wine due to its honey- and flowery-like characteristics. The effects of adding l -phenylalanine (Phe) during 2-PEA production were investigated in the co-fermentation of Hanseniaspora vineae (HV6) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae BDX. BDX and HV6 strains overproduced 2-phenylethyl alcohol (2-PE) and 2-PEA, respectively. The co-fermentation of BDX and HV6 achieved a 14.9 fold increase in 2-PEA odour activity value (OAV) but a 42.0 % reduction of 2-PE OAV compared to BDX fermentation; the 2-PEA concentration was significantly higher than the sum of BDX and HV6 pure fermentations. This suggests that BDX and HV6 have synergistic effects on 2-PEA formation in mixed culture. Adding 151.6 mg/L Phe enhanced the OAV of 2-PEA by 52.8 % compared to the control. The combination of Phe addition with the co-fermentation of S. cerevisiae and H. vineae is a potential way to increase 2-PEA production and improve wine aromatic quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the recently discovered kinematic 'Hubble sequence' shown by the stellar orbit-circularity distribution of 260 CALIFA galaxies, we make use of a comparable galaxy sample at z  = 0 with a stellar mass range of |$M_{*}/\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\in [10^{9.7},\, 10^{11.4}]$| selected from the IllustrisTNG simulation and study their stellar orbit compositions in relation to a number of other fundamental galaxy properties. We find that the TNG100 simulation broadly reproduces the observed fractions of different orbital components and their stellar mass dependences. In particular, the mean mass dependences of the luminosity fractions for the kinematically warm and hot orbits are well reproduced within model uncertainties of the observed galaxies. The simulation also largely reproduces the observed peak and trough features at |$M_{*}\approx 1\rm {-}2\times 10^{10}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$| in the mean distributions of the cold- and hot-orbit fractions, respectively, indicating fewer cooler orbits and more hotter orbits in both more- and less-massive galaxies beyond such a mass range. Several marginal disagreements are seen between the simulation and observations: the average cold-orbit (counter-rotating) fractions of the simulated galaxies below (above) |$M_{*}\approx 6\times 10^{10}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$| are systematically higher than the observational data by |$\lesssim 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (absolute orbital fraction); the simulation also seems to produce more scatter for the cold-orbit fraction and less so for the non-cold orbits at any given galaxy mass. Possible causes that stem from the adopted heating mechanisms are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Illustris simulation to study the distributions of ellipticities and kinematic misalignments of galactic projections, as well as the intrinsic shapes and rotation of the simulated galaxies. Our results for the projections of galaxies display clear trends of an overall increase of kinematic misalignment and a slight decrease of ellipticity for fast rotators with increasing masses, while revealing no clear distinction between slow rotators of different mass. It is also found that the number of very slow rotators with large ellipticities is much larger than found in observations. The intrinsic properties of the galaxies are then analysed. The results for the intrinsic shapes of the galaxies are mostly consistent with previous results inferred from observational data. The distributions of intrinsic misalignment of the galaxies suggest that some of the galaxies produced by Illustris have significant rotation around their medium axes. Further analysis reveals that most of these galaxies display signs of non-equilibrium. We then study the evolution of the intrinsic misalignments and shapes of three specific Illustris galaxies, which we consider as typical ones, along the main progenitor line of their merger trees, revealing how mergers influence the intrinsic shapes and kinematics: the spin axis in general stays close to the shortest axis, and tends to quickly relax to such an equilibrium state within a few dynamical times of the galaxy after major perturbations; triaxiality and intrinsic flatness in general decrease with time, however, sometimes increases occur that are clearly seen to correlate with major merger events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional galaxy mass estimation methods suffer from model assumptions and degeneracies. Machine learning (ML), which reduces the reliance on such assumptions, can be used to determine how well present-day observations can yield predictions for the distributions of stellar and dark matter. In this work, we use a general sample of galaxies from the TNG100 simulation to investigate the ability of multibranch convolutional neural network (CNN) based ML methods to predict the central (i.e. within 1−2 effective radii) stellar and total masses, and the stellar mass-to-light ratio (M */ L). These models take galaxy images and spatially resolved mean velocity and velocity dispersion maps as inputs. Such CNN-based models can, in general, break the degeneracy between baryonic and dark matter in the sense that the model can make reliable predictions on the individual contributions of each component. For example, with r -band images and two galaxy kinematic maps as inputs, our model predicting M */ L has a prediction uncertainty of 0.04 dex. Moreover, to investigate which (global) features significantly contribute to the correct predictions of the properties above, we utilize a gradient-boosting machine. We find that galaxy luminosity dominates the prediction of all masses in the central regions, with stellar velocity dispersion coming next. We also investigate the main contributing features when predicting stellar and dark matter mass fractions (f *, f DM) and the dark matter mass M DM, and discuss the underlying astrophysics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helical micro/nanomotors (MNMs) can be propelled by external fields to swim through highly viscous fluids like complex biological environments, which promises miniaturized robotic tools to perform assigned tasks at small scales. However, the catalytic propulsion method, most widely adopted to drive MNMs, is seldom studied to actuate helical MNMs. Herein, we report catalytic helical carbon MNMs (CHCM) by sputtering Pt onto helical carbon nano‐coils (HCNC) that are in bulk prepared by a thermal chemical vapor deposition method. The Pt‐triggered H2O2 decomposition can drive the MNMs by an electrokinetic mechanism. The MNMs demonstrate versatile motion behaviors including both directional propulsion and rotation depending on the turn number of the carbon helix. Besides, due to the ease of surface functionalization on carbon and other properties such as biocompatibility and photothermal effect, the helical carbon MNMs promise multifunctional applications for biomedical or environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Postharvest fulvic acid treatment effectively controlled gray mold in table grapes. • Fulvic acid did not exhibit any antifungal activity to B. cinerea in vitro. • Fulvic acid treatment enhanced the accumulation of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. • Gene expression and activities of key enzymes were regulated by fulvic acid treatment. • Fulvic acid can be used as natural alternatives to control gray mold. Abstract Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is a major postharvest disease of table grapes that leads to enormous economic losses during storage and transportation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of fulvic acid on controlling gray mold of table grapes and explore its mechanism of action. The results showed that fulvic acid application significantly reduced downy blight severity in table grapes without exhibiting any antifungal activity in vitro. Fulvic acid induced phenylpropanoid metabolism, as evidenced by accumulation of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, higher activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H) and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), up-regulation of genes related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (PAL , C4H , 4CL , STS , ROMT and CHS). Our results suggested that fulvic acid induces resistance to B. cinerea mainly through the activation of phenylpropanoid pathway and can be used as a new activator of plant defense responses to control postharvest gray mold in table grapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare galaxy morphology predicted by the Illustris hydrodynamical simulation and a semi-analytic model (SAM) grafted in the halo merger trees from the Illustris-Dark matter simulation. Morphology is classified according to the luminous profile and the kinematic bulge-to-total ratio for Illustris galaxy, and the bulge-to-total stellar mass ratio for SAM galaxy. For late-type galaxies in the Illustris catalogue, most of their counterparts in the SAM model have the same type, and the consistency between two models is higher for lower mass galaxies. For early-type (ET) galaxies in Illustris, the consistency is quite low for the counterparts except for most massive galaxies. By comparing in detail the growth histories of some matched galaxy pairs of Milky Way mass in Illustris and the SAM model, we notice two aspects of differences in determining galaxy morphology between the two galaxy formation implementations. First, in the SAM, major merger and frequent minor mergers result in the growth of bulges and turn the galaxy into ET, while bulge formation is not connected to mergers as tightly as in SAM for the Illustris galaxies. In addition, the satellite stellar mass can decrease significantly due to tidal stripping before merging into the central galaxy in Illustris, while it does not decrease in the SAM model. This results in less mergers with large (stellar) mass ratios in the Illustris simulation, and less effect of mergers on shaping galaxy morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an important pest of melons. In this laboratory study, we used two-sex life table to evaluate the performance of T. urticae on five melon cultivars (IVF28, IVF118, IVF168, IVF437, and Yangjiaomi). We also evaluated the correlation between mite population growth and morphological characteristics of leaves. The results showed that the total immature time, adult longevity, total longevity, and fecundity of the spider mite differed among the cultivars. On IVF28, the values for the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and the finite rate of increase (λ) were 0.1638 d-1 and 1.1178 d-1, respectively, which were significantly lower than the values on IVF168, IVF118, or Yangjiaomi. Values for r and λ tended to be highest on IVF168. In addition, r values for T. urticae were not correlated with trichome density or stomatal density but were negatively correlated with melon leaf thickness. In summary, the different melon cultivars exhibited distinct levels of resistance to T. urticae and the IVF28 cultivar was considered the least favored for the growth and reproduction of T. urticae mites, and such differences of mite performance might be related to the leaf thickness, instead of trichome density or stomatal density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Several epidemiological studies have shown that blood pressure changes with temperature based on the daily temperature and linear relationship assumption. However, little is known about the true curve shape of the relationship between temperature and blood pressure. Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the non-linear relationship between hourly temperature and blood pressure. Methods This is a prospective panel study comprising 100 participants in Suzhou, China. The blood pressure of each participant was measured >50 times between October 2013 and January 2016. Hourly temperature data were derived from the nearest monitoring station owned by the China Meteorological Administration. A Distributed Lag Nonlinear Model (DLNM) was used to investigate the relationship between hourly temperature and blood pressure. Results We found that the relationship between hourly temperature and blood pressure was parabolic. Short-term exposure to hourly temperatures had significant cold and heat effects on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). The hourly temperature had a significant lag effect on blood pressure, with a lag time of 0–5 h. Alcohol users were more sensitive to the cold effects of hourly temperature, and the diabetic population was more sensitive to the heat effects of hourly temperature on PP. Conclusion Temperature imparts short-term effects on blood pressure. Therefore, timely protective measures during cold waves or cold weather are beneficial to maintain stable blood pressure levels to reduce the risk of blood pressure related diseases. Highlights • Short-term exposure to hourly temperatures had significant cold and heat effects on blood pressure. • The hourly temperature had a significant lag effect on blood pressure, with the lag time of 0–5 h. • Timely protective measures during cold weather are beneficial to maintain stable blood pressure levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Electrochemical sequential reduction-oxidation of chlorophene is effective. • Addition of ionic liquids improved electrolytic activity of our catalyst. • Intermediates were identified and reaction pathways were proposed. • Toxicity of reaction solution was markedly reduced. Abstract Electrochemical sequential reduction-oxidation is process shows great promise for decomposition of organic compounds in aqueous solution. We performed comparative experiments to investigate the effects of ionic liquid on catalytic cathode for chlorophene removal. Electrochemical sequential reduction-oxidation processes with CoNi nanoparticles anchored on the ionic liquid functionalized graphene (CoNi/IL-rGO) cathode showed better performance in terms of removal efficiency, mineralization, and dechlorination rate of chlorophene compared with the performance of a similar cathode without the ionic liquid (CoNi/rGO). The results suggest that the combination of graphene and ionic liquid promoted dispersion of CoNi nanoparticles and formation of small particle sizes, contributed to higher electrocatalytic activity. We investigated the factors affecting chlorophene degradation in the CoNi/IL-rGO cathode system in detail. Under the optimal conditions the removal rates of chlorophene reached 99.6%, 99.7%, and 95.1% in cathodic compartment 1, cathodic compartment 2, and the anodic compartment, respectively, at pH 5.3 after 120 min with 0.05 mol L−1 at a current of 68 mA cm−2. The intrinsic reaction kinetics showed that removal of chlorophene followed pseudo first-order reaction kinetics and kinetic constants were calculated. Several reaction products were identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and ion chromatography (IC) and detailed a reaction pathway is proposed. In the cathodic compartment, reductive dechlorination occurred during bubbling of hydrogen to form dechlorination products. These intermediates were prone to further oxidization by OH generated from H 2 O 2 on the CoNi/IL-rGO electrode under air. We also evaluated the toxicity of products by a luminescent bacteria assay, which confirmed that the toxicity of chlorophene was effectively eliminated during the electrochemical sequential reduction-oxidation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A novel double perovskite phosphor of Ca 2 MgWO 6 :Cr3+,Yb3+ is synthesized by solid-state reaction method in air. • The possible fluorescence and energy transfer processes in Ca 2 MgWO 6 :Cr3+,Yb3+ phosphors are analyzed. • The energy transfer mechanism relies on down conversion as well as downshift. • Ca 2 MgWO 6 :Cr3+,Yb3+ can be excited by broadband UV light and give efficient NIR emission. • The NIR emission band matches well with the absorption spectrum of the solar radiation. Abstract An efficient near-infrared phosphor Ca 2 MgWO 6 :Cr3+,Yb3+ has been successfully prepared by solid state reaction in air. After co-doping with Cr3+ ion, Ca 2 MgWO 6 :Yb3+ can be efficiently excited by broadband UV light due to Cr3+:4A 2 →4T 1 (4P) transition, and give intense near-infrared emission at ∼980 nm owing to the effectively sensitized Yb3+:2F 5/2 →2F 7/2 transition. Energy transfer from Cr3+ ion to Yb3+ ion in Ca 2 MgWO 6 host was demonstrated to be mainly a resonant type via dipole-dipole mechanism, accompanied by a degree of down conversion process. The energy transfer efficiency from Cr3+ ion to Yb3+ ion was determined and the possible energy transfer processes in Ca 2 MgWO 6 :Cr3+,Yb3+ phosphor are proposed with simplified energy level diagrams. The Cr3+/Yb3+ co-doped Ca 2 MgWO 6 phosphor converts ultraviolet (240–400 nm) photons into NIR (900–1050 nm) ones, which matches well with the optimal spectral response of silicon (Si) solar cells, and is expected to be promising as a luminescent solar concentrator for photovoltaic solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The galaxy Malin 1 contains the largest stellar disc known but the formation mechanism of this structure has been elusive. In this paper, we report a Malin 1 analogue in the 100 Mpc IllustrisTNG simulation and describe its formation history. At redshift zero, this massive galaxy, having a maximum circular velocity V max of 430 km s−1, contains a 100 kpc gas/stellar disc with morphology similar to Malin 1. The simulated galaxy reproduces well many observed features of Malin 1's vast disc, including its stellar ages, metallicities, and gas rotation curve. We trace the extended disc back in time and find that a large fraction of the cold gas at redshift zero originated from the cooling of hot halo gas, triggered by the merger of a pair of intruding galaxies. Our finding provides a novel way to form large galaxy discs as extreme as Malin 1 within the current galaxy formation framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peronophythora litchii , the oomycete pathogen of litchi downy blight, infects leaves, flowers and fruits of litchi at pre-harvest stage, while the greatest economic loss was caused at postharvest stage, due to infection occurring during fruit storage and transportation. Therefore, litchi downy blight is considered as an important postharvest disease in litchi fruit, and effective, environment-friendly fungicide(s) is urgently required. In this study, the effectiveness of pterostilbene on the control of litchi downy blight and its action mechanism were investigated. Pterostilbene substantially suppressed sporangia germination of P. litchii , with inhibition rate of 100% in the treatment of pterostilbene at 32 mg L −1 , and its IC 50 value on zoospore release was evaluated to be 6.8 mg L −1 . Similarly, pterostilbene inhibited the mycelial growth of P. litchii and induced deleterious morphological modifications and ultrastructural alteration, including deformation and shrinking of mycelia and sporangia, the damage of cell wall, plasma membrane and organelles. Pterostilbene application significantly reduced the decay of litchi fruit and leaf caused by P. litchii , with the decay index reduction up to 48.6% and 88.0%, respectively. Moreover, peel browning of litchi caused by P. litchii reduced from 3.5 to 1.8 after treated with 1600 mg L −1 pterostilbene. Our study showed that pterostilbene could be a potential candidate on the control of litchi downy blight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]