Lung cancer (LC) stands as the foremost cause of cancer-related fatality rates worldwide. Early diagnosis significantly enhances patient survival rate. Nowadays, low dose computed tomography (LDCT) is widely employed on chest as a tool for large-scale lung cancer screening. Nonetheless, a large amount of chest radiographs causes an onerous burden on radiologists. Some computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) tools can provide insights to medical images for diagnosis and augmenting diagnostic speed. However, due to variation in parameter settings across different patients, substantial discrepancies in image voxels persist. We find different voxel-size causing a compromise between model generalization and diagnostic efficacy. This study investigates the performance disparities of diagnostic models trained on original images and LDCT images reconstructed to different voxel-sizes but isotropic. The application is to differentiate a nodule to be benign or malignant. Using 11 features, a support vector machine (SVM) is trained on LDCT images with an isotropic voxel having side-length of 1.5 mm for 225 patients in house. The result yields a favorable model performance with an accuracy of 0.9596 and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC/AUC) of 0.9855. In addition to furnish CAD tools for clinical applications, future research is encouraged to include LDCT images from multi-centers.

(1) Background: This retrospective study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of one-stage computed tomography (OSCT)- to that of two-stage computed tomography (TSCT)-guided localization for the surgical removal of small lung nodules. (2) Methods: We collected data from patients with ipsilateral pulmonary nodules who underwent localization before surgical removal at Veteran General Hospital Kaohsiung between October 2017 and January 2022. The patients were divided into the OSCT and TSCT groups. (3) Results: We found that OSCT significantly reduced the localization time and risky time compared to TSCT, and the success rate of localization and incidence of pneumothorax were similar in both groups. However, the time spent under general anesthesia was longer in the OSCT group than in the TSCT group. (4) Conclusions: The OSCT-guided approach to localize pulmonary nodules in hybrid operation room is a safe and effective technique for the surgical removal of small lung nodules.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has been proven to attenuate neuroinflammation in rats. This study aimed to determine the potential mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of HBO treatment on burn-induced neuroinflammation in rats. Thirty-six adult male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to the following six groups (n = 6 per group): (1) sham burn with sham HBO treatment, (2) sham burn with HBO treatment, (3) burn with 1-week sham HBO treatment, (4) burn with 2-week sham HBO treatment, (5) burn with 1-week HBO treatment, and (6) burn with 2-week HBO treatment. SD rats that received third-degree burn injury were used as a full-thickness burn injury model. Subsequently, we analyzed the expression of proteins involved in the galectin-3 (Gal-3)-dependent Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) pathway through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis, and Western blotting, and a behavior test was also conducted. The behavior test revealed that HBO treatment significantly suppressed mechanical hypersensitivity in the burn with HBO treatment group compared with the burn with sham HBO treatment group (p < 0.05). ELISA results showed that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) levels in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and the skin were significantly decreased in the burn with HBO treatment group compared with the burn with sham HBO treatment group (p < 0.05). Western blotting results demonstrated that HBO treatment significantly reduced the expression of Gal-3 and TLR-4 in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in the burn with HBO treatment group compared with the burn with sham HBO treatment group (p < 0.05). IHC analysis results showed that the expression of Gal-3, TLR-4, CD68, and CD45 in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord was significantly lower in the burn with HBO treatment group than in the burn with sham HBO treatment group (p < 0.05), and the expression of CD68 and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the right hind paw skin was significantly lower. The expression of vimentin and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in the right hind paw skin was significantly higher after HBO treatment (p < 0.05). This study proved that early HBO treatment relieves neuropathic pain, inhibits the Gal-3-dependent TLR-4 pathway, and suppresses microglia/macrophage activation in a rat model.

Medical Self-service Terminals (MST) offer potential for process optimization and enhanced patient convenience in hospitals, including the elderly. However, the behavioral inclination (BI) of elderly Chinese individuals towards MST adoption remains suboptimal. This study aims to elucidate BI determinants for MST among the aging demographic, focusing on User Interface (UI) attributes within the extended Unified Technology Acceptance and Use Theory (UTAUT) Model. The empirical inquiry examines seven factors, comprising three key UI attributes and four fundamental UTAUT factors. Results reveal significant positive associations of Performance Expectancy (β=0.40, p&lt;0.001), Effort Expectancy (β=0.50, p&lt;0.001), and Social Influence (β=0.25, p&lt;0.05) with BI. Notably, User Interface Design positively correlates with Performance Expectancy (β=0.89, p&lt;0.001) and Effort Expectancy (β=0.81, p&lt;0.001). These findings emphasize the interplay between objective UI attributes and subjective UTAUT determinants. This research enhances understanding of UI's impact on MST BI and acceptance, particularly within the Chinese elderly population, urging MST researchers to prioritize elderly attitudes for effective technological integration in healthcare.

Borneol and menthol were two terpenes wildly used as penetrate enhancer in transdermal drug delivery. To explore their penetration enhancement effect towards hydrophilic drug, 5-FU was selected as model drug. A method combined vitro permeation studies and coarse grain molecular dynamics was used to investigate their penetration enhancement effect towards 5-FU. As a result, although both borneol and menthol showed a penetration enhancement effect towards 5-FU, they differed a lot in the penetration enhancement mechanism, which was also thought to account for their different penetration enhancement effect. As for menthol, SC bilayer disrupting effect seemed to be its main mechanism. While for borneol, its mechanism seemed to be more complicated. Except for disrupting the SC bilayer, it could also increase the permeation of 5-FU by enhancing the diffusion rate of 5-FU or inducing the formation of transient pore. All of this enable us a molecular understanding of borneol and menthol’s penetration enhancement effect towards hydrophilic drug, which might provide some guidance in the latter research and application.

MicroRNA (miRNA) is small non-coding RNAs that play vital roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation by inhibiting mRNA translation or promoting mRNA degradation. Dysregulation of miRNA has been implicated in numerous human diseases, including cancers. The family members of miR-34 (miR-34s), composed of miR-34a, miR-34b, and miR-34c, have emerged as the most extensively studied tumor-suppressive miRNAs. In this comprehensive review, we aim to provide an overview of the major signaling pathways and gene networks regulated by the miR-34s in various cancers and highlight the critical tumor suppressor role of miR-34s. Furthermore, we will discuss the potential of using miR-34 mimics as a novel therapeutic approach against cancer, while also addressing the challenges associated with their development and delivery. It is anticipated that gaining a deeper understanding of the functions and mechanisms of miR-34s in cancer will greatly contribute to the development of effective miR-34-based cancer therapeutics.

Our results demonstrated that SWT stimulates osteoblastogenesis and increase the cell number of osteoblasts, suggesting positive regulatory effects on osteoblast differentiation. However, the effect of SWT on bone formation need further examination, since the expression of alp gene is downregulated. On the other hand, SWT appears to negatively regulate osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption, as number of osteoclasts and the expression of critical bone resorptive genes are all downregulated. Collectively, SWT might change the equilibrium of bone remodeling and increase the bone mass. Our data provided supportive evidences that this medicine formulation can be applied to treat osteoporosis or bone destructive diseases.

In order to obtain higher thermoelectric and mechanical properties in non-polar thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), the Butyl rubber/Polypropylene (TPVs)/hydroxylated graphene (HGE) composites with nanosheet network were prepared through masterbatch technique and based on thermodynamic calculations, using polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-MA) as a compatibilizer. The FTIR and Raman spectra revealed the introduced maleic anhydride group on PP-MA can form strong interfacial interaction with hydroxyl-containing functional groups on HGE. Morphology study indicated the rubber particles in the composites occupied the most volume of the PP phase, as expected to hinder the aggregation of HGE and form the effective nanosheet network. The nanosheet network can be combined with the IIR cross-linked particles during the dynamic vulcanization process to improve the interface bonding between PP and IIR, thus increasing the tensile strength of TPVs. When the content of HGE reached the percolation threshold (2 wt.%), the nanosheet network of HGE was formed, and the AC conductivity, dielectric permittivity and thermal conductivity increased sharply. The prepared TPVs/HGE nanocomposites have significantly improved in mechanical properties, thermal properties and dielectric properties, which provides a guarantee for their potential application as multifunctional TPVs polymers.

In this work, we propose a Fog-enabled UAV-as-a-Service (FU-Serve) architecture to address the issues of data transmission delay for serving time-critical Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Traditionally, in a UAV-as-a-Service (UaaS) platform, different UAVs host heterogeneous sensors, which sense the physical phenomenon and transmit the sensed data to a centralized entity. Transmission of data from the sensors to the centralized entity and making any decision for an application consumes a significant amount of time. Consequently, the traditional UaaS architecture is unsuitable for serving time-critical IoT applications such as transportation, healthcare, and industries. To address these issues of service latency for time-critical IoT applications, we present the FU-Serve architecture by introducing the concept of fog computing in the UaaS platform. We discuss all the components of FU-Serve elaborately in this paper. Additionally, we architect optimal and dynamic fog node selection mechanisms for FU-Serve, which reduce the transmission delay in the networks. The simulation results show that the FU-Serve outperforms by $75\%$ compared to the traditional UaaS platform.

In this paper, the results of finite element analyses of a single-layer cylindrical latticed shell under severe earthquake is presented. A 3D Finite Element model using fiber beam elements were used to investigate the collapse mechanism of this type of shell. The failure criteria of structural members are simulated based on the theory of damage accumulation. Severe earthquake of peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 500 gal was applied to the shell. The stress and defeomation of the shell were studied in detail. A three-stages collapse mechanism “double-diagonal -members-failure-belt” of this type of structure was discovered. Based on the analysis results, the measures to mitigate collapse of this type of structure is recomanded.

The Shimensi super-large tungsten polymetallic deposit is located in Late Jurassic- Early Cretaceous Porphyry-Skarn tungsten ore belt in the south Yangtze metallogenic belt. There are 3 types of mineralization: veinlet-disseminated type, thick quartze vein type and hydrothermal crypto-explosive breccia type. Based on geological studies, this paper presents new petrographic, microthermometric, laser Raman spectroscopic and hydrogen and oxygen isotope research of the fluid inclusions from the deposit. The results show that there are five different types of fluid inclusions: liquid-rich inclusions, vapor-rich inclusions, pure liquid inclusions, pure vapor inclusions, and fluid inclusions containing a solid crystal. The homogenization temperatures of the fluid inclusion range from 140℃-270℃, the salinities are 3%-5% NaCleq and the densities of ore-forming fluid range from 0.64 g/cm3 to 0.99 g/cm3. For the analyses of Laser Raman spectroscopic, the ore-forming fluids can be approximated by a Ca2+-Na+-SO42--Cl- fluid system with small amount of CO2, CH4 and N2. Otherwise, the datas of the pressure, pH and Eh show a fluid metallogenic environment of low pressure, weak acid and weak reduction. The values of the homogenization temperature in 3 types of orebodies suggest that the mineralization is characterized by the decrease of the temperature under the condition of the fluid immiscibility. The H-O isotope values are interpreted to indicate that the ore-forming fluids are mainly composed of magmatic water, and also the meteoric water was added with the process of the magma rising.

The utilization of dual-potential mode of integrated array (IDA) electrodes and other two-electrode systems has revolutionized electrochemical detection by enabling the simultaneous and independent detection of two species, accompanied by the exhibition of unique characteristics. In contrast to conventional dual-potential electrodes, the rotating ring disk electrodes (RRDE), IDA electrodes demonstrate analogous yet vastly improved performance metrics, characterized by remarkable collection efficiency and sensitivity. Notably, due to the distinctive microscale structure of IDA electrode, the special “feedback” effect makes IDA a unique signal amplifier. In recent decades, the research surrounding IDA electrodes has garnered escalating interest due to their attractive attributes. This review centers its focus on the fabrication and applications of IDA electrodes. In the realm of fabrication, two critical breakthroughs are poised for realization: the achievement of reduced dimensions and the diversification of materials. Established fabrication methods for IDA electrodes encompass photolithography, inkjet printing, and direct laser writing, each affording distinct advantages in terms of size and precision in IDA construction. Predominantly employed materials for IDA electrodes include gold, platinum, and carbon, with the selection of fabrication methods guided by considerations such as material properties, desired dimensions, cost-efficiency, and specific application requisites. Within the domain of applications, IDA electrodes, capitalizing on their distinctive attributes, have found utility in diverse fields. This review summarizes the applications of IDA electrodes based on their fundamental working principles, encompassing redox cycling, resistance modulation, capacitance variations, and more. The potential for further development of this specialized tool to exhibit enhanced properties holds substantial promise.

Taiwan is the world’s leading country regarding tuna longline fisheries; the combined catches with those from Japan account for more than half of the global total. However, the bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, and dolphins in longline fisheries has attracted international concern. Regarding sea turtle conservation, the use of circle hooks in longline fisheries will inevitably become a trend. Meanwhile, Taiwanese fishermen are concerned whether the use of circle hooks will have a negative impact on the catch efficiency of target species. This study was conducted to compare the catch efficiency of circle and tuna hooks by the Taiwanese commercial tuna longline fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The results indicated that if the effects of immersion time were considered, the catch rates of all groups were the same between 4.2-sun circle and tuna hooks. However, the catch rate of 4.0-sun circle hooks was significantly higher than the two types of 4.2-sun circle and tuna hooks. Regarding survival rates, fish caught with circle hooks showed higher survival rates than tuna hooks for total commercial fish, tunas and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). However, the survival rate was only determined at haulback; the relationship between survival rate and immersion time still needs further investigation. Regarding catch sizes, there were no significant differences in the sizes of bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna between circle and tuna hooks. But based solely on mean weight, the value of yellowfin tuna caught using circle hooks may be higher than those using tuna hooks. In summary, the circle hooks used in this study did not show a negative impact on the catch efficiency of Taiwanese longline fisheries, and could show a superior performance than that of tuna hooks. These results could be actively promoted in the industry through the education and training of fishermen; thus enabling Taiwan to comply with international sea turtle conservation trends.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought unprecedented risks and challenges to everyone in the world. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease of the nervous system. Infection can worsen it and cause severe symptoms such as myasthenia crisis and respiratory failure. At present, the pandemic of COVID-19 may promote the aggravation of patients with MG. This article focuses on the respiratory management of MG patients during the epidemic of COVID-19.

Most astrophysicists today believe that the present universe was produced in a big bang. This article explores the big cycle of matter and energy in the universe, with the big bang as an important part of the cycle.The authors approve of the idea that the universe is gravitationally closed. That is, its average density is higher than the critical value. All the matter and radiation cannot fly out the closed universe.The 3k background radiation is a vast heat ocean in the closed universe, stable and eternal. It is not the afterglow of the thermal radiation of the decoupled fire ball, 380,000 years after the big bang, as many people believed so far. The big bang and the following big expansion drove the matter of more than 2×10¹² galaxies to the remote space. Their potential energies become higher and higher, while their huge kinetic energies that they derived from the big bang become smaller and smaller until drop down to zero. The galaxies will then return back one after another, passing the central region of the universe with tremendously great kinetic energies. They of course cannot all return back directly to their start point of the big bang and restore to the state of the original cosmic core. They will rush to pass the central region and fly to the other sides of the universe, and shuttle around the central part ceaselessly. From the big bang to the following expansion, to the numerous galaxies, to the more than 2×10²³ stars, and to the stars releasing huge nuclear energy due to their internal nuclear fusion each for about 10¹⁰ years, all these enormous processes are irreversible, resulting in enormous increase in entropy. These processes produce large amount of light and other radiations and pour them into the extremely vast heat ocean. These light and other radiations will also be shuttling ceaselessly in the vast heat ocean until, by their interaction with the rare dusts in the galaxies, they mingle into the 3K thermal radiation of the heat ocean. In all the galaxies, there are various black holes. Every black hole, since its birth, ceaselessly extracts the matter and radiation that approach it, and gets larger. In the above mentioned shuttling of all the galaxies, numerous stars and black holes in these galaxies have many chances to approach even meet each other. A black hole can annex other celestial bodies that it meets, including annex other black holes. All these processes carry on and on ceaselessly, resulting in the matter of these celestial bodies to concentrate again and again. The number of all the celestial bodies including the black holes reduces ceaselessly, and the mass of the survived black holes become larger, and their shuttling amplitudes become shorter. The larger black holes and the shorter amplitudes result in the rate of concentration of mass to be faster. Eventually, all the matter in the universe will be concentrated to form a tremendously large central black hole. The central black hole has an astonishingly large Schwarzschild sphere, absorbing the thermal radiation from the vast heat ocean very rapidly and ceaselessly until some threshold value of its internal energy is exceeded, and a new big bang breaks out. The black holes provide a way in the Universe to re-concentrate matter and energy again. Black holes are Maxwell’s demons in the Nature.

The management of blunt abdominopelvic trauma with combined hemoperitoneum and pelvic fractures is challenging for trauma surgeons. Although angioembolization can achieve hemostasis in most visceral organ injuries and pelvic fractures after blunt abdominal trauma, it cannot effectively control hemorrhage in patients with blunt bowel mesenteric injury (BBMI). This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with hemodynamically unstable patients with BBMI and to test the hypothesis that pelvic fracture is an independent risk factor for patients with unstable BBMI and concomitant pelvic fracture to guide the therapeutic sequence for difficult-to-manage patients. This retrospective study reviewed the data of hospitalized patients with trauma between 2009 and 2021 and included 158 adult patients with surgically proven BBMI. The patients were divided on the basis of the presence of a shock episode before emergency laparotomy. The shock group included 44.3% of all patients in the study (n = 70). Clinical injury severity and prognosis for patients in the shock group were poorer than those for patients in the non-shock group, and more invasive treatments and transfusions were performed for patients in the shock group than for those in the non-shock group. Pelvic fractures were more frequently associated in the shock group than in the non-shock group (21.4% vs. 5.7%; p = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, the presence of intracerebral hemorrhage (odds ratio [OR] = 10.87, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 1.70–69.75) and rib fracture (OR = 5.94, 95% CIs = 1.06–33.45) were identified as independent predictors of shock, whereas the effect of pelvic fracture did not achieve statistical significance (OR = 2.94, 95% CIs = 0.66–13.13) after adjusting for confounding factors. For patients with BBMI, outcomes need to be improved during early diagnosis and treatments should be expeditiously performed on the basis of the rapid identification of unstable hemodynamic status. In unstable patients with concomitant pelvic fractures, we support the current management algorithm that recommends performing laparotomy first.

The rapid growth rate of the elderly population is a serious current issue in most countries, affecting them economically through needed medical treatment and healthcare planning. The priority concern is how to reduce the number of elderly people requiring long-term healthcare and raise the number who are able to live independently. This study executed a behavior assessment of elderly person’s self-reported use of electric scooters and analyzed their degree of acceptance of these assisted living tools, partly through a related factor analysis of our survey instrument. We used this questionnaire survey as our research method, applying SPSS22 software for factor analysis that revealed five survey facets.

Abstract: The migration and transformation of pesticides in the environment will have an impact on the ecosystem. This study collected greenhouse soil from Shouguang, Shandong Province, and studied the photodegradation and leaching of 17 common pesticides in the soil. The results of photodegradation experiments showed that the degradation rate of certain pesticides was increased in the light environment, compared with that in the dark controls. The light half-lives of emamectin benzoate, pyraclostrobin, and metalaxyl were all shorter than their respective dark half-lives, indicating that their residues in soil were greatly affected by light. The leaching experiment showed that the leaching potential of the leachable pesticides was: nitenpyram ≫ metalaxyl &gt; acetamiprid &gt; carbendazim &gt; diethofencarb ≈ chlorantraniliprole &gt; isoprothiolane &gt; oxadixyl &gt; boscalid ≈ tebuconazole &gt; hexaconazole. Pesticides that are easy to leach but not easy to degrade, such as chlorantraniliprole and metalaxyl, have a high potential risk of groundwater pollution, and more degradation technologies should be used to reduce their pollution risk. The study on photodegradation and vertical migration behavior of various pesticides in this study was conducive to providing references for the agricultural use and pollution control of pesticides.

Study objective Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused over a million deaths and resulted in adverse socio-economic impacts worldwide. However, predictability and prognostication of clinical features vary among different populations. Methods We search PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and WHO Global Health Library from December 2019 to April 2020 for studies reporting the risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes. The random-effect models for transformed prevalence (single-arm) or bivariate random-effect models (sensitivity and specificity) for correlated performance indicators. Results Among the 189 included studies representing 53,659 patients, the most sensitive predictor for COVID-19 infection was fever in adults (83%, 95% confidence interval [CI]:73–90%), and the most specific predictor was fatigue (96%, 95% CI: 80–99%). Fever was the most sensitive symptom in predicting the severity (89%, 95% CI:83–92%), followed by cough (71%, 95% CI:63–78%). The most specific predictor of severe COVID-19 was a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (99%, 95% CI:98–99%). The stage of the outbreak and age significantly affect the prevalence of fever, fatigue, cough, and dyspnea. Fever, cough, fatigue, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus combined have a 3.06 positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and a 0.59 negative likelihood ratio (NLR) in the diagnosis. Additionally, fever, cough, sputum production, myalgia, fatigue, and dyspnea combined have a 10.44 PLR and a 0.16 NLR in predicting severe COVID-19. Conclusions Understanding the different distribution of predictors essential for screening potential COVID-19 infection and severe outcomes and the combination of symptoms could improve the pre-test probability.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are amongst the most pharmaceutically relevant and well-studied protein targets, yet unanswered questions in the field leave significant gaps in our understanding of their nuanced structure and function. 3D pharmacophore models are powerful computational tools in silico drug discovery, presenting myriad opportunities for the integration of GPCR structural biology and cheminformatics. This review highlights success stories in the application of 3D pharmacophore modeling to de novo drug design, discovery of biased and allosteric ligands, scaffold hopping, QSAR analysis, hit-to-lead optimization, GPCR de-orphanization, mechanistic understanding of GPCR pharmacology and elucidation of ligand-receptor interactions. Furthermore, advances in the incorporation of dynamics and machine learning will be highlighted. The review will analyze challenges in the field of GPCR drug discovery, detailing how 3D pharmacophore modeling can be used to address them. Finally, we will present opportunities afforded by 3D pharmacophore modeling in the advancement of our understanding and targeting of GPCRs.

Background: Dendrobium officinale is not only an ornamental plant, but also a valuable medicinal herb that is both effective and widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, distinguishing D. officinale from other Dendrobium species is usually a difficult task that need much time and complex technologies due to their very similar external morphologies. The aim of this study is to develop a fast, even on-spot approach to identify D. officinale. Methods: We used DNA barcode-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method with species-specific LAMP primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA of D. officinale. LAMP reaction time and temperature were optimized and the specificity and sensitivity of LAMP species-specific primers were assessed. Results: This technique showed a high specificity and sensitivity to amplify the genomic DNA of D. officinale and allowed for rapid amplification (within 40 min) of the ITS region under a constant and mild temperature range of 65 °C without using thermocyclers. Besides, by using SYBR® Green I dye as the color developing agent, the color change was easily observed with naked eye. Reaction mixture containing DNA of D. officinale changed from orange to green, while the other Dendrobium species and the negative control retained original orange color. The specificity of this LAMP-based method was confirmed by testing 17 samples of D. officinale and 32 adulterant samples from other Dendrobium species. Conclusions: This LAMP-based rapid identification method does not require expensive equipment or specialized techniques and can be used in field surveys for accurate and fast on site identification.

Due to poor ventilation conditions in the tunnel, if gas pipeline leaks, the consequence of the accident will be more serious. Therefore, before the emergency repair, gas in the tunnel needs to be excharged so as not to explode during the repair process. Therefore, it is necessary to study the ventilation of gas in the tunnel. Based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) theory and taking the Yanyingshan tunnel section of China-Myanmar pipeline as an example, this paper uses Fluent software to establish the leakage model of the gas pipeline and fan model in the tunnel and analyzes the influence of different fan locations and number of fans on gas concentration. It can be concluded that: (1) the use of press-in method makes it more efficient to discharge gas out of the tunnel. (2) In order to make ventilation efficient, the fan should be arranged in a higher position and needs to be at a distance from the top of the tunnel. (3) Parallel use of two fans has better ventilation effect than single fan.

Human intestinal flora refers to a large and diverse microbial population present in the digestive tract of the human body, which plays a significant role in the establishment of human immune homeostasis and the normal function of the immune system. Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction, mainly involved in the anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody, cellular immune dependence, and complement¹. At present, studies have found that the intestinal flora of Myasthenia Gravis is different from that of healthy people. Probiotic therapy has been shown effective in the experimental autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis animal models. This article reviews the relationship between intestinal flora and Myasthenia Gravis, to provide new ideas for further study of the pathogenesis and clinical treatment of Myasthenia Gravis.

This research delves into the impact of complex low-speed wake flow structures on the aerodynamic characteristics of objects downstream. It employs the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method and the domain precursor simulation method to compare traditional methods and validate this approach. The study generates several flow structures of parallel dual-cylinder wakes with different scales and spacing. The variations in the aerodynamic coefficient of three downstream objects at various times passing through wakes of varying scales are appropriately compared and analyzed. The study establishes that the wake with a cylinder spacing of G=1.5 has a more compact and concentrated modal structure than that with a cylinder spacing of G=0.35. Smaller objects are more responsive to the wake flow structure with a spacing of G=1.5, whereas larger objects respond more to the flow structure with a spacing of G=0.35. The achieved results also reveal that the aerodynamic force coefficients of objects passing through the wakefield at different times are closely related to the temporal characteristics of the wake flow structure with different scales.

Wireless sensor networks are widely used in many applications such as environmental monitoring, health care, smart grid and surveillance. Many security protocols have been proposed and intensively studied due to the inherent nature of wireless networks. In particular, Wu et al. proposed a promising authentication scheme which is sufficiently robust against various attacks. However, according to our analysis, Wu et al.'s scheme has two serious security weaknesses against malicious outsiders. First, their scheme can lead to user impersonation attacks. Second, user anonymity is not preserved in their scheme. In this paper, we present these vulnerabilities of Wu et al.'s scheme in detail. We also propose a new scheme by fixing such vulnerabilities and improving the performance of the protocol.

Jacobian-free Newton Krylov (JFNK) is an attractive method to solve nonlinear equations in nuclear engineering systems, and has been successfully applied to steady-state neutron diffusion (k-eigenvalue) problems and multi-physics coupling problems. Preconditioning technique plays an important role in JFNK algorithm, significantly affecting computational efficiency. The key point is how to automatically construct a high-quality preconditioning matrix that can improve the convergence rate, and perform the preconditioning matrix factorization efficiently. An efficient reordering-based ILU(k) preconditioner is proposed to achieve the above objectives. In detail, the finite difference technique combined with the coloring algorithm is utilized to construct an efficient preconditioning matrix with low computational cost automatically. Furthermore, the reordering algorithm is employed for the ILU(k) to reduce the additional non-zero elements and pursue robust computational performance. A two-dimensional LRA neutron steady-state benchmark problem is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed preconditioning technique, and steady-state neutron diffusion problem with thermal-hydraulic feedback is also utilized as a supplement. The results show that coloring algorithms can efficiently and automatically construct the preconditioning matrix. The reordering-based ILU(k) preconditioner shows excellent robustness, avoiding the effect of fill-in levels k choice in incomplete LU factorization.

The operation of transformers suffers from natural or man-made disasters, subjecting the equipment to prolonged exposure to temperature, lightning strikes, transient over-voltages, and over-current, gradually producing insulation aging phenomenon, which results in partial discharges within the transformer. Without dealing with it beforehand properly, it may lead to insulation breakdown. Nowadays, with the mature development of microchip control technology and wireless communication technology, which is helpful for realizing the research for online real-time and long-term monitoring capabilities for power equipment. A transformer operating condition monitoring and diagnostic system that can rapidly and effectively prevent the breakdown of transformer insulation, which can impact the overall power supply system is developed in this paper. The system is divided into two parts based on its function. The first part is the operating condition monitoring and real-time alert unit for the transformer, primarily composed of an embedded computing module, a sensor module, and a transmission module. Its work content is to capture real-time online partial discharge ultrasonic signals and high frequency current comparator pulse signals, and analyze and determine the condition of the internal insulation and operational status whether it is fault or not. The second part is the central control unit, consisting mainly of an industrial computer and a transmission module. Its work content is to store the ultrasonic and high frequency current comparator pulse signals from the transformer operation monitoring and real-time alert unit. It uses the software to eliminate signal noise and interference, and then utilizes artificial neural networks to identify the type of fault. In this paper, the research for the phenomenon of insulation degradation in transformer equipment aims to establish aging trend profiles through the dual malfunctioning alert and aging process analysis, as well as the long-term measurement of ultrasonic signals from partial discharges and high-frequency current comparator pulse signals. This approach provides crucial reference data and a foundation for disposable on-site measurement, assessing the phenomenon of insulation aging stages, defects and damage of the transformers effectively. It allows for timely replacement or maintenance in advance, achieving the prevention of malfunctioning and predictive diagnosis of aging.

The connexin gene family is the most prevalent gene that contributes to hearing loss. Connexins 26 and 30, encoded by GJB2 and GJB6 respectively, are the most abundant expressed connexins in the inner ear. Connexin 43 which is encoded by GJA1 appears to be widely expressed in various organs, including the heart, skin, brain, and inner ear. The mutations that arise in GJB2, GJB6 and GJA1 can all result in comprehensive or non-comprehensive genetic deafness in newborns. As it is predicted that connexins include at least 20 isoforms in humans, the biosynthesis, structural composition, and degradation of connexins must be precisely regulated so that the gap junctions can operate properly. Certain mutations result in connexins possessing a faulty subcellular localization, failing to transport to the cell membrane and preventing gap junction formation, ultimately leading to connexin dysfunction and hearing loss. In this review, we provide a discussion of the transport models for connexin 43, connexins 30 and 26, mutations affecting trafficking pathways of connexin 26, the existing controversies in trafficking pathways of connexins, and the molecules involved in connexin trafficking and their functions. This review can contribute to a new way of understanding the etiological principles of connexin mutations and finding therapeutic strategies for hereditary deafness.

Pancreatic cancer is projected to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030 in the US. The benefits of the most common systemic therapy for various pancreatic cancer have been masked by high drug toxicities, adverse reactions, and resistance. Using nanocarriers like liposomes to overcome these unwanted effects has become very popular. This study aimed to formulate 1,3-bis tetrahydrofuran-2yl-5FU (MFU)-loaded liposomal nanoparticles (Zhubech) and evaluate the stability, MFU release kinetics, in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities, and biodistribution. Particle size and zeta potential were determined using a particle size analyzer, while cellular uptake of rhodamine-entrapped liposomal nanoparticle (Rh0-LnP) was determined by confocal microscopy. Gadolinium hexanoate (Gd-Hex) was synthesized and entrapped into the liposomal nanoparticle (LnP) (Gd-Hex-LnP) as a model contrast agent, to evaluate gadolinium biodistribution and accumulation by LnP in vivo using inductively coupled plasma mass spec-trometry (ICP-MS). The mean hydrodynamic diameters of the blank LnP and Zhubech were 90.0 ± 0.65 nm and 124.9 ± 3.2 nm, respectively. The hydrodynamic diameter of Zhubech was found to be highly stable at 4o C and 25oC for 30 days in solution. In vitro drug release of MFU from Zhubech formulation exhibited the Higuchi model (R2 value = 0.95). Both Miapaca-2 and Panc-1 treated with Zhubech showed reduced viability, two- or four-fold lower than that of MFU-treated cells in 3D spheroids (IC50Zhubech = 3.4 ± 1.0μM vs IC50MFU = 6.8 ± 1.1μM) and organoids (IC50Zhubech = 9.8 ± 1.4μM vs IC50MFU = 42.3 ± 1.0μM) culture models. Confocal imaging confirmed high uptake of rhodamine-entrapped LnP by Panc-1 cells in a time-dependent manner. Tumor efficacy studies in PDX bearing mouse model revealed more than 9-fold decrease in mean tumor volumes in Zhu-bech treated (108 ± 13.5 mm3) compared to 5-FU treated (1,107 ± 116.2 mm3) animals respectively. This study demonstrates that Zhubech may be a potential candidate for delivering drugs for pancreatic cancer treatment.

The natural product Salvinorin A (SalA) was the first nitrogen-lacking agonist discovered for the opioid receptors and exhibits high selectivity for the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) turning SalA into a promising analgesic to overcome the current opioid crisis. Since SalA’s suffers from poor pharmacokinetic properties, particularly the absence of gastrointestinal bioavailability, fast metabolic inactivation and subsequent short duration of action, the rational design of new tailored analogs with improved clinical usability is highly desired. Despite being known for decades, the binding mode of SalA within the KOR remains elusive as several conflicting binding modes of SalA were proposed hindering the rational design of new analgesics. In this study, we rationally determined the binding mode of SalA to the active state KOR by in silico experiments (docking, molecular dynamics simulations, dynophores) in the context of all available mutagenesis studies and structure-activity relationship (SAR) data. To the best of our knowledge this is the first comprehensive evaluation of SalA’s binding mode since the determination of the active state KOR crystal structure. SalA binds above the morphinan binding site with its furan pointing towards the intracellular core while the C2-acetoxy group is oriented towards the extracellular loop 2 (ECL2). SalA is solely stabilized within the binding pocket by hydrogen bonds (C210ECL2, Y3127.35, Y3137.36) and hydrophobic contacts (V1182.63, I1393.33, I2946.55, I3167.39). With the disruption of this interaction pattern or the establishment of additional interactions within the binding site we were able to rationalize the experimental data for selected analogs. We surmise the C2-substituent interactions as important for SalA and its analogs to be experimentally active, albeit moderate frequency within MD simulations of SalA. We further identified the non-conserved residues 2.63, 7.35, and 7.36 responsible for the KOR subtype selectivity of SalA. We are confident that the elucidation of the SalA binding mode will promote the understanding of KOR activation and the facilitate the development of novel analgesics that are urgently needed.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element impacting on biological systems and ecosystems. Because the toxicity of Hg species is highly dependent on concentration levels and chemical forms, sensitive identification of chemical forms for Hg, i.e., Hg speciation, is of major significance in providing meaningful information about the source of Hg exposure. In this study, a microfluidic-based device made of high clarity poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was fabricated. Then titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) were attached to the treated channel interior with the aid of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). After coupling the nano-TiO2-coated microfluidic-based photocatalyst-assisted reduction device (the nano-TiO2-coated microfluid-ic-based PCARD) with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), a selective and sensitive hyphenated system for Hg specia-tion was established. Validation procedures demonstrated that the method could be satisfactorily applied to the determination of mercuric ion (Hg2+) and methylmercury ion (CH3Hg+) in both human urine and water samples. Remarkably, the zeta potential measured clearly indicated the PDADMAC-capped nano-TiO2 with predominance of positive charges indeed provided steady force for firm attachment to the negatively charged device channel. The cause for the durability of the nano-TiO2-coated microfluidic-based PCARD was clarified thus.

A novel binary toxin-positive non-027, non-078 Clostridium difficile strain designated LC693 whose sequence type was ST201 was isolated from the fecal sample of a patient with severe diarrhea in China. To understand the pathogenesis basis of C. difficile ST201, this recently recovered isolate LC693 was then chosen for whole genome sequencing. The project finally generated an estimated genome size of approximately 4.07 Mbp. The genome sequence was then analyzed together with the other two ST201 strains VL-0104 and VL-0391 and compared to the epidemic 027/ST1 and 078/ST11 strains. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the ST201 strains belonged to clade 3. Genome size of the three ST201 strains ranged from 4.07 Mb~4.16 Mb, with an average GC content between 28.5%~28.9%. The ST201 genomes contained more than 40 antibiotic resistance genes and 15 of them were predicted to be associated with vancomycin-resistance, suggesting that they may have a strong antibiotic resistance. The ST201 strains contained a typical clade 3 specific PaLoc with a Tn6218 element inserted, and those genes harbored on their PaLoc that participated in the toxin expression and regulation were highly homologues to the epidemic 027 and 078 strains, with the exception of tcdC. A truncated TcdC was found in the ST201 strains, which is suggestive to have a contribution to the toxin production of the ST201 strains. In addition, the ST201 strains contained intact binary toxin coding and regulation genes, which is also proposed to contribute to the virulence. Genome comparison of the ST201 strains with the epidemic 027 and 078 strain identified 641 genes specific for the C. difficile ST201, and a number of them were predicted as fitness and virulence associated genes. The identification of those genes also contributes to the pathogenesis of the ST201 strain. To our knowledge, this is the first study that the genome sequence of C. difficile ST201 was discussed in detail, and the present study would have a contribution to understanding the pathogenesis basis of C. difficile ST201.

The first appearance of viruses can date back to the late last century. As an effective form of malware, viruses reside in the permanent storage of target hosts. Before a virus can execute, that must load into memory from the persistent storage included in the associated file. Due to the reliable destructive power of viruses, many mechanisms have been developed to defend computer systems against these hazardous threats. Antivirus software is one of the most famous and popular among these mechanisms. Most antivirus software uses static analysis (signature-based) technology on files stored in permanent storage, such as hard disks or USB flashes, to detect viruses hidden in files. Fileless malware was developed to enhance the survivability of malware by circumventing detection. Fileless malware only exists in the target hosts’ memory, not files. Antivirus software cannot even access the fileless malware code, much less analyze it, since it may be performed in memory directly without needing to load it from a disk. As a result, it is difficult for an antivirus engine to defend a system against fileless malware attacks. This paper proposes a kernel-based solution called Check-on-Execution (CoE) to detect fileless malware on a Linux system. When a program is going to execute a piece of code in a writable and executable memory area of a process, CoE suspends the code execution first. Coe retrieves the code from memory, packs the code with an ELF header to create an ELF file, and uses VirusTotal to check the file to prevent a Linux system from executing fileless malware. Experimental results show that CoE noticeably enhances the ability of a Linux system to defend itself again fileless malware. CoE is also suitable for protecting a system from shell code injection attacks, such as buffer and heap overflow attacks. It is capable of handling even packed malware. But in this paper, we only focus on fileless malware.

A new optical steganography scheme is proposed that transmits a stealth optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) signal through a public binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) channel. Polarization beam splitters and arrayed waveguide gratings are used to implement a spectral-polarization coding (SPC) system with an incoherent optical source. We employ a Walsh–Hadamard code as the signature code of the user who wants to transmit stealth information using the system. A free space optical link applied to this system maintains the polarization states of light during propagation. The secret data is extracted using correlation detection and balanced subtraction in the OCDMA decoder of the intended receiver, and the other signal from the public channel is reduced by the OCDMA decoder. At the demodulator of the public channel, BPSK demodulation eliminates the stealth signal so that the public channel is not affected by the stealth signal. The two signals cannot interfere with each other. The results of this study show that our proposed optical steganography system is highly secure. The stealth signal can be favorably hidden in the public channel when the average source power of the stealth signal, public noise, and public signal are −5, −3, and 0 dBm, respectively.

Grafting is an effective way to increase plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors, it is widely used in watermelon production. However, grafting is labor intensive due to the additional time is required, such as the management of rootstock regrowth. This study used a new grafting tool to destroy (remove) the epidermis of pumpkin and bottle gourd rootstock cotyledon base during grafting, we called this a new grafting method. Compared with the traditional grafting (100%), the new grafting method had significantly lower rate of rootstock regrowth (2-23%), higher watermelon scion dry weight and leaf area. In addition, the time used for the new hole insertion and one cotyledon grafting method to destroy (remove) the epidermis of rootstock cotyledon base (4.2 s/plant, 4.2 s/plant) is significantly shorter than the time required to remove the rootstock regrowth manually in the traditional grafting (9.3 s/plant, 8.8 s/plant). Thus, this study developed a new grafting method for watermelon to inhibit rootstock regrowth and enhance scion growth, and this new method is cost-effective for grafted watermelon seedlings.

Flower color and color patterns are important traits for ornamental species; for this reason, a comprehensive understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying these characters is extremely significant for plant breeders. The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera Linn.) is well known for its flowers, odd leaves and tree form. However, the genetic mechanism underlying its flower color remains unknown. In this study, a putative LtuPTOX gene was identified based on multiple databases of differential transcript expression at various developmental stages and the complete genome sequence of Liriodendron. Then, the full-length cDNA of LtuPTOX was derived from tepals and leaves using RACE approaches. Furthermore, the gene structure and a phylogenetic analysis of PTOX as well as AOXs, highly similar homologs in the AOX family, were used to distinguish between the two subfamilies of genes. In addition, transient transformation and qPCR methods were used to determine the subcellular localization and tissue expression pattern of the LtuPTOX gene. Moreover, the expression of LtuPTOX as well as pigment contents was investigated to illustrate the function of this gene during the formation of orange bands on petals. The results showed that the LtuPTOX gene encodes a 358-aa protein that contains a complete AOX domain (PF01768.17). Accordingly, Liriodendron PTOX and AOX genes were identified as only paralogs since they were rather similar in the sequence. LtuPTOX showed chloroplast localization, and expressed in the colored organs such as petals and leaves. In addition, increasing pattern of LtuPTOX transcripts lead to carotenoids accumulation on the orange-band in the development period of flower bud. Taken together, our results provide that LtuPTOX is involved in petal carotenoid metabolism and orange band formation in L. tulipifera. Meanwhile, the identification of this potentially involved gene will lay a foundation for further uncovering the mechanism of flower color formation in L. tulipifera.

Exercise-induced muscle injury is one of the most common types of sports injuries. Skeletal muscle troponin I (skTnI) serves as an ideal biomarker in assessing such injuries, facilitating timely detection and evaluation. In this study, we develop a fluorescent sandwich lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) combined with a desktop analyzer for rapid detection of skTnI. Through optimizing the reaction system, the assay achieves a satisfying detection performance, reaching a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 ng/mL with a turnaround time of 15 minutes. The proposed de-tection platform offers portability, ease of use, and high sensitivity, which facilitates the moni-toring of exercise-induced muscle injuries at the point of care. This feature is particularly advan-tageous for end-users, enabling timely detection of sports-related injuries and ultimately en-hancing prognosis and sports life.

Exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane is induced by infection with several members of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. There is evidence that PS is used by the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) during entry, but the exact role of PS and other phospholipids in the entry process remains unknown. Here, we investigated the interaction of differently charged phospholipids with virus particles and determined their influence on infection. Our data show that liposomes containing negatively charged PS or positively charged DOTAP [N-[1-(2,3-Dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)] inhibited EHV-1 infection, while neutral phosphatidylcholine (PC) had no effect. Inhibition of infection with PS was transient, decreased with time, and was dose dependent. Our findings indicate that both cationic and anionic phospholipids can interact with the virus and reduce infectivity, while acting through different mechanisms. Charged phospholipids were found to have antiviral effects and can may be used to inhibit EHV-1 infection.

Microchimerism is the presence of cells in an individual that have originated from another individual. The most common form of microchimerism is fetomaternal microchimerism, i.e., cells from a fetus pass through the placenta and establish cell lineages within the mother. Microchimerism was also described after transplantation of human organs in human recipients. Consequently, microchimerism may also be expected in xenotransplantation using pig cells or organs. Indeed, microchimerism was described in patients after xenotransplantations as well as in non-human primates after transplantation of pig organs. Here for the first time a comprehensive review of microchimerism in xenotransplantation is given. Since pig cells contain porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in their genome, detection of proviral DNA in the transplant recipients may be misinterpreted as infection of the recipient with PERV. To prevent this, methods discriminating between infection and microchimerism are described. This knowledge will be important for the interpretation of screening results in forthcoming human xenotransplantations.

It was the aim of this study to compare the ratio of salbutamol and its major metabolite salbutamol-4’-O-sulfate as well as the quantity excreted renally after oral and inhalative administration. Additionally, the excretion pattern after application of racemic salbutamol opposed to the pure enantiomer levosalbutamol was evaluated. For quantitation of the sulfonated metabolite of salbutamol, reference material was synthesized and characterized by NMR and HRMS. Urine samples were analyzed by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Salbutamol is mainly metabolized by sulfotransferase 1A3 (SULT1A3), which is most abundantly found in the jejunum. A high first pass effect occurs upon oral administration, which leads to a higher amount of salbutamol-4’-O-sulfate in urine compared to unchanged salbutamol excreted within the first hour post administration. Thus, when administered orally, the proportion of metabolite to total salbutamol was higher than for inhalative administration in the early urinary excretion. Levosalbutamol is the favored enantiomer of SULT1A3 and therefore metabolized at a higher rate whereas racemic salbutamol shows a reduced proportion between metabolite and parent compound. The amount of sulfoconjugate was found higher than that of the parent compound for all urine samples except for those excreted in the first hour after inhalative administration.

Establishment of diagnostic methods with low detection limits plays a critical role in the maintenance of early diagnosis, prevention of serious neurological complications, and control of the spread of ZIKA. In this study, we established the micro-droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and real-time fluorescent quantification PCR (qPCR) protocols for the detection of Zika virus based on the NS5 gene. For the Zika standard plasmid, the standard curve of R² was 0.999, and the amplification efficiency was 92.203%, as determined by qPCR. Both ddPCR and qPCR were positive for cell culture of Zika nucleic acid.The minimum detection limit of ddPCR is 1–2 times lower than qPCR. Moreover, all tests of Dengue virus (1–4 serotypes) were negative in cell culture. Overall, these results suggested than ddPCR may have a lower limit of detection than qPCR.

The production of instant green tea requires hot-water extraction, which is time consuming and contributes to losses in aromatic compounds. In this study, an ultrasonic-assisted technology was used to improve the extraction efficiency of green tea, thereby shortening extraction time from 45 to 15 min. In pure water, the dissolution of caffeine and theanine did not change significantly, but total catechin dissolution increased by 0.23 mg/mL and total tea polyphenol dissolution decreased by 3.2 mg/mL. In 76.2% ethanol, the dissolution of caffeine and theanine did not change significantly, but total catechin dissolution increased by 1.57mg/mL and total tea polyphenol dissolution decreased by 1.5 mg/mL. Additionally, we used microwave-assisted technology to further improve the extraction efficiency of green tea, which shortened the extraction time to 2 min. However, the extraction rate remained unchanged. In pure water, the dissolution of caffeine and theanine did not change significantly, but the dissolution of total catechins increased by 0.41 mg/mL and the dissolution of tea polyphenols decreased by 2.9 mg/mL. Ultrasonic treatment increased the proportion of 3-hydroxybutan-2-one, (5S)-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-one and 2-phenylethanol, which were the main aroma compounds in tea. Microwave treatment changed the aroma compounds in tea, causing losses in aroma compounds with low boiling point and maintaining (5S)-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-one. The taste and aroma of instant green tea improved based on sensory evaluation results.

Metandienone and methyltestosterone are orally active anabolic-androgenic steroids with a 17α-methyl structure that are prohibited in sports but are frequently detected in anti-doping analysis. After the previously reported detection of long-term metabolites with a 17ξ-hydroxymethyl-17ξ-methyl-18-nor-5ξ-androst-13-en-3ξ-ol structure in the chlorinated metandienone analog dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (“Oral Turinabol”), in this study we investigated the formation of similar metabolites of metandienone and 17α-methyltestosterone with a rearranged D-ring and a fully reduced A-ring. Using a semi-targeted approach including synthesis of reference compounds, two diastereomeric substances, viz. 17α-hydroxymethyl-17β-methyl-18-nor-5β-androst-13-en-3α-ol and its 5α-analog, were identified following an administration of methyltestosterone. In post-administration urines of metandienone, only the 5β-metabolite was detected. Additionally, 3α,5β-tetrahydro-epi-methyltestosterone was identified in the urines of both administrations besides the classical metabolites included in the screening procedures. Besides their applicability for anti-doping analysis, the results provide new insights on the metabolism of 17α-methyl steroids with respect to the order of reductions in the A-ring, the participation of different enzymes, and alterations of the D-ring.

The retrieval of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence is greatly beneficial to studies of marine phytoplankton biomass, physiology, and composition and is required for user applications and services. Customarily phytoplankton chlorophyll fluorescence is determined from satellite measurements through a fluorescence line-height algorithm using three bands around 680 nm. We propose here a modified retrieval, making use of all available bands in the relevant wavelength range with the goal to improve the effectiveness of the algorithm in optically complex waters. For the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) we quantify a Fluorescence Peak Height from fitting a Gaussian function and related terms into the top-of-atmosphere reflectance bands between 650 and 750 nm. This algorithm retrieves, what we call Fluorescence Peak Height from fitting a Gaussian function upon other terms to top-of-atmosphere reflectance bands between 650 and 750 nm. This approach is applicable to Level-1 and Level-2 data. We find a good correlation of the retrieved fluorescence product to global in-situ chlorophyll measurements, as well as a consistent relation between chlorophyll concentration and fluorescence from radiative transfer modelling and OLCI/in-situ comparison. The algorithm is applicable to complex waters without needing an atmospheric correction and vicarious calibration and features an inherent correction of small spectral shifts, as required for OLCI measurements.

The accuracy of estimating changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) level-2 products is limited by the leakage effect resulting from post-processing and the weaker signal magnitude in adjacent areas. TWS anomaly in Dnieper River basin, where characteristic with medium scale and adjacent weak TWS anomaly, is estimate in this work. Two categories of leakage error repaired method (including forward modeling, Data-driven, single and multiple scaling factor) are employed. Root mean square error (RMSE) and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) are used to evaluate the efficiency of methods. Compare to independent methods, TWS anomaly inverted by multiple scaling factor depending on CPC Soil Moisture model is more accurate in terms with RMSE 2.32 and NSE 0.88, which scaling factors corresponding to trend term 1.02, annual term 1.04, and semi-annual term 1.14. Further, comprehensive climate insights behind of the TWS anomaly were confirmed. The temperate continental climate of this River basin is shown, according to the variation of TWS anomaly in spatial domain. Snowmelt is significant role in TWS anomaly of Dnieper River basin, which is accord with the precipitation record and the 14 years temperature spatial distribution of February. Overall, we compare TWS anomaly recovered by single and multiple scaling method, the leakage signal originates mainly from semi-annual term of the TWS anomaly.

Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) is an attractive ornamental plant with a range of leaf colors and shapes. Breeding new varieties of ornamental kale has proven challenging due to its lengthy breeding cycle and the limited availability of genetic markers. Microspore culture is an effective approach to generate new materials and genetic maps are a prerequisite for quantitative trait loci analysis, MAS, fine gene mapping, and genome sequence assembly. In this study, a F1DH ornamental kale population comprising 300 DH lines was constructed using microspore culture. A high-density genetic map was developed by conducting whole-genome sequencing on 150 individuals from the F1DH population. The genetic map contained 1,696 bin-markers with 982,642 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning a total distance of 775.81 cM on all nine chromosomes with an average distance between markers of 0.46 cM. The ornamental kale genetic map contained substantially more SNP markers compared with published genetic maps for other B. oleracea crops. The F1DH progenies provide an excellent resource for germplasm innovation and breeding new varieties of ornamental kale. The high-density genetic map provides crucial insights for gene mapping and unraveling the molecular mechanisms behind important agronomic traits in ornamental kale.

Due to the increasing risk of extreme events caused by climate change (i.e. floods, fires, hurricanes) or wars, European veterinary public health may need some improvement. Utilizing a mix of qualitative (participatory observation) and quantitative methods (Internet mining), we analyzed the Greek media responses to the millennial flood in Thessaly (September 2023), focusing on animal health (including wild, companion animals and livestock) and public sentiment towards epizootic/epidemic threats. The study revealed a gap in crisis management plans regarding veterinary-related issues, emphasizing the need for comprehensive emergency response strategies. Our findings show how: (i) lay-referral system is projecting perception of epidemic threats into the population; (ii) emotional load of images of animal carcasses is misused by media creators aiming for big audience; (iii) pets owners are creating on-line communities for searching and treatment of their pets. Our results stress the importance of integrating crisis communication in consecutive phases of the discourse, such as (i) weather change; (ii) acute flood; (iii) recovery; (iv) outbreaks, into veterinary practices to better prepare for such disasters.

The successful advancement of xenotransplantation has led to the development of highly sensitive detection systems for the screening for potentially zoonotic viruses in donor pigs and preventing their transmission to the recipient. To validate these methods, genetically modified pigs generated for xenotransplantation, numerous minipig and other pig breeds have been tested, thereby increasing our knowledge concerning the pig virome and the distribution of pig viruses. Of particular importance are the porcine cytomegalovirus, a porcine roseolovirus (PCMV/PRV) and the hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV3). PCMV/PRV has been shown to reduce the survival time of pig transplants in non-human primates and was also transmitted in the first pig heart transplantation to a human patient. Here, we determined the sensitivities of our methods to detect PCMV/PRV, HEV3, porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus - 1 (PLHV-1), PLHV-2, PLHV-3, porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2), PCV3, PCV4 and porcine parvovirus 1 (PPV1) efficiently and used the methods to screen indigenous Greek black pigs. Since porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) of type A and B are integrated in the genome of all pigs, but PERV-C is not, the animals were screened for PERV-C and PERV-A/C. Our detection methods were sensitive and detected PCMV/PRV, PLHV-1, PLHV-1, PLHV-3, PVC3 and PERV-C in most animals. PPV1, HEV3, PCV4 and PERV-A/C were not detected. These data are of great interest since the animals are healthy and very resistant to diseases.

With over 5,000 exoplanets discovered since the advent of planetary science, understanding protoplanetary disk evolution remains critical. Although existing models have offered insights, the intricacies regarding the disk's structure and the impact of the host star's parameters on planet formation persist. Utilizing FARGO3D, we simulated the evolution of protoplanetary disks. Critical factors like surface density and the disk-to-host star mass ratio were primarily considered in terms of the host star's mass. After introducing necessary parameters into FARGO3D and integrating test particles for simulation, we assessed the protoplanetary disk's planetary formation capability. Our findings indicate that protoplanetary disks can form planets for host star masses below a certain threshold. However, as the host star's mass augments, its potential for planet formation diminishes, with a notable transition zone observed. Our research elucidates why most exoplanet-hosting stars have masses below this threshold, suggesting it's potentially more related to the intrinsic properties of the protoplanetary disk as determined by the host star rather than observational limitations.

Ginkgolic acids (GA) have been reported to exhibit anticancer properties, however, the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of GA C13:0 that was isolated from Ginkgo biloba exocarp (GBE) for anti-proliferation, pro-apoptosis and anti-migration effects in human MCF-7 and mouse 4T-1 breast cancer cells. The cytotoxic effect, apoptosis induction and migration inhibition were measured using MTT, TUNEL and Wound healing assays. The expression of mRNA and protein were determined using qPCR and Western blot. Our results showed that no cytotoxicity was found at concentrations of C13:0 below 100µM. The effects of GA C13:0 was further demonstrated by up-regulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 apoptosis pathway and the expression of Apaf-1 protein in the mitochondria. In addition, GA C13:0 also suppressed cell migration and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) with the increase of E-cadherin expression accompanied by the decrease of Snail, MMP-2, MMP-9 and Vimentin expression. Moreover, GA C13:0 induced cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1B1 expression in aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway. Notably, the up-regulation of CYP1B1 also might play a pivotal regulatory role in mitochondrial and EMT pathways in MCF-7 and 4T-1 cells. Our results may have implications for the development of anticancer agents containing GA as functional additives.

Recent advancements in the study of the protein complex photosystem II have clarified the sequence of events leading to the formation of oxygen during the S3->S4->S0 tran-sition, wherein the inorganic Mn4Ca(µ-O)6(OHx)4 cluster finishes photo-catalyzing the water splitting reaction (Greife et al, Nature 2023, 617, 623-628; Bhowmick et al, Nature 2023, 617, 629-636) . During this final step a tyrosine radical (TyrZ), stable for a couple of milliseconds, oxidizes a cluster bound oxygen while the hydrogen bonding patterns of nearby waters shift a proton away. A treatment of this redox reaction within the context of accepted transition state theories predicts rate constants that are significantly higher than experimentally recovered values (10^12s^-1 versus 10^3s^-1). In an effort to understand this disparity, temperature dependent experiments have revealed large entropic con-tributions to the rates with only a moderate energy of activation. We suggest that the entropic source may be related to the observed proton rearrangements, and further possible near isoenergetic variations in the nearby extended h-bonding network de-laying the realization of an ‘ideal’ transition state. In the following we explore this re-lation in the context of Eyring’s transition state theory and Marcus’ electron transfer theory, and evaluate their compatibility with the experimental evidence.

With technological transformations such as big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing, digital techniques are penetrating the field of finance. Digital finance is a resource-saving and environmentally friendly innovative financial service. It shows great green attributes and can drive the flow of financial resources towards environmentally friendly enterprises, thereby promoting green and low-carbon development. This paper investigates the effects of digital finance on green and low-carbon cyclic development and the mechanism. First, the level of green and low carbon cyclic development in China is estimated from multiple aspects based on the panel data of 31 provinces by using the spatio-temporal range entropy weight method. Then, the working mechanism of digital finance on green and low carbon cyclic development is revealed by performing empirical tests based on panel regression models, mediating effect models, and threshold models. Finally, the effects of digital finance and conventional variables on green and low-carbon cyclic development are investigated by using a random forest model and a CatBoost model in based on the machine learning. The results show that digital finance has significant positive effects on green and low-carbon cyclic development, and technological innovation plays a key role in the effects of digital finance on green and low-carbon cyclic development; meanwhile, the driving effect of digital finance on green and low carbon cyclic development shows nonlinear features with increasing “marginal effect”; besides, both digital finance and conventional factors have significant impacts on green and low carbon cyclic development. This study provides an empirical basis and path reference for digital finance to achieve “carbon peak, carbon neutralization” in China.

Viral infection can regulate the cell cycle, thereby promoting viral replication. Hijacking and altering the cell cycle are important for the virus to establish and maintain latent infection. Previously, Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) latently infected P8-Se301-C1 cells, which grew more slowly than Se301 cells and interfered with homologous SeMNNPV superinfection, were established. However, the effects of latent and superinfection with baculoviruses on cell cycle progression remain unknown. In this study, the cell cycle profiles of P8-Se301-C1 cells, and SeMNPV or Autographa californica mutiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) infected P8-Se301-C1 cells were characterized by flow cytometry. The results showed that replication-related genes MCM4, PCNA, and BAF were down-regulated (p < 0.05) in P8-Se301-C1 cells and the S phase of P8-Se301-C1 cells was longer than that of Se301 cells. P8-Se301-C1 cells infected with SeMNPV did not arrest in G2/M phase and or affect the expression of Cyclin B and cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). Furthermore, when P8-Se301-C1 cells were infected with SeMNPV after synchronized treatment with hydroxyurea and nocodazole, light microscopy and qRT-PCR analysis showed that compared with unsynchronized cells and S and G2/M phase cells, SeMNPV-infected P8-Se301-C1 cells in G1 phase induced G2/M phase arrest, and the amount of virus adsorption and intracellular viral DNA replication were significantly increased (p < 0.05). In addition, the BV production and the OB containing cells were both increased at 120 h post-infection (p < 0.05). The expression of Cyclin B and CDK1 was significantly down-regulated at 48 h post infection (p < 0.05). Finally, arrest of SeMNPV-infected G1 phase cells in the G2/M phase increased BV production (p < 0.05) and the number of OB containing cells. In conclusion, G1 phase infection and G2/M arrest are favorable to SeMNPV proliferation in P8-Se301-C1 cells, thereby alleviating the homologous superinfection exclusion. The results contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between baculoviruses and insect cell cycle progression regulation.

Carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) present a major threat to public health, demanding precise diagnostic techniques their detection. Discrepancies among CPO tests have raised concerns, partly due to limitations in detecting bacterial diversity within host/specimen. We explored the impact of unbiased colony selection on carbapenemase testing and assessed its relevance on various tests. Based on "FirstAll" for unbiased colony selection to reduce bias, we compared modified carbapenem inactivation method/EDTA-modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM/eCIM), Carba5, the CPO panel, and multiplex PCR (M-PCR). Initially, we compared FirstAll to conventional colony selection for mCIM. Second, we used M-PCR as a reference, to evaluate test performance across seven CPO species. The results revealed that FirstAll selection improved carbapenemase detection, revising false-negative in 10.5% of K. pneumoniae isolates. In addition, 12.4% of CPOs tested positive for multiple carbapenemase genes. Both the Carba5 test and CPO panel showed suboptimal performance (sensitivity/specificity: Carba5 75.5%/89.0%, CPO panel 78.1%/74.0%). Carba5 test provided specific carbapenemase class assignments but CPO panel failed in 20.3% of cases. Carba5 test and the CPO panel results correlated well with ceftazidime-avibactam minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Concordance for class A/D with MICs was 88.3% for Carba5 and 92.0% for the CPO panel; whereas for class B, it was 86.5% for Carba5 and 76.2% for the CPO panel. In conclusion, FirstAll as the unbiased colony selection impacted carbapenemase testing. With FirstAll, the diagnostic performance of either Carba5 or the CPO panel was compromised. The utilization of ceftazidime-avibactam guided by either the CPO panel or Carba5 was appropriate.

[NiFe]-hydrogenases are gas-processing metalloenzymes that catalyze the conversion of dihydrogen (H2) to protons and electrons in a broad range of microorganisms. Within the framework of green chemistry, the molecular proceedings of biological hydrogen turnover inspired the design of novel catalytic compounds for H2 generation. The bidirectional “O2-sensitive” [NiFe]-hydrogenase from Escherichia coli HYD-2 has recently been crystallized; however, a systematic infrared characterization in the presence of natural reactants is not available yet. In this study, we analyze HYD-2 from E. coli by in situ ATR FTIR spectroscopy under quantitative gas control. We provide an experimental assignment of all catalytically relevant redox intermediates alongside the O2- and CO-inhibited cofactor species. Furthermore, the reactivity and mutual competition between H2, O2, and CO was probed in real time, which lays the foundation for a comparison with other enzymes, e.g., “O2-tolerant” [NiFe]-hydrogenases. Surprisingly, only Ni-B was observed in the presence of O2 with no indications for the “unready” Ni-A state. The presented work proves the capabilities of in situ ATR FTIR spectroscopy as an efficient and powerful technique for the analysis of biological macromolecules and enzymatic small molecule catalysis.

Symmetry concepts in parametrized dynamical systems may reduce the number of external parameters by a suitable normalization prescription. If, under the action of a symmetry group G, parameter space A becomes a (locally) trivial principal bundle, A ~ A/G x G, then the normalized dynamics only depends on the quotient A/G. In this way, the dynamics of fractional variables in homogeneous epidemic SI(R)S models, with standard incidence, absence of R-susceptibility and compartment independent birth and death rates, turns out to be isomorphic to (a marginally extended version of) Hethcote's classic endemic model, first presented in 1973. The paper studies a 10-parameter master model with constant and I -linear vaccination rates, vertical transmission and a vaccination rate for susceptible newborns. As recently shown by the author, all demographic parameters are redundant. After adjusting time scale, the remaining 5-parameter model admits a 3-dimensional abelian scaling symmetry. By normalization we end up with Hethcote's extended 2-parameter model. Thus, in view of symmetry concepts, reproving theorems on endemic bifurcation and stability in such models becomes needless.

Sustainable development advocates for an environmentally friendly and resource-saving approach, fostering a new quality of productivity that is green and sustainable, and achieving a sustainable development where the economy and the environment are in harmony. The paper is based on clarifying the effects of coordinated development between the economy and the environment, and by establishing an indicator system, applying a remote sensing ecological index, entropy weight method, gray relational degree model, and a coupling coordination model, the relationship of coordinated development of Ordos in 2016-2022 is analyzed from a spatial-temporal perspective. The results are as follows: ① The years of coordinated development between the ecological environment and the economy are in the majority, while the uncoordinated years are fewer. ② The level of coordinated development between the ecological environment and the economy in the various regions of Ordos has been increasing year by year, but it still remains at the barely coordinated and primary coordinated levels. ③ The types of coordinated development between the ecological environment and the economy in Ordos exhibit significant spatial differentiation in terms of spatial distribution and clustering.Therefore, it is necessary to formulate coordinated development policies and measures according to the constraining factors of different regions.

Muscle fatigue caused by using staplers affects the surgical procedures of surgeons. Compared to manual staplers, electric staplers decrease the muscle fatigue by replacing repeated gripping and releasing with automatic model. Still powered by the battery, the electric staplers are confronted with new operation fatigue due to the extra weight of the battery. The weight and manual operation of the electric stapler can cause user's muscle fatigue. To tackle the unsettled fatigue issue, the study is to propose a new design method to offset the influence of extra weight of the battery attached to the electrical stapler by changing the opening and closing of the stapler end clamp to electric control. The purpose of this study is to verify whether the design of this electric stapler can offset the impact of weight. Experiments are set up to test the feasibility of the design on 12 male Chinese surgeons. The muscle fatigue is indicated by measuring the EMG (electromyography) signal, and the stapler's working effect is indicated by measuring the end movement of the stapler. The result shows the new-designed stapler reduce the operation fatigue, counteracting the impact of the battery weight.

As one of the important wastes, waste PET pollutes human living and natural environment seriously. PET is an important solid waste that needs to be recycled at present. The complete degradation of PET was realized at low temperature. The lipophilic hydrophobic membrane was formed on the surface of stainless steel mesh (SSM) by a simple dip coating method, and the oil-water separation material was successfully prepared. Due to the load of degradation products, the surface roughness of SSM increased from 19.09 μm increased to 62.33 μm. The surface changed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, and the water contact angle increased to 123o. The oil-water separation flux of modified SSM is 9825 L/(m2·h) and the separation efficiency is 98.99%. The modified SSM has good reuse performance. This hydrophobic modification method can also be used to modify other porous substrates, such as activated carbon, filter paper, foam, and other materials. In this study, the porous substrate modified by the degradation product of waste PET was used to prepare oil-water separation materials, which not only solved the problem of white pollution, but also reduced the dependence on non renewable resources in the conventional preparation methods of oil-water separation materials. The research provided new raw materials and methods for the industrial production of oil-water separation materials, and had important application prospects.

Modern power system integrates more and more new energy and use a large number of power electronic equipment. This makes it face more challenges in online optimization and real-time control. Deep reinforcement learning(DRL) has the ability of processing big data and high-dimensional features, as well as the ability of independently learning and optimizing decision-making in complex environments. In this paper, we explore DRL based online combination optimization method of grid section for large complex power system. In our method, to improve the convergence speed of the model, we propose to discretize the output action of the unit and simplify the action space. We also design a reinforcement learning loss function with strong constraints to further improve the convergence speed of the model and facilitate the algorithm to obtain the stable solution. Moreover, to avoid the local optimal solution problem caused by the discretization of the output action, we propose to use the annealing optimization algorithm to make the granularity of the unit output finer. We verify our method on IEEE 118-bus system. The experimental results show that our model has fast convergence speed and better performance, and can obtain stable solutions.

High-efficiency rock breaking by hydraulic jetting is the key to radial horizontal drilling technology. In order to improve the drilling efficiency of hydraulic jet rock breaking in radial horizontal wells, based on LS-Dyna display dynamics, a numerical simulation model of single nozzle jet rock breaking is established to analyze the influence of different nozzle parameters on rock breaking effect. Then, the numerical simulation model of the spin multi-nozzle jet bit is established, and the influence of different rotation speeds on the rock breaking effect of the jet bit is analyzed. Finally, the rock breaking drilling characteristics of the spin multi-nozzle jet bit and the conventional multi-nozzle jet bit are compared and analyzed. The results show that when the jet impacts the rock surface, the larger the inclination angle is, the larger the rock breaking width formed by the jet is. The smaller the dip angle, the greater the rock breaking depth. When the inclination angle is greater than 60 °, it is difficult to meet the needs of reaming. The width and depth of the nozzle gradually increase with the increase of the diameter. When the nozzle diameter is greater than 1.3mm, the growth rate of rock breaking depth begins to decrease. The optimum nozzle diameter is 1.3 mm. When v = 50m / s, the damage caused by the jet to the rock surface is very small, because the condition of rock fracture is not reached at this time. This shows that there is a critical value of the water jet impact velocity, and only when the velocity is reached, the rock will break. When the velocity is v = 150m / s, v = 200m / s, v = 250m / s, v = 300m / s, the rock breaks. At the same time, the higher the speed, the higher the degree of rock fracture, the greater the fracture depth, the greater the fracture area, the better the fracture effect. The tangential and radial velocity of the jet increases the shear and tensile failure rate of the sample, and improves the rock breaking efficiency of the jet, which has certain guiding significance for improving the rock breaking drilling efficiency of radial horizontal well drilling.

This study presents virtual reality (VR) videos as an effective technique for delivering extension educational materials on manure and mortality management. Virtual reality is a technology that can enable immersive distance learning. Using VR tours can enable the public to learn manure and mortality management technologies without in-person farm visits, thus saving traveling time and money and avoiding exposure to pathogens and noxious odors in farms. As the first part of this project, 360° VR tours were created on multiple aspects of manure management, including composting, anaerobic digestion, and preliminary wastewater treatment. These videos were presented to a diverse audience of agricultural producers, extension specialists, and researchers through in-person and online extension events and the Texas Manure YouTube channel. The effectiveness of videos was evaluated using surveys, which measured the audience's awareness of the topics before and after watching VR videos. Statistical analysis revealed that the increase in awareness after watching the videos was statistically significant, with a p-value of less than 0.0001. Statistical analysis also revealed that job classification and professional experience significantly impacted the change in awareness. Researchers, extension specialists/agents, and participants with less experience in manure and mortality management experienced a greater change in awareness than agricultural producers and participants with more experience. Interest and impression of the audience on the VR videos was also evaluated. According to survey data, the majority of the audience rated these videos as an effective technique for educating the public about manure and mortality management, found the VR videos interesting, were willing to learn more content through VR videos, and were likely to recommend them to their colleagues. A statistically significant correlation could be observed between the awareness change and the effectiveness rating given to the videos by the participant.

Shear dynamics simulation under extreme pressure was used to optimise the composition of ester-based lubricant base oil and extreme pressure additives. As a result, the ester-based lubricant in the weak-gel drilling fluid achieves reduction and increases the efficiency in drilling construction, and the field operation efficiency improves. The results of base oil lubrication simulation show that three base oils, namely, methyl oleate, ethyl oleate and butyl oleate, can be stably adsorbed on the surface layer of the shear surface. Methyl oleate has the lowest system temperature after shear stabilisation and has a high load-bearing capacity. The shear stress of methyl oleate decreases by changing the initial shear temperature and speed. It increases by 6.36 MPa when the speed increases from 10 m/s to 30 m/s. At this time, the shear stress of butyl oleate increases by 10.11 MPa. The results of the four-ball friction experiments show that the radius of the abrasion spot of methyl oleate is 179.83 μm, which is smaller than that of the other two base oils. Moreover, the friction coefficient of methyl oleate is 0.0018, which is approximately 1/3 of that of butyl oleate. Methyl oleate has better lubrication efficiency. The shear simulation results are consistent with the experimental results. The simulation can be used for the molecular design of lubricant materials. The oleic acid amide–containing amine group and the glyceride oleic–containing hydroxyl group were selected as the extreme pressure functional components for shear simulation. Results show that the shear stress of oleic acid amide is much lower than that of oleic acid glyceride when the initial shear temperature and speed change. The extreme pressure lubrication component–containing amine group is better than the extreme pressure lubrication material–containing hydroxyl group. The effects of different oleamide contents in the two-component mixtures on the lubricating properties were investigated through shear simulation, with methyl oleate as the base oil and oleamide as the extreme pressure functional component. The simulation results show that the lubricant has the optimal shear stress when 10% oleamide is added to the lubricant. The base properties of the lubricant were tested using a mixture of 90% methyl oleate and 10% oleamide, formulated as a lubricant. Results show that the friction coefficient can be reduced to 0.03 when 0.5% of the lubricant is added to the base mud. Moreover, the lubricant film formed shows high strength. Then, 1% lubricant was added to the weak-gel drilling fluid to evaluate the effect of the lubricant on the gel structure of the drilling fluid. Results show that adding lubricant does not affect the rheological properties of the drilling fluid. The gel structure of the system also remains stable even after 7 days of continuous ageing. The results of the field experiments in Hua3-01 well show that adding 1% ester-based lubricant to the field drilling fluid reduces the drilling friction by 33%. Thus, the efficiency of directional side drilling can be effectively improved, complicated accidents, such as poor starting and stopping of drilling and stuck jamming, can be avoided, and the goals of reducing quantity and increasing efficiency can be completed.

Electro-optic modulator (EOM) is one of the key devices of high-speed optical fiber communication system and ultra-wideband microwave photonic system. Silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) integration platform combines the advantages of silicon photonics and organic materials, providing a high electro-optic effect and compact structure for photonic integrated devices. In this paper we present a SOH integrated EOM with comprehensive investigation of EOM structure design, silicon waveguide fabrication with Slot structure, on-chip poling of organic electro-optic material, and characterization of EO modulation response. The SOH integrated EOM is measured with 3dB-bandwidth of over 50 GHz and half-wave voltage length product of 0.26 V·cm. Furthermore, we demonstrate a microwave photonics phase shifter by using the fabricated SOH integrated dual parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator. The phase shift range of 410 degree is completed from 8 GHz to 26 GHz with a power consumption of less than 38 mW.

Allocations of funding for higher education have typically focused on competition in neoliberal mechanisms. Surprisingly, much less attention has been paid to considering the effect of fund allocations for public goods purposes in neoliberal contexts. This study aims to examine specific funding schemes and determine the influential factors impacting the funding for teaching, research, and public goods intention. Taking Taiwan's Higher Education Sprout Project (HESP) as a unique example, we explored the effect of policy initiatives on public goods transformation. The data was collected from the Ministry of Education and Scopus database. First, the t-test and ANOVA were used to detect the differences between the system and sector; Second, regression analysis was used to determine influential factors for funding allocations; Final, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore the causal effects among the selected variables. The study found that only diversity was shown in private technology groups receiving less HESP funding. The findings suggest that the funding allocation may not affect teaching and research based on sectors and systems. In contrast, this study demonstrates that transforming the public good through special funding can play a critical role in policy intention in neoliberal higher education.

Cymbidium faberi Rolfe is one of the traditional Chinese orchids with important ornamental value, and the cultivation of Cymbidium faberi Rolfe mutant strains with different appearances is essential to increase its economic value, but at present, the acquisition of Cymbidium faberi Rolfe mutant strains basically relies on natural mutation.The objectives of this research were to mutagenize Cymbidium faberi Rolfe protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) and shoots in vitro using sodium azide (NaN3), and to screen and evaluate mutants in mutagenized Cymbidium faberi Rolfe seedlings using morphological characteristics.Cymbidium faberi Rolfe PLBs and shoots were used as mutagenic materials, and co-cultivated in induced shoots growth medium with the addition of 0.0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 mg/L and 0.0 (control), 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, and 10.0 mg/L NaN3 to induce the mutations, and the mortality rates of the PLBs and shoots were increased with the increase of the NaN3 concentration.At 14 d of co-cultivation, PLBs and shoots were most efficiently mutagenized with 1.5 mg/L and 4.0 mg/L NaN3, respectively.After the explants were cultured for 3 months, changes in leaf and flower morphology were observed in some mutants: shorter and thicker leaves, shorter node length, reduced height, and mid-translucent leaves compared with controls; and some Cymbidium faberi Rolfe bloomed prematurely, with single flowers with large, thick petal sepals and small inflorescences, and colours include light green throughout, and a few with purple stamens.This suggests that NaN3 can effectively mutagenise Cymbidium faberi Rolfe PLBs and shoots to satisfy people's demand for Cymbidium faberi Rolfe's ornamental properties while increasing its economic value.

(1) Background: Brassinosteroids (BRs) are an important hormone that participates in almost all stages of plant growth and development, and sterol dehydrogenase is a key enzyme that is involved in the biosynthesis of BRs. However, the steroid dehydrogenase gene family in Populus yunnanensis Dode (P. yunnanensis) has not been studied; (2) Methods: The PyDET2 gene family was identified and bioinformatics analyzed. Three genes were screened based on the RNA-seq of stem tip, the PyDET2e was further investigated by RT-qPCR (real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and subcellular localization; (3) Results: We identified 14 DET2 family genes in P. yunnanensis that were classified into 4 groups according to sequence similarity and phylogenetic relationship, and 10 conserved protein motifs had been identified. The gene structure, chromosome distribution, collinearity, and codon preference of all PyDET2 genes identified in the genome of P. yunnanensis were analyzed. The codon of this family is biased to the end of A/U, and natural selection has a great influence on it. The expression level of PyDET2e in September was higher than in July, and it was significantly expressed in stems, stem tips, and leaves. The PyDET2e protein was localized in chloroplasts; (4) Conclusions: The PyDET2e is involved in the development of P. yunnanensis in the rapid growth stage. The systematic analysis provided a basis for the genome-wide identification of genes related to brassinolide biosynthesis processes in P. yunnanensis, and laid a foundation for the study on the mechanism of rapid growth of P. yunnanensis.

Herpesvirus is a prevalent pathogen that primarily infects human epithelial cells and has the ability to reside in neurons. In the field of otolaryngology, herpesvirus infection primarily leads to hearing loss and vestibular neuritis, and is considered the primary hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of vestibular neuritis. In this review, we provide a summary of the effects of herpes virus on cellular processes in both host cells and immune cells, with a focus on HSV-1 as illus-trative examples.

With the aging of China's population, the problem of pension security has become more and more prominent, and whether delayed retirement can effectively alleviate the pension fund gap and ensure the sustainability of the pension fund has become the focus of social concern. This study predicts the income and expenditure of urban workers' basic pension insurance fund from 2021 to 2050 by constructing an actuarial model of pension insurance fund income and expenditure, and simulates the effect of delayed retirement policy. The prediction results show that under the existing system, the basic pension insurance fund for urban workers will have a shortfall for the first time in 2027, and the shortfall will expand year by year. Compared with the non-implementation of delayed retirement policy, the simulation of the implementation of delayed retirementt program delayed the emergence of the fund gap until 2029, and the forecast period of the pension fund gap significantly narrowed, indicating that delayed retirement policy has a certain positive impact on alleviating the pressure of pension payments, but delayed retirementt can not completely eliminate the pension fund gap. In view of this, this paper suggests that a progressive and flexible delayed retirement policy should be introduced as soon as possible to better adapt to the needs of different groups. At the same time, differentiated policies should be formulated for different groups of people and a pension incentive mechanism for delayed retirement should be set up to improve public acceptance of delayed retirement policy. In addition, delayed retirement policy should be combined with other measures, such as lowering the corporate contribution rate and enhancing the value-added capacity of the pension fund, so as to ensure the sustainability of the pension fund.

Predators are dependent on the capture of prey to meet their energetic and nutritive requirements, imposing a regime of predation risk. Consequently, prey experience both consumptive and non-consumptive effects. Non-consumptive effects may manifest through altered growth and ontogenetic trajectories of prey species, a dynamic modulated by olfactory or other sensory cues from predators. Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel represents a great invasive threat to global horticulture. While earlier research has primarily centered on the consumptive interactions between B. dorsalis and its natural enemies, the potential consequences of non-consumptive interactions on the development of B. dorsalis have been overlooked. In this study, we investigated the impact of predation risk effects, induced by both visual exposure to the predatory mantis Hierodula patellifera Serville and its associated odor, on the life history traits of B. dorsalis. Female B. dorsalis demonstrated reduced development time in the presence of isolated H. patellifera or H. patellifera odor, yet evidenced significantly increased fecundity. Conversely, males displayed no significant change in development time. Additionally, neither female nor male body weight at death was significantly influenced by predation risk from isolated predators or predator odor. These results indicated adaptive developmental strategies of B. dorsalis when faced with risks from predators and highlight the important role of predator odor, which has the potential to lay the groundwork for improving biological control efforts and innovative approaches within pest control.

Carpels are a reproductive feature restricted to angiosperms, therefore they are a focus of many botanical studies. However, there are controversies over the nature of carpels. A reason underly-ing these controversies is mixing implications given by conflicting interpretations on fossil carpels in early fossil angiosperms from the Cretaceous. These controversies hinder a clear understanding of angiosperm evolution and systematics. A key to these questions is older fossil fruits bearing concerned information. Here we report a new fossil fruit, Xenofructus dabuensis gen. et sp. nov, from the Middle Jurassic of Liaoning, China. Unlike previously reported fruits of early angio-sperms that were interpreted as bearing seeds either on adaxial or abaxial margin by various au-thors, our fossil demonstrates clearly that the seeds in Xenofructus are neither borne on the adaxial nor abaxial margin of the fruit, instead the seeds of Xenofructus are borne on an axis positioned between two margins. This new feature implies that a placenta in carpels is an ovule/seed-bearing axis, a carpel is a composite organ comprising an enclosing leaf (fruit wall) and an axis (placenta). The adaxial or abaxial position of ovules/seeds frequently seen in fossil and extant angiosperms is a consequence derived through long time evolution (coalescence of placenta with either margin of fruits). Carpels can be taken as foliar structures enclosing their associated ovulate branches.

In recent decades, with the ever-growing scale of video data, near-duplicate videos continue to emerge. Data quality issue caused by near-duplicate videos is becoming more and more prominent, which has affected the application of normal videos. Although current studies on near-duplicate video detection can be helpful to uncover data quality issues for videos, they still lack a process of automatic merging for the video data represented by high-dimensional features, which are difficult to automatically clean the near-duplicate videos to improve data quality for video datasets. At present, there are few studies on near-duplicate video data cleaning. The existing studies have the sensitive problems of video data orderliness and clustering initial center under a condition that prior distribution is unknown, which seriously affect the accuracy of near-duplicate video data cleaning. To address the above issues, an automatic near-duplicate video data cleaning method based on a consistent feature hash ring is proposed in this paper. First, a residual network with convolutional block attention modules, a long short-term memory deep network, and an attention model are integrated to construct an RCLA deep network with the multi-headed attention mechanism to extract spatiotemporal features of video data. Then, a consistent feature hash ring is constructed, which can effectively alleviate the sensitivity of video data orderliness while providing a condition of near-duplicate video merging. To reduce the sensitivity of the initial cluster centers to results of near-duplicate video cleansing, an optimized feature distance-means clustering algorithm is constructed by utilizing a mountain peak function on a consistent feature hash ring, which can implement automatic cleaning of near-duplicate video data. Finally, experiments are conducted based on a commonly used dataset named CC_WEB_VIDEO and a coal mining video dataset. Compared with some existing works, simulation results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed method.

The increasing prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyles has led to an increased incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) worldwide. In Taiwan, middle-aged women are at a greater risk of MetS, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease than men are because they have more subcutaneous fat and larger waist circumferences compared to men with equal visceral fat levels. This study investigated the effects of calorie restriction supplemented with fish oil (CRF) in middle-aged women with MetS. For 12 weeks, 75 eligible participants were randomly assigned either calorie restriction (CR) or CRF. Both dietary intervention groups were further divided into two age groups: ≤45 and >45 years. The changes in MetS severity, inflammatory status, iron status, and red blood cell fatty acid profile were evaluated. Seventy-one participants completed the trial. Both dietary interventions significantly ameliorated MetS and improved the participants’ inflammatory status. CR significantly increased total iron binding capacity, whereas CRF increased hepcidin levels. Furthermore, CRF significantly increased the n-6/n-3 and arachidonic acid/docosahexaenoic acid ratios. In conclusion, CR and CRF improved the anthropometric and MetS characteristics of early-middle aged women, including body weight, blood glucose levels, triglyceride levels, as well as the scores for the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and quantitative insulin sensitivity cheque index. Dietary intervention was more effective in >45-year-old women than ≤45-year-old women.

The enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157: H7 EspF is known to be a multifunctional effector that triggers several damage processes in the host cells. However, in the process of EHEC O157: H7 infection, the interactions between EspF, its N- or C-terminus, and host proteins are still unclear. In this work, we use co-immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry (CoIP-MS) to screen the interactions between EspF/EspF-N/EspF-C terminus and host proteins. A total of 311 host proteins are analyzed. The N-terminus of EspF is found to interact with 192 proteins, whereas 205 proteins interact with the C-terminus. These proteins are mainly involved in RNA splicing, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and a variety of metabolic signaling pathways. Surprisingly, MS results reveal that EspF can also phosphorylate H2AX, suggesting that EspF may directly mediate DNA damage. Here, by western blot and immunofluorescence (IF), we verified that EspF can cause phosphorylation of H2AX and mediates cell multi-nuclearation and cell hypertrophy. Furthermore, we verify here for the first time that SMC1 interacts with EspF -C-terminus, and provide evidence that EspF increases p-SMC1 levels. p-SMC1 is known to influence S-phase cell cycle arrest and usually increases during periods of DNA damage. Our work revealed a novel interaction between EspF and the host protein SMC1 and lays a foundation for further research on EspF-mediated host DNA damage, apoptosis, and even colorectal carcinogenesis.

This study aimed to identify whether gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina (GACR) heterozygous individuals have possible clinical manifestations and to explore the potential pathogenic mechanism. In this retrospective study, we surveyed a two-generation pedigree of an individual diagnosed with GACR. Two family members underwent ophthalmological, hematologic, and genetic tests. An arginine-restricted diet with vitamin B6 supplementation was implemented; clinical assessments were repeated every 3 months during follow-up. Relative OAT mRNA expression was determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The 19-year-old compound heterozygous daughter (OAT: c.1186C&gt;T; c.748C&gt;T), had bilateral high myopia, posterior staphyloma, chorioretinal atrophy, macular abnormalities, and elevated hematologic ornithine. The 54-year-old heterozygous mother (OAT: c.1186C&gt;T), presented with bilateral severe myopia, asymmetric posterior staphyloma, retina and choroidal capillary layer atrophy, retinal pigment epithelium abnormalities, and mildly elevated hematologic ornithine. Compared to normal individuals, the daughter and mother had 29% and 46% relative OAT mRNA expression, respectively (P&lt;0.001). We believe that this is the first report of a carrier of one OAT variant allele with mild phenotypes, suggesting that family members should be aware of the possible involvement of autosomal recessive conditions. Additional data suggests nonsense mediated decay-initiated mRNA degradation may cause GACR.

In this study, we aimed to develop a deep learning model for identifying bacterial keratitis (BK) and fungal keratitis (FK) by using slit-lamp images. We retrospectively collected slit-lamp images of patients with culture-proven microbial keratitis between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019, from two medical centers in Taiwan. We constructed a deep learning algorithm, consisting of a segmentation model for cropping cornea images and a classification model that applies convolutional neural networks to differentiate between FK and BK. The model performance was evaluated and presented as the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curves. A gradient-weighted class activation mapping technique was used to plot the heatmap of the model. By using 1330 images from 580 patients, the deep learning algorithm achieved an average diagnostic accuracy of 80.00%. The diagnostic accuracy for BK ranged from 79.59% to 95.91% and that for FK ranged from 26.31% to 63.15%. DenseNet169 showed the best model performance, with an AUC of 0.78 for both BK and FK. The heat maps revealed that the model was able to identify the corneal infiltrations. The model showed better diagnostic accuracy than the previously reported diagnostic performance of both general ophthalmologists and corneal specialists.

The mineralogical indices, e.g., Quartz Index (QI), Carbonate Index (CI), Mafic Index (MI) for ASTER multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) data have been applied to various geological materials. The indices are proved to be robust in extracting geological information at the local scale. Considering the relatively narrow spatial coverage of each ASTER scene compared to LANDSAT, many scenes are needed when mosaicking the images to be mapped at regional scales. We develop a system to search ASTER data for a target area given the vast and expanding ASTER data archive. The data is then conditioned, prioritized, and the indices are calculated before finally mosaicking the imagery. The maps of the indices covering the very wide region of the central Tibetan Plateau are produced with this system. The characteristic features of the indices relating to their geology in the study area are analyzed and discussed. Many interesting lithological and structural information that are not currently well understood in the central Tibetan Plateau, the highest and most extensive plateau in the world, with an average elevation of over 4,500 meters above sea level, for example, distributions of the mafic-ultramafic rocks along the suture zones, the quarzitic and marine sedimentology accreted to the Eurasian continent and sulfate layers related to the Tethys and neo-Tethys geological setting can be retrieved from the processed ASTER images.

Ecdysterone is a phytosteroid widely discussed for its various pharmacological, growth-promoting and anabolic effects mediated by activation of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta). Performance-enhancement in sports was demonstrated recently, and ecdysterone was consequently included in the Monitoring Program to detect potential patterns of misuse in sport. Only few studies on the pharmacokinetics of ecdysterone in humans have been reported so far. In this study, post-administration urines in twelve volunteers (single dose of 50 mg of ecdysterone) were analyzed using dilute-and-inject liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Identification and quantitation of ecdysterone and of two metabolites, 14-deoxy ecdysterone and 14-deoxy poststerone was achieved. Ecdysterone was the most abundant analyte present in post-administration urines, detected for more than 2 days with a maximum concentration (Cmax) in the 2.8-8.5 h urines (Cmax = 4.4-30.0 µg/mL). The metabolites 14-deoxy ecdysterone and 14-deoxy poststerone were detected later reaching the maximum concentrations at 8.5-39.5 h (Cmax = 0.1-6.0 µg/mL) and 23.3-41.3 h (Cmax = 0.1-1.5 µg/mL), respectively. Cumulative urinary excretion yielded average values of 18%, 2.3% and 1.5% for ecdysterone, 14-deoxy ecdysterone and 14-deoxy poststerone, respectively. Ecdysterone and 14-deoxy ecdysterone were excreted following first order kinetics with half-lives calculated with three hours, while pharmacokinetics of 14-deoxy poststerone needs further evaluation.

The objective of this research is to establish a better understanding of the current landscape of digital learning research and sustainable development by using CiteSpace. First, we retrieved published publications from the Web of Science (2004–2022). Following that, we examined the primary research strengths and important subjects of digital learning from two perspectives: collaboration networks (including collaborative networks across countries, institutions, and authors) and co-citation networks. We examined the co-citation network from three perspectives: cluster analysis, the most active citers, top references. Furthermore, referenced journals, popular themes, and rising trends were examined. These findings indicate the primary study subjects in the field of digital learning, the most intriguing research literature, and each period's emerging research hotspots. Finally, we proposed further study ideas for future paths.

The genus Lirianthe in the family Magnoliaceae includes approximately 25 species, each with exceptional landscaping and horticultural or medical worth. Many of these plants are considered rare and protected due to their endangered status. The limited knowledge of species within this genus and the absence of research on its chloroplast genome have greatly impeded studies on the relationship between its evolution and systematics. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of 8 species from the genus Lirianthe were sequenced and analyzed, their phylogenetic relationships with other genera of the family Magnoliaceae are also elucidated. The results showed that the chloroplast genome sizes of the 8 Lirianthe species ranged from 159,548 to 159,833 bp. The genomes consisted of a large single copy region, a small single copy region, and a pair of inverted repeat sequences. The GC content was very similar across species. Gene annotation revealed that the chloroplast genomes contained 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes, totaling 130 genes. Codon usage analysis indicated that codon usage was highly conserved among the 8 Lirianthe species. Repeat sequence analysis identified 42-49 microsatellite sequences, 16-18 tandem repeats, and 50 dispersed repeats, with microsatellite sequences being predominantly single nucleotide repeats. DNA polymorphism analysis revealed 10 highly variable regions located in the large single copy and small single copy regions, among which rpl32-trnL, petA-psbJ and trnH-psbA are recommended candidate DNA barcodes for the genus Lirianthe species. The inverted repeat boundary regions show little variation between species and are generally conserved. Phylogenetic tree analysis confirmed the monophyly of the genus Lirianthe and its closest relationship with the genera, Talauma and Dugandiodendron. Morphological studies found noticeable differences between Lirianthe species in aspects including leaf indumentum, stipule scars, floral orientation, tepal number, tepal texture, and fruit dehiscence. In summary, this study elucidated the chloroplast genome evolution within Lirianthe and laid a foundation for further systematic and taxonomic research of this genus.

Establishing an effective evaluation model to analyze the actual environmental level of the multi-indicator systems is an urgent challenge. However, due to the complexity of the environmental system, the factors that determine the practical system are usually interrelated. To solve this problem, many methods have been proposed and verified. However, the disadvantage of unreasonable weight determination and only single-indicator assessment limits the practical application of these analysis methods. Here, we established an optimized entropy weight model and integrate it with the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method to quantify the complex environmental system. By introducing the linear programming method into the entropy weight solution, we can obtain high accuracy weight values and strong resistance to extreme data. Theoretical and simulation results demonstrate that our method can enhance the precision of weight calculation and evaluation results for multi-factor systems. Our work develops an effective method to quantify the complex environment system comprehensively and is significant to real applications of evaluation method.

Detection methods have been developed to prevent transmission of zoonotic or xenozoonotic porcine viruses after transplantation of pig organs or cells to the recipient (xenotransplantation). Eleven xenotransplantation-relevant viruses including porcine cytomegalovirus, a porcine roseolovirus (PCMV/PRV), porcine lymphotropic herpesviruses -1, -2, -3 (PLHV-1, 2, 3), porcine parvovirus (PPV), porcine circovirus 2, 3, 4 (PCV2, 3, 4), hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV3), porcine endogenous retrovirus-C (PERV-C) and recombinant PERV-A/C have been selected. In the past, several pig breeds, minipigs and genetically modified pigs generated for xenotransplantation had been analyzed using these methods. Here, spleen, liver and blood samples from 10 German slaughterhouse pigs were screened using both, PCR-based and immunological assays. Five viruses: PCMV/PRV, PLHV-1, PLHV-3 and PERV-C were found in all animals, and PCV3 in one animal. Some animals were latently infected with PCMV/PRV as only virus-specific antibodies were detected. Others were also PCR positive in spleen and/or liver, indicative of an ongoing infection. These results provide important information on the viruses that infect German slaughterhouse pigs and together with results of previous studies revealed that the methods and test strategies efficiently work under field conditions.

This study focuses on the decisions of picking, inventory, ripening, delivering, and selling mangoes in a harvesting season. Demand, supply, and prices are uncertain, and their probability density functions are fitted based on actual trading data collected from the largest spot market in Taiwan. A stochastic programming model is formulated to minimize the expected cost under the considerations of labor, storage space, shelf life, and transportation restrictions. We implement the sample-average approximation to obtain a high-quality solution of the stochastic program. The analysis compares deterministic and stochastic solutions to assess the uncertain effect on the harvest decisions. Finally, the optimal harvest schedule of each mango type is suggested based on the stochastic program solution.

Bees (Apoidea), the largest and most crucial radiation of pollinators, play a vital role in ecosystem balance. Transposons are widely distributed in nature and are important drivers of species diversity. However, transposons are rarely reported in important pollinators such as bees. Here, we surveyed 37 genomes in Apoidea, annotated the pogo and Tc1/mariner transposons in the genome of each species and performed a phylogenetic analysis to determine their overall distribution. The pogo and Tc1/mariner families showed high diversity and low abundance in the 37 species, and their proportion was significantly higher in solitary bees than in social bees. DD34D/mariner was found to be distributed in almost all species and was found in Apis mellifera, Apis mellifera carnica, Apis mellifera caucasica and Apis mellifera mellifera and Euglossa dilemma may still be active. Using horizontal transfer analysis, we found that DD30D/Tigger, DD33D/Tigger and DD34D/mariner may have experienced horizontal transfer events. The current study displayed the evolution profiles (including diversity, activity, and abundance) of the pogo and Tc1/mariner transposons across 37 species of Apoidea. Our data revealed their contributions to the genomic variations across these species and facilitated in understanding of the genome evolution of this lineage.

This investigation delves into an examination of the growth dynamics observed in Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) and Silicon Glen in Scotland, with a specific focus on their energy, environmental, and economic management. The aim is to predict and evaluate the latest advancements and applications of technology. In terms of energy, CTSP focuses on Taiwan's supply security and green transformation challenges, while Silicon Glen emphasizes Scotland's wind energy generation technologies. Both regions are committed to the development of renewable energy and smart grids. Regarding environmental aspects, CTSP and Silicon Glen prioritize environmental protection and sustainable development by implementing measures for environmental monitoring. In terms of economic management, CTSP, and Silicon Glen serve as key technology industry hubs This investigation delves into an examination of the growth dynamics observed in Central Tai-wan Science Park (CTSP) and Silicon Glen in Scotland, with a specific focus on their energy, environmental, and economic management. The aim is to predict and evaluate the latest advancements and applications of technology. In terms of energy, CTSP focuses on Taiwan's supply security and green transformation challenges, while Silicon Glen emphasizes Scotland's wind energy generation technologies. Both regions are committed to the development of renewable energy and smart grids. Regarding environmental aspects, CTSP and Silicon Glen prioritize environmental protection and sustainable development by implementing measures for environmental monitoring. In terms of economic management, CTSP, and Silicon Glen serve as key technology industry hubs in Taiwan and Scotland, respectively, attracting numerous high-tech and startup enterprises. Various means facilitate the growth of industries and foster innovations in different industrial spheres. Important factors contributing to this growth include policy support, availability of research materials, and provision of infrastructure. This research paper compares the successful case studies of two industrial parks, along with their environmental and economic management strategies. It explores the management principles that ensure the sustainable development and economic growth of industrial parks, aiming to assist decision-makers and relevant stakeholders in evaluating the sustainable development planning of industrial parks.

Accompanied by increasing population growth and urban sprawl, most coastal cities are unprecedentedly vulnerable to climate change and its impacts, such as sea level rise, increasing extreme storm events, and coastal flooding. Coastal resilience and sustainable development are antidotes to vulnerability; they aim to enhance the adaptive capability of absorbing disturbances and resisting uncertainty. This study explores building a quantitative assessment framework to measure resilience and provide an objective and comparable method to understand the strengths and weaknesses in a given region. The proposed 25 resilience indicators incorporate the aspects of essential livelihood protection, infrastructure and natural resource maintenance, emergency facilities and institutions, floodplain management regulations, and adaptive planning process. Each indicator is assigned the resilience quality that includes robustness, resourcefulness, redundancy, and rapidity. The aggregated resilience quality scoring reflects the systematic performance of the city to cope with the coastal hazards. The innovative part of this framework is combining hazard mitigation measures, climate adaptation strategies, and sustainable development goals together to achieve a comprehensive assessment method. In the case of New Haven, the resilience assessment is taken as a practical monitoring tool and decision-making support.

With the burgeoning growth of online retail, the issue of counterfeit products has become a significant threat to both consumer trust and brand integrity, posing challenges to sustainable market practices. Online retail platforms are promoted to redesign their channel structures and enhance brand traceability to tackle counterfeits using blockchain technology. To investigate the interactions between blockchain technology and the channel structures of online retail platforms, we design a game theory model incorporating a manufacturer with(out) blockchain participation selling products via an online retail platform that operates an agency channel and/or a reselling channel. We show that the critical trade-off of blockchain participation comprises the brand assurance effect of the blockchain, the channel competition intensification effect, and the blockchain adoption cost. The platform is capable of strategically designing the channel structure to encourage (while discouraging) blockchain participation by the manufacturer. Our analysis highlights the complementarity between blockchain participation and the channel structure. Furthermore, the effect of the consumer’s belief in the reselling channel, the commission fee in the agency channel, and the substitutability between channels are investigated in depth. The research provides valuable insights for online retail platforms and policymakers seeking to foster a sustainable and trustworthy e-commerce ecosystem.

If we assume that: a. The four fundamental forces of nature are independent waves without rest masses, and their speeds are constant in a vacuum, just like light. b. Light or electromagnetic waves and gravity are comparable in structures. Weak and strong interactions are similar in structures. c. Light and weak interaction have the same speed c_L with spin number +1 or –1. d. Gravity and strong interaction have the same speed c_G without spin. e. The primary particles, namely electrons, electron neutrinos, and dark neutrinos in this paper, are made by the above four waves. We can find and describe some fundamental characteristics of the primary particles (e.g., their sizes, energies, and interactions) and introduce new attractive results from them (e.g., the source of the Pauli exclusion principle, the solution to the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, and c_G slightly faster than c_L).

Urban morphology exhibits fractal characteristics, which can be described by multifractal scaling. Multifractal parameters under positive moment orders primarily capture information about cen-tral areas with relatively stable growth, while those under negative moment orders mainly reflect information about marginal areas with more active growth. However, effectively utilizing mul-tifractal spectrums to uncover the spatio-temporal variations of urban growth remains a challenge. To addresses this issue, this paper proposes a multifractal measurement by combining theoretical principles and empirical analysis. To capture the difference between growth stability in central areas and growth activity in marginal areas, an index based on generalized correlation dimension Dq is defined. This index takes the growth rate of Dq at extreme negative moment order as the numerator, and that at extreme positive moment order as the denominator. During the stable stage of urban growth, the index demonstrates a consistent pattern over time. While during the active stage, the index may exhibit abnormal fluctuations or even jumps. This indicates that the index can reveal spatio-temporal information about urban evolution that cannot be directly observed through multifractal spectrums alone. By integrating this index with multifractal spectrums, we can more comprehensively characterize the evolutionary characteristics of urban spatial structure.

Two histamine receptor subtypes (HR), namely H1R and H4R, as key components, are involved in the transmission of histamine-induced itch. Although exact downstream signaling mechanisms are still elusive, transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels play important roles in the sensation of histaminergic and non-histaminergic itch. Aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels in the transmission of histaminergic itch. The potential of TRPV1 and TRPA1 inhibitors to modulate H1R- and H4R-induced signal transmission was tested in a scratching assay in mice in vivo and in vitro via Ca2+ imaging of murine sensory dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. The TRPV1 inhibition led to a reduction of H1R- and H4R- induced itch and reduced Ca2+ influx into the neurons. The TRPA1 inhibitor reduced H4R-induced itch and both H1R- and H4R-induced Ca2+ influx. In conclusion, these results indicate that both channels, TRPV1 and TRPA1 are involved in the transmission of histamine-induced pruritus.

This project designed a set of network security mechanisms for cloud applications in VANETs. At present, cloud computing is one of the government’s development priorities in the industry. We divide cloud into public, private, and hybrid clouds in this project. Vehicles or passengers can access road conditions or public transport information through the public cloud; public transportation can access current driving records and users can access relevant enterprise information on the private cloud and hybrid cloud is a combination of public and private clouds. Both cloud computing or VANETs require network and information security. At present, many researches on VANETs security only focus on message communication, and neglect information storage. Researches on cloud computing security only focus on information protection, and neglect user privacy and anonymity. This project designed a set of network and information security mechanisms in line with the requirements of Confidentiality, Authentication, Non-repudiation, Conditional Anonymity, and Conditional Untraceability. This project primarily needs to achieve the following: 1.an authentication mechanism to verify the identity of each other between the passenger and the vehicle and to verify the identity with Single Sign-On; 2. vehicle or user privacy and anonymity, which need to be able to replace the anonymous ID and related parameters for the vehicle or the user; 3. a private communication mechanism, which enables any vehicle or user to communicate privately; and 4. an information security encryption method, which can encrypt the information on a cloud server to avoid unauthorized access by internal personnel or hackers.

The paper examines the various uncertainties encountered in high-frequency trading (HFT) environments and delves into the multiple challenges faced by HFT firms in navigating the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (referred to as the "Dodd-Frank Act"), particularly during the initial stages of its enactment. These challenges include the ambiguity surrounding the definition of HFT, the lack of clarity regarding regulatory requirements and boundaries, inconsistencies in enforcement resulting from deviations in understanding the content, and the absence of detailed descriptions of the Act’s provisions. These hurdles significantly impact not only the daily operations of HFT firms but also pose higher demands on their long-term strategic planning and risk management. Drawing upon the Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Purpose (DIKWP) model, this study employs an innovative analytical framework. Through the comprehensive application of conceptual space, cognitive space, and semantic space, it provides a systematic methodology for identifying and analyzing the aforementioned issues. This approach not only aids firms in better comprehending and adhering to complex regulatory requirements but also enables them to explore new business opportunities and competitive advantages while ensuring compliance.

End-to-end learned image compression codecs have notably emerged in recent years. These codecs have demonstrated superiority over conventional methods, showcasing remarkable flexibility and adaptability across diverse data domains while supporting new distortion losses. Despite challenges such as computational complexity, learned image compression methods inherently align with learning-based data processing and analytic pipelines due to their well-suited internal representations. The concept of Video Coding for Machines has garnered significant attention from both academic researchers and industry practitioners. This concept reflects the growing need to integrate data compression with computer vision applications. In light of these developments, we present a comprehensive survey and review of lossy image compression methods. Additionally, we provide a concise overview of two prominent international standards, MPEG Video Coding for Machines and JPEG AI. These standards are designed to bridge the gap between data compression and computer vision, catering to practical industry use cases.

The monophyly of Nymphaeaceae (water lilies) represents a critical question in understanding the evolutionary history of early-diverging angiosperms. A recent plastid phylogenomic investigation claimed new evidence for the monophyly of Nymphaeaceae, but its results could not be verified from the available data. Moreover, preliminary gene-wise analyses of the same dataset provided partial support for the paraphyly of the family. The present investigation aims to re-assess the previous conclusion of the monophyly of Nymphaeaceae under the same dataset and to determine the congruence of the phylogenetic signal across different plastome genes and data partition strategies. To that end, phylogenetic tree inference is conducted on each of 78 protein-coding plastome genes, both individually and upon concatenation, and under four data partitioning schemes. Moreover, the possible effects of various sequence variability and homoplasy metrics on the inference of specific phylogenetic relationships are tested using multiple logistic regression. Differences in the variability of polymorphic sites across codon positions are assessed using parametric and non-parametric analysis of variance. The results of the phylogenetic reconstructions indicate considerable incongruence among the different gene trees as well as the data partitioning schemes. The results of the multiple logistic regression tests indicate that the fraction of polymorphic sites of codon position 3 has a significant effect on the recovery of the monophyly of Nymphaeaceae. Taken together, these results indicate that the monophyly of Nymphaeaceae currently remains indeterminate, and that specific phylogenetic conclusions are strongly dependent on the precise plastome gene, data partitioning scheme, and codon position evaluated. In closing, I discuss the importance of archiving all data of an investigation in publicly accessible data repositories, along with sufficient details to replicate the published results, and provide recommendations on future plastid phylogenomic investigations of Nymphaeales.

Since the beginning of the internet era, there has been an explosion of growth in structured data (such as numbers, symbols, and labels) as well as unstructured data (including images, videos, and text). Efficient and accurate mixed query of these two types of data is a key technology to achieve high-quality information retrieval, and it is also a major challenge that needs to be solved urgently in the industry. In this study, we employ an advanced Transformer model that combines strategies and fine-tuning techniques for multi-task learning. Specifically, the model is first pre-trained on a large-scale, general-purpose dataset to learn different types of data representations and basic language comprehension skills. After that, we fine-tuned the parameters of the model to better suit these specific data processing tasks for specific application scenarios, such as image annotation, video content analysis, and structured data query. At the heart of the model is the self-attention mechanism, which allows the model to automatically emphasize the important parts and ignore irrelevant information when processing the input data. In addition, we have introduced task-specific adaptation layers that are designed to add additional processing power to the original Transformer architecture, such as a semantic analysis layer for unstructured text data and a relational extraction layer for structured data. This combination of general pre-training and task-specific fine-tuning allows the model to flexibly process and integrate information from different data sources, improving processing efficiency and accuracy. Experimental results show that the model performs well in a variety of data processing tasks, significantly improves the accuracy and efficiency of information retrieval, and verifies the strong potential and adaptability of large language models in processing mixed data types.

Cytomegalovirus infection contributes to 10-30% congenital hearing loss in children. Vertebrate peripheral auditory organs include the outer, middle and inner ear. Their development is regulated by multiple signaling pathways. However, most ear diseases due to viral infections are due to congenital infections and reactivation, and affect healthy adults to a lesser extent. This may be due to the fact that viral infections affect signaling pathways that are important for the development of peripheral hearing organs. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the relationship between viral infections and the signaling pathways involved in the development of peripheral hearing organs is important for the prevention and treatment of ear diseases. In this review, we summaries the effects of viruses on signaling pathways and signaling molecules in development of peripheral auditory organ, with a focus on Human cytomegalovirus as an example.

The continuous casting process of helical fiber reinforced metal matrix composites was proposed, and the experimental equipment was designed and manufactured. The relationship model be-tween the process parameters and the helical shape of the fibers in the metal matrix is analyzed by differential geometry. Helical carbon fiber reinforced lead matrix composites were prepared under different conditions. When the melting temperature and cooling intensity were increased, the helical radius of helical carbon fiber in lead matrix was increased. When the fiber rotation speed was increased, the helical radius was decreased, and the helical pitch was de-creased proportionally. The experimental results are consistent with the process model. Carbon fiber rein-forced aluminum composites were prepared. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the infiltration between the aluminum matrix and the carbon fiber was not complete. As the volume fraction of carbon fiber which was added in composites is too small, the mechanical properties of the composites have not been significantly improved.

In this nano era, nanomaterials and nanostructures are popular in developing novel functional materials. However, the combinations of nanoproducts with materials at micro and macro scale can open new routes for conceiving novel materials with an improved or even new functional performances. In this study, a brand-new hybrid, containing both nanofibers and particles having a microsize, was fabricated using a sequential electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) process. Firstly, the microparticles loaded with drug (berberine hydrochloride, BH) molecules in the cellulose acetate (CA) were fabricated using a solution electrospraying process. Later, these microparticles were suspended into a co-dissolved solution containned BH and a hydrophilic polymer (polypyrrolidone, PVP), and were co-electrospun into the nanofiber/microparticle hybrids. The EHDA processes were clearly recorded, and the resultant products showed a typical hybrid topography, with microparticles distributed all over the nanofibers, which was demonstrated by SEM assessments. FTIR and XRD demonstrated that the components within the hybrids were presented in an amorphous state and have fine compatibility with each other. In vitro dissolution tests verified that the hybrids were able to provide the designed dula-step drug release profiles, a combination of the fast release step of BH from the hydrophilic PVP nanofibers through an erosion mechanism and the sustained release step of BH from the insoluble CA microparticles via a typical Fickian diffusion mechanism. The present protocols pave a new way for developing trans-scale functional materials.

Earth-abundant transition metals like iron, nickel, copper, molybdenum, and vanadium have been identified as essential constituents of the cellular gas metabolism in all kingdoms of life. Associated with biological macromolecules, gas-processing metalloenzymes (GPMs) are formed that catalyse a variety of redox reactions. This includes the reduction of O₂ to water by cytochrome c oxidase (‘complex IV’), the reduction of N₂ to NH₄ by nitrogenase, as well as the reduction of protons to H₂ (and oxidation of the later) by hydrogenase. GPMs perform at ambient temperature and pressure, in the presence of water, and often extremely low educt concentrations, thus serving as natural examples for efficient catalysis. Facilitating the design of biomimetic catalysts, biophysicist thrive to understand the reaction principles of GPMs making use of various techniques. In this perspective, I will introduce Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection configuration (ATR FTIR) for the analysis of GPMs like cytochrome c oxidase, nitrogenase, and hydrogenase. Infrared spectroscopy provides information about the geometry and redox state of the catalytic cofactors, the protonation state of amino acid residues, the hydrogen-bonding network, and protein structural changes. I developed an approach to probe and trigger the reaction of GPMs by gas exchange experiments, exploring the reactivity of these enzymes with their natural reactants. This allows recording sensitive ATR FTIR difference spectra with seconds time resolution. Finally yet importantly, infrared spectroscopy is an electronically non-invasive technique that allows investigating protein samples under biologically relevant conditions, i.e., at ambient temperature and pressure, and in the presence of water.

This paper systematically discusses the application of reinforcement learning in automatic driving system. Reinforcement learning frameworks show significant advantages in optimizing decision making, predictive perception, path planning, and controller design, exceeding the limitations of traditional supervised learning methods. The paper highlights the critical role of components such as scene understanding, positioning, and map making in autonomous driving systems, which provide reliable environmental awareness through deep learning and sensor fusion technologies to support intelligent decision-making in complex urban environments. In addition, the paper discusses innovative approaches to safety reinforcement learning to reduce risk in autonomous driving and ensure that systems adhere strictly to safety constraints while maximizing expected rewards. These findings provide an important theoretical and practical basis for further improving algorithm robustness, managing multi-agent interactions, and integrating ethical considerations in the future.