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The Balanophorae are not only traditional Chinese herbal medicines but also functional foods with diverse sources. This study aimed to distinguish pharmacognostic characteristics and secondary metabolites among different species of Balanophorae. Eight species of Balanophorae herbs were harvested, including 21 batches with 209 samples. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to analyze secondary metabolites of Balanophorae from 21 sources. Targeted metabolomic analysis was performed to compare differences among the groups. Rhopalocnemis phalloide and B. indica can be identified by their pharmacognostic characteristics. Then, 41 secondary metabolites were identified or characterized in the mixed extracts of the 209 samples, mainly phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their derivatives. The distribution of these secondary metabolites revealed apparent differences among different species. In addition, targeted metabolomic analysis suggested that the secondary metabolite profiles of seven species of Balanophorae showed noticeable differences, and differences were also observed among different growing regions. Finally, five important metabolic markers were screened to successfully distinguish B. laxiflora, B. harlandii, and B. polyandra, including three phenolic acids and two flavonoids. This is the first study to systematically compare both the morphology and secondary metabolites among different sources of Balanophorae, which could provide effective information for identifying diverse species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corydalis yanhusuo is a medicinal herb in China that has been widely used to treat various kinds of pain. The tuber is the main organ of C. yanhusuo used for medicinal purposes, but changes in related genes during the development of the tuber have rarely been reported. To identify the differentially expressed genes during tuber development, C. yanhusuo full-length transcriptomic sequencing was performed using single-molecule real-time technology, and tubers at three development stages were selected for comparative transcriptome analysis. A total of 90,496 full-length non-chimeric transcripts were obtained, and 19,341 transcripts were annotated in at least one public database. A total of 9221 differentially expressed genes were identified during the swelling process of C. yanhusuo tuber. A Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes associated with a "starch and sucrose metabolism pathway", "phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway", "isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis pathway", "zeatin biosynthesis pathway", and "brassinosteroid biosynthesis pathway" were predominantly enriched. In addition, the genes involved in cell wall metabolism were potentially associated with tuber swelling. These processes regulated and were involved in C. yanhusuo tuber development. The results provide a foundation for further research on tuber formation in medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the impact of livelihood interventions on the livelihood resilience of farmers in undeveloped mountain areas can not only optimize interventions, but also provide experiential support for global poverty alleviation. To analyze the impact of multiple livelihood interventions on livelihood resilience, we constructed an analytical framework and analyzed the enjoyment of livelihood interventions and the heterogeneity of livelihood resilience among out-of-poverty farmers in the Longnan mountain areas, China. Then, we studied the impact of intervention intensity on livelihood resilience through the multiple linear regression model. The results revealed that: 1) the livelihood interventions enjoyed by out-of-poverty farmer in mountain areas were multiple. The proportion of farmers enjoyed diversified livelihood interventions was in descending order of high mountain areas, semi-mountain area and Chuanba valley areas. 2) The overall livelihood resilience of farmers in Longnan mountain areas was generally low, with an average of 0.299. There were significant differences in the livelihood resilience of farmers across different geographic areas in the study area and types of interventions. 3) The effects of industry interventions, employment interventions and education interventions were significant. The endogenous power of farmers not only had a significant positive effect on livelihood resilience, but also positively moderated the impact of the intensity of interventions on livelihood resilience. In addition, the household dependency ratio and the average altitude of the village area had a significant negative impact on their livelihood resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hinged connections are widely used in agricultural machinery, such as the three-point hitch device at the rear of the tractor and the header position adjustment device of the corn harvester. The hinged connections in agricultural machinery allow relative rotations between the connected parts so that the positions of the agricultural equipment can be adjusted according to the operation requirements. Thus, the hinged connections are always subject to large and complex forces during operation, leading to complicated nonlinear vibrations, which significantly impact the operational performance and fatigue life of the agricultural machinery. Therefore, the nonlinear dynamics characteristics of the hinged connections in agricultural machinery are studied in this paper. Firstly, the parts connected by the hinge are simplified to the hinged beam structures according to the mechanical structure characteristics and loading features of the hinged connection structures in agricultural machinery. Then, the equivalent dynamics model of the hinged beam structure is established based on the nonlinear contact force model at the hinged connection and the finite element method. Finally, the effects of parameters such as hinge clearances, excitation frequencies, excitation amplitudes and hinge contact stiffness on the nonlinear dynamics characteristics of the hinged beam structures are analyzed by solving the dynamics responses of the system using numerical simulations. The research results can provide a reference for the optimal design of the hinged connection structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to precisely regulate the size of a nanogap is essential for establishing high‐yield molecular junctions, and it is crucial for the control of optical signals in extreme optics. Although remarkable strategies for the fabrication of nanogaps are proposed, wafer‐compatible nanogaps with freely adjustable gap sizes are not yet available. Herein, two approaches for constructing in situ adjustable metal gaps are proposed which allow Ångstrom modulation resolution by employing either a lateral expandable piezoelectric sheet or a stretchable membrane. These in situ adjustable nanogaps are further developed into in‐plane molecular break junctions, in which the gaps can be repeatedly closed and opened thousands of times with self‐assembled molecules. The conductance of the single 1,4‐benzenediamine (BDA) and the BDA molecular dimer is successfully determined using the proposed strategy. The measured conductance agreeing well with the data by employing another well‐established scanning tunneling microscopy break junction technique provides insight into the formation of molecule dimer via hydrogen bond at single molecule level. The wafer‐compatible nanogaps and in‐plane dynamical break‐junctions provide a potential approach to fabricate highly compacted devices using a single molecule as a building block and supply a promising in‐plane technique to address the dynamical properties of single molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important classes of small noncoding RNAs that can regulate numerous biological processes. To understand the role of message RNA (mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs) in the regulation of intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition, in this study the expression profiles of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle from six Laiwu pigs (three with extremely high and three with extremely low IMF content) were sequenced based on rRNA-depleted library construction. In total, 323 differentially expressed protein-coding genes (DEGs), 180 lncRNAs (DELs) and 105 circRNAs (DECs) were detected between the high IMF and low IMF groups. Functional analysis indicated that most DEGs, and some target genes of DELs, were enriched into GO terms and pathways related to adipogenesis, suggesting their important roles in regulating IMF deposition. In addition, 12 DELs were observed to exhibit a positive relationship with stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1), and adiponectin (ADIPOQ), suggesting they are highly likely to be the target genes of DELs. Finally, we constructed a source gene-circRNA-miRNA connective network, and some of miRNA of the network have been reported to affect lipid metabolism or adipogenesis. Overall, this work provides a valuable resource for further research and helps to understand the potential functions of lncRNAs and circRNAs in IMF deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS method was developed for the analysis of DATNBI and its raw material. • Evolution of impurities during the synthesis route of DATNBI was revealed. • The origin of impurities in DATNBI was deduced. 1,1′-diamino-4,4′,5,5′-tetranitro-2,2′-biimidazole (DATNBI) is an attractive insensitive highly energetic explosive. Even though DATNBI can be easily produced through deprotonation and ammoniation of 4,4′,5,5′-tetranitro-2,2′-biimidazole (TNBI), the type and source of impurities in DATNBI are still unclear. In present study, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS) was employed to analyze the chemical structures and origin of the impurities in DATNBI. A chromatographic method has been developed to separate the impurities of DATNBI and its raw material TNBI. The chemical structures of all impurities were tentatively identified by the analysis of retention time, UV–vis spectrum, elemental composition and MS/MS fragmentation patterns. In DATNBI, four impurities have been detected, including TNBI, mono-ammoniated TNBI, a dimer of DATNBI and the mono-ammoniated product of an impurity in TNBI. Interestingly, all compounds in the DATNBI sample produced fragment ions identical to the fragment ions of TNBI or its impurity, indicating TNBI and its impurity are the source of the impurities in DATNBI. This study gives an insight in the origin of impurities in DATNBI and provide the basis for quality improvement in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfonyl fluorides have found diverse applications in multiple disciplines due to their reactivity and stability. Thus, exploiting the new reactivity of sulfonyl fluorides is of high importance to Sulfur (VI) Fluoride Exchange (SuFEx) chemistry. Reported herein is a three‐component reaction of β‐keto sulfonyl fluorides, arynes and DMF for the streamline synthesis of sulfocoumarins. The reaction proceeds by trapping of the in situ generated o‐quinone methides with β‐keto sulfonyl fluorides, followed by selective cyclization with sulfonyl fluorides. This strategy provides a new avenue to access diverse sulfocoumarins with under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent occurrence of natural disasters has become one of the most serious challenges to human society. As rural communities are the forefront of disasters, enhancing the resilience of rural community is crucial to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and seek rapid recovery. This paper provides an analytical framework for changing trajectories of the resilience of rural communities after disasters. Taking the disaster area affected by the catastrophic debris flow in China as an example, we analyze the changing trajectories of rural community resilience after disaster in three villages with different damage levels from 2010 to 2020 based on the data from key person interviews, the disaster situation and development reports, village work records and farmers' questionnaires. We found that the changes of community resilience after disaster show obvious stages due to the difference in the intensity of effects of government intervention and community self-organization ability during disaster relief reconstruction period and self-recovery period. The resilience of communities with different disaster losses showed an increasing trend. However, during the disaster relief and reconstruction period, the resilience of the severely affected community was improved faster, followed by the most severely affected community, while the resilience of generally affected community was improved more slowly. During the self-recovery period, the resilience of the affected general community was improved faster than that of the other two communities. The evolution process of community resilience reflects the increasing role of self-organizational capacity in post-disaster community development, aligning with the overall global trend in rural community governance. In addition, there is a significant sequence in the improvement speed of different dimensions of community resilience at different stages after disasters. During the disaster relief and reconstruction period, the resilience of community management was improved faster and the resilience of environment was slower. During the self-recovery period, the economic resilience of community was improved faster and the social resilience was improved slower. Finally, some suggestions were put forward to strengthen natural disasters prevention and community resilience in disaster-prone areas. [Display omitted] • Provide an analytical framework for the changing trajectories of the resilience of rural communities after disaster. • Community self-organization ability play an important role in improving community resilience. • There are significant differences in resilience of communities with different disaster losses. • There is an obvious sequence in the improvement speed of different dimensions of community resilience after disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal sulfides (TMSs) are the most used electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs). However, they still suffer from unsatisfactory electrochemical properties. Designing a hollow mixed TMS nanostructure with a well-defined chemical composition and shape is an effective strategy to tackle this issue, yet remains challenging. Herein, using a bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate framework (Zn–Co-ZIF) with various Zn/Co ratios as the template, a series of trimetallic sulfide (Ni–Zn–Co–S) hollow nanocages were successfully prepared by sequential nickel nitrate etching, co-precipitation and vulcanization. As an electrode material for a three-electrode SC in an aqueous alkaline electrolyte, the Ni–Zn–Co–S-0.25 electrode achieves an ultra-high specific capacitance of 1930.9 at 1 A g−1 with a good rate performance (64.5% at 10 A g−1). In order to further prove the advantage of the as-prepared Ni–Zn–Co–S-0.25 material, it was assembled into an asymmetric energy storage device using an activated carbon (AC) anode. The Ni–Zn–Co–S-0.25//AC cell exhibits an outstanding energy storage capability (32.8 W h kg−1 at 864.8 W kg−1) with a splendid cyclic life (retaining ∼92.2% of the initial capacitance after 10 000 cycles). The excellent electrochemical performance of Ni–Zn–Co–S-0.25 is ascribed to the merits of the trimetallic sulfide hollow nanocage i.e., good electronic conductivity, a large active surface area, fast charge transfer, rich redox reactions and the synergic effect of different metal ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Cu-catalyzed coupling reaction of indanone oxime acetates with thiols has been developed for the synthesis of 2,3-functionalized 1-indenones. This protocol has several features including easy mild reaction conditions, stabilized enamine products, good tolerance of functional groups, and no external oxidants. This reaction enables direct derivatization on the indanone ring to provide valuable functionalized indenones at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring porous electrode materials with designed micro/nano-structures is an effective way to realize high-performance supercapacitors (SCs). A metal–organic framework (MOF) is a porous crystalline material with a periodic structure formed by coordination of metal ions/clusters and organic ligands. Due to the excellent properties (e.g., large specific surface area, high porosity and tailorable structure), MOFs have been widely used in diverse applications. This Frontier article highlights the recent progress in the synthesis of MOF-based micro/nano-structured electrode materials including pristine MOFs, MOF composites and MOF derivatives, and their application in SCs. Furthermore, the challenges of MOF-based electrode materials and possible solutions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-vessel disease (TVD) is a severe coronary heart disease (CHD) with poor prognosis. Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) is a transporter protein for exogenous cholesterol absorption, and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) is a rate-limiting enzyme for cholesterol synthesis. We aimed to investigate the association between NPC1L1 and HMGCR gene polymorphisms and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients with TVD. A total of 342 TVD patients were consecutively enrolled and followed up for 1-year MACCE (a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, readmission, and stroke) as TVD event group, and 344 patients without CHD were control group. Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs11763759, rs4720470, rs2072183, and rs2073547, on NPC1L1 gene and four SNPs, rs12916, rs2303151, rs2303152, and rs4629571, on HMGCR gene were genotyped. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that rs4720470 of NPC1L1 was associated with higher risk of TVD with MACCE in codominant model (odds ratio [OR]: 1.315; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.007–1.716, p = 0.044), and that rs2303151 of HMGCR was associated with higher in recessive (OR: 3.383; 95% CI: 1.040–10.998, p = 0.043) and codominant (OR: 1.458; 95% CI: 1.038–2.047, p = 0.030) model, respectively. Patients with both variant rs4720470 in codominant model and variant rs2303151 in recessive model related to a higher risk (OR: 6.772, CI: 1.338–34.280; p = 0.021). We reported for the first time that the rs4720470 on NPC1L1 gene and rs2303151 on HMGCR gene were associated with risk of 1-year MACCE in TVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MANF significantly ameliorated cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice. • The polarization of microglia is regulated by MANF. • MANF play an anti-inflammation role through A20/NF-κB pathway. Microglia, resident brain immune cells, is critical in inflammation, apoptosis, neurogenesis and neurological recovery during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), a novel identified endoplasmic reticulum stress-inducible neurotrophic factor, can alleviate I/R injury by reducing the inflammatory reaction, but its specific regulatory mechanism on microglia after ischemic stroke has not been fully clarified. To mimic the process of ischemia/reperfusion in vivo and in vitro, middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) was induced in C57BL/6J mice and oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model was established in BV-2 cells. Moreover, MANF small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to silence the expression of endogenous MANF, while recombination human MANF protein (rhMANF) acted as an exogenous supplement. Seventy-two hours after MCAO/R, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium staining, neurological scores, brain water content, immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescent staining, flow cytometry, hematoxylin and eosin staining, quantitative real-time PCR and western blot are applied to evaluate the protective effect and possible mechanism of MANF on cerebral I/R injury. In vitro, cell viability, inflammatory cytokines and the expression of MANF, A20, NF-κB and the markers of microglia were analyzed. The results showed that MANF decreased brain infarct volume, neurological scores, and brain water content. In addition, MANF promoted the polarization of microglia to an anti-inflammatory phenotype both in vivo and in vitro, which are related to A20/NF-κB pathway. In summary, MANF may offer novel therapeutic approaches for ischemic stroke in the process of microglia polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with diabetes and triple-vessel disease (TVD) are associated with a high risk of events. The choice of treatment strategies remains a subject of discussion. In the real-world, we aim to compare the outcomes of medical therapy (MT), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment strategies in patients with diabetes and TVD. Methods: A total of 3117 consecutive patients with diabetes and TVD were enrolled. The primary endpoint was all-cause death and the secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke). Results: During the mean follow-up of 6.3 ± 2.6 years, 573 (18.4%) deaths and 1094 (35.1%) MACCE occurred. Multivariate analysis showed that PCI (hazard ratio [HR] 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32–0.51) and CABG (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.26–0.44) were associated with a lower risk of death compared with MT, with no difference between the PCI and CABG groups. When MACCE was the endpoint, PCI (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.60–0.84) and CABG (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.39–0.57) had a lower risk than MT. CABG was associated with a significantly lower risk of MACCE compared with PCI (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55–0.81), which was mainly attributed a lower risk in myocardial infarction, but a higher risk of stroke. Conclusions: In this big real-world data and intermediate-term follow-up study, for patients with diabetes and TVD, PCI and CABG were associated with a lower risk of death and MACCE more than MT. The results suggest the importance of appropriate revascularization for diabetic patients with TVD. However, CABG was not associated with a lower risk of death, but with a lower risk of MACCE, compared with PCI. In the future, we perhaps should strengthen comprehensive treatment in addition to PCI or CABG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euphorbia kansui Liou is an endemic and traditional medicinal plant in China. Despite its value, the genomic and transcriptomic information of E. kansui is limited. In the present study, a total of 43,211,690 high-quality reads were generated using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. After assembly, 58,362 unigenes were recovered with an N50 length of 1,683 bp. 36,396 (62.36%) of these unigenes had at least one blast hit against the multiple public databases. Based on KEGG pathway analyses, unigenes were discovered to encode known enzymes that catalyze the formation of the terpenoid backone and diterpenoid. In addition, the unigenes related to casbene synthase, which catalyzes the formation of the major active constituents (diterpenoids) in E. kansui, were identified. For functional marker development, 7,016 candidate simple sequence repeats (SSR, microsatellites) were identified from 6,150 unigenes, and 40 SSR loci were selected randomly and amplified in two populations of E. kansui. A total of 28 loci were amplified successfully and 23 loci exhibited polymorphisms. The number of alleles of each locus ranged from 2 to 8 alleles and the mean number of alleles per locus was 3.391. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity varied from 0.100 to 1.000 and 0.099 to 0.809, respectively. The microsatellite markers developed here will be useful for studies on population genetics of this endemic species. Moreover, the information of the transcriptome will provide a useful resource for the future research on metabolism, regulation of the terpenoid biosynthesis, genetic and proteome studies of E. kansui. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, we found there were significant differences in the development of skeletal muscle, myofiber characteristics between Chinese pig breed Dapulian and Landrace. Furthermore, the development of skeletal muscle is related to the proliferation of satellite cells (SCs). Thus, our aim was to compare the differences of proliferative abilities and expression of key genes related to proliferation between the SCs isolated from Dapulian and Landrace in this study. We isolated skeletal muscle SCs with collagenase digestion from the longissimus dorsi muscles of 1-day-old male Dapulian and Landrace piglets. After successful culture of SCs in vitro, proliferative capacity was estimated at different time points. Meanwhile, the expression of key genes related to SCs proliferation was detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting. Proliferation results showed a significantly greater number of viable SCs from Dapulian pigs compared to that from Landrace pigs at 72–120 h of culture (p <.05). The mRNA expression of MYOD, MYF5 and MYOG in SCs from Dapulian pigs was higher (p <.05) compared with Landrace pigs. Whereas the mRNA levels of MSTN, MTOR, S6K, EIF4E and 4EBP1 were significantly lower in SCs from Dapulian than those from Landrace (p <.05). Protein levels of MSTN, S6K, MTOR and EIF4E were consistent with corresponding mRNA expression. In summary, these findings indicated that SCs isolated from the two breeds exhibit different proliferative capacities, and the proliferative potential of SCs from Dapulian pigs was greater than those from Landrace pigs. There were significant differences in the development of skeletal muscle, myofibre number and myofibre size between Chinese indigenous pig breed Dapulian and commercial pig breed Landrace. The proliferative capacity of satellite cells (SCs) from Dapulian pigs was greater than that from Landrace pigs. The expression of key genes related to proliferation between the SCs isolated from Dapulian and Landrace was different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The aim of this article is to design a suitable strength function g(t,x,r(t)) such that the Wiener noise g(t,x(t),r(t))dw(t) either stabilizes or destabilizes a given nonlinear and time‐varying hybrid system x˙(t)=f(t,x(t),r(t)). To this end, the basic properties, including the existence and uniqueness of the local and global solutions and the nonzero property of solutions of the nonlinear and time‐varying hybrid stochastic systems, are first investigated as the theoretical basis of the article. Second, two theorems and the corresponding corollaries on the stability and instability of the hybrid stochastic systems are established. Third, the design method for the noise strength g(t,x,r(t)) is then proposed based on the established theorems. We also point out that the Markov jump r(t) may have a stabilizing (respectively, destabilizing) effect when we design the noise strength g(t,x,r(t)) so that the introduced noise g(t,x(t),r(t))dw(t) stabilizes (respectively, destabilizes) the corresponding hybrid system. Finally, we illustrate our method using two examples. Compared with the existing literature, our method is suitable for a wider class of nonlinear and time‐varying systems with weaker conditions than quasi‐linear systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the compositions characteristics of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM 2.5) fraction in road dust (RD 2.5) of oasis cities on the edge of Tarim Basin, 30 road dust (RD) samples were collected in Kashi, Cele, and Yutian in the spring, 2018, and RD 2.5 was collected using the resuspension approach. Eight water-soluble ions, 39 trace elements and 8 fractions of carbon-containing species in PM 2.5 were analyzed. Ca2+ and Ca were the most abundant ions and elements in RD 2.5 (7.1% and 9.5%). Cl- in RD 2.5 was affected not only by attributed to saline-alkali soils in oasis cities of the Tarim Basin and dust from Taklimakan Desert but also by human activities. Moreover, the organic carbon/elemental carbon (OC/EC) ratio indicated that carbon components in RD 2.5 in Cele town mainly come from fossil fuel combustion, while those in Yutian and Kashi mainly come from biomass combustion. It is noteworthy that high Ca in RD 2.5 was seriously affected by anthropogenic emissions, and high Na and K contents in RD 2.5 could be derived from soil and desert dust. It was estimated that Cd, Tl, Sn and Cr were emitted from anthropogenic emissions using the enrichment factor. The coefficients of divergence (COD) result indicated that the influence of local emission on road dust emission is greater than that of long-distance transmission. This study is the first time to comprehensively analyze the chemical characteristics of road dust in oasis cities, and the results provides the sources of road dust at the margin of Tarim Basin. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) was first described as inhibitors of cytokine signaling. The SOCS1, as a number of SOCS family, is an important negative regulator in the IFN signaling pathways in mammals. While data on functional characterization of SOCS1 in lower vertebrates are limited. In this study, we identified and characterized the full length SOCS1b gene of miiuy croaker (Miichthys miiuy). The sequence alignment analysis results showed that miiuy croaker SOCS1b (mmSOCS1b) have only a conserved SH2 domain that is similar to other vertebrates. To further study the functions of mmSOCS1b, we identified and determined its potential ability to perceive poly (I:C) stimulation. Stimulation experiments with poly (I:C) showed the significantly upregulated expression of mmSOCS1b in crucial immune-related tissues of spleen and kidney, indicating that mmSOCS1b might participate in the immune responses. Furthermore, the immunofluorescence assay indicated that mmSOCS1b present in the cytoplasmic of HeLa cells. In addition, mmSOCS1b could inhibit IFNα or IFNγ-induced ISRE reporter gene. In a word, we systematically and comprehensively analyzed the characterizations and functions of mmSOCS1b, which not only enriches the current knowledge of SOCS in IFN signaling regulation but also offer the basis for future research of fish SOCS family. • SOCS1b was identified in miiuy croaker. • Miiuy croaker SOCS1b highly expressed in spleen. • Fish SOCS1b can repress JAK-STAT signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers and their energy saving behaviors make significant sense for long-run sustainability and enacting effective energy policies, particularly in the fragile eco-environment and non-developed rural area. This study investigates the rural household energy-saving behaviors and influencing factors in the loess hilly region of China by taking Qin'an county in Gansu province based on a total of 506 households by adopting the participatory farmer assessment method. Most peasant families pay close attention energy conservation in their daily lives. Most farmer households (88.74%) were conscious of energy saving in their daily lives, and consider energy saving as a self-acting behavior (68.58%) and good habit (87.94%); electricity is the main clean energy for farmers; the price of energy-saving products is the key factor for farmers, and the female and the younger householders have better performance in energy conservation. Farmers' energy-saving behaviors are negatively correlated with the altitude of their dwellings but positively correlated with the education level of householders, family size, income. We argue that continuous training on energy saving is necessary and should be tailored to local conditions and supported by the government. • A rural household survey of 506 households was conducted in the loess hilly region of China. • Female, younger, and higher education level shows positive impacts on energy saving. • Energy-saving behaviors positively correlated with income, health conditions, environmental concerns, and energy availability and prices. • The training efforts for promoting energy saving of rural households should be enhanced. • We argue that government subsidies should integrate into the promotion of energy-saving products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyaniline/reduced graphite oxide (PANI/rGO) composites own promising electrochemical properties. However, the toxicity of commonly used reducers for graphite oxide (GO) and the restacking of rGO greatly obstacle the further development of PANI/rGO composites. To solve these problems, in this study the eco-friendly tannic acid (TA) was used to produce rGO. The results of X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectroscopy indicated that TA effectively reduced GO into rGO-TA, and the rGO-TA showed good dispersion stability. Subsequently, PANI/rGO-TA (1:0.1 by weight) composites were synthesized, and their cyclic voltammetric behaviors were studied. The PANI/rGO-TA-24 h composite, in which the rGO was reduced by TA with a sufficient reduction time of 24 h, showed larger specific surface area, a more homogeneous distribution of PANI on the surface of rGO, and higher specific capacitance than the PANI/rGO-HH composite, in which the rGO were produced by using hydrazine hydrate (HH) as reduction agent. Finally, a two-electrode symmetric supercapacitor using PANI/rGO-TA-24 h composite as electrodes was assembled. It exhibited a high energy density of 1.68 W h kg−1 and a high power density of 115 W kg−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Environment has significant impacts on the structure performance and will change features of sensor measurements on the monitored structure. The effect of varying environment needs to be considered and eliminated while conducting structural health monitoring. In order to achieve this purpose, a baseline model based structural health monitoring method is proposed in this paper. The relationship between signal features and varying environment, known as a baseline model, is first established. Then, a tolerance range of the signal feature is evaluated via a data based statistical analysis. Furthermore, the health indicator, which is defined as the proportion of signal features within the tolerance range, is used to judge whether the structural system is in normal working condition or not so as to implement the structural health monitoring. Finally, experimental data analysis for an operating wind turbine is conducted and the results demonstrate the performance of the proposed new technique. Highlights • Effects of varying environment are considered when conducting structural health monitoring. • Ability of the proposed method is verified by experimental case studies on an operating wind turbine. • Proposed method can be applied for condition monitoring of other structures and components. • Choice of appropriate sensors for health monitoring of various wind turbine components is concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note puts forward continuous event‐triggered impulsive control (CETIC) and dynamic event‐triggered impulsive control (DETIC) to discuss a class of (integral) input‐to‐state stability (iISS, ISS) for nonlinear systems (NSs), where the impulse sequences are produced by certain predesigned event‐triggering conditions. Different from traditionary event‐triggered control (ETC), CETIC indicates that a controller will be stimulated only if the given state‐dependent event condition is invoked. There exist no transfer of control between two continuous impulse triggered instants. Compared with the traditional static ETC, the DETIC can efficaciously lessen controller update and dramatically save energy at the same decay rate. In addition, all sample path solutions (SPS) for the system have the lowest time between events guaranteed to be positive. Utilizing CETIC strategy, we get some Lyapunov conditions to effectually avoid infinite triggering behavior and obtain the ISS‐type stability of the investigative systems. Then, one applies the theoretical consequences to NSs and derive a class of ETC mechanism with impulsive control gains (ICG) by linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Because of the existence of timer, the DETIC strategy naturally excludes Zeno phenomena. Furthermore, conclusions in this thesis permit the upper bound estimation for the differential Lyapunov function coefficient to be time‐varying function instead of a constant in certain extant results, which means the criteria of the Lyapunov technique in this paper is less conservative and looser. Eventually, three examples with related simulations are demonstrated to indicate the rationalization and usefulness of our conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Post-weaning diarrhea is common in piglets, causing huge economic losses worldwide. The Heigai pig is an indigenous pig breed of China, and has lower rate of piglet diarrhea incidences than the Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) crossbred pig, which is the most widely used commercial pig crossbreed worldwide. In the current study, using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an agent to mimic the bacterial inflammatory response in weaned pigs, a comparative analysis of the effects of LPS challenge on jejunal mucosal morphology, jejunal microbial composition, and serum indexes in two pig breeds (DLY and Heigai) was performed. The results showed that LPS successfully induced bacterial inflammatory response in the experimental pigs, changed the microbial composition, and triggered functional changes in energy metabolism and activities related to the stress response in the jejunal bacterial community. This study also revealed that Heigai pigs had a weaker immune response to LPS challenge than DLY pigs, and identified several genera related to the breed-specific phenotypes of Heigai pigs. These findings provide a basis for investigating the mechanism of the intestinal inflammatory response in piglet diarrhea and suggest potential microbial candidates to resist diarrhea. Post-weaning diarrhea is common in piglets, causing huge economic losses worldwide. Associations between LPS challenge, intestinal inflammation, and microbiota have been reported in Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) crossbred pigs. However, the effects of LPS challenge in other breeds remain unclear. In the current study, we performed a comprehensive comparative analysis of the effects of LPS challenge on jejunal mucosal morphology, jejunal microbial composition, and serum indexes in two pig breeds: DLY and Heigai, an indigenous Chinese breed. The results showed that LPS caused considerable damage to the mucosal morphology, enhanced serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and the intestinal permeability index, and lowered the antioxidant capacity index. LPS challenge also changed the microbial composition and structure of the jejunum, significantly increased the abundances of Escherichia-Shigella in DLY pigs, and decreased those of Gemella and Saccharimonadales in Heigai pigs. Furthermore, LPS challenge triggered functional changes in energy metabolism and activities related to the stress response in the jejunal bacterial community, alleviating the inflammatory response in Heigai pigs. This study also revealed that Heigai pigs had a weaker immune response to LPS challenge than DLY pigs, and identified several genera related to the breed-specific phenotypes of Heigai pigs, including Gemella, Saccharimonadales, Clostridia_UCG_014, Terrisporobacter, and Dielma. Our collective findings uncovered differences between Heigai and DLY pigs in intestinal inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis induced by LPS challenge, providing a theoretical basis for unraveling the mechanism of intestinal inflammation in swine and proposing microbial candidates involved in the resistance to diarrhea in piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global environmental change has posed serious threats and challenges to human survival and sustainable development, especially for mountainous communities with fragile ecological environments, weak infrastructure, and underdeveloped economic development. Reducing rural social vulnerability has become an important way to promote global rural revitalization and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, current research has mostly focused on social vulnerability assessment, with few revealing its formation mechanism. Based on the collected survey data of 240 households, this paper selected Zhouqu county as a case, which located in the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and constructed theoretical framework and hypothesis model of social vulnerability from three dimensions: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability. On the basis of analyzing the characteristics of social vulnerability, we used structural equation model to further explore its formation mechanism. The result shows that the mean value of social vulnerability index of farmers under natural hazards is 0.442, and nearly 30% of the surveyed farmers have high social vulnerability. There are significant differences in social vulnerability among households in different communities, different economic levels and different livelihood styles. Natural hazards have a double-edged sword effect on the rural social system. They can not only directly aggravate social vulnerability by weakening household natural capital, physical capital, financial capital and psychological capital, but also indirectly stimulate the vitality of social capital, integrate human capital and social resource to reduce social vulnerability. Finally, we put forward effective countermeasures to reduce the rural social vulnerability. Our study aimed to providing theoretical reference for developing countries to formulate risk management policies and disaster prevention and mitigation planning in mountain areas. • Nearly 30% of mountain households have high social vulnerability in the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. • There are significant differences in social vulnerability of households with different economic levels and livelihood styles. • The interaction of disaster intensity, family characteristics and capital endowment are the key to social vulnerability. • Promoting the non-agricultural livelihood level, expanding social capital are important ways to reduce social vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The differentiation efficiency of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes is an essential factor affecting studies on cellular mechanisms associated with obesity, diabetes, and related disorders. Differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells is commonly induced by an adipogenic cocktail containing insulin, dexamethasone (DEX), and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX). However, 3T3-L1 cells after freezing and thawing for many times always have a low differentiation efficiency. To solve this problem, we compared the differentiation efficiency of six commonly used adipogenic cocktails and protocols published in 2017. On this basis, we further compared 18 adipogenic cocktails with 2 μM rosiglitazone added and/or with a prolonged treatment with IBMX. The results revealed that the adipogenic cocktail containing 0.5 mM IBMX, 1 μM DEX, and 10 μg/mL insulin was the most effective for the frozen-thawed 3T3-L1 cells differentiation. Rosiglitazone, and IBMX under a prolonged treatment, could improve the differentiation efficiency of the frozen-thawed 3T3-L1 cells. However, the effect was closely related to concentrations of agents in the adipogenic cocktails. Highlights • 3T3-L1 cells with repeated freeze and thaw have a low differentiation efficiency. • We compared 24 adipogenic cocktails for differentiation of the frozen-thawed 3T3-L1 cells. • The cocktail with 0.5 mM IBMX, 1 μM DEX, and 10 μg/mL insulin was the most effective differentiation mixture. • Rosiglitazone and/or prolonged IBMX treatment could improve the frozen-thawed 3T3-L1 cells differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney disease are among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. However, knowledge of genetic determinants of those diseases in African Americans remains limited. Results: In our study, associations between 4956 GWAS catalog reported SNPs and 67 traits were examined among 7726 African Americans from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which is focused on identifying factors that increase stroke risk. The prevalent and incident phenotypes studied included inflammation, kidney traits, cardiovascular traits and cognition. Our results validated 29 known associations, of which eight associations were reported for the first time in African Americans. Conclusion: Our cross-racial validation of GWAS findings provide additional evidence for the important roles of these loci in the disease process and may help identify genes especially important for future functional validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pattern recognition receptors can recognize pathogens, and then cells are induced to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and interferon by multiple signaling pathways. Nevertheless, excessive inflammation disrupts immune homeostasis, thereby inducing autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Thus, the regulation of immune responses is extremely important for host to keep homeostasis. In this study, we found that miR-19a plays a negative regulator in MyD88-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway by targeting MyD88 in miiuy croaker. Furthermore, over-expression of miR-19a in macrophages suppresses the expression of MyD88 and its downstream signaling genes of IRAK1, IRAK4 and TRAF6, whereas, the inhibitor of miR-19a has opposite effect. This study can increase our knowledge and help us to furthermore understand miRNAs regulatory mechanism in teleost fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play the key role in host defense of invasion of pathogens, not only in the innate immunity, but also in adaptive immunity. There are significant varieties and distinct features in fish TLRs, the TLR5 subfamily have two members (TLR5M and TLR5S). However, the exact role of TLR5 was lack of research in fish. In this study, a soluble form of TLR5 (TLR5S) was identified in miiuy croaker. The bioinformatics analysis showed that miiuy croaker TLR5S lacked the transmembrane domain and TIR domain. In other words, mmiTLR5S only has leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) domain, it is one of differences between TLR5M and TLR5S. Comparative genomic analysis showed that TLR5S might have happened an evolution between species. Expression analysis showed that mmiTLR5S was expressed in all tested miiuy croaker tissues and the mmiTLR5S expressions were significantly upregulated at 12 h in liver and kidney after Vibrio harveyi infection. Further functional experiments showed that NF-кB can be actived by mmiTLR5S, TLR5S might be an indispensable role in organism immune response. In short, the study of mmiTLR5S enriches the information of TLR5S and lays the foundation for future research on teleost TLRs system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch with active hydroxyl groups is one of the most attractive carbohydrates for the preparation of gels in recent years. However, the mechanical properties, self-healing properties, self-adhesion properties, especially low-temperature resistance are generally unsatisfactory for current starch-based gels. Based on that, a multiple network structure of amylopectin-carboxymethyl cellulose-polyacrylamide (ACP) gel was prepared by a "cooking" method. Tannic acid (TA) was used to construct multiple hydrogen bonds among molecular chains. ACP gel demonstrates high elongation at break (1090 %) and strength, self-healing performance and adhesion behavior, extraordinary low-temperature resistance (−80 °C) and self-extinguishing. As a sensor device, ACP gel can effectively monitor human movements and microscopic expression changes and achieve real-time monitoring under harsh conditions (After multiple cutting-healing steps, under low-temperature conditions, even a month later). Additionally, ACP gel could be served to detect temperature changes with a wide operating range and a high sensitivity of 33 %·°C−1, which is promising to monitor the changes in temperature. More interestingly, ACP gel can even monitor the cooking process and breathing frequency with fast response, implying applications in food processing, disease diagnosis and medical treatment. This study provides new opportunities for the design and fabrication of carbohydrate-based gels with multiple performance and multifunctional electronic devices. A multiple network structure of amylopectin-carboxymethyl cellulose-polyacrylamide (ACP) gel with high elongation at break, self-healing performance, adhesion behavior, extraordinary low-temperature resistance (−80 °C) and self-extinguishing properties was prepared by a facile "cooking" process. ACP gel can be directly employed as sensor to evaluate the subtle human motion and temperature changes after multiple successive cutting and healing steps, under low-temperature conditions (−20 °C), even after being placed for one month. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative parenting style as a risk factors of depression has been defined in the previous researches. However, the underlying mechanism between negative parenting style and depression was still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of perceived social support in the association between negative parenting style and depression among adolescents. A total of 14,724 Chinese adolescents were asked to complete the questionnaires including Parenting Style scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Self-esteem scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale. Mediation and moderation analyses were carried out in SPSS 25.0 macro PROCESS. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between negative parenting styles and adolescent depression (β = 0.113, SE = 0.004, p < 0.001). Perceived social support moderated the direct effect of negative parenting style on depression (β = −0.076, SE = 0.009, p < 0.001). Moreover, perceived social support moderated the indirect effect of negative parenting style on self-esteem (β = −0.023, SE = 0.007, p < 0.001) and the indirect effect of self-esteem on depression (β = 0.070, SE = 0.009, p < 0.001) in the moderated mediation model. Cross-sectional research design was used in the study. All measures were based on participant self-report. This study reveals the underlying mechanism with regard to the influence of negative parenting style on depression through self-esteem and perceived social support. Findings provide a theoretical basis and practical implications for prevention and intervention programs to protect adolescents' mental health. • Self-esteem and perceived social support provided new insights between negative parenting style and adolescent depression. • Low level of self-esteem predicted increased the level of depression. • To improve perceived social support could reduce adolescent depression. • This study aims to provide opportunities for early detection and intervention of depression in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cyano-bridged Cu(i) organic framework based on [Cu6(CN)6]n was synthesized, in which cyano anions were generated in situ from the C–C bond cleavage of acetonitrile. The as-synthesized compound displays orange-red luminescence and is further proven to be a promising Fe3+ luminescent sensor with high selectivity and sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four novel In3+ and Cd2+ based 1D coordination compounds constructed by double betaine ligands were synthesized and characterized structurally and optically. They assemble into 3D supra‐molecular architectures via different stacking or entanglement of 1D zigzag shaped chains, in which C–H···Cl and C–H···O hydrogen bonding interactions play a dramatic impact. Compound 1 displays a 1D + 1D → 3D four‐connect lvt net with 42·84 topology. Compound 2 assembles into a 3D architecture by inclined stacking of the adjacent zigzag chains. Compound 3 displays a 2D + 2D → 3D inclined polycatenation based on the resulting 2D (6, 3) layers that constructed by 1D chains. Compound 4 displays a 3D supra‐molecular architecture based on 1D chains, which were connected via the hydrogen bonding. Meanwhile, four compounds emit in the range of visible region owing to the intra‐ligand π*→π and/or π*→n electron transition induced florescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) is a crucial regulator in the immune systems of mammals, which functions classically as a negatively regulator in the IFN signaling pathways. However, data on functional characterization of SOCS1 in lower vertebrates is limited. In this study, we identified and characterized the full-length SOCS1a gene of miiuy croaker ( Miichthys miiuy ). The sequence analysis results showed that miiuy croaker SOCS1a (mmSOCS1a) shared some conserved motifs with other vertebrates. To further study the function of fish SOCS1, we identified mmSOCS1a and determined its potential ability to perceive poly(I:C) stimulation. Induction experiments with poly(I:C) indicated the significant expression levels of mmSOCS1a in liver and kidney. In addition, mmSOCS1a could inhibit poly(I:C)-induced or IFNs-induced ISRE reporter gene activation. In a word, we systematically and comprehensively analyzed evolution and function of mmSOCS1a, which will provide the basis for future research on fish SOCS family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have reported attenuation of insulin resistance (IR) by improving phosphorylation of the insulin signalling pathway. However, the upstream molecular signalling pathway is still elusive. In this study, Western blot was used to evaluate the phosphorylation level of the insulin signalling pathway and the AMPK pathway. 2-NBDG was used to evaluate glucose uptake. Ca2+ imaging was used to assess change of intracellular Ca2+ concentration. We found that NaHS enhanced the intracellular Ca2+ concentration and glucose uptake and activated the insulin signalling cascade in a palmitic acid (PA)-induced IR model in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, activation of the IRS1/PI3K/AKT pathway and glucose uptake were decreased when AMPK or CaMKKβ was inhibited. Our study also showed that the mitochondrial electron transport chain, ATP production, and intramitochondrial cAMP declined in the IR model but that this effect was reversed by NaHS, an effect that may be mediated by the Ca2+/CaMKK2/AMPK and PI3K/AKT pathways. Our data indicate that H2S improves activation of the insulin signalling cascade and glucose uptake via activation of the Ca2+/CaMKK2/AMPK pathway and mitochondrial metabolism in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, NaHS protects mitochondrial function and maintains normal ATP production by activating the cAMP system and the Ca2+/CaMKK2/AMPK and PI3K/ATK pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proinflammatory cytokines and type I IFNs were produced by TLR signaling and these responses are crucial for host defensive responses against pathogens. In order to avoid harmful and inappropriate inflammatory responses, there are multiple mechanisms to negatively regulate TLR signaling. In this paper, we have firstly studied IRF9 functions as a negative regulator involved in TRIF-mediated NF-κB pathway. Moreover, we found inhibitory effect of IRF9 primary depends on DBD domain. Interestingly, we also demonstrated that else mutants of IRF9, except for IRF9-ΔDBD, have different inhibitory effects upon TRIF-mediated NF-κB pathway. This study provides a novel evidence about the negatively regulation of innate immune signaling pathway in teleost fish. In addition, this finding provides new insights into the regulatory mechanism in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is mainly considered whether the mean-square stability of neutral stochastic delay differential equations (NSDDEs) with jumps is shared with that of the backward Euler-Maruyama method. Under the one-sided Lipschitz condition and the linear growth condition, the trivial solution of NSDDEs with jumps is proved to be mean-square stable by using the functional comparison principle and the Barbalat's lemma. It is shown that the backward Euler-Maruyama method can reproduce the mean-square stability of the trivial solution under the same conditions. The implicit backward Euler-Maruyama method shows better characteristic than the explicit Euler-Maruyama method for the reason that it works without the linear growth condition on the drift coefficient. Compared with some existing results, our results do not need to add extra condition on the neutral part. The conclusions can be applied to NSDDEs and SDDEs with jumps. The effectiveness of the theoretical results is illustrated by an example. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential mean-square stability of the θ-method for neutral stochastic delay differential equations (NSDDEs) with jumps is considered. With some monotone conditions, the trivial solution of the equation is proved to be exponentially mean-square stable. If the drift coefficient and the parameters satisfy more strengthened conditions, for the constrained stepsize, it is shown that the θ-method can preserve the exponential mean-square stability of the trivial solution for θ ∈ [0, 1]. Since θ-method covers the commonly used Euler–Maruyama (EM) method and the backward Euler–Maruyama (BEM) method, the results are valid for the above two methods. Moreover, they can adapt to the NSDDEs and the stochastic delay differential equations (SDDEs) with jumps. Finally, a numerical example illustrates the effectiveness of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the rapid advance of urbanization, the rural public space in China is undergoing a drastic change. Studying the satisfaction of farmers with rural public space is of great significance for promoting the reconstruction of rural space, enhancing rural resilience, and building sustainable rural communities. This paper constructed an evaluation index system of the satisfaction of farmers with rural public space. Taking the traditional ancient village in the Chinese Loess Plateau as an example, we analyzed the differences in satisfaction of various groups of farmers with public space based on questionnaire survey data and in-depth interview data. This paper found that there is a certain degree of dislocation between the supply of rural public space and the demand of villagers in rural China, resulting in a relatively low overall satisfaction with rural public space. Among them, farmers have the highest satisfaction with production and lives public space, followed by the folk beliefs public space and entertainment public space. There are significant intergenerational and gender differences in the satisfaction of farmers with rural public space. The elders are more satisfied with the rural public space than the young people, and women are more satisfied with public space in production, life, organization and management than men. Therefore, future policies should pay attention to the modern transformation of the village traditional culture, and the requirements of different groups with rural public space. In addition, it is necessary to actively cultivate rural social organizations, enhance the ability of the village public management. • There exists dislocation between the supply of rural public space and farmers' demand in China. • There are significant intergenerational and gender differences in farmers' satisfaction with rural public space. • Older farmers are more satisfied with rural public space than younger farmers. • Women are more satisfied with rural public space of production and life, organization and management. • Promoting the sustainable development of rural public space should focus on physical and cultural transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a particular property of Lyapunov functions for functional differential equations (FDEs) is developed, that is the direct dependence of the signs of the derivatives of the Lyapunov functions on the initial data. This property implies that the derivatives of the Lyapunov functions for FDEs cannot be guaranteed to be negative definite generally, and then makes the FDEs differ from the ordinary differential equations constitutionally. With this property, we give some enlightenments for the research methods for establishing stability theorems or criteria for FDEs, which may help us to form a common view about the choice of the investigation methods on the stability of FDEs. The conclusion is stated in both the deterministic and stochastic versions. Two illustrative examples are given to show and verify our conclusion through the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boar reproductive traits are economically important for the pig industry. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for 13 reproductive traits measured on 205 F2 boars at day 300 using 60 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data imputed from a reference panel of 1200 pigs in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2 intercross population. We identified 10 significant loci for seven traits on eight pig chromosomes (SSC). Two loci surpassed the genome-wide significance level, including one for epididymal weight around 60.25 Mb on SSC7 and one for semen temperature around 43.69 Mb on SSC4. Four of the 10 significant loci that we identified were consistent with previously reported quantitative trait loci for boar reproduction traits. We highlighted several interesting candidate genes at these loci, including APN, TEP1, PARP2, SPINK1 and PDE1C. To evaluate the imputation accuracy, we further genotyped nine GWAS top SNPs using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism or Sanger sequencing. We found an average of 91.44% of genotype concordance, 95.36% of allelic concordance and 0.85 of r2 correlation between imputed and real genotype data. This indicates that our GWAS mapping results based on imputed SNP data are reliable, providing insights into the genetic basis of boar reproductive traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The triblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (L64, PEO13PPO30PEO13) in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Bmim][BF4]) can form lamellar liquid crystalline (Lα). The effect of apolar cyclohexane molecules on the Lαphase was investigated by using polarized optical microscopy (POM) and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The results of POM and SAXS show that a suitable amount of cyclohexane can contribute to the formation of lamellar liquid crystals, and the ordering of Lαphase is increased. For comparison, the effect of polar water on Lαphase was explored. After adding water, both EO groups and [BF4]–anion can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules, which weakens the electrostatic interactions between L64 and [Bmim][BF4] and therefore the ordering of lamellar structures is destroyed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• For optimal control, the stochastic information with current iterative results is used to solve the stochastic algebraic Riccati equation, which has stochastic characteristics. • Calculate the increment instead of the value itself to improve the calculation accuracy. • Newton's method with line search solve the potentially disastrous problem of the first Newton step. • The convergence and even quadratic convergence of the proposed incremental Newton's iterative algorithm have been discussed. In this paper, a novel incremental Newton's iterative algorithm for investigating the optimal control problem of Itô stochastic systems is presented. Newton's method is employed under the Fréchet derivative framework to iteratively solve a stochastic algebraic Riccati equation. Under moderate conditions, the convergence and even quadratic convergence of the proposed incremental Newton's iterative algorithm are discussed, respectively. In addition, the Newton's method is extended to the one with linear search. In the end, numerical results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]