The orthogonal matrix with cube be symmetric is a common class of matrices with important properties. We pay attention to this kind of matrices. By using the close relationship between the eigenvalues of a matrix and the trace of its power, we obtain the algorithm for its all possible different eigenvalues and multiplicities. The calculation formula is expressed only by the trace of a matrix and its power, avoiding solving the characteristic polynomial. The method is simple and practical. Furthermore, a new essential characterization for the sum of orthogonal matrix pairs being orthogonal is given as well.

Echinococcus granulosus is a harmful cestode parasite which could cause Cystic Echinococcosis in humans, various livestock species and wild animals. Calmodulin (CaM), a Ca²⁺ sensor protein, is widely expressed in eukaryotes and mediates a variety of cellular signaling activities. In our study, the CaM in Echinococcus granulosus (rEgCaM) was successfully cloned and the molecular and biochemical characterizations of rEgCaM were identified. The results showed that rEgCaM was a highly conserved calcium-binding protein, consisting of 149 amino acids. Immunoblot analysis revealed that rEgCaM could be identified using E. granulosus infected sheep serum. The usage of rEgCaM as antigen was evaluated by indirect ELISA which exhibited a high sensitivity of 90.3% but low specificity (47.1%). rEgCaM was mainly located in the tegument tissues and parenchymal region of protoscoleces, the tegument and inner body of adult worm and predominantly expressed in the germinal layer. The mRNA expression of rEgCaM in PSCs were gradually decreased with the increase death of PSCs. In electrophoretic mobility tests and ANS assays, rEgCaM showed a typical calcium-binding protein characteristics. This is the first report on CaM from E. granulosus and rEgCaM is considered to be involved in some important biological function of E. granulosus as a calcium-binding protein.

On 17 October 1947, Niels Bohr was made a knight of the Order of the Elephant by the King of Denmark in view of his outstanding achievements and contributions to science. Bohr designed his own coat of arms that featured a pattern of Yin and Yang (Tai Chi symbol) to symbolize the wave-particle complementarity. However, Bohr’s Yin-Yang diagram (YYD) was neither drawn based on the principles of quantum mechanics, nor did it originate from the traditional Taoist YYD. Scientists still have doubts about the legitimacy of using YYD as the icon of the wave-particle complementarity, because the YYD belonging to quantum mechanics itself is unknown so far. This article reports the YYDs existing in quantum mechanics and justifies the role of YYD in the wave-particle duality by showing that any system, whether classical or quantum, has an ideal YYD as long as it satisfies Bohr’s principle of complementarity (BPC). The deviation of a deformed YYD from the ideal YYD indicates the extent to which a real system satisfies BPC. This article constructs the quantum YYD by the complex quantum trajectory of a particle tunneling via a step barrier, which displays the continuous transition between the wave behavior and the particle behavior. It appears that the YYD designed by Bohr in his coat of arms resembles the YYD generated by tunneling motion, not only in appearance but also in the governing equation.

Three monoruthenium complexes 1(PF6)23(PF6)2 bearing a N(CH3)-bridged ligand have been synthesized and characterized. These complexes have a general formula of [Ru(bpy)2(L)](PF6)2, where L is a 2,5-di(N-methyl-N-(pyrid-2-yl)amino)pyrazine (dapz) derivative with various substituents and bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine. The photophyscial and electrochemical properties of these compounds have been examined. The solid-state structure of complex 3(PF6)2 is studied by single crystal X-ray analysis. These complexes show two well-separated emission bands centered at 451 and 646 nm (max = 195 nm) for 1(PF6)2, 465 and 627 nm (max = 162 nm) for 2(PF6)2, and 455 and 608 nm (max = 153 nm) for 3(PF6)2 in dilute acetonitrile solution, respectively. The emission maxima of the higher-energy emission bands of these complexes are similar, while the lower-energy emission bands are dependent on the electronic nature of substituents. These complexes display two consecutive redox couples owing to the stepwise oxidation of the N(CH3)-bridged ligand and ruthenium component. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations are carried out to elucidate these experimental findings.

The paper discusses the classification of fuzzy metrics based on their continuity conditions, dividing them into Erceg, Deng, Yang-Shi, and Chen metrics. It explores the relationships between these types of fuzzy metrics, concluding that a Deng metric in [0,1]-topology must also be Erceg, Chen, and Yang-Shi metrics. The paper also proves that the product of countably many Deng pseudo-metric spaces remains a Deng pseudo-metric space, and demonstrates some σ-locally finite properties of Deng metric space. Additionally, the paper constructs two interrelated mappings based on normal space and concludes that if a [0,1]-topological space is T1 and regular, and its topology has a σ-locally finite base, then it is Deng metrizable, and thus Erceg, Yang-Shi, and Chen metrizable as well.

Quantitative differential phase contrast (qDPC) imaging has become an important method of optical measurement and life science research in microscopy because of its high reconstruction resolution and non-invasive, high-contrast and quantitative imaging of biological samples. Despite the continuous development of the principle and algorithm, the frame rate of the existing qDPC algorithm is still much lower than that of camera acquisition, so it is hardly applied to real-time image the fast-moving biological samples. In this paper, based on color-coded multiplexing strategy, a compact real-time quantitative phase imaging system is designed to realize multi-mode imaging. The system employs a programmable LED array to illuminate directly, and the phase reconstruction algorithm is deployed in the graphics processing unit (GPU) of the laptop to accelerate the calculation. The system can achieve high-speed quantitative phase imaging of non-stained biological samples, and the frame rate can reach 60fps. The device has the advantages of compact structure, low cost and portability. Thus, it is suitable for mobile medical applications.

The uncertainty in the secondary path of an Active Noise Control (ANC) headphone affects the waterbed effect and stability of the feedback system. This study focuses on the uncertainty of the secondary path when real users wear headphones, and proposes a new uncertainty constraint based on the measured results of the secondary path transfer function under different wearing conditions of dummy head and limited subjects. This constraint and a cascaded second-order infinite impulse response filter with fixed coefficients are used to formulate a control strategic function, which is optimized by the Improved Grey Wolf Optimizer (IGWO) algorithm to obtain the optimal controller with better noise reduction performance. The proposed method and simulation model are validated based on the experimental test results. The results demonstrate that the safety factor and waterbed suppressing factor contained in the proposed uncertainty constraint ensures more stable noise reduction and effective suppression of the waterbed effect for new subjects without a priori data.

The insufficient toughness of concrete can lead to the occurrence of crack expansion, ultimately resulting in a decline in the physical and mechanical properties such as bearing capacity and deformation characteristics of structural components. In severe cases, this may lead to brittle failure, where the entire structure and system fail suddenly without significant deformation after being stressed. Additionally, during the process of shear and bending failure of reinforced concrete beams, the cracks generated on the side of the beam are mostly I-II composite cracks. Considering the material nonlinearity and geometric irregularity of reinforced concrete, it is of great significance to study the dynamic evolution law of crack expansion in reinforced concrete members. Based on experimental data, this paper aims to utilize the nonlinear finite element simulation software Abaqus to conduct finite element simulations of crack expansion in simple supported reinforced concrete beams. By accurately controlling the constitutive curves of concrete and reinforcement materials, the design of seismic performance of structural members can be enhanced, thereby making essential contributions to the preliminary analysis of actual crack control engineering. The nonlinear finite element results indicate that the joint cracks of the frame with the floor slab primarily manifest as flexural cracks, with the concrete damage degree of the floor slab being higher than that of the beam. This finding underscores the importance of considering the behavior of concrete and reinforcement materials in designing for seismic performance and crack control in actual engineering applications.

In order to solve the problem of many constraints and complex navigation environment in the path planning of unmanned surface vehicle(USV), an improved Sparrow search algorithm com-bining Cubic chaotic map and Gaussian random walk strategy was proposed to plan it. Firstly, in the population initialization stage, Cubic chaotic map was used to replace the random generation method of the traditional sparrow search algorithm to optimize the uneven initial distribution of the population and improve the global search ability of the population. Secondly, in the late it-eration of the algorithm, the standard deviation of fitness is introduced to determine whether the population is trapped in the local optimum. If true, the Gaussian random walk strategy is used to perturb the optimal individual and assist the algorithm to escape the local optimum. Thirdly, the chosen water environment is modeled, and the navigation information of the original inland electronic navigation chart(ENC) is preprocessed, gridized, and the obstacle swelling is processed. Finally, the path planning experiments of USV are carried out in inland ENC grid environment. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional sparrow search algorithm, the average fitness value of the path planned by improved sparrow search algorithm is reduced by 14.8%, and the variance is reduced by 49.9%. The path planned by the algorithm is of good quality and high stability, and combined with ENC, it can provide a reliable path for USV.

To further investigate the immune response of Macrobrachium rosenbergii against Aeromonas veronii, comparative transcriptomic analyses of the M. rosenbergii hepatopancreas were conducted on challenge and control groups at 6, 12, and 24 h post-infection (hpi), independently. A total of 51,707 high-quality unigenes were collected from the RNA-seq data, and 8,060 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were discovered through paired comparisons. Among three comparison groups, KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that 173 immune-related DEGs were considerably clustered into 28 immune-related pathways, including the lysosome and phagosome, etc. Moreover, the expression levels of the four key immune-related genes (TOLL, PAK1, GSK3β, and IKKα) were evaluated at various stages following post-infection in the hepatopancreas, hemolymph, and gill. Both PAK1 and GSK3β genes were highly upregulated in all three tissues at 6 hpi with A. veronii; TOLL was up-regulated in the hepatopancreas and hemolymph but down-regulated in the gill at 6 hpi; and IKKα was up-regulated in hemolymph and gill, but down-regulated in the hepatopancreas at 6 hpi. These findings lay the groundwork for understanding the immune mechanism of M. rosenbergii after contracting A. veronii.

We propose a novel plasmon nano-optical antenna that consists of three vertically superimposed discs with different materials. Two symmetrical nanometer-scale Yagi antenna elements with gold-material are embedded into the surface of the middle disc with silicon dioxide. Based on plasmon theory and Yagi antenna principle, we explore the properties of the far-field radiation and near-field transmission of the antenna in near infrared band. It is found that the pattern of the xoy plane in the antenna can be adjusted in arbitrary direction. The far-field pattern and near-field transmission spectrum can be reconfigured by changing the angle a of the Yagi antenna elements in the middle disc. Moreover, we also discuss the influences of the widths and lengths of the elements on the near-field transmission spectrum when a is fixed at 0 degree.

Drug-target affinity (DTA) prediction is crucial for understanding molecular interactions and aiding drug discovery and development. While various computational methods have been proposed for DTA prediction, their predictive accuracy remains limited, failing to delve into the structural nuances of interactions. With increasingly accurate and accessible structure prediction of targets, we developed a novel deep learning model, named S2DTA, to accurately predict DTA by fusing sequence and structural knowledge of drugs, targets, and pockets using heterogeneous models based on graph and semantic networks. Experimental findings underscored that complex feature representations imparted negligible enhancements to the model’s performance. However, the integration of heterogeneous models demonstrably bolstered predictive accuracy. In comparison to three state-of-the-art methodologies, the supremacy of S2DTA became strikingly apparent. It showcased a noteworthy 25.2% reduction in Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and an impressive 20.1% decrease in Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Furthermore, S2DTA exhibited substantial advancements in other pivotal metrics, including Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC), Spearman, Concordance Index (CI), and R2. These metrics experienced remarkable increments of at least 19.6%, 17.5%, 8.1%, and a remarkable 49.4%, respectively. Finally, we conducted interpretability analysis on the effectiveness of S2DTA by bidirectional self-attention mechanism, fully proving that S2DTA is a valuable and accurate tool for predicting DTA. For further exploration, the source data and code repository can be accessed at https://github.com/dldxzx/S2DTA.

High density of buildings and the large traffic volume of cities give rise to narrow spaces and high passenger flows in most subway stations. When evacuation is required during an emergency, these problems may trigger issues in operational safety. Therefore, it is imperative to comprehensively assess subway station emergency evacuation times and capacities during the operating process to ensure the design is safe, science-based, and rational. To further enhance safe evacuation capacity, this paper proposes an overall evacuation time model that considers the multielement charac-teristics of subway stations in multiple segments. The evacuation route is decomposed into five stages according to the critical nodes in the evacuation process. An overall emergency evacuation time model is established based on the diversity of bottlenecks in the five stages, integrating elements such as the horizontal movement velocity of passengers, subway equipment parameters, and human density. Taking Xi’an Wulukou Subway Station as an example, this paper verifies the outcomes of the theoretical model against the Pathfinder software and conducts additional anal-yses of the evacuation conditions of stairs and exits. The results show that the error between the theoretical emergency evacuation time and simulation evacuation time was 5.4%, The emergency evacuation model established in this study boasts strong robustness and stability.

Different soil nutrients affect plant metabolites accumulation characteristics. The main soil nutrients and their correlation with Pepino metabolites were investigated in this study to evaluate differences between greenhouses on the Loess Plateau in northwest China. A total of 269 Pepino metabolites in the fruits were identified using a UPLC-QTOF-MS approach from plants grown in three major Pepino growing regions. Their differential distribution characteristics were analyzed. 99 metabolites differed among the Pepino fruits in the three regions. The main classes of the differentially accumulated metabolites were ranked as Amino acids and derivatives, Nucleotides and derivatives, Organic acids, Alkaloids, Vitamins, Saccharides and Alcohols, Phenolic acids, Lipids, and others. Environmental factor analysis indicated that soil nutrients were the primary differentiating factor. Five soil nutrient indicators: TN（total nitrogen）, TP（total phosphorus）, AP（available phosphorus）, AK（available potassium）, and OM（organic matter）, exhibited significant differences in three growing sites. Metabolite and soil nutrient association analysis using redundancy analysis (RDA) and Mantel test indicated that TNand OM contributed to the accumulation of amino acids and derivatives, nucleotides and derivatives, and alkaloids while inhibiting organic acids, vitamins coagulation biosynthesis. Moreover, AP and TP were associated with the highest accumulation of saccharides and, alcohols, phenolic acids. Consequently, differences in soil nutrients were reflected in Pepino metabolites variability. This study clarified the metabolite variability and the relationship between Pepino and soil nutrients in the main planting areas of northwest China. It provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent development of Pepino's nutritional value and cultivation management.

Mobile software applications (apps) have transformed how individuals oversee and maintain their own health. One way that girls can monitor their menstrual cycles is through the increasingly widespread use of mobile menstrual tracking apps. This study aims to examine menstrual symptom tracking for adolescents in English and Chinese apps, exploring menstrual literacy, cross-cultural differences, and framing, or presentation, of symptoms. The mixed methods content analysis involved 15 popular free menstrual tracking apps in English (n = 8) and Chinese (n = 7). Quantitative analysis of qualitative data was conducted through manual coding of content and automatically analyzing sentiment, or emotional tone, using a computational approach. We found that: (1) Menstrual literacy on symptom management or treatment was generally insufficient, (2) There were more available emotional than physical symptoms in English than Chinese apps, (3) Symptoms were framed more negatively than positively, somewhat more in Chinese than English apps. Findings emphasize the importance of improving information in digital menstrual trackers. Our findings further reflect cultural differences in emotional expression and negative attitudes toward menstruation. Since adolescence is a critical developmental stage that requires ample support, digital menstrual trackers can uniquely shape attitudes and experiences, ultimately, empowering teenagers to better manage their menstrual health.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in the physiological activities of the host and affects the formation of important economic traits in agricultural animals. We investigated the effects of cecal microbiota on chicken weights using the Guizhou yellow chicken as a model. We collected experimental cohorts from chickens with high (HC, n=16) and low body weights (LC, n=16) and integrated microbial 16S rRNA gene sequencing and non-targeted serum metabolome data to explore the effect and its metabolic mechanism of cecal microbiota on market weight. The genera Lachnoclostridium, Alistipes, Negativibacillus, Sellimonas and Ruminococcus torques group were enriched in the HC group while Phascolarctobacterium was enriched in the LC group (P<0.05). Metabolomic analysis determined that pantothenic acid, luvangetin (2H-1-benzopyran-6-acrylic acid) and menadione (vitamin K) were significantly higher in HC serum while beclomethasone dipropionate (a glucocorticoid) and chlorophene (2-benzyl-4-chlorophenol) were present at higher levels in the LC group. The microbes enriched in HC that were significantly positively correlated with metabolites including pantothenic acid and menadione and negatively correlated with beclomethasone dipropionate and chlorophene. These results indicated that specific cecal bacteria in Guizhou yellow chickens alter the host metabolism and growth performance. This study provides a reference for revealing the mechanism of cecal microbe actions that affect chicken body weight.

Climate and its fluctuations have wide-ranging impacts on the tourism industry. High temperatures, as a typical meteorological and climatic factor, influence tourists' travel intentions and spatial behavior. This study conducted a descriptive analysis and market trend analysis of Chinese tourism during periods of high temperatures, revealing several key findings. Firstly, tourists seeking respite from summer heat exhibit a preference for short-distance trips and resource-rich destinations. Secondly, heat-escape tourism products undergo changes over time, gradually shifting towards mountainous areas and waterfront locations. Furthermore, taking Shanghai Disneyland as a case study demonstrates that the holiday system holds greater significance than temperature constraints. Despite experiencing a significant decline in the quality of their tourist experience in high-temperature environments, long-distance travelers are not deterred from choosing pre-booked tourism products by sudden bouts of hot weather.

One new cassane diterpene possessing an unusual N bridge between C-19 and C-20 named caesalsappanin R (1), as well as another new diterpene caesalsappanin S (2), were isolated from the seeds of Caesalpinia sappan with methanol extract. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis and examined alongside existing data from prior studies. Their biological activities were profiled by their antiplasmodial activity.

Questions：SAP in mountainous cities of China serve as crucial carriers for species and wild food, constituting potential green infrastructure. These patches should be recognized as locally specific resources. This study investigates the transformation characteristics of the landscape patterns of SAP, along with their elements, across urban-rural gradients, providing foundational support for the planning of conservation and utilization strategies. Location: Yongchuan area of Chongqing in southwest China. Methods: The study investigated urban-rural gradient-based transformation of SAP. A four-direction transect space was selected and divided into uniform sample squares. Fragstats 4.3 calculated the landscape index of SAP, and Spearman correlation coefficients in SPSS were used to evaluate the influence of landform and artificial factors on agroforestry patch transformation. Results: 1) Patch area (PA), Plaque density (PD), and CLUMPY of SAP systematically transform, showing increased SAP areas and higher connectivity with greater distance from the city, resulting in reduced patch fragmentation. However, Edge density (ED) and Largest plaque index (LPI) exhibit irregular transformation patterns. 2) With increased distance from the city, woodland patch area and connectivity increase, leading to decreased fragmentation, dispersal, and lower fractal dimensions. Conversely, Cultivated land follows the opposite trend. garden land patch area, fractal dimension, fragmentation, and dispersal all increase, while connectivity decreases. 3) Landscape pattern transformations of SPA are significantly influenced by artificial factors. Woodland patches are influenced similarly by landform and artificial factors. In contrast, cultivated land and garden land patches are more significantly impacted by artificial factors. Conclusions: SAP exhibit differentiated conservation and utilization measures across urban-rural gradients. Small patches located far from urban centers may benefit from systematic conservation measures to prevent further fragmentation and erosion in peri-urban areas.

We have experimentally analyzed multi-azimuth degradation mechanisms that govern failures of commercially-available high-power (1 Watt) phosphor-coated white (hppc-W) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) covered with peanut-shaped lens under three current-stress aging (CSA) conditions. Comprehensive analyses focus on photometric, chromatic, electrical, thermal, and packaging characteristics. At the packaging level, (a) the decrease of the phosphor-conversion efficiency, (b) the yellow-browning of the optical lens, and (c) the darkening of the silver-coated reflective layer deposited with extraneous chemical elements (e.g., C, O, Si, Mg, and Cu, respectively) contribute collectively to the integral degradation of the optical power. By contrast, Ohmic contacts, thermal properties, and angles of maximum intensity remain unchanged after 3840 h aging in three cases. Particularly at the chip level, the formation of point defects increases the number of non-radiative recombination centers, and thus decreases the optical power during aging stages. Nevertheless, in view of the change of the ideality factor, the dopant activation and the annealing effect facilitate the increase of the optical power in two specific aging stages (192 h∼384 h and 768 h∼1536 h), respectively. This work offers a systematic guidance for the development of reliable LED-based light sources in general-lighting areas.

Over the past couple of decades, Global positioning system (GPS) technology has been utilized to collect large-scale data from travel surveys. As the precise spatiotemporal characteristics of travel could be provided by GPS devices, the issues of traditional travel survey, such as misreporting and non-response, could be addressed. Considering the defects of dedicated GPS devices (e.g., need much money to buy devices, forget to take devices to collect data, limit the simple size because of the number of devices, etc.), and the phenomenon that the smartphone is becoming one of necessities of life, there is a great chance for the smartphone to replace dedicated GPS devices. Although, several general reviews have been done about smartphone-based GPS travel survey in the literature review section in some articles, a systematic review from smartphone-based GPS data collection to travel mode detection has none. The included studies were searched from six databases. The purpose of this review is to critically assess the current literature on the existing methodologies of travel mode detection based on GPS raw data collected by smartphones. Meanwhile, according to the systematic comparison among different methods from data-preprocessing to travel mode detection, this paper could carefully provide the Strengths and Weaknesses of existing methods. Furthermore, it is the crucial step to develop the methodologies and applications of GPS raw data collected by smartphones.

More than fifty million people over the age of fifty have osteoporosis issues due to low bone mass, disease contribution, and not exercising continuously. Certain most important risk factors and causes of osteoporosis contain age, gender, hormones, visits to inexperienced doctors, and certain medical conditions. In this manuscript, we diagnosed certain frank operational laws under the availability of complex intuitionistic fuzzy (CIF) information. Furthermore, using the evaluated operational laws, we pioneered the theory of CIF frank weighted averaging (CIFFWA), CIF frank ordered weighted averaging (CIFFOWA), CIF frank hybrid averaging (CIFFHA), CIF frank weighted geometric (CIFFWG), CIF frank ordered weighted geometric (CIFFOWG), CIF frank hybrid geometric (CIFFHG) operators, and described their beneficial and valuable results with certain useful properties. Moreover, we aim to evaluate the most dangerous type of osteoporosis based on their symptoms, causes, and risk factors using diagnosed approaches. Finally, to enhance the worth of the evaluated operators, we compare the diagnosed result with certain prevailing results and illustrated their geometrical representation with the help of MATLAB.

The aim of our present study was to investigate the effects of Gln supplementation on liver inflammatory responses and protein synthesis and degradation in muscle of LPS-challenged broilers. A total of 120 1d-old male broilers (Arbor Acres Plus) were randomly arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design with five replicates per treatment and six broilers per replicate, containing two main factors: immune challenge (injected with LPS in a dose of 0 or 500 µg/kg of body weight) and dietary treatments (supplemented with 1.22% alanine or 1% Gln). After feeding with alanine or Gln diet for 15 days, broilers were respectively administrated with LPS or saline injection at 16 and 21 d. The results showed that Gln supplementation significantly reversed the adverse effects of LPS administration on growth performance, as evidenced as the increased ADFI and ADG, as well as the lowered F/G. Furthermore, Gln supplementation alleviated the increased mRNA expression of interleukin-6, interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in liver induced by LPS. Moreover, the increased activities of aspartate aminotransferase, combined with the decreased expression of glutaminase in muscle, were observed by Gln addition. In addition, in comparison with saline treatment, LPS challenge altered signaling molecules mRNA expressions associated with protein synthesis and degradation. However, Gln supplementation reversed the negative effects on protein synthesis and degradation in muscle of LPS-challenged broilers. Taken together, Gln supplementation had benefit effects on improving growth performance, alleviating inflammatory responses, promoting protein synthesis and inhibiting protein degradation of LPS-challenged broilers.

Flexible capacity applications demands to large energy storage density and high breakdown electric field strength of flexible films. Here, P(VDF-HFP) with ultra-thin Al2O3 nanosheets composite films were designed and fabricated through an electrospinning process followed by hot-pressing in sandwich structured. The results show that the insulating ultra-thin Al2O3 nanosheets and the sandwich structure can enhance the composites' breakdown field (by 24.8%) and energy density (by 30.6%) remarkedly to P(VDF-HFP) polymer matrix. An energy density of 23.5 J/cm3 at the ultrahigh breakdown field of 740kV/mm can be therefore realized. Insulating test and phase-field simulation results reveal that ultra-thin nanosheets insulating buffer layers can reduce the leakage current in composites, thus it effects the electric field spatial distribution to enhance breakdown strength. Our research provides a feasible method to increase the breakdown strength of ferroelectric polymers, which is comparable to those of non-ferroelectric polymers.

In this study, a new structure is proposed based on the body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice structure: adding a cubic truss in the center of the BCC structure, which is denoted by TLC (Truss-lattice-cube). The different dimensions of the central cube can affect the mechanical properties of the lattice structure notably. With a fixed length (15mm) of a unit cell, the optimal size for the central cube is determined to be 5 mm. Quasi-static compressive tests are performed on specimens made of Polylactic Acid (PLA) using additive manufacturing technology. The deformation characteristics of the new structure is analyzed in detail by experiments and numerical simulations. Compared to the BCC structure, the mechanical properties of the TLC structure are significantly improved. The initial flow stress of the TLC has been increased by 122% at a strain of 0.1; the specific strength has been enhanced by 293% at a strain of 0.5; and the specific energy absorption has been improved by 312% at the strain of 0.6. Printing defects in the lattice structure could deteriorate the mechanical property remarkably. In this work, incorporation of microcracks into the finite element model makes the simulation capture the influence of printing defects and improve the predictive accuracy of simulation significantly.

This present study was designed to find out whether the acankoreagenin showed the antidiabetic and renoprotective effects in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats. Type I diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (70 mg/kg). At the end of the experiment, rats were euthanized and serum/plasma was separated for the determination of glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), C-peptide, biochemical parameters, and kidney function. One kidney was used for determining glutathione, superoxide dismutas, malondialdehyde, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels. The other kidney and pancreas were used for histopathological studies and immunohistochemical measurement of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) or NF-κB. Acankoreagenin (2 mg/kg) treatments led to a significant reduction in blood glucose assessed via oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in diabetic rats at 2 h. The treatment also resulted in improved body weight, decreased HbA1c, restored lipid profile, and renal oxidative stress. By inhibiting NF-κB, the release of proinflammatory cytokines was suppressed and by inhibiting TGF-β, the renal fibrosis was suppressed in STZ-induced diabetic rat model. Histopathological injury was also observed in pancreatic and renal tissues. These findings support the beneficial effect of acankoreagenin treatment in DN, which could be attributed to its antidiabetic and renoprotective effects.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a routinely used therapeutic procedure for the biliary and pancreatic diseases. Population aging may increase the typical indications of ERCP and come with more complexity and difficulties, especially in cannulation. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence, causes, and management of difficult biliary cannulation during ERCP in super-aged patients and the role of difficult cannulation as a risk factor for adverse events. A total of 614 patients, underwent ERCP, were prospectively studied as a cohort and divided into two groups based on their age. There were 146 patients aged 80 years or older in group A and 468 patients aged less than 80 years in group B. The primary outcome measures were the difficulty grade of papilla cannulation, clinical outcomes, and ERCP-related complications in the two groups. The adverse events were analyzed using logistic regression for patient age, co-morbidities, indications, and cannulation difficulty grade variables. There was no difference in the incidence of difficult cannulation between the two groups (32.9% vs. 34.4%, p=0.765) though, as expected, super-aged Group A had a higher prevalence of periampullary diverticulum (29.5% vs. 16.7%, p=0.001). The technical cannulation success rate was (96.6% vs. 96.8%, p= 0.54). All used cannulation techniques in the elderly group were efficient and safe. Logistic regression showed that age ≥80 was not associated with increased adverse events; however, difficult cannulation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=3.478; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.877, 6.442; p<0.001) and CCI ≥2 (AOR=1.824; 95% CI=0.993, 3.349; p=0.045) were more likely to have adverse events. Age ≤65 (AOR=3.460; 95% CI=1.511, 7.922; p=0.003), female gender (AOR=2.362; 95% CI=1.089, 5.124; p=0.030), difficult cannulation (AOR=4.527; 95% CI=2.078, 9.860; p<0.001), and patients with cholangitis (AOR=3.261; 95% CI=1.204, 8.832; p=0.020) were strongly associated with increasing Post-ERCP Pancreatitis (PEP). Advanced age has not proved to be a risk factor of difficult cannulation, and secondary cannulation techniques can be safely and efficaciously utilized for this group. CCI ≥2 and difficult cannulation are associated with increased overall adverse events rate while age ≥80 factor is not.

For concrete structures exposed to offshore areas, chloride ion erosion is one of the main factors affecting the durability. It is crucial to evaluate chloride ion permeability resistance of concrete structures. In this article, a finite element simulation of the chloride ion diffusion process in concrete is conducted. A mass diffusion finite element model based on random aggregate approach is established to investigate the influence of aggregate, interface transition zone, and micro-cracks on chloride ion diffusion coefficients in concrete. The results show that the mass diffusion finite element analysis based on the exponential function model and power function model can effectively simulate the chloride ion diffusion process in concrete. In addition, the data reveal that coarse aggregate is the most important factor affecting chloride ion diffusivity in concrete. However, the interface transition zone significantly accelerates chloride ion diffusion in concrete. Moreover, this acceleration effect exceeds the barrier effect of aggregate.

This paper reports a new global Mittag-Leffler synchronization criterion with regard to fractional-order hyper-chaotic financial systems by designing the suitable impulsive control and the state feedback controller. The significance of this impulsive synchronization lies in the fact that the backward economic system can synchronize asymptotically with the advanced economic system under the effective impulse macroeconomic management means. Matlab LMI-toolbox is utilized to deduce the feasible solution in numerical example, which shows the effectiveness of the proposed methods. It is worth mentioning that the LMI-based criterion usually requires the activation function of the system to be Lipschitz, but the activation function in this paper is fixed and truly nonlinear, which cannot be assumed to be Lipschitz continuous. This is another mathematical difficulty overcome in this paper.

In the first part of this talk we review some prerequisites for and essential arguments involved in the construction of the thermal-ground-state estimate for the deconfining phase in the thermodynamics of SU(2) Quantum Yang-Mills theory and how this structure supports its distinct excitations. The second part applies deconfining SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics to the Cosmic Microwave Background in view of (i) a modified temperature-redshift relation with an interesting link to correlation-length criticality in the 3D Ising model, (ii) the implied minimal changes in the dark sector of the cosmological model, and (iii) best-fit parameter values of this model when confronted with the spectra of the angular two-point functions TT, TE, and EE, excluding the low-$l$ physics. The latter, which is treated in an incomplete way because of the omission of radiative effects, is addressed in passing towards future work.

With the continuous emergence and application of new technologies, the construction of smart cities has entered the practical promotion period. Since 2012, the pilot construction of smart city has been promoted by the government in China. On the basis of these practical experiences, this paper presents an overview of the latest technologies and applications for smart city construction in China and demonstrates that smart city strategy needs to be implemented according to local conditions, adhering to the people-oriented concept and using scientific and effective top-level design and planning. The construction of smart city is comprehensive system engineering, including the integration of geographic information sharing service platform, full-cycle management and control system of urban planning, construction and social management, as well as intelligent business information management system of gardening, water conservancy, environmental protection and other industries and departments. The information system (GIS), satellite remote sensing (SRS), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), Internet of things, mobile applications, cloud computing, visualization technology ware used to promote urban construction and sustainable development, and to meet the needs of future smart city development. Results show that centralized management is very important for the construction of smart city. The government plays a major role in the construction of smart city, which will be conducive to the development of new technologies and the effective use of smart city construction resources.

Urumqi City, located in the northwest of China, is a city with high indoor radon concentration in nationwide indoor radon survey in China. This study focuses on the assessment of indoor radon level and its potential sources in this city. Indoor radon measure using RAD7 and solid nuclear track detector (SSNTD), soil gas radon by RAD7 and determining specific activity of uranium and radium in soil samples by a high pure germanium spectrometer were performed from 2021 to 2023. The results reveal a wide range of indoor radon concentrations in Urumqi, with anomalies above 400 Bq/m3 in some dwellings. The arithmetical and geometric mean values of indoor radon concentration in Urumqi are 90.24 ± 83.04 Bq/m3 and 66.25 Bq/m3, respectively. The geometric mean values of radon and thoron by SSNTD is 110 Bq/m3 and 109 Bq/m3. The analysis suggest that the activity of faults and fault structures are the main factors influencing indoor radon levels, with frequent earthquakes contributing to higher average radon concentrations. Additionally, investigations into indoor radon and building material radioactivity in detailed are recommended for buildings with radon anomalies and the source of indoor radon anomalies.

We present set-theoretical solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation in BCK–algebras. Some solutions in BCK−algebras are not solutions in other structures (such as MV −algebras). Related to our investigations we also consider some new structures: Boolean coalgebras and a unified braid condition – quantum Yang-Baxter equation. Finally, we will see how poetry has accompanied the development / history of the Yang–Baxter equation.

The prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall structure is an innovative prefabricated composite structure with better seismic performance by using ECC materials with better ductility in the main force and energy consumption regions of the prefabricated reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall structure. The key factors controlling the seismic energy dissipation capacity of this kind of structure are the use regions of ECC in composite coupling beams, use regions of ECC in shear walls, strength of ECC, stirrup ratio of coupling beams, strength of longitudinal reinforcement and so on. The parameters affecting seismic energy consumption are quantified by the finite element analysis method. By comparing and analyzing the load-displacement curves, hysteresis curves, energy dissipation capacity and stiffness degradation of the prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall structure specimen under these parameters, it is proposed that the best use regions of ECC is the cast-in-situ zone of the coupling beams with the scope of no more than400 mm at the shear walls’ bottom. The strength grade, the strength grade of longitudinal reinforcement, and the stirrup ratio of coupling beams are suggested design as E40, HRB400 and 0.5%, respectively.

The pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is a major cause of fungal meningitis in humans. As with other melanotic microorganisms associated with human diseases, the cell wall-associated melanin of C. neoformans is a major virulence factor that contributes to its ability to evade host immune responses. The levels of melanin substrate and the regulation of melanin formation could be influenced by the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Moreover, recent studies show that C. neoformans infection causes dysbiosis in the human gut microbiome. In this review, we discuss the potential association between cryptococcal meningitis and the gut microbiome. Additionally, we emphasize the promising prospects of targeting the gut microbiome as a means of diagnosing and treating this debilitating disease.

To decrease privacy risks, consumers may choose to misrepresent when they are asked to offer personal information. This paper examines the impact of consumer misrepresentation on a monopolistic firm and consumers with an economic model. The results show that consumer misrepresentation may benefit the firm but hurt consumers. In addition, consumers misrepresentation may encourage the firm to provide higher personalized service level in certain scenarios, such as, when the unit cost of personalized service is low. Thirdly, when consumers misrepresent, and the firm only covers part of the market, a greater unit value of consumer’s privacy information will reduce the firm’s profit, but a greater unit cost of personalized service increases the firm’s profit.

Recently, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is threatening human health globally. There is a dire need to find potential therapeutic agents. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as an entry receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is considered as potential therapeutic target in COVID-19 pandemic. Here, our bioinformatics analysis revealed that the biological function of ACE2 was correlated with regulation of blood pressure and mediation of SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells. Ten ACE2 cooperative proteins were identified by using STRING with a high score. ACE2 expressed highly in the small intestine, testis, and kidney. The level of ACE2 expression in tumor tissues varies in different types of cancers compared with that in normal tissues. It was worth noting that the expression level of ACE2 in the tumor has no effect on patient survival. MiRNA hsa-miR-942-5p, and three transcription factors (TFs) including Signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4), Estrogen related receptor α (ESRRA), and Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were selected as novel ACE2 regulators. Moreover, nine potential therapeutic drugs were predicted by two online databases. Thus, our research may expand the overall view of ACE2 in COVID-19 treatment.

Patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD) undergoing liver transplantation are prone to thromboses both while on the waiting list or in the perioperative period. This hypercoagulability is associated with significant endothelial dysfunction (ED) due to nitric oxide dysregulation. ED in combination with increased thrombin generation are the main factors responsible for this hypercoagulability. Sepsis itself can significantly change the coagulation profile, but in combination with ESLD, sepsis, and septic shock is responsible for very complex changes in the patients coagulation making both assessment and management of coagulation in patients with ESLD very challenging. Viscoelastic testing (VET) is a preferred method of coagulation management in patients with cirrhosis because, as with standard laboratory testing, VET can assess the entire coagulation system including the interaction between both pro- and anticoagulants and platelets.

The rank-3 antisymmetric tensors which are the magnetic monopoles of SU(N) Yang-Mills gauge theory dynamics, unlike their counterparts in Maxwell’s U(1) electrodynamics, are non-vanishing, and do permit a net flux of Yang-Mills analogs to the magnetic field through closed spatial surfaces. When electric source currents of the same Yang-Mills dynamics are inverted and their fermions inserted into these Yang-Mills monopoles to create a system, this system in its unperturbed state contains exactly 3 fermions due to the monopole rank-3 and its 3 additive field strength gradient terms in covariant form. So to ensure that every fermion in this system occupies an exclusive quantum state, the Exclusion Principle is used to place each of the 3 fermions into the fundamental representation of the simple gauge group with an SU(3) symmetry. After the symmetry of the monopole is broken to make this system indivisible, the gauge bosons inside the monopole become massless, the SU(3) color symmetry of the fermions becomes exact, and a propagator is established for each fermion. The monopoles then have the same antisymmetric color singlet wavefunction as a baryon, and the field quanta of the magnetic fields fluxing through the monopole surface have the same symmetric color singlet wavefunction as a meson. Consequently, we are able to identify these fermions with colored quarks, the gauge bosons with gluons, the magnetic monopoles with baryons, and the fluxing entities with mesons, while establishing that the quarks and gluons remain confined and identifying the symmetry breaking with hadronization. Analytic tools developed along the way are then used to fill the Yang-Mills mass gap.

Flavonoids are major secondary metabolites in plants, which play important roles in maintaining the cellular redox balance in cells. Chalcone synthase (CHS) is the key enzyme in the flavonoids biosynthesis pathway, and has been proved to monitor the changes to drought stress tolerance. In this work, we overexpressed a CHS gene in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The transgenic tobacco plants were more tolerant than the control plants to drought stress. The transcription levels of the key genes involved in the flavonoids pathway and the contents of seven flavonoids were also significantly raised in the transgenic tobacco plants. In addition, overexpression of the CHS gene lead to a lower concentration of the oxidative stress product malondialdehyde. Overall, the NtCHS gene studied in this work was considered as a candidate gene for genetic engineering to enhance drought tolerance of plants and improve response to oxidative stress.

Accurate and efficient traffic incident detection methods can effectively alleviate traffic congestion caused by traffic incidents, prevent secondary accidents and improve the safety of urban road traffic.Aiming at the problems that the traditional machine learning event detection method cannot fully extract the parameter characteristics of traffic flow and is not suitable formulti-dimensional and non-linear massive data, we propose a new traffic event detection method(CNN-XGBoost).This method combines the respective advantages of Convolution Neural Network(CNN) and Extreme Gradation Boosting (XGBoost). Firstly, we preprocessed the original freeway traffic incident detection data set by constructing initial variable set, data normalization, data balance processing and dimension reorganization. Secondly,we use CNN network to automatically extract the deep features of event detection data, and use XGBoost as a classifier to classify the extracted features for expressway traffic event detection.Finally, we use the data set of Hangzhou expressway microwave detector in China to carry out simulation experiments on CNN-XGBoost. The experimental results show that compared with XGBoost, CNN, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) and other methods, CNN-XGBoost method can effectively improve the accuracy of expressway traffic event detection and has better generalization ability.

This study provides a novel method to prepare metal-ceramic composites from magnetically selected iron ore using microwave heating. By introducing three different microwave susceptors (Activated Carbon, SiC, and a mixture of Activated Carbon and SiC) during the microwave process, effective control of the ratio of metallic and ceramic phases has been achieved easily. The effects of the three susceptors on the microstructure of the metal-ceramics and the related reaction mechanisms were also investigated in detail. The results show that the metal phase (Fe) and ceramic phase (Fe2SiO4, FeAl2O4) can be maintained, but the metal phase to ceramic phase changed significantly. In particular, the microstructures appeared as well-distributed nanosheet structures with diameters of ~400 nm and thicknesses of ~20 nm when SiC was used as the microwave susceptor.

The molecular clusters ((HO)3Si-O-Si(OH)3, and (HO)3Al-O-Si(OH)3 ) representative of aluminosilicate mineral surface were employed to study the dissolution of aluminosilicate in acidic condition via density functional theory with the M06-2X+G(d,p) methodology. The surface termination sites (Si and Al) were both tetra-coordinated and the terminal oxygen was protonated in acidic condition. In the dissolution reaction, the calculated barrier height of the six-membered ring transition state complex containing two water molecules was predicted to be lower than that of four-membered ring transition state complex containing one water molecule. In addition, the calculated barrier heights for Al-terminated sites were predicted to be lower than those for the Si-terminated sites, suggesting that breaking the Al-O bond is easier than Si-O bond in the aluminosilicate mineral surface; the barrier heights of the surface termination sites with protonated terminal oxygen were lower than those without protonated terminal oxygen. With the fracture of Si-O and Al-O bonds, the Si and Al release from the aluminosilicate. These results confirm the experimental conclusions that the acidic condition facilitates the release of Si and Al from the aluminosilicate, and the concentration of Al leaching from aluminosilicate is higher than Si.

Today’s intruders usually send attacking commands to a target system through several stepping-stone hosts, in order to reduce the chance of being detected. With stepping-stone intrusion (SSI), the intruder’s identity is hidden behind a long interactive chain of hosts and very hard to detect. An effective approach for SSI detection (SSID) is to estimate the length of the chain. This type of method is called network-based SSID. Most existing network-based SSID worked effectively only when intruders’ session manipulation was not present. These known SSID algorithms are either weak to resist intruders’ chaff-perturbation manipulation or having very limited capability in resisting attacker’s session manipulation. This paper develops a novel network-based SSID algorithm resistant to intruders’ chaff-perturbation by using packet crossover. Our proposed SSID algorithm is simple and easy to implement as the number of packet crossovers can be easily computed. We conduct rigorous technical proofs to verify the correctness of our proposed algorithm. The experimental results show that our proposed SSID algorithm works effectively and perfectly in resisting intruders’ chaff-perturbation up to 50% chaff rate.

Magnesium (Mg) alloy is a widely used lightweight metal structural material due to its high specific strength and stiffness, excellent damping performance, and recyclability. Wrought Mg alloys are widely favored in fields such as aerospace, transportation, and biomedical stents. However, most wrought Mg alloys with a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure lack sufficient independent slip systems to meet the von Mises criterion for uniform plastic deformation at room temperature. This can result in the formation of strong basal texture during plastic deformation and poor room temperature plastic forming ability. Improving the room temperature forming performance is a crucial challenge that must be addressed to broaden the application of Mg alloy sheets. Our research group has comprehensively summarized significant work and latest research progress in improving the room temperature forming of Mg alloy sheets via extrusion technology in recent years. Specifically, we have developed a new type of asymmetric extrusion technology that combines material structure evolution, mechanical property, and forming behavior analysis. We have elucidated the extrusion process characteristics, texture control mechanism, and forming properties of Mg alloy sheets through plastic deformation mechanisms, mold design, and finite element numerical simulation. Our findings provide a novel extrusion technology for the fabrication of highly formable Mg alloy sheets, which can be utilized in various applications.

A supramolecular host-guest interaction and sensing between cationic pillar[5]arenes (CP5) and L-carnitine were developed by the competitive host-guest recognition for the first time. The fluorescence sensing platform was constructed by CP5 functionalized Au nanoparticles (PP5@Au-NPs) as receptor and probe (rhodamine 123, R123), which shown a high sensitivity and selectivity to L-carnitine detection. Due to the property of the negative charge and molecular size of L-carnitine, it can be highly captured by the CP5 via electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions. The mechanism of host-guest between PP5 and L-carnitine was studied by ¹H NMR and molecular docking, which indicated more affinity binding force of PP5 with L-carnitine. Therefore, a selective and sensitive fluorescent method was developed. It has a linear response of 0.1–2.0 and 2.0–25.0 μM and a detection limit of 0.067 μM (S/N = 3) for L-carnitine. The fluorescent sensing platform was also used to detect L-carnitine in human serum and milk samples, which provided potential applications of detection drugs of abuse, and had path for guarding a serious food safety issues.

Quinoa, known as the "golden grain" for its high nutritional value, is a significant source of essential nutrients, including proteins, minerals, vitamins, polyphenols, phytosterols, and flavonoids. However, the biological functions of quinoa polysaccharides remain understudied. In this research, two crude quinoa polysaccharides extracts (Q-40 and Q-60) were obtained extracting by 40% and 60% alcohol. The purity of Q-40 and Q-60 was 58.29% and 62.15%, with protein contents of 8.27% and 9.60%, respectively. Monosaccharide analysis revealed that Q-40 contained glucose (Glc), galacturonic acid (GalA), and arabinose (Ara) in a molar ratio of 0.967:0.027:0.006. Q-60 was composed of xylose (xyl), arabinose (Ara), galactose, and galacturonic acid (GalA) with a molar ratio of 0.889:0.036:0.034:0.020. The average molecular weight of Q-40 ranged from 47484 to 626488 Da, while Q-60 showed a range of 10025 to 47990 Da. Rheological experiments showed that Q-40 exhibited higher viscosity, while Q-60 demonstrated more elastic properties. Remarkably, Q-60 showed potent antioxidant abilities, with scavenging rates of 98.49% for DPPH and 57.5% for ABTS. Antibacterial experiments using the microdilution method revealed that Q-40 inhibited the growth of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and E. coli, while Q-60 specifically inhibited MRSA. At lower concentrations, both polysaccharides inhibited MDA cell proliferation, but at higher concentrations, they promoted proliferation. Similar proliferation-promoting effects were observed in HepG2 cells. The research provides important information in application of quinoa in food and functional food industries.

Exploring for green and affordable protection of perishable fruit like cherry tomato is of significance. Here the protective efficacy and its underpinnings of coating with oleaster gum, alone or incorporated with cuminal, on cherry tomatoes stored at ambient temperature were investigated. The composite coating of oleaster gum with 0.1% cuminal reduced decay, respiration rate, weight loss, and softening of the fruit and decelerated their decreases of total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and soluble proteins, and therefore maintained their marketability. Furthermore, it reduced the accumulation of O•− 2and H2O2 in fruit, and mitigated cell membrane lipid oxidation and permeabilization, thereby retarding their senescence. Instrumentally, it elevated the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase and the levels of ascorbic acid and glutathione. This potentiation of the fruit antioxidant system makes the composite coating a promising approach to keeping the postharvest quality of perishable fruit.

Melon pest management relies on the excessive application of pesticides. Reducing pesticide spraying has become a global issue for environmental sustainability and human health. Therefore, developing a new cropping system that is sustainable and eco-friendly is important. This study found that melon seedlings irrigated with ultrafine water containing H2 and O2 (UFW) produced more root hairs, increased shoot height, and produced more flowers than the control irrigated with reverse osmosis (RO) water. Surprisingly, we also discovered that UFW irrigation significantly reduced aphid infestation in melon. Based on cryo-scanning electron microscope (cryo-SEM) observations, UFW treatment enhanced trichome development and prevented aphid infestation. To investigate whether it was H2 or O2 that helped to deter insect infestation, we prepared UF water enrichment of H2 (UF+H2) and O2 (UF+O2) separately and irrigated melons. Cryo-SEM results indicated that both UF+H2 and UF+O2 can increase the density of trichomes in melon leaves and petioles. RT-qPCR showed that UF+H2 significantly increased the gene expression level of the trichome-related gene GLABRA2 (GL2). We planted melons in a plastic greenhouse and irrigated them with ultrafine water enrichment of hydrogen (UF+H2) and oxygen (UF+O2). The SPAD value, photosynthetic parameters, root weight, fruit weight, and fruit sweetness were all better than the control without ultrafine water irrigation. UFW significantly increased trichome development, enhanced insect resistance, and improved fruit traits. This system thus provides useful water management for pest control and sustainable agricultural production.

In the face of the current energy and environment problems, the full use of biomass resources instead of fossil energy to produce a series of high-value chemicals has great application prospects. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which can be synthesized from lignocellulose as raw material, is an important biological platform molecule. Its preparation and catalytic oxidation of subsequent products have important research significance and practical value. In the actual production process, porous organic polymer (POPs) catalysts are highly suitable for biomass catalytic conversion due to its high efficiency, low cost, good designability, and environmentally friendly features. Here, we briefly described the application of various types of POPs (including COFs、PAFs、HCPs、CMPs) in the preparation and catalytic conversion of HMF from lignocellulosic biomass, and analyzed the influence of the structural properties of catalysts for the catalytic performance. Finally, we summarized some challenges that POPs catalysts will face in biomass catalytic conversion, and prospected the important research directions in future. This review would provide valuable references for the efficient conversion of biomass resources into high-value chemicals in practical applications.

The combination of e-commerce and the green economy allows enterprises to distribute their green products directly to consumers through Internet channels. This paper investigates the impact of service spillovers on emission reduction and channel decisions in a two-echelon supply chain,in which the supplier is a Stackelberg leader and the retailer is a follower.By comparing the equilibrium outcomes of the single-channel and dual-channel supply chain in a setting with and without retail services, we observe that the supplier prefers to encroach on the market when services that retail locations provide largely spillover to and benefit the direct sales channel. Contrary to popular belief, a higher degree of service spillovers is beneficial for the retailer to get more returns under the dual-channel structure, whereas supplier encroachment will lead to a decline in the service level if the spillover degree is relatively low. In addition, the emission reduction level of products under supplier encroachment is always higher than that employed in the single-channel structure if consumers have both low-carbon preference and high degree of service sensitivity. Furthermore, we extend the equilibrium decisions under a carbon cap-and-trade (CCT) mechanism; the results fully verify the above conclusions. Interestingly, the implementation of a carbon price not only motivates carbon emission abatement and supplier encroachment, but also helps achieve a win-win outcome for supply chain members when service spillovers happen.

In the present study, an attempt was made to induce rooting from single-node cuttings of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. ×P. tremuloides Michx.) with different concentrations of IAA, IBA and NAA during rooting. Among the three auxins used, NAA showed more effective induction on rooting as compared to IAA and IBA at the whole level. Thereafter, NAA was used further in experiments for anatomical and biochemical investigation. The results showed that it took 12 days from the differentiation of primordium to the appearance of young adventitious roots with NAA application. It was found that endogenous IAA, ZR and GA3 levels increased, but ABA decreased in cuttings with 0.54 mM NAA treatment. In contrast to the endogenous IAA level, NAA had negative effect on IAA-oxidase (IAAO) activity. Similarly, the decreased peroxidase (POD) activity, consistent with down-regulation of expressed levels of POD1 and POD2, was observed in NAA-treated cuttings. Whereas, NAA resulted in a higher activity in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) compared to the control cuttings. Collectively, the study highlighted that 0.54 mM NAA is efficient on rooting in hybrid aspen, and its effect on metabolic changes during rooting is discussed, which provide valuable information for propagating hybrid aspen.

Recent advancements in computer vision, especially deep learning models, have shown considerable promise in tasks related to plant image object detection. However, the efficiency of these deep learning models heavily relies on input image quality, with low-resolution images significantly hindering model performance. Therefore, reconstructing high-quality images through specific techniques will help extract features from plant images, thus improve model performance. In this study, we explored the value of super-resolution technology for improving object detection model performance on plant images. Firstly, we built a comprehensive dataset comprising 1030 high-resolution plant images, named the PlantSR dataset. Subsequently, we developed a super-resolution model using the PlantSR dataset and benchmarked it against several state-or-the-art models designed for general image super-resolution tasks. Our proposed model demonstrated superior performance on the PlantSR dataset, indicating its efficacy in enhancing the super-resolution of plant images. Furthermore, we explored the effect of super-resolution on two specific object detection tasks: apple counting and soybean seed counting. By incorporating super-resolution as a pre-processing step, we observed a significant reduction in mean absolute error. Specifically, on the YOLOv7 model employed for apple counting, the mean absolute error decreased from 13.085 to 5.71. Similarly, on the P2PNet-Soy model utilized for soybean seed counting, the mean absolute error decreased from 19.159 to 15.085. These findings underscore the substantial potential of super-resolution technology in improving the performance of object detection models for accurately detecting and counting specific plants from images. The source codes and associated datasets are available at https://github.com/SkyCol/PlantSR.

Vaccination represents the historical milestone in medical sciences, which has been saving millions of lives. Nonetheless, continued outbreaks of emergent infectious diseases are swamping from every coast to every border all over the world. Modern vaccines are our most powerful arsenals to defend the public health of a global population ever since 1796. As unexpected, modern vaccination approaches have brought out all sorts of unwelcome pathogenic disorders to varying extents. Pathogenic viruses have also continued to evolve to defeat elaborate arsenals devised by human intelligence. In this review, we have covered a variety of vaccination approaches along with their sophisticated materials from the past to the most recent development. Furthermore, we discuss varied serious pathogenic outcomes elicited by contemporary vaccination programmes involving novel materials in real clinical trials. The complex immune mediators will be discussed in the context to tackle the complication of vaccine-induced pathogenesis. We will offer the insight into the intractable discrepancy of vaccine-associated pathology. The precision approach bestowed with evolutionary concepts will be considered as a feasible option to confront various issues of pathogenic complicacy.

This paper focused on the oxidative leaching process of vanadium from vanadium-chromium reducing residue in alkaline medium with MnO₂. The effect of experimental parameters including reaction time, reaction temperature, dosage of MnO₂, dosage of NaOH, and liquid-to-solid ratio on the leaching efficiency of vanadium had been studied. The results indicated that MnO₂ was an efficient oxidant for leaching out of vanadium. The leaching efficiency of vanadium was up to 97.25% under optimal reaction conditions: reaction temperature of 90 ℃, reaction time of 60 min, dosage of MnO₂ at 50 wt.%, concentration of NaOH at 30 wt.% and liquid-to-solid at 5:1 mL/g.

Spacecraft recovery technology is crucial in the field of aerospace, in which the parachute plays a key role in slowing down the descent speed of the spacecraft and realizing a smooth landing. In order to construct a dynamically adjustable parachute deployment strategy, it is necessary to measure the parachute dynamic load accurately in real time. However, the existing sensor measurement scheme is difficult to meet the measurement requirements due to its large structure and complex wiring. In order to meet the current demand for real-time measurement of parachute cords dynamic load, a miniature measuring instrument is designed.According to the function and technical requirements of the miniature measuring instrument, the hardware modules of the acquisition system are selected and designed, and the integration debugging and performance optimization of the microcontroller module, A/D sampling module, signal acquisition circuit and power supply module are carried out. The software of the parachute cords tension acquisition system based on the miniature measuring instrument is developed. The elastomer is modeled by using SolidWorks and statically analyzed by using AnsysWorkbench finite element analysis software. Then the final structure of the elastomer and the pasting position of the strain gage are determined through the results analysis as well as experimental verification. The hardware module of the signal acquisition system for the miniature measuring instrument is then encapsulated. The force value of the miniature measuring instrument is calibrated and tested many times by using the microcomputer-controlled electronic universal testing machine. The experimental results show that the designed miniature measuring instrument has accurate data, strong stability and good real-time performance, which meets the demand for real-time accurate measurement of miniature measuring instrument, and can provide reliable data for parachute cords parameter validation and stepless unfolding design.

The nanocomposites with reversible cross-linking covalent bonds were prepared by reacting furfurylamine (FA)-modified diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and furfuryl-functionalized aniline trimer-modified graphene (TFAT-G) with bismaleimide (BMI) via Diels-Alder (DA) reaction. The successful synthesis of the TFAT modifier is confirmed by NMR hydrogen spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy tests. The structure and properties of TFAT-G epoxy nanocomposites are characterized by SEM, DSC, tensile and resistivity CES. The results show that TFAT-G was uniformly dispersed in the resin, and 1wt% TFAT-G composites increase to 233% for tensile strength, 63% for elongation at break, 66.1% for modulus and 7.8℃ for Tg. Overall, the graphene/self-healing resin nanocomposites have both good self-healing function and electrical conductivity by adding 1% modified graphene and still maintain the original 83% strength and 89% electrical conductivity after one cycle of heating repair.

With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), maintaining data confidentiality and protecting user privacy have become increasingly challenging. End devices in IoT are often deployed in unattended environments and connected to open networks, which can make them vulnerable to physical tampering and other security attacks. Different authentication key agreement (AKA) schemes have been validated to date, but most schemes do not cover the necessary security features or are incompatible with resource-constrained end devices. Besides, their security proofs have been performed under the real-or-random model, which is not guaranteed to be secure in real applications. To reduce the weaknesses, we present an AKA protocol for end devices and servers. The proposal leverages the ECC-based key exchange mechanism and one-way hash function-based message authentication method to achieve mutual authentication, user anonymity, and forward security. Formal security proof of the proposed scheme is performed under the standard model with the elliptic curve encryption computational assumptions, and an automatic formal verification was performed with ProVerif. Further, the performance comparison verifies that our scheme reduces computation and communication costs while providing improved security features.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of tea polyphenol （TP） on serum hormone, serum enzyme activity, antioxidant-related and immune-related gene expression of laying hens under heat stress. A total of 288 Chinese yellow chicken (186 days old) were randomly distributed among two treatments, each of which included 6 replicates of 24 hens. Dietary treatments were that the basal diet was supplemented with 200 mg / kg tea polyphenol. The study lasted for 7 weeks, including 1 week of adaptation and 6 weeks of the formal test. The content of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and total protein (TP) in serum significantly decreased by dietary supplementation with tea polyphenol. Dietary tea polyphenol supplementation improved serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activity and decreased serum malondialdehyde (MDA) content in treatments compared to the control. However, supplementation of tea polyphenol did not affect the activity of serum catalase (CAT). The results indicated that long-term feeding of tea polyphenols help to increase the amount of hormones (FSH, E2) associated with reproduction in laying hens and thus improve egg production. It also improved the immune function of laying hens in high temperature environments. Adding tea polyphenols to the diet can significantly increase the serum IgG, IgM content of the laying hens and can upregulate the IgA content. Dietary supplementation of tea polyphenols in the laying hens significantly increased the expression of antioxidant enzyme-related genes (SOD, CAT and GPX1) in the liver. Moreover, the addition of tea polyphenols significantly increased the expression of immune-related genes (Interferon-γ (INF-γ), Interleukin 2 (IL-2) and Interleukin 4 (IL-4)) in the spleen. It is concluded that addition of tea polyphenols has a positive effect on antioxidant activity and immune function of laying hens.

Image fusion is the process of combining multiple input images from single or multiple imaging modalities into a fused image, which is expected to be more informative for human or machine perception as compared to any of the input images. In this paper, we propose a novel method based on deep learning for fusing infrared images and visible images, named the LBP-based proportional input generative adversarial network (LPGAN). In the image fusion task, the preservation of structural similarity and image gradient information is contradictory, and it is difficult for both to achieve good performance at the same time. To solve this problem, we innovatively introduce Local Binary Patterns (LBP) into Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), which effectively utilize the texture features of the source images, so that the network has stronger feature extraction ability and anti-interference ability. In the feature extraction stage, we introduce a pseudo-siamese network for the generator to extract the detailed features and the contrast features. At the same time, considering the characteristic distribution of different modal images, we propose a 1:4 scale input mode. Extensive experiments on the publicly available TNO dataset and CVC14 dataset show that the proposed method achieves the state-of-the-art performance. We also test the universality of LPGAN through the fusion of RGB and infrared images on the RoadScene dataset. In addition, LPGAN is applied to multi-spectral remote sensing image fusion. Both qualitative and quantitative experiments demonstrate that our LPGAN can not only achieve good structural similarity, but also retain rich detailed information.

Here, a process for leaching vanadium from calcified roasting pellets (CPVC) of vanadium-titanium iron concentrate by a two-stage sulfuric acid cycle was proposed. When the silicon removal acid concentration of the pellet in the first stage was 1.5 mol/L, the solid-liquid ratio was 6: 1, the silicon removal acid concentration of the leaching solution was 3.0 mol/L, and the standing time was 48 h, the silica gel formation time was 23 h, the filtration time was 70 s, and the loss rates of vanadium and iron were 1.52% and 0.17%, respectively. When the acid concentration was 2 mol/L, at room temperature, using a leaching time of 28 days, and a solid-liquid ratio of 5: 1 in the second stage, the total leaching rates of vanadium and iron were 75.52% and 0.71%, respectively. The concentration of vanadium in the leaching solution reached 6.80 g/L, and vanadium was directly precipitated without extraction. After secondary roasting, the crushing strength of the pellets reached 2250 N, which met the requirement for blast furnace iron making. The Eh-pH diagrams of the V-Fe-H2O system at different temperatures were plotted. Thermodynamically, it was difficult to selectively leach vanadium and iron by changing the conventional acid leaching conditions. In addition, the pellets before and after leaching were analyzed. The grade of iron in the pellets increased slightly after leaching, and the main phases in the pellets remained as Fe2O3 and Fe9TiO15. The S in the sulfuric acid solution entered the leached pellets during the acid leaching reaction and was removed by the secondary roasting of the leached pellets.

Objective: Application of ERA methods to investigate the atmospheric pollution and built environment factors influencing lung cancer incidence rate in Chinese women. Methods: Lung cancer incidence rate among Chinese women at 339 cancer registries were obtained from the China Cancer Registry Annual Report 2017, air quality and built environment data were obtained from the Greenpeace and China Construction Yearbook. After multiple covariates variables were eliminated, an exploratory regression analysis was performed using the world standardized population incidence rate as the dependent variable. Air quality and built environment factors as the independent variable. Results: Shandong Peninsula, Hebei and Liaoning are high incidence rate areas of female lung cancer in China, with significant regional aggregation. In addition to air quality factors such as industrial smoke emission data, the association between built environmental factors such as urbanization rate, development LUI, population density and greening coverage of built-up areas and female lung cancer incidence rate is statistically significant. Conclusion: In addition to air quality factors, urban spatial factors can also significantly affect respiratory health. The LUI is positively while urbanization rates and population density are negatively correlated with the incidence rate of lung cancer. The role of green space for respiratory health has not been proven. In addition, there is little relationship between income and health, and similar findings are found for indicators such as the public transportation and roads network.

To elucidate the chemical compositions of the sugar fall maple leaves, the methanol extracts were firstly fractionated by ethyl acetate and n-butanol respectively. The phenolic acids-rich fractions (ethyl acetate extracts) were further purified by various chromatographic columns including XAD macroporous resin, Sephadex LH-20, ODS and semi-preparative HPLC to yield the compounds. The isolated compounds were characterized by ¹H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H-NMR), ¹³C-NMR, and high resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectral (HR-ESI-MS) spectroscopy. Twenty eight phenolics including fourteen flavonoids (1-14), five quinic acid derivatives (15-19), five galloyl tannins (20-24) and four other phenolic acids (25-28) were isolated and their structures were identified. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. All of the phenolics constituents showed DPPH scavenging antioxidant activities. While, glycosides of quercetin and myricetin, galloyl tannins were showed promising α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. All of the compounds except 4, 11, 12 and 28 were isolated from sugar maple for the first time. Moreover, Compounds 9, 10, 14, 20, 21, 23, 25 and 26 were isolated from the Acer species for the first time.

Brown-marbled grouper is one of the most important mariculture species in China, which is used as an important crossbreeding parent in grouper industry. Enhancing growth rates is a key target in fish breeding, and gaining insight into the underlying mechanisms responsible for growth differences among individuals can aid in the improvement of grouper growth rates. However, the mechanism behind this difference in growth in this fish is unclear. The difference of transcriptome profiles of muscle tissue between fast- and slow-growing brown-marbled grouper was analyzed by RNA-Seq. 77 significantly up-regulated genes and 92 significantly down-regulated genes were identified in the growth extreme groups. The up-regulated of ghr and tnni2 and the down-regulated of stc2 led to the growth advantages of brown-marbled grouper. The differently expressed genes (DEGs) were used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The results of GO enrichments indicated that the significantly upregulated genes in the fast-growing group were involved in protein folding, actin cytoskeleton, myosin complex, etc. The results of KEGG enrichments indicated that the significantly upregulated genes in the fast-growing group were involved in glycolysis/ gluconeogenesis, adipocytokine signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, carbon metabolism, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, etc. To analysis the difference gene sets between fast- and slow-growing group, the RNA-seq data were used by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The results showed that the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was up-regulated in the fast-growing group. The up-regulated of this pathway could lead to higher nutrient absorption efficiency and lead to muscle growth in the fast-growing group. These results contribute to understanding of the molecular mechanisms of fast growth and regulative pathways regulating growth in brown-marbled grouper.

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

TiC–high Mn steel-bonded carbide with a cellular structure was designed and fabricated by powder metallurgy techniques using coarse and fine TiC particles as the hard phase. This preparation process was carefully investigated and optimized. The microstructure of the TiC steel-bonded carbide was observed using a scanning electron microscope. Results showed that there are two types of microstructures in the TiC steel-bonded carbide: the coarse-grained TiC and fine-grained TiC. The transverse rupture strength and impact toughness of the alloy reach maximum values 2231 MPa and 12.87 J/cm2, respectively when the starting weight ratio of MP-A (containing coarse TiC particles) to MP-B (containing fine TiC particles) is 60:40. Hence, this study serves as a feasible example of how to prepare a high-strength and high-toughness TiC–high Mn steel-bonded carbide.

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.

The energy E takes the place of the gravitational mass m_G to produce gravity [1]. We wonder whether the inertial mass m_i in the inertial force is also replaced by E. The experiments to measure the inertial force and weight of a carrier are presented. Now we can test the principle of equivalence and study foundations of physics in condensed matter.

The compositions of metalliferous sediments which is associated with hydrothermal vents can provide reliable geochemical indicators for the exploration of seafloor sulfides. In this study, surface sediments from the Xunmei hydrothermal field (HF) on the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR) were selected, and their major and trace elements were analysed. The results showed that the sediments are composed of pelagic material (calcium biogenic components), basaltic debris, iron-manganese oxides, and a mixture of hydrothermal components. Additionally, the sediments were found to be significantly enriched in Cu, Zn, Fe and Co derived from hydrothermal sources, as well as Mn, V, Mo, U and P, which are primarily scavenged from seawater. The Cu and Zn concentrations are highest in the northeastern part of Xunmei, while the northeastern, northern, and southern parts are characterized by great inputs of hydrothermal Fe. Manganese and Mo are mainly enriched in the western and southern parts and show a strong positive correlation, indicating that Mo is mainly scavenged by Mn oxides. There are high positive correlations among U, P, and Fe, indicating their coprecipitation with Fe from hydrothermal plumes. Vanadium and Co are introduced into sediments in two ways, i.e., V is scavenged and coprecipitates from hydrothermal plumes, and Co is derived from sulfide debris. Based on the variations in Cu and Zn contents and in the Cu/Fe (0.159), Zn/Fe (0.158), and Fe/Mn (1440) ratios, it can be inferred that a high-temperature hydrothermal vent existed in northeastern Xunmei. In combination with the distribution patterns of the above elements, the hydrothermal vents in the southern part ceased erupting after a short period of activity. In addition, the high Mn anomaly and the high U/Fe ratios at the boundaries of the investigated area indicate the presence of a relatively oxidized environment in southwestern Xunmei.

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

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a vital economic vegetable crop, and TRM (TONNEAU1 Recruiting Motif) gene plays a key role in cucumber organ growth. However, the pan-genomic characteristics of the TRM gene family and their expression patterns under different stresses have not been reported in cucumber. In this study, we identified 29 CsTRMs from the pan-genomes of 13 cucumber accessions, with CsTRM29 existing only in PI183967. Most CsTRM proteins exhibited differences in sequence length, except five CsTRMs having consistent protein sequence lengths among the 13 accessions. All CsTRM proteins showed amino acid variations. Analysis of CsTRM gene expression patterns revealed that six CsTRM genes strongly changed in short-fruited lines compared with long-fruited lines. And four CsTRM genes strongly responded to salt and heat stress, while CsTRM14 showed responses to salt stress, powdery mildew, gray mold and downy mildew. Some CsTRM genes were induced or suppressed at different treatment timepoint, suggesting that cucumber TRM genes may play different roles in responses to different stresses, with expression patterns varying with stress changes. Remarkably, the expression of CsTRM21 showed considerable change between long and short fruit and in responses to abiotic stresses (salt stress, heat stress) as well as biotic stresses (powdery mildew, gray mold), suggesting a dual role of CsTRM21 in both fruit shape determination and stress resistance. Collectively, this study provided a base for further functional identification of CsTRM genes in cucumber plant growth and stress resistance.

In tobacco plants, symbiont endophytic fungi are widely distributed in all tissues where they play important roles. It is therefore important to determine the species distribution and characteristics of endophytic fungi in tobacco. Here, two parasitic fungi Leptosphaerulina chartarum and Curvularia trifolii were isolated and identified from normal tobacco tissue. We sequenced the mitogenomes of these two species and analysed their features, gene content, and evolutionary histories. The L. chartarum and C. trifolii mitochondrial genomes were 68,926 bp and 59,100 bp long circular molecules with average GC contents of 28.60% and 29.31%, respectively. The L. chartarum mitogenome contained 36 protein coding genes, 26 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes (rrnL and rrnS), which were located on both strands. The C. trifolii mitogenome contained 26 protein coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes (rrnL and rrnS). The L. chartarum 26 tRNAs ranged from 70 bp to 84 bp in length, whereas the 29 tRNAs in C. trifolii ranged from 71 bp to 85 bp. L. chartarum and C. trifolii mtDNAs had an identical mitochondrial gene order and orientation and were phylogenetically identified as sisters. These data therefore provide an understanding of the gene content and evolutionary history of species within Pleosporales.

In recent years, functional fluidic electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pumps have attracted considerable attention due to their remarkable features, such as simple structure, quiet operation, and energy-efficient utilization. EHD liquid pumps can be used in various industrial applications, like flow transfer, thermal management, and actuator drive. In this paper, the author reviewed EHD liquid pump research in these specific aspects: the first observation of the EHD effect, its mathematical modeling, and the choice of pump structure, electrode configuration, and working medium. Based on the review, a summary of the development and latest research on EHD pumps can be provided for the readers.

The four-way reversing valve is a key component determining whether a heat pump air conditioning system can work. Studying the four-way reversing valve is of great significance for improving the performance of the heat pump air conditioning system. In this paper, the control equation of the sliding block movement process is constructed to simulate the reversing process of the four-way reversing valve in fluid mechanics, and a detailed study is carried out from the sliding block speed, sliding block acceleration, sliding block force, refrigerant leakage, and other aspects. Research has shown that optimizing the structure of the slider can greatly improve the working performance of the four-way reversing valve. Increasing the height of the slider not only improves the pressure relief ability of the four-way reversing valve and prevents the slider from being damaged by high-pressure gas impact, but also reduces the leakage of refrigerant during the directional process; When reducing the length of the slider, although it will improve the pressure relief capacity of the four-way reversing valve, it also increases the amount of refrigerant leakage. The research results provide a theoretical basis and improvement direction for designers to improve the performance of four-way reversing valves.

As commonly used chemical plasticizers in plastic products, phthalate esters had become a serious ubiquitous environmental pollutant, such as in soil of plastic film mulch culture. Microbial degradation or transformation was regarded as a suitable strategy to solve the phthalate esters pollution. Thus, a new phthalate esters degrading strain Gordonia sp. GZ-YC7 was isolated in this study, which exhibited the highest di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate degradation efficiency under 1000 mg/L and the strongest tolerance to 4000 mg/L. The comparative genomic analysis showed that there exist diverse degradation pathways for various phthalate esters such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and dibutyl phthalate in Gordonia sp. GZ-YC7, which possibly contributes to its broad substrate spectrum, high degrading efficiency and high tolerance to phthalate esters. Gordonia sp. GZ-YC7 is potential for bioremediation of phthalate esters in polluted soil environments.

A comprehensive evaluation system of rural building energy consumption from the innovative composite perspective was established, which was suitable for southwest of China. The index system was established by Brainstorming method and Delphi method, the weights of the comprehensive evaluation model were calculated by Network Process (ANP) method, the scoring criteria of all evaluation indexes were leveld based on fuzzy evaluation theory. The system model was verified by case analysis, at the countryside around Chengdu Second Circle. With the highest weight, lowest comprehensive score, and broadest range of comprehensive scores taken into consideration, three key factors affecting the target layer, namely "Percentage of Clean Energy Use", "Thermal Performance of Exterior Walls", and "Implementation Rate of Energy saving Measures". The distribution of comprehensive indicators and evaluation factors has certain spatial distribution characteristics, and the overall spatial distribution shows a characteristic of "high in the southeast and low in the northwest". Finally, Based on key factors and regional distribution characteristics, energy-saving measures have been proposed from three aspects: increasing sunrooms, adding wall insulation layers, and standardizing air conditioning temperature settings.

The lower reaches of the Changhua River are located in the northwest of Hainan Island, and the shallow groundwater in this area is the main water source for residents living at both sides of the river. In order to sustain the exploitation and use of water resources in this area, it is essential to clarify the chemical characteristics and the formation mechanism of the groundwater. We collected 100 sets of shallow groundwater samples from the lower reaches of the Changhua River, and analyzed the chemical characteristics of the groundwater in shallow aquifers as well as its controlling factors by means of the methods including descriptive statistical analysis, Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, and ion ratio. The results show that the overall characteristics of groundwater in the study area are near-neutral to weakly alkaline nature, indicating a generally oxidized environment. The groundwater involves in 56 chemical types, and the most predominant types are Ca•Na-HCO3 and Ca-HCO3, respectively. NO- 3 has become a macro component exceeding SO2- 4in most of the sampling groundwater, suggesting a significant impact of human activities in this area. At the same time, the chemical characteristics of groundwater in the study area are mainly affected by the water-rock interaction, while the water-rock interaction is mostly affected by the dissolution of silicate rocks and less by the dissolution of carbonate rocks and evaporite rocks. According to the ion ratio results, Na+ and K+ in the study area are mainly from the leaching of silicate rocks, Ca2+ and Mg2+ are mainly from the dissolution of carbonate rocks, in addition to a certain degree of cationic exchange. NO- 3 is mainly related to human activities, and the human activities are more affected by agricultural activities and domestic sewage than by industrial and mining activities. This study can provide a reference for the development and protection of shallow groundwater in the lower reaches of the Changhua River.

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to valuable chemicals can alleviate the energy crisis, and solve the greenhouse effect. The key is to develop non-noble metal electrocatalysts with high activity, selectivity and stability. Herein, bimetallic MOF materials (BiZn-MOF, BiSn-MOF and BiIn-MOF) were constructed by coordinating the P-zone transition metals Zn, In, Sn and Bi with the organic ligand 3-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5-carboxylic acid (H2atzc) through a rapid microwave synthesis approach. The coordination centers in bimetallic MOF Catalyst were regulated to optimize the catalytic performance to CO2RR. The optimized catalyst BiZn-MOF exhibited high catalytic activity than those of Bi-MOF, BiSn-MOF and BiIn-MOF. The BiZn-MOF exhibited a higher selectivity for formate production with a Faradic efficiency (FE=92%) at a potential of -0.9 V (vs. RHE) with a current density of 13 mA/cm2. The current density maintained for 13 h continuous electrolysis. The electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid mainly follows the *OCHO pathway. The good catalytic performance of BiZn-MOF may be attributed to the Bi-Zn bimetallic coordination centers in the MOF, which can reduce the binding energies of the reaction intermediates by tuning the electronic structure and atomic arrangement. This study provides a feasible strategy for performance optimization of bismuth-based catalysts.

China is rich in coal resources under water bodies. However, for a long time, the safety prediction of high-intensity mining under water bodies is one of the problems encountered by the coal industry. It is of great significance to realize safe mining under water bodies, improve the recovery rate of coal resources and protect reservoir resources. Therefore, this article takes the No. 5 coal seam and No. 11 mining area of Wangwa Coal Mine as the research object, and integrates physical simulation, numerical simulation, theoretical analysis and other methods to study the development height of water-conducting fracture zones in fully mechanized top coal caving mining. Solid-liquid coupling physical simulation test reveals the failure characteristics of overlying strata in goaf and the seepage law of reservoir water under the influence of mining. By comparing the monitoring data of borehole leakage, the measured data obtained by borehole peeping with the height data of water-conducting fracture zone obtained by the traditional empirical formula of three-under standard, the error between the two is as high as -29.39 %. In this case, the variance correction coefficient is used to correct the empirical formula, and on this basis, in order to effectively protect the surface water dam and water body, the mining height of coal seam in the working face with limited height mining is inversely derived. The research results provide a basis for the safety prediction of high-intensity mining under the reservoir dam in the ecologically fragile areas of western China and provide a scientific guarantee for the formulation of safety measures under such conditions.

The exceptional performance of graphene has driven the advancement of its preparation technique and application. Laser-induced graphene (LIG), as a novel graphene preparation technique, has been applied in various fields. Graphene periodic structures created by LIG technique exhibit superhydrophobic characteristics and can be used for deicing and anti-icing applications, which are significantly influenced by the laser parameters. The laser surface treatment process was simulated by a finite element software analysis (COMSOL Multiphysics) to optimize the scanning parameter range, and the linear array surface structure were subsequently fabricated by the LIG technique. The generation of graphene was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The periodic linear array structure were observed by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser imaging (CLSM). In addition, CLSM testings, contact angle measurements, and delayed icing experiments were systematically performed to investigate the effect of scanning speed on surface hydrophobicity. The results show that the high quality and uniform graphene can be achieved using the laser scanning speed of 125 mm/s. The periodic linear array structures can obviously increase the contact angle and suppress delayed icing. Furthermore, these structures have the enhanced ability of the electric heating deicing, which can reach 100°C and 240°C within 15 s and within 60 s under the DC voltage power supply ranging from 3 to 7 V, respectively. These results indicate that the LIG technique can be developed to provide an efficient, economical, and convenient approach for preparing graphene and the hydrophobic surface array structure based on LIG has considerable potential for deicing and anti-icing applications.

Breast cancer is a complex and heterogeneous disease that displays diverse molecular subtypes and clinical outcomes. Although it is known that the location of tumors can affect their biological behavior, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In our previous study, we found a differential methylation profile and membrane potential between left (L) and right (R)-sided breast tumors. In this current study, we aimed to identify the ion channels responsible for this phenomenon and determine any associated phenotypic features. To achieve this, experiments were conducted in mammary tumors in mice, human patient samples, and with data from public datasets. The results revealed that L-sided tumors have a more depolarized state than R-ones. We identified a 6-ion channel-gene signature (CACNA1C, CACNA2D2, CACNB2, KCNJ11, SCN3A, and SCN3B) associated with side: L-tumors exhibit lower expression levels than R-ones. Additionally, in silico analyses show that the signature correlates inversely with DNA methylation writers and with key biological processes involved in cancer progression, such as proliferation and stemness. The signature also correlates inversely with patients’ survival rates. In an in vivo mouse model, we confirmed that KI67 and CD44 markers were increased in L-sided tumors and similar tendency for KI67 was found in patient L-tumors. Overall, this study provides new insights into the potential impact of anatomical location on breast cancer biology and highlights the need for further investigation into possible differential treatment options.

The high flammability and lack of charrability of polystyrene (PS) pose significant limitations on its broader applications. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a straightforward and efficient method for the synthesis of flame-retardant PS, which still poses a considerable challenge. In this study, we present an efficient approach to enhance the flame-retardant properties of PS through direct phosphorylating aromatic C(sp2)-H bonds using commercially available and inexpensive manganese catalyst. A range of phosphonates served as reactive substrates to enable a tunable degree of polymer functionalization. The corresponding phosphorylated PS specimens were determined by means of 1H NMR, 31P NMR, FTIR spectroscopy and GPC. Microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) tests indicate that this protocol indeed enhances the flame-retardant performance of PS. Moreover, other advantages associated with the incorporation of the phosphonate group have been observed, including improved thermal resistance and wettability. This cost-effective strategy of Mn-catalyzed C-H can also be utilized to directly obtain phosphonate modification of waste foamed PS and styrene acrylonitrile copolymer, providing a new method for the purpose of recycling and upgrading PS plastics.

The Chinese honeybee (Apis cerana cerana) sacbrood virus (CSBV) causes death of larvae and colony collapse, and could damage the beekeeping industry in China. We sequenced complete genomes of CSBV strains derived from the Maerkang area, Wenjiang area, and Wanyuan area of Sichuan province of China. The genome length of CSBV strains from Sichuan was 8863bp, and it contained one complete Open Reading Frame of a gene with 8544 bp that encoded a protein with 2848 amino acids. The (G+C) % and (A+T) % composition ranged from 40.6 to 40.7 and 59.3 to 59.4, respectively. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the three CSBV strains and previously reported SBV and CSBV sequences from other regions. We found that viral strains clustered based on their region of origin and host species. The genetic sequences of the CSBV strain from Maerkang were 98.7% and 99.6% similar to CSBV strains from Wanyuan and Wenjiang, respectively. In addition, CSBV from Maerkang had 88.4%-95.2% sequence similarity to previously published genomes of CSBV or SBV from other areas. The VP1 gene sequenced in our study had a 43 bp deletion compared to VP1 sequences of CSBV from other regions in Asia. We detected 10 antigenic determinants on the VP1 protein of CSBV form Aba. Our study provides new insight into the diversity of CSBV strains in China and may help with identifying methods to prevent infection of honeybee colonies.

: Background: The polysaccharides are one of the main active ingredients of Polygonum sibiricum (PSP), which is a traditional food and medicine homologues in China. The antidepressant-like effects of PSP and its underlying mechanisms remain to be studied in depth, especially the regulation of microglial polarization. Methods: The chemical composition and structural characteristics of PSP was determined firstly. The CUMS procedure was carried out to the zebrafish for 5 weeks and PSP were immersed administration for 9 days (1 h/d). The body weight of zebrafish was monitored and the behavioral tests, including the novel tank test and light and dark tank test, were performed to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of PSP. Then the function of HPI axis, the levels of peripheral inflammation, neuronal and blood-brain barrier damage in mesencephalon and telencephalon and the mRNA expression of M1/M2 phenotype genes in brain were examined. Results: PSP samples had the typical structure characteristics of polysaccharide, consisting of glucose, mannose and galactose with the average Mw 20.48 kDa, which owned a porous and agglomerated morphology. Compared with untreated zebrafish, the depression-like behaviors of CUMS-induced zebrafish were significantly attenuated. PSP significantly decreased the levels of cortisol and the pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased the levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines in the body of CUMS-induced depressive zebrafish. Furthermore, neuronal and blood-brain barrier damage in mesencephalon and telencephalon and the mRNA expression of M1/M2 phenotype genes in brain were remarkably reversed by PSP. Conclusion: These findings indicated that the antidepressant-like effects of PSP were related to alter the HPI axis hyperactivation, suppress peripheral inflammation, inhibit neuroinflammation induced by microglia hyperactivation, and modulate microglial M1/M2 polarization. The current study provides foundation to the future exploitation of PSP in the functional foods of emotional regulation.

The cooking method is extremely important for the production of low-salt, wet-marinated, fermented golden pomfret because it strongly influences its flavor components and organoleptic quality. There are also significant differences in flavor preferences in different populations. The present study analyzed differences in the aroma characteristics of wet-marinated fermented golden pomfret after boiling, steaming, microwaving, air frying and baking using a combination of an electronic nose, GC-IMS and SPME-GC-MS. Electronic nose PCA showed that the flavors of the boiled (A), steam (B) and microwave (C) treatment groups were similar, and the flavors of baking (D) and air frying (E) were similar. A total of 72 flavor compounds were detected in the GC-IMS analysis, and comparative analysis of the cooked wet-marinated and fermented golden pomfret yielded a greater abundance of flavor compounds. SPME-GC-MS analysis detected 108 flavor compounds, and the results were similar to the baking and air frying. Twelve key flavor substances, including hexanal, isovaleraldehyde, and (E)-2-dodecenal, were identified by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and VIP analysis. These results show that cooking method is a key factor in the flavor distribution of wet-marinated fermented golden pomfret, and consumers can choose the appropriate cooking method accordingly.

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

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) monolayers exhibit unique valleytronics properties due to the dependency of the coupled valley and spin state at the hexagonal corner of the first Brillouin zone. Precisely controlling valley spin-polarization via manipulating the electron population enables its application in valley-based memory or quantum technologies. This study uncovered the uncompensated spins of the antiferromagnetic oxide (NiO) serving as the ferromagnetic (FM) order to induce valley spin-polarization in molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) monolayers via the magnetic proximity effect (MPE). A spin-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy (SR-PL) was employed to observe MoS₂, where the spin-polarized trions appear to be responsible for the MPE, leading to a valley magnetism. Results indicate that local FM order from the uncompensated surface of NiO could successfully induce significant valley spin-polarization in MoS₂ with the depolarization temperature approximately at 100 K, which is relatively high compared to related literature. This study reveals new perspectives and potential of AFM materials in the field of exchange-coupled van der Waals heterostructures.

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

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), is a notorious migratory pest. After invading China in 2019, the species has established as a year-round breeding population in most of the southern provinces. The area of winter corn in this region has been increasing due to the huge demand of fresh corn consumption which is potentially at risk from this invasive, although S. frugiperda growth and development under changing climate in this region is unclear, particularly the rising temperature during night period. Here we used highest daily temperatures of 27℃, 24℃, 20℃ and night temperatures that were 2℃, 4℃, 6℃ lower giving three daily temperature treatments reflective of winter conditions; GroupⅠ: 27-21℃, 27-23℃, 27-25℃, Group Ⅱ: 24-18℃, 24-20℃, 24-22℃, and Group Ⅲ: 20-14℃, 20-16℃, 20-18℃; to evaluate the effect of increasing night temperature on growth and development of S. frugiperda. Results show that the survival rate of larvae and pupae significantly declined with the daily temperature declining and the night temperature range increasing. Significant developmental effects were observed in all day-night temperature treatment, except for adults, with significant interaction effects for all stages except egg and generation time. Development rate accelerated along with the increasing daily temperature and night temperature, except for the intermediate treatments (Group Ⅱ). The uniformity of pupation and emergence times are higher in high daily temperatures and night temperature. Predictions of FAW development and warnings to local farmers need to be adjusted to take into account the more rapid development. These results will support decision makers to develop long-term management strategies for FAW in southern China.

With permafrost degenerating caused by climate change, water accumulation increases in permafrost regions during last decades. Water accumulation will deteriorate existing status of engineering in cold regions. Water accumulation can make a thermal effect on permafrost under construction, even result in failure of the subgrade. Moreover, the thermal effect is related to water temperature. However, temperature variation of water accumulation is complex, and its influence factors include air temperature, environment, scope of water accumulation and so on. In order to make analysis of the damage mechanism of water accumulation on permafrost, it is necessary to explore the internal temperature change of water accumulation. This paper proposes a review about temperature calculation method of water accumulation in cold environment. The thermal calculation method between air and water boundary of water accumulation is summarized. Water temperature change of water accumulation with various type is analyzed. The thermal calculation considering phase transformation in water accumulation is discussed, and heat transfer from the bottom of water accumulation to the underlying soil is further studied. Finally, the key factors which are advantageous to make research about the thermal effect of water accumulation in permafrost is proposed to optimize calculation method.

Since the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) at the hardest-hit city of Wuhan, the fast-moving spread has killed over three hundred people and infected more than ten thousands in China¹. There are more than one hundred cases outside of China, affecting a dozen of countries globally². The genome sequence of 2019-nCoV has been reported and fast diagnostic kits, effective treatment as well as preventive vaccines are rapidly being developed³. Initial fast-growing confirmed cases triggered lock-down of Wuhan as well as nearby cities in Hubei Province. Mathematical models have been proposed by scientists around the world to project the numbers of infected cases in the coming days ^4,5. However, major factors such as transportation and cultural customs have not been weighed enough. Our model is not set out for precise prediction of the number of infected cases, rather, it is meant for a glance of the dynamics under a public epidemic emergency situation and of different contributing factors. We hope that our model and simulation would provide more insights and perspective information to public health authorities around the globe for better informed prevention and containment solution.

Although the Slicing Method (SM) is effective for calculating the volume of point cloud objects (PCOs), it is restricted in terms of applicability and practicability because of a certain contingency and directional defects. The Co-Opposite-Direction Slicing Method (CODSM) proposed in this paper is an improved method for calculating PCO volume by increasing parallel (co-opposite-direction) observation and considering the two-way mean as the result. This method takes full advantage of the mutual offsetting of random errors and the compensation of systematic directional errors, which can effectively overcome (or mitigate) the effect of random errors and reduce the effect of systematic errors in SM. In this paper, two typical objects, a cone model and a stone lion base, are the examples for calculating PCO volume using CODSM. The results show that CODSM has all the inherent advantages of SM and effectively weakens the volatility of random errors and the directionality of systematic errors from SM. Therefore, CODSM is a robust configuration upgrade of SM.

Abstract：Commuting of residents in big city often brings tidal traffic pressure or congestions. Understanding the causes behind this phenomenon is of great significance for urban space optimization. Various spatial big data make possible the fine description of urban residents travel behaviors, and bring new approaches to related studies. The present study focuses on two aspects: one is to obtain relatively accurate features of commuting behaviors by using mobile phone data, and the other is to simulate commuting behaviors of residents through the agent-based model and inducing backward the causes of congestion. Taking the Baishazhou area of Wuhan, a local area of a mega city in China, as a case study, travel behaviors of commuters are simulated: the spatial context of the model is set up using the existing urban road network and by dividing the area into travel units; then using the mobile phone call detail records (CDR) of a month, statistics of residents' travel during the four time slots in working day mornings are acquired and then used to generated the OD matrix of travels at different time slots; and then the data are imported into the model for simulation. By the preset rules of congestion, the agent-based model can effectively simulate the traffic conditions of each traffic intersection, and can also induce backward the causes of traffic congestion using the simulation results and the OD matrix. Finally, the model is used for the evaluation of road network optimization, which shows evident effects of the optimizing measures adopted in relieving congestion, and thus also proves the value of this method in urban studies.

The color changes corresponding to chromophore structures in lignin caused by exposure of Eucalyptus（Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla）to heat were investigated. Eucalyptus wood samples were heated in saturated steam atmospheres for 10 h at 110℃, 130℃, and 150℃. The lignin was isolated before and after heat treatment. The physicochemical properties of the lignin and changes in chromophore structures during heat treatment was evaluated through wet chemical analysis, FTIR, UV-Vis, GPC, XPSand 13C-NMR. The color of the wood became darker and redder with the increase in pressure and temperature. Depolymerization and dehydration reactions occurred via demethoxylation with heat treatment in saturated steam at 110℃ or 130℃. Lignin condensed to form insoluble compounds after heat treatment in saturated steam at 150℃. G units increased and S units decreased through demethylation during heat treatment, as revealed by FTIR and 13C-NMR analysis.

This study investigated the fatigue properties and interfacial strengthening mechanisms of Al6061-to-Cu dissimilar welded joints via electromagnetic pulse welding (EMPW). The load-bearing capacity of the joints at discharge voltages of 14 kV and 16 kV was superior to that of 12 kV. Meanwhile, the fatigue life of 14 kV joints was one order of magnitude higher than that of 12 kV. The SEM observation on the fatigue fracture surface shows that the typical “tire-mark” fatigue striation just appeared on the 14 kV joint, indicating higher ductility for handling more extended plastic deformation. The high EBSD acquisition was achieved except for the transition zone due to the formation of ultra-fine nanocrystalline Al2Cu phase and amorphous phase, along with many dislocations. Dense low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) and refined grains are formed along the bonding interface. This indicates that severe plastic deformation induced dislocations to form the substructure in such an instant (40-60 μs) during the high-velocity collision. The interfacial strength is not only due to the continuous interfacial diffusion layer with a “wave-like” or “inverted hook-like” pattern but also benefits from refined grains along the interface and in the transition zone, as well as the hybrid amorphous-nanocrystalline microstructure, which strengthens the joint through increasing ductility induced by refined grains and regulating amorphous or nanocrystalline phases to affect the balance between strength and ductility of the Al/Cu joint.

Efficient quality evaluation provides support for the timely and good maintenance of the lane line marking. This paper searches and optimizes the back propagation(BP) network model which referred to the analytic hierarchy process(AHP) model structure, as well as the number of nodes in the middle layer network. Based on this, a comprehensive evaluation method of multi-dimensional lane line quality such as shape, color and contrast is established. The experimental results show that the parameters of the model are more simplified, and the scoring and classification results of lane lines are more accurate.

Xinjiang, as a climate-sensitive region in northwest China, holds significant importance in studying extreme weather events for agricultural production and socioeconomic development. Based on data from 52 meteorological stations and 23 extreme climate indicators in Xinjiang from 1960 to 2021, the 5a moving average, linear trend estimation, climate tendency rate, and GIS spatial analysis methods are used to analyze the distribution and change characteristics of extreme climate. The results revealed that from 1960 to 2021, TXx, TNx, TXn, TNn, FD, ID, TN10p, TX10p, and WSDI showed a significant upward trend, while SU, TR, TN90p, TX90p, and CSDI showed a significant downward trend. What is more, the range of changes in the extreme temperature indexes from 1990 to 2021 is higher than that of 1960 to 1989. The high-value areas of extreme indexes are primarily concentrated in the northern part, while the high-value areas of cold event indexes are mainly distributed in the southern part. The upward/downward trends all accounting for over 80.00% of the entire region. The Rx1day, Rx5day, PRCPTOT, R95p, R99p, R10, R20, and R25 showed a significant growth trend from 1960 to 2021, and the range of change in the extreme precipitation indexes from 1990 to 2021 was lower than that from 1960 to 1989. Moreover, their high-value areas and high climate tendency areas are mainly concentrated in the northern and western parts of Xinjiang, with upward trends all accounting for over 71.00% of the entire region. The research results provide theoretical foundations for formulating climate risk strategies in the northwest region of China.

3,4-Dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-ones represent a class of valuable bioactive compounds with six-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic structures. The development of simple, mild and efficient synthetic methods has been widely concerned by synthetic chemists. In this review, we have summarized a series of different synthetic strategies for the synthesis of dihydroquinoline-2(1H)-ones via catalytic annulation of α,β-unsaturated N-arylamides in the past decade, including covering electrophilic cyclization, radical initiated cyclization and photochemical cyclization reactions. Besides, the substrate scope and mechanistic details are also discussed. This paper will provide a useful reference for the development of diverse synthesis methodologies of 3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-ones.

The diamagnetic levitation technique can be applied to non-destructive testing for identifying cracks and defects in magnetic materials. Pyrolytic graphite is a material that can be leveraged in micromachines due to its no-power diamagnetic levitation on a permanent magnet (PM) array. However, the damping force applied to pyrolytic graphite prevents it from maintaining con-tinuous motion along the PM array. This paper investigates the in-plane motion and damping characteristics of pyrolytic graphite sheets on the PM array. The centroid of pyrolytic graphite will maintain a stable levitation when positioned on the intersecting point of the PM array. Fur-thermore, the in-plane motion of two different pyrolytic graphite sizes - PG10 (10×10×0.5mm3) and PG20 (20×20×0.5mm3) - has revealed that the in-plane forces applied to them are approximately 61.4μN and 28.2μN, respectively. The smaller sheet has a shorter oscillation time while oscillating before it stabilizes. The damping ratio of the oscillation was between 0.1-0.2. The in-plane force and the stable time of pyrolytic graphite are related to its size ratio in comparison with the PM. This relationship is believed to promote stability, as the force acting on the graphite sheet will be distributed over a larger area when the sheet size increases. During the fixed-axis rotation process, the study found that the friction coefficient and friction force decreased as the rotational speed decreased. The diamagnetic levitation of pyrolytic diamagnetic levitation is also unable to maintain long-term axial rotation. Finally, friction force was tested using PG10 during fixed-axis rotation above a circular PM array. The results showed that the order of the friction coefficient is 10-3, and the friction force is about 0.8μN, decreasing with graphite rotation speed. We hope this technique will be used in crack detection, magnetic detection and other micromachine.

In-situ grown C_0.3N_0.7Ti and SiC, which derived from non-oxide additives Ti₃SiC₂, are proposed to densify silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ceramics with enhanced mechanical performance. Remarkable increase of density from 79.20% to 95.48% could be achieved for Si₃N₄ ceramics with 5vol% Ti₃SiC₂. The capillarity of decomposed Si from Ti₃SiC₂, and in-situ reaction between nonstoichiometric TiC_x and Si₃N₄ were believed to be responsible for densification of Si₃N₄ ceramics. An obvious enhancement of flexural strength and fracture toughness for Ti₃SiC₂ doped Si₃N₄ ceramics was observed. The maximum flexural strength of 795 MPa for Si₃N₄ composites with 5vol% Ti₃SiC₂ and maximum fracture toughness of 6.97 MPa^.m^1/2 for Si₃N₄ composites with 20vol% Ti₃SiC₂ are achieved when mixed powders are hot-press sintered at 1700℃. Pull out of elongated Si₃N₄ grains, crack bridging, crack branching and crack deflection were demonstrated to dominate enhance fracture toughness of Si₃N₄ composites.