The work is devoted to assessing changes in the water regime of the Lan River in modern conditions and the near future with the aim of developing a strategy for the rational use of the water potential of small rivers in the Belarusian Polesie region. There was a tendency towards an increase in annual runoff at the Loktyshi and Mokrovo gauging stations during the study period from 1948 to 2015, which was caused by anthropogenic factors in the form of amelioration measures. Testing the hypothesis about the homogeneity of the runoff series under consideration for periods with different averaging intervals has showed heterogeneity for some types of runoff. This was caused by intensive economic activity, which significantly disrupts the natural hydrological regime. A runoff forecast was made for the Lan River at the Mokrovo gauging station for the period up to 2035 based on archive of meteorological data using a multi-model ensemble of four CMIP5 scenarios. A slight decrease in runoff was predicted, caused by additional evaporation from the water surface of the reservoir due to increased air temperature, as well as a slight shift in the peak of the spring flood to March. Results of calculating of permissible withdrawal of surface water from the Lan River for the needs of the Loktyshi fish farm have shown great influence of the fish farm on the river runoff volume that requires strict adherence to scientifically based regimes for managing the water regime of the Loktyshi Reservoir and the Loktyshi fish farm.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma is one of the most predominant malignancies with high fatality rate and is rising at an alarming rate because it is quite resistant to radioand chemotherapy. The proliferation, migration and activation of endothelial cells are involved in tumor occurrence and development. Indirubin is the major active anti-tumor ingredient of a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. In this research, Td-ECs were derived from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by treating HUVECs with the conditioned medium of human liver cancer cell line HepG2. The effects of indirubin on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis of Td-ECs were assessed. Indirubin significantly inhibited Td-EC cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Indirubin also inhibited Td-EC migration and angiogenesis. However, indirubin’s effects on HUVECs were weaker than on Td-ECs.

The high level of noise in helicopter cabins considerably compromises the comfort and safety of the pilot and passengers. To verify the feasibility and effectiveness of microperforated panel composite sound absorption structures for noise suppression in helicopter cabins, simulation and experimental studies were conducted on a model of a light helicopter cabin. First, three microperforated composite sound absorption structures for the helicopter cabin wall panel were designed. Then, a finite element model of the main gear/body acoustic vibration coupling was established to obtain the target frequencies of the microperforated composite sound absorption structures; the acoustic effect was verified by simulation. Finally, a model helicopter cabin equipped with the three microperforated composite sound absorption structures was built, and a cabin noise test was performed. The test results showed that the combined microperforated panel acoustic structure and microperforated panel–porous material composite structure realized an overall cabin sound pressure level attenuation of 8–10 dB, on average, in the wide frequency range of 500–2000 Hz, with an amplitude of more than 20 dB. The microperforated panel–acoustic supermaterial composite structure achieved low-frequency sound absorption in the frequency range of 300–450 Hz. The sound absorption effect reached 50%, and it also exhibited good noise reduction effects in the middle- and high-frequency bands.

Wastes from social economic activities had great impact on water quality thereby limiting water usability for domestic purposes. Sewages discharge from people activities, usually consist of undesirable concentrations of soluble chemicals that infiltrate into the surrounding surface and underground water, and then constitute health risk to the populace. In order to investigate the concentration characteristics and health risk for the local residents in Nandong Underground River Watershed (NURW), eleven common heavy metals in the water body analysis were conducted. Health risk assessment (HRA) was taken to analyze eleven heavy metals of 84 water samples from surface and underground waters in NURW: 36 samples underground water and 48 samples surface water. Our results showed that the heavy metals concentration order is that of Fe > Al > Mn > Zn > As > Cd > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cu > Hg. Correlation analysis indicates that these eleven metal elements have certain similarity on material source and migration transformation. The health risks for local residents exposed to metal elements in the water of NURW mainly from carcinogenic risk (10−6～10−4 a−1) through drinking way, and the health risk of heavy metals exposed to children through drinking way was much higher than adults. The maximum exposing health risks of Cr in both underground and surface water were higher than the recommendation standard (5.0×10-5 a-1) from ICRP, and all the values over the standard (5.0×10-6 a-1) recommended by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Dutch Ministry of Construction and Environment and the British Royal Society. The results of health risk assessment shows that Cr in the water of NURW was the mainly source of carcinogenic risk for the local residents, following by Cd and As. Consequently, it is necessary to control the three carcinogenic metals when the water was used as drinking water source.

The teaching and learning environment have changed significantly over the last decade with the integration of an increasing amount of information and communication technologies, especially in distance education due to global pandemics, total lockdowns, isolation, and quarantine periods. The number of numerous virtual and non-virtual tools involved in educational processes is growing day by day. In terms of technological innovations used in learning environments, many researchers and educators are trying their best to bring more creative ideas into the technology- based learning environments. Although higher educational institutions have greatly benefited from the growing number of hardware and software resources in the educational process, they have also faced some setbacks that have harmed the learning processes. These technologies have in turn complicated some of the processes in the learning atmosphere. Therefore, we take Spanish teaching course as an example to present the challenging smarter teaching and learning systems that higher educational institutions face today.

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.

This study integrated coastal-watershed models and combined a risk assessment method to develop a methodology to investigate the impact resulting from coastal disasters under climate change. The mid-western coast of Taiwan suffering from land subsidence was selected as the demonstrative area for the vulnerability analysis based on prediction of sea level rise (SLR), wave run-up, overtopping, and coastal flooding under the scenarios of 2020 to 2039. Database from tidal gauges and satellite images were used to analyze sea level rise using EEMD (Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition). Extreme wave condition and storm surge were estimated by numerical simulation using WWM (Wind Wave Model) and POM (Princeton Ocean Model). Coastal inundation was then simulated via WASH123D watershed model. The risk map of study areas based on the analyses of vulnerability and disaster were established using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) technique. Predictions of sea level rise, the maximum wave condition and storm surge under the scenarios of 2020 to 2039 are presented. The results indicate that the sea level at the mid-western coast of Taiwan will rise in an average of 5.8 cm, equivalent to a rising velocity of 2.8 mm/year. The analysis indicates that Wuqi, Lukang, Mailiao, and Taixi townships are susceptive, low resistant and low resilient, and reaches the high risk level. The assessment provides that important information for making adaption policy in the mid-western coast of Taiwan.

The cyber physical systems of smart cities are facing increasingly severe attack situations, and traditional separate protection methods are difficult to effectively respond to. It is urgent to coordinate public security and network security protection. However, the integration of the two faces many challenges and is a very promising research field. The aim of this study is to investigate technical approaches for the synergy between public safety and cyber security. This paper proposes a smart city safety protection model inspired by the human immune mechanism. It was found that through a three line defense architecture similar to the human immune mechanism, and with the help of certain algorithms and functional middleware modules, public security and network security protection components can be dynamically combined to achieve collaboration. This work has verified through experiments a promising path to effectively resist complicated attack threats intertwined with public safety and cyber security factors.

Intercropping significantly improves land use efficiency and soil fertility. This study examines the impact of three cultivation systems (monoculture sugarcane, peanut-sugarcane and soybean-sugarcane intercropping) on soil properties and diazotrophs. Sugarcane rhizosphere soil was sampled from the farmers’ field. Soil properties and nifH gene abundance were analyzed by high throughput sequencing. Moreover, a total of 436,458 nifH gene sequences were obtained and classified into the 3201 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Maximum unique OTUs resulted with soybean-sugarcane intercropping (<375). The dominant groups across all cultivation were Alpha-proteobacteria and Beta-proteobacteria. On the basis of microbial community structure, intercropping systems were more diverse than monoculture sugarcane. In the genus level, Bradyrhizobium, Burkholderia, Pelomonas, and Sphingomonas were predominant in the intercropping systems. Moreover, diazotrophic bacterial communities of these cultivation systems were positively correlated to the soil pH and soil enzyme protease. Moreover, low available P recovered from intercropping system showed a strong correlation with higher nutrient uptake activity of soil microbes. Based on the results, our investigation concluded that intercropping system caused a positive effect on the growth of diazotrophic bacterial communities and it might boost the soil fertility and this kind of study helps to develop an eco-friendly technology for sustainable sugarcane production.

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.

Dynamic measurement error correction is an effective method to improve the sensor precision. Dynamic measurement error prediction is an important part of error correction, support vector machine (SVM) is often used to predicting the dynamic measurement error of sensors. Traditionally, the parameters of SVM were always set by manual, which can not ensure the model’s performance. In this paper, a method of SVM based on an improved particle swarm optimization (NAPSO) is proposed to predict the dynamic measurement error of sensors. Natural selection and Simulated annealing are added in PSO to raise the ability to avoid local optimum. To verify the performance of NAPSO-SVM, three types of algorithms are selected to optimize the SVM’s parameters, they are the particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO), the improved PSO optimization algorithm (NAPSO), and the glowworm swarm optimization (GSO). The dynamic measurement error data of two sensors are applied as the test data. The root mean squared error and mean absoluter percentage error are employed to evaluate the prediction models’ performances. The experiment results show that the NAPSO-SVM has a better prediction precision and a less prediction errors among the three algorithms, and it is an effective method in predicting dynamic measurement errors of sensors.

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.

The utilization of smart IoT devices, commonly referred to as digital twins, is aimed at the digitalization of human knowledge within aquaculture processes. This involves the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, including information-based management with big data and modeling, to automate machinery and gain comprehensive insights into the aquaculture environment and fish farm conditions. The ultimate objective is to empower farmers to make informed decisions, furnishing them with objective data to enhance their capacity in monitoring and controlling the various factors impacting fish production. As a result, farming decisions can be fine-tuned to enhance fish health and optimize farm output. In the context of large and modern aquaculture farms, technological innovation becomes imperative to automate processes, minimize labor requirements, and streamline fish feeding operations. Remarkably, the literature currently offers limited discussions on the digital transformation of aquaculture through the application of digital twin methodologies. A prior study underscores the critical influence of factors such as market prices and fish survival rates on the profitability of offshore caging culture. In this study, we embark on an analysis of the prerequisites for establishing a digital twin infrastructure tailored to intelligent fish feeding management. This infrastructure is designed to facilitate the integration of technology and data-driven decision-making, ultimately enhancing the efficiency of fish feeding processes. The proposed architecture for the fish feeding digital twin encompasses various digital twin components, encompassing water quality forecasting, fish population assessment, fish metrics estimation, fish feed prediction, and evaluation of fish feeding intensity. Furthermore, we optimize the daily fish feeding process through reinforcement learning algorithms. Finally, we implement a cloud-based AIoT system that provides the runtime environment for executing digital twins and controlling our intelligent fish feeding machinery. Experimental findings underscore the efficacy of the proposed digital twin system in significantly improving traditional fish feeding processes, notably in terms of reducing food costs and labor requirements.

Thermal fluctuations in two-dimensional (2D) isotropy systems at non zero finite temperatures can destroy the long-range (LR) magnetic order due to Mermin-Wanger theory. Interestingly, the magnetic anisotropy related to spin-orbit coupling (SOC) could stabilize magnetic order in 2D systems. Recently, 2D FexGeTe2 (3≤x≤7) with high curie temperature (TC), as a typical 2D van der Waals metallic ferromagnet, has not only made significant progress in synthetic methods and controlling ferromagnetism (FM), but also actively explored many device applications. In this Review, we introduce six experimental methods, ten ferromagnetic modulation strategies, and three spintronic devices of 2D FexGeTe2 materials. Overall, we have outlined the challenges and potential research directions in this field.

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

Existing evidence suggest that lactoferrin might be beneficial for Alzheimer’s disease. We aimed to determine the effects of lactoferrin intervention on cognitive function from APP/PS1 mice, and possible mechanisms involved in. Both young and middle-aged male APP/PS1 mice were divided into control and lactoferrin group with 16 weeks’ intervention. Lactoferrin intervention had no effects on cognitive function from both young and middle-aged mice, and no key markers involved in Aβ, tau pathology, neuro-inflammation and synaptic plasticity were altered post lactoferrin intervention. In regards to gut microbiota profiles, in the young mice, lactoferrin elevated α diversity index including ACE and Chao 1, and reduced the relative abundance of the genera Bacteroides and Alistipes and elevated Oscillibacter, in addition, Oscillibacter, Anaerotruncus, EF096579_g, EU454405_g, Mollicutes_RF39, EU474361_g, EU774448_g, and EF096976_g were specifically abundant post Lf intervention via LEfSe analysis. In the middle-aged mice, the relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria, as well as the genera Oscillospira, Coprococcus and Ruminococcus was significantly reduced post Lf intervention, additionally, S24_7, Bacteroidia, Bacteroidetes and Methylobacterium were specific via LEfSe analysis post lactoferrin intervention. In conclusion, dietary lactoferrin might be beneficial for gut microbiota homeostasis although might have no effects on cognition.

Novel coronavirus infection is a recent infective agent that causes severe potentially fatal pneumonia. The clinical presentation includes asymptomatic infection, severe pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure. Data pertaining to the clinical presentation of solid organ transplant recipients are scarce. Two cases of novel coronavirus infection in two recipients of renal transplant with variable clinical presentations and outcomes are reported. The first patient presented with progressive respiratory symptoms, acute renal failure, and passed away, whereas the second one, although presented with respiratory tract symptoms and hypoxemia remained stable and exhibited an excellent clinical recovery despite recent reception of thymoglobulin induction. This paper reports rare cases of novel coronavirus infection in renal transplant recipients. For an enhanced insight of the novel coronavirus infection and acute kidney injury on the clinical presentation, severity, and outcome in solid organ transplant recipients, further investigations are required.

Malaxidinae is one of the confusing groups with classification in Orchidaceae. Previous phylogenetic analysis reveals that the relationships among the taxa in Malaxidinae have not yet been reliably established using a few plastome regions or nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS). In the present study, the complete plastomes of Oberonia integerrima and Crepidium purpureum were assembled using high-throughput sequencing. Combined with publicly available complete plastome data, this resulted in a data set of 19 plastomes, including 17 species of Malaxidinae. The plastome feature and phylogenetic relationship were compared and analyzed. The results showed that: (1) The plastomes of Malaxidinae species possessed the quadripartite structure of typical angiosperms, with sizes ranging from 142,996 bp to 158,787 bp and encoding from 125 to 133 genes. The ndh genes were lost or pseudogenized with varying degrees in six species. An unusal inversion was detected in the Large Single-Copy region (LSC) of Oberonioides microtatantha. (2) A total of 8 regions, including ycf1, matK, rps16, rpl32, ccsA-ndhD, clpP-psbB, trn-FGAA-ndhJ, and trnSGCU-trnGUCC, were identified as mutational hotspots. (3) Based on complete plastomes, 68 protein-coding genes and 51 intergenic regions, respectively, the phylogenetic analyses resolved genera-level relationships in this subtribe with strong support. The Liparis was supported as polyphyletic.

In this study, we examine microscale waterflooding in a randomly close-packed porous medium. Three different porosities are prepared in a microfluidic platform and saturated with silicone oil. Optical video fluorescence microscopy is used to track the water front as it flows through the porous packed bed. The degree of water saturation is compared to water containing two different types of chemical modifiers, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), with water in the absence of a surfactant used as a control. Image analysis of our video data yield saturation curves and calculate fractal dimension, which we use to identify how morphology changes the way an invading water phase moves through the porous media. An inverse analysis based on the implicit pressure explicit saturation (IMPES) simulation technique uses mobility ratio as an adjustable parameter to fit our experimental saturation curves. The results from our inverse analysis combined with our image analysis show that this platform can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of surfactants or polymers as additives for enhancing the transport of water through an oil-saturated porous medium.

Due to rising global warming and climate change, biodiversity protection has become a critical ecological concern. The rich biodiversity zones are under threat and are deteriorating, necessitating national, regional, and provincial efforts to safeguard these natural areas. The effective conservation of National Parks and Nature-protected Areas helps to improve biodiversity conservation, forest, and urban air quality. The continuous encroachment and abuse of these protected areas have degraded the ecosystem over time. While exploring the geophysical ecology and biodiversity conservation of these areas in West Africa, Kainji National Park was selected for this study because of its notable location, naturalness, rich habitat diversity, topographic uniqueness, and landmass. The conservation of national parks and nature-protected areas is a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation globally. This study is aimed at the target of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13, 2030- Climate Action, targeted at taking urgent action towards combating climate change and its impacts. The study captures both flora and fauna that are dominant in the study area. The 15 identified tree species were selected from over 30 species with 563,500,000 (an average of 3,700,000 in each sample frame) trees for every tree species/type with a total of 63% tree green canopy cover. The study areas divided into three zones were randomly sampled within a stratum of 25x25km frames divided into 150 sample frames for proper analyses using the i-Tree Eco v6.0.23. The following microclimatic data were captured and analyzed; photosynthetically active radiation, rain/precipitation, temperature, transpiration, evaporation, water intercepted by trees, avoided a runoff by trees, potential evaporation by trees, isoprene and monoterpene by trees. This study also further discusses the tree benefits of a green, low carbon, and sustainable environment within the context of biodiversity conservation considering carbon storage, carbon sequestration, hydrology effects, pollution removal, oxygen production, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). There is a quick need for remotely-sensed information about the protected areas at regular intervals and government policies must be strict against illegal poaching, logging activities and other hazardous human impacts.

Elders have a higher rate of return visits to the emergency department (ED) than other patients. It is critical to understand the risk factors for return visits to the ED by elders. The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with return visits to the ED by elders. This study retrospectively reviewed the hospital charts of elders who return visits to the ED within 72 hours after discharge. The risk factors identified in the Triage Risk Screening Tool were applied in this study. Of the elders discharged from the ED, 8.64% made a return visit to the ED within 72 hours. The highest revisit rate occurred within 24 hours after discharge. Factors associated with return ED visits within 24 hours by elders were difficulty walking and having discharge care needs. Factors associated with ED return visits within 24–48 hours were cognitive impairment and polypharmacy. Difficulty walking, having discharge care needs and hospitalization within the past 120 days were associated with return visits made within 48–72 hours following discharge. Identifying the reasons for return visits to the ED and providing a continuous review of geriatric assessment and discharge planning could reduce unnecessary revisits.

Dendrobium Sw have multiple photosynthetic pathways but due to the lack of identification, the influence of CAM pathway on the plastid genomic evolution of Dendrobium and the origin of CAM pathway are still poorly understood. In this study, based on the results of δ13C, net photosynthetic rates (Pn) and titratable acid value, we identified Dendrobium species into three photosynthetic pathways. Then the chloroplast whole genome characteristics of 10 Dendrobium species were analyzed with next-generation sequencing technology. The quadripartite-structure plastomes ranged from 151,673 bp to 160,375 bp and included 127 to 132 genes. Five noncoding mutational hotspots (rbcL-accD, atpB-rbcL, rbcL, trnLUAA, accD, Pi &gt; 0.10) were identified. A total of 41–60 SSRs were recognized, the average trinucleotide content was only about 4%, which is probably due to a more conserved SSR. Among multiple photosynthetic pathways, the apparent differences in IR junctions of SSC/IRB junctions (JSBs) were measured within chloroplast genomes, and the chloroplast genome size of constitutive CAM plants is shorter because of their ndh gene loss or pseudogenization, and this phenomenon accounts for a decreasing proportion of constitutive CAM, facultative CAM, and obligate C3 plants, so that the loss of the ndh gene may be speculated to be closely related to the CAM pathway. Phylogenetic analyses showed that there are multiple independent CAM origins in selected Dendrobium species, and the ancestral Dendrobium plastome possessed full ORFs for all ndh genes. The study aims to clarify the chloroplast genomic features of different photosynthetic pathways, enrich the genomic data of CAM plants, and provide genetic information from different perspectives for further systematic study of Dendrobium.

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the causative agent of infectious bronchitis, which causes considerable economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. It is imperative to develop safe and efficient candidate vaccines to control IBV infection. In the current study, recombinant baculoviruses co-expressing S1 and N proteins, mono-expressing S1 or N proteins alone of IBV were constructed and prepared into subunit vaccines rHBM-S1-N, rHBM-S1 and rHBM-N. The levels of immune protection of these subunit vaccines were evaluated by inoculating specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens at 14 days of age, boosting with the same dose 14 days later, and following challenge with a virulent GX-YL5 strain of IBV 14 days post-booster (dpb). The commercial vaccine strain H120 was used as a control. The IBV-specific antibody levels as well as the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were detected within 28 days post-vaccination (dpv). The morbidity, mortality, and re-isolation of virus from the tracheas and kidneys of challenged birds were evaluated at 5 days post-challenge (dpc). The results showed that the IBV-specific antibody levels and the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte in rHBM-S1-N group were higher than those of rHBM-S1 and rHBM-N groups, especially the cellular immunity response. At 5 dpc, the mortality, morbidity and virus re-isolation rate of rHBM-S1-N were slightly higher than those of H120 group, but were lower than those of rHBM-S1 group and rHBM-N group. The present study demonstrated that the protection of recombinant baculovirus co-expressing S1 and N proteins was better than that of recombinant baculoviruses mono-expressing S1 or N protein alone. Thus, the recombinant baculovirus co-expressing S1 and N proteins could serve as a potential IBV vaccine and this demonstrates that the bivalent subunit vaccine including the S1 and N proteins might be a strategy for the development of an IBV subunit vaccine.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) places a heavy burden on older patients and the global healthcare system. A large body of evidence suggests that exercise training is essential in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we used the Drosophila melanogaster animal model to study the effects of early-life exercise training (ELET) on the aging heart and lifespan. We found in flies that age-induced arrhythmias are conserved across different genetic backgrounds. The fat body is the primary source of circulating lipoproteins in flies. Inhibition of fat body apoLpp (the flies apoB homolog) demonstrated that low expression of apoLpp reduced the development of arrhythmias in aged flies but did not affect average lifespan. At the same time, ELET can also reduce the expression of apoLpp mRNA in aged flies and have a protective effect on the heart, which is similar to the inhibition of apoLpp mRNA. Although treatment of apoLppRNAi and ELET alone had no significant effect on lifespan, the combination of apoLppRNAi and ELET extended the average lifespan of flies. Therefore, we conclude that apoLppRNAi and ELET are sufficient to resist age-induced arrhythmias, which may be related to the decreased expression of apoLpp mRNA, and that apoLppRNAi and ELET have a combined effect on prolonging the average lifespan.

Bulbophyllum is one of the largest genera and presents some of the most intricate taxonomic problems in the family Orchidaceae, including species of ornamental and medical importance. The lack of knowledge regarding the characterization of Bulbophyllum chloroplast (cp) genomes has imposed current limitations on our study. Here, we reported the complete cp genomes of seven Bulbophyllum species, including B. ambrosia, B. crassipes, B. farreri, B. hamatum, B. shanicum, B. triste and B. violaceolabellum, and compared with related taxa to provide a better understanding of their genomic information on taxonomy and phylogeny. A total of 28 Bulbophyllum cp genomes exhibit typical quadripartite structures with lengths ranging from 145,092 bp to 165,812 bp and GC content of 36.60% to 38.04%. Each genome contained 125–132 genes, encompassing 74–86 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The genome arrangements, gene contents and length were similar with differences observed in ndh gene composition. A total of 18–49 long repeats and 38–80 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected and the single-nucleotide (A/T) was dominant in Bulbophyllum cp genomes, with an obvious A/T preference. An analysis of relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) revealed Leucine (Leu) was the most frequently used codon, while cysteine (Cys) was the least used. Six highly variable regions including ndhF-trnLUAG, trnTUGU-trnLUAA, trnFGAA-ndhJ, rps15-trnNGUU, rbcL-accD and psbI-trnSGCU were identified based on the ranking of the Pi values, had the potential to serve as DNA markers for species identification and phylogeny of the genus Bulbophyllum. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete cp genome sequences and 68 protein-coding genes strongly supported 28 Bulbophyllum species can be divided into four branches and sects. Brachyantha, Cirrhopetalum, Leopardinae defined by morphology were non-monophyly. Our results enriched the genetic resources of Bulbophyllum species, providing valuable information to illustrate the complicated taxonomy, phylogeny and evolution process of the genus.

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.

This study was undertaken to investigate and analyze noise pollution in a large Chinese governmental hospital’s medical intensive care unit and compare to the WHO guidelines.This cross-sectional study was conducted in a MICU at a public governmental teaching hospital in Fujian province between July and August of 2017. A WENSN® WS1361 Integrated Sound Level Meter (China) was used for continuous every five seconds one week noise levels recording. After this measurement, the decibel meter was used for recording different location of isolation rooms and open bays, including occupied and unoccupied patient, and recording sound events occurs in the ICU to identify sources of noise. Peak and average noise levels were obtained from the meter, and data were downloaded from the WS1361 into a laptop computer. The measured mean equivalent sound pressure levels (L) and standard Aeq deviation over one week period were 66.64±7.57 dB(A), with acute spikes reaching 119.7 dB(A), the average sound level for a 24 hour period in a work day was 68.03±5.07 dB(A). These are higher than the current daytime environmental noise limit of 40-45 decibels in China and WHO. Mean work day noise was significantly louder than weekend time, there was a significant difference in work days and weekend (t=16.85;P=0.000).There was a statistical difference between the day time and night time shifts (t=34.67;P=0.000). The isolation rooms were significantly quieter than the open-bay rooms(t=46.15; p=0.00), sound levels in the occupied and unoccupied rooms also had significant difference(t=17.26; P=0.000).Two types of noise resources, including twenty kinds sources were identified and measured, mean noise levels ranged from of 61.33 to 79.21 dB(A). This study shows noise levels in intensive care units were exceeded the recommended. The study of the influence of noise on patient and staff is needed, and noise reduction strategies must be conduct in ICU.

The effective integration of aerial remote sensing data and ground multi-source data has always been one of the difficulties of quantitative remote sensing. A new monitoring mode is designed which installs the hyperspectral imager on the UAV and places a buoy spectrometer on the river. Water samples are collected simultaneously to obtain in situ assay data of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, COD, turbidity and chlorophyll during data collection. The cross correlogram spectral matching (CCSM) algorithm is used to match the data of the buoy spectrometer with the UAV spectral data to reduce the UAV data noise significantly. An absorption characteristics recognition algorithm (ACR) is designed to realize a new method for comparing UAV data with laboratory data. This method takes into account the spectral characteristics and the correlation characteristics of test data synchronously. It is concluded that the most accurate water quality parameters can be calculated by using the regression method under five scales after the regression tests of multiple linear regression method (MLR), support vector machine method (SVM) and neural network (NN) method. This new working mode of integrating spectral imager data with point spectrometer data will become a trend in water quality monitoring.

Patients with Peripheral-artery-disease (PAD) are prone to risks of major-adverse-limb-events (MALE), and major-adverse-cardiovascular-events (MACE). CHA2DS2-VASc is a prognostic score for Atrial fibrillation stroke risk, however, no study exists that evaluated its predictability for MALE and MACE in PAD patients. In this study, patients with PAD were stratified into four risk groups based on CHA2DS2-VASc score. Cox-proportional hazards models,10-fold cross-validation and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were utilized to evaluate the predictability of CHA2DS2-VASc for predicting MALE, MACE, and MALE+MACE. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated the survival-probability of risk-groups. CHA2DS2-VASc was found to be a significant predictor of MACE (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval; P) = 3.47 (0.99 - 12.18; 0.052), 4.12 (1.19 - 14.14; 0.024), and 5.06 (1.48 – 17.28; 0.009), for moderate-, high- and very-high-risk groups, respectively, while for MALE and MALE+MACE significance was achieved only for high-risk group. MACE demonstrated AUC > 0.8, good-discrimination (c-index > 0.8) and good-calibration. However, MALE and MALE+MACE models failed to achieve good performances. Based on all findings, CHA2DS2-VASc could potentially serve as a risk stratification score for predicting MACE in patients with PAD but failed to qualify as a good predictor for MALE.

The Rb/Sr ratio of lake sediments has been widely adopted as an indicator of weathering intensity in studies of past climate change, but the geochemical significance of this ratio varies with timescale. Here we present Rb/Sr data for the last 300 years for sediments collected from Chaonaqiu Lake in the Liupan Mountains of the western Chinese Loess Plateau as a decadal-scale record of weathering intensity. To validate the application of this weathering proxy, we correlated the record with those of other major elements, rock-forming minerals, and paleoclimatic proxies. We found that Rb/Sr ratios are influenced mainly by Sr activity within the lake catchment (where Sr is likely sourced from albite). In addition, higher (lower) Rb/Sr ratios of bulk sediments from Chaonaqiu Lake are correlated with lower (higher) fractions of terrigenous detritus (SiO2, Ti, K2O, Al2O3, and Na2O). Lake bulk sediment Rb/Sr ratios are dominated by the input of terrigenous detritus over decadal timescales. Our data show that physical and chemical weathering in Chaonaqiu Lake catchment have opposing influences on bulk sediment Rb/Sr ratios, competing to dominate these ratios of lake sediments over different timescales, with ratios reflecting the relative importance of the two types of weathering. We infer that the Rb/Sr ratios of Chaonaqiu Lake sediments reflect climatic signals of precipitation and temperature over long timescales and of precipitation over short timescales.

China's cotton production has shown a concentration to the advantageous regions in recent years. Based on the relevant data of cotton production in China, the study measures the cotton production agglomeration levels of 16 major cotton-producing provinces from 1978 to 2020, summarizes the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of cotton production agglomeration, and analyzes the factors influencing cotton production agglomeration using spatial econometric models. The results indicate that: Firstly, since the opening-up and reform, China's cotton production agglomeration levels have shown an overall upward trend, exhibiting periodic dynamic changes over time, and the spatial pattern reveals a dynamic regional gradient. Secondly, there is spatial correlation among the production scales of cotton in different provinces, with a trend resembling a "U" shape, and the agglomeration form shows a low-level convergence. Thirdly, technological level, policies, substitute industrial products and foreign trade are identified as important factors. The cotton production in each province is spatially correlated through these factors, and there is also a presence of spillover effects. In conclusion, the government should prioritize considerations of various influencing factors to formulate tailored support policies, promote large-scale production to enhance technological levels, and focus on policies aimed at improving the quality of cotton.

To determine the fracture rate of ceramic crowns and causes of ceramic crown failure, this study used keywords—namely “endocrown,” “veneered fixed dental prosthesis,” “monolithic lithium disilicate (LS2),” and “all-ceramic single crown”—to search for articles published in English from 2005 to 2023 in the PubMed electronic database. Rather than using the Boolean logic algorithm between MESH terms and keywords, we accurately calculated the numbers of final clinically tracked cases with crown fractures from the contents of articles. The titles and abstracts of many related articles focused on implant or abutment fracture, while crown fracture was investigated and mentioned only in the main texts of the articles. Our studies included those crowns as well as having more complete data collection. Our search yielded 228, 93, 404, and 358 articles for the keywords “endocrown,” “veneered fixed dental prosthesis,” “monolithic lithium disilicate (LS2),” and “all-ceramic single crown,” respectively. We used the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) to assess article quality, and our inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCT) and cohort study articles involving more than 3 years of follow-up and more than 20 cases. After reviewing, 16 high-quality articles were selected for analysis. The 4.4% crown fracture rate recommended on the basis of most clinical results was achieved in only 6 of the 16 articles. In these 6 articles, the researchers concluded the following reasons that may cause the crown fractures: the thickness of the veneer ceramic material; the connector dimensions; pontic span of the fixed prosthesis; the type of cement; the treatment of the ceramic surface before luting. Other articles inferred that the computer-aided design libraries that were insufficient for the creation of appropriate anatomically supported frameworks for prostheses with ceramic veneers; the thermal expansion coefficient and fracture toughness of the framework material did not match those of the veneer ceramic, resulting in an insufficient area supporting the ceramic veneer then leads to premature crown failure after a long period chewing. The future prospective for material developing could focus on solving those problems and have better clinical results.

Remote sensing (RS) as a landscape planning and management tool for socio-cultural diversity and inclusiveness in protected(reserved) areas through monitoring of the land-use changes, settlement/living patterns, predominant trades/socio-economic activities in the urban-rural locations, and the demography in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The eighteen federal governments recognized nature reserves in Nigeria being the giant of Africa because of their green landscapes, rich biodiversity, and human resources. This study aimed to explore the application of remote sensing to assess the extent of land degradation and encroachment in the 18 recognized national parks in Nigeria. A review of the protection of national parks using remote sensing and monitoring the trend of national park invasions which could either be natural or man-made. The study is in line with the United Nations SDG Goal 15: Life on Land- “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”. Located in the West Africa subregion lying on Latitude: 9° 04' 39.90" N (9.077899) and Longitude: 8° 40' 38.84" E (8.677599), with an estimated population of over 220,000,000 people. This study through an intensive review of various literature adopted a mixed approach for the analysis and assessment of the geospatial data, the updated aerial photographs obtained through the Landsat imageries (Google Earth Pro, 2023), and the use of GIS for Geospatial analysis which enables the collection and analysis of spatial and geographic data gathering land use/land covers (LULC) maps, soil type, and elevation maps. While exploring the geophysical ecology and biodiversity conservation of some selected national parks in Nigeria, while also providing cost-effective alternatives for biodiversity monitoring and conservation strategy development. A review of national implementation strategies on biodiversity conservation with the deployment of remote sensing technologies, it is now feasible to obtain large details of the surface of the planet without conducting arduous field activities with the assistance of the availability of multi-date, multi-resolution, multi-sensor aerial information to help prevent for encroachment, loss, and degradation of the natural landscapes.

Traveling salesman problems (TSPs) are well-known combinatorial optimization problems, and most existing algorithms are challenging for solving TSPs when its scale is large. To improve the efficiency of solving large-scale TSPs, this work presents a novel adaptive layered clustering framework with improved genetic algorithm (ALC\_IGA). The primary idea behind ALC\_IGA is to break down a large-scale problem into a series of small-scale problems. First, the $k$-means and improved genetic algorithm are used to segment the large-scale TSPs layer by layer and generate the initial solution. Then, the developed two phases simplified $2$-opt algorithm is applied to further improve the quality of the initial solution. The analysis reveals that the computational complexity of the ALC\_IGA is between $O(n\log n)$ and $O(n^2)$. The results of numerical experiments on various TSP instances indicate that, in most situations, the ALC\_IGA surpasses the state-of-the-art algorithms in convergence speed, stability, and solution quality. Specifically, the ALC\_IGA can solve instances with $2 \times 10^5$ nodes within 0.15h, $1.4 \times 10^6$ nodes within 1h, and $2 \times 10^6$ nodes in three dimensions within 1.5h.

A robust guaranteed cost preview repetitive controller is proposed for a class of polytopic uncertain discrete-time systems. In order to improve the tracking performance, the repetitive controller combined with preview compensator is inserted in the forward channel. By using the L-order forward difference operator, an augmented dynamic system is constructed. Then, the guaranteed cost preview repetitive control problem is transformed into the guaranteed cost control problem for the augmented dynamic system. For given performance index, the sufficient condition of asymptotic stability for the closed-loop system is derived by combining parameter-dependent Lyapunov function method with linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques. By incorporating the controller obtained into the original system, the guaranteed-cost preview repetitive controller is derived. A numerical example is also included to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei province of China at the end of 2019, has radically transformed the lives of people around the world. Due to its fast spreading, it is currently considered as a worldwide health, social and economic concern. The lack of knowledge on this area has encouraged academic sphere for extensive research, which is reflected in exponentially growing scientific literature in this area. However, current state of COVID-19 research reveals only early development of knowledge, while a comprehensive and in-depth overview remains neglected. Accordingly, the main aim of this paper is to fill the aforementioned gap in the literature and provide an extensive bibliometric analysis of COVID-19 research across science and social science research landscape, using innovative and sophisticated bibliometric approaches (e.g. Venn diagram, Biblioshiny descriptive statistics, VOSviewer co-occurrence network analysis, Jaccard distance cluster analysis, text mining based on logistic regression). The bibliometric analysis is based on the Scopus database including all relevant and latest information on COVID-19 related publications (n=16,866) in the first half of 2020. The empirical results indicate that there is still a lack of publications of COVID-19 and its implications in less-explored (non-health) sciences, especially in social sciences. Accordingly, the findings emphasize an importance of a comprehensive and in-depth approach considering different scientific disciplines in COVID-19 research. The understanding of the evolution of emerging scientific knowledge on COVID-19 is beneficial not only for scientific community but also for evidence-based policymaking in order to prevent and address the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous damage to social economy and people’s health. Some major issues fighting COVID-19 include early and accurate diagnosis and the shortage of ventilator machines for critical patients. In this work, we propose a closed-loop solution to deal with COVID-19: portable biosensing and wearable photoacoustic imaging for early and accurate diagnosis of infection and magnetically neuromodulation or minimally invasive electrical stimulation to replace the traditional ventilation. Proposed technique can guarantee ubiquitous and onsite detection, and electrical hypoglossal stimulator can be more effective in helping severe patients as well as reducing complications caused by ventilators.

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

The pore-throat radius of shale oil reservoir is extremely small, and it is difficult to accurately obtain the absolute permeability and oil-water two-phase relative permeability of actual oil reservoir through conventional core experiments. However, these parameters are very important for reservoir numerical simulation. In this paper, a method for characterizing flow parameters based on pore network model that considers differential pressure flow and diffusion flow is proposed. Firstly, a digital core was reconstructed using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) from the Gulong shale reservoir in the Songliao Basin, China, and a pore network model was extracted. Secondly, quasi-static single-phase flow and two-phase flow equations considering diffusion were established in the pore network model. Finally, pore throat parameters, absolute permeability, and oil-water two-phase permeability curves were calculated, respectively. The results show that the pore throat distribution of Gulong shale reservoir is mainly concentrated in the nanometer scale, the mean pore radius is 87 nm, the mean throat radius is 41 nm, and the mean coordination number is 3.97; The calculated permeability considering diffusion is 0.000124mD, which is approximately twice the permeability calculated without considering diffusion; The irreducible water saturation of the Gulong shale reservoir is approximately 0.26, and the residual oil saturation is approximately 0.73. The method proposed in this paper can provide an important approach for characterizing the flow parameters of similar shale oil reservoirs.

Regulatory macrophages (Mregs) are unique in that they have anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. Thus, treating inflammatory diseases using Mregs is an area of active research. Human Mregs are usually generated by culturing peripheral blood monocytes stimulated by macrophage colony-stimulating factor with interferon (IFN)-. Here, we generated Mregs with an elongated cell morphology from THP-1 cells stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and cultured with arginylglycylaspartic acid and vitamin D3. These Mregs regulated macrophage function, and respectively downregulated and upregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive mediators. They also expressed Mregs-specific marker, such as dehydrogenase/reductase 9, even when exposed to inflammatory stimulants such as IFN-, lipopolysaccharide, purified xenogeneic antigen, and xenogeneic cells. The Mregs also exerted anti- inflammatory and anticoagulatory actions in response to xenogeneic cells and immunosuppressive effects on mitogen-induced Jurkat T-cell proliferation. Our method of generating functional Mregs in vitro without cytokines is simple and cost-effective.

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.

To achieve n-type doping in diamond, extensive investigations employing first principles have been conducted on various models of phosphorus doping and boron-phosphorus co-doping. The primary focus of this study is to comprehensively analyze the formation energy, band structure, density of states, and ionization energy of these structures. It is observed that within a diamond structure solely composed of phosphorus atoms, the formation energy of an individual carbon atom is excessively high. However, the substitution of two carbon atoms leads to the conversion of diamond into a p-type semiconductor. Upon examining the P-B co-doping structure, it is revealed that the doped impurities exhibit a tendency to form more stable cluster configurations. As the separation between the freely doped atoms and the cluster impurity structure increases, the overall stability of the structure diminishes, consequently resulting in an elevation of the ionization energy. Analysis of the electronic density of states demonstrates that the electron orbit of the B atom makes negligible contributions to the impurity levels during P-B doping.

The iridoids of H. diffusa play an important role in the anti-inflammatory process, but the specific iridoid with anti-inflammatory effect and its mechanism is lack of study. An iridoid compound named scandoside (SCA) was isolated from H. diffusa and its anti-inflammatory effect was investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Its anti-inflammatory mechanism was confirmed by in intro experiment and molecular docking analysis. As results, SCA significantly decreased the productions of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and inhibited the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA expression in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. SCA treatment suppressed the phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear transcription factor kappa-B alpaha (IκB-α), p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). The docking data suggested that SCA had great binding abilities to COX-2, iNOS and IκB. Taken together, the results indicated that the anti-inflammatory effect of SCA is due to inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators via suppressing the nuclear transcription factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, which provided useful information for its application and development.

Knowledge graphs (KGs) play a crucial role in many applications, such as question answering, but incompleteness is an urgent issue for their broad application. Much research in knowledge graph completion (KGC) has been performed to resolve this issue. The methods of KGC can be classified into two major categories: rule-based reasoning and embedding-based reasoning. The former has high accuracy and good interpretability, but a major challenge is to obtain effective rules on large-scale KGs. The latter has good efficiency and scalability, but it relies heavily on data richness and cannot fully use domain knowledge in the form of logical rules. We propose a novel method that injects rules and learns representations iteratively to take full advantage of rules and embeddings. Specifically, we model the conclusions of rule groundings as 0-1 variables and use a rule confidence regularizer to remove the uncertainty of the conclusions. The proposed approach has the following advantages: 1) It combines the benefits of both rules and knowledge graph embeddings (KGEs) and achieves a good balance between efficiency and scalability. 2) It uses an iterative method to continuously improve KGEs and remove incorrect rule conclusions. Evaluations on two public datasets show that our method outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods, improving performance by 2.7% and 4.3% in mean reciprocal rank (MRR).

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.

The effect of H2S with high concentrations on catalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM) process has seldom been focused on previously. Herein, a thermodynamic analysis of the DRM reactions in the presence of H2S with the concentration varying in 0-20 vol% was conducted firstly. Several typical types of catalysts including MgO, NiO/MgO and LaNiO3 in different states were prepared for executing DRM at 800 C, 0.1 MPa in the feed of 20 vol% CO2 and 20 vol% CH4 balanced with N2. The catalytic performance of each catalyst for DRM process under conditions of absence and presence of H2S was compared. A promotion effect of increasing H2S concentration on both the conversions of CO2 and CH4 and the molar yields of CO and H2 was observed on all the catalysts especially the MgO and the pristine NiO/MgO. While a significant decline in catalytic activity of either the reduced NiO/MgO or the reduced LaNiO3 catalyst after adding H2S, moderate reactant conversions still sustained. The results of process analysis and catalyst structure characterization suggest that H2S participation can contribute to the increment in CO2 and CH4 conversion, and active S-adsorbed species may play the key role of catalysis in the reactions involving H2S.

The PI3K/mTOR signalling pathway plays a central role in the governing of cell growth, survival and metabolism. As such, it must integrate and decode information from both external and internal sources to guide efficient decision-making by the cell. To facilitate this, the pathway have evolved an intricate web of complex regulatory mechanisms and elaborate crosstalk with neighbouring signalling pathways, making it a highly non-linear system. Here, we describe the mechanistic biological details that underpin these regulatory mechanisms, covering a multitude of negative and positive feedback loops, feed-forward loops, competing protein interactions, and crosstalk with major signalling pathways. Further, we highlight the non-linear and dynamic network behaviours that arise from these regulations, uncovered through both computational and experimental studies. Given the pivotal role of the PI3K/mTOR network in cellular homeostasis and its frequent dysregulation in pathologies including cancer and diabetes, a coherent and systems-level understanding of the complex regulation and consequential dynamic signalling behaviours within this network is imperative for advancing biology and development of new therapeutic approaches.

The traditional Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) systems are based on the 1 strong static assumption, and their performance will degrade significantly due to the presence of 2 dynamic objects located in dynamic environments. To decrease the effects brought by the dynamic 3 objects, based on ORB-SLAM2 system framework, a novel dynamic semantic SLAM system called 4 MOR-SLAM is presented using mask repair method, which can accurately detect dynamic objects 5 and realize high-precision positioning and tracking of the system in dynamic indoor environments. 6 First, an instance segmentation module is added to the front end of ORB-SLAM2 to distinguish 7 dynamic and static objects in the environment and obtains a preliminary mask. Next, to overcome the 8 under-segmentation problem in instance segmentation, a new mask inpainting model is proposed to 9 ensure that the integrity of object masks, which repairs large objects and small objects in the image 10 with depth value fusion method and morphological method respectively. Then, a reliable basic matrix 11 can be obtained based on the above repaired mask. Finally, the potential dynamic feature points 12 in the environment are detected and removed through the reliable basic matrix, and the remaining 13 static feature points are input into the tracking module of the system to realize the high-precision 14 positioning and tracking in dynamic environments. The experiments on the public TUM dataset 15 show that, compared with ORB-SLAM2, the MOR-SLAM improves the absolute trajectory accuracy 16 by 95.55%. In addition, compared with DynaSLAM and DS-SLAM on the high-dynamic sequences 17 (fr3/w/rpy and fr3/w/static), the MOR-SLAM improves the absolute trajectory accuracy by 15.20% 18 and 59.71%, respectively

The working environment of mining electric locomotives is wet and muddy coal mine 1 roadway. There may be idling or slipping between the wheels and rails of mining electric locomotives 2 due to low friction between the wheel and rail and insufficient utilization of creep rate. Therefore, it 3 is necessary to control the creep rate within a reasonable range. In this paper, the autonomous control 4 algorithm for mining electric locomotives based on improved ε-greedy is theoretically proven to be 5 convergent and effective firstly. Secondly, after analyzing the contact state between the wheel and rail 6 under wet and slippery road conditions, it was concluded that the value of creep rate is an important 7 factor affecting the autonomous driving of mining electric locomotives. Therefore, the autonomous 8 control method for mining electric locomotives based on creep control is proposed in this paper. 9 Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method was verified through simulation. The problem of 10 wheel slipping and idling caused by insufficient friction of mining electric locomotives in coal mining 11 environments is effectively suppressed. Autonomous operation of vehicles with optimal driving 12 efficiency can be achieved through quantitative control and utilization of the creep rate between 13 wheels and rails

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays an important role in plant development and postharvest properties of fruits. However, studies on regulation of kiwifruit ripening by GABA are scarce. Here, we evaluted physicochemical characters and the expression profile of genes related to ripening in hardy kiwifruit treated with exogenous GABA compared to control during postharvest storage period. The results showed that (1) exogenous GABA treatment not only improved the fruit quality but also inhibited respiration rate and ethylene production, as well as reduced the enzyme activities of ACC oxidase (ACO) and ACC synthase (ACS), via down-regulating the expression of AaACO1 and AaACO3, AaACS1 and AaACS2 during kiwifruit storage period; (2) on the one hand, overexpression of AaGAD1 or AaGAD4 gene which is involved in GABA biosynthesis inhibited ethylene production by reducing the enzyme activities of ACO and ACS, whereas silencing of AaGAD1 or AaGAD4 gene led to the reverse effect. On the other hand, overexpression of AaGAD1 or AaGAD4 decreased the expression levels of AaACO1 and AaACO3, AaACS1 and AaACS2, whereas silencing of AaGAD1 or AaGAD4 gene increased the expression levels of these four genes. Above all, our findings demonstrate that exogenous GABA treatment could improve the storage quality and extend the shelf life of kiwifruit, Additionally, the content of GABA was participated in the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis at the molecular level.

In order to better understand the source-sink flow and relationships of Zinc (Zn) and other nutrients in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants for biofortification and improving grain nutritional quality, effects of reducing photoassimilate source (through the flag leaf removal and spike shading) or sink (through 50% spikelets removal) in the field on accumulation of Zn and other nutrients in wheat grains of two cultivars (Jimai 22 and Jimai 44) were investigated under two soil Zn application levels. The single panicle weight (SPW), kernel number per spike (KNPS), thousand kernel weight (TKW), total grain weight (TGW), concentrations and yields of various nutrient elements (Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, N, P, K, Ca and Mg), phytate phosphorus (phytate-P), phytic acid (PA) and phytohormones (ABA: abscisic acid, and the ethylene precursor ACC: 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid), and C/N ratios were determined. Soil Zn application significantly increased concentrations of grain Zn, N and K. Cultivars showing higher grain yields had lower grain protein and micronutrient nutritional quality. SPW, KNPS, TKW (with an exception of TKW in half spikelets removal), TGW, and nutrient yields in wheat grains were most severely reduced by half spiklets removal, secondly by spike shading, and slightly by flag leaf removal. Grain concentrations of Zn, N and Mg consistently showed negative correlations with SPW, KNPS and TGW, but positively with TKW. There were general positive correlations among grain concentrations of Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, N and Mg, and bioavailability of Zn and Fe (estimated by molar ratios of PA/Zn, PA × Ca/Zn, PA/Fe, or PA × Ca/Fe). Although concentrations of Zn and Fe were increased and Ca was decreased in treatments of half spikelets removal and spike shading, the simultaneously increased PA limited the increase in bioavailability of Zn and Fe. In general, different nutrient elements interact with each other and are affected to different degrees by source-sink manipulations. Elevated endogenous ABA levels and ABA/ACC ratios were associated with increased TKW and grain-filling of Zn, Mn, Ca and Mg, and inhibited K in wheat grains. However, effects of ACC were diametrically opposite. These results provide basis for wheat grain biofortification to alleviate human malnutrition.

The extant Keteleeria is endemic to East and Southeast Asia, while it is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere in Earth’s history. In this paper, we reported a novel wood fossil of Keteleerioxylon changchunense Shi, Sun, Meng et Yu sp. nov. collected from the middle member of Yingcheng Formation, Yingcheng Coal Mine, Changchun City, Jilin Province, Northeast China. The quantitative growth-ring analyses of K. changchunense indicate that it was evergreen and its leaf longevity was 1-3 years, which is consistent with the foliar retention of extant Keteleeria. Its high ring markedness index (RMI) indicates that the climate seasonality was pronounced during the early Albian in Songliao Basin, Northeast China. The fossil records of Keteleeria and closely related taxa indicate that this group might originate in Northeast China, spread and migrated northward during the Cretaceous, gradually decreased in the Cenozoic, and so far only survives in East and Southeast Asia.

Both ricin and R. communis agglutinin (RCA120), belonging to the type II ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs-Ⅱ), are derived from the seeds of castor bean plant. They share very similar amino acid sequences, but ricin is much more toxic than RCA120. It is urgently necessary to distinguish ricin and RCA120 in response to public safety. Currently, mass spectrometric assays are well established for unambiguous identification of ricin by accurate analysis of differentiated amino acid residues after trypsin digestion. However, diagnostic peptides are relatively limited for unambiguous identification of trace ricin, especially in complex matrices. Here, we demonstrate a digestion strategy of multiple proteinases to produce novel peptide markers for unambiguous identification of ricin. LC-HRMS was used to verified the resulting peptides, among which only the peptides with uniqueness and good MS response were selected as peptide markers. Seven novel peptide markers were obtained from tandem digestion of trypsin and endoproteinase Glu-C in PBS buffer. From the chymotrypsin digestion under reduction and non-reduction conditions, eight and seven novel peptides were selected respectively. Using pepsin under pH 1~2 and proteinase K digestion, 6 and 5 peptides were selected as novel peptide markers. In conclusion, the obtained novel peptides from the established digestion methods can be recommended for the unambiguous identification of ricin during the investigation of illegal use of the toxin.

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.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent diseases and the second leading cause of death worldwide. However, the relationship between CRC and cerebrovascular-specific mortality (CVSM) remains elusive and less is known about the influencing factors associated with CVSM in CRC. Here, we aimed to analyze the incidence as well as the risk factors of CVSM in CRC. Methods: Patients with a primary CRC diagnosed between 1973 and 2015 were identified from Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database with follow-up data available until 31 December 2016. Conditional standardized mortality ratios were calculated to compare the incidence of CVSM between CRC patients and the general US population. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses with a competing risk model were used to interrogate the risk factors for CVSM. Results: A total of 563298 CRC individuals were included. The CVSM in CRC patients was significantly higher than the general population in all age subgroups. Among competing causes of death in patients, the cumulative mortality caused by cerebrovascular-specific diseases steadily increased during study period. While age and surgery positively influenced CVSM on both univariate and multivariate analyses, male patients and those who had radiotherapy, chemotherapy, more recent year (2001-2015) of diagnosis as well as multiple primary or distant tumors experienced a lower risk of CVSM. Interpretation: Our data suggest a potential role for CRC in the incidence of CVSM and also identify several significant predictors of CVSM, which may be helpful for risk stratification and therapeutic optimization of cerebrovascular-specific diseases in CRC patients.

With the trend of public infrastructure becoming more sustainable, large multi-purpose sports venues (LMPSVs) have become one of the world's most complex architectural projects and one of the landmark buildings of an international city. LMPSVs will lead the world in sustainable design, construction and operational innovations, and play a crucial role in raising awareness of sustainability around the world. System Thinking (ST), System Dynamics (SD) and Sustainable System Development (SSD) theories are three interrelated concepts that together form a methodological framework for solving complex system problems and driving strategies. The purpose of this study is to examine how LMPSVs can implement environmental, social, governance, and innovation (ESGI) enterprise transformation strategy (ETS) based on a sustainable systems development (SSD) framework. In view of the current global environmental challenges and social responsibility requirements, the motivation of this study is to provide an integrated transformation pathway for LMPSVs to achieve the goal of sustainable development and to contribute to the field of related disciplines. The methodology of this research adopts a combination of literature review and case study analysis, and the theoretical basis is mainly drawn from cutting-edge research in the fields of sustainable development, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental management. Then, by analyzing successful transformation cases in China, we extract data and information to explore the application and effectiveness of these strategies in practice. The results of the study show that by implementing ESGI-based transformation strategy, LMPSVs can not only make significant progress in terms of environmental protection, social responsibility, and governance structure, but also drive long-term corporate growth and competitiveness through innovation. Specifically, these results are realized in terms of increased efficiency in energy use, improved waste management, community involvement and increased stakeholder satisfaction. The study concludes by emphasizing that the SSD-based ESGI Transformation Strategic framework provides a sustainable pathway for LMPSVs. In the future, the extension of this transformation strategy will help a wider range of industry sectors to achieve sustainable development goals, and has wide application potential and far-reaching social significance.

Genetic diversity is the foundation of evolutionary resilience, adaptive potential, and the flourishing vitality of living organisms, serving as the cornerstone for robust ecosystems and the continuous evolution of life on Earth. The landscape of directed evolution, a powerful biotechnological tool inspired by natural evolutionary processes, has undergone a transformative shift propelled by innovative strategies for generating genetic diversity. This shift is fuelled by several factors, encompassing the utilization of advanced toolkits like CRISPR-Cas and base editors, enhanced comprehension of biological mechanisms, cost-effective custom oligo pool synthesis, and the seamless integration of artificial intelligence and automation. This comprehensive review looks into the myriad methodologies employed for constructing gene libraries, both in vitro and in vivo, categorized into three major classes: random mutagenesis, focused mutagenesis, and DNA recombination. The objectives of this review are threefold: firstly, to present a panoramic overview of recent advances in genetic diversity creation, secondly, to inspire novel ideas for further innovation in the genetic diversity generation, and thirdly, to provide a valuable resource for individuals entering the field of directed evolution.

Due to the long duration and high cost of traditional pumping tests, the response of well water level to seismic wave, earth tide, and barometric pressure provides a feasible method for determining continuous changes in aquifer hydraulic parameters. Aiming at the problem that the response phase shift of well BB water level to tidal tide M2 is greater than that of tide O1, this paper preferentially calculated the time series changes of S, Be, n and BKu based on the response mechanism of well water level to barometric pressure and earth tide and with the help of smooth moving method. Then by using the mixed flow model, the variation of transmissivity and leakage coefficient over time were simultaneously obtained, and the evolution process and characteristics of aquifer parameters near well BB caused by the Wenchuan earthquake were ultimately discussed. The calculation results are basically consistent with the previous pumping test, and have been verified and compared by using other scholars' methods. This solving process avoids the problems such as excessive dependence on initial values, multiple solutions, and unstable tide O1, which has a promoting effect on the study of the impact of seismic activity on aquifer systems.

Three new polyketides (penidihydrocitrinins A–C, 1–3) and 14 known compounds (4–17) were isolated from the deep-sea-derived Penicillium citrinum W17. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, and ECD calculations. Compounds 1–17 were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoporotic bioactivities. All isolates exhibited significant inhibitory effects on microglial activation in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells in a dose-response manner. Notably, compound 14 displayed the strongest effect with the IC50 value of 4.7 µM. Moreover, compounds 6, 7, and 8 not only suppressed osteoclastogenesis, but also promoted osteoblast mineralization.

As one of the critical state parameters of the battery management system, lithium battery state of charge (SOC) can provide an essential reference for battery safety management, charge/discharge control, and energy management of electric vehicles. To analyze the application of deep learning in electric vehicle power battery SOC estimation, this study reviewed the technical process, common public datasets, and the neural networks used, structural characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of lithium battery SOC estimation in deep learning method. First, the specific technical processes of the deep learning method for SOC estimation were analyzed, including data collection, data preprocessing, feature engineering, model training, and model evaluation. Secondly, the current commonly and publicly used lithium battery dataset was summarized. Then, the input variables, data sets, errors, and advantages and disadvantages of four types of deep learning methods, were concluded using the structure of neural network used for training as the classification criterion. Finally, the challenges and future development directions of lithium battery SOC estimation in deep learning method were explained.

We have proposed a data-driven approach for designing mesoscale porous structures of Li-ion battery electrode with three-dimensional virtual structures and machine learning techniques. Over 2,000 artificial 3D structures assuming positive electrode composed of random packed spheres as active material particles are generated, and charge/discharge resistance has been evaluated using simplified Physico-chemical model. In this model, resistance from Li diffusion in active material particles (diffusion resistance), transfer resistance of Li+ in electrolyte (electrolyte resistance) and reaction resistance on the interface between active material and electrolyte are simulated based on mass balance of Li, Ohm’s law in and linearized Butler-Volmer equation, respectively. Using these simulation results, regression models via Artificial Neural Network (ANN) have been created in order to predict charge/discharge resistance from porous structure features. In this study, porosity, active material particle size and volume fraction, pressure in the compaction process, electrolyte conductivity, and binder volume fraction are adopted as features, associated with controllable process parameters for manufacturing battery electrode. As results, the predicted electrode resistance by ANN regression model is good agreement with the simulated values. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis and optimization of the process parameters have been carried out. The proposed data-driven approach could be a solution as a guiding principle for manufacturing battery electrode.

In this paper the application of recycled Li-ion batteries spent cathode (LIB-SC) combined with NaHCO₃/H₂O₂ system is presented for the first time in the literature as an alternative for degradation of potentially toxic organic molecules. The model pollutant choice was methylene blue molecule. The spent cathode composition corresponds to LiCoO₂, which was proved by the XRD and EDX. Regarding the decolorization of methylene blue solution, the addition of NaHCO₃ in comparison with only H₂O₂ reduces the complete decolorization time in 96%. This reduction occurs because the radical CO₃ is more stable than OH. In this way, the application the system proposed in this article is aimed at solving two major global problems: the disposal of cell phone batteries and the pollution of liquid effluents.

Blood testing is a crucial medical application. In this study, we applied Raman spectroscopy to test blood samples and obtained complete biological information, including the main components and compositions in these samples. Short-wavelength (532-nm green light) Raman scattering spectroscopy was conducted on samples of normal blood, abnormal blood in 3 types of preparation including whole blood, plasma, and serum, and the underlying information reflected by the biological characteristics detected in each sample type were analyzed. Raman spectroscopy results indicated that normal blood had high hemoglobin content, which suggests that hemoglobin is a major component of blood. Hemoglobin affects blood oxygen level. The characteristic peaks of hemoglobin were observed at 690, 989, 1015, 1182, 1233, 1315, and 1562–1649 cm−1. Analysis of plasma and serum samples indicated the presence of β-carotene, which exhibited characteristic peaks at 1013, 1172, and 1526 cm−1. In addition, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy was used to collect biological signals that are difficult to obtain in conventional Raman spectroscopy, including those of small molecules such as hormones, antibodies, and enzymes. Changes in biological information collected in this manner can be used as a basis for potentially diagnosing clinical diseases.

Optimum postharvest storage conditions increase the shelf life and postharvest quality of horticultural crops. The effects of forced-air precooling (FAP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on shelf life, physicochemical quality, and health-promoting properties of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Nagano) harvested at 90% and 50% coloring stages in May and July respectively, stored at 11℃, 95% relative humidity were assessed. Fruits were treated with FAP + 30 μm polyethylene liner (FOLO), FAP (FOLX), 30 μm polyethylene liner (FXLO), and control (FXLX). The quality attributes, viz. weight loss, firmness, color, SSC, soluble sugars, TPC, TFC, DPPH, and ABTS were evaluated. FOLO maintained sensory quality (weight loss, firmness, and color), physicochemical (soluble solids content and soluble sugars), and health-promoting properties compared to other treatments during storage. The investigated parameters differed significantly (p &lt; 0.05) among treatments except soluble sugars. The 50% coloring fruits had a huge variation between treatments than 90% coloring. The results revealed more TPC and antioxidant capacity in 50% than in 90% coloring fruits. The study highlights the need to consider the ideal fruit coloring stage at harvest under the effect of FAP and MAP treatments in preserving bell pepper's postharvest quality and shelf life.

This is an exercise to explore the concentration of Lithium, Lithium-7 isotope and the possible presence of black dirty ice in the lunar surface using spectral data obtained from the Clementine mission. The main interest in tracing the lithium and presence of dark ice in the lunar surface are closely related to future human settlement missions in the Moon. We investigate the distribution of Lithium and 7 Li isotope on the Lunar surface, employing spectral data from the Clementine images. We utilized Visible (VIS-NIR) imagery at wavelengths of 450, 750, 900, 950, and 1000 nm, along with Near-Infrared (NIR-SWIR) at 1100, 1250, 1500, 2000, 2600, and 2780 nm, encompassing 11 bands in total. This dataset offers a comprehensive coverage of about 80% of the lunar surface, with resolutions ranging from 100 to 500 meters, spanning latitudes from 80°S to 80°N. In order to extract quantitative abundance of Lithium, ground truth sites were used to calibrate the Clementine images. Samples (12045, 15058, 15475, 15555, 62255, 70035, 74220 and 75075) returned from Apollo missions 12, 15, 16 and 17 have been correlated to the Clementine VIS-NIR bands and five spectral ratios. The 5 spectral ratios calculated synthesize the main spectral features of sample spectra that were grouped by their Lithium and 7 Li content using Principal Component Analysis. The ratios spectrally characterize substrates of anorthosite, silica-rich basalts, olivine-rich basalts and High-T mare basalts and Orange soils. Our findings reveal a strong linear correlation between the spectral parameters and the lithium content in the 8 Apollo samples. With the values of the 11 Clementine bands and the 5 spectral ratios for each of the 8 lunar soils we performed linear regression models to estimate the concentration of Lithium and 7 Li. Also, we calculated Digital Terrain Models (DTMs; Altitude, Slope, Aspect, DirectInsolation and WindExposition) from LOLA-DTM to discover relations between relief and spatial distribution of the extended models of lithium and 7 Li. The analysis was conducted in a mask polygon extracted from Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) and located around the Apollo 15 landing site. This analysis seeks to uncover potential 7 Li enrichment through spallation processes, influenced by varying exposure to solar wind. To explore the possibility of find ice mixed with regolithe (black ice) we used a spectral library (350-2500nm) form ices dirty with different concentration of volcanic particles.

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.

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.

Background: The liver is involved in disseminated tuberculosis in more than 80% of the cases while primary liver involvement is rare, representing < 1% of all cases. Hepatic tuberculosis (TB) can be treated by conventional anti-TB therapy, however, diagnosing this disease still remains a challenge. The diagnosis might be particularly difficult in patients with a single liver lesion that could be misdiagnosed as a tumor or other focal liver lesions. While computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings have been described, there is a paucity of literature on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of hepatic TB. Case Summary: herein, we describe a case of a patient with tuberculous lymphadenopathy and chronic HCV-related liver disease who developed a single macronodular hepatic TB lesion. Due to the finding of a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) highly suggestive CEUS pattern, specifically a LR5 category according to the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS), and a good response to antitubercular therapy, a non-invasive diagnosis of HCC was made, and the patient underwent liver resection. We also review the published literature on imaging features of hepatic TB and discuss the diagnostic challenge represented by hepatic TB when occurs as a single focal liver lesion. Conclusions: this report shows for the first time that CEUS pattern of hepatic TB might be misinterpreted as HCC and specific imaging features are lacking. Personal history and epidemiological data are mandatory in interpreting CEUS findings of a focal liver lesion even when the imaging pattern is highly suggestive of HCC.

Metabolites present in the hemolymph of honey bees play a crucial role in modulating the metamorphic process within the species. However, the precise alterations in metabolite composition, along with the associated variances and regulatory pathways implicated during the larvae-to-pupae metamorphosis of honey bees, remain incompletely elucidated. In this investigation, we gathered hemolymph samples from honey bee larvae at three distinct physiological stages-feeding, prepupal, and pupae and subjected them to metabolite analysis utilizing the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. Employing principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), we identified significant differential metabolites and conducted a metabolic pathway analysis on those differentially up-regulated during the prepupal and pupae stages. Notably, metabolites up-regulated in the hemolymph of prepupal stage larvae primarily governed glucose metabolism and fat digestion and absorption, while those in pupae stage larvae were involved in regulating chitin and lipopolysaccharide precursor formation, as well as the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. These findings bear significant implications for advancing our comprehension of the metamorphic processes in honey bees.

A blockchain-based continuous micropayment is a crucial component of the digital economy as it facilitates transactions and promotes small purchases. However, due to the throughput limitations of blockchain, payment channels (PC) are often used to process a large volume of transactions through an off-chain mode. Nevertheless, the introduction of PC requires a trusted third party to ensure transaction security, which creates an additional security assumption since only the first and last transactions can be witnessed by other system users. To address this issue, we propose a novel micropayment scheme based on lockable signatures. All transactions in the PC form a continuous microtransaction hash-chain (CMHC) to prevent malicious users from obtaining transaction information during the process. Furthermore, all locks in the CMHC are invisible during the entire transaction process, and all information is transferred in a tamper-resistant manner. We provide corresponding security analysis and conduct a series of evaluations. The results show that the proposed scheme performs better than the state-of-the-art solutions in terms of transaction time and verification costs. This lockable signature-based micropayment scheme not only guarantees security but also improves transaction speed and efficiency, thereby promoting the development of the digital economy.

To achieve efficient utilization of low-concentration mine gas, reduce resource waste, and alleviate environmental pollution, high-temperature oxidation of low-concentration gas at a concentration range of 1.00% to 1.50% that is directly discharged into the atmosphere during coal mine production was oxidized to recover heat for reuse. The gas oxidation equipment was improved for the heating process, and the safety of low-concentration gas oxidation under high-temperature environment was evaluated. Experimental results showed that the reactor could provide a 1000 ℃ high-temperature oxidation environment for gas oxidation after installing high-temperature resistant ceramics. The pressure variation curves of the reactor with air and different concentrations of gas were similar. Due to the thermal expansion, the air pressure slightly increased and then returned to normal pressure. In contrast, the low-concentration gas exhibited a stable pressure response in the high-temperature environment of 1000 ℃. The outlet pressure was significantly greater than the inlet pressure, and the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet exhibited a trend to increase with the gas concentration. The explosion limit varied with the temperature and the blend with oxidation products. The ratio of measured gas pressure to air pressure after oxidation was below the explosion criterion, indicating that the measured concentration gas is still safe after the shift of explosion limit, which provides a safe concentration range for efficient use of low-concentration gas in the future.

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

This paper presents the concept of applying incremental capacity analysis (ICA) on the OCV curve in the SoC space. The OCV curve can be obtained from any sequence of discharge or charge current or power pulse with a necessary rest period to allow the cell to reach a pseudo-OCV after each pulse. With a higher resolution (>100 pulses) in the full SoC window, an OCV vs SoC curve can be obtained with sufficient accuracy to perform an ICA on the obtained OCV curve. ICA as a diagnostic technique has commonly been applied on Li-ion cells with a constant charge and discharge at slow currents. However, a slow controlled constant current charge or discharge is normally not feasible and cannot be easily applied to a battery in an application. Here we revisit pulse-based ICA to supplement the conventional constant-current-based technique. Conventional ICA performed on ageing data with constant current is directly compared to ICA performed on a selection of higher resolution OCV curves. The main advantage of OCV-ICA is that it can be applied to most cells and systems without significant interruption of normal cell operation. OCV-ICA provides valuable insights into ageing mechanisms as well as detailed information on changes in internal resistance.

Although Sn has been intensively studied as one of the most promising anode materials to replace commercialized graphite, its cycling performance and rate performance are still unsatisfactory owing to insufficient control of its large volume change during cycling and poor electrochemical kinetics. Herein, we propose a Sn-TiO2-C ternary composite as a promising anode material to overcome these limitations. The hybrid TiO2-C matrix synthesized via two-step high-energy ball milling effectively regulated the irreversible lithiation/delithiation of the active Sn electrode and facilitated Li-ion diffusion. At the appropriate C concentration, Sn-TiO2-C exhibited significantly enhanced cycling performance and rate capability compared to its counterparts (Sn-TiO2 and Sn-C). Sn-TiO2-C delivers good reversible specific capacities (669 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 200 mA g-1 and 651 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 500 mA g-1) and rate performance (446 mAh g-1 at 3000 mA g-1). The superiority of Sn-TiO2-C over Sn-TiO2 and Sn-C was corroborated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, which revealed faster Li-ion diffusion kinetics in the presence of the hybrid TiO2-C matrix than in the presence of TiO2 or C alone. Therefore, Sn-TiO2-C is a potential anode for next-generation Li-ion batteries.

This code provides computational facilities to simulate current versus time during the charging of Li-ion cells at desire constant voltage by considering multiscale physical phenomena. This code only considers a powder of active materials (at microscale or nanoscale) and a small part of electrolyte around it as a half cell. Then it is extended to a complete cell by applying correct boundary conditions. This code is very useful by modifying code parameters to understand the effect of the complex shape of active materials powder (surface area and powder size), kind of electrolyte, and the applied voltages on the charging response of Li-ion cell. As a summary, a microscale approach to the design of Li-ion cells has been provided via this code.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine how aging and modifications of critical acoustic parameters may affect the perception of whispered speech as a degraded signal. Method: Forty Mandarin-speaking adults were included in the study. Part 1 of the study compared the perception of Mandarin lexical tones, vowels, and syllables in older and younger adults in whispered vs. phonated speech conditions. Parts 2 and 3 further examined how modification of duration and intensity cues contributed to the perceptual outcomes. Results: Perception of whispered tones was compromised in older and younger adults. Older adults identified lexical tones less accurately than their younger counterparts, particularly for phonated T2, T3 and whispered T3. Aging also negatively affected the vowel identification of /i, u/ in the whispered condition. Syllable-level accuracy was largely dependent on the accuracy of lexical tones and vowels. Furthermore, reduced duration led to the decreased accuracy of phonated T3 and whispered T2, T3 but increased accuracy of phonated T4. Reduced intensity lowered the recognition accuracy for phonated vowels /i, ɤ, o, y/ in older adults and /i, u/ in younger adults, and it also lowered the accuracy of whispered vowels /a, ɤ/ in older adults. Contrary to our expectation, increased duration and intensity did not improve older adults’ speech perception in either phonated or whispered conditions. Conclusion: The results suggest that aging adversely affected speech perception in both phonated and whispered conditions with more challenges in identifying whispered speech for older adults. While older adults’ diminished performance may be potentially due to problems with processing the degraded temporal and spectral information of the target speech sounds, it cannot be simply compensated for by increasing the duration and intensity of the target sounds beyond the audible level.

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.

In this study, a cholera infection model with the bilinear infection rate is developed by considering the perturbation of the infection rate by the mean-reverting process. First of all, we give the existence of a globally unique positive solution for a stochastic system at arbitrary initial value. On this basis, the sufficient condition for the model to have an ergodic stationary distribution is given by constructing proper Lyapunov functions and tight sets. This indicates in a biological sense the long-term persistence of cholera infection. Furthermore, after transforming the stochastic model to an relevant linearised system, an accurate expression for the probability density function of the stochastic model around a quasi-endemic equilibrium is derived. Subsequently, the sufficient condition to make the disease extinct is also derived. Eventually, the theoretical findings are shown by numerical simulations. Numerical simulations show that the impact of regression speed and fluctuation intensity on stochastic systems.

Vertically aligned Fe, S, and Fe-S doped anatase TiO₂ nanotube arrays are prepared by electrochemical anodization process using an organic electrolyte in which lactic acid is added as an additive. In the electrolyte, nanotube layers of greater length (12 μm) and high order with inner diameter of approx. 90 nm and outer diameter of approx. 170 nm are achieved. Doping of Fe, S, and Fe-S via simple wet impregnation method substituted Ti and O sites with Fe and S, which leads to enhance the rate performance at high discharge current densities. Discharge capacities of TiO₂ tubes increased from 82 mAh g-1 (bare) to 165 mAh g-1 for Fe-S doped TiO₂ at high current densities of 0.3 mAcm-2 after 100 cycles with exceptional capacity retention of 85% after 100 cycles. Owing to the enhancement of thermodynamic and kinetic properties by doping of Fe-S, Li-diffusion increas2ed resulting in remarkable discharge capacities of 143 mAh g-1 and 89 mAh g-1 at a current density of 7.4 mA cm-2 and 19 mA cm-2, respectively.

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.

In this study, Li-Al-OH layered double hydroxide (LDH), which was prepared by solvent-free one-step mechanochemical reaction of LiOH and Al(OH)₃, was applied to remove boron from aqueous solution. Dry-grinding for 3 h at a rotational speed of 500 rpm, Li/Al molar 1/2 was the optimum condition to prepare highly crystalline of Li-Al LDH phase with no evident impure phases. Two milling products with Li/Al molar ratio at 1/2 and 2/2 were evaluated for boron adsorption. The results confirmed that Li/Al molar ratio 2/2 sample showed high boron adsorption capacity due to the physical adsorption of Li-Al-OH LDH and chemical synergism of phase gel Al(OH)₃. The adsorption isotherms, described by the Langmuir model, indicated maximum monolayer boron uptake capacity 45.45 mg/g, implying competitive adsorption capacity of the material in our experiment.

The pharmacological effects of the fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Os) exerted antioxidant, anti-virus, and immunomodulatory, whereas the anti-inflammatory effects and active components of Os mycelial submerged culture (OMSC) are not known. This study aimed to investigate the active compounds in the fermented liquid (FLOS), hot water (WEOS), and 50-95% (EEOS-50, EEOS-95) ethanol extracts of OMSC and their anti-inflammatory effects and potential mechanisms in LPS-stimulated microglial BV2 cells. The results demonstrated that all of the OMSC extracts could inhibit NO production in BV2 cells. EEOS-95 exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects (41 % inhibitory ability at 500 µg/mL), and its ergosterol, GABA, total phenolic, and total flavonoid contents were significantly higher than those of the other extracts (18.60, 18.60, 2.28, and 2.14 mg/g, p &lt; 0.05, respectively). EEOS-95 also has a strong inhibitory ability against IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α with IC50 of 617, 277 and 507 µg/mL, respectively, which is higher than that of 1 mM melatonin. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of EEOS-95 seems to be associated with up-regulation of PPAR-γ/Nrf-2/HO-1 antioxidant-related expression and down-regulation of NF-κB/COX-2/iNOS pro-inflammatory expression signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that EEOS-95 can prevent neurodegenerative diseases, but the effect on the application in vivo should be further investigated.

In 2020 the world experienced the threat of the COVID-19 epidemic, as seniors and chronic disease patients typically try to reduce their exercise and social activities to avoid increasing the risk of infection, which could lead to increased loneliness and even many diseases. This research combining golf croquet games with AIoT companion robots constructs a home-based intelligent exercise system thus uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), deduces users’ intention to use this system based on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, and adds the needs of love and belonging, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, and self-actualization in Maslow’s needs theory to conduct system needs analysis. The analysis results show that participants have a high level of acceptance of this system, believing that it is easy to learn and operate, can increase interaction with others, also found that this system can improve self-confirmation, satisfying the third for knowledge, feeling happy, and self-actualization needs are easier to fulfill. In the future, we shall collect and record the seniors in the process of use, so as to find out their health problems as soon as possible, expand their daily life through this exercise, and achieve the goal of happy living and health care.

This study utilises NaOH to treat composite cementitious materials containing aeolian sand and zeolite powders, which were used to replace 50% of the cement in aeolian-sand concrete (ASC). The mechanical properties of treated ASC considerably improved, especially when the NaOH dosage was 4% by mass. After curing this sample (denoted as AAZC-4) for 28 d, its compressive strength improved by 17.2% and its split tensile was increased by 16.3%. Potassium feldspar and montmorillonite in zeolite powder and SiO2 in the sand were decomposed by OH− and combined with other elements to generate various silicate gels and A-type potassium zeolite crystals inside the concrete. Microscopic examination showed that the gels and crystals intertwined to fill the pores, decreasing (increasing) the percentage of large (small) pores, thus optimising the pore structure. This substantially improved the mechanical properties of ASC. Freeze–thaw salt-intrusion tests showed that the extent of mass loss, degree of damage and loss of compressive strength of AAZC-4 were similar to those of ordinary concrete but were reduced by 36.8%, 19% and 52.1%, respectively, compared with those of ASC. Therefore, AAZC-4 has sustainable working performance in the chloride ion permeable environment in cold and arid areas.

Tree peony flowers are traditional ornamental and medicinal materials in China. In this study, 23 tree peony flowers at a broad color spectrum were analyzed. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) revealed that tree peony flowers are rich in sugars and organic acids. Up to 18 amino acids were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS), including all essential amino acids, except for methionine. The majority of amino acids were significant positively correlated with each other and were significant negatively correlated with glucose, fructose and galactose. A total of 11 polyphenols were identified in these tree fresh peony flowers by LC-MS. There was a high consistency in grouping peony flowers by using sugars and organic acids and amino acids, which differed from that based on color components and polyphenols. Tree peony flowers are also rich in K, Ca, Mg and Fe. In together, peony flowers can be a good resource of health-promoting compounds.

The greatly diversified flowering plants (angiosperms) are the dominating and defining group in the current earth ecosystem. However, from which group by what way the flowers, especially their gynoecia (key characteristics of angiosperms), are derived have been the questions in botany unanswered over centuries. Such an embarrassing situation can be attributed to the lack of plants with partially enclosed ovules, which are supposed to be a post between gymnosperms and angi-osperms. Here we report a fossil plant that has an apparent coniferous vegetative and reproduc-tive morphologies but has a single seed partially wrapped by the subtending bract. Such a mor-phology suggests that the carpels in angiosperms may be equivalent to bracts enclosing their axil-lary seed(s). Such a non-traditional interpretation of the homology of angiosperm carpels is com-patible with various new progresses made in botany and is in line with Tomlinson’s recent hy-pothesis. Together with other fossil evidence reported recently, it appears that gynoecia in angio-sperms are derived in multiple ways.

Cyberspace map, as one of the important tools to describe cyberspace, gives an image to the unpredictable and illusory cyberspace, and has become a research hotspot in the fields of cartography, cyberspace security. Clarifying the concept of cyberspace map and constructing the conceptual model of cyberspace map can promote people's unified cognition of cyberspace. Based on the view of cartography, this paper compares and analyzes some related concepts of cyberspace map, discusses the characteristics of cyberspace map，and gives its concept. After that, it analyzes people's cognition of cyberspace composition. On this basis, it caters to this cognition mode and proposes the conceptual model of cyberspace map. Then, the connotation of the model is elaborated from three aspects: element-space association dimension, element mapping dimension and the map representation dimension. Finally, the specific composition and symbolization of various elements are analyzed. The model provides the top-level framework and theoretical guidance for the research of cyberspace map. This paper aims to adapt to the development trend of Cartography in ternary space, clarify the basic concept of cyberspace map, promote the development of cyberspace mapping theory, and lay the foundation for subsequent research.

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.

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.

Ship detection from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is crucial for various fields in real-world applications. Numerous deep learning-based detectors have been investigated for SAR ship detection, which require a substantial amount of labeled data for training. However, SAR data annotation is time-consuming and demands specialized expertise, resulting in that deep learning-based SAR ship detectors struggle due to a lack of annotations. With limited labeled data, semi-supervised learning is a popular approach for boosting detection performance by excavating valuable information from unlabeled data. In this paper, a semi-supervised SAR ship detection network is proposed, termed as Multi-Teacher Dempster-Shafer Evidence Fusion Net-work (MTDSEFN). The MTDSEFN is an enhanced framework based on the basic teacher-student skeleton frame, comprising two branches: the Teacher Group (TG) and the Agency Teacher (AT). The TG utilizes multiple teachers to generate pseudo-labels for different augmentation versions of unlabeled samples, which are then refined to obtain high-quality pseudo-labels by using Dempster-Shafer (D-S) fusion. The AT not only serves to deliver weights of its own teacher to the TG at the end of each epoch, but also updates its own weights after each iteration, enabling the model to effectively learn rich information from unlabeled data. The combination of TG and AT guarantees both reliable pseudo-label generation and learning comprehensive diversity information from numerous unlabeled samples. Extensive experiments were performed on two public SAR ship datasets, and the results demonstrated the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach.

In this study, we conducted experiments to assess the forecasting capabilities for the tropical cyclone (TC) genesis over the South China Sea using the ensemble-based data assimilation system (EPS-DA) by WRF-LETKF. These experiments covered forecast lead times of up to 5 days and spanned a period from 2012 to 2019, involving a total of 45 TC formation events. The evaluation involved forecast probability assessments and positional and timing error analysis. Results indicated that successful forecasting depends on lead time and initial condition quality. For TC formation from an embryo vortex to tropical depression intensity, the EPS-DA system demonstrated improved accuracy as the forecast cycle approached the actual formation time. TC centers converged toward observed locations, highlighting the potential of assimilation up to 5 days before formation. We examined statistical variations in dynamic and thermodynamic variables relevant to TC processes, offering an objective system assessment. Our study emphasized early warnings of TC development appear linked to formation-time environmental conditions, particularly strong vorticity and enhanced moisture processes.

The current study aimed to investigate the antitumor effects and potent mechanism of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells combined with irreversible electroporation (IRE) via an in vitro function assay in an in vivo Panc02 cell–bearing mouse model. We established an in vitro culture assay for CIK cells and determined the proportions of different peripheral lymphocytes. The antitumor effect of the combination of IRE and CIK cells in a Panc02 pancreatic-cancer (PC) subcutaneous-xenograft model was investigated; tumor size and mouse survival rates were recorded. We used flow cytometry (FCM) to analyze the proportion of intratumoral lymphocytes, the expression of chemokine receptors, and the proliferative activity of CIK cells. The proportion of cells that were positive for clusters of differentiation 3 and 8 (CD3+CD8+) and the proportion of CD3+CD56+ cells were both significantly increased after 21 days of in vitro culture. Combined IRE/CIK cell treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth and increased the survival rate of Panc02 cell–bearing mice. Furthermore, infiltration of lymphocytes into tumor tissue was significantly increased by this combination therapy compared with the untreated group or monotherapy group. In addition, IRE significantly enhanced the expression of chemokine receptors elicited by, and the proliferative activity of, CIK cells. In conclusion, IRE combined with CIK cells showed superior antitumor efficacy in a PC subcutaneous-xenograft model, which we attributed to the promotion of lymphocytic infiltration, as well as to upregulation of chemokine receptor expression and of regulators of CIK cell proliferation.

Prestress loss evaluation in prestressed strand is essential for prestressed structures. However, the sensors installed outside the duct can only measure the total prestress loss. The sensors attached on strand inside the duct also have several problems, such as inadequate durability in an aggressive environment, vulnerable damage at tensioning and so on. This paper proposes a new installation method for long-gauge fiber Bragg grating (LFBG) sensor to prevent accidental damage. Then the itemized prestress losses were determined in each stage of the pre-tensioning and post-tensioning according to the LFBG measurements. We verified the applicability of the LFBG sensors for prestress monitoring and the accuracy of the proposed prestress loss calculation method during pre-tensioning and post-tensioning. In the pre-tensioning case, the calculated prestress losses had less deviation from the true losses than those obtained from foil-strain gauges, and the durability of the LFBG sensors was better than foil-strain gauges, whereas in post-tensioning case, the calculated prestress losses were close to those derived from theoretical predictions. Finally, we monitored prestress variation in the strand for 90 days. The itemized prestress losses at each stages of post-tensioning were obtained by the proposed calculation method to show the prospect of the LFBG sensors in practical evaluation.