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This study aims to explore the problem of H∞ fuzzy control with an adjustable convergence rate for switched nonlinear systems with time-varying delays under the persistent dwell time (PDT) switching. Compared to the widely studied dwell time (DT) switching or average dwell time (ADT) switching in existing literature, PDT switching provides a more comprehensive consideration of the switching frequency and has a broader range of applicability. Subsequently, by combining the interval stability definition, T-S fuzzy model, PDT technique, and Lyapunov-Krasovskii (L-K) functional, a new H∞ fuzzy control criterion for adjusting the convergence rate of switched nonlinear systems with time-varying delays is proposed. This criterion enables the development of a novel method for constructing H∞ fuzzy controllers, which can regulate the system’s convergence rate and achieve the specified H∞ performance. Combining the above methods, an algorithm is introduced to precisely control the convergence rate of the target system. Finally, the effectiveness of this method is validated through a control example of a single-link robot arm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The influenza A virus is the primary cause of respiratory infections and poses a global health risk. Pudilan Xiaoyan oral liquid (PDL) exhibits anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. PDL is commonly employed in clinical practice to manage upper respiratory tract infections. However, there is still much to uncover regarding its potential therapeutic mechanism. Methods: Institute of cancer research mice were infected with influenza A virus via nasal drip. The general state of the mice, lung index, and lung index inhibition rate were used to evaluate the efficacy of PDL. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to observe the presence of proteins and cytokines in the lung tissue. Apoptosis was evaluated using the TUNEL assay. Results: PDL improved the mental state of influenza A virus-infected mice, reduced the lung index, and inhibited viral replication. The expression of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α were decreased, whereas the expression of interleukin-10 in the lung tissue was increased due to PDL treatment. In addition, PDL treatment modulated Toll-like receptor 4 and MyD88 expressions in the lung tissues. PDL significantly reduced apoptosis and decreased cleaved caspase-3 and PARP levels, whereas increased B-cell lymphoma-2 expression in the lung tissue. Notably, the moderate-dose group of PDL exhibited a more pronounced effect. These findings indicate that PDL exerts a protective effect against pneumonia injury in influenza A virus-infected mice. Conclusion: PDL inhibited the inflammatory response and regulated apoptosis by regulating Toll-like receptor 4 and MyD88 protein expressions, thereby protecting the lung tissue from viral infection-induced lung tissue injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro-physical characteristics of a typical sea of clouds process in Jiuxian Mountain are investigated by comprehensively analyzing parameters that delineate the micro-physical characteristics of clouds and atmospheric stratification based on data from a cloud radar, wind profiler, meteorological gradient observation in high mountains, and other observations. The results show that water vapor condenses into cloud particles via an entrained and mixing process accompanied by an updraft originating from orographic uplift. During the thickening stage of the sea of clouds, atmospheric motion within the clouds is featured as "downdraft on the top—updraft on the bottom". The zero vertical velocity area is located closely to the maximum of liquid water content. The thermal inversion layer is formed during the maintenance stage; however, the enhancement of inversion on the cloud top could suppress updraft in areas with a high liquid water content. The values mainly concentrate on the cloud top, and repetitively lifting and falling processes caused by the atmospheric upward and downward motion are in favor of the coalescence growth of cloud particles, which result in the persistence of strong radar echo. At the dissipation stage, warming on the cloud top is greater than that on the cloud bottom due to the short-wave absorption of clouds as the solar radiation enhances. As a result, the inversion layer thickens and elevates, evaporation caused by heating outweighs the condensation caused by cooling, a strong radar echo band descends from the top to the middle part of clouds, a sea of clouds dissipates gradually as cloud particles evaporates, and the particle size and concentration number of cloud particles decrease simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The highly conserved tubby-like proteins (TLPs) play key roles in animal neuronal development and plant growth. The abiotic stress tolerance function of TLPs has been widely explored in plants, however, little is known about comparative studies of TLPs within crops. Methods: Bioinformatic identification, phylogenetic analysis, Cis-element analysis, expression analysis, Cis-element analysis, expression analysis and so on were explored to analysis the TLP gene family of multiple crops. Results: In this study, a comprehensive analysis of TLP genes were carried out in seven crops to explore whether similar function of TLPs in rice could be achieved in other crops. We identified 20, 9,14,11,12, 35,14 and 13 TLP genes in Glycine max, Hordeum vulgare, Sorghum bicolor, Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa Japónica, Triticum aestivum, Setaria italic and Zea mays, respectively. All of them were divided into two groups and ten orthogroups (Ors) based on amino acids. A majority of TLP genes had two domains, tubby-like domain and F-box domain, while members of Or5 only had tubby-like domain. In addition, Or5 had more exons and shorter DNA sequences, showing that characteristics of different Ors reflected the differentiated function and feature of TLP genes in evolutionary process, and Or5 was the most different from the other Ors. Besides, we recognized 25 cis-elements in the promoter of TLP genes and explored multiple new regulation pathway of TLPs including light and hormone response. The bioinformatic and transcriptomic analysis implied the stresses induced expression and possible functional redundancy of TLP genes. We detected the expression level of 6 OsTLP genes at 1 to 6 days after seed germination in rice, and the most obvious changes in these days were appeared in OsTLPIO and OsTLP12. Discussion: Combined yeast two-hybrid system and pull down assay, we suggested that the TLP genes of Or1 may have similar function during seed germination in different species. In general, the results of comprehensive analysis of TLP gene family in multiple species provide valuable evolutionary and functional information of TLP gene family which are useful for further application and study of TLP genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the efficiency of solving vehicle collision velocity and provide sufficient evidence for the identification of accident responsibility, we proposed a method combining the momentum equation and finite element simulation. We built a finite element simulation model of a vehicle where multiple collision simulation experiments were carried out, and studied the calculation method of collision deformation. After fitting and analyzing the simulated deformation data of an accident vehicle under different velocities through collision simulation experiments, a relationship model between collision velocity and deformation was established, and a method to solve the collision velocity was proposed by combing the existing two-dimensional collision momentum equation of the vehicle. For actual collision cases, the proposed velocity solution method and the simulation software were used for reconstruction analyses, respectively, and the results of the instantaneous contact velocity of vehicle collision were compared. It was found that the velocity calculation results obtained using the two methods above were in good agreement; the shape and depth of the simulated deformation were consistent with the actual deformation of the vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasingly serious environmental pressure, carbon emission and the development of logistics industry are constrained by each other. The chief objective of this study is to reveal the relationship between input--output activities in logistics and carbon emissions, to evaluate the carbon emission performance in logistics in the Yellow River Basin based on DEA--Tobit model, and to analyze the factors affecting the environmental performance. The results indicate the following: (1) Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Qinghai, Shandong achieved good carbon emission performance in logistics, while the logistics environmental performance of Shanxi, Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan is bad, which needs to be adjusted in time to avoid further aggravating unreasonable carbon emissions. (2) The intensity of environmental regulation and energy consumption have a positive and negative correlation, respectively, with the carbon emission performance in logistics, and the industrial aggregation and the government intervention have no significant impact on the carbon emission performance in logistics in the Yellow River Basin. Based on the research results, this paper discusses some principles applicable to improve the logistics environmental performance, which can provide reference for logistics enterprises in the micro-scale and logistics departments in the macro-scale to reduce energy consumption and to eliminate unreasonable pollution factors in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that are important regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. miRNAs impact the processes of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Thus, the regulation of miRNA expression profiles associated with mastitis will be conducive for its control. In this study, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was administered to the mammary gland of Chinese Holstein cows to construct a bacteria-type mastitis model. Total RNA was isolated from bovine mammary gland tissue samples from the S. aureus-induced mastitis group and controls. miRNAs were analyzed using Solexa sequencing and bioinformatics processing for the experimental group and control group. Two miRNA libraries were constructed respectively. A total of 370 known bovine miRNAs and 341 novel mi RNAs were detected for the S. aureus and 358 known bovine miRNAs and 232 novel miRNAs for control groups. A total of 77 miRNAs in the S. aureus group showed significant differences compared to the control group. GO (Gene Ontology) analysis showed these target genes were involved in the regulation of cells, binding, etc., while KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis showed that these genes were enriched in endocytosis, and olfactory transduction pathways involved in cancer. These results provide an experimental basis to reveal the cause and regulatory mechanism of mastitis and also suggest the potential of miRNAs to serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis of mastitis in dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-Chloro-3-amino-4-methylpyridine ( 1), a key intermediate in the synthesis of nervirapine, was prepared from 2-cyanoacetamide and 4,4-dimethoxyl-2-butanone via condensation, cyclization, one-pot reaction of chlorination and hydrolysis, and Hofmann reaction. Utilization of the quadratic orthogonal test resulted in a high yield (62.1%) of the whole process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

n improved and commercially valuable process is developed for the scalable synthesis of 2-chloro-3-amino-4-methylpyridine (CAPIC), a key intermediate of Nevirapine. The synthesis was accomplished in four steps, featuring condensation starting from 4,4-dimethoxyl-2-butanone and cyanoacetamide with ammonium acetate and acetic acid as catalysts. The total yield of the process is 62.1%. The pure CAPIC sample was confirmed with FTIR, H NMR, and C NMR spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composites are very sensitive to the load in the direction of thickness, especially out-plane low velocity impact (LVI). In this article, the detailed failure mechanisms of composite laminates with four material systems (CCF300/Epoxy, CCF300/Bismaleimide, CCF800/Epoxy, and CCF800/Bismaleimide) under the loading of LVI and compression after impact (CAI) were studied by experiment and finite element analysis. In finite element model, a newly proposed multi-scale failure criterion (MMF3) and cohesive elements are used to determine the intralaminar damage and interlaminar delamination, respectively. Through experiment and finite element analysis, it can be concluded that the damage tolerance performance of epoxy resin composites are better than that of bismaleimide resin composites, and the damage tolerance performance of CCF300 carbon fiber composites are better than that of CCF800 carbon fiber composites. The proposed multi-scale failure analysis method can effectively simulate the impact and CAI damage process of composite laminates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northwestern Pacific (NWP) is a fog-prone area, especially the ocean east of the Kuril Islands. The present study analyzes how the Pacific-Japan (PJ) teleconnection pattern influences July sea fog in the fog-prone area using independent datasets. The covariation between the PJ index and sea fog frequency (SFF) index in July indicates a close correlation, with a coefficient of 0.62 exceeding the 99% confidence level. Composite analysis based on the PJ index, a case study, and model analysis based on GFDL-ESM2M, show that in high PJ index years the convection over the east of the Philippines strengthens and then triggers a Rossby wave, which propagates northward to maintain an anticyclonic anomaly in the midlatitudes, indicating a northeastward shift of the NWP subtropical high. The anticyclonic anomaly facilitates the formation of relatively stable atmospheric stratification or even an inversion layer in the lower level of the troposphere, and strengthens the horizontal southerly moisture transportation from the tropical-subtropical oceans to the fog-prone area. On the other hand, a greater meridional SST gradient over the cold flank of the Kuroshio Extension, due to ocean downwelling, is produced by the anticyclonic wind stress anomaly. Both of these two aspects are favorable for the warm and humid air to cool, condense, and form fog droplets, when air masses cross the SST front. The opposite circumstances occur in low PJ index years, which are not conducive to the formation of sea fog. Finally, a multi-model ensemble mean projection reveals a prominent downward trend of the PJ index after the 2030s, implying a possible decline of the SFF in this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the mechanical and thermal properties of carbon fiber-reinforced cross-ply laminate, a macroscopic [90/0]8Scross-ply laminate model and a unit cell of fiber regular distribution near the [90/0]8Slaminate interlaminar zone with plastic matrix and interface were created. Then the damage initiation discipline details of [90/0]8Scross-ply laminate are researched, and the effects of interfacial coefficient of thermal expansion on thermal residual stress distribution and damage initiation are researched in detail both based on the macroscopic and microscopic models. It shows that the initial damage of interlaminar interface occurs in macroscopic model and the initial damage in microscopic model occurs both at intralaminar interface and interlaminar cohesive zone. No matter in macroscopic or microscopic model, the residual stress of 6.27 × 10−6/°C interfacial coefficient of thermal expansion is larger than that of 6.27 × 10−7/°C interfacial coefficient of thermal expansion. And the initial damage expands more widely in the first one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the mechanical properties and the progressive failure process of composite under shear loading, a representative volume element (RVE) of fiber random distribution was established, with two dominant damage mechanisms – matrix plastic deformation and interfacial debonding – included in the simulation by the extended Drucker–Prager model and cohesive zone model, respectively. Also, a temperature-dependent RVE has been set up to analyze the influence of thermal residual stress. The simulation results clearly reveal the damage process of the composites and the interactions of different damage mechanisms. It can be concluded that the in-plane shear fracture initiates as interfacial debonding and evolves as a result of interactions between interfacial debonding and matrix plastic deformation. The progressive damage process and final failure mode of in-plane shear model which are based on constitute are very consistent with the observed result under scanning electron microscopy of V-notched rail shear test. Also, a transverse shear model was established as contrast in order to comprehensively understand the mechanical properties of composite materials under shear loading, and the progressive damage process and final failure mode of composite under transverse shear loading were researched. Thermal residual stress changes the damage initiation locations and damage evolution path and causes significant decreases in the strength and fracture strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analysis thermal residual stress and its influence on the strength of composite, the hierarchical multi scale simulation method is applied. A microscopic computational model of single fiber composite with thermal residual stress is built to research the stress distribution. Then the damage initiation discipline details of unidirectional composite are researched, and the effects of different fiber arrangements on thermal residual stress distribution, damage initiation and the different final failure behaviors of fiber regular distribution and random distribution under tension and compression are researched in details. It shows that in fiber regular arrangement, damage initiation in interface appears evenly and in matrix it appears at somewhere randomly. But in fiber random arrangement, initial damage focuses at the resin pockets between closely packed fibers with both interface and matrix damage. The maximal thermal residual stress in fiber random arrangement model is larger than that in fiber regular arrangement model. And it reaches the normal strength of the interface and thus causing the initiation of interface damage. Also the failure modes of composites under transverse tension and compression with and without residual stress are quite different from each other. The strength and failure path of different RVE and loading are showing respectively in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational mechanics has been carried out to study the microscopic failure mechanisms of unidirectional fiber-reinforced polymer composites. A representative volume element of fiber random distribution based on molecules random collision model is established, with two dominant damage mechanisms, matrix plastic deformation and interfacial debonding included in the simulation by the extended Drucker–Prager model and cohesive zone model, respectively. The simulation results clearly reveal the damage process of the composites and the interactions of different damage mechanisms. It can be concluded that the transverse tension fracture initiates as interfacial debonding and evolves as a result of interactions between interfacial debonding and matrix plastic deformation, while the compression failure is dominated by matrix plastic damage. The longitudinal tension and compression are both dominated by fiber breakage, but longitudinal tension initiates as matrix plastic damage and longitudinal compression initiates as fiber microbuckling. Finite element method appropriately simulated the process of progressive damage of the fiber buckling failure, which is consistent with the observed result under scanning electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational mechanics has been carried out to study the microscopic failure mechanisms of cross-ply laminate. A microscopic model of fiber regular distribution near the [90/0] laminate interlaminar zone is established, with two dominant damage mechanisms-matrix plastic deformation and interfacial debonding included in the simulation by the extended Drucker-Prager model and cohesive zone model respectively. The simulation results clearly reveal the damage process of the composites and the interactions of different damage mechanisms. It can be concluded that the damage of the [90/0] RVE under tension initiates in 90° ply, and then intralaminar damage cracks spread to interlaminar cohesive region, which causes delamination between adjacent plies. Meanwhile in 0° ply, matrix plastic deformation and interface debonding occurs near the zone of interlaminar delamination expansion. While the damage of the [90/0] RVE under compression initiates in 0° ply with fiber microbuckling and interfacial debonding, then the intralaminar degradations in 0° ply expand to interlaminar cohesive region, which produces a wide range of interlaminar delamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen heterocycles are a class of organic compounds with extremely versatile functionality. Imidines, HN[C(NH)R]2, are a rare class of heterocycles related to imides, HN[C(O)R]2, in which the O atoms of the carbonyl groups are replaced by N—H groups. The useful synthesis of the imidine compounds succinimidine and glutarimidine, as well as their partially hydrolyzed imino–imide congeners, was first described in the mid‐1950s, though structural characterization is presented for the first time in this article. In the solid state, these structures are different from the proposed imidine form: succinimidine crystallizes as an imino–amine, 2‐imino‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐5‐amine, C4H7N2 (1), glutarimidine as 6‐imino‐3,4,5,6‐tetrahydropyridin‐2‐amine methanol monosolvate, C5H9N3·CH3OH (2), and the corresponding hydrolyzed imino–imide compounds as amino–amides 5‐amino‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐2‐one, C4H6N2O (3), and 6‐amino‐4,5‐dihydropyridin‐2(3H)‐one, C5H8N2O (4). Imidine 1 was also determined as the hydrochloride salt solvate 5‐amino‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐2‐iminium chloride–2‐imino‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐5‐amine–water (1/1/1), C4H8N3+·Cl−·C4H7N3·H2O (1·HCl). As such, 1 and 2 show alternating short and long C—N bonds across the molecule, revealing distinct imino (C=NH) and amine (C—NH2) groups throughout the C—N backbone. These structures provide definitive evidence for the predominant imino–amine tautomer in the solid state, which serves to enrich the previously proposed imidine‐focused structures that have appeared in organic chemistry textbooks since the discovery of this class of compounds in 1883. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National University's Master of Science in Educational Counseling underwent a revision in 2022 utilizing the approach of deriving program learning outcomes directly from the California Teaching Commission standards for school counselors. The program is offered solely in an online format. This study was undertaken to assess the program in terms of student self-assessment of teaching and learning both before and after the program revision to align with the professional standards. Data were collected from student end-ofcourse self-assessment questionnaires, revealing a statistically significant difference between the pre-realignment group (Group 1) and the post-realignment group (Group 2) in student perceptions of learning and teaching. These findings suggest that the revised, standards-aligned program may be more effective in enhancing student educational experiences. A Mann-Whitney U test was also conducted to evaluate whether students' cohort and curriculum differed by students' perception of teaching. The results indicated that students taking courses in the revised curriculum had significantly better perceptions of teaching than students who took courses using the previous curriculum, z = 5.70, p < .001. A Mann-Whitney U test was also conducted to evaluate whether students' cohort and curriculum differed by students' perception of learning. The results indicated that students taking courses in the revised curriculum had significantly greater perception of learning than students who took courses using the previous curriculum, z = 6.00, p < .001. Future research could explore the long-term impact of standards-aligned curricula on graduates' career readiness and professional success, further validating this approach to curriculum development. Additionally, investigating alternative assessment methods to capture more nuanced data on student learning outcomes and teaching effectiveness would enhance the validity of future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changes in small pulmonary arteries of 15 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were investigated by light and electron microscopy, image analysis etc. It was found that the structural changes in the pulmonary arteries of the patients with COPD were characterized by muscularization of non-muscular arterioles, media hypertrophy, longitudinal smooth muscle bundles in the intima and fibrosis in both the media and intima. In the course of time, these lesions resulted in thickening of the arterial wall and narrowing of the lumen. Clinically, the patients developed pulmonary hypertension causing cor pulmonale. Initial data on the structure of arterial wall at different segments were compared statistically. There was very significant difference between the COPD and control groups (P<0.001). By Fisher's autoclassification (automatic pattern recognition), the rate recognized was correct in more than 90 % in the small arteries of less than 200 μm in diameter. It is suggested that these arteriolar changes are closely related to pulmonary hypertension. The image analysis showed that the ratios of MWA/MVA and MWT/MD were of great value in evaluating the degree of the changes in the arteries of the patients with COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study examined the relationship among foreign language enjoyment (FLE), second language L2 grit, online learning self-efficacy (OLSE), and online learning engagement among Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The study involved 578 Iranian EFL learners who completed self-report measures of the four constructs. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were employed to confirm the validity of the scales and test the hypothesized model. The findings indicate that FLE positively affects online learning engagement and OLSE positively influences online learning engagement. Additionally, the study found that online self-efficacy mediates the relationship between L2 grit and online learning engagement. These results highlight the importance of FLE and OLSE in promoting online learning engagement, and the mediating role of online self-efficacy in the interplay between L2 grit and online learning engagement. This research sheds more light on the understanding of the factors that influence online learning engagement among EFL learners and has important implications for both theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores strategic hybridization in Jeffrey Lau's four films, which reinterpret the classic Journey to the West, and analyses Hong Kong-mainland film co-productions from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s. Adopting a media industries perspective, it examines how strategic hybridization navigates economic pressures and policy environments influencing production decisions, creative choices, and industrial imperatives. The study illustrates that strategic hybridization is not merely a consequence of co-production but a deliberate strategy reflecting the collaborative dynamics between Hong Kong and the mainland, contributing to an increasingly integrated and mainland-centric co-production model. By analyzing strategic decisions across industrial and production dimensions, the article underscores the impact of policy interventions, cross-cultural collaboration, and financial factors in shaping co-production models. The evolution of co-productions is further demonstrated through a detailed look at Lau's films, suggesting that strategic hybridization serves as a set of adaptive strategies fostering a symbiotic, albeit mainland-centric, relationship between the two film industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda is the improvement of vocational education and training at international and national levels, achieving, among other things, the internationalization of such education. To meet this objective, it is necessary to improve linguistic competence in English as L2 of students undergoing vocational training. The purpose of this research is to analyze the influence of affective variables on the level of self-efficacy of English linguistic competence (L2) in early childhood education vocational education and training. Seventy-six students (M = 20.82; SD =2.30) in higher vocational education in this domain, with an average B1 level proficiency (according to CEFR) were selected and administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the English Willingness to Communicate Questionnaire (WTC), the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), and an ad hoc questionnaire on selfefficacy in English language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing, reading comprehension, and English language in general). The results indicate that anxiety, willingness to communicate in English, and attitude/motivation toward English predict students' self-efficacy in their level of English language proficiency (L2). Anxiety has a negative influence, explaining the low 15.6 percent of self-efficacy, and willingness to communicate and attitude have a positive influence explaining the 23 and 22.7 percent of self-efficacy, respectively. The practical educational implications, aimed at methodological proposals to improve the level of linguistic competence in English as L2 in vocational training, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc finger-homeodomain transcription factors (ZF-HDs) are pivotal in regulating plant growth, development, and diverse stress responses. In this study, we found 8 ZF-HD genes in barley genome. Theses eight HvZF-HD genes were located on five chromosomes, and classified into ZHD and MIF subfamily. The collinearity, gene structure, conserved motif, and cis-elements of HvZF-HD genes were also analyzed. Real-time PCR results suggested that the expression of HvZF-HD4, HvZF-HD6, HvZF-HD7 and HvZF-HD8 were up-regulated after hormones (ABA, GA3 and MeJA) or PEG treatments, especially HvZF-HD6 was significantly induced. These results provide useful information of ZF-HD genes to future study aimed at barley breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Accurate recognition of endoscopic instruments facilitates quantitative evaluation and quality control of endoscopic procedures. However, no relevant research has been reported. In this study, we aimed to develop a computer-assisted system, EndoAdd, for automated endoscopic surgical video analysis based on our dataset of endoscopic instrument images. Methods: Large training and validation datasets containing 45,143 images of 10 different endoscopic instruments and a test dataset of 18,375 images collected from several medical centers were used in this research. Annotated image frames were used to train the state-of-the-art object detection model, YOLO-v5, to identify the instruments. Based on the frame-level prediction results, we further developed a hidden Markov model to perform video analysis and generate heatmaps to summarize the videos. Results: EndoAdd achieved high accuracy (>97%) on the test dataset for all 10 endoscopic instrument types. The mean average accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score were 99.1%, 92.0%, 88.8%, and 89.3%, respectively. The area under the curve values exceeded 0.94 for all instrument types. Heatmaps of endoscopic procedures were generated for both retrospective and real-time analyses. Conclusions: We successfully developed an automated endoscopic video analysis system, EndoAdd, which supports retrospective assessment and real-time monitoring. It can be used for data analysis and quality control of endoscopic procedures in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile phone dependence refers to the excessive use of mobile phones by individuals, which may cause problems in study, work and life. We compared differences in mobile phone dependence among Chinese and Czech university students, and explore the relationship between mobile phone dependence and academic achievement among them in this paper. The subjects of this study included 358 Chinese university students and 282 Czech university students who was recruited during March to April 2022. We collected data through online questionnaires, using the Short Version of the Smartphone Dependence Scale (SAS-SV) to assess the level of students' mobile phone dependence and the Academic Achievement Questionnaire (AAQ) to assess the level of students' academic achievement. The results show that for the level of mobile phone dependence are negatively correlated with the scores of various dimensions of academic achievement and the total score of academic achievement, among them, Chinese students have more significant effect in the relationship between mobile phone dependence and study performance, moreover, the correlations between the three sub-factors of academic achievement in Chinese students were stronger. It can be concluded that mobile phone dependence may lead to lower study performance, more difficulty in handling study demands, and lower social adaptation, or lower academic achievement may also lead to more severe mobile phone dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MOOC attrition rates have become a research hotspot in open and online education, requiring researchers to pinpoint psychological, technological, pedagogical, and technical factors that could mitigate this problem. For this aim, the current study applied a tri-phenomenon approach to explore language learners' perceptions of support coupled with the moderation role of their motivation plays in shaping their learning approaches to MOOC. To do so, 428 language learners who completed their online language course on the Iranian MOOC platform answered the study survey before getting their course certificate. An analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that MOOC instructional and peer support were positively correlated with learners' deep approach while negatively correlated with the surface one. Although technical support was provided in this instance, it did not contribute to shaping language learners' motivation and deep approach. Moreover, language learners who attended MOOCs to learn language intrinsically perceived more instructional support, whereas language learners who joined these courses to pass some obligations or get course certificates perceived greater peer support that could help them pass such criteria and shape their deep approach to MOOC. Further, both types of motivation significantly mediate learners' instructional and peer support within their deep language learning approach in MOOC. As a result of these findings, both theoretical and practical contributions have been reported in the study to lead MOOCs' enrolment to have a deep approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Natural plant-based medicines have gained popularity recently as a major source of inventive, risk-free, and more potent secondary bioactive compounds with medicinal potential. Catharanthus ovalis is a perennial shrub containing various indole alkaloids cultivated extensively for local medical purposes. Methods: This research is conducted to identify the phytocompounds present in the leaves of C. ovalis and its central and peripheral analgesic, thrombolytic, and membrane-stabilizing activities through tail immersion, acetic acid-induced writhing, human blood clot lysis, and erythrocyte lysis by heat and hypotonic solution methods, respectively. Results and discussion: A total of 39 compounds were identified using GC-MS/MS techniques, including hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (56.749%), methyl stearate (29.782%), carvacrol and its TBDMS derivative (12.586%), and 9-octadecenoic acid, methyl ester, (E)-] (9.297%) presented in high quantity. The highest tail immersion latency was observed for the 600 mg/kg extract of C. ovalis crude extract. Both 400 and 600 mg/kg doses of C. ovalis crude extract exhibited prominent peripheral analgesic activity. The maximum thrombolytic effect was observed by DCM soluble fraction extract by inhibiting 54.87% of the clot. However, the aqueous-soluble fraction of this extract manifested an excellent membrane-stabilizing effect by showing 73.98% and 87.51% hemolysis against heat- and hypotonic-induced hemolysis, respectively. Some of the compounds were identified as active agents against different receptors related to these diseases, which supported the findings of in vitro and in vivo tests. Conclusion: Further investigation needs to be conducted to specify and identify the exact mechanism of action of these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural compounds hold promise in the search for cancer therapies due to their unique chemical structures and combinations that may effectively combat cancer while minimizing toxicity and side effects compared to conventional treatments. Silibinin, a natural lignan, has been found to possess strong anticancer activity against several types of human cancers based on emerging research. This study aims to provide an overview of the therapeutic potential of silibinin in the treatment and prevention of cancers. A comprehensive search was conducted using various internet databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect to identify relevant research papers. Silibinin has been shown to exhibit anticancer activity against several types of cancers, including liver, lungs, breast, prostate, colorectal, skin, and bladder cancers. Its multifaceted mechanisms of action contribute to its therapeutic effects. Silibinin exerts antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, antimetastatic, and anti-angiogenic activities, making it a promising candidate for cancer therapy. One of the key mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects of silibinin is its ability to modulate multiple signaling pathways involved in cancer development and progression. It can inhibit the activation of various oncogenic pathways, including PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, Wnt/β-catenin, and MAPK pathways, thereby suppressing cancer cell proliferation, inducing cell cycle arrest, and promoting apoptosis. Silibinin possesses great potential as an effective treatment agent for cancer. The multifaceted mechanisms of action, favorable safety profile, and potential synergistic effects of silibinin with conventional therapies make it an attractive candidate for further investigation and development as a cancer treatment. However, more extensive clinical studies are necessary to fully establish the efficacy, optimal dosage, and long-term effects of silibinin in cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Law is a phenomenon born of human reason and designed to achieve a specific end. Legislation is a scientific method that is carried out in order to achieve a specific goal, without which legislation remains a pile of rules that are unrelated to each other. Therefore, the legislator must always take into account the goals he is trying to achieve when creating new legal regulations in order to avoid inconsistencies between legal regulations. Regarding the special importance of the objective of bankruptcy law, it should be said that the design and implementation of bankruptcy law affects the economy of the country, and the design of an efficient bankruptcy law also depends on the knowledge of the appropriate objectives of bankruptcy law. In addition to the authority of the legislation, the existence of the objective of the bankruptcy law helps to interpret the legal provisions correctly. Of course, setting appropriate goals for a law is not enough and must be accompanied by its effective implementation. Therefore, once the appropriate law has been enacted, it is necessary to monitor its objective results at the level of society to see whether it has achieved the desired goals in practice or not. In this research, the importance of paying attention to the principles and objectives of bankruptcy has been recalled and various theories that exist in this regard have been examined. In Iran's legal system, the basic goal of bankruptcy law is to protect the rights of creditors, but in this research, regardless of Iran's laws, the basic goal of bankruptcy law has been considered and studied. One of the common functions of bankruptcy law in different legal systems is to reduce the problems of coordination between debtors and creditors and to adjust the incompatible demands of them and other parties affected by bankruptcy, but the basic question in this research is what is the fundamental purpose of bankruptcy law? In fact, bankruptcy affects a wide range of groups, so the main issue is whether bankruptcy law should only protect creditors or should balance the rights of different groups? Another question is what is the main objective of bankruptcy law, to satisfy creditors' claims or to rehabilitate and survive the business and give the entrepreneur a fresh start? In response to this question, several theories have been expressed and analysed as follows: creditors' bargain theory, broad-based contractarian theory, multiple value theory, explicit value theory and fresh start theory.It seems that bankruptcy law should keep all creditors, debtors and different interested groups in proper conditions, and with the fair and optimal distribution of losses, bankruptcy law should balance the conflicting interests of different groups. Indeed, the most effective means of balancing the interests of disparate interest groups is to redistribute the losses incurred as a result of bankruptcy among them. The fundamental objectives of bankruptcy legislation can be distilled into two key principles: firstly, to achieve a balance between the interests of the various groups affected by bankruptcy, and secondly, to provide debtors with a fresh start and to stimulate the economic activity of companies. It appears that bankruptcy legislation should prioritise the provision of a fresh start for the merchant before preparing collective debt collection in an optimal and fair manner. The objective of enhancing the welfare of creditors represents only one aspect of the secondary goals of bankruptcy law. Furthermore, legislative and judicial policies should align with this fundamental objective. Indeed, rehabilitating viable businesses and offering a second chance to enterprising individuals can facilitate job retention, enhanced creditor repayment, sustained business relationships, economic growth, and increased social welfare. Ultimately, it is essential to integrate these objectives into the design of a bankruptcy system, with due consideration for their relative priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of current research was to examine the correlation between classroom participation and personality development of students in higher education. The population of the study included all social sciences students from 2-universities (Bahauddin Zakariya University &Women University) in Multan district. Two universities were selected from Multan district, only faculty of social sciences was selected, 25 students were selected from each department so total samples of study were 300 students. The questionnaire was designed by using 5-point Likert scale. Data was entered on SPSS sheet after completion of the data collection. Data was analyzed by using diverse statistical techniques, means, SD, correlation, regression, ANOVA and t-test. In data analysis, it was found that participants see classroom participation as enhancing effective management with peers, reflecting prime viewpoint and impact of strong communication skills helps peers on engaging with classmates. Students should participate in workshops or seminars that focus on personal growth including communication skills, emotional intelligence and self-awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]