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Background Astragaloside IV is a main medicinal active ingredient in Astragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao, which is also the key biomarker of A. membranaceus quality. Ethylene has been well-documented to involve in secondary metabolites biosynthesis in plants. Nevertheless, how ethylene regulates astragaloside IV biosynthesis in A. membranaceus is still unclear. Therefore, in the present study different dosages and timedependent exogenous application of ethephon (Eth) were employed to analyze astragaloside IV accumulation and its biosynthesis genes expression level in hydroponically A. membranaceus. Results Exogenous 200 µmol·L−1 Eth supply is most significantly increased astragaloside IV contents in A. membranaceus when compared with non-Eth supply. After 12 h 200 µmol·L−1 Eth treatment, the astragaloside IV contents reaching the highest content at 3 d Eth treatment(P≤0.05). Moreover, After Eth treatment, all detected key genes involved in astragaloside IV synthesis were significant decrease at 3rd day(P≤0.05). However, SE displayed a significant increase at the 3rd day under Eth treatment(P≤0.05). Under Eth treatment, the expression level of FPS, HMGR, IDI, SS, and CYP93E3 exhibited significant negative correlations with astragaloside IV content, while expression level of SE displayed a significant positive correlation. Conclusions These findings suggest that exogenous Eth treatment can influence the synthesis of astragaloside IV by regulating the expression of FPS, HMGR, IDI, SS, CYP93E3 and SE. This study provides a theoretical basis for utilizing molecular strategies to enhance the quality of A. membranaceus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As one of the four most valuable animal medicines, Fel Ursi, named Xiong Dan (XD) in China, has the effect of clearing heat, calming the liver, and brightening the eyes. However, due to the special source of XD and its high price, other animals' bile is often sold as XD or mixed with XD on the market, seriously affecting its clinical efficacy and consumers' rights and interests. In order to realize identification and adulteration analysis of XD, UHPLC-QTOF-MSE and multivariate statistical analysis were used to explore the differences in XD and six other animals' bile. Methods: XD, pig gall (Zhu Dan, ZD), cow gall (Niu Dan, ND), rabbit gallbladder (Tu Dan, TD), duck gall (Yan Dan, YD), sheep gall (Yang Dan, YND), and chicken gall (Ji Dan, JD) were analyzed by UHPLC-QTOF-MSE, and the MS data, combined with multivariate analysis methods, were used to distinguish between them. Meanwhile, the potential chemical composition markers that contribute to their differences were further explored. Results: The results showed that XD and six other animals' bile can be distinguished from each other obviously, with 27 ions with VIP > 1.0. We preliminarily identified 10 different bile acid-like components in XD and the other animals' bile with significant differences (p < 0.01) and VIP > 1.0, such as tauroursodeoxycholic acid, Glycohyodeoxycholic acid, and Glycodeoxycholic acid. Conclusions: The developed method was efficient and rapid in accurately distinguishing between XD and six other animals' bile. Based on the obtained chemical composition markers, it is beneficial to strengthen quality control for bile medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision makers must often choose how many sensors to deploy, of what types, and in what locations to meet a given operational or scientific outcome. An observation system simulation experiment (OSSE) is a numerical experiment that can provide critical decision support to these complex and expensive choices. An OSSE uses a "truth model" or "nature run" to simulate what an observation system would measure and then passes these measurements to an assimilation model. Then, the output of the assimilation model is compared to that of the truth model to assess improvement and the impact of the observation system. Orion Space Solutions has developed the OSSE tool (OSSET) to perform OSSEs for ionospheric electron density specification quickly and accurately. In this study, we use OSSET to predict the impact of adding commercial radio occultation total electron content (TEC) data to an assimilation model. We compare the OSSE's predictions to the real performance at a group of validation ionosondes and find good agreement. We also demonstrate the global assessments that are possible with the OSSET using the improvement in critical frequency specification as an example. From this, we find that commercial radio occultation data can improve the critical frequency specification by nearly 20% at high latitudes, which are not covered by COSMIC-2. The commercial satellites are in sun-synchronous orbits with constant local times, and this improvement is concentrated at these local times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injection molding is a widely used method for production of plastic components, offering both simplicity and high strength. In this study, secondary injection molding was utilized to weld polyamide 6 (PA6). The welded samples were evaluated for the welding strength via a shear tensile test. Three process parameters of mold temperature, injection temperature, and injection speed were varied to determine the optimal conditions for welding. A polarizing microscope analysis of the welding interface revealed formation of a shish kebab layer (SKL) structure, which significantly contributed to the welding strength. A differential scanning calorimetry analysis of the welded samples showed that changes in the crystallinity at the interface were closely related to the welding strength under different injection molding conditions. To analyze the crystal phase of the interface after welding, we propose the use of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy area scanning to obtain the relationship between the phase transformation and welding strength. Additionally, microhardness testing is proposed as a means of evaluation of the welding effect. Overall, this study highlights the importance of optimization of process parameters in secondary injection molding to achieve strong welds in PA6, where the SKL structure and crystallinity changes at the interface have crucial roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hardware is often required to support fast search and high-throughput applications. Consequently, the performance of search algorithms is limited by storage bandwidth. Hence, the search algorithm must be optimized accordingly. We propose a CostCounter (CC) algorithm based on cuckoo hashing and an Improved CostCounter (ICC) algorithm. A better path can be selected when collisions occur using a cost counter to record the kick-out situation. Our simulation results indicate that the CC and ICC algorithms can achieve more significant performance improvements than Random Walk (RW), Breadth First Search (BFS), and MinCounter (MC). With two buckets and two slots per bucket, under the 95% memory load rate of the maximum load rate, CC and ICC are optimized on read-write times over 20% and 80% compared to MC and BFS, respectively. Furthermore, the CC and ICC algorithms achieve a slight improvement in storage efficiency compared with MC. In addition, we implement RW, MC, and the proposed algorithms using fine-grained locking to support a high throughput rate. From the test on field programmable gate arrays, we verify the simulation results and our algorithms optimize the maximum throughput over 23% compared to RW and 9% compared to MC under 95% of the memory capacity. The test results indicate that our CC and ICC algorithms can achieve better performance in terms of hardware bandwidth and memory load efficiency without incurring a significant resource cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption on 15 January 2022 triggered strong atmospheric gravity wave (GW) activity in the upper atmosphere, which was later detected by various observations. We perform one of the first ionosphere-thermosphere (I-T) model studies of the GW effects from the Tonga eruption in the ionosphere-thermosphereI-T system using the thermosphere-ionosphereelectrodynamics general circulation model (TIEGCM). We implement a high-resolution mesh inside a regional domain (nested grid) in addition to the global low-resolution mesh, which differs from the standard global uniform resolution setup. The nested-grid TIEGCM (TIEGCM-NG) successfully simulates the observed wave propagation and effects in the I-T system by further nudging GW fields at TIEGCM lower boundaries (~97 km) using output from the high-resolution whole atmosphere community climate model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension simulations. The simulation results indicate that the critical parameter to simulate GW propagation is horizontal resolution. Inside the high-resolution nested region, GWs with horizontal wavelengths of ~400 km and periods of 10-30 min can propagate outward and upward and produce significant ionospheric disturbances close to observations. Outside the nested region, only long-wavelength, low-frequency waves survive. Another test indicates that GWs can be better resolved when geopotential height is nudged at TIEGCM lower boundaries. With the capability of simultaneously simulating local, small to mesoscale I-T processes, TIEGCM-NG is superior to global high-resolution simulations due to its largely reduced computation cost and may find its application in the study of I-T system regional dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionospheric day-to-day variability is essential for understanding the space environment, while it is still challenging to properly quantify and forecast. In the present work, the day-to-day variability of F2 layer peak electron densities (NmF2) is examined from both observational and modeling perspectives. Ionosonde data over Wuhan station (30.5°N, 114.5°E; 19.3°N magnetic latitude) are compared with simulations from the specific dynamics Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere eXtension (SD-WACCM-X) and the Thermosphere-IonosphereElectrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM) in 2009 and 2012. Both SD-WACCM-X and TIEGCM are driven by the realistic 3 h geomagnetic index and daily solar input, and the former includes self-consistently solved physics and chemistry in the lower atmosphere. The correlation coefficient between observations and SD-WACCM-X simulations is much larger than that of the TIEGCM simulations, especially during dusk in 2009 and nighttime in 2012. Both the observed and SD-WACCM-X simulated day-to-day variability of NmF2 reveal a similar day-night dependence in 2012 that increases large during the nighttime and decreases during the daytime, and shows favorable consistency of daytime variability in 2009. Both the observations and SD-WACCM-X simulations also display semiannual variations in nighttime NmF2 variability, although the month with maximum variability is slightly different. However, TIEGCM does not reproduce the day-night dependence or the semiannual variations well. The results emphasize the necessity for realistic lower atmospheric perturbations to characterize ionospheric day-to-day variability. This work also provides a validation of the SD-WACCM-X in terms of ionospheric day-to-day variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dramatic thermospheric temperature enhancement and inversion layer (TTEIL) was observed by the Fe Boltzmann lidar at McMurdo, Antarctica during a geomagnetic storm (Chu et al. 2011, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL050016). The Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM) driven by empirical auroral precipitation and background electric fields cannot adequately reproduce the TTEIL. We incorporate the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)/Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) auroral precipitation maps, which capture the regional-scale features into TIEGCM and add subgrid electric field variability in the regions with strong auroral activity. These modifications enable the simulation of neutral temperatures closer to lidar observations and neutral densities closer to GRACE satellite observations (~475 km). The regional scale auroral precipitation and electric field variabilities are both needed to generate strong Joule heating that peaks around 120 km. The resulting temperature increase leads to the change of pressure gradients, thus inducing a horizontal divergence of air flow and large upward winds that increase with altitude. Associated with the upwelling wind is the adiabatic cooling gradually increasing with altitude and peaking at ~200 km. The intense Joule heating around 120 km and strong cooling above result in differential heating that produces a sharp TTEIL. However, vertical heat advection broadens the TTEIL and raises the temperature peak from ~120 to ~150 km, causing simulations deviating from observations. Strong local Joule heating also excites traveling atmospheric disturbances that carry the TTEIL signatures to other regions. Our study suggests the importance of including fine-structure auroral precipitation and subgrid electric field variability in the modeling of storm-time ionosphere-thermosphere responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the anti-inflammatoryandanalgesic effects of FangXiangTongLuo-cervical Plaster. Methods: Preparation of FangXiangTongLuo cervical ointment. Using the model of the mouse ear swelling inflammation which is caused by xylene. The analgesic mode of hot-plate method and acetic acid wrinkle method, in order to study the anti - inflammatory and analgesic effects of FangXiangTongLuo-cervical Plaster. Result: The results showed that Fangxiangtongluo cervical plaster can effectively reduce the number of writhing in acetic acid-induced mice and increase the rate of writhing inhibition and analgesic percentage (p<0.01). In the hot plate experiment, Fangxiangtongluo cervical plaster can effectively improve the pain threshold of mice. With the increase in medication time, it can also significantly extend the time of the first mouse licking foot, thereby increasing the pain threshold of the mice. At the same time, Fangxiangtongluo cervical plaster can also significantly inhibit the degree of swelling of the mouse auricle caused by xylene, reducing the exudation of inflammatory substances in the body of mice. Conclusion: Fangxiangtongluo cervical plaster has significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the effects of TiO2 nanoparticles in mice and explore the biological safety of TiO2 nanoparticles. Methods: The biological safety of TiO2 nanoparticles based on the oxidative stress pathway is investigated. One hundred mice were randomly divided into 10 groups. A low medium and high concentration experimental group and negative and positive control groups were investigated for both the intravenous injection and tracheal injection exposure experiments. Mice were observed for any symptoms, and the serum and lung homogenate for activity of SOD and content of MDA in serum and lung tissue were prepared. The scores of the allergic reaction determined the degree of anti-oxidation and the comprehensive experimental data determined the degree of injury in the mice. Results: An increase of TiO2 concentration in the nanomaterials led to a decrease of the content of MDA in serum and lung tissue of mice and the activity of SOD increased, indicating that mice showed oxidative stress in vivo. Conclusion: The strong direct exposure to a high concentration of TiO2 nanoparticles was harmful to the organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]