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Compared to offline measurement (interrupting the applied voltage before measurement), online measurement of surface charge on gas‐insulated transmission line (GIL) insulators effectively avoids the impact of spontaneous dissipation of charges. Thus, the accuracy of results can be improved. In this article, a measurement model of capacitive electrostatic probes for surface charges on ±320 kV GIL tri‐post insulator is established. The geometry of probes is optimized. The feasibility of online measurement of surface charges is analyzed. Results indicate that the surface leakage distance of induced charges is positively related to the length. Furthermore, as the diameter of probes increases, the maximum electric field on the sensitive electrode surface rises, while the radius of the sensitive electrode has the opposite effect. Hence, the diameter of the probe is 6 mm. The length and radius of sensitive electrodes are 50 mm and 1.2 mm, respectively. For online measurement of surface charges on ±320 kV tri‐post insulators, the induced potential distribution of the probe is consistent with surface charges. Therefore, the capacitive electrostatic probe in the embedded electrode is appropriate for the online measurement of surface charges on tri‐post insulators. It provides a reference for avoiding flashover triggered by surface charge accumulation on DC GIL insulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by abundant immature myeloid cells, relapse and refractory due to leukemia stem cells (LSCs). Bone marrow mesenchymal stem/ stromal cells (BMSCs) supported LSCs survival, meanwhile, chemotherapy improved connexin43 (CX43) expression. CX43, as the most intercellular gap junction, facilitated transmit mitochondria from BMSCs into AML. We hypothesized that increased mitochondria transferred from BMSCs supported metabolic remodeling in LSCs to sustain their stemness. Methods: Primary BMSCs from AML patients were isolated. CX43-BMSCs, overexpressing CX43, were cocultured with KG-1a cells. Fluorescence and confocal microscopy observed mitochondrial transfer. Flow cytometry, EdU assay, and clonogenicity evaluated cell cycle, proliferation, and clonogenic potential. Xenograft mouse models were used to evaluate the tumorigenicity of KG-1a in vivo. Seahorse, RNA-seq, and LC-MS assessed mitochondrial function, transcriptomes, and metabolites post-coculture. Results: CX43-BMSCs promoted unidirectional mitochondrial transfer, enhancing KG-1a adhesion and proliferation to maintain LSCs stemness in vitro and vivo. RNA-seq revealed coculture with CX43-BMSCs upregulated genes related to adhesion, proliferation, and migration in KG-1a cells. Elevated CX43 expression strengthened BMSCs-KG-1a interaction, facilitating mitochondrial transfer and nucleoside metabolism, fueling KG-1a cells. This enhanced mitochondrial energy metabolism, promoting metabolic reprogramming and clonogenicity. Conclusion: CX43-mediated mitochondrial transfer from BMSCs to KG-1a enhances LSCs adhesion, proliferation, clonogenicity, and metabolic reprogramming. CX43 emerges as a potential therapeutic target for AML by sustaining LSCs stemness through metabolic remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer (CC), closely linked to persistent human papillomavirus infection, represents a major health problem for women worldwide. The objective of this study is to elucidate KIF23's role in the development of CC and its regulatory mechanism. Methods: The bioinformatics methods were utilized to extract pyroptosis‐associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pivot genes from the GSE9750 and GSE63678 datasets, followed by immune infiltration analysis and quantification of these genes' expression. The effects of kinesin family member 23 (KIF23) were verified through functional experiments in vitro and a mouse xenograft model. The NLPR3 activator, nigericin, was applied for further analyzing the potential regulatory mechanism of KIF23 in CC. Results: A total of 8 pyroptosis‐related DEGs were screened out, among which 4 candidate core genes were identified as candidate hub genes and confirmed upregulation in CC tissues and cells. These genes respectively showed a positive correlation with the infiltration of distinct immune cells or tumor purity. Downregulation of KIF23 could suppress the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities in CC cells and tumorigenesis through enhancing pyroptosis. Conversely, KIF23 overexpression accelerated the malignant phenotypes of CC cells and inhibited pyroptosis activation, which was blocked by nigericin treatment. Conclusions: KIF23 may play an oncogenic role in CC progression via inhibition of the NLRP3‐mediated pyroptosis pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study, Chinese dried noodles (CHDNs) were fortified with unhulled flaxseed flour (UHFF) and hulled flaxseed flour (HFF). The effects on texture properties and antioxidant activity during different storage conditions were investigated. The quality of wheat noodles can be significantly enhanced when UHFF and HFF were determined as 5% and 10%, respectively. During storage under various conditions for 60 days, the hardness, chewiness, total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of the CHDNs gradually decreased over time. However, the resistance and extensibility initially increased and then declined in semi‐closed packaging storage under accelerated conditions. Antioxidant activity was found to have significant correlations with texture, packaging of flaxseed CHDNs during storage. In general, fully closed‐packaging CHDNs should be stored at room temperature; flaxseed CHDNs in semi‐closed packaging are recommended to be stored in cold storage, which is conducive to maintaining their texture and antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aronia berry has a strong unpleasant astringency, however, few approaches have been developed to modify it. This study aims to screen out the suitable proteins to mitigate astringency in aronia juice, elucidate the interaction mechanism, and evaluate the digestive stability of formed complexes. Among proteins tested, two egg white powders (original P-110 and modified M-200) were the optimal ones with 0.5 % (w /w) addition to effectively reduce astringency. At room temperature (25 °C), the interaction of proanthocyanidins (PAs) with both P-110 and M-200 was spontaneous, endothermic, and majorly driven by hydrophobic interaction. The binding affinity of PAs with M-200 is stronger than that with P-110. On the other hand, the egg white protein-PA aggregates enhanced the stability of PAs during digestion, allowing more PAs to reach gut microbiota to exert their bioactivities. This study improves fundamental understanding of egg white protein-PAs interaction and provides a practical processing approach for aronia industry. [Display omitted] • Egg white powders can effectively reduce the astringency intensity of aronia juice. • The interaction between proanthocyanidins and egg white proteins was characterized. • Two egg white proteins had varying binding affinities with proanthocyanidins (PAs). • Aggregation of PAs with egg white proteins enhanced PAs stability during digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the novel design of the technology acceptance model to create a predictive model of whether or not people will accept Taekwondo safety gear. A survey containing 28 items was completed by 200 collegiate Taekwondo practitioners associated with the Taekwondo Association. A significance level of 0.05 was employed for the correlation and structural equation modeling analyses. The perceived usefulness of the proposed system is practical compared to the existing system, which is significantly influenced by perceived quality. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were also unaffected by visual beauty. Wearability had a substantial impact on perceived ease of use but significantly negatively impacted perceived usefulness. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were not affected by the functionality of the proposed system. Perceived usefulness is significantly influenced by perceived ease of use, and the acceptance intention is affected by perceived usefulness which also affects the system's performance. These findings imply that increasing the device's perceived quality and wearability will increase its acceptance. This research shows an adequate verification model to validate the desired range of signals to accept Taekwondo electronic protective devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is still the leading cause of death among women worldwide. Due to the lack of effective drug targets, triple-negative breast cancer has a worse prognosis and higher mortality compared with other types of breast cancer, and chemotherapy is still the main treatment for triple-negative breast cancer at present. Quercetin (QUE) is a flavonoid compound found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. The mechanism of QUE has been extensively studied, such as prostate cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, etc. However, the anti-tumor immune mechanism of QUE in triple-negative breast cancer remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed the anti-tumor immune effects of QUE on triple-negative breast cancer using both 4T1 cells and a xenograft mouse model of 4T1 cells. In vitro, we examined the inhibitory effects of QUE on 4T1 cells and its molecular mechanisms through MTT, Transwell, ELISA, and Western blotting. In vivo, by establishing a xenograft mouse model, we utilized flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, and Western blotting to evaluate the anti-tumor immune effects of QUE on triple-negative breast cancer. The results indicate that QUE inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of 4T1 cells, concurrently significantly suppressing the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Furthermore, it depletes Treg cell content in 4T1 xenograft mice, thereby improving the tumor immune microenvironment and promoting the cytotoxicity of relevant tumor immune cells. These findings suggest that QUE may serve as a potential adjuvant for immune therapy in triple-negative breast cancer. [Display omitted] • Quercetin (QUE) Suppresses Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Progression. • Immunomodulatory Role of QUE in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. • QUE as a Prospective Adjuvant for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Enriching the micronutrients, selenium (Se) and lithium (Li), in grapes to improve their nutraceutical properties were implemented by foliar application of organic fertiliser rich in Se and Li onto five grape cultivars. The effects of this biofortification on vine vigour, fruit quality, overall micronutrients and phenolic compounds also were investigated. Agronomic biofortification was found greatly increased the Se and Li content in the whole grape by multiple times, meanwhile it did not significantly affect the vine vigour and fruit quality of grapes. However, the biofortification did impact the Ionome (including all the mineral nutrients and trace elements) and phenolic compounds in grapes and this varied among cultivars. This study demonstrated foliar spray of organic Se/Li fertiliser was a very effective strategy to biofortify these micronutrients in grape berries, particularly in the skin, and therefore might be a promising strategy to increase the consumption and awareness of these grapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-polyethyleneimine) microspheres with the solid structure were synthesized by precipitation polymerization method for the separation of highly toxic uranium(VI). The structure and morphology of the prepared microspheres were analyzed via FTIR, SEM–EDS, TEM and BET. The optimal adsorption conditions were also investigated, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 274.2 mg g−1. The experimental results showed that the adsorption kinetics conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetics and was in good agreement with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Removal of uranium(VI) ions was achieved by the complexation between the amino groups on the adsorbent and uranyl ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of production performance forecasting in reservoir development and economic evaluation cannot be overstated. Previous models have shown deficiencies in accurately predicting production performance, necessitating the development of a new semianalytical model to enhance its application scope and prediction accuracy. This study proposes a novel semianalytical model based on the Buckley–Leverett (BL) equation and a newly proposed linear relationship between outlet water saturation and average water saturation, as well as Willhite's formula of oil/water relative permeability. The results demonstrate the universality of this new model, as it can generate three equivalent log‐linear relations, including the previously proposed model. Sensitivity analysis confirms the applicability of the model in various reservoirs. In addition, both model and field case studies highlight the advantages of this technique in forecasting water cut and cumulative oil production, with an extensive application scope covering over 90% of the water cut range. A comparison of oil production prediction results from six different predictive methods reveals that the proposed semianalytical model exhibits the lowest error rate of −0.01%. Moreover, the semianalytical model can be utilized to directly solve for the approximate values of the exponents in Willhite's oil/water relative permeability equations. In summary, this novel semianalytical forecasting model demonstrates a robust ability to forecast water cut, cumulative oil production, and recovery efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of home learning environments on Chinese children’s mental health. The Home Observation for the Measurement of Environments was used to measure the degree to which children’s home learning environments are cognitively stimulating and emotionally nurturing . The Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) was used to assess children’s mental health as indicated by protective factors and behavioral concerns. A convenience sampling method was used to collect data from 137 Chinese mothers living in China who had children ages 3–5. The questions addressed in this paper are as follows: 1) Does the parental provision of home learning environments differ depending on baseline characteristics? 2) Does the parental provision of home learning environments affect children’s mental health (protective/resilience factors and behavioral concerns)? Baseline characteristics such as child’s gender, maternal age and marital status were associated with parental provision of home learning environments. Children of mothers who provided a cognitively stimulating learning environment were more likely to have higher protective/resilience factors and fewer behavioral concern factors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Firms have a crucial role to play in driving the process of greenization, yet there exists a dearth of studies that have comprehensively examined the combined influence of external environmental regulation and corporate environmental commitment on corporate greenization. In this study, utilizing a database comprising Chinese firms listed on the Shenzhen and Shanghai Stock Exchanges between 2011 and 2019, an empirical analysis is conducted to investigate the effects of external environmental regulation, corporate environmental commitment, and their interaction on corporate greenization. Textual analysis is employed to quantitatively evaluate the extent of these two variables. The findings reveal that external environmental regulation exerts a positive impact on both corporate greenization input and output, whereas corporate environmental commitment only significantly enhances the output. Moreover, notable substitution effects are discovered between external environmental regulation and corporate environmental commitments concerning the greenization output. Further heterogeneity analysis uncovers that such substitution effects are predominantly observable in non-state-owned firms and those with relatively lower levels of pollution. These empirical outcomes provide valuable theoretical support for both the Chinese government and firms alike to advance and promote the progress of greenization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ukraine war, evolving from a geopolitical crisis to an energy crisis, calls attention to understanding the impacts of restarting oil- and coal-fired power plants on carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions. To fill the remaining research gaps relating to energy structure and CO 2 emissions in Europe, in this study, we systematically investigate the carbon emissions (CE) and their influencing factors, especially those energy-related, from 1995 to 2020. We find that European Union (EU) countries are currently at different stages of the energy transition. The CO 2 emissions in the EU show clear positive spatial dependence. Thus, we deploy the spatial Durbin model to analyze the influences of consuming coal, oil, natural gas, hydropower, solar and wind energy, nuclear power, and other renewable energy sources on CE. It is observed that natural gas is the only fossil fuel source that does not have a significant positive effect on CO 2 emissions. The developments of hydropower, nuclear power, and other renewable energy sources have significant negative impacts on CE. Estimation results of direct and indirect effects clearly show that many energy sources have spillover effects, suggesting that to fulfill future climate targets, joint-effort must be made among the EU member states. • Positive and significant spatial dependence in CO 2 emissions in the EU. • Despite its fossil fuel nature, natural gas is tested to be carbon-neutral. • Increasing consumption of coal and oil positively affects CO 2 emissions. • Renewable and clean energy sources are negatively correlated with CO 2 emissions. • Reducing carbon emissions in the EU requires a joint effort of all the member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si–Co–Y diffusion coatings were deposited on TiAl–Nb alloy using pack cementation process. The influence of activators and deposition temperatures on the coating structures was investigated, alongside the coating formation process and hot corrosion performance of the optimized coating in molten salt of 25%NaCl + 75%K2SO4 at 850 °C. The results show that a dense and compact Si–Co–Y diffusion coating can be prepared on TiAl–Nb alloy, with a multi-layered structure including an outmost layer of (Ti, X)Si2 (X represents Co, Al, Nb, Y), an outer layer composed of TiSi2 + Ti5Si4 + Ti5Si3 mixtures, a middle layer of Ti5Si3, and an inner layer of TiAl2. The coating prepared with AlCl3·6H2O and NH4Cl had many pores. Increase in deposition temperature led to a higher coating growth rate within the range of 1050–1100 °C, but temperature exceeding 1100 °C caused the formation of intensive holes in the coating. Hot corrosion tests at high temperatures proved that the Si–Co–Y diffusion coating prepared on TiAl–Nb alloy exhibited excellent hot corrosion resistance in 25%NaCl–75%K2SO4 molten at 850 °C. A protective hot corrosion product scale composed of a TiO2 + Na2SiO3 + Na2TiO3 outer layer and an Al2O3 middle layer, formed on coating after hot corrosion for 50 h. The scale can effectively inhibit the inward diffusion of corrosion medial of O, Cl and S elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The constant injection rate core-flooding experiments were conducted on three sandstone samples with the almost similar physical properties and the wettabilities are water-wet (WW), mixed-wet (MW) and oil-wet (OW) respectively. Using in-situ 4D X-ray micro-tomography, we investigated the impact of wettability on pore-scale distribution of fluids in core plugs under similar flow conditions. We systematically study pore-scale displacement sequences, remaining oil saturation as well as the size distribution and morphology of its disconnected clusters (droplets) to explain the observed remaining oil formation process during brine injection. For the WW sandstone (contact angle θ = 47 ± 8°), the brine will tend to imbibe into any small- or medium-sized pores, leaving disconnected oil droplets in the center of larger pores. The number of oil clusters (droplets) increase in WW sandstone but decrease sharply in MW sandstone during 50 PV of brine flooding. Brine tends to invade the water-wet pore spaces in MW condition (θ = 87 ± 30°), some of the brine-filled pores may be reoccupied by disconnected oil droplets during the subsequent brine injection which resulted in the highest remaining oil saturation. For the case of a OW sandstone (θ = 150 ± 10°), the remaining oil could be trapped in the smaller pore corners or attached to the pore surface as connected thin films. We observed that the ultimate oil recovery in OW sandstone (86.1%) is larger than that obtained in the WW (72.2%) and MW (38.8%) sandstone samples. Finally, the results show that a large amount of water flooding can significantly change the pore fluid distribution, resulting in higher oil recovery. • 4D X-ray micro-tomography was used to investigate the effect of wettability on pore-scale displacement. • The morphology and distribution of trapped oil clusters at different displacement stages were explored. • The impact of wettability on the formation process of trapped oil at pore scale was explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh leachate, generated in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plants, contains various pollutants with extremely high strength organics, which usually requires expensive and complex treatment processes. This study investigated the feasibility of blending treatment of MSWI leachate with municipal wastewater. Fresh MSWI leachate was pretreated by coagulation–flocculation with FeCl 3 2 g/L and CaO 25 g/L, plate-and-frame filter press, followed by ammonia stripping at pH above 12. After that, blending treatment was carried out in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for approximately 3 months. Different operational modes consisting of different pretreated leachate and methanol addition levels were tested, and their performances were evaluated. Results showed that throughout the experimental period, monitored parameters in the WWTP effluent, including COD (<60 mg/L), BOD 5 (<20 mg/L), ammonium (<8 mg/L), phosphorus (<1.5 mg/L) and heavy metals, generally complied with the Chinese sewage discharged standard. Under the experimental conditions, a certain amount of methanol was needed to fulfill TN removal. An estimation of the operation cost revealed that the expenditure of blending treatment was much lower than the total costs of respective treatment of MSWI leachate and municipal wastewater. The outcomes indicated that blending treatment could not only improve the treatability of the MSWI leachate, but also reduce the treatment cost of the two different wastewaters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth Factor Independence 1 (GFI1) is a transcription factor with an important role in the regulation of development of myeloid and lymphoid cell lineages and was implicated in the development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Reduced expression of GFI1 or presence of the GFI1-36N (serine replaced with asparagine) variant leads to epigenetic changes in human and murine AML blasts and accelerated the development of leukaemia in a murine model of human MDS and AML. We and other groups previously showed that the GFI1-36N allele or reduced expression of GFI1 in human AML blasts is associated with an inferior prognosis. Using GFI1-36S, -36N -KD, NUP98-HOXD13-tg mice and curcumin (a natural histone acetyltransferase inhibitor (HATi)), we now demonstrate that expansion of GFI1-36N or –KD, NUP98-HODXD13 leukaemic cells can be delayed. Curcumin treatment significantly reduced AML progression in GFI1-36N or -KD mice and prolonged AML-free survival. Of note, curcumin treatment had no effect in GFI1-36S, NUP98-HODXD13 expressing mice. On a molecular level, curcumin treatment negatively affected open chromatin structure in the GFI1-36N or -KD haematopoietic cells but not GFI1-36S cells. Taken together, our study thus identified a therapeutic role for curcumin treatment in the treatment of AML patients (homo or heterozygous for GFI1-36N or reduced GFI1 expression) and possibly improved therapy outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, it is imperative to examine potential health issues of household energy poverty, as in return, it leads to its reduction. Although extensive research has been done in other regions of the world, South Asia is overlooked in this regard. For this purpose, the study analyzes the health impacts of energy poverty in South Asia. First, it calculates the intensity and amount of energy poverty using a multidimensional index approach. Then, this study uses a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to empirically examine the relationship between energy poverty and health problems analyzing a dataset from six South Asian countries. The results confirmed a statistically significant relationship of energy poverty with the sources of drinkable water, access to clean water, risks of mosquito bites, obesity, sterilization, marital status, literacy, occupation, and residence. After having robust findings, the study proposes effective policy measures to be taken to prevent energy poverty and control potential health consequences in South Asia. This study is an attempt to provide an empirical baseline to conduct further studies addressing a similar issue in other regions of the world. [Display omitted] • The study uses a dataset of 701,834 households from six South Asian countries. • It measures energy poverty with a multidimensional approach across South Asia. • MANOVA is used to examine the causal relationship between health issues and MEPI. • Most of the health variables have a statistically significant relationship with MEPI. • The consistent results provide an evidence-based foundation for policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new synthetic method was designed to prepare poly (trimesoyl chloride-co-polyethyleneimine) (PEI-TMC). Characterization of PEI-TMC was investigated by FTIR, SEM, EDS, XPS, TGA, and BET. TGA test revealed that the PEI-TMC had excellent thermal stability. The BET specific surface area (4.74 ​m2 ​g−1) and pore diameter of about 9.44 ​nm indicated that PEI-TMC possessed a mesoporous structure. The adsorption behavior of U(VI) on the PEI-TMC was investigated. The thermodynamic analysis showed that the process of PEI-TMC adsorption of U(VI) was endothermic and spontaneous, and the adsorption efficiency was better at higher temperatures. The U(VI) sorption on PEI-TMC was conformed to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The adsorption mechanism of U(VI) with PEI-TMC was systematically elucidated by XPS and FTIR. Under the best condition, the maximum adsorption capacity of PEI-TMC could reach 212.8 ​mg ​g−1 ​by calculating the Langmuir isothermal model. It indicated that PEI-TMC was a potential adsorbent for the treatment of U(VI)-containing wastewater. Diagram of PEI synthesis and its adsorption mechanism for U(VI). Image 1 • A new and facile method is used to prepare PEI-TMC. • The application field of PEI-TMC was expanded for the separation of U(VI). • Excellent adsorption performance was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducts a stated preference (SP) survey by integrating vehicle attributes, policy attributes, and psychological characteristics to explore the mechanisms of personal carbon trading (PCT) and tradable driving credit (TDC), as well as consumer preferences for different types of policy instruments. Using a hybrid choice model (HCM), the empirical results obtained from 1546 Chinese consumers reveal that PCT and TDC are more powerful than most existing policy instruments in encouraging consumers to adopt electric vehicles (EVs). Moreover, although psychological characteristics (i.e., environmental awareness, perceived environmental benefits, and subjective norms) play an important role in explaining consumers' EV adoption behaviour, PCT and TDC primarily alter consumers' EV adoption decisions through economic motivations rather than through psychological motivations. Most importantly, the implementation of PCT and TDC enables consumers to adopt EVs while having no substantial impact on their intention to purchase conventional fuel vehicles (CFVs), thereby laying the groundwork for PCT and TDC to function effectively. This paper contributes to the EV adoption literature by systematically investigating the combined effects of different factors, especially market-oriented policy instruments, on consumers' vehicle adoption decisions. The findings also provide new insights for policymakers to design novel policy instruments to promote EV adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure the safe evacuation of personnel in railway tunnel rescue stations, smoke temperature characteristics on both the platform and train sides with different longitudinal wind speeds and water mist parameters such as water mist activation time, working pressure, discharge coefficient have been investigated in detail in this study. Rescue stations are essential for emergency evacuation in super-long railway tunnels. However, the deficiency of related studies aiming at improving the fire suppression performance of water mist system in fire scenarios limits its application significantly. In this work, 20 sets of full-scale water mist fire suppression experiments were conducted to examine the impacts of water mist system on smoke temperature characteristics, including water mist activation time (denoted by t), working pressure (P), k-factor (K) and longitudinal wind speed. Results show that when t = 3 min, P = 12 MPa, and K = 0.5, the best performance of temperature control could be achieved. Although there are violent temperature fluctuations in the train side, the smoke temperature could be easily restrained. Moreover, it is found that longitudinal ventilation is helpful to improve the visibility at platform and reduce smoke temperature. When P = 12 MPa, the coupling effect of water mist and longitudinal ventilation on cooling smoke is better. In addition, the non-dimensional maximum temperature rise is found to show a great cubical dependency on vertical height, and decreases along with a larger longitudinal distance for all cases. Also, under longitudinal ventilation, the non-dimensional maximum temperature rises are lower than that without longitudinal ventilation in the coverage area of water mist. Results of this work can provide a significant reference for the design of water mist system in railway tunnel rescue stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual care serves as a new mode that can divert non-urgent visits from traditional office visits. Whether virtual service can improve the access to medical treatment and reduce the burden of traditional office services, the key issue is to generate efficient appointment schedules with the lowest operation cost. In this paper, considering the uncertainty of time-dependent no-shows and service times, we investigate a multiserver time window allowance appointment scheduling problem, where time window constraints that restricts virtual visits to be served during the particular period are explicitly modeled. We formulate the problem as a stochastic mixed-integer program to optimize decisions of physician allocation and appointment time simultaneously. Based on the sample average approximation, a stabilized Benders decomposition algorithm is developed by incorporating acceleration techniques, such as cut aggregation and feasibility cuts. Numerical results based on real data indicate the effectiveness of the proposed multiserver time window allowance schedules (MTWAS) and algorithm. Comparing with the off-the-shelf solver Gurobi, the developed algorithm demonstrates high performance in terms of computation speed and solution quality. Under different time-dependent no-show patterns of virtual and office visits, the obtained MTWAS perform better than previous solutions in almost all test cases. In addition, we offer useful managerial insights to aid the virtual service provider in making better scheduling decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Growth factor independence 1 (GFI1) is a transcriptional repressor protein that plays an essential role in the differentiation of myeloid and lymphoid progenitors. We and other groups have shown that GFI1 has a dose‐dependent role in the initiation, progression, and prognosis of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients by inducing epigenetic changes. We now demonstrate a novel role for dose‐dependent GFI1 expression in regulating metabolism in haematopoietic progenitor and leukaemic cells. Using in‐vitro and ex‐vivo murine models of MLL::AF9‐induced human AML and extra‐cellular flux assays, we now demonstrate that a lower GFI1 expression enhances oxidative phosphorylation rate via upregulation of the FOXO1‐ MYC axis. Our findings underscore the significance of therapeutic exploitation in GFI1‐low‐expressing leukaemia cells by targeting oxidative phosphorylation and glutamine metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize grain yield can be greatly reduced when flowering time coincides with drought conditions, which delays silking and consequently increases the anthesis-silking interval. Although the genetic basis of delayed flowering time under water-stressed conditions has been elucidated in maize-maize populations, little is known in this regard about maize-teosinte populations. Here, 16 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for three flowering-time traits, namely days to anthesis, days to silk, and the anthesis-silking interval, were identified in a maize-teosinte introgression population under well-watered and water-stressed conditions; these QTL explained 3.98–32.61% of phenotypic variations. Six of these QTL were considered to be sensitive to drought stress, and the effect of any individual QTL was small, indicating the complex genetic nature of drought resistance in maize. To resolve which genes underlie the six QTL, 11 candidate genes were identified via colocalization analysis of known associations with flowering-time-related drought traits. Among the 11 candidate genes, five were found to be differentially expressed in response to drought stress or under selection during maize domestication, and thus represented the most likely candidates underlying the drought-sensitive QTL. The results lay a foundation for further studies of the genetic mechanisms of drought resistance and provide valuable information for improving drought resistance during maize breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sensory property and phenolic profile of aronia juice were reported. • Two in vitro models validated the key astringent fractions in aronia juice. • Proanthocyanidins in aronia juice was linked by B-type bonds. • Proanthocyanidins with high mDP were the key astringent compounds in aronia juice. Aronia berry has extremely strong and unpleasant astringent mouthfeel. However, detailed information on the key astringent compounds is still limited. To fill this gap, astringent compounds were firstly separated from aronia juice. Following sensory evaluation, phenolic profile determination, validation by in-vitro models, and thiolytic degradation, key astringent compounds were identified. Results showed when most proanthocyanidins (PAs) were removed while other phenolic compounds remained, the astringency intensity of aronia juice was significantly decreased. In-vitro models, including saliva precipitation index and mucin turbidity, validated PAs rather than anthocyanins as the key astringent compounds. The protein-precipitated PAs from aronia juice were identified as polymers, linked by B-type bonds, with (-)-epicatechin as the extension unit and predominantly as the terminal unit, having a 69.56 mean degree of polymerization (mDP), far higher than the 35.38 mDP of PAs separated directly from juice. These findings would be valuable to the development of targeted astringency mitigation approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Biochar promoted CH 4 component in biogas to 89.0 ± 6.3 % in the AnMBR. • Biochar increased 0.74 mol e- /g VS /min of electron transfer velocity in AD system. • Biochar was involved in electroactive microbial floravias metabolism via DIET. • The rate for acetate converted into CH 4 was enhanced 3.14 times by biochar. • Ambient temperature anaerobic digestion is a key to achieve net energy output. The anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is an alternative technology with energy neutrality potential when treating municipal wastewater (MWW). However, the poor bio-reaction kinetic conditions caused by low COD concentrations in MWW greatly limits the CH 4 yield. In this study, the average methanogenesis rate was significantly increased from 164.8 to 275.5 mL/g COD with the two times biochar addition of 5 g/L. And following the second time addition of 5 g/L biochar, the CH 4 component significantly increased to a high level of 89.0 ± 6.3 %. In addition, the rate for acetate converted into CH 4 increased from 3.3 to 10.5 mmol/(g VS ·d) with biochar addition of 10 g/L, indicating that acetotrophic methanogenesis route was significantly promoted by biochar. Bio-electrochemistry analysis showed that biochar accelerated 0.74 mol e-/g VS /min of electron transfer velocity in AD system. The addition of biochar enriched organic metabolism bacteria such as Ancinetobacter_lwoffii , Comamonas and Geobacter , and upregulated the expression of functional genes related to organics degradation such as lldD , sucD and fumC, facilitates the direct transfer of electrons and acetates produced by Comamonas and Geobacte r to convert CO 2 into CH 4 through microbial mediation. Thus, the COD flow shifted significantly towards more CH 4 production. The COD mass flow showed that biochar facilitated more bio-catabolism (up about 52.7 %) and less bio-anabolism (down about 92 %), and more COD in wastewater was converted to CH 4 , resulting a significant promoting of energy production. The energy balance analysis indicated that the net energy consumption was reduced by 15 % after two times addition of 5 g/L biochar, and the key to achieve the net energy output during treating MWW is the efficient operation of AnMBR at ambient temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon and high-efficiency processes for achieving simultaneous nitrogen removal and phosphorus recovery from wastewater are gaining increasing attention from researchers. This study investigated the performance and mechanism of a novel Fe(II)-mediated anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) process characterized by stable nitrogen removal and production of high-value Fe–P crystals (FePs) as byproducts. Fe(II) promotes the synthesis of heme C and enhances the activity of nitrate reduction metabolic genes, which induce nitrate-dependent ferrous oxidation to form a complex Fe–N cycle. In addition, Fe(II) significantly enhanced the phosphorus removal efficiency up to 79.2 ± 6.9% by inducing Fe–P biomineralization. Biomolecular analysis has shown that most iron absorption and transport genes, as well as phosphate transport and regulation genes, are promoted by Fe(II). The composition and microstructure analyses of the anammox granules revealed the formation of FePs that consisted of phosphosiderite (FePO 4 ·2H 2 O), ludlamite (Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 ·4H 2 O), and vivianite (Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 ∙8H 2 O). This study also provides an in-depth illustration of the structural characteristics and formation processes of anammox-FePs granules. Thus, an Fe(II)-induced Fe–N–P metabolic network in an anammox-dominated system was uncovered, offering a feasible approach for simultaneous nitrogen removal and phosphorus recovery. [Display omitted] • A diversified Fe–N–P metabolic network was developed in an anammox-based system. • Fe(II) boosts the generation of valuable Fe–P crystal byproducts. • The evolution process of anammox-FePs granules is elaborated. • The mechanism of Fe(II) in enhancing nitrogen metabolism is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mosquito-borne diseases affect over half of the human population globally. Multiple studies have shown that chemical insecticides are ineffective because of resistance. Therefore, environmentally safe mosquito population control tools need to be developed. Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) is a reverse genetic mechanism recently introduced as a new pest control tool. This technique represents a new class of biorational technology that could combat the increased global incidence of insecticide resistance. The technique has the potential of becoming a critical component of integrated vector control programs. Methods: A 3-hydroxykynurenine transaminase (3-HKT) RNAi expression plasmid was constructed, generated and transformed into Chlamydomonas and Chlorella algae. The transgenic algae were then used to feed Ae. aegypti mosquito larvae. The feeding experiments were conducted on a small and large scale with 10 and about 300 larvae, respectively. The mortality rate of the larvae was calculated over 30 days. In addition, histological examination of the insect tissues was performed to examine the extent of tissue damage. Results: The integumentary system and midguts of larvae fed with transgenic Chlamydomonas were severely damaged. The mortality rate of the larvae fed with transgenic Chlamydomonas ranged from 60 to 100% in small-scale tests. The survival rate of adult mosquitoes was 0.0% in a large-scale feeding experiment when the larvae were fed with transgenic Chlamydomonas. Moreover, when the larvae were fed with transgenic Chlorella, the mortality rate ranged from 6.7% to 43% compared to that fed wild-type Chlorella. Conclusions: 3HKT RNAi transgenic algae are in some scales lethal to Ae. aegypti. The findings of this study indicate that technology based on microalgae RNAi may provide a new way to control mosquito populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly crosslinked organic–inorganic hybrid polymer poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-melamine) microspheres (PZM) were synthesized by a simple method. The microspheres was characterized by FTIR, SEM and EDX. It was applied to eliminate thorium(IV) from aqueous solution under various conditions, i.e., pH, initial concentration, dosage and contact time. The experimental data were well-imitated via the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and its adsorption processes comply with the Langmuir isotherm model. Adsorption thermodynamic studies demonstrated that the adsorption process, in essence, was spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the maximum experimental adsorption capacity was 98.6 mg g−1 for initial thorium(IV) concentration 50 mg L−1. When pH = 0.0, the thorium(IV) removal efficiency reached at 76.9%, which indicates that the adsorbent can also was used in a peracid environment. Adsorption behavior of thorium(IV) onto the microspheres were weakly affected via temperature, implying that adsorption would be done at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether) crosslinked microspheres with active amino groups on the surface were prepared by one-step precipitation polymerization method. The as-prepared material were characterized by means of FTIR, XPS, XRD, EDS and SEM. The effects of pH, time of contact, dosage, initial concentration and temperature on the adsorption of uranium(VI) by the crosslinked microspheres were studied, and the adsorption mechanism was elucidated. Under the optimized adsorption conditions, the adsorption removal efficiency reached 97.03%. The experimental results fit the Langmuir isotherm model and adsorption processes comply with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic data revealed that the adsorption behavior of uranium(VI) on the microspheres was spontaneous and exothermic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought has become one of the most serious abiotic stresses influencing crop production worldwide. Understanding the molecular regulatory networks underlying drought adaption and tolerance in crops is of great importance for future breeding. microRNAs (miRNAs), as important components of post-transcriptional regulation, play crucial roles in drought response and adaptation in plants. Here, we report a miRNome analysis of two maize inbred lines with contrasting levels of drought tolerance under soil drought in the field. Differential expression analysis showed 11 and 34 miRNAs were uniquely responded to drought in H082183 (drought tolerant) and Lv28 (drought sensitive), respectively, in leaves. In roots, 19 and 23 miRNAs uniquely responded to drought in H082183 and Lv28, respectively. Expression analysis of these drought-responsive miRNA-mRNA modules revealed miR164-MYB, miR164-NAC, miR159-MYB, miR156-SPL and miR160-ARF showed a negative regulatory relationship. Further analysis showed that the miR164-MYB and miR164-NAC modules in the tolerant line modulated the stress response in an ABA (abscisic acid)-dependent manner, while the miR156-SPL and miR160-ARF modules in the sensitive line participated in the inhibition of metabolism in drought-exposed leaves. Together, our results provide new insight into not only drought-tolerance-related miRNA regulation networks in maize but also key miRNAs for further characterization and improvement of maize drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the water flooding reservoir management, engineers aim to make an optimal production strategy to maximize both the net present value (NPV) in life-cycle and the short-term NPV. Previous researches of multi-objective optimization of long-term and short-term find that the short-term production optimization decreases the long-term NPV and the gradient calculation using adjoint gradient is hard to be applied. Therefore, we implement a multi-objective optimization method in which the long-term NPV is lumped into the short-term objective function as a constraint in order not to decrease the life-cycle NPV, linear and nonlinear constraints are lumped into the augmented Lagrangian objective function. Also, we propose a new gradient-free algorithm general stochastic approximation algorithm (GSA) to obtain the better approximate gradient. We proved that the research direction of GSA algorithm is always uphill, the simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation algorithm (SPSA) and the ensemble-based optimization algorithm (EnOpt) are also two special forms of GSA algorithm. Toy problem results show that GSA has a more efficient approximation gradient than SPSA. Optimization results of a 2D reservoir show that the increase of the long-term NPV is about 86.5% and the increase of the short-term NPV is about 18.8%. The field case of Brugge field also shows that the long-term and short-term NPV increase by 64.7 and 48.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at optimizing polymer flooding, we establish an optimal control model of polymer flooding, which has an objective function of the net present value (NPV) involving the effect of polymer injection. An improved Monte Carlo gradient approximation (MCGA) algorithm, based on the idea of the ensemble-based optimization (EnOpt) scheme to solve the problem of strongly fluctuating perturbation gradients, is proposed by introducing the covariance matrix of the control vectors to filter and smooth the searching direction. A synthetic heterogeneous reservoir model is built to test the performance of the algorithms including the improved MCGA, standard MCGA and finite difference stochastic approximation (FDSA) algorithm. For the results, the improved MCGA gets closer to the optimal NPV of FDSA than the standard algorithm, and shows the high efficiency of saving calculation time compared with the FDSA. The value of NPV increases more than 20% for the improved algorithm, and the optimal production rates, injection rates, polymer concentrations, polymer slug sizes are obtained simultaneously. This paper subsequently discusses the influence of different time step sizes and oil prices. It can be concluded that moderate step size and relatively low oil price are applicable. Finally, an actual block application of the improved MCGA shows a 11.3% increase of NPV and a 6.5% increase of field oil production total (FOPT), showing the feasibility in optimizing real reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a major threat to maize growth and production. Understanding the molecular regulation network of drought tolerance in maize is of great importance. In this study, two maize inbred lines with contrasting drought tolerance were tested in the field under natural soil drought and well-watered conditions. In addition, the transcriptomes of their leaves was analyzed by RNA-Seq. In total, 555 and 2,558 genes were detected to specifically respond to drought in the tolerant and the sensitive line, respectively, with a more positive regulation tendency in the tolerant genotype. Furthermore, 4,700, 4,748, 4,403 and 4,288 genes showed differential expression between the two lines under moderate drought, severe drought and their well-watered controls, respectively. Transcription factors were enriched in both genotypic differentially expressed genes and specifically responsive genes of the tolerant line. It was speculated that the genotype-specific response of 20 transcription factors in the tolerance line and the sustained genotypically differential expression of 22 transcription factors might enhance tolerance to drought in maize. Our results provide new insight into maize drought tolerance-related regulation systems and provide gene resources for subsequent studies and drought tolerance improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The absorption of dietary free CML in the body was higher than that of BSA-CML. • Jejunum accumulated a higher amount of free CML among the intestinal tissues measured. • Kidneys were the target organ for the uptake of absorbed free CML. • Urinary and fecal excretion after oral intake of free CML were lower than that of BSA-CML. As a representative product of advanced glycation end products, Nɛ-carboxymethyllysine (CML) exists in free and bound forms in vivo and in food with different bioavailability. To thoroughly understand the bioavailability of free Nɛ-carboxymethyllysine (CML) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)-CML in vivo after intragastric administration, pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and excretion of CML in rats were investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Pharmacokinetics results revealed that free CML peaked at 1.83 h (1684.72 ± 78.08 ng/mL) and 1.33 h (1440.84 ± 72.48 ng/mL) in serum after intragastric administration of free CML and BSA-CML, demonstrating the higher absorption of free CML than BSA-CML. Besides, dietary free CML exhibited a relatively lower body clearance and tissue distribution than dietary BSA-CML based on the apparent volume of distribution and body clearance. Moreover, free CML was concentrated in the kidneys, indicating that kidneys were the target organ for the uptake of absorbed free CML. Additionally, the total excretion rate of CML in urine and feces were 37% and 60% after oral administration of free CML and BSA-CML. These results shed pivotal light on a better understanding of the biological effects of free and bound CML on health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important intercellular communication messengers. Half of the published studies in the field are in vitro cell culture based in which bovine serum in various concentrations and forms is used to facilitate the production of extracellular vesicles. 'Exosome depleted serum' is the type of bovine serum most widely used in the production of human EVs. Herein, we demonstrate that, despite the initial caution raised in 2014 about the persistence of bovine EVs, 'exosome depleted serum' was still used in 46% of publications on human or rodent EVs between 2015 and 2019. Using nanoparticle tracking analysis combined with detergent lysis of vesicles as well as bovine CD9 ELISA, we show that there were approximately 5.33 x 107/mL of bovine EVs remaining in the 'exosome depleted serum'. Importantly, the 'exosome depleted serum' was relatively enriched in small EVs by approximately 2.7-fold relative to the large EVs compared to that in the original serum. Specifically, the percentage of small EVs in total vesicles had increased from the original 48% in the serum before ultracentrifugation to 92% in the 'exosome depleted serum'. Furthermore, the pervasive bovine EVs carried over by the 'exosome depleted serum', even when the lowest concentration (0.5%) was used in cell culture, resulted in a significant contamination of human EVs in cell culture conditioned medium. Our findings indicate that the use 'exosome depleted serum' in cell culture-based studies may introduce artefacts into research examining the function of human and rodent EVs, in particular those involving EV miRNA. Thus, we appeal to the researchers in the EV field to seriously reconsider the practice of using 'exosome depleted serum' in the production of human and other mammalian EVs in vitro. • Approximately 43% of the 900 publications employed 'exosome depleted serum' in the production of EVs. • The 'exosome depleted serum' is relatively enriched in the percentage of small EVs compared to that in the original serum. • Bovine EVs persist in cell culture-derived human EVs, even when 0.5% 'exosome depleted serum' is used. • The use of 'exosome depleted serum' in investigation of EV miRNA may introduce artefacts to such PCR-based studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]