The stability and optimal control for an SIS epidemic model with demographics and heterogeneous control strategies (immunization and quarantine) on complex networks are investigated. The epidemic threshold, disease-free and endemic equilibria are derived. Then, global asymptotical stability about the two equilibria are studied based on different methods. Furthermore, the optimal control issue about the system is also considered. We obtain the existence and uniqueness of the optimal control and optimal control tactics. Some numerical simulations were conducted to illustrate and supplement the theoretical results. Meanwhile, the effects of the combination of various immunization and quarantine schemes are studied and also compared with the optimal control strategies.

The popularity and development of social media has made it more and more convenient to spread rumors, and it has become especially important to detect rumor information from massive amounts of information. Most of the traditional rumor detection methods use content characteristics or propagation structure to mine rumor characteristics, ignoring the fusion characteristics of content and structure and their interaction characteristics. Therefore, a novel rumor detection method based on heterogeneous convolutional networks is proposed. Firstly, this paper constructs a heterogeneous map of joint rumor content and propagation structure to explore the interaction between content and propagation structure during rumor propagation and obtain rumor representation. On that basis, this paper uses the deep residual graph convolutional neural network to construct the content and structure interaction information of the current network propagation model. Finally, this paper uses the two datasets of Twitter15 and Twitter16 to verify the proposed method. Experimental results show that the proposed method has higher detection accuracy than the traditional rumor detection method.

Mulberry is an economically significant crop for the sericulture industry worldwide. Stresses such as drought exposure have a significant influence on plant survival. Metabolome directly reflects plant physiological status; thus, a way to assess this impact is to perform a global metabolomic analysis. This study investigated the effect of drought stress on mulberry Yu-711 metabolic balance using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based on an untargeted metabolomic approach. For this objective, Yu-711 leaves were subjected to two weeks of drought stress treatment and control without drought stress. Multivariate and univariate statistical analyses highlighted numerous differentially-accumulated metabolic elements as a function of time and treatment. Drought stress led to a more differentiated metabolites response than the control. We found that the levels of total lipids and galactolipids, and phospholipids (PC, PA, PE) were significantly altered, producing 48% of the total differentially expressed metabolites. Fatty acyls were the most abundant lipids expressed and decreased considerably by 73.6%. Prenol lipids class of lipids increased in drought leaves. Other classes of metabolites, including polyphenols( flavonoids and cinnamic acid), organic acid (amino acids), carbohydrates, benzenoids, and organoheterocyclic, all had a dynamic trend in response to the drought stress. However, their levels under drought stress generally decreased significantly compared to the control. These results provide an overview of the metabolic profile of the mulberry plant through differentially-accumulated compounds and provide a better understanding of global plant metabolic changes in defense mechanisms.

This study used the sol–gel method to synthesize a non-halogenated hyperbranched flame retardant containing nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, HBNPSi, which was then added to a polyurethane (PU) matrix to form an organic–inorganic hybrid material. Using 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of P- and Si-mapping, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, this study determined the organic and inorganic dispersity, morphology, and flame retardance mechanism of the hybrid material. The condensation density of the hybrid material PU/HBNPSi was found to be 74.4%. High condensation density indicates a dense network structure of the material. The P- and Si-mapping showed that adding inorganic additives in quantities of either 20% or 40% results in homogeneous dispersion of the inorganic fillers in the polymer matrix without agglomeration, indicating that the organic and inorganic phases had excellent compatibility. In the burning test, adding HBNPSi to PU resulted in the material passing the UL-94 standard at the V2 level, unlike the pristine PU, which did not meet the standard. The results demonstrated that after non-halogenated flame retardant was added to PU, the material’s flammability and dripping were lower, thereby proving that flame retardants containing elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon exert an excellent flame retardant synergistic effect.

Three-dimensional flexible piezoresistive porous sensors have been used in health diagnosis and wearable devices. By utilizing 3D printed sacrificial mold casting with highly conductive polymer composites, porous sensors with high conductivity and complex structures were achieved. Traditional conductive polymer composites are usually heated using external heat sources, which are time and energy consuming. However, in this study, conductive porous sensors with triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures were manufactured using self-resistance electric heating by utilizing the conductive nature of the polymers. The porous structures were designed based on Diamond (D), Gyroid (G), and I-WP (I) unit cells of the TPMS. The use of self-resistance electric heating has improved the compression performance and piezoresistive response of the structures. Among these structures, the D-based structure exhibited the maximum response strain (61 %), with a corresponding resistance response value of 0.97, which increased by 10.26 % compared to that of the structures heated by using the external heat sources. This study offers a new perspective on designing and optimizing porous materials with specific functionalities, particularly in the realm of flexible and portable piezoresistive sensors.

Immobilized metal ion affinity adsorbents have been widely used in separation technique to purify proteins. Due to the leakage of metal ion from the adsorbents, there is no metal ion affinity adsorbent for hemoperfusion has been applied to clinical trial. In this study, in order to prevent the leakage of Zn²⁺ loaded from cellulose beads based adsorbent, improve its stability and adsorption capacity for testosterone, Freeze-drying method was used to enhance the porosity of cellulose beads, improve the surface area of the cellulose beads and adsorption capacity for testosterone. Chitosan was used to coat the adsorbents for preventing the leakage of Zn²⁺ loaded and improve the adsorbent’s stability. Moreover, the factors affecting adsorption ability and some components in plasma were also investigated. The results indicate the adsorption ability of the adsorbent can be significantly improved by freeze-drying. After the adsorbent was coated with 0.02% chitosan solution, the highest adsorption percentage reached 48%. During adsorption, the Zn²⁺ concentration in plasma did not rise. In addition, the adsorption percentage for total proteins was below 15%. The results may be caused by the pore size and surface area of the adsorbent enlarged via freeze-drying, and the chitosan solution went into the pores and coated the outer and inner surface of the adsorbent. The adsorbent has a potential clinical application to remove testosterone in patients with recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer.

Influenced by the quasi-stationary Mei-yu front and the development of mesoscale low vortices on the Mei-yu front, a torrential rain event occurred in Suzhou on July 6, 2020. The 24-hour rainfall recorded by the automatic station exceeded 200 millimeters, with the highest hourly intensity surpassing 70 millimeters, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. This heavy precipitation process was characterized by suddenness, extremity, long duration, high precipitation efficiency, and backward propagation. Using various data sources such as the European ERA5 reanalysis data, ground-based automatic stations, sounding, Doppler weather radar, and wind profile radar, this paper analyzed in detail the circulation characteristics and radar echo structures of this torrential rain event, and further studied the triggering, feature evolution, and maintenance mechanisms of the heavy precipitation.The results show: (1) The continuously strengthening low-level jet stream propagates downward forming an ultra-low-level jet stream. Heavy precipitation is located on the left front side of the jet exit area, where strong convergence and lifting in the boundary layer overlap with the ascending branch of the secondary circulation above the shear line, resulting in heavy precipitation. (2) A supercell storm with intense precipitation produced this heavy rainfall event, characterized by a low centroid of strong echo; echo-free vault, bounded weak echo region, and other supercell structural features. During this event, the high reflectivity factor areas corresponded to high KDP value areas, indicating a large amount of liquid water content. Vertically, the KDP column can track the rainwater mixing ratio well, and its location corresponds to the vicinity of the short-term heavy precipitation occurrence. The high KDP value area mainly consists of numerous precipitation particles, and the vertical vortex wind field structure causes rapid growth of precipitation particles through continuous rolling. Furthermore, it can be found through correlation coefficients (CC) that there are always high-value areas for CC since they correspond to areas of intense precipitation. (3) Continuous triggering of mesoscale convective cloud clusters on the east-west ground convergence line leads to new development and forms a "train effect." Strong frontogenesis in both horizontal and vertical directions triggers and sustains this heavy precipitation event. The significant increase in liquid water and water vapor density has indicative significance for the occurrence of heavy precipitation.

The precise regulation of hinge moment and pitch angle driven by the pitch regulated mechanism is crucial for modulating thrust requirements and ensuring stable attitude control in Martian coaxial rotorcraft. Nonetheless, the aerodynamic hinge moment in rotorcraft presents time-dependent dynamic properties, posing significant challenges for accurate measurement and assessment for such characteristics. In this study, we delve into the detailed aerodynamic hinge moment characteristics associated with the pitch regulated mechanism of Mars rotorcraft under a spectrum of control strategies. A robust computational fluid dynamics model has been developed to simulate rotor’s aerodynamic loads, accompanied by a quantitative hinge moment characterization that takes into account the effects of varying rotor speeds and pitch angles. Our investigation has yielded a thorough understanding of the interplay between aerodynamic load behavior and rotor surface pressure distributions, leading to the creation of an empirical mapping model for hinge moments. To validate our findings, we engineered a specialized test apparatus capable of measuring the hinge moments of the pitch regulated mechanism, facilitating empirical assessments under replicated atmospheric conditions of both Earth and Mars. The result indicates aerodynamic hinge moments depend non-linearly on rotational speed, peaking at a 0° pitch angle and showing minimal sensitivity to pitch under 0°. Above 0°, hinge moments decrease, reaching a minimum at 15° before rising again. Simulation and experimental comparisons demonstrate that under Earth conditions, the aerodynamic performance and hinge moment errors are within 8.54% and 24.90%, respectively. For Mars conditions, errors remain below 11.62%, proving the CFD model’s reliability. This supports its application in the design and optimization of Mars rotorcraft systems, enhancing their flight control through accurate prediction of aerodynamic hinge moments across various pitch angles and speeds.

Abstract-Digital Phase Plane is presented in this paper. For constant input second order digital systems with arbitrary initial conditions for arbitrary quantizaters, this digital phase plane shows, in plot form, the state trajectory and the asymptotic stability, including the existence and the position of arbitrary period limit cycles.

In the development of automatic control, PID control is the oldest of the basic control mode, the control algorithm is the most widely used in engineering, especially the applied research of robustness has extensive engineering practical value. In this paper, based on the principle of the internal model PID parameter setting method was studied, through different approximate processing method, derived the three different formula of PID internal model setting and simulation verify the effectiveness of the algorithm. At the same time, the robustness of the controlled process under different parameter perturbation is theoretically analyzed and simulated.Finally, the paper summarizes the whole paper and looks forward to the future development trend.

Curcumin is the main secondary metabolites of Curcuma longa and other Curcuma spp, and has been reported to have some potential in preventing and treating some physiological disorders. This study investigated the effect curcumin in inhibiting high-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in rats. Twenty-six male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (170-190 g) were randomly divided into a standard food pellet diet group (Control group), a high-fat diet and streptozotocin group (HF+STZ group), and a high-fat diet combined with curcumin and STZ group (HF+ Cur +STZ group). Compared with the HF+STZ group, the HF+Cur+STZ group exhibited significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (AST) and aspartate transaminase (ALT) levels, and liver coefficients; in the livers of these rats, the expression of malondialdehyde (MDA) and Bax was downregulated, whereas that of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Bcl-2 was upregulated. Moreover, the liver histology of these rats was improved and resembled that of the control rats. These results suggest that curcumin prevents high-fat diet and STZ-induced hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, mainly via anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic mechanisms in the liver.

This paper outlines our effort on optimizing Pulsed Magneto-Oscillation (PMO) design in order to improve the efficiency of ingot manufacturing under PMO. Our calculation and experiment provided optimized PMO coil design and special configuration. Our optimized PMO design offered us a device that enabled the operator to examine and operate the melt without losing the efficiency. In one of the designs, the equipment even refined the grain sizes. Our work also showed an optimized distance range between the coil and the melt surface that maximized the refinement effects.

Polydimethylsiloxane with hydroxy groups was functionalized to form functionalized polydimethylsiloxane, which subsequently underwent an addition reaction with isophorone diisocyanate to form the prepolymer. Next, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) reacted with 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS) to produce bridged polysilsesquioxanes, and the sol–gel technology was employed to form hyperbranched polysiloxane nanoparticles with hydroxy groups, which was used as the additive. The hyperbranched polysiloxane and the prepolymer containing NCO functional groups then underwent an addition reaction to produce the hybrid materials. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance were used to characterize the structure of the polyurethane hybrid. Regarding thermal stability, after the hyperbranched polysiloxane nanoparticles was introduced, the integral procedural decomposition temperature increased from 348 ºC for polyurethane matrix to 859 ºC for the hybrid material. The results revealed that the thermal stability of the hybrid material substantially increased by approximately 247%.

In order to better realize rural revitalization, this paper analyzes the spatial and temporal char-acteristics and influencing factors of agricultural surface source pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from the three perspectives of government, enterprise and agriculture by using the spatial Durbin model and the dynamic GMM method in the period of 2006-2021, and further re-searches the threshold characteristics of the distortion of the factor market on the agricultural surface source pollution under the different strengths of environmental regulation. The results show that there is a positive spatial correlation between agricultural surface pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and government environmental regulation, input factor market distortion and labor force transfer all have a significant impact on agricultural surface pollution. Among them, factor market distortion has a significant spatial spillover effect on agricultural surface pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Zone, and has a significant single-threshold ef-fect on environmental regulation. Accordingly, the government should strengthen environmental regulation, continuously improve the agricultural factor market mechanism, and pay attention to the construction of talents to provide support for rural revitalization.

This study aims to assess the operational capabilities of disaster and emergency management re-sources (DEMRs), which are pivotal in mitigating risks and minimizing losses amid the increas-ing frequency of disasters. The research constructs an effective operational capability evaluation system for DEMRs, encompassing four key aspects: resource planning, organizational manage-ment capability, resource support capability, and information processing capability. It focuses on identifying the factors that influence the effective operational capability of DEMRs in China and Korea, comparing and analyzing the relative importance and priority of each evaluation domain and indicator within these countries to enhance DEMRs' operational effectiveness. The method-ology involves calculating and ranking the weight of the four domains, with findings indicating that organizational management capability is most significant in China, whereas resource sup-port capability is prioritized in Korea. A comparative analysis of the local weight of indicators within each domain revealed the largest discrepancy between China and Korea in the infor-mation processing capability domain. The study concludes by calculating global weights, identi-fying fast response capability and resource allocation capability as the most impactful factors on DEMRs' operational capability, highlighting their critical role in disaster and emergency man-agement.

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

Revealing the spatial distribution mechanism of the coupling effect between soil water and salt is essential for managing saline-alkali farmland. This study utilized the multifractal method to analyze soil water and salt under varying water content levels in arid saline-alkali farmland. Soil samples were collected on the second (S1), fifth (S2), eighth (S3), eleventh (S4), and fourteenth (S5) days after a rainfall event. The findings showed that a significant decrease in soil water content, contrasting with an increase in soil salt content throughout the soil layers post-rainfall. As water content decreased, the spatial variability of soil water initially increased from S1-3 and then decreased, while the spatial variability of soil salt decreased. The spatial distribution between soil water and salt exhibited a high correlation at S3-4 (with relative water content of soil ranging from 0.52 to 0.75) due to their coupling effect. However, soil salt was unevenly leached by rainfall at high water content levels (S1-2) and precipitated at low water content levels (S5), resulting in low spatial variability correlations between soil water and salt. This study elucidated the coupling process of soil water and salt, identifying their spatiotemporal distribution mechanism in dryland agricultural areas.

Three new cembranoids (1–3) and a new casbanoid (4), along with three known analogues (5–7), have been isolated from the soft coral Sinularia nanolobata collected off Ximao Island. The structures including the absolute configurations of new compounds were established by extensive spectro-scopic data analysis, time-dependent density functional theory/electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations and the comparison with spectroscopic data of known compounds. In in vitro bioassay, compounds 1 and 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells line with IC50 values of 37.1 and 42.4 uM, respectively.

Genomics involving tens of thousands of genes is a complex system determining phenotype. An interesting and vital issue is that how to integrate highly sparse genetic genomics data with a mass of minor effects into prediction model for improving prediction power. We find that deep learning method can work well to extract features by transforming highly sparse dichotomous data to lower dimensional continuous data in a non-linear way. This idea may provide benefits in risk prediction based on genome-wide data associated e.g. integrating most of the information in the genotype data. Hence, we developed a multi-stage strategy to extract information from highly sparse binary genotype data and applied it for risk prediction. Specifically, we first reduced the number of biomarkers via a univariable regression model to a moderate size. Then a trainable auto-encoder was used to extract compact representations from the reduced data. Next, we performed a LASSO problem process over a grid of tuning parameter values to select the optimal combination of extracted features. Finally, we applied such feature combination to two prognostic models, and evaluated predictive effect of the models. The results of simulation studies and real data applying indicated that these highly compressed transformation features could better improve predictive performance and did not easily lead to over-fitting.

Photodynamic therapy has been applied endoscopically to treat early esophageal cancer. However, the long-term survival outcome of this treatment option is unknown in literature. Patients and Method: The patients of early esophageal cancer (clinical stage I) treated with photophrin based photodynamic therapy were analyzed for their long-term survival outcome and compared to those patients undergoing esophagectomy by a single surgeon for stage I disease. Results: There were 15 and 16 patients undergoing PDT and esophagectomy enrolled in the current study respectively. Complete response was achieved in 10 (66.7%) patients after PDT. After adjuvant chemoradiation (CCRT) complete response was achieved in 13 patients (86%). There is no mortality after PDT. Severe complication was detected in 3 patients including trachea-esophageal fistulae, esophageal stenosis and skin photosensitivity respectively. With a median follow-up duration of 110.2 months (+9.6 months) for the patients after PDT, there were 4 and 3 recurrence in the primary tumor site and regional lymph node respectively with 73.3% of successful local control rate of the primary tumor. There were 7 (46.7%) patients died during clinical follow-up of this cohort with 5 (33.3%) from disease progression of esophageal cancer and two from other diseases respectively. The five-year survival rate after PDT is 64.3%, whereas 70.9% of the patients after esophagectomy without significant difference of these two group of patients (P=0.72). Conclusion: Our preliminary results suggested that PDT might provide an equivalent long-term oncological outcome as compared to that done by esophagectomy for early esophageal cancer. A prospective randomized clinical trial comparing the results with esophagectomy and other endoscopic abrasive therapies is warrant in the future.

Abstract In order to solve the problem that it is difficult to obtain the accurate trigger signal moment when using the time difference of UAV flight acoustic signals collected by acoustic sensors arranged in advance to locate the position of UAVs when they cannot be tracked by radar and are difficult to be observed by the human eye, an acoustic source localisation method with improved empirical modal decomposition (REMD) under an adaptive frequency window is proposed. Firstly, the collected UAV flight signals are smoothed and filtered, then the robust empirical modal decomposition (REMD) is used for IMF modal decomposition and spectral analysis of the collected signals, and a panning frequency window with variable bandwidth is introduced for corresponding frequency locking and extracting the IMFs; the GWO optimisation is used and the sliding metrics are set to determine the position of the panning frequency window automatically; finally, the extracted Finally, the extracted IMF components are reconstructed according to the criterion, and the trigger signal moments in the reconstructed IMF components are resolved and recorded, and the algorithm is used to calculate the difference between the reception moments of different sensors; for the traditional sound source localisation algorithms with a small detection range, which are prone to fall into the no-solution or false-solution, i.e., unable to achieve the localisation, a weighted least-squares-based Chan-Taylor algorithm is proposed for the localisation computation, and a weighted least-squares algorithm is proposed for the localisation computation, through the Inputting the sensor delay parameter and solving the linear equation system to get the target position information; finally, this paper verifies the robustness and performance of the design method with simulated and actual signals. The results show that the maximum positioning error is no more than 5% in an area with a side length of 15m in the measurement area. With the improved accuracy of time delay estimation, the positioning simulation results meet the positioning requirements even though the positioning error is further expanded when the measurement area is further expanded.

Carbon dots are carbon based nanoparticles, which have the characteristics of simple preparation process, photoluminescence, biocompatibility, adjustable surface function, water solubility, and low toxicity. They are widely used in biological applications such as imaging, biosensing, photocatalysis, and molecular transfer. It has also aroused great interest among researchers in agriculture and has made significant progress in improving crop growth and production. This review presents the physiological functions of carbon dots for crop growth and development, photosynthesis, water and nutrient absorption, and abiotic stress resistance and their applications in improving ecological environment and agriculture as biosensors, and the future application prospects and research directions of carbon dots in agriculture were prospected.

Magnesium alloy stents have been extensively studied in the field of biodegradable metal stents due to their exceptional biocompatibility, biodegradability and excellent biomechanical properties. Nevertheless, the specific in vivo service environment causes magnesium alloy stents to degrade rapidly and fail to provide sufficient support for certain time. This paper presents an overview of the development history and protection strategies for magnesium alloy stents. Alloying, optimizing stent structure and preparing protective coating have improved the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy stents. Based on the corrosion mechanism of magnesium alloy stents, as well as their deformation during use and environmental characteristics, we present some novel solution strategies aiming at reducing the corrosion rate of magnesium alloys and enhancing the comprehensive performance of magnesium alloy stents. These strategies include adapting protective coatings for the deformation of the stents, preparing rapid endothelialization coatings to enhance the service environment of the stent, and constructing coatings with self-healing functions. It is hoped that this review can help to understand the development of magnesium alloy cardiovascular stents and solve the problems related to magnesium alloy stents in clinical applications at the early implantation stage.

Thin-film lithium niobate has gained significant attention in photonics due to its broad optical transparency, high refractive index, nonlinear coefficient, and substantial electro-optic coefficient. It holds great promise for developing electro-optic modulators with low loss, a compact size, and wide bandwidth. This study focuses on a meticulous investigation utilizing microwave photonics to establish a high-performance electro-optic modulator. Specifically, we analyze the optical mode field distribution and traveling wave electrode structure of lithium niobate thin-film materials. The proposed modulator achieves an impressive half-wave voltage-length product of 1.69 V·cm, a negligible metal loss of 0.01 dB/cm, and a substantial 3dB electro-optic bandwidth of 50 GHz. This research successfully realizes low-loss, high-efficiency LNOI electro-optical modulators, providing a strong foundation for large-scale integrated optoelectronic systems.

After sperm enter the female reproductive tract, the physicochemical and biochemical microenvironment undergoes significant changes. Thus, the response of sperm to environmental factors is vital for successful fertilization. The cation channel of sperm (CatSper) is a sperm-specific, pH-sensitive, and Ca2+-permeable ion channel. It is responsible for the predominant Ca2+ entry in mammalian sperm and is involved in nearly every event of sperm to acquire fertilizing capability. CatSper also serves as a pivotal polymodal chemosensor in mammalian sperm by responding to multiple chemical cues. Physiological ligands (such as progesterone, prostaglandins, β-defensins, and odorants) provoke Ca2+ entry into sperm by activating CatSper and thus triggering sperm functions including hyperactivation, capacitation, the acrosome reaction, and chemotaxis. Additionally, synthetic and natural chemicals (such as medicines, endocrine disrupting chemicals, drugs of abuse, and antioxidants) affect sperm functions by regulating CatSper-dependent Ca2+ signaling. Therefore, understanding the interactions between CatSper and extracellular ligands sheds light on the mechanisms underlying male infertility and offers innovative diagnostic and treatment approaches. This underscores the importance of CatSper as a crucial regulatory target in male reproduction, linking sperm function with the extracellular environment. This review comprehensively summarizes the relevant studies describing the environmental factors that affect CatSper in humans and rodents.

Focused microwave breast hyperthermia (FMBH) employs a phased antenna array to perform beamforming that can focus microwave energy at targeted breast tumors. Selective heating of the tumor endows the hyperthermia treatment with high accuracy and low side effects. The effect of FMBH is highly dependent on the applied phased antenna array. This work investigates the effect of polarizations of antenna elements on the microwave focusing results by simulations. We explore two kinds of antenna arrays with the same number of elements using different digital realistic human breast phantoms. The first array has all the elements’ polarization in the vertical plane of the breast while the second array has half elements’ polarization in the vertical plane and the other half in the transverse plane, i.e., cross polarization. In total 96 sets of different simulations are performed, and the results show that the second array leads to a better focusing effect in dense breasts than the first array. This work is very meaningful for the potential improvement of the antenna array for FMBH, which is of great significance for the future clinical applications of FMBH. The antenna array with cross polarization can also be applied in micro-wave imaging and sensing for biomedical applications.

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

HER2/neu positive breast tumors predict a high mortality and comprise 25-30% of breast cancer. We have shown that Flavokawain A (FKA) preferentially reduces the viabilities of HER2 overexpressing breast cancer cell lines (i.e. SKBR3 and MCF7/HER2) versus those with less HER2 expression (i.e. MCF7 and MDA-MB-468). FKA at cytotoxic concentrations to breast cancer cell lines also has minimal effect on the growth of non-malignant breast epithelial MCF10 cells. FKA induces G2M arrest in cell cycle progression of HER2 overexpressing breast cancer cell lines through inhibition of Cdc2 and Cdc25C phosphorylation and down-regulation of Myt1 and Wee1expression leading to increased Cdc2 kinase activities. In addition, FKA induces apoptosis in SKBR3 cells by increasing the protein expression of Bim and BAX and decreasing expression of Bcl₂, Bcl_x/L , XIAP and survivin. FKA also down-regulates the protein expression of HER-2 and inhibits AKT phosphorylation. Herceptin plus FKA treatment leads to enhanced growth inhibitory effect on HER-2 overexpressing breast cancer cell lines through down-regulation of Myt1, Wee1, Skp2, Survivin and XIAP. Our results suggest the promise of FKA as a novel apoptosis inducer and G2 checkpoint abrogating agent in combination with Herceptin for treatment of HER2 overexpressing breast cancer.

The benefits of cycling as a sustainable transportation mode are widely recognized. Cycling to work offers numerous advantages for individuals, employers, the environment, and society, ranging from improved physical health, wellbeing, and productivity to enhanced public health and reduced carbon emissions. Many governments around the world have implemented various policy measures, interventions, and initiatives to promote cycling. Some cities and towns have encouraged workplaces to provide bike-friendly amenities, such as secure bike parking/storage and shower and changing facility (referred to as end-of-trip facilities), to accommodate cyclists and motivate more employees to embrace sustainable transportation options. However, the presence or absence of such amenities has been found to both positively influence cycling behavior or deter some individuals from cycling to work. Despite the desirability of these amenities, the number of office buildings equipped with bike storage and shower/changing facility remains small, and their economic value is not well understood. In this paper, we aim to investigate whether the presence of cycling-supportive facilities could add value to office buildings. Specifically, we conduct a study using data from office buildings across England as of the end of 2021. We employ hedonic techniques to examine whether office buildings with bike storage and/or shower facility command a rent premium and whether the existence of a rent premium for bike storage and/or shower facility vary by location and across regions in England, independently from any premium associated with BREEM certification. We find that the buildings with bike storage and shower facility secure rent premiums respectively. The level of rent premiums varies with location and regions. The variations of premium are driven by the shortage of the supply of these facilities.

Drafting formations have been long recognized as highly effective for reducing drag and enhancing athletic performance, particularly in race walking events. The precise spacing and positioning of the race walkers are critical to optimizing the effectiveness of drafting. In this study, the drag reduction of 15 drafting formations is investigated using wind-tunnel experiments and CFD numerical simulations. The results show excellent consistency in drag reduction rate between the two methods, with differences being within 10%. This can be attributed to spacing replacing body shape differences as the primary factor influencing drag reduction. Optimal double, triple, and quadruple drafting formations produce the same results in both wind-tunnel experiments and CFD simulation, resulting in drag reductions of 67%, 66%, and 81% (wind-tunnel) and 65%, 72%, and 85% (CFD). The sources of drag differences in the two methods are discussed from various aspects. The flow field obtained through CFD analysis is used to examine the mechanism of drag reduction, revealing that drafting formations have a significant shielding effect on incoming air, which reduces the number and speed of airflow impacting the core race walker. This shielding effect is identified as the primary cause of drag reduction. Using an empirical model for mechanical power output, optimal double, triple, and quadruple drafting formations enhance sport economy (4.4-5.7%), speed (3.61-4.67%), and performance (173.8-223.3s) compared to race walking alone. The findings can serve as a reference for race walkers' positioning strategy and provide insights for considering drafting formations in various running events.

In this paper, we study the semilinear pseudo-parabolic equations $\displaystyle u_{t} - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u_{t} = \left|u\right|^{p-1}u$ on a manifold with conical singularity, where $\triangle _{\mathbb{B}}$ is Fuchsian type Laplace operator investigated with totally characteristic degeneracy on the boundary $x_{1} = 0$. Firstly, we discuss the invariant sets and the vacuum isolating behavior of solutions with the help of a family of potential wells. Then, we derive a threshold result of existence and nonexistence of global weak solution: for the low initial energy $J(u_{0})<d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) >0$ or $\displaystyle\Vert \nabla_{\mathbb{B}}u_{0}\Vert_{L_{2}^{\frac{n}{2}}(\mathbb{B})} = 0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$; for the critical initial energy $J(u_{0}) = d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) \geq0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$. The decay estimate of the energy functional for the global solution and the estimates of the lifespan of local solution are also given.

Excessive production, consumption and indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste cause an increasing plastic pollution with detrimental impacts on environment and human health. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards plastic pollution among Malaysians and evaluate the variation of plastic pollution related KAP among various socio-demographics. An online survey was conducted, and 294 valid responses was obtained. Descriptive statistics, KAP scoring and cross tabulation of responses were estimated. One-way analysis of variance, paired t-test and binary logistic regressions were carried out. Results showed that respondents had poor knowledge (mean 7.41 ± 1.80) and practice score (3.81 ± 1.39) across all socio-demographics. Compared to younger (18-30 years) respondents, older ones (>46 years) had higher knowledge (odds ratio, OR 4.304; p<0.01). However, middle aged (31-45 years) respondents reported significantly (p<0.01) higher attitude (OR 4.019) and practice (OR 4.056; p <0.05). Respondents with environmental related university education had showed higher odds about plastic pollution related knowledge (OR 10.343; p<0.01). Suggestions are made to undertake interventions such as environmental awareness creation, incorporating plastic pollution topics in formal and informal education, and providing recycling facilities nearby the localities for encouraging good practices towards minimizing plastic uses and pollution.

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

COVID-19 patients can recover with a median SARS-CoV-2 clearance of 20 days post initial symptoms (PIS). However, we observed some COVID-19 patients with existing SARS-CoV-2 for more than 50 days PIS. This study aimed to investigate the cause of viral clearance delay and the infectivity in these patients. Demographic data and clinical characteristics of 22 long-term COVID-19 patients were collected. SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid, peripheral lymphocyte count, and functionality were assessed. SARS-CoV-2-specific and neutralization antibodies were detected, followed by virus isolation and genome sequencing. The median age of the studied cohort was 59.83±12.94 years. All patients were clinically cured after long-term SARS-CoV-2 infection ranging from 53 to 112 days PIS. Peripheral lymphocytes counts were normal. Interferon gamma (IFN-ƴ)-generated CD4+ and CD8+ cells were normal as 24.68±9.60% and 66.41±14.87%. However, the number of IFN-ƴ-generated NK cells diminished (58.03±11.78%). All patients presented detectable IgG, which positively correlated with mild neutralizing activity (ID50=157.2, P=0.05). SARS-CoV-2 was not isolated, and a cytopathic effect was lacking. Only three synonymous variants were identified in spike protein coding regions. In conclusion, decreased IFN-γ production by NK cells and low neutralizing antibodies might favor SARS-CoV-2 long-term existence. Further, low viral load and weak viral pathogenicity was observed in COVID-19 patients with long-term SARS-CoV-2 infection.

This study investigates the effects of Zinc (4wt.%) and severe plastic deformation on the mechanical properties of AZ61 magnesium alloy through the stir-casting process. The severe plastic deformation (equal channel angular pressing (ECAP)) has been done followed by T4 heat treatment. The microstructural examinations revealed that the addition of 4wt.%Zn enhances the uniform distribution of β-phase, contributing to a more uniformly corroded surface in corrosive environments. Additionally, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) significantly reduces the grain size of as-cast alloys after undergoing ECAP. The attained mechanical properties demonstrate that after a single ECAP pass, AZ61 + 4wt.%Zn alloy exhibits optimal yield strength (YS), ultimate compression strength (UCS), and hardness. This research highlights the promising potential of AZ61 + 4wt.%Zn alloy for enhanced mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties, offering valuable insights for applications in diverse engineering fields.

The Double U-pipe ground heat exchanger, recognized for its straightforward process, cost-effectiveness, high heat exchange efficiency, and low thermal resistance, stands as the predominant ground heat exchanger type in today's shallow geothermal energy development and utilization. Recent years have seen significant research into the heat transfer influencing factors and heat exchange performance of Double U-pipe ground heat ex-changers via experimental testing methods. Yet, studies integrating numerical simulation with in-situ testing have been less frequent. Drawing on the cylindrical heat source model theory and the outcomes of regional in-situ thermal response tests, this paper develops a Double U-pipe ground heat transfer model by establishing physical, mathematical, and heat transfer geometric models. It assesses the impact of varying inlet temperatures, flow rates, and initial ground temperatures on heat exchange efficiency under heating conditions. The results validate the precision of the double U-pipe ground heat exchanger model based on in-situ testing. They show that enhancing the temperature differential between the inlet and initial temperatures, elevating the initial ground temperature, and moderately increasing the flow rate can boost the system's heat exchange efficiency.

Plant cells' ability to withstand abiotic stress is strongly linked to modifications in their mechanical characteristics. Nevertheless, the lack of a workable method for consistently tracking plant cell mechanical properties severely restricts our comprehension of the mechanical alterations in plant cells under stress. With Polyethylene Glycol (PEG6000), we created a drought-like environment, and we used the Double Resonator Piezoelectric Cytometry (DRPC) method to dynamically and non-invasively track changes in the stress (ΔS) created and viscoelasticity (storage modulus G' and loss modulus G") of protoplasts and suspension cells of rice during drought stress. The findings demonstrate that, rice suspension cells and protoplasts react mechanically differently to 5%–15% PEG6000 stress, implying distinct resistance mechanisms. However, neither of them can withstand 25% PEG6000 stress, they respond mechanically similarly to 25% PEG6000 stress. The results of DRPC are further corroborated by the morphological alterations of rice cells and protoplasts observed under an optical microscope. To sum up, the DRPC technique functions as a precise cellular mechanical sensor and offers novel research tools for the evaluation of plant cell adversity and differentiating between the mechanical reactions of cells and protoplasts under abiotic stress.

Based on the 2013–2017 Chinese Family Database and China Household Finance Survey, the study examines the impact of farmland transfer on the income structure of agricultural households. We observe a significant rise in the income of transferred-out households, while that of transferred-in households is unchanged. A further empirical decomposition of income shows a significant increase in both the wage and asset generated incomes of transferred-out households. Although the income generated by transferred-in households through agricultural production and management increases significantly, the decrease in wage income is larger. The study’s empirical designs are robustly tested with propensity score matching and instrumental variables. Moreover, we conduct a comparative analysis of the external constraints faced by the two groups to explore the reasons for the divergence of the income effect. The results show that transferred-in households face highly pronounced external constraints in terms of capital, technology, and farmland size, while transferred-out households face relatively fewer impediments to non-agricultural employment. Our empirical results imply that external constraints can limit the social welfare improvements of agricultural land reform, suggesting that other complementary measures would be required for future policy improvements to work better.

The spread of viral pathogens both between and within hosts is inherently a spatial process. While the spatial aspects of viral spread at the epidemiological level have been increasingly well characterized, the spatial aspects of viral spread within infected hosts are still understudied. Recent experimental studies, however, have started to shed more light on the mechanisms and spatial dynamics of viral spread within hosts. Here, we review these experimental studies as well as the limited number of computational modeling efforts that have begun to integrate spatial considerations for understanding within-host viral spread. We limit our review to influenza virus to highlight key mechanisms affecting spatial aspects of viral spread for pathogens of the respiratory tract. There is considerable empirical evidence for highly spatial within-host spread of influenza virus, yet few computational modeling studies that shed light on possible factors that structure the dynamics of this spatial spread. In existing modeling studies, there is also a striking absence of theoretical expectations of how spatial dynamics may impact the dynamics of viral populations. To mitigate this, we turn to the extensive ecological and evolutionary literature to provide informed theoretical expectations for what viral and host factors may impact the spatial patterns of within-host viral dynamics and for how spatial spread will affect the genetic composition of within-host viral populations. We end by discussing current knowledge gaps related to the spatial component of within-host influenza virus spread and the potential for within-host spatial considerations to inform the development of disease control strategies.

This paper aims to develop a hierarchical risk assessment model using the newly-developed evidential reasoning (ER) rule, which constitutes a generic conjunctive probabilistic reasoning process. In this paper, we first provide a brief introduction to the basics of the ER rule and emphasize the strengths for representing and aggregating uncertain information from multiple experts and sources. Further, we discuss the key steps of developing the hierarchical risk assessment framework systematically, including (1) formulation of risk assessment hierarchy, (2) representation of both qualitative and quantitative information, (3) elicitation of attribute weights and information reliabilities, (4) aggregation of assessment information using the ER rule and (5) quantification and ranking of risks using utility-based transformation. The proposed hierarchical risk assessment framework can potentially be implemented to various complex and uncertain systems. A case study on the fire/explosion risk assessment of marine vessels demonstrates the applicability of the proposed risk assessment model.

Background: The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has spread globally with more than 80,000 people infected, and nearly 3000 patients died. Currently, we are in an urgent need for effective treatment strategy to control the clinical deterioration of COVID-19 patients. Methods: The clinical data of 10 COVID-19 patients receiving short-term moderate-dose corticosteroid (160mg/d) plus immunoglobulin (20g/d) were studied in the North Yard of The First Hospital of Changsha, Hunan from January 17^th to February 27^th, 2020. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, radiological findings were analyzed. Results: After treatment with combination of low-dose corticosteroid (40-80mg/d) and immunoglobulin (10g/d), patients’ lymphocyte count (0.88±0.34 vs 0.59±0.18, P<0.05), oxygenation index including SPO₂ (94.90±2.51 vs 90.50±5.91, P<0.05) and PaO₂/FiO₂ (321.36±136.91 vs 129.30±64.97, P<0.05) were significantly lower than pre-treatment, and CT showed that the pulmonary lesion deteriorated in all patients. While after treatment of short-term moderate-dose corticosteroid plus immunoglobulin, patients’ APACHE Ⅱ score (9.10±6.15 vs 5.50±9.01, P<0.05), body temperature (37.59±1.16 vs 36.46±0.25, P<0.05), lymphocyte count (0.59±0.18 vs 1.36±0.51, P<0.05), Lactate dehydrogenase (419.24±251.31 vs 257.40±177.88, P<0.05), and C-reactive protein (49.94±26.21 vs 14.58±15.25, P<0.05) significantly improved compared with post-treatment with low-dose therapy. In addition, oxygenation index including SPO₂ (90.50±5.91 vs 97.50±1.18, P<0.05), PaO₂ (60.47±14.53 vs 99.07±34.31, P<0.05), and PaO₂/FiO₂ (129.30±64.97 vs 340.86±146.72, P<0.05) significant improved. Furthermore, CT showed that pulmonary lesions obviously improved in 7 patients. After systematic therapy, 4 out of 10 COVID-19 patients recovered and discharged. Conclusions: Short-term moderate-dose corticosteroid plus immunoglobulin is effective for reversing the continued deterioration of COVID-19 patients who failed to respond to the low-dose therapy. Funding: This work was supported by the Innovative Major Emergency Project Funding against the New Coronavirus Pneumonia in Hunan Province (Dr. Ji-Yang Liu, number 2020SK3014; Dr. Yuan-Lin Xie, number 2020SK3013).

This paper focuses on the integrated guidance and autopilot design with control input saturation in the end-game phase of hypersonic flight. Firstly, uncertain nonlinear integrated guidance and autopilot model is developed with third actuator dynamics, where the control surface deflection has magnitude constraint. Secondly, neural network is implemented in extended state observer (ESO) design, which is used to estimate the complex model uncertainty, nonlinearity and state coupling. Thirdly, a command filtered back-stepping controller is designed with hybrid sliding surfaces to improve the terminal performance. In the process, different command filters are implemented to avoid the influences of disturbances and repetitive derivation, meanwhile solve the problem of unknown control direction caused by saturation. The stability of closed-loop system is proved by Lyapunov theory, and the principles abided by the controller parameters are concluded through the proof. Finally, series of 6-DOF numerical simulations are presented to show the feasibility and validity of the proposed controller.

Human visual system (HVM) can quickly localize the most salient object in scenes, which has been widely applied on natural image segmentation [15]-[19]. In ultrasound (US) breast images, compared with background areas, tumor is more salient because of its higher contrast. In this paper, we develop a novel automatic localization method based on HVM for automatic segmentation of ultrasound (US) breast tumors. First, the input image is smoothed by convolution with a linearly separable Gaussian filter and then subsampled into a 9-layer Gaussian pyramid. Then intensity, blackness ratio, and superpixel contrast features are combined to compute saliency map, in which Winner Take All algorithm is used to localize the most salient region, presenting with a circle on the localized target. Finally the circle is taken as the initial contour of CV level set to finish the extraction of breast tumor. The localization method has been tested on 400 US beast images, among which 378 images have higher saliency than background areas and succeed in localization, with high accuracy 92.00%. The HVM localization method can be used to localize the tumors, combined with this method, CV level set can achieve the fully automatic segmentation of US breast tumors. By combing intensity, blackness ratio and superpixel contrast features, the proposed localization method can successfully avoid the interference caused by background areas with low echo and high intensity. Moreover, multi-object localization of US breast images can be considered in future employment.

Earth observation satellites can capture images of specific areas in Earth's orbit based on user requirements. Despite the high demand for satellite imagery, satellites remain a scarce resource. When there are many observation tasks that are large and dense, they may interfere with each other due to satellite mobility. To address this issue, a multi-satellite scheduling algorithm based on a task merging mechanism has been proposed. This paper proposes a two-stage approach to the problem: task merging phase and merging task scheduling phase. The task merging phase introduces two methods based on Mean Shift and Complete Graph to generate the merging task set. In the merging task scheduling phase, a multi-satellite scheduling algorithm based on merging tasks is employed to solve the problem. Finally, certain measurement experiments suggest the effectiveness of the algorithm.

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.

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) responsibility fulfillment increasingly affects enterprise valuation. Although researchers debate about the precise effects, the prevailing view suggests a linear relationship between ESG performance and enterprise value. This study introduces a novel ESG responsibility performance metric through the Regulated Intermediary Model to delve into this relationship within the Chinese context. Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between ESG performance and enterprise value, with financing constraints having a significant moderating effect. These findings remain robust after employing instrumental variables to mitigate potential endogeneity. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that this inverted U-shaped relationship is particularly pronounced in non-polluting and non-state-owned enterprises. Moreover, a comparison between equity and debt financing mechanisms underscores that improved ESG performance is associated with lower cost of equity financing, thereby enhancing enterprise value. Financial institutions are encouraged to leverage innovative financial instruments to diversify enterprise financing channels and alleviate financing constraints of enterprises that fulfill their ESG responsibilities.

A scientific carbon accounting system can help enterprises reduce carbon emissions. This study took the enterprise in the Yangtze River basin as a case study. The accounting classification of carbon emissions in the life cycle of lime production was assessed, and the composition of the sources of carbon emission was analyzed, covering mining explosives, fuel (diesel, coal), electricity and high temperature limestone decomposition. Using the IPCC emission factor method, a carbon life cycle emission accounting model for lime production was established. We determined that a total of 354,200 tons of carbon emissions were generated from producing 321,000 tons of lime in a year. The decomposition of limestone at a high temperature was the largest carbon emission source, accounting for 62.34% of the total carbon emission. Coal combustion was also an important source of carbon emissions, accounting for 32.66% of total carbon emissions. The carbon emission for one ton of activated lime was 1.46kg, 1.49kg, 1100kg and 1102.95kg respectively for the open-pit, mining stage, crushing stage, and the calcination stage. Based upon the main sources of carbon emission for lime production, carbon emission reduction should focus on CO2 capture technology, fuel optimization and energy control. Using our analysis of carbon emissions, the carbon emission factor of producing unit quicklime of the lime enterprise in the Yangtze River basin was determined. Furthermore, the research into carbon emission reduction for lime production can provide a point of reference for the promotion of carbon neutrality in the same industry.

In this paper, we presented a method of retrieving sea surface wind speed from Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) horizontal-horizontal (HH) polarization data in extra-wide mode, which have been extensively acquired over the Arctic for sea ice monitoring. In contrast to the conventional algorithm, i.e., using a geophysical model function (GMF) to retrieve sea surface wind by spaceborne SAR, we introduced an alternative method based on physical model guided neural network. Parameters of SAR normalized radar cross section, incidence angle, and wind direction are used as the inputs of the backward propagation (BP) neural network, and the output is the sea surface wind speed. The network is developed based on more than 11,000 HH-polarized EW images acquired in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Arctic and their collocations with scatterometer measurements. Verification of the neural network based on the testing dataset yields a bias of 0.23 m/s and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.25 m/s compared to the scatterometer wind speed. Further comparison of the SAR retrieved sea surface wind speed with independent buoy measurements shows a bias and RMSE of 0.12 m/s and 1.42 m/s, respectively. We also analyzed the uncertainty of retrieval when the wind direction data of a reanalysis model are used as inputs to the neural network. By combining the detected sea ice cover information based on the EW data, one can expect to derive simultaneously sea ice and marine-meteorological parameters by spaceborne SAR in a high spatial resolution in the Arctic.

Mint is considered to have a greater number of phenolic acids, flavonoids, antioxidants and other bioactive components, and is widely used as food, medicine, spices, and flavoring agents. Thus, chemical composition is an important parameter for assessing the quality of mint. In this study, two mint cultivars were sampled, purple mint and green mint. The purple mint had much higher anthocyanin and total flavone content compared with green mint. Transcriptome and metabolome technique were employed to elucidate the regulation network of mint pigment and flavone. A total of 167,901 unigenes were obtained by high-throughput RNA-Seq and 34,608 genes were differentially expressed. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly involved in lignin metabolic process and flavonoid biosynthetic process. A total of 143 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were enriched in isoflavonoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways. The co-analysis results of DEGs and DEMs showed that the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathway (ko00944) contained the most DEMs, followed by flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (ko00941) and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway (ko00942). Furthermore, the most important nine genes and metabolites were screened using O2PLS model. The results will provide a theoretical basis for revealing pigment and flavone biosynthesis network of mint.

A novel and highly pathogenic coronavirus (2019-nCoV)-induced pneumonia spread worldwide in a short time. However, studies on the effects of 2019-nCoV on the male reproductive system are limited. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics of the male reproductive system of COVID-19 patients and to explore the presence of 2019-nCoV in semen. Retrospective, single-center case series of 112 male patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2 to March 7, 2020. Demographic data, symptoms and signs related to the male reproductive system, throat swabs and semen samples were collected and analyzed. 2019-nCoV RNA measured in throat swab and semen samples. The organ distribution of ACE2 mRNA and protein in human tissue on The Human Protein Atlas portal and investigated immunohistochemistry (IHC) images of the testis. The HPA dataset revealed relatively high levels of ACE2 protein and RNA expression in the testis. A total of 3 severe COVID-19 patients (2.7%) presented with orchidoptosis, while no patients experienced other symptoms or signs related to the male reproductive system. The analysis of 2019-nCoV RNA in semen included 17 patients with fertility needs. Among these patients, 9 (52.9%) remained positive for 2019-nCoV according to throat swab analysis, and 8 (47.1%) became negative. In the semen 2019-nCoV analysis, all 17 patients were negative for the N gene and ORF1ab gene. In view of the potential impairment, long-term follow-up for male COVID-19 patients with fertility needs is of great significance.

With the development of organizational biology and forced from the EU Cosmetic Regulation (EU/1223/2009) with the complete ban of animal testing for cosmetic purposes, 3D skin models have been widely developed due to their similar physiological structure and metabolic function to native human tissue. 3D skin models for in vitro cosmetic evaluation are still promising alternative methods for evaluating phototoxicity, corrosivity and irritation. These models have been used for early screening and later validation of toxicity and efficacy evaluation by many well-known cosmetic companies. 3D skin models have become an important tool in cosmetic evaluation research. This article reviews the development of 3D skin models and their application in cosmetic evaluation. An outlook on the current application and future technological development directions in the cosmetic field is also presented.

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.

Background: People with Down syndrome (DS) have a trisomy of chromosome 21 and marked deficits in verbal memory but relatively preserved visuospatial perception. Verbal memories are related to semantic knowledge. Little is known about the organization of semantic knowledge in people with DS, which was the aim of this study. Aims: The extent of false memory in people with DS was examined. Possible differences in the number of false memories induced by nominal and verbal themes were examined. Methods and Procedures: In the study phase, ten word lists with semantically related associates were presented. In the recognition phase, participants made judgments on whether each word had been represented previously as semantically related lures, old words, and semantically unrelated new words. Outcomes and Results: Differences in the processing of nominal and verbal theme-related lures were observed among people with DS. When processing nominal theme-related lures, people with DS showed delayed false positives. When processing verbal theme-related lures, people with DS showed no differences compared to controls. Similar patterns have been observed in people with DS when processing nominal theme-related associates and verbal theme-related associates. People with DS have delayed recognition of associates. When processing unrelated words, they showed significantly higher false positives than controls for both nominal and verbal eliciting themes. Further analyses of the themes revealed differences in false positives across syntactic categories among groups. Conclusions and Implications: People with DS showed a delayed recognition of associates and deviance in recognizing unrelated words in the nominal and verbal theme categories. People with DS were delayed in terms of nouns, but deviated with verbs in associated and unrelated words. Additionally, people with DS showed distinct patterns in processing five nominal lures and three verbal lures, suggesting that they formed false memories differently based on distinct syntactic categories. Thus, it was concluded that people with DS develop a deviant semantic structure. Category-based interventions for people with DS should be implemented in order to improve their semantic knowledge through lexical connections.

In patients with heart failure, the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is vital, offering crucial insights into hemodynamic impact and prognostic accuracy. Echocardiography stands as the primary imaging modality for diastolic function assessment, and using it effectively requires a profound understanding of the underlying pathology. This review covers four main topics: first, the fundamental driving forces behind each phase of normal diastolic dynamics, along with the physiological basis of two widely used echocardiographic assessment parameters, E/e' and mitral annulus early diastolic velocity (e'); second, the intricate functional relationship between the left atrium and LV in patients with varying degrees of LV diastolic dysfunction (LVDD); third, the role of stress echocardiography in diagnosing LVDD and the significance of parameter changes in this context; and fourth, the clinical utility of evaluating diastolic function from echocardiography images across diverse cardiovascular care areas.

Zearalenone is one of the most prevalent estrogenic mycotoxins produced mainly by Fusarium family fungi, and harmed the heath of animals. Zearalenone hydrolase is an important enzyme capable of degrading zearalenone into a non-toxic compound. Although previous research has investigated the catalytic mechanism of zearalenone hydrolase, information on its dynamic interaction with zearalenone remains unknown. This study aimed to develop a pipeline for identifying the allosteric pathway of zearalenone hydrolase. Using an identity analysis, we identified hub genes whose sequences can generalize a set of sequences in a protein family. We then utilized a neural relational inference (NRI) model to identify the allosteric pathway of the protein throughout the entire molecular dynamics simulation. The production run lasted 1 microsecond, and we analyzed residues 139-222 for the allosteric pathway using the NRI model. We found that the cap domain of the protein opened up during catalysis, resembling a hemostatic tape. We used umbrella sampling to simulate the dynamic docking phase of the ligand-protein complex and found that the protein took on a square sandwich shape. Our energy analysis using both MMPBSA and PMF analysis showed discrepancies, with scores of -8.45 kcal/mol and -1.95 kcal/mol, respectively. MMPBSA, however, obtained a similar score to that of a previous report.

Due to the special characteristics of the shooting distance and angle of remote sensing satellites, the pixel area ratio of ship targets is small and the feature expression is insufficient, which leads to unsatisfactory ship detection performance and even situations such as missed detection and false detection. In this study, we propose an improved-YOLOv5 algorithm. The improvement strategies mainly include: (1) Add the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) into the Backbone to enhance the extraction of target-adaptive optimal features; (2) Introduce cross-layer connection channel and lightweight GSConv structure into the Neck to achieve higher-level multi-scale feature fusion and reduce the number of model parameters; (3) The Wise-IoU loss function is used to cal-culate the localization loss in the Output, and assign reasonable gradient gains to cope with dif-ferences in image quality. In addition, during the preprocessing stage of experimental data, a me-dian and bilateral filter method is used for noise reduction to reduce interference from ripples and waves and highlight the information of ship features. The experimental results show that Im-proved-YOLOv5 has a significant improvement in recognition accuracy compared to various mainstream target detection algorithms; Compared to the original YOLOv5s, the mean Average Precision (mAP) has improved by 3.2% and the Frames Per Second (FPN) has accelerated by 8.7%.

The greenhouse gases and air pollution generated by extensive energy use have exacerbated climate change. An electric-bus (e-bus) transportation system favors reducing pollution and carbon emissions. This study analyzed the minimization of construction costs for an all battery-swapping public e-bus transportation system. A simulation was conducted according to existing timetables and routes. Daytime charging was incorporated during the hours of operation; the two parameters of the daytime charging scheme were the residual battery capacity and battery-charging energy during various intervals of daytime peak electricity hours. The parameters were optimized using three algorithms: particle swarm optimization (PSO), a genetic algorithm (GA), and a PSO–GA. This study observed the effects of optimization on cost changes (e.g., number of e-buses, on-board battery capacity, number of extra batteries, charging facilities, and energy consumption) and compared the plug-in and battery-swapping e-bus systems. The results revealed that daytime charging can reduce the construction costs of both systems. In contrast to the other two algorithms, the PSO–GA yielded the most favorable optimization results for the charging scheme. Finally, according to the cases investigated and the parameters of this study, the construction cost of the plug-in e-bus system was lower than that of the battery-swapping e-bus system.

Chinese texts often feature a substantial volume of normative content, and their analysis has increasingly become a focal point in recent semantic analysis endeavors. Enhancing the effectiveness of text classification and clustering is pivotal in unveiling the intricate semantics within extensive textual data. Empirical research within the realm of computational social science has underscored the need for improved explanatory power when it comes to general text clustering methods applied to normative texts. This study introduces an innovative hierarchical clustering method that incorporates part-of-speech (POS) features and pioneers a novel semantic network model. It achieves this by amalgamating a POS-based feature weight calculation method with hierarchical clustering techniques. To assess its efficacy, the method is rigorously evaluated across three diverse text datasets, encompassing normative reports, news articles, and social media content. The experimental results unequivocally demonstrate the superior performance of the POS-HC method, surpassing the traditional TF and TF-IDF feature extraction methods in terms of clustering accuracy, and surpassing some existing clustering methods. Furthermore, its classification effectiveness exhibits notable advantages, particularly in the semantic classification of normative texts.

This paper proposes a crack recognition method based on high-resolution line array cameras and adaptive lifting algorithm. By defining the crack rate, this algorithm calculates the ratio of the crack area to the area of the entire collected image to characterize the damage extent of the current section. The algorithm first uses image preprocessing to reduce the image noise, then uses histogram equalization to enhance the feature of the crack region, divides the whole image into multiple sub-blocks, and extracts region features in the sub-block. At the same time, this algorithm defines related feature descriptors, and constructs weak classifiers according to each feature descriptor, and converts the weak classifiers into strong classifiers by using an adaptive lifting algorithm. Finally, this algorithm realizes the division of the crack regions. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can meet the actual needs and is better than other classical algorithms.

Global warming may increase the potential evapotranspiration (Etp), thereby affecting the amount of clean water resources available in a region. In this study, the systematic biases in temperature outputs of 24 global climate models (GCMs) under 3 emission scenarios are corrected by using 8 bias correction methods. The trend of Etp in Yangzi River Delta in the 21st century is projected by using 4 Etp calculation formulas. The uncertainty of the projections is estimated and decomposed by using multi-way analysis of variance. The influence of uncertainty on the projected change signal is quantified by using the signal-to-noise ratio. The results show that, relative to the reference period (1971~2000), the annual mean daily Etp in Yangzi River Delta will increase by 0.14~0.17mm/d during the period 2021~2050 and by 0.21~0.41mm/d during the period 2061~2090, respectively. During 2021~2050, the uncertainty of Etp increase projections is dominantly contributed by the main effects of GCM (63%) and Etp calculation formula (24%). During 2061~2090, it is mainly contributed by the main effect of GCM (36%), followed by the main effects of emission scenario (34%) and Etp calculation formula (18%). The increase projections of Etp are generally reliable and robust during the two projection periods.

It is a challenging and meaningful task to carry out drone-based livestock monitoring in high-altitude and cold regions. The purpose of AI is to execute automated tasks and to solve practical problems in actual applications by combining the software technology with the hardware carrier to create integrated advanced devices. Only in this way, the maximum value of AI could be realized. In this paper, a real-time tracking system with dynamic target tracking ability is proposed. It is developed based on the tracking-by-detection architecture using YOLOv7 and DeepSORT algorithms for target detection and tracking, respectively. To address the existing problems of the DeepSORT algorithm, the following two optimizations are made: (1) Optical flow is used to compensate the Kalman filter for improvement of the prediction accuracy; (2) A low-confidence trajectory filtering method is adopted to reduce the influence of unreliable detection on target tracking. In addition, an visual servo controller for the UAV is designed to enable the automated tracking task. Finally, the system is tested using the Tibetan yaks living in the Tibetan Plateau as the tracking targets, and the results reveal the real-time multiple tracking ability and the ideal visual servo effect of the proposed system.

Process safety plays a vital role in the modern process industry. To prevent undesired accidents caused by malfunctions or other disturbances in complex industrial processes, considerable attention has been paid to data-driven fault detection techniques. To explore the underlying manifold structure, manifold learning methods including Laplacian eigenmaps, locally linear embedding, and Hessian eigenmaps have been utilized in data-driven fault detection. However, only the partial local structure information is extracted from the aforementioned methods. In this paper, these typical manifold learning methods are synthesized to find the underlying manifold structure from different angles. A more comprehensive local structure is discovered under a unified framework by constructing an objection optimization function for dimension reduction of the process data. The proposed method takes advantage of different manifold learning methods. Based on the proposed dimension reduction method, a new data-driven fault detection method is developed. Hotelling’s T2 and Q statistics are established for the purpose of fault detection. Experiments on an industrial benchmark Tennessee Eastman process and a real blast furnace ironmaking process are carried out to demonstrate the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs) as the third most widely used pesticides, following organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides, which are of significant importance in the analysis and detection of vegetables. However, the current pretreatment technology for PYRs confronts challenges of difficult separation and low enrichment efficiency, resulting in a cumbersome and time-consuming pretreatment process with poor selectivity. Here, a simple and efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) strategy was developed to simultaneously purify and enrich five PYRs in vegetables, with the magnetic covalent organic framework nanomaterial COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 as an adsorbent. The COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was prepared by a simple solvothermal conditions method, using Fe3O4 as magnetic core, benzidine and 3,3,5,5-tetraaldehyde biphenyl as two building units. COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 could effectively capture the targeted PYRs by virtue of its abundant π-electron system and hydroxyl groups. The impact of various experimental parameters on extraction efficiency was investigated to optimize the MSPE conditions, including adsorbent amount, extraction time, elution solvent type and elution time. Subsequently, method validation was conducted under the optimal conditions in conjunction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Within the range of 5.00–100 μg·kg-1 (1.00–100 μg·kg-1 for bifenthrin and 2.5–100 μg·kg-1 for fenpropathrin), the five PYRs exhibited a strong linear relationship, with determination coefficients ranging from 0.9990 to 0.9997. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.3–1.5 μg·kg-1, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.9–4.5 μg·kg-1. The recoveries were 80.2–116.7% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 7.0%. Finally, COF-SiO2@Fe3O4, NH2-SiO2@Fe3O4 and Fe3O4 were compared as MSPE adsorbents for PYRs. The results indicated that COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was an efficient and rapid selective adsorbent for PYRs. This method holds promising prospects for the determination of PYRs in real samples.

Slow and controlled release systems for drugs, have attracted increasing interest recently. A highly efficient metal-organic gels (MOGs) drug delivery carrier, i.e., MIL-100(Al) gels, has been fabricated by a facile, low cost and environment friendly one-pot process. The unique structure of MIL-100(Al) gels leads to a high loading efficiency (620 mg/g) towards doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as a kind of anticancer drugs. DOX-loaded MOGs exhibited high stability under physiological conditions and sustained release capacity of DOX for up to 3 days (under acidic environments). They further showed sustained drug release behavior and excellent antitumor effects in in vitro experiments on HeLa cells, in contrast with the extremely low biotoxicity of MOGs. Our work provides a promising way for the anticancer therapy, by utilizing this MOGs-based drug delivery system, as an efficient and safe vehicle.

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

In order to solve the problem of feature extraction of underwater acoustic signals in complex ocean environment, a new method for feature extraction from ship radiated noise is presented based on empirical mode decomposition theory and permutation entropy. It analyzes the separability for permutation entropies of the intrinsic mode functions of three types of ship radiated noise signals, and discusses the permutation entropy of the intrinsic mode function with the highest energy. In this study, ship radiated noise signals measured from three types of ships are decomposed into a set of intrinsic mode functions with empirical mode decomposition method. Then, the permutation entropies of all intrinsic mode functions are calculated with appropriate parameters. The permutation entropies are obviously different in the intrinsic mode functions with the highest energy, thus, the permutation entropy of the intrinsic mode function with the highest energy is regarded as a new characteristic parameter to extract the feature of ship radiated noise. After that, the characteristic parameters, namely, the energy difference between high and low frequency, permutation entropy, and multi-scale permutation entropy, are compared with the permutation entropy of the intrinsic mode function with the highest energy. It is discovered that the four characteristic parameters are at the same level for similar ships, however, there are differences in the parameters for different types of ships. The results demonstrate that the permutation entropy of the intrinsic mode function with the highest energy is better in separability as the characteristic parameter than the other three parameters by comparing their fluctuation ranges and the average values of the four characteristic parameters. Hence, the feature of ship radiated noise can be extracted efficiently with the method.

As development progresses, when the bottom hole flowing pressure or formation pressure is less than the saturation pressure of crude oil in the reservoir, oil and gas two-phase seepage occurs in the reservoir. Due to the characteristics of oil and gas two-phase seepage, after the oil and gas two-phase seepage occurs in the reservoir, the well production will be reduced, or even greatly reduced. Therefore, how to predict the horizontal well capacity better in this case is an important problem that needs to be solved urgently. In this paper, the method and process of establishing the transient calculation model of two-phase flow in horizontal wells are introduced in detail from three aspects: fluid physical properties, reservoir oil-gas two-phase seepage, and the coupling model of Inflow Performance and Flow in Wellbore. The model is more reliable through the verification of production data from five wells in two oilfields.

The spatiotemporal variations of rainfall erosivity in the Hengduan Mountains, charac-terized by rugged terrain and high potential soil erosion risks, over the past 30 years was exam-ined. The changing trends of rainfall erosivity for 2025-2040 was also be investigated under the comprehensive scenario of moderate socio-economic development (SSP2-4.5) combined with me-dium-low radiative forcing, using four global climate models (GCMs) based on CMIP6. The results indicated that: (1) The annual distribution of rainfall erosivity in the Hengduan Mountains exhib-ited significant seasonal variations, with the order of erosivity being summer > autumn > spring > winter on a seasonal scale. (2) Over the past 30 years, there has been a slight decrease in annual precipitation and a slight increase in rainfall erosivity, with periodic extreme values occurring every 6-8 years. (3) Rainfall erosivity showed a decreasing gradient from southeast to northwest in terms of spatial distribution. There was a significant positive correlation between rainfall ero-sivity and precipitation, while a significant negative correlation existed with elevation in the ver-tical direction. Moreover, there was an increasing trend of rainfall erosivity in the northeastern part of the Hengduan Mountains and a decreasing trend in the southern region. (4) Under the joint driving forces of increased precipitation and erosive rainfall events, rainfall erosivity in the future is expected to significantly increase, posing a more severe risk of soil erosion in the Heng-duan Mountains.

As the most commonly used hydrogel material in contact lenses, the amount of water in a lens affects its optical properties and comfort for the wearer. Therefore, an important challenge is to determine the safety and efficacy of contact lenses by accurately and non-destructively measuring the water content in real time. In this study, we demonstrate the accurate detection of water content in hydrogel contact lenses using a high-precision ATR format in a portable terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system. The technique can resolve small variations in the dielectric constant in solution, which is difficult to achieve with traditional transmission and reflection measurement modes. Information is obtained from the interaction between the sample and the swift waves propagating along the prism surface. The swift waves can excite longitudinal modes that are not directly accessible by conventional techniques. It is worth noting that the reference wave can be measured by removing the sample without disturbing the optical path. We also enhance the plasma effect at the interface with the hydrogel by using PVDF dielectric films of different polarities. We observed that the water content and refractive index changes in the ATR mode show different response patterns for nonpoled PVDF and poled PVDF membranes. This suggests that reflection and relative phase can be accurately evaluated in the THz-ATR technique, resulting in an accurate method for determining complex dielectric constants in the reflection geometry. This will allow accurate measurement of both surface and in vivo water content in hydrogels in the future and is a potential technical route for application in bioaqueous tissue measurements.

Background: This study aimed to identify the association between occupational stress and depression-well-being by proposing a comprehensive and flexible job burden-capital model with its corresponding hypotheses. Methods: For this research, 1618 valid samples were gathered from the electronic manufacturing service industry in Hunan Province, China; self-rated questionnaires were administered to participants for data collection after obtaining their written consent. The proposed model was fitted and tested through structural equation model analysis. Results: Single-factor correlation analysis results indicated that coefficients between all items and dimensions had statistical significance. The final model demonstrated satisfactory global goodness of fit (CMIN/DF=5.37, AGFI=0.915, NNFI=0.945, IFI=0.952, RMSEA=0.052). Both the measurement and structural models showed acceptable path loadings. Job burden and capital were directly associated with depression and well-being or indirectly related to them through personality. Multi-group structural equation model analyses indicated general applicability of the proposed model to basic features of such a population. Gender, marriage and education led to differences in the relation between occupational stress and health outcomes. Conclusions: The job burden-capital model of occupational stress-depression and well-being was found to be more systematic and comprehensive than previous models.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for approximately 85%-90% of all thyroid cancers. BRAFV600E mutation is a highly specific target for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and may have a reciprocal causative relationship with iodide-metabolizing genes. Here, we performed a review of studies published in the past 10 years to determine the relationship between iodine intake and BRAFV600E mutation in patients with PTC. We searched the MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE databases for studies published from 2009 to 2019; seven partially matched the selection criteria and were suitable for review, and five passed all selection criteria. We divided the patients into three groups by iodine intake: low (urinary iodine concentration [UIC] &lt;100 μg/L), adequate (UIC 100–200 μg/L), and high iodine intake groups (UIC ≥200 μg/L). Between-group analysis revealed no significant differences in the odds ratio of the prevalence of BRAFV600E mutation between the high and adequate/low iodine intake groups and between the adequate and low iodine intake groups. To further analyzed the results of studies, they exhibited U-shaped curves in the relation of deficient and excessive dietary iodine intake in BRAFV600E mutation. The results might suggest that iodine intake slightly influences the prevalence of BRAFV600E mutation in patients with PTC despite the heterogeneity of studies. Further research should explore potential mechanisms underlying the associations between iodine intake and BRAF mutation in PTC. The systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021279462).

The heavy metal lead (Pb) can irreversibly damage the human nervous system. To help understand Pb-induced damage, we applied a genetically encoded Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based Pb biosensor Met-lead 1.44 M1 to two living systems to monitor the concentration of Pb: induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes as a semi-tissue platform, and Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies as an in vivo animal model. Different FRET imaging modalities were used to obtain FRET signals, which represented the presence of Pb in the tested samples in different spatial dimensions. Using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, the relationship between beating activity (20–24 beats per minute, bpm) determined from the fluctuation of fluorescent signals and the concentrations of Pb represented by the FRET emission ratio values of Met-lead 1.44 M1 was revealed from simultaneous measurements. Pb (50 μM) affected the beating activity of cardiomyocytes, whereas two drugs that stop the entry of Pb differentially affected this beating activity: verapamil (2 μM) did not reverse the cessation of beating, whereas 2-APB (50 μM) partially restored this activity (16 bpm). The results clearly demonstrate a potential of this biosensor system as an anti-Pb drug screening application. In the Drosophila model, Pb was detected within the adult brain or larval central nervous system (Cha-gal4>UAS-Met-lead 1.44 M1) using fast epifluorescence and high-resolution two-photon 3D FRET ratio image systems. The tissue-specific expression of Pb biosensors provides an excellent opportunity to explore the possible Pb-specific populations within living organisms. We believe that this integrated Pb biosensor system can be applied to the prevention of Pb poisoning and advanced research on Pb neurotoxicology.

Due to the influence of background conditions, lighting conditions, occlusion issues and the image resolution, how to extract robust person features is one of the difficulties in ReID research. Vision in Transformers (ViT) has achieved significant results in the field of computer vision. However, the existing problems still limit its application in ReID due to slow extraction of person features and difficulty in utilizing local features of people. To solve the mentioned problems, we utilize Pyramid Vision Transformer (PVT) as the backbone of feature extraction and propose a PVT-based ReID method in conjunction with other studies. Firstly, some improvements suitable for ReID are used on the PVT backbone, and we establish a basic model by using powerful methods verified on CNN-based ReID. Secondly, in an effort to further promote the robustness of the person features extracted by the PVT backbone, two new modules are designed. (1) The local feature clustering (LFC) is recommend to enhance the robustness of person features by calculating the distance between local features and global feature to select the most discrete local features and clustering them. (2) The side information embeddings (SIE) are used to encode non-visual information and send it into the network for training to reduce its impact on person features. Finally, the experiments show that PVTReID has achieved excellent results in ReID datasets and are 20% faster on average than CNN-based ReID methods.

In recent years, the consumption of over-the-counter probiotics used to promote health has grown rapidly worldwide and become an industry. In medicine, various studies have proven that probiotics can help improve the immune system and intestinal health. They are usually safe, but in some rare cases, they may cause concerning adverse reactions. Although the use of probiotics has been widely popularized in the public, the results of many probiotics clinical trials are contradictory. Especially for the cancer patients, the feasibility of probiotics management to provide benefits by targeting cancer and lessening anti-cancer side effects requires further investigations. And this review summarizes the interactions between probiotics and the host and current pros and cons of applying probiotics in the cancer patients.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is important for the global carbon cycle, and hyperspectral remote sensing has proven a promising method for fast SOM content estimation. However, soil physical properties significantly affect the sensitivity of satellite hyperspectral imaging to SOM, leading to poor generalization ability of the estimation model. This study aims to improve the spatiotemporal transferability of the SOM prediction model by alleviating the coupling effect of soil physical properties on the spectra. Based on satellite hyperspectral images and soil physical variables, including soil moisture (SM), soil surface roughness (root mean squared height, RMSH), and soil bulk weight (SBW), a soil spectral correction strategy was established based on the information unmixing method. Two important grain-producing areas in Northeast China were selected as study areas to verify the performance and transferability of the spectral correction model and SOM content prediction model. The results showed that soil spectral corrections based on fourth-order polynomials and the XG-Boost algorithm had excellent accuracy and generalization ability, with residual predictive deviations (RPD) exceeding 1.4 in almost all bands. In addition, when the soil spectral correction strategy was adopted, the accuracy of the SOM prediction model and the generalization ability after model migration were significantly improved. The SOM prediction accuracy based on the XG-Boost corrected spectrum was the highest, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.76, root mean square error (RMSE) of 5.74 g/kg, and RPD of 1.68. The prediction accuracy, R2, RMSE, and RPD of the model after migration were 0.72, 6.71 g/kg, and 1.53, respectively. Compared with the direct migration prediction of the model, adopting the soil spectral correction strategy based on fourth-order polynomials and XG-Boost reduced the RMSE of the SOM prediction results by 57.90% and 60.27%, respectively. The performance comparison highlighted the advantages of considering soil physical properties in regional-scale SOM prediction.

In recent decades, as eutrophication in inland and coastal waters (ICWs) has increased due to anthropogenic activities and global warming, so has the need for timely monitoring. Compared with traditional sampling and laboratory analysis methods, satellite remote sensing technology can provide macro-scale, low-cost, and near real-time water quality monitoring services. The Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), integrated onboard the Communication Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) from the Republic of Korea, was the first geostationary ocean color observation satellite and was operational from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2021. Over ten years, GOCI has observed oceans, coastal waters, and inland waters within its 2,500 km×2,500 km target area centered on the Korean Peninsula. The most attractive feature of GOCI, compared with other commonly used watercolor sensors, was its high temporal resolution (1h, eight times daily from 0 UTC to 7 UTC), providing the opportunity to monitor the quality of ICWs, where optical properties can change rapidly throughout the day. This systematic review aims to comprehensively review GOCI features and applications in ICWs, analyzing progress in atmospheric correction algorithms and water quality monitoring. Analyzing 123 articles from the Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) through a bibliometric quantitative approach, we examined GOCI’s strength and performance with different processing methods. These articles reveal that GOCI played an essential role in monitoring the ecological health of ICWs in its observation area in East Asia. GOCI has led the way to a new era of geostationary ocean satellites, providing new technical means for monitoring water quality in oceans, coastal zones, and inland lakes. We also discuss the challenges encountered by geostationary satellites in monitoring water quality and provide suggestions for improvements.

Multi-rotor drones, a kind of unmanned equipment which is widely used in military, commercial consumption and other fields, has been developed very rapidly in recent years. However, their short flight time has hindered the expansion of their application range. This can be addressed by utilizing hydrogen fuel cells, which exhibit high energy density, strong adaptability to ambient temperature, and no pollution emissions, as the power source. Accordingly, the application of hydrogen fuel cells as the power source in multi-rotor drones is a promising technology that has attracted significant research attention. This paper summarizes the development process of hydrogen fuel cell mul-ti-rotor drones and analyzes the key obstacles that need to be addressed for the further development of hydrogen fuel cell multi-rotor drones, including structural lightweight, hydrogen storage methods, energy management strategies. Additionally, prospects for the future development of hydrogen fuel cell multi-rotor drones are presented.

Achieving the dual development of rural revitalization and urbanization is an important strategic goal of China’s current modernization. Rural population and settlements are the main components of the countryside in traditional agricultural areas, and play an important role in the development of the countryside itself in terms of urban and rural land use and in the formation of urban and rural development patterns. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal changes in rural populations and settlements at the township level, as well as the degree and type of coupled development. A framework for urban–rural development relationships based on different types of coupled development is proposed, and a model of urban–rural forces is constructed to derive the spatial pattern of urban–rural development at the township level that may be formed in the future. Our study shows that the rural population and settlements in the study area are characterized by significant spatial and temporal dynamics, indicating that traditional rural areas are in a process of rapid development and change. The results of the township-level coupling measurements present four types of development in terms of the spatial pattern of urban–rural development: A-type is most likely to produce new cities or satellite towns in the Jixi–Harbin–Qiqihar area in the future; B-type is the fastest dying area in the future, located in the Harbin and Qitaihe clusters, with a tendency to merge into Harbin; C-type is the area to be focused on in the future to attract population and strictly control the growth of the rural settlement area to avoid it turning into B-type; D-type may develop regional township centers in the future in the combined area of Jiamusi City, Suihua City and Mudanjiang City. The results of the study provide experience in realizing rural revitalization according to local conditions. The new spatial pattern of urban–rural development provides an important reference for formulating land use policies, optimizing urban–rural land allocation and realizing integrated urban–rural development strategies.

We used the Bootstrap ARDL method to test the relationship between the export trades, FDI and CO₂ emissions of the BRICS countries. We found that China's foreign direct investment and the lag one period of CO₂ emissions have a cointegration on exports. South Africa's foreign direct investment and CO₂ emissions have a cointegration relationship with the lag one period of exports, and South Africa's the lag one period of exports and foreign direct investment have a cointegration relationship with the lag one period of CO₂ emissions. But whether it is China or South Africa, these three variables have no causal relationship in the long-term. Among the variables of other BRICS countries, Russia is the only country showed degenerate case #1 in McNown et al. mentioned in their paper. When we examined short-term causality, we found that CO₂ emissions and export trade showed a reverse causal relationship, while FDI and carbon emissions were not so obvious. Export trade has a positive causal relationship with FDI. Those variables are different from different situations and different countries.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which results in the destruction of the tooth’ s supporting tissues and the alveolar bone resorption. The complement becomes a major link between infection and inflammatory pathology including periodontitis. Gingipians as important virulence factors of P. gingivalis have the activity of C5 convertase, could cleave C5 into fully functional C5a to activate C5aR. The above process could be blocked by the C5aR antagonist (PMX-53) to suppress local periodontal inflammation, and then achieves the purpose of treatment of periodontitis. Nanoparticles incorporated within gelatin are promising carrier system for drug delivery in recent years. This study aimed to investigate whether gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 prevents alveolar bone resorption in miniature swines model of periodontitis. Four miniature swines were placed ligatures around the maxillary and mandibular fourth premolar and first molar on both sides for seven weeks to induce periodontitis. Then, animals were assigned randomly to four groups: minocycline-treated group, gelatin with PMX53-treated group, gelatin-treated group and a sham control group. They were treated with 1ml related drugs respectively, into gingival sulcusl for 4 times at one-week intervals. We showed that local treatments with gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 could inhibit alveolar bone loss of periodontitis. Our study revealed that gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 prevented alveolar bone resorption miniature swines model of periodontitis. In addition, provided proof-of-concept for local targeting of gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 as a powerful candidate for the treatment of periodontitis.

To further explore the bearing capacity and sustainable construction of vacuum drainage pipe (VDP) piles, field tests were carried out to compare and analyze the ultimate single pile bearing capacity, pile side friction and pile end resistance of ordinary piles and vacuum drainage pipe piles. The effect of the VDP pile on energy conservation and emission reduction in practical projects is discussed. The results shows that the VDP pile basically eliminated the soil squeeze and did not cause excessive relative displacement of pile and soil after vacuum consolidation. The VDP pile enhances pile side friction resistance, resulting in a 17.6% increase in ultimate bearing capacity compared to traditional piles. The VDP pile method can reduce carbon emissions by 31.4% compared to traditional methods. This study provides guidance for the production and design of VDP piles in the future and demonstrates their potential for energy conservation and emission reduction benefits compared to traditional methods.

In order to apply visible light communication systems in different scenarios, this article utilizes an excellent temperature adjustable light source mixed with RGB LEDs, and applies it in a visible light communication system. It utilizes color division multiplexing technology to achieve three-channel communication, thereby improving the communication bandwidth of the system. The communication system adopts three constant current driving circuits to control the duty cycle of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) of each channel, thereby changing the proportion of RGB LEDs, and obtaining different color temperatures to achieve the purpose of color control for mixed color LEDs. The experimental results show that when adjusting the color temperature, the change in luminous flux is very small, with fluctuations of less than 2.24%; When adjusting the brightness, the color temperature fluctuation is within 40K, which is less than the 50K color temperature limit that the human eye can distinguish, and the average color temperature error is 0.609%; Color tolerance less than 5.5×10-3 indicates good dimming effect, and the communication performance of the system is better in the high color temperature range, which is significantly superior to the low color temperature range. When the error rate is below 3.8×10-3, the total modulation bandwidth of the three channels reaches 11.7 MHz.

Based on the Graph Model of Conflict Resolution (GMCR), a two-stage decision framework is developed to reveal the essence of brownfield incidents and facilitate the resolution of brownfield conflicts caused by the incidents. More particularly, the forward GMCR is utilized in Stage I, the negotiation stage, to simulate the evolution of a brownfield conflict (BC) and predict its potential resolution via stability analysis. If no acceptable equilibrium can be obtained, the BC progresses into Stage II, the third-party-intervention stage, where the inverse GMCR is used to assist a third party in intervening the conflict to achieve a desirable outcome. To illustrate the practicality of this framework, a recent BC occurred in Changzhou, China, is taken as a case study. Invaluable insights are provided through the computation and investigation of the corresponding preference relationships.

The hospital indoor environment plays a significant role in shaping the microbial exposures that humans encounter. Resistance to antibiotics is one of the mechanisms employed by bacteria to develop resilience against stress in indoor environments. The extensive usage of antibiotics has been a key factor in driving changes in the ecological function of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their acquisition by pathogenic bacteria. By integrating the 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing and high throughput-qPCR approaches with water and air dust samples across seven departments at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, China, this study yielded intriguing findings regarding the department-specific variation, transmission, and correlation of bacteria, ARGs and MGEs within the hospital indoor environment. One notable observation was that the seasonal variation played a vital role in shaping the bacterial composition in the overall hospital indoor environment across seven studied departments. Nevertheless, a similar significant seasonal impact was only observed in the blood test room and emergency departments, rather than in the other five departments. Another intriguing finding was the correlation between ARGs and MGEs abundance. This correlation was evident in the overall hospital indoor environment, which was conversely not found in the emergency, pneumology and gynecology departments. Additionally, while there was no significant relationship that occurred between bacterial communities and ARGs/MGEs within the hospital, the gynecology department demonstrated a close link between bacterial communities and the presence of ARGs/MGEs. Notably, the gynecology department also stood out as an important source of bacteria and ARGs/MGEs for other departments. This study underscores the need for careful surveillance and monitoring of antibiotic resistance, particularly in Legionella spp. in man-made water systems. The findings also show the importance of monitoring and understanding the genetic elements such as Tp614 involved in gene transfer and recombination, as well as their impact on antimicrobial treatment efficacy.

As the most serious of the many worse new pathological changes caused by diabetes, there are many risk factors for the occurrence and development of DR. It mainly includes hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and so on. Among them, hyperglycemia is the most critical cause, which plays a key role in the pathological changes of DR.High-sucrose diets(HSDs) lead to elevated blood glucose levels in vivo, which, through oxidative stress, inflammation, the production of AGEs and VEGF, causes plenty of pathological damages to the retina and ultimately bring about loss of vision. The existing therapies for DR primarily target the terminal stage of the disease, when irreversible visual impairment has appeared. Therefore, early prevention is particularly critical. Early prevention of DR-related vision loss requires adjustments to dietary habits, mainly by reducing sugar intake. This article primarily discusses the risk factors, pathophysiological processes, and molecular mechanisms associated with the development of DR caused by HSDs. It aims to raise awareness of the crucial role of diet in the occurrence and progression of DR, promote timely changes in dietary habits, prevent vision loss, and improve the quality of life. The aim is to make people aware of the importance of diet in the occurrence and progression of DR. According to the dietary modification strategies we give, patients can change their poor eating habits timely, avoid the retinopathy that can be avoided theoretically, and obtain a excellent outcome.

Wearable technology has been proposed as a potential tool to change the way of human life, such as the smart bracelet and the Google Glass. In the wearable technology, the inertial sensor has great significance in tracking the object movements. The paper focused on detecting the movements of user’s finger based on the inertial sensor to give the control signals. Firstly, the attitude matrix, which represented the transformation relation of carrier coordinate system and the navigation coordinate system, was obtained. Secondly, the attitude matrix was expressed based on the quaternions. Thirdly, the finger gesture was processed by the attitude matrix to get the attitude angle. Finally, the robot was controlled by attitude angle to make the moving action. The experimental results showed the detection of the finger movement is effective.

Calcineurin plays a key role in cardiovascular pathogenesis by exerting pro-apoptotic effects in cardiomyocytes; however, its involvement in the regulation of cardiomyocyte autophagy under chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) remains largely unknown. Here we showed that CIH induced calcineurin activity in H9C2 cells, resulting in the attenuation of adenosine monophos-phate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling and inhibition of H9C2 cell autophagy. Au-tophagy, LC3-II levels, and AMPK phosphorylation were significantly elevated in response to CIH in H9C2 cells by day 3; however, these effects were reversed, and calcineurin activity and apoptosis were significantly increased by day 5. The calcineurin inhibitor, FK506, restored AMPK activation and LC3 protein levels, and reduced CIH-induced H9C2 cell apoptosis, while calcineurin overexpression significantly attenuated the increase in LC3 levels and enhanced H9C2 cell apop-tosis. Calcineurin inhibition failed to induce autophagy or alleviate apoptosis in H9C2 cells ex-pressing a dominant negative K45R AMPK mutant. Autophagy downregulation abrogated the protective effects of FK506-mediated calcineurin inhibition. These results indicated that calcineurin suppressed adaptive autophagy during CIH by downregulating AMPK activation. Our findings showed the underlying mechanisms of calcineurin and autophagy regulation during H9C2 cell survival in response to CIH, and suggested a new strategy for preventing CIH-induced cardiomyocyte damage.

Post-harvest handling and ripening techniques have an impact on peach quality and shelf life, which has a big impact on consumer satisfaction and market competitiveness. This review paper examines recent advancements in ripening techniques and post-harvest technologies with the goal of improving peach fruit quality and sustainability. The factors impacting fruit quality after harvest and the physiological changes that occur throughout peach ripening are fully explained. For maintaining peach freshness and reducing losses, novel handling methods like modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and controlled atmosphere storage (CAS) have been investigated. The study explores the possibilities of nanotechnology applications and low-temperature storage for prolonging shelf life while maintaining texture, flavor, and aroma. Examining the effectiveness and waste reduction potential of automation and mechanization in post-harvest activities. The paper also discusses ethylene-based and non-ethylene-based ripening agents, as well as innovative techniques including gene editing and RNAi technology for controlled and delayed ripening. Analyses are done on how these technologies affect the sensory qualities and nutrient profiles of peaches. The study emphasizes the significance of sustainable practices in the peach industry by focusing on waste reduction, resource efficiency, and circular economy integration. Post-harvest technologies' potential environmental consequences have been taken into consideration and the paper encourages more study and cooperation to increase sustainability.

This paper considers a two-way relay network, where two source nodes exchange messages through several relays in the presence of an eavesdropper, and the channel state information (CSI) of the eavesdropper is imperfectly known. The amplify-and-forward relay protocol is used and the relay beamforming weights are designed. The model is built up to minimize the total relay transmit power while guaranteeing the quality of service at users and preventing the eavesdropper from decoding the signals. Due to the imperfect CSI, a semi-infinite programming problem is obtained. An algorithm is proposed to solve the problem, and the iterative points are updated through the linesearch technique, where the feasibility are preserved during iterations. The optimality property is analyzed. The obtained subproblems are quadratic constrained quadratic programming problems, either with less than $4$ constraints or with only one variable, which are solved optimally. Simulation results demonstrate the importance of the proposed model, and imply that the proposed algorithm is efficient and converges very fast, where more than 85% of the problems are solved optimally.

This paper systematically examines Chinese academic discourse that concurrently addresses Indonesia and Timor-Leste, analysing 137 articles from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and indexed by the Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI). The analysis reveals significant publication trends, particularly during periods of heightened geopolitical and economic engagement, such as the global expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It identifies predominant themes such as economic cooperation, security concerns, and historical-cultural dynamics. The findings highlight China’s strategic interests and leadership aspirations in Southeast Asia， providing insights into how Chinese scholars perceive and articulate China’s strategic interests and diplomatic efforts in the region involving Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

The frequency synthesizer is a critical component in Cs beam clock technology. In this paper, we present a demonstration of a direct microwave frequency-synthesis chain for a cesium-beam atomic clock, which utilizes frequency multiplication and a dual-phase-locked loop mode. A detailed analysis of the frequency-synthesis chain is conducted, and a mathematical model is established. The phase settling time and system stability are simulated, measured, and verified. The experimental results for the phase settling time align with the simulation outcomes. The phase settling time can be adjusted within the range of 644.5 µs to 1.5 ms, and the absolute phase noise values are -63.7 dBc/Hz, -75.7 dBc/Hz, -107.1 dBc/Hz, and -122.5 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz, 10 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz offset frequencies, respectively. Additionally, the Ramsey fringes are detected, and the Allan deviations of the 10 MHz output from the cesium-beam atomic clock are measured to be 2.99×10−12 at 1s and 8.02×10−14 at 10,000 s.

Mechanical ventilation (MV), used in patients with acute lung injury (ALI), induces diaphragmatic myofiber atrophy and contractile inactivity, termed ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase- (PI3K-) is crucial in modulating fibrogenesis during the reparative phase of ALI; however, the mechanisms regulating the interactions among MV, myofiber fibrosis, and PI3K- remain unclear. We hypothesized MV with or without bleomycin treatment would increase diaphragm muscle fibrosis through the PI3K- pathway. Five days after receiving a single bolus of 0.075 units bleomycin intratracheally, C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 6 or 10 mL/kg MV for 8 h after receiving 5 mg/kg of AS605240 intraperitoneally. In wild-type mice, bleomycin exposure followed by MV 10 mL/kg prompted significant increases in disruptions of diaphragmatic myofibrillar organization, transforming growth factor-1, oxidative loads, Masson’s trichrome staining, extracellular collagen levels, positive staining of -smooth muscle actin, PI3K- expression, and myonuclear apoptosis (P &lt; 0.05). Decreased diaphragm contractility and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor- coactivator-1 levels were also observed (P &lt; 0.05). MV-augmented bleomycin-induced diaphragm fibrosis and myonuclear apoptosis were attenuated in PI3K-γ-deficient mice and through AS605240-induced inhibition of PI3K- activity (P &lt; 0.05). MV-augmented diaphragm fibrosis after bleomycin-induced ALI is partially mediated through PI3K-γ. Therapy targeting PI3K-γ may ameliorate MV-associated diaphragm fibrosis.

Wild Chinese prickly ash with elevated antioxidants is a valuable genetic resource for Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim improvement. There are rich wild germplasm resources in the Qinling Mountains. In a study with wild germplasm resources from different altitudes and six cultivated varieties, the phenolic and flavonoid compounds were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The chromatograms of them were basically the same, although their chemical composition content was greatly different. The thirty samples were divided into three categories through the hierarchical clustering analysis. And catechin, hyperoside and quercitrin were considered to be key compound for the quality evaluation, by contrast, the wild samples with an altitude of 2300±50 m (Ⅳ group) had the highest content of key compounds, and showed stronger antioxidant activity and antibacterial ability, indicating that these wild samples could be used as an excellent breeding resource. This is the first time to evaluate the quality of wild Chinese prickly ash in different altitude areas of Qinling Mountains. These excellent wild germplasm resources provided substantial potential accessions for use directly in Chinese prickly ash breeding programs.

As the leader of the largest economy, President of the United States has substantive influence on addressing the global climate change problem. However, presidential election is often dominated by issues other than energy problems. This paper focuses on the on-going 2016 presidential election, examining the energy plans proposed by the leading Democrat and Republican candidates. Our data from the Iowa caucus survey in January 2016 suggests that voters are more concerned about terrorism and economic issues than environmental relative issues. We then compare the Democratic and Republican candidate’s view of American’s energy future, and evaluate their proposed renewable energy targets. We find that the view on renewable energy is polarized between Democratic and Republican candidates, while candidates from both parties agree on the need for energy efficiency. Results from our ordinal least squares regression models suggest that Democratic candidates have moderate to ambitious goals for developing solar and other renewable energy. The Republican candidates favor fossil fuel and they neglect to provide any plan for renewable energy. In addition, this trend of polarization has grown more significant when compared with the past three presidential elections. Our observation suggests that energy issues need to be discussed more to draw broader attention to salient issues of diversifying and decarbonizing the nation’s energy system.

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

This study extends the CGAN-based MODIS cloud vertical-profile (64×64-scene, about 70km width×15km height) retrieval technique developed by Leinonen et al. (2019) [1] to construct seamless 3D cloud fields for the MODIS granules [2]. Firstly, the accuracy and spatial continuity of the Leinonen et al. [1] retrievals are statistically evaluated. Then, according to the characteristics of the retrieval error, a spatially overlapping-scene ensemble generation method and a bi-directional Ensemble Binning Probability Fusion (CGAN-BEBPF) technique are developed, which improves the CGAN retrieval accuracy and support to construct seamless 3D clouds. The CGAN-BEBPF technique involves three steps: cloud masking, intensity scaling, and optimal value selection. It ensures adequate coverage of the low reflectivity areas while preserving the high reflectivity cloud cores. The technique is applied to retrieve the 3D cloud fields of Typhoon Chaba and a multi-cell convective system. The cloud structures of the CGAN-BEBPF results are highly consistent with the ground-based radar observations. It can retrieve weak clouds at the top levels of convective storms and hurricanes that were missed by ground-based radars and fill the gaps of the ground-based radar lower-level PPI scan. Overall, CGAN-BEBPF can be automated to retrieve the rich informative 3D structures of typhoons and severe convective systems over the oceans along the MODIS swath, which certainly presents great value for improving maritime and near-shore typhoons and convection prediction and other cloud-sensitive applications.

Globally, public acceptance of waste-to-energy (WtE) incinerators is a crucial factor in implementing national waste-to-energy policies. This study adds to the literature on anti-incinerator sentiment by drawing upon an extended psychological-emotional model that integrates place-, trust-, and fairness-based pathways. A total of 338 residents in the Asuwei area in North Beijing completed a survey on a proposal to construct a WtE incinerator in the vicinity. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that place attachment positively enhances anti-incinerator sentiment through direct effects, as well as through moderation and mediation effects between risk perception and opposing willingness. Further, institutional trust negatively moderates the impact of perceived risk on anti-incinerator sentiment, in addition to directly reducing perceived risk. Trust also influences anti-incinerator sentiment via risk perception, attesting to the effectiveness of a casual model of trust. Likewise, fairness perception acts as another determinant of opposing sentiment, similar to trust. We further reveal that procedural fairness plays a more significant role in predicting anti-incinerator sentiment than does distributional fairness. These findings demonstrate the importance of using a range of instrumental and more affective strategies to promote social acceptance of renewable energy infrastructure.

Under the development mode of deep blending of emerging technologies, major projects are important for enhancing China's comprehensive national strength and independent innovation capability. Based on the social benefits of major projects, and considering the influence of reputation factors, an evolutionary game model composed of a general contractor and subcontractor of major projects is established. This paper studies the influence of various factors including the income distribution coefficient of collaborative innovation, and MATLAB simulation software is analyzed the influence of factors on an evolutionary path. The results show that a reasonable income distribution coefficient can promote the game behavior of both parties to the direction of active collaborative innovation; The reduction of innovation cost and the improvement of spillover technology absorption capacity can make innovation subjects tend to choose active collaborative innovation strategies. In addition, reputation loss above a specific threshold can effectively inhibit free-riding behavior and encourage innovation subjects to choose active collaborative innovation strategies. The research results provide reference for promoting major projects' technology innovation.

This paper investigates the feasibility of a backend design for real-time, multiple-channel processing digital phased array system, particularly for high-performance embedded computing platforms constructed of using general purpose digital signal processors. Frist, we obtained the lab-scale backend performance benchmark from simulating beamforming, pulse compression, and Doppler filtering based on MicroTCA chassis using Serial RapidIO protocol in backplane communication. Next, a field-scale demonstrator of a multifunctional phased array radar is emulated by using the similar configuration. Interestingly, the performance of a barebone design is compared to that of emerging tools that systematically take advantage of parallelism and multicore capabilities, including Open Computing Language.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a zoonotic parasite, can invade the human central nervous system (CNS) and cause acute eosinophilic meningitis or eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. Mice infected with A. cantonensis show elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, plasminogen activators, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, resulting in disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and immune cell infiltration into the CNS. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) regulates the permeability of the BBB, which affects immune cells and cerebrospinal fluid. This intricate interaction ultimately fuels the progression of brain damage and edema. This study aims to investigate the regulatory role of Cav-1 in the pathogenesis of meningoencephalitis induced by A. cantonensis infection. We investigate pathological alterations by triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride, brain water content, BBB permeability, Western blot analysis, and gelatin zymography in BALB/c mice after A. cantonensis. The study evaluates the critical role of Cav-1 regulation through the TLR4 / MyD88 signaling pathway, modulates tight junction proteins, influences BBB permeability, and contributes to brain damage in A. cantonensis-induced meningoencephalitis.