To address the limitations of the current anodes of Li+-ion batteries (LIBs), a Ge/GeO2/Carbon (Ge@GeO2-C) composite was designed by introducing a high-energy ball-milling process for advanced LIBs. Ge@GeO2-C is prepared and characterized by XPS, XRD, SEM, and TEM, which facilitate synthesis and provide controllability with respect to milling time. Interestingly, as the ball-milling time increased, the proportion of metallic Ge increased during the carbon thermal reduction reaction. The electrochemical characteristics of Ge@GeO2-C are assessed using differential capacity analysis (dQ/dV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge techniques to confirm its viability as an anode material in LIBs. The results demonstrated decent initial and secondary capacities of approximately 1800 mAh g-1 (for the first cycle) and 838 mAh g-1 (for the second cycle) at a rate of C/60 by the reaction between Ge and the Li-Ge complex. Furthermore, postmortem characterization was performed to gain an understanding of the material, suggesting future prospects for advanced LIBs.

This paper presents an optimized energy management strategy for Li-ion power batteries used on electric vehicles (EVs) at low temperatures. Under low-temperature environments, EVs suffer a sharp driving range loss resulted from the energy and power capability reduction of the battery. Simultaneously, because of Li plating, battery degradation becomes an increasing concern as temperature drops. All these factors could greatly increase the total vehicle operation cost. Prior to battery charging and vehicle operating, preheating battery to a battery-friendly temperature is an approach to promote energy utilization and reduce total cost. Based on the proposed LiFePO4 battery model, the total vehicle operation cost under certain driving cycles is quantified in the present paper. Then given a certain ambient temperature, a target temperature of preheating is optimized under the principle of minimizing total cost. As for the preheating method, a liquid heating system is also implemented on an electric bus. Simulation results show that the preheating process becomes increasingly necessary with a decreasing ambient temperature; however, the preheating demand declines as driving range grows. Vehicle tests verify that the preheating management strategy proposed in this paper is able to save total vehicle operation cost.

A low-cost bio-mass-derived carbon substrate has been employed to synthesize MoS₂@carbon composites through a hydrothermal method. Carbon fibers derived from natural cotton provide a three-dimensional and open framework for the uniform growth of MoS₂ nanosheets, thus constructing hierarchically coaxial architecture. The unique structure could synergistically benefit fast Li-ion and electron transport from the conductive carbon scaffold and porous MoS₂ nanostructures. As a result, the MoS₂@carbon composites, when served as anodes for Li-ion batteries, exhibit a high reversible specific capacity of 820 mAh g^-1, high-rate capability (457 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1), and excellent cycling stability. The superior electrochemical performance makes the MoS₂@carbon composites to be low-cost and promising anode materials for Li-ion batteries.

Research on the development of new lightweight Al-Li alloys using selective laser melting pro-cess has great potential for industrial applications. This paper reports on the development of novel aluminum-lithium alloys using selective laser melting technology. Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Ag-Sc-Zr pre-alloyed powders with lithium contents of 1 wt.%, 2 wt.% and 3 wt.%, respectively, were prepared by inert gas atomization. After SLM process optimization, the microstructure and me-chanical properties of the as-formed specimens were investigated. The densification of the three newly developed alloys are 99.51 %, 98.96 % and 92.01 %, respectively. They all have good form-ability, with the lithium loss rate about 15 %. The as-formed alloy with 1% Li content presents good comprehensive properties with a yield strength of 412.6 ± 16.0 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 461.1 ± 11.7 MPa, and an elongation of 13.6 ± 1.1%. The three alloys exhibit a layered molten pool stacking morphology and have a typical heterostructure. The columnar crystals and equiaxed fine grains are alternately arranged, and most of the precipitated phases are enriched at the grain boundaries. The change of Li content mainly affects the precipitation of Cu-containing phase. When the Li content is 1 wt.%, there are θ phase, T1 phase and TB phase. When Li increased to 2 wt.%, T1 and T2 phases precipitated together. When Li reaches 3 wt.%, δ' phase precipitates with T2 phase. This study provides useful guidance for the future SLM form-ing of new crack-free and high-strength Al-Li alloys.

We describe a method for protein quantification and for mRNA quantification in small sample quantities of human induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived-cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). Demonstrated here is how the capillary-based protein detection system Wes^TM by ProteinSimple and the Power SYBR^TM Green Cells-to-CT^TM Kit by Invitrogen can be applied to individual samples in a 96-well microplate format and thus made compatible with high-throughput (HT) cardiomyocyte assays. As an example of the usage, we illustrate that Cx43 protein and GJA1 mRNA levels in hiPSC-CMs are enhanced when the optogenetic actuator, channelrodopsin-2 (ChR2), is genetically expressed in them. Instructions are presented for cell culture and lysate preparations from hiPSC-CMs, along with optimized parameter settings and experimental protocol steps. Strategies to optimize primary antibody concentrations as well as ways for signal normalization are discussed, i.e. antibody multiplexing and total protein assay. The sensitivity of both the Wes and Cells-to-CT kit enables protein and mRNA quantification in a HT format, which is important when dealing with precious small samples. In addition to being able to handle small cardiomyocyte samples, these streamlined and semi-automated processes enable quick mechanistic analysis.

Few-shot classification is challenging since the goal is to classify unlabeled samples with very few labeled samples provided. It has been shown that cross attention helps generate more discriminative features for few-shot learning. This paper extends the idea and proposes two cross attention modules, namely the cross scaled attention (CSA) and the cross aligned attention (CAA). Specifically, CSA scales different feature maps to make them better matched, and CAA adopts the principal component analysis to further align features from different images. Experiments showed that both CSA and CAA achieve consistent improvements over state-of-the-art methods on four widely used few-shot classification benchmark datasets, miniImageNet, tieredImageNet, CIFAR-FS, and CUB-200-2011, while CSA is slightly faster and CAA achieves higher accuracies.

Lithium rich layered oxides (LRLO) are a wide class of innovative active materials for positive electrodes in lithium-ion (LIB) and lithium-metal secondary batteries (LMB). LRLOs are over-stoichiometric layered oxides rich in lithium and manganese, with general formula Li1+xTM1-xO2, where TM is a blend of transition metals comprising Mn (main constituent), Ni, Co, Fe and others. Due to the very variable composition and the extended defectivity their structural identity is still debated among researchers being likely an unresolved hybrid between a monoclinic (mC24) and a hexagonal lattice (hR12). Once casted in composite positive electrode films and assembled in LIBs or LMBs, LRLOs can delivery reversible specific capacities above 220-240 mAhg-1, thus beyond any other available intercalation cathode material for LIBs, with mean working potential above 3.3-3.4 V vs Li for hundreds of cycles in liquid aprotic commercial electrodes. In this review we critically outline the recent advancements in the fundamental understanding of the physico-chemical properties of LRLO as well as the most exciting innovations in their battery performance. We focus in particular on the elusive structural identity of these phases, on the complexity of the reaction mechanism in batteries as well as on practical strategies to minimize or remove cobalt from the lattice while preserving the outstanding performance upon cycling.

Prunus tenella is a rare and precious relict plant in China. It is an important genetic resource for almond improvement and an indispensable material in ecological protection and landscaping. However, the research of molecular breeding and genetic evolution has been severely restricted, due to the lack of genome information. In this investigation, we created a chromosome-level genomic pattern of P. tenella, 231Mb in length with a contig N50 of 18.1 Mb by Hi-C techniques and high-accuracy PacBio HiFi sequencing. The present assembly predicted 32088 protein-coding genes, and an examination of the genome assembly indicated that 94.7% among all assembled transcripts were alignable to the genome assembly; most (97.24%) were functionally annotated. By phylogenomic genome comparison, we found that P. tenella is an ancient group that diverged approximately 13.4 million years ago (Mya) from 13 additional closely related species and about 6.5 Mya from the cultivated almond. Collinearity analysis revealed that P. tenella is highly syntenic and has high sequence conservation with almond and peach. However, this species also exhibit many presence/absence variants. Moreover, a large inversion at the 7,588 kb position of chromosome 5 was observed, which may have a significant association with phenotypic traits. Lastly, population genetic structure analysis in eight different populations indicated a high genetic differentiation among the natural distribution of P. tenella. This high-quality genome assembly provides critical clues and comprehensive information for the systematic evolution, genetic characteristics, and functional gene research of P. tenella. Moreover, it provides a valuable genomic resource for in-depth study in protecting, developing, and utilizing P. tenella germplasm resources.

To win a taekwondo competition, more points must be scored, and the key to scoring points is to improve the motor performance of the kick. The wing kick is an offensive and defensive maneuver. Core stability appears to be important for improving athletic performance, but the specific relationship and effect of core stability on athletic performance in the aerial phase of taekwondo is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between core stability and athletic performance in taekwondo in order to provide appropriate theoretical support for training and to help coaches and athletes to improve athletic performance. A total of 16 subjects (height: 167.34±9.2 cm; weight: 61±8.96 kg; age: 24.7±3.25 years) were studied. Data were captured using 13 infrared cameras at 120Hz, kinematic and kinetic data were captured using a motivated motion capture system, and the data were exported to Visual3D in order to calculate the execution time of the aerial phase, the angular momentum of the left lower extremity, and MVC analysis of the EMG using EMG works. The core stability level of the subjects were measured using the Sahrmann Core Stability Test (SCST) to correlate with the other data, and then the subjects were grouped according to their core stability levels and the data from both groups were analyzed with t-tests. Results During the double fly lifting of aerial segments, SCST levels showed a very strong negative correlation with execution time (r= -0.739) and there was a statistically significant difference in execution time between high and low SCST levels (p < 0.001), and the desired negative correlation was also seen in lower limb angular momentum X-axis (thigh r= -0.6294, shank r= -0.536, foot r= -0.6175), especially in the X-axis. The left rectus femoris (LRF) data had greater activation in the low SCST group(p=0.0019*). Through this experiment, we found that athletes with high core stability had faster execution times, lower angular momentum, and higher core muscle activation. Therefore, we conclude that incorporating core stability training into taekwondo training has the potential to improve kicking performance.

In an effort to enhance the efficiency and safety of open-pit mines, this study explores the optimization of end slope road parameters and slope structures, specifically focusing on unmanned driving lanes.A significant aspect of the study is the development of a truck trajectory offset model, which considers the different reaction times between automated sensors and human drivers in adapting to environmental changes. To test these concepts, the study uses numerical simulations to confirm the stability of the proposed end slope designs. Using Victory West Mine No. 1 as a case study, the research determines the optimized width for unmanned driving lanes and the maximum angle for safe steepening of end slopes. The findings indicate that the optimized unmanned lane width for NTE240 mining dump trucks is 1743 mm, allowing for a 2-degree increase in the slope angle at the south end slope. This optimization leads to a steep mining stripping volume of 3.2735 million m³ and a coal output of 2.49628 million tons, maintaining a stripping ratio of 1.31m³/t. These results demonstrate that the unmanned driving road width optimization not only ensures slope safety but also significantly boosts the economic benefits of steep mining in open-pit mines.

Single-cell green microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica is potentially considered to be the bioresource for biofuel and pharmaceutical production. Urea is a kind of nutrient component for photosyn-thetic N. oceanica. Meanwhile, urea could induce to accumulate some substances such as lipid and affect its growth and physiology. However, how marine microalga N. oceanica respond and adapt to urea addition remains elusive. Here, acclimation of the metabolic reprogramming to changes in the nutrient environment was studied by high-throughput mRNA sequencing in N. oceanica under Ct vs U, there were 2104 genes displayed differential expression (including 1354 upregulation and 750 downregulation, respectively) and some pathways including carbon/nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis, and lipid metabolism would be reprogrammed in N. oceanica. The results showed that genes related to photosynthesis in N. oceanica were significantly down-regulated, especially those related to light harvesting proteins. Interestingly, urea absorption and transport may de-pend not only on specialized transport mechanisms such as urease, but also on alternative transport channels such as the ABC transporter family, CLC protein family. In addition, urea causes specific changes in carbon and lipid metabolism. Genes associated with the Calvin cycle and carbon concentration mechanisms were significantly upregulated. In lipid metabolism, genes associated with lipases, or polyunsaturated fatty acid enzymes, are highly activated. In addition, expression is enhanced in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and folate metabolism, making important contributions to energy supply and synthesis and modification of genes or macromolecules. These phenomena indicate that N. oceanica actively and dynamically regulates the redistribution of carbon and nitrogen after urea addition., which will provide references for further research on the effects of urea on N. oceanica.

The mechanism underlying microbiologically induced carbonate precipitation have not been thoroughly characterized, although numerous scholars and experts have specifically investigated questions regarding minerals induced by bacteria. The study of the precipitation of carbonate minerals induced by halophilic bacteria has aroused wide concern. The present study aimed to investigate the characterization and process of biomineralization in high salt systems by a halophilic bacterium, Chromohalobacter israelensis strain LD532 (GenBank: KX766026), which was isolated from the Yinjiashan Saltern in China. Carbonate minerals induced by LD532 were investigated in several sets of comparative experiments that employed magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride as Mg resources. Magnesium calcite and aragonite were induced by LD532 bacteria, whereas these minerals did not appear in the control group. The mineral phases, micromorphologies, and crystal structures were analysed using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray detection. The carbonic anhydrase and urease secreted by strain LD532 through metabolism increased the pH value of the liquid medium and promoted the process of carbonate precipitation. Further study using high resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray detection and analysis of ultrathin slices showed that the nucleation sites of carbonate minerals were located on extracellular polymeric substances and the membranes of intracellular vesicles of LD532 bacteria, which provided favourable conditions for the growth of carbonate mineral crystals. The morphologies and compositions of minerals formed in solutions of MgSO₄ and MgCl₂ display significant differences, indicating that different sources of Mg²⁺ may also affect the physiological and biochemical activities of microorganisms and thus mineral deposition. This study will be of some interest for the interpretation of carbonate biomineralization in natural salt environments and has some value as a reference in understanding sedimentary carbonates in ancient marine environments, such as tidal flats.

In Acropora, the complex canals in a coral colony connect all polyps into a holistic network to collaborate in performing biological processes, while axial canal is the largest canal amongst the network and distributes at the center of a coral branch. However, previous studies indicated that, in the non-radial symmetry transport system of Acropora, axial canal do not play a major role in the transport of hydroplasm, and the action of axial canal in coral growth is still obscure. In this study, we reconstructed six Acropora muricata samples by high resolution micro-computed tomography to investigate the growth patterns of axial canals during the processes of new branch forming and truncated branch rebuilding. We found that the axial canal of a new branch is transformed from a calice and the polyps in the new branch are budded from the polyp in the axial canal. Meanwhile, the axial canal can transport the calcareous skeletons to rebuild the tip of a truncated branch, which represents as the change in the diameter of axial canal and calcareous deposition/reduction in it. This work indicate the regulation of axial canal in the growth processes including budding, branching, and mineralising of an Acropora colony.

As one of the typical deposits in Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Pb-Zn metallogenic province, the Daliangzi Pb-Zn deposit has a close genetic relation with the structural system of “black/fracture zone” formed under the action of NWW-approx. EW strike-slip structures in the metallogenic province, but the mechanism of rock and ore-controlling action of the structural system remains unclear. Based on detailed analysis of tectonite-mineralized alteration lithofacies of R1 “black/fracture zone”, the tectonite-mineralized alteration lithofacies zones can be divided into 4 types in succession outward from the Pb-Zn mineralization center, i.e., ① brecciated and stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralization-complex breccia facies zone, ② stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralization-simple breccia and cataclasite facies zone, ③ veined pyrite-sulfide-dolomitic cataclasite facies zone, and ④ fine-veined calcite-black carbonized dolomite facies zone; Cl- and SO42--rich high-temperature oxidizing ore-bearing fluid mixes with reducing fluid in Zone ① while migration and precipitation occur in Zone ④. With the evolution of ore-forming fluid, the homogenization temperature decreases from Zone ① to Zone ④, the salinity increases from Zone ① to Zone ② and then decreases to Zones ③ and ④, and the fluid density has little change on the whole; the contents of Zn, Pb, Cu, Ga, Ge, Cd, Ag, and other metallogenic elements, the Zn/Pb ratio, and the CaO/MgO mole ratio decrease gradually from Zone ① to Zone ④; and REE fractionation, calcilization, silicification, and pyritization enhance gradually from Zone ① to Zone ④. This series of changes are the product of diapirism (cryptoexplosion) of strike-slip structures and “black/fracture zone”, among which the second-order structures (F5, F100, and other faults) derived from NWW-approx. EW striking dextral shear-tension faults F1 and F15 control the brecciated and stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralized complex breccia facies zones and the stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralized simple breccia and cataclasite facies zones. Therefore, this paper establishes the zoning mode of tectonite-mineralized alteration lithofacies of “black/fracture zone” and proposes that Zones ① and ② are important prospecting criteria. conclusions.

Background: Gestational diabetes is a common complication during pregnancy that can lead to numerous adverse outcomes. Some studies suggest that probiotics may be used to treat gestational diabetes, however, the results remain controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of probiotics on blood glucose and pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational diabetes. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed (start date to August 22, 2023). Primary outcomes included fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting serum insulin (FSI), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI). Secondary outcomes included pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Results: 15 articles (n = 1006 women) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Compared to a placebo, probiotics can decrease FBS (MD -2.58, 95% CI -4.38 to -0.79, p < 0.01), FSI (MD -2.29, 95% CI -3.40 to -1.18, p < 0.01), HOMA-IR (MD -0.56, 95% CI -0.81 to -0.32, p < 0.01), birthweight (MD -101.20, 95% CI -184.62 to -17.77, p = 0.02), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.89, p = 0.01), and hyperbilirubinemia (RR 0.31, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.61, p < 0.01), alongside higher QUICKI (MD 0.01, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.01, p < 0.01). However, no other significant results were obtained. Conclusion: Probiotics may improve blood glucose indicators and reduce neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, NICU admissions, and birth weight in women with GDM.

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.

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) for water electrolysis have received tremendous attention due to their immediate response, high proton conductivity, low ohmic losses and gas crossover rate. However, design high activity, economical and long-term durable electrocatalysts in an acidic environment is still the bottleneck to realize the large-scale commercialization of PEMWEs. Iridium-based materials represent one of the most promising classes of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts due to their intrinsic stability in acid media over ruthenium-based counterparts. However, only a few innovative approaches have been developed to synthesizing iridium-based catalysts (IBCs) in the past decade, mainly due to achieving high activity may deteriorate the stability of IBCs. Accordingly, various engineering strategies of optimizing IBCs have been proposed to address this issue, including doping engineering, morphology engineering, crystal phase engineering and support engineering. Herein, a critical overview focusing on various synthesis and modulation strategies of IBCs is presented, based on an in-depth understanding of the relationship between electronic structures, charge redistribution and activity as well as stability of the electrocatalysts. In addition, the unprecedented achievements in PEMWEs are summarized. The reaction mechanisms and future perspectives are critically discussed to inspire more rational design of IBCs toward practical applications.

The phonon modes in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ and YBa_2-xLa_xCu₃O_7-δ systems have been systematically studied by Raman spectroscopy. The new phonon modes of 104 cm^-1, 94 cm^-1, and 89 cm^-1 were found in all these samples. A crude estimate about the wavenumber of the collective vibration of the stable CuO2 plane was given in this paper. The standard deviations of the new phonons in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ and YBa_2-xLa_xCu₃O_7-δ systems were discussed. The results of the calculation indicated that the 104 cm^-1 mode probably stands the c-direction collective vibration of the stable CuO2 plane, the 94 cm^-1 mode stands the a-direction vibration, and the 89 cm^-1 mode stands b-direction vibration. The relevance between these phonons and the superconductivity was discussed. It is found that, as the T_c decreased, the 104 cm^-1 mode and the 94 cm^-1 mode softened, and the 89 cm^-1 mode hardened slightly.

Industrial nameplates serve as a means of conveying critical information and parameters. In this work, we propose a novel approach for rectifying industrial nameplate pictures utilizing a probabilistic Hough transform. Our method effectively corrects for distortions and clipping, and features a collection of challenging nameplate pictures for analysis. To determine the corners of the nameplate, we employ a progressive probability Hough transform, which not only enhances detection accuracy but also possesses the ability to handle complex industrial scenarios. The results of our approach are clear and readable nameplate text, as demonstrated through experiments that show improved accuracy in model identification compared to other methods.

In some sour reservoirs and tertiary oil recovery blocks, SO₄^2- in solution can cause the corrosion and corrosion fatigue of the sucker rods. In this paper, the corrosion behaviors of super-strength sucker rod FG20 (16Mn2SiCrMoVTiA) steel in the well fluid are investigated by electrochemical measurements, and electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) analysis. The results show that FG20 steel has a favorable corrosion resistance in neural solutions. When the hydrogen ion content increases, the hydrolysis of SO₄^2- greatly accelerates the corrosion of FG20 steel. The energy dispersive X-ray(EDX)results demonstrate that the corrosion process of FG20 steel in neural well liquid is an oxygen concentration process, and the protective FeCO₃ and Fe₂O₃ on the surface of the samples can prevent further corrosion. With the increase of the acidity in the well liquid, the corrosion process converts into a sulphide concentration process, and the sloppy FeS and mackinawite film cannot provide effective protection for the specimens, resulting in the increase of corrosion rate.

The so-called “Chinese pyramids” are huge burial mounds covering the tombs of the Emperors of the Western Han dynasty. If we include also the mounds of the members of the royal families, these monuments sum up to more than 40, scattered throughout the western and the southern outskirts of modern Xi'an. They are mostly unexcavated and poorly known although, taken together, they form a fascinating sacred landscape, which was conceived as a perennial witness of one of the most magnificent Chinese dynasties. This sacred landscape is today encroached by the frenetic urban development of the Xi’an urban area. We discuss and elaborate here some of the results of a recent, new satellite-imagery survey of these monuments, highlighting the aspects which may contribute to solutions for a sustainable and compatible development within this important ancient landscape.

Wool quality and yield are important economic traits of livestock. In this study, the skin tissues of the upper scapula of Super Merino sheep (SM) and Small-Tailed Han sheep (STH) during the growing period were studied. Differentially expressed (DE) long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNA) were identified via histopathological observation and high-throughput RNA sequencing. Gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used to analyze differentially expressed genes. Reverse transcription quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to verify nine selected DE lncRNAs and five DE mRNAs. Significant differences were found in the expression levels of LOC114113396 (KRTAP15-1), CRABP1, KRT10, KRTAP1-3, KRTAP4.3, KRT2, FGF1, IGF-1, and KIT in SM and STH skin tissues. These results indicate that these mRNAs may play an important role in the growth and development of hair follicles and the regulation of hair fiber traits. Differentially expressed lncRNA target genes and mRNAs were mainly enriched in biological processes and pathways related to skin development and fiber traits, which is consistent with previous studies. LncRNA MSTRG.9225.1, MSTRG.124320.1, MSTRG.96951.1, MSTRG.91685.1, MSTRG.122229.1, MSTRG.89255.1, MSTRG.98769.1, and MSTRG.84658.1 may indirectly participate in the growth and development of sheep hair follicles and the regulation of hair fiber diameter by regulating the expression of their respective target genes. These candidate lncRNAs and mRNAs may provide a basis for the study of sheep hair follicle growth and development and hair fiber traits.

Levels of synthetic musk fragrances (SMFs) and various personal care products (PCPs) were measured in the Han River and its tributaries in Seoul, Korea. The most abundant SMF in all river and PCP samples was 4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-1,3,4,7-tetrahydrocyclopenta[g]isochromene (HHCB), followed by 1-(3,5,5,6,8,8-hexamethyl-6,7-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone (AHTN), musk ketone (MK), and 1,1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-2,5,6,7-tetrahydroinden-4-one (DPMI). There was a significant correlation between the SMF concentration in the PCPs and the Han River samples. Moving from upstream to downstream in the Han River, the median SMF concentration was 6.756, 2.945, 0.304, and 0.141 μg/L in the sewage treatment plant (STP) influent, effluent, tributaries, and mainstream, respectively, implying that effective SMF removal was achieved during the sewage treatment process, followed by dilution in the receiving water. Four STPs using advanced biological treatment processes had removal efficiencies of 55.8%, 50.6%, 43.3% for HHCB, AHTN, and MK, respectively. The highest SMF concentrations in the tributaries were observed at locations close to the STPs. Our study confirmed that the main source of SMFs in the receiving water were sewage effluent containing untreated SMFs, which are largely originated from household PCPs, especially hair care products (e.g., shampoo) and perfumes.

The effects of simulated acid rain (SAR) on the photosynthetic performance of subtropical coniferous species have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we treated two coniferous species, Pinus massoniana (PM) and Cunninghamia lanceolata (CL), with SAR and then analyzed photosynthetic activities via the simultaneous measurement of prompt fluorescence(PF), delayed fluorescence(DF), and modulated reflection at 820 nm(MR820). Following the low-pH SAR treatment, the I–P phase of the OJIP curves of PM and CL decreased significantly and then the K-band and L-band were detectable. The delayed fluorescence for both PM and CL decreased as the pH of the SAR solution decreased, with a more significant decrease in the I1 peak than in the I2 peak. According to the MR820 curve, the exposure to SAR stress inhibited the rapid decrease and slow increase in the MR820 transients of PM and CL. The gradients of the decreasing and increasing phases were lower for CL than for PM at pH 2.5. In addition, SAR decreased the light energy captured per unit area (ABS/CSm) and the quantum yield of electron transfer per unit area (ETO/CSm), but it increased the accumulation of QA−, thereby decreasing primary photochemical efficiency (TRO/CSm, φPO). These changes in photosystem II (PSII) resulted in a decrease in the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) and the performance index (PIABS). Moreover, PSII was protected from thylakoid membrane photodamages through the increase in heat dissipation per unit area (DIO/CSm) in response to SAR. The increase in δRO as the pH of the SAR solution decreased was observed for PM, but not for CL. Considered together, the study findings suggest that SAR treatments can decrease chlorophyll contents and damage the OEC in PM and CL, which obstructs the transfer of electrons on the donor and acceptor sides of PSII. However, PM is better able to withstand SAR stress than CL, likely because of the activation of a protective mechanism (reflected by the change in δRO). Therefore, in coniferous forest areas severely affected by acid rain, CL may need to be protected more than PM.

The aim of this paper is to compare the taxonomic composition and species diversity of the macrozoobenthos in Maritsa River (Bulgaria) and Han River (South Korea). Samples were collected at 15 selected sites in each river, including some of their main tributaries in 2020 and 2021. The number of the taxa recorded in Maritsa River was more than twice as great as in Han River: 192 taxa belonging to 19 systematic groups compared to 88 taxa belonging to 18 groups respectively. The order Ephemeroptera had the highest species richness: 31 taxa in the Bulgarian rivers and 26 taxa in the South Korean ones. The macrozoobenthic communities responded and adapted to the various conditions and impacts in the water environment with changes in the species composition and structure. The analysis of the similarity in the taxonomic composition showed low resemblance between all study sites but displayed distinct separations between the rivers and the two years. In general, the species structure of the macrozoobenthic communities in Maritsa River and its studied tributaries was better than in Han River. In both years, high species diversity was recorded at the reference sites in the rivers, characterized by conditions closely resembling natural environments. The species richness and the evenness of macrozoobenthos were very low at sites downstream subjected to considerable anthropogenic pressure. Some of the communities in Han River were almost destroyed completely.

As the lifespan of porous asphalt pavement extends, it invariably experiences performance degradation and an increase in tire/pavement noise compared with the original surface when it is newly built. To understand the medium-term performance of porous asphalt pavement during service and reveal the influence of different pavement performance indicators on tire/pavement noise generation, a seven-year continuous observation and data analysis study was conducted. Porous asphalt with different designed material parameters was taken into account, including thin-layer porous asphalt overlay with a maximum nominal aggregate size of 10mm (PUC-10), porous asphalt with a maximum nominal aggregate size of 13mm (PAC-13), and a two-layer porous asphalt incorporating both PUC-10 and PAC-13 (PUC-10+PAC-13). Using automated pavement technology testing equipment, key performance indexes, including damage rate (DR), rut depth (RD), international roughness index (IRI), and sideway force coefficient (SFC), were measured and calculated. The on-board sound intensity (OBSI) method was used to test noise levels in three types of porous asphalt pavement structures and on a dense graded easy compact asphalt concrete (ECA) for comparison. The progressions of the medium-term performances were analyzed according to the measured results. The correlations between tire/pavement noise levels and testing speed, testing lane, pavement structure, and road condition indicators were investigated by regression. The research results revealed that the DR and SFC of the three types of porous asphalt pavement displayed more significant attenuation in the service period, while the IRI and RD showed small changes. Among them, the SFC demonstrated significant attenuation over the first 4 years, decreasing between 13.8% and 17.0%. From the 3-7 years of operation, the transverse crack disease in porous asphalt pavement progressed rapidly. The three porous asphalt pavement structures tested exhibited commendable noise reduction capabilities. Compared to ECA, the OBSI noise levels of these structures were lower by 2.09 dB, 1.53 dB, and 2.88 dB, respectively. Compared to other pavement condition indicators, RD had a more significant impact on the OBSI value of the PUC-10 porous asphalt pavement. For the PUC-10+PAC-13 porous asphalt pavement, there was a significant linear relationship between the OBSI value and SFC, mainly due to polishing of the coarse aggregate surface. It leads to a decrease of the micro-texture, which lies in increasing tire/pavement noise at high-frequency ranges and decreasing SFC. This study will have guiding significance for the research of the attenuated law and durability improvement of porous asphalt tire/pavement noise.

The implementation of a progressive rehabilitation training model to promote patients’ motivation efforts can greatly restore the damaged central nervous system function in patients. The patients’ active engagement can be effectively stimulated by assist-as-needed (AAN) robot rehabilitation training. However, its application in robotic therapy has been hindered by a simple determination method of robot assisted torque which focuses on the evaluation only of the affected limb's movement ability. Moreover, the expected effect of assistance depends on the designer, which deviates from the patient's expectations, and its applicability to different patients is deficient. In this study, we propose a control method with personalized treatment features based on the idea of estimating and mapping the stiffness of the patient’s healthy limbs. This control method comprises an interactive control module in the task-oriented space based on the quantitative evaluation of motion needs and an inner loop position control module for the pneumatic swing cylinder in the joint space. An upper limb endpoint stiffness estimation model is constructed and a parameter identification algorithm is designed. The upper limb endpoint stiffness which characterizes the patient's ability to complete training movements is obtained by collecting surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals and human-robot interaction forces during patient movement. Then the motor needs of the affected limb when completing the same movement are quantified based on the performance of the healthy limb. A stiffness mapping algorithm is designed to dynamically adjust the rehabilitation training trajectory and auxiliary force of the robot based on the actual movement ability of the affected limb, achieving AAN control. Experimental studies were conducted on a self-developed pneumatic upper limb rehabilitation robot, and the results showed that the proposed AAN control method can effectively estimate the patient's movement needs and achieve progressive rehabilitation training. The rehabilitation training robot that simulates the movement characteristics of the patient's healthy limbs drives the affected limb, making the intensity of the rehabilitation training task more in line with the patient's pre-morbid limb use habits, and also beneficial for the consistency of bilateral limb movements.

Leaf color mutants (LCMs) are important resources for studying diverse metabolic processes such as chloroplast biogenesis and differentiation, pigments’ biosynthesis and accumulation, and photosynthesis. However, in Dendrobium officinale, LCMs are yet to be fully studied and exploited due to the unavailability of reliable RGs (reference genes) for qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR) normalization. Hence, this study took advantage of previously released transcriptome data to select and evaluate the suitability of ten candidate RGs, including Actin (Actin), polyubiquitin (UBQ), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), elongation factor 1-α (EF1α), β-tubulin (β-TUB), α-tubulin (α-TUB), 60S ribosomal protein L13-1 (RPL13AD), aquaporin PIP1-2 (PIP1-2), Intima protein (ALB3) and Cyclin (CYCB1-2) for normalizing leaf color-related genes’ expression levels via qRT-PCR. Stability rankings analysis via common software Best-Keeper, GeNorm, and NormFinder disclosed that both ten genes met the requirements of RGs. Of them, EF1α exhibited the highest stability and was selected as the most reliable. The reliability and accuracy of EF1α were confirmed through qRT-PCR analysis of fifteen chlorophyll pathway-related genes. The expression patterns of these genes via EF1α normalization were consistent with the results by RNA-Seq. Our results will pave the way for molecular dissection of leaf color mutations in D. officinale.

(1) Background: This study aimed to explore how prolonged mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic affected appearance anxiety; (2) Methods: It implemented a quantitative–qualitative mixed-research approach based on a convenience sample of young people in Taiwan; (3) Results: A total of 1,118 participants completed the online questionnaire. A total of 49 participants reached the 55-point threshold of Appearance Anxiety Scale. Higher score of appearance anxiety was correlated to higher state anxiety statistically (r = 0.4, p < 0.001). Ten participants were interviewed and qualitative content analysis revealed 5 main themes and 16 subthemes. Three of the main themes were related to the positive effects of wearing masks for pandemic prevention and reducing appearance anxiety: “Wearing masks indicates compliance with the epidemic prevention requirement,” “Wearing masks functions as protection against lack of confidence in appearance,” and “Wearing masks helps mitigate the fear of being judged by others.” The remaining two “Wearing masks shifts attention from appearance to figure” and “Prolonged mask wearing exacerbates the anxiety about taking it off” were related to the impacts of long-term mask use; (4) Conclusions: results enhance understanding of negative emotional experiences and anxiety related to physical appearance.

Co-free Li-rich oxide is a promising cathode for low cost high energy density Li-ion battery but presents poor cyclic stability. To address this issue, CeO2 is coated on Co-free Li-rich oxide through a low-temperature aged process, resulting in a novel CeO2-coated Li-rich oxide compo-site. Due to the low-temperature aged process, a uniform CeO2 coating layer of 6 nm in thickness is successfully coated on Co-free Li-rich oxide. With this uniform coating, the resulting CeO2-coated Li-rich oxide composite presents improved cyclic stability as well as rate capability as the cathode of Li-ion battery. The capacity retention of the resulting CeO2-coated Li-rich oxide is enhanced from 67% to 85% after 100 cycles and its capacity retention of 5C/0.05C is enhanced from 10% to 23%, compared with the uncoated sample. Such significant improvements enable this low-temperature aged process to be helpful for the practical application of Li-rich oxide materials, not limited to Co-free Li-rich oxide.

Translation is spatiotemporally regulated and ER-associated mRNAs are generally in efficient translation. It is unclear whether the ER-associated mRNAs are deadenylated or degraded on the ER surface in situ or in the cytosol. Here, we showed that ER possessed active deadenylases, particularly the poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN), in common cell lines and mouse tissues. Consistently, purified recombinant PARN exhibited a strong ability to insert into the Langmuir monolayer and liposome. ER-anchored PARN was found to be able to reshape the poly(A) length profile of the ER-associated RNAs by suppressing long poly(A) tails without significantly influencing the cytosolic RNAs. The shortening of long poly(A) tails did not affect global translation efficiency, suggesting that the non-specific action of PARN towards long poly(A) tails was beyond the scope of translation regulation on the ER surface. Transcriptome sequencing analysis indicated that the ER-anchored PARN trigged the degradation of a small subset of ER-enriched transcripts. The ER-anchored PARN modulated the translation of its targets by redistributing ribosomes to heavy polysomes, suggesting that PARN may play a role in dynamic ribosome reallocation. During DNA damage response, MK2 phosphorylated PARN-Ser557 to modulate PARN translocation from the ER to cytosol. By promoting the decay of ER-associated MDM2 transcripts with low ribosome occupancy, the ER-anchored PARN modulated DNA damage response and thereby cell viability. These findings revealed that a highly regulated communication between mRNA degradation rate and translation efficiency is present on the ER surface in situ and that PARN may contribute to this communication by modulating the dynamic ribosome reallocation between transcripts with low and high ribosome occupancies.

It is strongly desirable to accurately detect the clouds in hyperspectral images onboard before compression. However, conventional onboard cloud detection methods are not appropriate to all situation such as shadowed cloud or darken snow covered surfaces which are not identified properly in the NDSI test. In this paper, we propose a new spectral–spatial classification strategy to enhance the orbiting cloud screen performances obtained on hyperspectral images by integrating threshold exponential spectral angle map (TESAM), adaptive Markov random field (aMRF) and dynamic stochastic resonance (DSR). TESAM is performed to classify the cloud pixels coarsely based on spectral information. Then aMRF is performed to do optimal process by using spatial information, which improved the classification performance significantly. Some misclassification points still exist after aMRF processing because of the noisy data in the onboard environment. DSR is used to eliminate misclassification points in binary labeling image after aMRF. Taking level 0.5 data from hyperion as dataset, the average overall accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 96.28% after test. The method can provide cloud mask for the on-going EO-1 images and related satellites with the same spectral settings without manual intervention. The experiment indicate that the proposed method reveals better performance than the classical onboard cloud detection or current state-of-the-art hyperspectral classification methods.

Low-dimensional carbon-based (LDC) materials have attracted extensive research attentions in electrocatalysis because of their unique advantages such as structural diversity, low cost, and chemical tolerance. They have been widely used in a broad range of electrochemical reactions to relief environmental pollution and energy crisis. Typical examples include hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR), and nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Traditional “trial and error” strategies seriously slowed down the rational design of electrocatalysts for these important applications. Recent studies show that the combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental research is capable of accurately predicting the structures of electrocatalysts, thus could reveal the catalytic mechanisms. Herein, current well-recognized collaboration methods of theory and practice are reviewed. The history of modern DFT, commonly used calculation methods, and basic functionals are briefly summarized. Special attention is paid to descriptors that are widely accepted as a bridge links the structure and activity, and the breakthroughs for high-volume accurate prediction of electrocatalysts. Importantly, correlating multiple descriptors are used to systematically describe the complicated interfacial electrocatalytic processes of LDC catalysts. In addition, machine learning and high-throughput simulations are crucial in assisting the discovery of new multiple descriptors and reaction mechanisms. This review will guide the further development of LDC electrocatalysts for extended applications from the aspect of DFT computations.

Under the double pressure of climate change and human activities, the restrictions of conservation policies and the increasing area of overlap between wildlife conservation areas and community living areas have led to increase conflicts and contradictions between nature reserves and neighboring communities. Effective management of such conflicts is particularly important in order to achieve reconciliation of conservation and development. In this study, we take the Mikumi-Selous region in Tanzania, Africa as an example, and through questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews, we sort out the current situation of conflicts between nature reserves and communities in the region, as well as summarize the means of conflict governance. In addition, we focus on identifying the various factors affecting community residents' protection willingness and protection action, and further verify the relationships among residents' family characteristics, protection costs and revenue, protection cognition, willingness and action through empirical analysis methods. The results show that residents' protection cognition has a significant positive effect on their willingness to protect and their actions, meanwhile willingness to protect also positively affects residents' protection action. In addition, it was found that the protection cost inhibits residents' willingness and action. Our study focuses on the willingness to participate and action of core stakeholders towards conflict governance from the perspective of community governance, emphasizing the key role of community participation in achieving coordinated development of biodiversity conservation and community. It provides a new perspective for mitigating conservation and development issues.

Maize varieties with high amylose proportion are more valuable for starch industry. The SBEⅡb gene encodes one of the starch branching isozymes (SBEⅠ, SBEⅡa, and SBEⅡb). Its recessive mutant amylose-extender (ae/sbe2b) decreases the total activities of SBEs and increases amylose proportion up to 60%. Here, the breeding potential of introduced germplasm line GEMS-0067 was evaluated by genotyping and phenotyping. The deletion of the ninth exon of the SBEⅡb gene, high amylose proportion, and the typical irregular granules suggested that this germplasm line was derived from the same resource of high amylose line AE11. The gelatinization and thermal properties, and degree of polymerization of starch chain showed its advantages used for high amylose breeding. However, the negative correlation between amylose proportion and starch content, as well as ker-nel filling characteristics should be overcome during breeding process.

As the traditional sand fixation measures have many limitations, new sand fixing technologies and methods are urgently needed to be developed. This study demonstrated a new sand fixation method using palm mat geotextile to fix the sand dunes and plant grass. We experimented the physical property of the palm mat geotextile in the laboratory, and observed the vegetation growth in the Hobq Desert. The results showed that (1) The palm mat geotextile is more lighter and tougher than the common straw mat geotextile, the average weight, thickness and tensile strength of palm mat geotextile were 2023 g/m², 20.14 mm, and 842–860 N/m, after a year of field observation, the tensile strength decreased by only 2%. (2) The palm mat geotextile had excellent water retention capacity and scouring resistance, the maximum water content reached 227%, and the substrate lost 2.9% after the simulation of heavy rainfall for 3 hours with rainfall intensity of 30 mm/h in laboratory. (3) The palm mat geotextile significantly decreased the soil temperature and increase the humidity in summer, the observed results shown that the palm mat geotextile had the greatest influence on 5cm depth of the soil temperature and 10cm depth of soil humidity. (4) The field experiment results showed that the vegetation coverage and the biomass of the palm mat geotextile with 2 m × 2 m were 35% and 11.21 g (3.9 times and 4.1 times than that of control group, 1.7 times and 1.8 times than that of high-banded salix psammophila sand-barriers group which is widely used in the Hobq Desert).

Accurate estimation of livestock carrying capacity (LCC) and implementing an appropriate actual stocking rate (ASR) is key to sustainable management of grazing adapted alpine grassland ecosystems. Reliable determination of aboveground biomass is fundamental to these determinations. Peak aboveground biomass (AGBP) captured from satellite data at the peak of the growing season (POS) is widely used as a proxy for annual aboveground biomass (AGBA) to estimate LCC of grasslands. Here we demonstrate limitations of this approach and highlight the ability of POS in the estimation of ASR. We develop and trail new approaches that incorporate remote sensing phenology timings of grassland response to grazing activity, considering relations between biomass growth and consumption dynamics, in efforts to support more accurate and reliable estimation of LCC and ASR. Results show that based on averaged values from large-scale studies of alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), differences between AGBP and AGBA underestimate LCC by about 31%. Findings from a smaller-scale study that incorporate phenology timings into estimation of annual aboveground biomass reveal that Haibei alpine meadows were overgrazed by 11.5% during the study period from 2000-2005. The methods proposed can be extended to map grassland grazing pressure by predicting LCC and tracking ASR, thereby improving sustainable resource use in alpine grasslands.

Marnaviridae viruses are abundant algal viruses that regulate the dynamics of algal blooms in aquatic environments. They employ a narrow host range because they merely lyse their own algal host species. This host-specific lysis is thought to correspond to the unique transmission mechanism of the Marnaviridae viruses. Here, we present the atomic structures of the full and empty capsids of Chaetoceros socialis forma radians RNA virus 1 built in 3.0 Å and 3.1 Å cryo-electron microscopy maps. The empty capsid structure and the structural variability provide insights on its assembly and uncoating intermediates. In conjunction with the previously reported atomic model of the Chaetoceros tenuissimus RNA virus type II capsid, we have identified the common and diverse structural features of the VP1 surface between the Marnaviridae viruses. We have also tested the potential usage of AlphaFold2 for structural prediction of the VP1s and a subsequent structural phylogeny for classifying Marnaviridae viruses by their hosts. These findings will be crucial for inferring the host-specific transmission mechanism in Marnaviridae viruses, which is decisive for monitoring and possibly regulating the occurrence and disappearance of algae blooms.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a palygorskite-based antibacterial agent (PAA) as an alternative to antibiotics on growth performance, blood parameters, rumen fermentation, and rumen microbiota in sheep. A total of 120 sheep were randomly divided into five groups of six replicates with four sheep each. Sheep were fed a basal diet, an antibiotic diet supplemented with 500 g/t chlortetracycline (CTC), and a basal diet supplemented with 500, 1,000, and 2,000 g/t PAA for 80 d, respectively. Supplementation with 2,000 g/t PAA and 500 g/t CTC increased the average daily gain (ADG) of sheep compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Diets supplemented with 2,000 g/t PAA and 500 g/t CTC reduced (P < 0.05) the feed: gain (F/G ratio) in the overall periods. Dietary Supplementation with 1,000 g/t PAA significantly increased albumin and total protein (P < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between growth hormone concentration and PAA supplementation (P < 0.05). In addition, compared to the control group, the CTC group had higher growth hormone concentration and lower lipopolysaccharide concentration (P < 0.05). No dif-ference was observed between the five groups in terms of rumen fermentation characteristics (P > 0.05). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was lower in the PAA 2000 and CTC 500 groups than that in the control and PAA 500 groups (P < 0.05). At the genus level, a sig-nificant decrease (P < 0.05) in the relative abundance of RuminococcaceaeUCG-010 was observed in the PAA 1000, PAA 2000, and CTC 500 groups compared with that in the control group. In addition, the relative abundance of Prevotella1 (P < 0.05) was higher in the PAA 2000 group than that in the control group. These findings indicate that dietary supplementation with PAA has ameliorative effects on growth performance, blood parameters, and rumen microbiota, with an optimal dosage of 2,000 g/t for sheep.

Chinese pepper rust is a live parasitic fungal disease caused by Coleosporium zanthoxyli, which seriously affects the cultivation and industrial development of Z. armatum. Cultivating and planting resistant cultivars is considered the most economical and environmentally friendly strategy to control this disease. Therefore, the mining of excellent genes for rust resistance and analysis of the mechanism of rust resistance are the key strategies to achieve the targeted breeding of rust resistance. However, there is no relevant report on pepper rust resistance at present. The aim of the present study was to further explore the resistance mechanism of pepper by screening the rust-resistant germplasm resources in the early stage. Combined with the analysis of plant pathology, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, we found that the genes and metabolites related to phenylpropanoid metabolism were highly enriched in resistant varieties after pathogen infection, which indicated that phenylpropanoid metabolism might mediate the resistance of Z. armatum. This finding was further confirmed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, which revealed that the expression levels of core genes involved in phenylpropane metabolism in disease-resistant varieties were high. In addition, the difference in flavonoid content in the leaves between resistant and susceptible varieties further supported the conclusion that the flavonoid pathway is one of the main pathways involved in resistance formation in Chinese pepper, and MeJA is involved in the formation of resistance. Our research results not only help to better understand the resistance mechanism of Z. armatum rust but also contribute to the breeding and utilization of resistant varieties.

This work compared the performance of three methods for constructing a regional ensemble prediction system (EPS) for wind speed forecasts: dynamical downscaling, breeding of growth modes (BGM), and blending method. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was used to downscale the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) EPS. In addition, as the BGM method needs observation data for generating scaling factors, an alternative method for generating scaling factors was proposed to eliminate dependence on observation data. One-month tests between October 1st and October 30th, 2020, were implemented to evaluate the performance of three methods in the Gansu province of China. The results demonstrate that the blending method outperforms the other two methods. Furthermore, the difference in performance is evident mainly in early forecast lead time and becomes negligible as forecast time increases.

Objective: To study the factors affecting the time of umbilical cord shedding in premature infants.Methods: A total of 151 premature infants who were born in the obstetrics department of a Class III hospital in Hefei from November 2020 to June 2021 were selected as subjects. All premature infants and their families met the complete inclusion criteria. A total of 33 related factors from 3 aspects, including the birth situation of premature infants, the condition of premature infants in hospital and the condition of pregnant mothers, were collected for univariate analysis and multiple Logistic regression analysis. The relevant factors affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants were screened through the univariate analysis results, and the main factors affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants were screened through the multiple Logistic regression analysis results.it was found that the weight, gestural age, admission age, whether the premature infants were combined with NRDS, the use of antibiotics, the duration in the warm box, the initial temperature in the warm box, the duration of light therapy, the degree of Apgar for 1 minute, the maternal education level had an effect on the time of umbilical cord shedding of premature infants (P < 0.05). Through Logistic multiple regression analysis, it was screened that the duration of premature infants in the incubator was the main factor affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Factors such as premature infants' weight, gestural age, admission age, whether they are combined with NRDS, antibiotic use, duration in the incubator, initial temperature in the incubator, duration of phototherapy, Apgar level of 1 minute, and maternal education level will affect the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants. Among them, duration in the incubator is the main factor affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants.

As a member of smart materials, electrorheological elastomers (EREs) formed by pre-treating active electrorheological particles are attracting more and more attention. In this work, four Mg-doped strontium titanate particles with spherical, dendritic, flake-like and pinecone-like morphorlogies were obtained by hydrothermal and low-temperature co-precipitation. XRD, SEM, Raman and FT-IR were used to characterize the obtained products. The results showed that the sizes of Mg-doped strontium titanates are about 1.5‒2.0 μm, and the phase structure are dominated by cubic crystal. These Mg-doped strontium titanates were dispersed in a hydrogel composite elastic medium. Then, Mg-doped strontium titanate/glycerol/gelatin electrorheological composite hydrophilic elastomers were obtained with or without electric field. The electric field response properties of Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers were investigated. It concluded that dendritic Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers is high-performance EREs. And the maximum value of energy storage modulus of Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers has achieved 8.70 MPa. This high electrorheological performance of the products is helpful for their applications in vibration control, force transducers, smart structures, dampers, and other fields.

This study aimed to determine clinical instructors’ perceptions of the assessments used to evaluate the clinical knowledge of undergraduate nursing students. This study uses a descriptive phenomenological approach. Purposive sampling was used to recruit sixteen clinical instructors for semi-structured interviews between August to December 2019. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Four criteria were used to ensure the study’s validity: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Three themes were identified in the clinical instructors’ views on evaluating the clinical performance of student nurses: familiarity with students, patchwork clinical learning, and differing perceptions of the same scoring system. Study results suggest the need for a reliable, valid, and consistent approach to evaluating students’ clinical knowledge. If the use of patchwork clinical internships for student nurses is unavoidable, a method for assessing student nurses’ clinical performance that requires instructor consensus is necessary.

Video editing is a high-required job, for it requires skilled artists or workers equipped with plentiful physical strength and multidisciplinary knowledge, such as cinematography, aesthetics. Thus gradually, more and more researches focus on proposing semi-automatical and even fully automatical solutions to reduce workloads. Since those conventional methods are usually designed to follow some simple guidelines, they lack flexibility and capability to learn complex ones. Fortunately, the advances of computer vision and machine learning make up the shortages of traditional approaches and make AI editing feasible. There is no survey to conclude those emerging researches yet. This paper summaries the development history of automatic video editing, and especially the applications of AI in partial and full workflows. We emphasizes video editing and discuss related works from multiple aspects: modality, type of input videos, methology, optimization, dataset, and evaluation metric. Besides, we also summarize the progresses in image editing domain, i.e., style transferring, retargeting, and colorization, and seek for the possibility to transfer those techniques to video domain. Finally, we give a brief conclusion about this survey and explore some open problems.

In this study, the effects of various beryllium (Be) addition (Be-free, 0.1, 0.25, 0.50 wt.%) on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion corrosion of the Al-Mg-Li alloys were systematically investigated. The best performance was obtained in alloy with 0.1 wt.% Be addition. Trace Be addition promotes the grain refinement of the as-cast alloy ingot and contributes positive effects to the recrystallization, bringing improvement of tensile property. Meanwhile, the best anti-corrosion behavior is also presented at 0.1 wt.% Be addition, due to its potential to reduce the width of precipitates free zone (PFZ). As the Be content increase to an excessive level, the comprehensive performance decreases. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that adding trace Be element into Al-Mg-Li alloys has a positive effect on the comprehensive service performance.

Accurate lithium battery diagnosis and prognosis is critical to increase penetration of electric vehicles and grid-tied storage systems. They are both complex due to the intricate, nonlinear, and path-dependent nature of battery degradation. Data-driven models are anticipated to play a significant role in the behavioral prediction of dynamical systems such as batteries. However, they are often limited by the amount of training data available. In this work, we generated the first big data comprehensive synthetic datasets to train diagnosis and prognosis algorithms. The proof-of-concept datasets are over three orders of magnitude larger than what is currently available in the literature. With benchmark datasets, results from different studies could be easily equated, and the performance of different algorithms can be compared, enhanced, and analyzed extensively. This will expend critical capabilities of current AI algorithms, tools, and techniques to predict scientific data.

Li₂MnO₃ is critical component in the well-studied Li-excess cathode materials xLi₂MnO₃•(1- x)LiMO₂ for achieving high lithium storage capacity. In this article, the diffusion of Li ions in Li₂MnO₃ is studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation with well-behaved empirical force fields obtained by fitting against the crystal structure from experiment and phonons calculated using Density Function Theory (DFT). We have found two possible tetrahedral hopping channels, 0-TM and 1-TM(Mn⁴⁺) channel, which are differentiated by the face sharing octahedral cations. Simulation results show that the 0-TM channel is active for Li hopping, while 1-TM(Mn4+) channel is inactive. During the delithiation process, the Li ions in the TM layered are firstly removed, then those in the Li layer. However, the Li ions will be trapped in the tetrahedral 0-TM channels as long as the four face sharing octahedral sites are cleared. Up to x=1.0 for Li₂-xMnO₃, almost all the Li ions are located at the tetrahedral sites, forming a regular array along a axis. The de-intercalation of tetrahedral Li ions requires a high voltage (>5.2 V vs. Li/Li+), limiting the practical capacities measured in lab. The diffusion of Mn ions into the Li layers is observed in a deeper delithiated structure (x=1.2 for Li₂-xMnO₃), indicating an initial phase transformation to a spinel-like structure. However, the Mn ions are mainly trapped in the tetrahedral sites in the Li layer, instead of the octahedral sites fin spinel-like structure. A few of Mn ions diffusing into the octahedral sites in Li layers have no face sharing tetrahedral Li ions, revealing a further Li de-intercalation is imperative for the complete phase transformation. Our model is not stable for x≥1.4 in Li₂-xMnO₃. Other charge compensation mechanism should be considered in this high delithiation stage, eg. oxygen release.

The key links of face recognition are digital image preprocessing, facial feature extraction and pattern recognition, this article aimed at the current problem of slow speed and low recognition accuracy of face recognition , from the above three key links, on the basic of analyzing the therories of Fractional Differential Masks Operator (FDMO), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), design a kind of FDMO+PVA+SVM coupling algorithm that applies to face recognition to improve the speed and accuracy of it. To realize FDMO+PCA+SVM coupling algorithm, first, we should apply FDMO to face image processing binary marginalization, the purpose is getting face contour; Then, we apply PCA to get the feature of face image which is disposed by binary marainalization. At last, we can apply One-Against All of the SVM classifier and LibSVM software package to realize face recognition. Beside, the article with nine different coupling algorithm design four groups of experimental reaults on the ORL face database verified by comparative analysic FDMO+PCA+SVM coupling algorithm in the superiority of face recognition accuracy and speed.

Falls, highly common in the constantly increasing global aging population, can have a variety of negative effects on their health, well-being, and quality of life, including restricting their capabilities to conduct Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), which are crucial for one’s sustenance. Timely assistance during falls is highly necessary, which involves tracking the indoor location of the elderly during their diverse navigational patterns associated with ADLs to detect the precise location of a fall. With the decreasing caregiver population on a global scale, it is important that the future of intelligent living environments can detect falls during ADL.s while being able to track the indoor location of the elderly in the real world. Prior works in these fields have several limitations, such as – the lack of functionalities to detect both falls and indoor locations, high cost of implementation, complicated design, the requirement of multiple hardware components for deployment, and the necessity to develop new hardware for implementation, which make the wide-scale deployment of such technologies challenging. To address these challenges, this work proposes a cost-effective and simplistic design paradigm for an Ambient Assisted Living system that can capture multimodal components of user behaviors during ADLs that are necessary for performing fall detection and indoor localization in a simultaneous manner in the real world. Proof of concept results from real-world experiments are presented to uphold the effective working of the system. The findings from two comparison studies with prior works in this field are also presented to uphold the novelty of this work. The first comparison study shows how the proposed system outperforms prior works in the areas of indoor localization and fall detection in terms of the effectiveness of its software design and hardware design. The second comparison study shows that the cost for the development of this system is the least as compared to prior works in these fields, which involved real-world development of the underlining systems, thereby upholding its cost-effective nature.

The rock strata movement deformation generated by the mining process of the mine will inevitably lead to surface subsidence and a series of environmental hazards, so it is particularly important to monitor the rock strata movement deformation and surface subsidence in the goaf area. With the development of surface subsidence monitoring technology, InSAR technology has been widely used in the research of surface subsidence in mining areas with the advantages of high precision and wide monitoring. In this paper, by obtaining the image data of 59 Sentinel-1A scenes in the mining area, the obtained PS points were analyzed and processed by ArcGIS difference analysis by PS-InSAR technology, and the surface deformation cloud map and settlement curve of the mining area in various periods were obtained, and the rock strata movement deformation and surface subsidence law of the goaf before treatment and after different treatment methods were studied by influencing factors such as stope layout and mining depth. The results show that the rock strata movement deformation and surface subsidence degree of the goaf under different treatment methods are different due to different influencing factors, and their positions also change dynamically with time. Applying InSAR technology to study rock strata movement deformation and surface subsidence can provide an important basis for mine safety mining, goaf treatment, rock strata movement deformation and surface subsidence monitoring.

Aiming at the problems of high labor intensity and high cost of manual picking, high loss rate of mechanical picking seeds, low mechanization level and difficult to guarantee the quality of picking plates in the process of picking plates of edible sunflower. Based on the principle of manual plate taking, a plate taking control system for sunflower harvesting table was designed. Through the research and analysis of the principle of taking the plate of the edible sunflower harvesting table. According to the actual operation requirements, the overall scheme of the sunflower plate control system is determined, and the control strategy of imitating artificial low loss harvesting is designed. To reduce the grain loss in the process of taking the plate and improve the control accuracy of the system on the movement speed and displacement of the key components in the process of taking the plate, a trapezoidal acceleration and deceleration control algorithm is designed as the control algorithm of taking the plate. To verify the working performance of the plate control system, with the absolute error, relative error and total loss rate of the harvest as objectives. The bench and field verification experiments were both carried out. The bench experiment showed that the speed error of the plate parts was not more than 0.028 m/s. In the bench experiments of the device, the maximum positioning error was 1.25 mm, the average relative error is only 0.94 %, and the grain loss rate was not more than 2.26 %. It result showed that the system algorithm was reliable, the positioning accuracy was high, and the taking plate operation can be completed well. The field verification experiment showed that the forward speed of the unit was in the range of 0.4~0.8 m/s, and the total loss rate of harvest was less than 5 %. When the forward speed is 0.6 m/s, the minimum harvest loss rate is 2.32 %, and which indicated the control system meets the requirements of sunflower harvesting operation.

This paper concentrates on the general birth-death processes with two different types of catastrophes. The Laplace transform of transition probability function for birth-death processes with two-type catastrophes are is successfully expressed with the Laplace transform of transition probability function of the birth-death processes without catastrophe. The first effective catastrophe occurrence time is considered. The Laplace transform of its probability density function, expectation and variance are obtained.

Aiming at the classification identification problem of aeroengines, this paper adopts telemetry Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer to collect aeroengine hot jet infrared spectrum data, and proposes an aeroengine classification identification method based on spectral feature vectors. First, aeroengine hot jet infrared spectrum data are acquired and measured, meanwhile, the spectral feature vectors based on CO2 are constructed. Then, the feature vectors are combined with the seven mainstream classification algorithms to complete the training and prediction of the classification model. In the experiment, two Fourier transform infrared spectrometers, EM27 developed by Bruker and a self-developed telemetry FTIR, were used to telemeter the hot jet of three aeroengines to obtain infrared spectral data. The training data set and test data set were randomly divided in a ratio of 3:1. The model training of the training data set and the label prediction of the test data set were carried out by combining spectral feature vectors and classification algorithms. The classification evaluation indicators were accuracy, precision, recall, confusion matrix, and F1-score. The classification recognition accuracy of the algorithm was approximately 98%. This paper has great significance for the fault diagnosis of aeroengines and classification recognition of aircrafts.

Mutualism between insects and symbiotic bacteria drives insect evolution, and insecticide resistance is affected by symbiotic bacteria, increasing the complexity of pest resistance. This study evaluated the sublethal and transgenerational effects of the neonicotinoid insecticide nitenpyram on the population dynamics of Acyrthosiphon gossypii and measured its impact on the symbiotic bacterial community. The results showed that LC20 (2.49 mg·L−1) of nitenpyram significantly reduced the fecundity and lifespan of the parent G0 generation of A. gossypii, and had similar inhibitory effects on its G1 and G2 generations. Compared with those of control group, the population parameters λ (finite rate of increase), R0 (net reproductive rate), and r (intrinsic increase rate) of G1 and G2 were significantly reduced, but mean generation time (T) was increased. Nitenpyram treatment affected the biological traits of A. gossypii, and also changed the relative abundance of Buchnera and Sphingomonas in three consecutive generations G0-G2. Under nitenpyram treatment, the relative abundance of Buchnera decreased in G0, while that of Sphingomonas increased. The relative abundance of Buchnera increased in G1 and G2, but that of Sphingomonas decreased. Our findings may provide a new perspective for evaluating the potential effects of pesticides on aphids.

Mutualism between insects and symbiotic bacteria drives insect evolution, and insecticide resistance is affected by symbiotic bacteria, increasing the complexity of pest resistance. This study evaluated the sublethal and transgenerational effects of the neonicotinoid insecticide nitenpyram on the population dynamics of Acyrthosiphon gossypii and measured its impact on the symbiotic bacterial community. The results showed that LC20 (2.49 mg·L−1) of nitenpyram significantly reduced the fecundity and lifespan of the parent G0 generation of A. gossypii, and had similar inhibitory effects on its G1 and G2 generations. Compared with those of control group, the population parameters λ (finite rate of increase), R0 (net re-productive rate), and r (intrinsic increase rate) of G1 and G2 were significantly reduced, but mean gen-eration time (T) was increased. Nitenpyram treatment affected the biological traits of A. gossypii, and also changed the relative abundance of Buchnera and Sphingomonas in three consecutive generations G0-G2. Under nitenpyram treatment, the relative abundance of Buchnera decreased in G0, while that of Sphin-gomonas increased. The relative abundance of Buchnera increased in G1 and G2, but that of Sphingo-monas decreased. Our findings may provide a new perspective for evaluating the potential effects of pesticides on aphids.

Transcription factors (TFs) in the homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-ZIP) family serve as essential regulators of plant development and control responses to environmental stimuli. To date, however, the HD-ZIP gene family in Prunus nana remains to be fully characterized. Accordingly, a genome-wide analysis of P. nana HD-ZIP family genes was performed using the most recent genomic data available, leading to the classification of 30 HD-ZIP TFs. These genes were annotated and subjected to systematic analyses of phylogenetic relationships, protein physicochemical properties, sequence-based structural characteristics, chromosomal distributions, and associated cis-acting regulatory elements. High levels of diversity were observed with respect to the gene structures for these PnaHD-Zip genes and the cis-regulatory elements found in the promoter regions upstream of these genes, suggesting that they play diverse roles in a range of biological contexts. These 30 PnaHD-Zip genes were further classified into four subgroups based on the results of phylogenetic, gene structure, and conserved motif analyses. Subsequent qPCR analyses indicated that PnaHD-Zip1 and PnaHD-Zip7 expression levels tended to increase was continuously inhibited in response to cold stress, suggesting that proteins in this HD-ZIP gene family may exhibit distinct responses to low-temperature stress exposure. Overall, these results offer a robust foundation for future studies seeking to explore the functional roles that HD-ZIP TFs play as regulators of cold stress tolerance in P. nana, in addition to offering more general insight regarding the regulatory functions and characteristics of these different HD-ZIP genes in P. nana.

Density functional theory (DFT) and coupled cluster theory (CCSD(T)) calculations are performed to investigate the geometric, electronic structures and chemical bonding of a series of Cu-doped zinc oxide clusters, CunZn3O3 (n = 1-4). The structural evolution of CunZn3O3 (n = 1-4) clusters are elaborated in our work. The planar seven-membered ring of CuZn3O3 cluster plays an important role in the structural evolution, that is, the Cu atom, Cu dimer (Cu2) and Cu trimer (Cu3) anchor on the CuZn3O3 cluster. The aggregate behavior of Cu atoms on Zn3O3 may offer insight into the study of Cu/ZnO-based catalysts. Additionally, it is found that the CunZn3O3 clusters become more stable as the Cu content (n) increases. Bader charge analysis points out that as the Cu atoms doping, the reducibility of Cu aggregation (Cun-1) on the CuZn3O3 cluster increases. Combined with the d-band centers and the surface electrostatic potential (ESP), the reactivity and the possible reaction sites of CunZn3O3 (n = 1-4) clusters are also illustrated.

Fructan, a fructose polymer, is used as carbohydrate reserve in many plants. The nutritional and therapeutic benefits of fructans have attracted increasing interest by consumers and food industry. In the course of evolution, many plants have developed the ability of regulating plant frunctan metabolism genes to produce different structures and chain length fructans, which are strongly correlated with their survival in harsh environments. De nevo domestication of fructan-rich plants based on genome editing is a viable and promising approach to improve human dietary quality and reduce the risk of chronic disease. These advances will greatly facilitate breeding and production of tailor-made fructans as a healthy food ingredient from wild plants such as polygonati rhizoma. The purpose of this review is to broaden our knowledge on plant fructan biosynthesis, evolution and beneficial applications for human health.

Concrete cracks and local damage can affect the bond performance between concrete and steel bars, thereby reducing the durability of reinforced concrete structures. Compared with general concrete crack repair methods, biomineralization repair not only has effective bonding capabilities but is also particularly environmentally friendly. In view of this, this study aimed to apply biomineralization technology to repair damaged fiber-reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC). Two groups of LWAC specimens were prepared. The control group used lightweight aggregates (LWAs) without bacterial spores and nutrient sources, and the experimental group used LWAs containing bacterial spores and nutrient sources. These specimens were first subjected to compression tests and pull-out tests, respectively, and thus were damaged. After the damaged specimen healed itself in different ways for 28 days, secondary compression and pull-out tests were conducted. The self-healing method of the control group involved placing the specimens in an incubator. The experimental group was further divided into experimental group I and experimental group II. The self-healing method of experimental group I was the same as that of the control group. The self-healing method of experimental group II involved soaking the specimen in a mixed solution of urea and calcium acetate for two days, and then taking it out and placing it in an incubator for two days, with a cycle of four days. The test results showed that, compared with the control group specimens, the relative bond strength ratio of the experimental group II specimens increased by 17.9%. Moreover, the EDS and XRD analysis results confirmed that the precipitate formed at the crack was calcium carbonate, which improved the compressive strength and bond strength after self-healing. This indicates that the biomineralization maintenance method used in experimental group II is more effective.

Manufactured sand and natural sand have great differences in terms of physical properties, chemical composition, and so on. In the mix ratio design of manufactured sand concrete, the traditional common concrete ratio cannot be used. The water-cement ratio playing a crucial role in the mix ratio design. The optimum water-cement ratio can not only improve concrete performance, it can also reduce cement consumption and costs. The present study examines the working performance indicators and mechanical performance indicators of manufactured sand concrete using Fujian granite with three strength grades (C35, C40 and C50) at different water-cement ratios. The impact of water-cement ratio on the operational and mechanical performance of manufactured sand concrete with different strength grades is analyzed and summarized. Revised sentence: The findings suggest that the workability of Fujian granite concrete is directly influenced by the water-cement ratio. Additionally, the water-cement ratio indirectly affects the mechanical properties of manufactured sand concrete. Finally, when changing the water-cement ratio, cube compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and bending strength exhibit similar trends. The optimal water-cement ratio for C35 concrete is determined to be 0.39, considering the workability and mechanical properties of Fujian granite manufactured sand concrete. Similarly, the optimal water-cement ratio for C40 concrete is 0.34, while for C50 concrete it is 0.32.

Two interesting compounds such as quaternary ammonium lignin(QAL) and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) were synthesized as ionic liquids(QP-ILs) for the extraction of metal ions. The extraction behavior of Co(II) and Ni(II) from chloride solution was compared between QP-ILs and P507. The results showed that the extraction rates of Co(II) and Ni(II) in the two solutions varied with the extraction conditions, but QP-ILs has stronger extractability for cobalt than P507, while Ni is on the contrary. Under the same conditions, the Co/Ni separation performance(βCo/Ni) in QP-ILs is superior to that in p507. At pH4.0, 55℃, concentration of 20%, extraction time of 10 minutes, the βCo/Ni of QP-ILs reached to 2703, while that of P507 was only 164. In conclusion, QP-ILs was more efficient than P507 for separating Co from mixed solutions.

Space instable target simulator (SITS) is a vital actuator for ground verification of on-orbital capture technology, the motion performance of which directly affects simulation credibility. Different delays reduce the stability of SITS and ultimately lead to its divergence. In order to achieve high fidelity simulation, the impact of force measurement delay, discrete control cycle, and simulator response delay on stability is analyzed firstly. Then, the dynamic equation and transfer function identification model of hybrid simulator is constructed, and the necessary and sufficient conditions of its stability and convergence are obtained using the Routh criterion. After that, a switching compensator with variable gain is proposed, the compensation principle diagram of which is build, and its mathematical model including the energy observer and tracking differentiator is also established. Finally, three sets of numerical simulations are conducted to validate the correctness of the stability analysis and effectiveness of proposed compensation method. Simulation results show that all three types of delay can cause SITS to lose stability under critical stable motion state, and the delay in force measurement has the greatest impact, followed by the influence of control cycle. Compared with the force applied to simulated target, velocity and its recovery coefficient of space instable target using fixed gain and linear gain compensation, the proposed compensator has significantly better performance.

Cadmium(Cd) is a highly toxic and cumulative environmental pollutant. Siderophores are heavy metal chelators with high tolerance to heavy metals such as Cd. Furthermore, ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) has potential remediation capacity for soils contaminated by heavy metals. Consequently, using ryegrass alongside beneficial soil microorganisms that produce siderophores may be an effective means to remediate soils contaminated with Cd. In this study, Bacillus strains WL1210 and CD303 that were previously isolated from the rhizospheres of Nitraria tangutorum in Wulan and Peganum harmala L in Dachaidan, respectively, both arid sandy environments, were evaluated for heavy metal pollution mitigation. The results indicate that both strains of Bacillus exhibit favorable biological characteristics and stress resistance, and they are both producers of siderophores, which promote the growth of ryegrass under Cd stress.

The condensing heat exchanger is commonly applied in various heat exchange systems. It can efficiently recover moisture and heat from the flue gas that contains water vapor. However, the convective-condensation heat transfer process is so complicated that no mature thermal calculation model is available. This study develops a thermal calculation model for the widely employed tubular condensing heat exchanger in industry. To characterize the degree of the heat and mass transfer, this study introduces two parameters, namely the sensible and latent heat transfer efficiencies of fin. The thermal calculations are conducted for the condensing heat exchangers reported in the literature to verify the proposed model by comparing it with the experimental data. The results show that the absolute error of the calculated sensible and latent heat transfer efficiencies is 0.0365 and 0.0268, respectively. Under the working conditions in this study, a maximum difference of 5.2 K has been acquired between the measured and calculated values of the outlet temperature. The relative error of the condensate water flowrate is mostly within ±5.0% and ±10.0% under the bare-tube and finned-tube conditions, respectively, with a maximum deviation of 0.7 and 1.4 kg h-1. This study provides a general model for designing and optimizing various tubular condensing heat exchangers accurately.

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) is acknowledged as a useful way to transmit data in ocean for short distance application. Carrying UWOC device on mobile platform is quite practical in ocean engineering, which is helpful to exploit its advantages. In application, such platform needs camera to observe surroundings and guide its action. Since the majority of ocean is always dark, active illumination is necessary to imaging. Once UWOC worked in such environment, its performance is affected by the illumination light noise. In this paper, we study the influence of underwater LED illumination on bidirectional UWOC with Monte Carlo method. We simulate forward noise from the LED illumination to the opposite receiver in the cooperative terminal, and the backscattering noise on the adjacent receiver in the same terminal. The results show that the forward noise is reduced with the increase of absorption coefficient, scattering coefficient, transmitting distance, and separated distance between receiver and the optical axis of LED. But it becomes greater with FOV of receiver. The backscattering noise is reduced with the increase of absorption coefficient and separated distance between receiver and LED. But it becomes greater with FOV and scattering coefficient, while it has little relation with transmitting distance. In order to reduce such two kind noises, besides inserting optical filter in the receivers and narrow their field, the optical axis of LED light should keep away from the receivers. The results in this paper is helpful for UWOC application.

Thin twin-roll cast strips from a model Al-Cu-Mg-Li-Zr alloy with a small addition of Sc were prepared. A combination of a fast solidification rate and a favorable effect of Sc microalloying impacts the size and distribution of primary phase particles and the dimension of eutectic cells. Small interdendritic spacing in the range of 10-15 um enables substitution of the initial long-term homogenization annealing by a two-step annealing at 300 and 450 °C and a short solution treatment at 530 °C before quenching and the final age-hardening procedure. A dense dispersion of small Al3(Sc,Zr) precipitates intensively inhibiting recrystallization forms during this treatment. Further refining and fragmentation of the structure were performed using constrained groove pressing before the solution treatment. Small pre-straining of quenched specimens and subsequent age-hardening simulating T8 temper were used to promote the formation of a homogeneous distribution of strengthening particles and to suppress preferential heterogeneous precipitation on subgrain and grain boundaries. Microstructural features and microhardness evolution during annealing were critically examined and confronted with microstructural characteristics observed on reference mold cast alloy or alloys without Sc alloying. The proposed treatment represents a model near net shape procedure for manufacturing thicker sheets for the aerospace industry.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations present a sophisticated nano-scale computational approach that can play a critical role in material design for next generation batteries. One critical piece of information needed for MD simulations is the non-bonded potential parameters, which can be obtained through quantum mechanics (QM) calculations or experimental methods. However, experimental data is not available for exploratory and novel materials to derive the potential parameters. Also, the QM approach needs significant computational power and is too time consuming for large systems. On the other hand, current Artificial Intelligence techniques are faster, but they cannot be generalized across molecules and properties. As a result, there is a significant barrier to discovering and exploring new materials. Overcoming this barrier, in this work, we propose a Machine Learning (ML) based technique that can learn inter-atomic potential parameters for various particle-particle interactions employing QM calculations. This ML model can be used as an alternative for QM calculations for predicting non-bonded interactions in a computationally efficient manner. Using these parameters as input to MD simulations, we can predict a diverse range of properties, enabling researchers to design new and novel materials suitable for various applications in the absence of experimental data. We employ our ML-based technique to learn the Buckingham potential, a non-bonded interatomic potential. Subsequently, we utilize these predicted values to compute the densities of four distinct molecules, achieving an accuracy exceeding 93%. This serves as a strong demonstration of the efficacy of our proposed approach.

This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study on the continuously generating Big Data on Twitter related to the sharing of information, news, views, opinions, ideas, knowledge, feedback, and experiences about the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on the Omicron variant, which is the globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 at this time. A total of 12028 tweets about the Omicron variant were studied, and the specific characteristics of tweets that were analyzed include - sentiment, language, source, type, and embedded URLs. The findings of this study are manifold. First, from sentiment analysis, it was observed that 50.5% of tweets had the ‘neutral’ emotion. The other emotions - ‘bad’, ‘good’, ‘terrible’, and ‘great’ were found in 15.6%, 14.0%, 12.5%, and 7.5% of the tweets, respectively. Second, the findings of language interpretation showed that 65.9% of the tweets were posted in English. It was followed by Spanish or Castillian, French, Italian, Japanese, and other languages, which were found in 10.5%, 5.1%, 3.3%, 2.5%, and <2% of the tweets, respectively. Third, the findings from source tracking showed that “Twitter for Android” was associated with 35.2% of tweets. It was followed by “Twitter Web App”, “Twitter for iPhone”, “Twitter for iPad”, “TweetDeck”, and all other sources that accounted for 29.2%, 25.8%, 3.8%, 1.6%, and <1% of the tweets, respectively. Fourth, studying the type of tweets revealed that retweets accounted for 60.8% of the tweets, it was followed by original tweets and replies that accounted for 19.8% and 19.4% of the tweets, respectively. Fifth, in terms of embedded URL analysis, the most common domains embedded in the tweets were found to be twitter.com, which was followed by biorxiv.org, nature.com, wapo.st, nzherald.co.nz, recvprofits.com, science.org, and other URLs. Finally, to support similar research and development in this field centered around the analysis of tweets, we have developed an open-access Twitter dataset that comprises tweets about the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant since the first detected case of this variant on November 24, 2021.

Ammonium sulfate has been utilized in agriculture; however, there is a dearth of research on its application in maize cultivation subsequent to the implementation of nitrification inhibitors or coating. This study aims to analyze the impacts of various combinations of ammonium sulfate fertilizers on soil nutrients, plant nutrient uptake, yield, and fertilizer utilization efficiency in maize cultivation to ascertain the optimal and stabilized disposal method for ammonium sulfate. A completely randomized design was employed with five treatments (AU, the control using urea; AS, treatment using ammonium sulfate; ASN, treatment using ammonium sulfate with a nitrification inhibitor; ASG, treatment using oil-coated ammonium sulfate; ASD, treatment using oil-humic acid-coated ammonium sulfate). Results showed that: (1) Compared with AU and AS, ASN, ASG and ASD decreased the leaching rates of TN, NH4+-N and NO3-N to the 10-20 cm soil layer, and more residual N was obtained in 0-10 cm soil layer. The first-order kinetic equation Nt=N0(1-e-kt) can better fit the process of nitrogen accumulation and release, and the N release rate constant is AU>CK>AS>ASH>ASN>ASD; (2) Compared with AU and AS treatments, the plant dry weight, grain dry weight, spike width, spike length, and yields of maize increased by 8.85-11.08%, 12.98-14.15%, 2.95-3.52%, 5.50-5.65%, and 43.21-51.10% under ASG treatment respectively. The impact of effective spike number on maize yield was found to be significant, as demonstrated by the path analysis conducted in this study. Furthermore, the accumulation levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium within above-ground plants significantly increased under the ASG treatment compared to the AU and AS treatments. The partial productivity of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increased by 1.43-1.51-fold under ASG treatment, while grain nitrogen balance, grain phosphorus balance, and grain potassium balance increased by 1.41-1.58-fold, 1.51-1.95-fold, and 1.15-l.96-fold respectively. The oil-coated ammonium sulfate, therefore, exhibited the optimal slow-release effect of nutrients, thereby achieving superior performance in enhancing maize production and efficiency.

Gaze tracking of high-speed moving targets is a novel application mode for low Earth orbit microsatellites. In this mode, small satellites are equipped with high-resolution narrow-field-of-view video cameras for stable gaze-tracking imaging of high-speed moving targets. This paper proposes a high-precision attitude adaptive integral sliding mode control method with a feedforward compensation disturbance observer to enhance the capability of a microsatellite attitude control system for gaze tracking of high-speed moving targets. Specifically, first, we present the attitude control system model for microsatellites and the calculation method for the desired attitude of target tracking based on image feedback. Then, an adaptive integral sliding mode attitude control algorithm with a feedforward compensation disturbance observer, which meets the requirements of high-precision tracking control, is designed. The developed algorithm utilizes the disturbance observer to observe the friction torque of the flywheel and compensates for it through feedforward control. It also employs the adaptive integral sliding mode control algorithm to reduce the impact of uncertain disturbances, decrease the steady-state error of the system, and enhance the attitude control precision. Simulation experiments demonstrated that the designed disturbance observer can successfully observe the frictional disturbance torque of the flywheel. The attitude Euler angle control precision for high-speed moving target tracking reached 0.009°, and the angular velocity control precision reached 0.005°/s, validating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The sexual reproduction of ascomycetes is controlled by the mating-type(MAT) locus. (Pseudo)homothallic reproduction has been hypothesized based on genetic data from Hirsutella sinensis (Genotype #1 of Ophiocordyceps sinensis). In this study, the differential occurrence of the mating-type genes in the MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs, which constitute the genetic control of O. sinensis reproduction, was analyzed in 237 strains and 5 genomes of H. sinensis. The mating-type genes were differentially transcribed in H. sinensis Strain L0106, and the MAT1-2-1 transcript in H. sinensis Strain 1229 was alternatively spliced, with an unspliced intron I containing stop codons; these findings constitute O. sinensis reproduction controls at the transcriptional and coupled transcriptional-translational levels. The occurrence of the mating-type genes and a-/α-pheromone receptor genes differed among the 5 H. sinensis genomes. The differential occurrence and transcription of these genes are inconsistent with self-fertilization under (pseudo)homothallism but suggest self-sterility of H. sinensis, which therefore needs a mating partner to achieve sexual outcrossing under heterothallism or hybridization. Consistent occurrence and transcription of the mating-type genes of both the MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs have been reported in natural and cultivated Cordyceps sinensis, but these findings are insufficient to determine the reproduction mode(s) because of the co-occurrence of >90 fungal species and multiple genomically independent genotypes of O. sinensis. The mutant MAT1-1-1 and α-pheromone receptor transcripts in natural C. sinensis result in the N-terminus or middle-truncated proteins, with changes in hydrophobicity and secondary structures of the proteins, suggesting heterogeneous fungal source(s) of the proteins and hybridization reproduction.

The goal of this lab is to look at how the characteristics of cementitious materials are affected by bending loads combined with dry and wet cycles of sulfate. In this paper, three sets of specimens with different water–cement ratios were designed. This study applied 20% and 40% of the ultimate bending load as a continuous bending load to the cementitious material specimens for a sulfate erosion test. It was discovered that the specimens' porosity, flexural strength, and compressive strength all tended to improve initially before declining as the cementitious material was degraded in the sulfate solution aged. The flexural strength of the cementitious materials declined as the bending load increased, and their internal sulfate ion concentration rose. A transport model of sulfate ions in cementitious materials under the coupling effect of bending load and sulfate erosion was created by combining the improved version of Fick’s second law and chemical reaction kinetics. The simulation results show that the ion transport properties of sulfate ions in cementitious materials are in accordance with the experimental laws. These research results formed the basis of the unified standards for the coupling of load dry and wet cycle systems, as well as evaluating the durability of cementitious materials under corrosive environments.

Thirty-six healthy 21-day-old weaned ternary piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) were randomly divided into 2 treatments with 18 replicates per treatment and 1 pig per replicate. The control group was fed with basal diet and the test group was fed with diets supplemented with 1 kg/t tea residue. The test period was 28 days. The results are as follows: The addition of tea residue in the diet has no significant effect on the growth performance of weaned piglets (P > 0.05), but it could significantly reduce the diarrhea rate of piglets from 1 to 7 days and 1 to 28 days (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the dietary supplementation of tea residue had no significant effect on nutrient apparent digestibility, plasma biochemical indexes and plasma immune indexes (P > 0.05), but increased the content of glutathione in plasma (P < 0.05). Tea residue had no significant effect on the morphology of jejunum and ileum of piglets (P > 0.05), but it could significantly reduce the content of chloride ion in feces (P < 0.05). Compared with the basal diet group, there was no significant difference in the relative expression of TMEM16A and CFTR mRNA in the colon of weaned piglets (P > 0.05). The whole-cell patch clamp recording showed that the TMEM16A and CFTR ion channels could be activated by ionomycin and forskolin, respectively. However, when the HT-29 cells transfected with TMEM16A and CFTR channels were treated with tea residue extract, it could significantly inhibit the chloride current of the TMEM16A and CFTR ion channels (P < 0.05).

A systematic study has been conducted on barbiturate complexes of all five alkali metals Li–Cs prepared from the metal carbonates or hydroxide in aqueous solution without other potential ligands present, varying the stoichiometric ratio of metal ion to barbituric acid (BAH). Eight polymeric compounds (two each for Na, K, and Rb and one each for Li and Cs) have been characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All contain some combination of barbiturate anion BA− (necessarily in a 1:1 ratio with the metal cation M+), barbituric acid, and water. All organic species and water molecules are coordinated to the metal centres via oxygen atoms as either terminal or bridging ligands. Coordination numbers range from 4 (for the Li complex) to 8 (for the Cs complex). Extensive hydrogen bonding plays a significant role in all the crystal structures, almost all of which include pairs of N–H…O hydrogen bonds linking BA− and/or BAH components into ribbons extending in one dimension. Factors influencing the structure adopted by each compound include cation size and reaction stoichiometry as well as hydrogen bonding.

In this paper, a swarm trajectory planning method is proposed for multiple autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) in an unknown and obstacle-rich environment. Specifically, based on the point cloud information of the surrounding environment obtained from local sensors, a kinodynamic path searching method is used to generate a series of waypoints in the discretized control space at first. Next, after fitting B-spline curves to the obtained waypoints, a nonlinear optimization problem is formulated to optimize the B-spline curves based on gradient-based local planning. Finally, a numerical optimization method is used to solve the optimization problems in real-time to obtain collision-free, smooth and dynamically feasible trajectories relying on a shared network. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed swarm trajectory planning method for a network of ASVs.

Plant-derived diterpene synthases (PdiTPSs) play a critical role in the formation of structurally and functionally diverse diterpenoids. However, the specificity or promiscuity of PdiTPSs remains unclear. In order to gain more understanding of this, the sequences of 199 functionally characterized PdiTPSs and their corresponding 3D structures were collected and manually corrected. Then, the correlations among sequences, domains, structures and their corresponding products were comprehensively analyzed. However, those features alone was insufficient for ef-fective product-specific classification of PdiTPSs as these methods could not establish a clear mapping between the enzymes and products. Nevertheless, local structural analysis can identify residues that have been experimentally proven to influence product outcomes through mutagenesis, and these residues exhibit conservation in spatial positioning and physicochemical properties. And aromatic residues surrounding the substrate exhibited selectivity towards its chemical structure. Specifically, tryptophan (W) was preferentially located around the linear substrate geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP), while phenylalanine (F) and tyrosine (Y) were preferentially located around the initial cyclized diterpene intermediate. This analysis revealed the functional space of residues surrounding the substrate of PdiTPSs, most of which have not been experimentally explored. These findings provide guidance for screening specific residues for mutation studies to change the catalytic products of PdiTPSs.

Video super-resolution, which utilizes the relevant information of several low-resolution frames to generate high-resolution images, is a challenging task. One possible solution called sliding window method tries to divide the generation of high-resolution video sequences into independent sub-tasks, and only adjacent low-resolution images are used to estimate the high-resolution version of the central low-resolution image. Another popular method named recurrent algorithm proposes to utilize not only the low-resolution images but also the generated high-resolution images of previous frames to generate the high-resolution image. However, both methods have some unavoidable disadvantages. The former one usually leads to bad temporal consistency and requires higher computational cost while the latter method always can not make full use of information contained by optical flow or any other calculated features. Thus more investigations need to be done to explore the balance between these two methods. In this work, a bidirectional frame recurrent video super-resolution method is proposed. To be specific, a reverse training is proposed that the generated high-resolution frame is also utilized to help estimate the high-resolution version of the former frame. With the contribution of reverse training and the forward training, the idea of bidirectional recurrent method not only guarantees the temporal consistency but also make full use of the adjacent information due to the bidirectional training operation while the computational cost is acceptable. Experimental results demonstrate that the bidirectional super-resolution framework gives remarkable performance that it solves the time-related problems when the generated high-resolution image is impressive compared with recurrent-based video super-resolution method.

Land surface temperature (LST) is a crucial parameter in climate and ecology, exerting significant influence on meteorological conditions, ecosystems, and human life. LST data sources are diverse, with remote sensing being the prevailing means of acquisition. FY-4A/AGRI offers high-quality LST products for East Asia. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the product in Hunan Province and conducted refined analysis of surface heat resources based on the 4km/1h resolution product over a two-year period. The results demonstrate that the FY-4A LST product effectively captures surface temperature (R=0.893), albeit with a relatively high error level (Bias=-6.295℃; RMSE=8.58℃), particularly in capturing high LST values. The performance of this product is superior in the eastern flat terrain area of Hunan Province compared to its performance in the western mountainous region due to environmental conditions causing systematic errors that contribute to instability in detection deviation for this product. Surface heat resources are more abundant in eastern Hunan Province than in mountainous areas located west and southwardly, and the detailed distribution of them at finer scales is mainly influenced by the terrain and climate conditions. There is no obvious seasonal difference in the distribution of heat resources except in winter, and rapid urbanization within Chang-Zhu-Tan urban agglomeration during two years has significantly altered the spatial distribution pattern of surface heat resources across Hunan Province. These findings provide a quantitative baseline for assessing FY-4A satellite's detection capability while serving as a reference for further application of its LST products and establishing foundations for divisional classification and utilization strategies pertaining to surface heat resources within Hunan Province.

This study investigated the effects of exogenous gibberellic acid (GA) treatments (elongating cluster + seedless + expanding, T1; seedless + expanding, T2; expanding, T3 and water, CK) on the content of sugars, organic acids, and endogenous hormones and sink strength.Results showed that T2 treatment displayed the highest fructose and glucose levels at 100 days after treatment (DAT), whereas its effect on tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid concentrations at 80 and 100 DAT was relatively weak. Under GA3 treatments, both GA3, IAA, and CTK contents increased, whereas ABA contents decreased at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 48 h. Analysis of sugar phloem unloading revealed that T2 treatment exhibited the highest values during softening and ripening stages. Our findings indicate that appropriate GA3 application can positively influence sink strength by regulating sink size and activity, including berry size enlargement, sugar phloem unloading and sugar accumulation in grape sink cells.

This study delves into the complex dynamics of Underwater Wireless Optical Communication (UWOC) in varied Harbor water conditions. Focusing on four distinct types of Harbor water, the research employs the Monte Carlo method to simulate photon transmission and analyze critical UWOC characteristics. Key parameters such as the transmitted full divergence angle, received aperture, and Field of View (FOV) are meticulously evaluated for their impact on communication efficacy. The study first explores the relationship between laser power variation, attenuation length, and divergence angle, revealing how different water qualities influence received power and time delay spread. Notably, the received normalized power loss and time delay spread are found to be more significantly affected by communication distance than water quality. In addition, under the condition of small received aperture and FOV, the influence on normalized power loss and time spread is more obvious in Harbor water. The findings offer novel insights into the challenges of UWOC in Harbor waters, particularly in terms of light scattering and absorption properties, and contribute to the optimization of communication systems in such complex underwater environments. Furthermore, the analysis of time pulse spread in turbid water quality is of great significance for the analysis and improvement of underwater wireless optical timing, ranging and positioning.

The coupling of AC and DC power will impact the protective actions on the AC side and pose a threat to the stable operation of the interconnection system. Therefore, a new longitudinal protection method is proposed based on the comprehensive distance similarity of voltage waveforms. Initially, the measured voltage and current data are extracted to calculate the reference voltage, and the voltage waveform fitting is optimized. Subsequently, the Euclidean dynamic time warp (DTW) distance and entropy weight method are utilized to process the voltage waveform, enabling the calculation of its comprehensive distance similarity. This similarity is adopted to determine fault location. A hybrid DC multi-feed AC/DC interconnection system, incorporating line commutated converter-voltage source converter (LCC-VSC) and line commutated converter-modular multilevel converter (LCC-MMC), was established in PSCAD, and fault data was simulated and output. The effectiveness of the protection scheme was validated using MATLAB. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can accurately distinguish between faults inside and outside a region. When compared to existing protection methods, it demonstrates superior performance in resisting transition resistance and noise interference, while also mitigating the impact of data asynchronicity. The speed and reliability of the method are further enhanced.

Background: This paper investigates the statistical relationship between bilingualism and the Onset Age (OA) of AD and MCI across a clinical sample, consisting of 580 Alzheimer's Disease (AD) subjects and 1264 Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) subjects, via a statistical analysis conducted on the sample retrieved from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Method: To investigate whether bilingualism has any correlation with the OAs of AD or MCI subjects, our study leverages the full potential of the ADNI dataset, a dataset that covers both the OA and the bilingualism status of both the AD and MCI subjects. Prior to performing any meaningful statistical analysis, a regression model and a probabilistic model were developed in parallel to fill in the missing OA and bilingualism values. A simple least-square regression model that consists of an independent variable of registered age for Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was used to estimate the OA of the AD and MCI subjects in the ADNI dataset. After filling in the missing OA values, the number of subjects relevant for the statistical analysis increased from 816 (AD: 371, MCI: 445) to 1844 (AD: 580, MCI: 1264), which greatly enlarged the representation of the AD and MCI sample in the ADNI population. With increased sample size, a novel probabilistic classification model was introduced to infer an ADNI subject’s bilingualism when relevant demographic information and deterministic outcome were not readily available from the ADNI dataset. The weighted average OA for the bilinguals and the monolinguals was then computed, where the weights for the probabilistic labels were assigned based on the percentage of bilingualism in the general US population. Finally, a statistical analysis was performed to test whether any statistically significant correlation exists between the OA and the bilingualism of the AD and MCI subjects within the ADNI dataset. Findings: Our preliminary study demonstrates no significant statistical difference between the OA of the bilinguals and the monolinguals within the ADNI dataset. Thus, the monolingual speakers within the ADNI dataset do not statistically manifest earlier onset, as compared to the bilingual speakers, which is slightly inconsistent with some earlier statistical findings that bilingual speakers enjoy certain distinctive advantages, such as late onset of AD, as compared to monolingual counterparts.

In recent times, there has been significant enthusiasm for the development of all solid state batteries. This interest stems from a dual focus on safety—addressing concerns related to toxic and flammable organic liquid electrolytes—and the pursuit of high energy density. \cite{SCHNELL2018160,Zheng2018}. While liquid electrolyte batteries constitute for now the vast majority of commercial cells, solid electrolyte batteries show great promise. In parallel with experimental research, computational models \cite{GrazioliEtAlCM2016} clarify the several fundamental physics \cite{LiMonroeARCBM2020} that take place throughout battery operations. We review some classical models, emphasizing the conceptual advancements documented in the most recent works.

The possibility of using graphane monolayer crystals as the electrode material is becoming popular. Graphane is stable at room temperature and has large surface area, but its chemical inertness hinders its direct interactions with Li ions. In this study, we performed density functional theory calculations to study the energetic stability, structural and electronic properties of Li on graphane with various CH divacancy configurations (v12, v13 and v14 ). The results show that adsorption of Li atom reduces the formation energy of the CH divacancy configurations. The Li-v12 is most stable with the highest binding energy of 3.25 eV/Li and relaxes to in-plane with other C atoms. Altering the Li charge state to have Li−1-v12 or Li+1 -v12 affects the energetic stability and electronic characters of Li-v12 . The Li−1-v12 (Li +1-v 12 ) enhances (reduces) the binding force between Li and v 12 configuration, and furthermore it improves (deteriorates) the conductivity of the structure. Further investigation of graphane with vacancies is encouraged due to these intriguing observations, as it holds promise for potential utilization as an electrode material.

Li-rich manganese-based cathode materials (LRMs) are considered one of the most promising cathode materials for the next generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their high energy density. However, there are problems such as capacity decay, poor rate performance, and continuous voltage drop, which seriously limit their large-scale commercial applications. In this work, Li1.2Mn0.54Co0.13Ni0.13O2 coated with Li2MoO4 with unique spinel structure was prepared by wet chemistry method and the subsequent calcination process. The Li2MoO4 coating layer with spinel structure can provide a 3D Li+ transport channel, which is beneficial for improving rate performance, while protecting LRMs from electrolyte corrosion, suppressing interface side reactions, and improving cycling stability. The capacity retention rate of LRMs coated with 3wt% Li2MoO4 increased from 69.25% to 81.85% after 100 cycles at 1C, and the voltage attenuation decreased from 7.06 to 4.98 mV per cycle. The lower Rct also exhibits improved magnification performance. The results indicate that the Li2MoO4 coating effectively improves the cyclic stability and electrochemical performance of LRMs.

The three-phase separator was perforated after four years’ service. The perforation position is at the bottom of the vessel under the baffle plate in an oil transfer station. The cause of perforation was investigated by chemical analysis using a direct-reading spectrometer, microstructure examined by optical microscope(OM), and lab simulated corrosion experiments by electrochemical workstation, and the corrosion products examined with scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS) in this paper. The analyses indicated that the coating at the base of the pressure vessel failed and this led to the direct exposure of the carbon steel plate to the corrosive medium. The electrical contact between the carbon steel and the stainless steel, sets up a galvanic cell that accelerated the corrosion of the pressure vessel which eventually led leads to the perforation.

Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicine, and saponins are its main active ingredients. The content of saponins in flower of P. notoginseng is the highest in the whole plant. Minor ginsenosides have stronger pharmacological activity than main ginsenosides, but its content in nature is very low. We can use extracted total saponins from P. notoginseng flower as the substrate to produce minor ginsenosides by biotransformation method. In this study, we used the fungus Talaromyces flavus and its crude enzymes to transform the extracted total saponins of P. notoginseng flower. Through the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the transformation substrates and products, it was found that minor ginsenosides Gyp-XVII, ginsenosides C-Mc1, C-Mx1, F2, Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, Rk1 and Rg5 were found in the products and the conversion rate of the major saponins in P. notoginseng flower ranged from 44.16 to 55.22%, the yields of the minor ginsenosides ranged from 0.05 to 3.24%. This study provided a good experimental idea, greatly increased the utilization rate of total saponins in P. notoginseng flower, and laid a foundation for promoting the wide application of minor saponins.

In this work, we consider a one-dimensional laminated beam in the case of non-equal wave speeds with only one infinite memory on the effective rotation angle. In this case, we establish the general decay result for the energy of solution without any kind of internal or boundary control. The main result is obtained by applying the method used in Guesmia et al. (Electron. J. Differential Equations 193: 1-45, 2012) and the second-order energy.

In this paper, we study a one-dimensional Bresse-Cattaneo system with infinite memories and time-dependent delay term (the coefficient of which is not necessarily positive) in the internal feedbacks. First, it is proved that the system is well-posed by means of the Hille-Yosida theorem under suitable assumptions on the relaxation functions. Then, without any restriction on the speeds of wave propagations, we establish the exponential or general decay result by introducing suitable energy and Lyapunov functionals.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Despite advancements in treatment, the prognosis for patients with GBM remains poor due to its aggressive nature and resistance to therapy. CRISPR-based genetic screening has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying genes crucial for tumor progression and treatment resistance, offering promising targets for tumor therapy. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent advancements in CRISPR-based genetic screening approaches and their applications in GBM. We highlight how these approaches have been used to uncover genetic determinants of GBM progression and susceptibility to various therapies. Furthermore, we discuss ongoing challenges and future directions of CRISPR-based screening methods in advancing GBM research.

Concrete is more stable than filler as a false roof in a downward approach type infill quarry, but the mechanical model of a concrete false roof is not clear. As a result, there has been limited application. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the mechanical model of a concrete artificial false roof to enhance the stability of the downward approach infill quarry. This paper combines theoretical analysis, model derivation, finite element analysis and field application methods. Firstly, the basic assumptions of thin plate theory and elasticity mechanics are used as the premise to establish the differential equations of the deflection curve of the concrete thin plate false roof. Then, the three types of bending moment generation of the concrete thin plate false roof are explored. Secondly, the relationship between the location of dangerous surface and dangerous point in hard-supported weak-slab structure and soft-supported weak-slab structure is analyzed, and the type of uniform load and calculation model of concrete thin-slab false roof are improved. Finally, according to the established mechanical model of thin slab false roof, finite element analysis and field application were carried out. The results show that there are three types of deflection curve differential equations in the concrete thin slab false roof perpendicular to the strike, and three extreme points exist in the middle section of the thin slab and on both sides of the surrounding rock. The hazardous surface of the hard-supported weak-slab structure is present at the intersection of the encircling rock and the thin-slab fake ceiling, with the perilous point situated on the top of this surface. The hazardous surface of the soft-supported weak-slab structure can be found in the centre section of the thin-slab fake ceiling, with the perilous point being located at the bottom of this surface. Moreover, the damage mode for both structures is that of maximum tensile stress damage. Upon conducting a finite element analysis, the results indicate that the concrete's maximum tensile stress is significantly high.

The thermal stabilizers, lubricant, and plasticizers are three crucial additives for processing poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC). In this study, a new mannitol stearate ester-based aluminum alkoxides (MSE-Al) was designed and synthesized as a novel additive for PVC. The thermal stability and processing performance of PVC stabilized by MSE-Al were evaluated by Congo red test, conductivity measurement, thermal aging test, ultravioletevisible (UV-vis) spectroscopy test, and torque rheometer test. Results showed that the addition of MSE-Al can not only markedly improve the long-term thermal stability of PVC, but also greatly accelerate the plasticizing and decrease the balance torque which demonstrated that MSE-Al possesses the lubricating property. Thus, MSE-Al was demonstrated to be able to provide tri-functional additive roles, e.g., thermal stabilizer, plasticizer, and lubricant. The test results for the thermal stability of PVC indicated that the initial whiteness of PVC stabilized with MSE-Al was not good enough, thus the synergistic effect of MSE-Al with zinc stearates (ZnSt₂) on the thermal stability of PVC was also investigated. The results showed that there exhibited an appreciable synergistic effect between MSE-Al and ZnSt₂. The thermal stabilization mechanism and synergism effect of MSE-Al with ZnSt₂ were then discussed.

This work focuses on addressing the dynamic positioning and trajectory tracking problem for a 4 degree-of-freedom (DOF) unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in the presence of nonlinear dynamics, parametric uncertainties, system constraints, and time-varying external disturbances. To tackle this problem, a disturbance observer-based control (DOBC) scheme is proposed. The scheme is structured around the model predictive control (MPC) method integrated with an extended active observer (EAOB). Compared to the conventional disturbance observer, the EAOB has the unique ability to handle both external disturbances and system/measurement noises simultaneously. The EAOB leverages a combination of sensor measurements and a system dynamic model to estimate disturbances in real-time, which allows continuous estimation and compensation of time-varying disturbances back to the controller. The proposed disturbance observer-based MPC (DOBMPC) is implemented by feeding the estimated disturbances back into the MPC’s prediction model, which forms a robust adaptive controller with a parameter-varying model. The proposed control strategy is validated through simulations in a Gazebo and Robot Operating System (ROS) environment. The results show that it can effectively reject unpredictable disturbances and improve the UUV’s control performance.

This study analyzes the effect of economic growth and income distribution on health inequality using data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A panel analysis was conducted by combining 21 years of data (from 2000 to 2020) from 38 OECD countries. Life expectancy and avoidable mortality were set as the dependent variables; gross domestic product and poverty gap were set as the independent variables; body mass index, consumption, smoking rate, healthcare personnel, number of beds in health service facilities, national medical expenses, and unemployment were set as control variables. First, economic growth and poverty gap significantly affect life expectancy and avoidable mortality. It has been confirmed that to resolve health inequality, growth during growth and distribution must be prioritized. Second, it has been confirmed that as the poverty gap increases, life expectancy increases and the avoidable mortality rate decreases. A mechanism different from the existence of a medical security system targeting the lowest class or an increase in the welfare of society worked. In conclusion, as a policy proposal to alleviate health inequality, this study suggests that policy intervention is necessary to block or alleviate the negative impact of income inequality in health care policies.

Species have shown their habital variations in responding to climate change, especially during the spring and summer spawning seasons. The species distribution model (SDM) is considered the most favorable tool to study the potential effects of climate change on species distribution. Therefore, we developed the ensemble SDM to predict the changes in species distribution of Portunus trituberculatus among different seasons in 2050 and 2100 under the climate scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The results of SDM indicate that the distribution of this species will move northward and have obviouse seasonal variations. Meanwhile, the suitable habitat for the species will be significantly reduced in summer, with loses rates ranging from 45.23% (RCP4.5) to 88.26% (RCP.8.5) by 2100s. Habitat reduction will mainly occur in the East China Sea and southern part of the Yellow Sea, while there will be a small increase in the northern Bohai Sea. These findings will be important to manage the ecosystem and fishery, provide an information forecast of this species in the future, and maintain species diversity if the seawater temperature rises.

For underwater vehicles navigating in Arctic Sea ice-covered waters, fatigue damage is a crucial issue. Many scholars have conducted low-temperature fatigue analysis on low-temperature ma-terials and substrate platforms for ships, and the results show that low-temperature is beneficial for improving the mechanical properties of materials. However, they mainly focus on low-temperature performance experiments and simulation analysis of standard components of materials, and there are very few fatigue life experimental studies on underwater vehicle me-chanical structures. This paper conducts experimental investigations on a scaled model of an underwater vehicle rudder mechanism in a polar environment laboratory. Using a comparative analysis method involving simulations and experiments, the low-temperature fatigue test data of the scaled underwater vehicle rudder mechanism are analyzed, and the quantified analysis be-tween fatigue and different low-temperature loading cycles, as well as the influence of icing on the fatigue life, is explored. It is indicated that the arctic environment can decrease the fatigue life of the underwater vehicle rudder mechanism by deteriorating its material properties. The paper builds the foundation for the fatigue life of an underwater vehicle rudder mechanism in arctic low-temperature environments.

A new di-mannitol adipate ester-based zinc metal alkoxide (DMAE-Zn) was synthesized as a bi-functional PVC thermal stabilizer for the first time. The materials were characterized with Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Characterization results confirmed the formation of Zn-O bonds in DMAE-Zn; and that DMAE-Zn had a high decomposition temperature and a low melting point. The thermal stability of DMAE-Zn on PVC also was tested by conductivity test, thermal aging test, and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) test. PVC stabilized by DMAE-Zn had a good initial color and excellent long-term stability. UV-VIS also showed that the conjugated structure in PVC stabilized by DMAE-Zn was almost all of the triene, suggesting that the addition of DMAE-Zn would suppress the formation of conjugated structures above tetraene. Dynamic processing performance of PVC samples tested by torque rheometer indicated that, having a good compatibility with PVC chains in the amorphous regions, DMAE-Zn contributed good plasticizing effect to PVC. DMAE-Zn thus effectively demonstrates bi-functional roles, e.g., thermal stabilizers and plasticizers to PVC. Furthermore, FT-IR, HCl absorption capacity test, and complex ZnCl₂ test were also used to verify the thermal stability mechanism of DMAE-Zn for PVC.

p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) is not only the useful molecular target in treating life-threatening tyrosinemia type I, but also an important target for chemical herbicides. A combined in silico structure-based pharmacophore and molecular docking based virtual screening were performed to identify novel potential HPPD inhibitors. The complex based pharmacophore model (CBP) with 0.721 of ROC used for screening compound showed remarkable ability to retrieve known active ligands from decoy molecule. The ChemDiv database was screened using CBP-Hypo2 as a 3D query, and the best-fit hits subjected to molecular docking with two methods of LibDock and CDOCKER in Accelrys Discovery Studio 2.5(DS 2.5) to discern interactions with key residues at the active site of HPPD. 4 Compounds with top rank in HipHop model and well-known binding model were finally chosen as identification of lead compounds with potentially inhibitory effects on active site of target. The results provided powerful insight to the development of novel HPPD inhibitors herbicides using computational techniques.

When dealing with limited sample sizes or missing values in time series data, achieving high accuracy in forecasting becomes challenging. This challenge is particularly common in wind energy forecasting, where many wind farms lack complete data. In this paper, we employ the widely-used ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model for time series forecasting. To address the difficulties posed by limited sample sizes and missing values, we adopt a unique approach by utilizing multiple ARIMA models for different datasets. A key distinction from other multiple models methods for time series forecasting lies in each model within our approach using its own dataset, making the fusion process more intricate. To overcome this, we incorporate neural networks and two techniques for model fusion: direct fusion with a learning mechanism and compensation for missing data through training. For each ARIMA model, we introduce a noise estimation method to circumvent the white noise assumptions inherent in ARIMA models. Finally, we apply these methods to wind energy prediction, and our experimental results showcase a significant enhancement in forecasting accuracy.