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Inspired by the requirements of miniaturization and multifunction of molecular devices, we investigate the quantum transport properties of three unique molecular devices with silicon carbide chains bridging gold electrodes by an ab initio approach.

This article considers the distributed adaptive fault-tolerant control problem for heterogeneous linear multiagent systems with actuator faults and nonuniform time-varying communication delays. First, novel distributed switching observers are proposed to estimate the system matrix and the state of the exosystem. The observers allow each agent to share its information with its underlying neighbors only at sampled instants of time, thus making a distinct difference from the existing results that require the exosystem matrix to be accessible to all agents at every continuous instant of time. Second, a sufficient condition is derived such that the observer error systems are exponentially stable under the influence of communication delays among interacting agents. Third, new distributed adaptive fault-tolerant controllers, which promise fewer adaptive parameters, are presented to compensate for the actuator faults. It is shown that the developed controllers are capable to effectively and efficiently solve the cooperative fault-tolerant output regulation problem with reduced computational complexity. Finally, three illustrative examples, including an inverted pendulum system, an electronic double-integrator circuit system, and an AC microgrid system, are presented to show the validity and efficiency of the developed method.

Introduction: Atrial Fibrillation in adult patients presenting with congenital heart disease (ACHD) is the prime cause of morbidity and mortality. In this sub group of people, the majority of hospital admissions are caused by atrial fibrillation and according to some studies, it represents about 20-25% of late mortalities1. Because the need for further cardiac operations is frequent in ACHD, the Cox-maze IV procedure (CM4) performed together with other cardiac procedures has shown to be successful in the restoration of normal sinus rhythm (NSR). The aim of this case report is to evaluate the Maze operation's safety and early clinical outcomes in the treatment of symptomatic and medically recurrent AF and also assess the advantage and risks of concomitant congenital heart surgery (Atrial Septal defect ASD) with the Cox-Maze procedure. Case presentation: Presenting a 58 year old male with congenital atrial septal defect with associated atrial fibrillation who successfully underwent a COX MAZE 4 procedure with complete cessation of atrial fibrillation. The patient had no complications after surgery and was discharged 22 days post-operative. He underwent ASD closure and left atrial appendage (LAA) closure 3 years prior indicated for atrial fibrillation and stroke. Discussion: AF is frequently seen in patients with ASD, the high incidence of AF in patients with ASD is linked to chronic volume overload as a result of a left-to-right atrial shunt, resulting in geometrical and electrical remodeling of both upper chambers of the heart (atria) and the incidence of ASD-associated AF is also firmly related with age2. Although a standalone closure of ASD may lead to restoring of normal sinus rhythm, it is widely agreed upon that surgical intervention for AF should be performed on ASD closure, this is particularly so in elderly patients with chronic AF and enlarged right atrium2. The ablation-assisted Cox-maze IV procedure (CM4), established severalyears back, has dramatically reduced and made easy the operation and has led to a reduction in morbidity and mortality attributed with the Cox Maze Procedure. The CM4 currently is the gold standard surgical treatment for AF, with a 93% freedom from AF and 85% freedom from AF andantiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) at 1year, and a 78% freedom from AF and 66% freedom from AF and AAD at 5years3. Conclusion: Cox Maze 4 operation for the treatment of Afib in ACHD is a safe and an effective procedure. The Cox Maze 4 has an excellent efficacy at maintaining normal sinus rhythm.

Heart transplantation is an effective method for the treatment of end-stage heart disease. Therefore, this article aimed to establish a stable and effective mouse abdominal heart transplantation model. MiR155 alleviates the acute heart transplantation response by regulating Th1 / Th17 immune cytokines. This paper used the control method of randomly selecting samples to classify 30 healthy mice that met the conditions. First, C57BL / 6 mice were used as recipients, and Balb / c mouse hearts were used as donors to establish mouse hearts as a transplantation acute reaction model. A chronic rejection model of mouse heart transplantation was established by C57BL / 6 mice as recipients and Bm12 mouse hearts as donors. The survival time of the two groups of transplanted hearts was carefully recorded. The results of the study showed that in the heart transplantation acute/chronic rejection model, the average survival time of the donor's heart in the allograft group was (7.5 ± 0.37) / (63.4 ± 4.37) days, which was the same compared with the two groups. Therefore, in-depth analysis of the experimental control results and conclusions from the experimental results of the mice, this study can better respond to the pathological changes of acute/chronic rejection and reach the standard of model establish

In this study, a modeling method for investigating the dynamic characteristics of a hydraulically driven shell manipulator with revolute clearance joints is presented. This model accounts for the effect of the clearance, the flexibility of the rotating beam, and the coupled dynamic characteristics of the hydraulic cylinder. A modified contact force model was developed to simulate the physical properties of realistic revolute joints with small clearances, heavy loads, and variable contact stiffnesses and damping coefficients with variations of the indentations. Considering the strong coupling relationship between the hydraulic cylinder and the flexible beam, a system equation of motion combining the state variables of the hydraulic cylinder and mechanical system was established. The complex nonlinear friction force of the hydraulic cylinder motion was constructed using a modified LuGre model, and the parameters of the friction model were identified using intelligent identification algorithms. Moreover, a test system for the shell manipulator was established to achieve experimental validation. Finally, the effects of the clearance size and the stiffness of the cylinder support on the dynamic response were investigated.

Removing microcystins (MCs) safely and effectively has become an urgent global problem because of their extremely hazardous to the environment and public health. Microcystinases derived from indigenous microorganisms have received widespread attention due to their specific MC biodegradation function. However, linearized MCs are also very toxic and need to be removed from the water environment. How MlrC binds to linearized MCs and how it catalyzes the degradation process based on the actual three-dimensional structure have not been determined. In this study, the binding mode of MlrC with linearized MCs was explored using a combination of molecular docking and site-directed mutagenesis methods. A series of key substrate binding residues, including E70, W59, F67, F96, S392 and so on, were identified. Sodium dodecane sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to analyze samples of these variants. The activity of MlrC variants were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We used fluorescence spectroscopy experiments to research the relationship between MlrC enzyme (E), zinc ion (M), and substrate (S). The results showed that MlrC enzyme, zinc ion and substrate formed E-M-S intermediates during the catalytic process. The substrate-binding cavity was made up of N and C-terminal domains and the substrate-binding site mainly included N41, E70, D341, S392, Q468, S485, R492, W59, F67, and F96. The E70 residue involved in both substrate catalysis and substrate binding. In conclusion, a possible catalytic mechanism of the MlrC enzyme was further proposed based on the experimental results and a literature survey. These findings provided new insights into the molecular mechanisms of the MlrC enzyme to degrade linearized MCs, and laid a theoretical foundation for further biodegradation studies of MCs.

Metal ion doping and MXene encapsulation for stimulating electron-withdrawing effect are harnessed to boost charge separation towards solar-to-hydrogen conversion.

As the most important food crop across the world, with continuous increase in world population and steady declining farmlands, wheat has been attracting academic attention for improving its yield or potential in the future particularly under global warming. Therefore, analyzing the yield or potential of wheat at global level relevant to greenhouse gas effect is of great significance to direct future production of wheat in the world. However up to now, there are relatively few reports on potential yield of world wheat projected using ‘time series’ approach like ARIMA (Auto-regressive Integrated Moving Average) model. Thus in this paper, the crop potential yield of world wheat during 2019 to 2028 is projected using ARIMA model based on the yields from 1961 to 2018. Our results show that during 2019 to 2028, the average yields of world wheat are projected to increase from 3569 to 4257 kg ha-1 while top yields of world wheat from 9852 to 11246 kg ha-1. Annual global mean temperatures are projected to increase from 15.05 to 15.31°C. Global warming exerts positive effect on average yield of world wheat while negative effect on the top yield in 1961 to 2018 and 2028. Our study concluded that for world wheat production in 2019 to 2028, the opportunities for improving production should be mainly dependent on the advantage of highyield countries as the yield is still in low place before the turn-point of S-shaped curve in long-term trend affected partly by greenhouse gas effect.

The crop yield potential of world soybean from 2019 to 2028 has been projected using ARIMA model based on the yields from 1961 to 2018. Both annual global mean temperature and the yields of world soybean have been projected to rise during the ensuing decade 2019-2028. Projected average yields of world soybean varies from 2841 to 3276 kg ha-1 while 4324 to 4807 kg ha-1 in the case of top (national) yields of world soybean. Annual global mean temperatures may vary from 15.0 to 15.3oC and likely to exert positive impact on average yield (R squared = 0.80) while negative on top yield (R squared = 0.40) of world soybean. It may be concluded that for world soybean yields in 2019 to 2028, the opportunities for improving production should be dependent on both high and low-yielding countries as the yield remained between 30 and 70 per cent of potential limit i.e. in middle place around the turn-point of S-shaped curve in long-term trend partly affected by global warming.

Litter decomposition is a key process of the carbon cycle in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The dominant conceptual model of litter decomposition assumes that environmental conditions, litter traits, and decomposer composition control litter decomposition in a decreasing order, yet whether this hierarchical model applies to both invasive and native plant species is unknown. Here, by comparing a widespread invasive plant and its native counterpart in Chinese coastal saltmarshes, we aimed to examine whether the hierarchy of factors controlling litter decomposition varies with plant species in the face of plant invasions. Leaf litter of invasive Spartina alterniflora and native Phragmites australis was collected across an 18° latitudinal range to capture wide variation in litter traits. These leaf litter samples were transported to three saltmarsh sites of different latitudes and were incubated in litterbags varying in mesh size (0.1, 2, and 5 mm) to manipulate decomposer composition. After 90-day incubation, we found a parallel latitudinal pattern in leaf litter decomposition rate (k) between S. alterniflora and P. australis regardless of saltmarsh site and mesh size. Nonetheless, the k value of S. alterniflora was 2.2-fold higher than that of P. australis. Moreover, there was a shift in the hierarchy of factors controlling k values between S. alterniflora and P. australis: environmental conditions (climate and soil) dominated other factors in P. australis, whereas litter traits contributed more than environmental conditions in S. alterniflora. Overall, our findings show that leaf litter decomposition and its dominant controlling factors across broad geographical ranges can vary with plant invasions, having important implications for managing invasive plants in the context of conserving coastal blue carbon.凋落物分解是陆地和水域生态系统碳循环的关键过程。凋落物分解模型通常认为控制凋落物分解速率最重要的驱动因素依次为环境条件、凋落物性状和分解者组成。然而这一凋落物分解层级模型的适用性是否在入侵植物和土著植物间具有差异尚不清楚。本研究通过比较中国滨海盐沼中广泛分布的入侵植物互花米草和土著植物芦苇, 探究控制植物凋落物分解的驱动因子层级关系是否因物种而异。本研究跨18°纬度采集了两种植物的叶片凋落物以获得较大变异的凋落物性状, 通过选择三个不同纬度的分解地(东营、上海、漳州)以控制分解环境, 同时选择三种不同孔径(0.1、2和5 mm)的凋落物袋以控制分解者类群。经过90天的野外分解实验, 结果表明:(1)互花米草叶片凋落物分解速率是芦苇叶片凋落物的2.2倍; (2)无论分解地和凋落物袋网目大小, 互花米草与芦苇的叶片凋落物分解速率均随凋落物来源地纬度的升高而增加; (3)控制凋落物分解的因子层级关系因物种而异, 环境条件主导控制芦苇凋落叶分解, 而凋落物性状在控制互花米草凋落叶分解中起主要作用。综上, 本研究表明在大地理尺度上植物入侵会改变凋落物分解速率及其主导控制因子, 这对保护滨海蓝碳生态系统目标下的入侵植物管理具有重要启示。.

Background This study aimed to explore the clinical values of the percutaneous spinal endoscopy “isolation zone” technique for discogenic low back pain (DLBP). Methods This retrospective case series study enrolled patients with intervertebral DLBP treated with the percutaneous spinal endoscopy “isolation zone” technique in the department of Orthopedics, Cangzhou central Hospital affiliated to TianJin Medical University between September 2017 and September 2020. Results Forty-five patients with DLBP were enrolled. The mean operation time was 94.7 ± 17.7 min. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score of lumbosacral pain was 6.95 ± 1.02 before operation, 2.64 ± 0.71, 1.80 ± 0.54, 1.42 ± 0.50, and 1.27 ± 0.45 at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation, respectively. The Oswestry disability index (ODI) score of low back pain was 72.84 ± 5.95 before operation, 35.1 ± 5.30, 25.22 ± 4.85, 16.78 ± 4.63, and 10.91 ± 2.36 at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation, respectively. At final follow-up, the treatment effect based on modified MacNab criteria was excellent in 24 cases, good in 13 cases, and fair in 8 cases. The excellent/good rate was 82.2%. Conclusion The percutaneous spinal endoscopic “isolation zone” technique seems to be a promising surgical alternative for DLBP.

Suppressor of variegation 3-9 homolog 2 (SUV39H2/KMT1B), a member of the SUV39 subfamily of lysine methyltransferases (KMTs), functions as an oncogene in various types of cancers. Here, we demonstrate a novel function of SUV39H2 that drives the cardiomyocyte aging process through BTG2. In our study, cardiomyocyte aging was induced by H2O2 and aging cells exhibited increases in SUV39H2. Knockdown of SUV39H2 accelerated cardiomyocyte senescence, while overexpression of SUV39H2 inhibited the cardiomyocyte senescence phenotype. These effects of SUV39H2 on cardiomyocytes were independent of DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Interestingly, RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses identified a strong correlation between SUV39H2 and BTG2. In addition to this, BTG2 protein levels were significantly increased in SUV39H2-deficient cardiomyocytes, and BTG2 knockdown virtually rescued the cardiomyocyte senescence phenotype induced by SUV39H2 knockdown. Taken together, these results indicate that SUV39H2 protects cardiomyocytes from H2O2 exposure-induced oxidative stress, DNA damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction by regulating the p53-BTG2 pathway. Our findings provide evidence that the activation of SUV39H2 has therapeutic or preventive potential against cardiac aging.

Recently, the AlB2-type compounds such as AlB2 and MgB2 have attracted immense interest due to the Dirac Nodal Line (DNL). This unique electronic structure is very important for the design and disc...

Carbon has many allotropes possessing unique properties. In this work, we predicted an orthogonal carbon crystal, named ort-C24, with dynamic, mechanical and thermodynamic stability. Studies indicate that it is a topological semimetal having both nodal rings and nodal lines in its Brillouin zone.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious injury to the central nervous system that causes significant physical and psychological trauma to the patient. SCI includes primary spinal cord injuries and secondary spinal cord injuries. The secondary injury refers to the pathological process or reaction after the primary injury. Although SCI has always been thought to be an incurable injury, the human nerve has the ability to repair itself after an injury. However, the reparability is limited because glial scar formation impedes functional recovery. There is a type of astrocyte that can differentiate into two forms of reactive astrocytes known as 'A1' and 'A2' astrocytes. A1 astrocytes release cytotoxic chemicals that cause neurons and oligodendrocytes to die and perform a harmful role. A2 astrocytes can produce neurotrophic factors and act as neuroprotectors. This article discusses ways to block A1 astrocytes while stimulating A2 astrocytes to formulate a new treatment for spinal cord injury.

Aqueous microdroplets exhibit unique properties and can trigger reactions that do not occur in bulk solution. Herein, we have demonstrated that water, in microdroplets, can reduce the energy barrier for the lone H transfer of 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl and promote its detachment from the amino group. This strategy works on various amino acids and opens opportunities of aqueous microdroplets in triggering organic reactions.

Objective: To explore the surgical strategy and clinical effects of the "isolation zone" technique through pedicle-flavum tunnel for the treatment of discogenic low back pain under percutaneous spinal endoscopy.Methods: From September 2017 to September 2020, the author treated patients with intervertebral discogenic low back pain with lateral approach percutaneous spinal endoscopic surgery under local anesthesia. The working channel is inserted through the anatomical pedicle-flavum tunnel and performed neuralization and corresponding segmental nerve roots are decompressed throughout the process, forming an "isolation zone" around the nerve root without contact with the nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus. The visual analogue scale (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) of low back pain and pain around the buttocks were recorded before and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the operation, and the modified MacNab criteria were evaluated. curative effect. A total of 45 patients completed surgery and received complete postoperative follow-up.Results: The 45 patients in this group all completed the operation successfully. There was no patient who could not tolerate the pain of local anesthesia and was forced to interrupt. The operation time was 65 to 125 minutes, with an average of 94.71±17.67 minutes. The average follow-up time for all patients was 12-18 months. , An average of 13.6±1.9months, the VAS scores for lower back pain and pain around the hips were 6.95±1.02 before surgery, 2.64±0.71 at 1 month after surgery, 1.80±0.54 at 3 months after surgery, and at 6 months after surgery 1.42±0.50, 12 months after surgery, 1.27±0.45; Oswsetry dysfunction index was 72.84±5.95 before surgery, 35.11±5.30 at 1 month after surgery, 25.22±4.85 at 3 months after surgery, and 6 months after surgery It was 16.78±4.63, and it was 10.91±2.36 after 12 months. The VAS score and ODI index of low back pain, lower limb pain at different time points after operation were significantly improved compared with that before operation (PConclusion: Percutaneous spinal endoscopic "isolation zone" technology through pedicle-flavum tunnel is a minimally invasive spinal surgery technique for the treatment of discogenic low back pain with safe operation and satisfactory clinical results.

Rechargeable Zn-ion battery has emerged as a promising alternative to Li-ion battery owing to the high safety and environmental benignity. Nevertheless, dendritic formation and side reaction occurred at the anode side greatly handicap its practical advance. Here, we put forward an effective maneuver to sustain practical Zn anode by optimizing the anode/electrolyte interface, which deals with the direct growth of an ultrathin nitrogen and oxygen co-doped carbon (NOC) overlayer over Zn foil via a scalable plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Thus-designed NOC overlayer can guide the stable Zn deposition along Zn (002) because of the favorable adsorption by dopant atoms and cultivation effect of nanocrystalline carbons, thereby inducing a planar Zn texture. Moreover, the abundant heteroatoms help reduce the solvation energy and accelerate the reaction kinetics. As a result, dendrite growth and side reaction are concurrently mitigated. Symmetric cell harvests durable electrochemical cycling (1125 h at 10.0 mA cm− 2/1.0 mAh cm− 2; 136 h at 30.0 mA cm− 2/30.0 mAh cm− 2). Assembled full battery further realizes elongated lifespans under stringent conditions. This strategy marks a new avenue for the in-situ construction of ultrathin protective coating to optimize the Zn deposition electrochemistry toward pragmatic Zn anode.

The bHLH domain transcription factor, Bombyx mori-derived dimmed (Bmdimm), is directly regulated by the JH-BmMet/BmSRC-BmKr-h1 pathway and plays a key role in regulating the expression of FibH, which codes the main component of silk protein. However, the other roles of Bmdimm in silk protein synthesis remain unclear. Here, we established a Bmdimm knockout (KO) line containing a 7-bp deletion via CRISPR/Cas9 system, which led to the absence of the bHLH domain. The expression level of silk protein genes and silk yield decreased significantly in the Bmdimm KO line. Moreover, knocking out Bmdimm led to shortened larval stages and significant weight loss in larvae and adults. Bmdimm was found to be highly expressed in the silk gland, but it was also expressed in the fat body. The expression level of Bmkr-h1 in the fat body was significantly downregulated in the Bmdimm KO line. Exogenous JHA treatment upregulated Bmkr-h1 and rescued the phenotype of larval growth in the Bmdimm KO line. In conclusion, knocking out Bmdimm led to a shortened larval stage via the inhibition of Bmkr-h1 expression, then reduced silk yield. These findings help to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of fibroin synthesis and larval development in silkworms.

The structural, electronic, mechanical and optical properties of LaIn3 under pressure have been systemically investigated using the first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). Structural calculations show that the cubic LaIn3 is no structural phase transition in the pressure range of 0–30 GPa. From the calculated electronic band structures and density of states (DOS), it is found that the LaIn3 is metallic character and the bands which cross EF originate primarily from La-d states, with some contribution from In-p states. The electrical conductivity and metal properties are gradually decreasing with increasing pressure, and the electron transition becomes more difficult. The calculated elastic properties indicate that LaIn3 is mechanical stability and possess the superior mechanical properties in the considered pressure ranges. Moreover, a comparison of the two elastic constants C11 and C44 indicates that the LaIn3 is more resistant to the unidirectional compression than to the shear deformation, and the values of Poisson’s ratio ν and B/G demonstrate that LaIn3 is keep ductile behavior under pressure up to 30 GPa. In addition, the elastic anisotropy of LaIn3 under pressure is also examined. Finally, the optical properties and Debye temperature of the cubic LaIn3 under pressure are also predicted analytically.

There are six possible solutions for the surface normal vectors obtained from polarization information during 3D reconstruction. To resolve the ambiguity of surface normal vectors, scholars have introduced additional information, such as shading information. However, this makes the 3D reconstruction task too burdensome. Therefore, in order to make the 3D reconstruction more generally applicable, this paper proposes a complete framework to reconstruct the surface of an object using only polarized images. To solve the ambiguity problem of surface normal vectors, a jump-compensated U-shaped generative adversarial network (RU-Gan) based on jump compensation is designed for fusing six surface normal vectors. Among them, jump compensation is proposed in the encoder and decoder parts, and the content loss function is reconstructed, among other approaches. For the problem that the reflective region of the original image will cause the estimated normal vector to deviate from the true normal vector, a specular reflection model is proposed to optimize the dataset, thus reducing the reflective region. Experiments show that the estimated normal vector obtained in this paper improves the accuracy by about 20° compared with the previous conventional work, and improves the accuracy by about 1.5° compared with the recent neural network model, which means the neural network model proposed in this paper is more suitable for the normal vector estimation task. Furthermore, the object surface reconstruction framework proposed in this paper has the characteristics of simple implementation conditions and high accuracy of reconstructed texture.

Harmful

Background Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignant tumors that mainly affects children and adolescents. The underlying molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the initiation and development of OS are still not clear. Increasing evidence suggested the tumor suppressor role of microRNA-524-5p in a variety of cancers via targeting key pathways involved in tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to characterize the function of miR-524-5p in OS. Methods A total 50 paired OS tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected from OS patients. The expression of miR-524-5p in OS tissues and cells was detected by RT-qPCR. The CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry and transwell assay were applied to determine the proliferation and invasion abilities of OS cells. The targets of miR-524-5p were predicted using the miRDB dataset and confirmed by luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis. Results The expression of miR-524-5p was decreased in OS tissues and cell lines. OS patients with lymph node metastasis harbored relative lower level of miR-524-5p. Overexpression of miR-524-5p in OS cells significantly suppressed the proliferation, drove cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The mechanism investigation revealed that miR-524-5p bound the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of Cyclin Dependent Kinase 6 (CDK6) and repressed the expression of CDK6 in OS cells. Overexpressed CDK6 was found in OS tissues, which was inversely correlated with that of miR-524-5p. Moreover, forced expression of CDK6 significantly reversed the anti-cancer effects of miR-524-5p on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of OS cells. Conclusions Our results identified the tumor-suppressive role of miR-524-5p in OS via targeting CDK6, which may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic target for the treatment of OS.

An efficient and mild method for reductive C-O bond cleavage of lignin β-O-4 ketone models was developed to afford the corresponding ketones and phenols with PDI-CoCl2 as the precatalyst and diboron reagent as the reductant. The synthetic utility of the methodology was demonstrated by depolymerization of a polymeric model and gram-scale transformation. Mechanistic studies suggested that this transformation involves steps of carbonyl insertion, 1,2-Brook type rearrangement, β-oxygen elimination, and rate-limiting regeneration of the catalytic active Co-B species.

Karst rocky desertification (KRD), a land degradation form which is widespread but unique to karst ecosystems, has become an ecological disaster in southwest China. Biocrusts play crucial roles in many ecological processes of the degraded ecosystems. However, little is known about the effects of biocrusts on soil properties and soil microbial communities in the progression of KRD. We sampled soil beneath moss biocrusts and bare soil in four grades of KRD (none, light, moderate, and severe) to compare soil nutrients, soil microbial diversity, community composition, structure, and networks across the range of KRD progression. Moss biocrusts had a positive effect on all soil nutrients and buffered the negative effects of KRD progression compared to bare soil. Moss biocrusts significantly increased soil microbial richness but had little contribution to diversity and community composition. Both soil bacterial and fungal communities were significantly correlated with total and available phosphorus, total potassium, soil temperature, slope, and altitude. Soil bacterial and fungal communities showed different sensitivities and strategies in face of environmental degradation in KRD-affected ecosystems. Moss biocrust restoration could be used as a supplementary method in promoting ecological restoration in areas undergoing KRD due to their positive effects on soil nutrients and soil microbial richness. Our findings filled a knowledge gap pertaining to the microbial ecology of biocrust in regions experiencing KRD.

Recently, the AlB2-type compounds (such as AlB2 and MgB2) which exhibit Dirac Nodal Line (DNLs) semimetal on their electronic band structure and Phononic Weyl Nodal Straight Lines (PTWNLs) on their...

An efficient cobalt-catalyzed Z to E isomerization of β-substituted styrenes using the amido-diphosphine ligand was developed, delivering the (E)-isomers with good functional tolerance and high stereoselectivity. The reaction could be scaled up to gram-scale with a catalyst loading of 0.1 mol %, using a mixture of (Z)- and (E)-alkene as the starting material. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that cobalt(I)-hydride and a benzylic-cobalt species were probably involved in the reaction, as supported by experiments and DFT calculations.

Stone buildings exposed to natural environment inevitably subject to various factors. Among which, biodeterioration caused by bacteria, fungi, algae, lichen, and moss is widespread. The long-term cumulative effect of biodeterioration will lead to irreversible changes in the aesthetic characteristics, physical and chemical properties of stone buildings. Therefore, it is necessary to control the biodeterioration of stone buildings. Here, we summarized four traditional methods including heat shock treatments, laser and ultraviolet radiation, application of biocides, and presented typical examples. We analyzed several emerging techniques, such as synergistic effect of physical and chemical methods, plant extracts and nanomaterials biocides, and reviewed their advantages, disadvantages as well as applicability. Aiming to provide a reference for the research of biodeterioration prevention and conservation of stone buildings, we discussed the preventive methods for biodeterioration of stone building and the assessment methods to test the effects of such methods, and prospected the future research direction.石质建筑暴露在自然环境中不可避免地遭到各种因素的影响,其中由细菌、真菌、藻类、地衣和苔藓等引起的生物风化问题普遍存在,生物风化的长期累积效应会导致石质建筑在物理结构、化学性质和美学特征等方面发生不可逆的变化和损坏。因此,运用不同方法来减少生物对石质建筑的侵蚀是非常必要的。本文根据典型案例整理归纳了目前研究中生物风化治理的传统方法(包括热处理、激光和紫外线辐照、施用杀菌剂等)和几种新兴技术(包括物理方法和化学方法协同作用、植物提取物和纳米材料作为杀菌剂等),并对其优缺点及适用性进行了评述。本文还论述了石质建筑生物风化的防护对策和防治效果的检测方法,并对未来研究方向进行了展望,旨在为石质建筑的生物风化防治研究提供方法借鉴和参考。.

Bronchial asthma (abbreviated as asthma), is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. The main characteristics of asthma include variable reversible airflow limitation and airway remodeling. The pathogenesis of asthma is still unclear. Th1/Th2 imbalance, Th1 deficiency and Th2 hyperfunction are classic pathophysiological mechanisms of asthma. Some studies have shown that the imbalance of the Th1/Th2 cellular immune model and Th17/Treg imbalance play a key role in the occurrence and development of asthma; however, these imbalances do not fully explain the disease. In recent years, studies have shown that γδT and γδT17 cells are involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. γδTreg has a potential immunosuppressive function, but its regulatory mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In this paper, we reviewed the role of γδT17/γδTreg cells in bronchial asthma, including the mechanisms of their development and activation. Here we propose that γδT17/Treg cell subsets contribute to the occurrence and development of asthma, constituting a novel potential target for asthma treatment.

Constructing a conductive carbon-based artificial interphase layer (AIL) to inhibit dendritic formation and side reaction plays a pivotal role in achieving longevous Zn anodes. Distinct from the previously reported carbonaceous overlayers with singular dopants and thick foreign coatings, a new type of N/O co-doped carbon skin with ultrathin feature (i.e., 20 nm thickness) is developed via the direct chemical vapor deposition growth over Zn foil. Throughout fine-tuning the growth conditions, mosaic nanocrystalline graphene can be obtained, which is proven crucial to enable the orientational deposition along Zn (002), thereby inducing a planar Zn texture. Moreover, the abundant heteroatoms help reduce the solvation energy and accelerate the reaction kinetics. As a result, dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, and side reactions are concurrently mitigated. Symmetric cell harvests durable electrochemical cycling of 3040 h at 1.0 mA cm

Paclitaxel remains the first-line chemotherapy regimen for many malignant tumors. However, prognosis and adverse events under different dosing regimens (one-week versus three-week treatment) remain contradictory in many randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Here, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to measure the efficacy and toxicities of these two dosing regimens. Four databases were systematically retrieved. RCTs comparing two paclitaxel dosing regimens for advanced malignant tumors with assessable outcomes (e.g., overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), toxicities, response rates) were included. In total, 19 eligible RCTs involving 9 674 patients were included. Meta-analysis of pan-cancers revealed that weekly paclitaxel treatment was more beneficial regarding PFS compared to three-week paclitaxel treatment (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.82-0.99

Microplastic (MP) pollution has received widespread attention; however, its occurrence and distribution in water supply systems, particularly in pipe scales, remains unclear. In this study, MPs were observed in water and pipe scale samples from the drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) and distribution system (DWDS), respectively. The MP concentrations ranged from 13.23 to 134.79 n/L and 569.99 to 751.73 n/kg in the water and pipe scale samples, respectively. The predominant particles in the pipe scales (50–100 μm) were smaller than those in the water samples (> 200 μm). Overall, MP fragments were the most abundant. Of all the identified MPs, nylon and polyvinyl chloride were predominant in the water and pipe scale samples, respectively. Furthermore, the DWTP and DWDS both prevented MPs from entering the tap water, thereby reducing their risk. The results of this study provide direct evidence for the strong adsorption of MPs onto pipe scales, indicating that pipe scale stability may play a role in improving water quality and security. However, the abundance of MPs in pipe scales cannot be ignored. Additionally, the results provide valuable background information on MP pollution in water supply systems.

Based on the 5G application and practice of Guizhou power grid, aiming at the massive data information collected by 5G network, how to identify the key information efficiently and quickly based on the image intelligent recognition algorithm and realize the alarm return is the core of this paper. In view of the above image edge detection problems, this paper proposes an improved multi-dimensional Canny algorithm. In each stage, wavelet threshold denoising, improved 4-direction Sobel template, angle interpolation, fusion Otsu algorithm, genetic algorithm and double low threshold algorithm, and secondary morphological processing are used. By building a simulation platform, it is verified that the multi-dimensional improved algorithm based on Canny not only inherits the advantages of the original algorithm, but also has better performance in the aspects of algorithm efficiency, mean square error, peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity compared with the traditional Canny algorithm.

Taking into account the factors affecting the underwater unmanned vehicle integrated system, the system is divided into three aspects: performance system, function system and control system. By using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, the index evaluation system of underwater unmanned vehicle integrated system design scheme is constructed layer by layer, and the evaluation mathematical model is established to calculate the importance of each element in each layer and group, and to determine the membership function. This provides a new method and technical system for underwater unmanned vehicle integrated system evaluation. The reliability of the system is verified by two examples.

In this paper, the event-triggered decentralized control problem for interconnected nonlinear systems with input quantization is investigated. A state observer is constructed to estimate the unmeasurable states, and the state-dependent interconnections are accommodated by presenting some smooth functions. Then by employing backstepping technique and neural networks (NNs) approximation capability, a novel decentralized output feedback control strategy and an event-triggered mechanism are designed simultaneously. It is proved through Lyapunov theory that the closed-loop system is stable and the tracking property of all subsystems is guaranteed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is illustrated by an example.

With the synthesis of single-layer lead iodide (PbI2) in the laboratory in recent years, it has been widely used due to its stable structure and suitable bandgap (2.5 eV). We carried out first-prin...

In this paper, an adaptive fault-tolerant control (FTC) approach is proposed for nonlinear systems involving input saturation and unknown control directions. In the framework of dynamic output feedback FTC, neural networks (NNs) are used to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions, and then a novel adaptive controller is further designed by combining the Nussbaum function property. Unlike some existing works incorporating an auxiliary state variable, the asymmetric actuator saturation is handled by the Nussbaum function in this approach. Furthermore, it is proven that all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded and the output tracking error satisfies the prescribed performance condition through using the barrier Lyapunov function method. Finally, simulation examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method.