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Osmotin-like proteins (OLPs) play an important role in host-plant defense. In this study, a novel multiresistant OLP (IbOLP1) was screened from sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) with a molecular weight of 26.3 kDa. The expression level of IbOLP1was significantly higher in resistant cultivars than susceptible ones after inoculation with Ceratocystis fimbriata, which causes black rot disease in sweetpotato. The expression of IbOLP1 in Pichia pastorisled to the lysis of yeast cells themselves. The recombinant IbOLP1 displayed antifungal, antibacterial, and antinematode activity and stability. IbOLP1 could restrain the mycelial growth and lyse spores of C. fimbriata, distinctly reducing the incidence of black rot in sweetpotato. The IbOLP1 can trigger the apoptosis of black rot spores by elevating the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species. Collectively, these findings suggest that IbOLP1 can be used to develop natural antimicrobial resources instead of chemical agents and generate new, disease-resistant germplasm.

Federated learning (FL) enables multiple devices to collaboratively accomplish a machine learning task by iteratively exchanging their model updates instead of raw data with a parameter server (PS), thus protecting users' data privacy. Nevertheless, the communication efficiency and the nonindependent and identically distributed (non-IID) data are remaining intractable challenges in FL. This article proposes a hybrid FL framework called FedSeq, based on user clustering and sequential in-cluster training, to improve the communication efficiency and the test accuracy, especially on non-IID data. The FedSeq first divides users into multiple clusters and selects a cluster head (CH) on behalf on each cluster to upload the model updates to the PS, thus drastically reducing the uplink communication overhead. Within each cluster, a sequential training method is designed, which enables the CHs' models witness more categories of training data and go through more meta-updates per training epoch, thus promoting the test accuracy. Moreover, we also provide the convergence analysis of FedSeq on IID data with Random user clustering, with specific experiments validating our theoretical analysis from a simulation perspective. In the experiments, we compare our FedSeq with other baselines, including FedSGD, FedAVG, FedProx, FedCluster, and HierFAVG, of which the results demonstrate that FedSeq outperforms other FL paradigms in terms of model accuracy and training efficiency. We also test FedSeq with Random and Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy clustering strategies to demonstrate the robustness of FedSeq to different clustering strategies. The FedSeq offers a potential solution to cope with non-IID data and reduce uplink communication overhead in FL.

Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are promising for detection of extremely weak power regimes for the Internet of Things and long-distance satellite networks. In low-frequency magnetic signal measurements, it has demonstrated superior performance over the traditional systems. We review the resistively and capacitively shunted junction model of dc SQUIDs and investigate its transfer function to magnetic flux signals while taking thermal fluctuation into account. We numerically evaluate the influence of bias current and bias flux signal to determine the operating parameters of the device. The performances related to SQUID ring inductance operating at 4.2 K and 77 K are demonstrated. Combined with common radio frequency front-end modules, including low-noise amplifier and low-pass filter, we evaluate the bit-error-rate performance of the system under different inductance values and inferred that the sensitivity of the system can reach −99 dBm at 100 MHz bandwidth.

Spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) transmission lines are frequently used to excite millimeter-wave (mmWave) antenna arrays due to high field confinement and easy integration with planar structures. However, the design of the SSPP-based array antennas requires significant efforts because of multiple specifications, the high cost of electromagnetic (EM) evaluations, and a large number of design parameters. This article proposes a multisurrogate-assisted optimization framework for the efficient design of SSPP-based mmWave array antennas. The framework has three stages. In each stage, a surrogate is proposed to solve a specific task. The first stage is to find the initial values of four key design parameters using artificial neural network (ANN)-based surrogate model optimization. The second stage focuses on the optimization of sidelobe level based on another ANN surrogate model. The third stage is a beamforming-focused optimization procedure using the space mapping technique with an improved array factor formula as a surrogate. An mmWave SSPP-based array antenna with 16 circular patches at a central frequency of 28 GHz is successfully designed using the proposed framework. The antenna is also redesigned for five sets of main lobe directions and null locations at 24 GHz. All antennas are verified using full-wave EM simulations.

Future wireless communication system embraces physical-layer signal detection with high sensitivity, especially in the microwave photon level. Currently, the receiver primarily adopts the signal detection based on semi-conductor devices for signal detection, while this paper introduces high-sensitivity photon-level microwave detection based on superconducting structure. We first overview existing works on the photon-level communication in the optical spectrum as well as the microwave photon-level sensing based on superconducting structure in both theoretical and experimental perspectives, including microwave detection circuit model based on Josephson junction, microwave photon counter based on Josephson junction, and two reconstruction approaches under background noise. In addition, we characterize channel modeling based on two different microwave photon detection approaches, including the absorption barrier and the dual-path Handury Brown-Twiss (HBT) experiments, and predict the corresponding achievable rates. According to the performance prediction, it is seen that the microwave photon-level signal detection can increase the receiver sensitivity compared with the state-of-the-art standardized communication system with waveform signal reception, with gain over 10dB.

A high-sensitivity low-frequency fiber-optic Fabry-Perot (F-P) acoustic sensing scheme was proposed based on optical cross-correlation (OCC). The finite element method (FEM) is used to analyze the OCC optical path distribution. The demodulation of the F-P cavity length is fulfilled by measuring the initial phase of the OCC signal. An improved phase demodulation method combined with all-phase Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Buneman frequency estimation is applied in sound pressure detection. The discrete wavelet transform and Hilbert transform are used for denoising and de-envelope the OCC signal. The possibility of phase jump is reduced by tracking 511 pixels. Acoustic experiments prove that the scheme has a high linear responsivity in the frequency range of 2–250 Hz. At the frequency of 100 Hz, the sound pressure sensitivity and calibration values are 0.683 rad/Pa and 137.8 nm/rad. The minimum detectable pressure (MDP) is measured to be 24.1 μPa/Hz−1/2, which is over ten times lower than peak demodulation. The scheme provides a low-cost and high-sensitivity acoustic demodulation system that is suitable for low-frequency acoustic detection such as hydrophone measurement, seismic detection, and photoacoustic spectroscopy.

Calpains have been implicated in heart diseases. While calpain-1 has been detrimental to the heart, the role of calpain-2 in cardiac pathology remains controversial. In this study we investigated whether sustained over-expression of calpain-2 had any adverse effects on the heart and the underlying mechanisms. Double transgenic mice (Tg-Capn2/tTA) were generated, which express human CAPN2 restricted to cardiomyocytes. The mice were subjected to echocardiography at age 3, 6, 8 and 12 months, and their heart tissues and sera were collected for analyses. We showed that transgenic mice over-expressing calpain-2 restricted to cardiomyocytes had normal heart function with no evidence of cardiac pathological remodeling at age 3 months. However, they exhibited features of dilated cardiomyopathy including increased heart size, enlarged heart chambers and heart dysfunction from age 8 months; histological analysis revealed loss of cardiomyocytes replaced by myocardial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in transgenic mice from age 8 months. These cardiac alterations closely correlated with aberrant autophagy evidenced by significantly increased LC3BII and p62 protein levels and accumulation of autophagosomes in the hearts of transgenic mice. Notably, injection of 3-methyladenine, a well-established inhibitor of autophagy (30 mg/kg, i.p. once every 3 days starting from age 6 months for 2 months) prevented aberrant autophagy, attenuated myocardial injury and improved heart function in the transgenic mice. In cultured cardiomyocytes, over-expression of calpain-2 blocked autophagic flux by impairing lysosomal function. Furthermore, over-expression of calpain-2 resulted in lower levels of junctophilin-2 protein in the heart of transgenic mice and in cultured cardiomyocytes, which was attenuated by 3-methyladenine. In addition, blockade of autophagic flux by bafilomycin A (100 nM) induced a reduction of junctophilin-2 protein in cardiomyocytes. In summary, transgenic over-expression of calpain-2 induces age-dependent dilated cardiomyopathy in mice, which may be mediated through aberrant autophagy and a reduction of junctophilin-2. Thus, a sustained increase in calpain-2 may be detrimental to the heart.

Background: Drug-induced interstitial lung disease (DILD) is an increasingly common cause of morbidity and mortality. However, due to the lack of specificity, DILD detection remains an unsolved public health challenge.Objectives: For the first time, we aimed to examine DILD reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) to identify demographic characteristics and top drugs associated with DILD at a group level (including age, sex, drug class, and country stratification) and individual drug level.Design: A retrospective analysis of the FAERS database was examined by disproportionality analysis.Methods: We reviewed the FAERS database from 2004 to 2021, using search terms ‘interstitial lung disease’ and sorting cases by generic drug name. The reporting odds ratio, proportional reporting ratio, and Bayesian confidence propagation neural network were calculated as the measure of strength of association.Results: There were 32,821 DILD reports in the FAERS. After excluding reports without age, sex, or country data according to the specific measurement, the median age of patients was 68 (interquartile range: 59), 54.77% were male, and 46.00% of reports came from Japan. The top drug classes related to DILD in the FAERS were antineoplastic, followed by cardiovascular and antirheumatic agents, in varying order in different sexes. Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki, ramucirumab, and eribulin were the top three drugs with the highest strength of association. We also found some drugs without DILD in the labels, such as amiodarone, temsirolimus, and ursodiol. There are significant differences in DILD reports in various countries. For example, the United States and France reported more cardiovascular agents, whereas Canada reported more antirheumatic agents.Conclusion: We found the top drugs and drug classes that were associated with DILD in the FAERS, which provides a real-world window for different ages, sexes, and countries to formulate precise pharmacovigilance policies.

•New authentication and key agreement protocol based on the trusted cloud-edge-terminal side frame is designed, which is different from the traditional vehicle-connected communication protocol.•The edge server side adopts time tree technology to share vehicle certification information and reduce the resource consumption of the system when the vehicle moves across domains.•Use multiple trusted cloud servers to enhance system robustness.

Background: Glioma is the most aggressive and lethal tumor of the central nervoussystem. Due to the cellular heterogeneity, the invasiveness, and blood-brain barrier (BBB), currenttherapeutic approaches, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are poorly to obtain great antitumorefficacy. However, peptides, a novel type of therapeutic agent, displayed excellent ability inthe tumor, which becomes a new molecule for glioma treatment. Methods: We review the current knowledge on peptides for the treatment of glioma through aPubMed-based literature search. Results: In the treatment of glioma, peptides can be used as (i) decoration on the surface of thedelivery system, facilitating the distribution and accumulation of the anti-tumor drug in target site;(ii) anti-tumor active molecules, inhibiting the growth of glioma and reducing solid tumor volume;(iii) immune-stimulating factor, and it activating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment orrecruiting immune cells to the tumor for breaking out the immunosuppression by glioma cells. Conclusion: The application of peptides has revolutionized the treatment of glioma, which basedon targeting, penetrating, anti-tumor activities and immunostimulatory. Moreover, better outcomeshave been discovered in combining different kinds of peptides rather than a single one. Until now,more and more preclinical studies have been developed with multifarious peptides, which showspromising results in vitro or vivo with the model of glioma.

Connexin 43 (Cx43) is the most important protein in the gap junction channel between cardiomyocytes. Abnormalities of Cx43 change the conduction velocity and direction of cardiomyocytes, leading to reentry and conduction block of the myocardium, thereby causing arrhythmia. It has been shown that IL-1β reduces the expression of Cx43 in astrocytes and cardiomyocytes in vitro. However, whether caspase-1 and IL-1β affect connexin 43 after myocardial infarction (MI) is uncertain. In this study we investigated the effects of VX765, a caspase-1 inhibitor, on the expression of Cx43 and cell-to-cell communication after MI. Rats were treated with VX765 (16 mg/kg, i.v.) 1 h before the left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation, and then once daily for 7 days. The ischemic heart was collected for histochemical analysis and Western blot analysis. We showed that VX765 treatment significantly decreased the infarct area, and alleviated cardiac dysfunction and remodeling by suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasome/caspase-1/IL-1β expression in the heart after MI. In addition, VX765 treatment markedly raised Cx43 levels in the heart after MI. In vitro experiments were conducted in rat cardiac myocytes (RCMs) stimulated with the supernatant from LPS/ATP-treated rat cardiac fibroblasts (RCFs). Pretreatment of the RCFs with VX765 (25 μM) reversed the downregulation of Cx43 expression in RCMs and significantly improved intercellular communication detected using a scrape-loading/dye transfer assay. We revealed that VX765 suppressed the activation of p38 MAPK signaling in the heart tissue after MI as well as in RCMs stimulated with the supernatant from LPS/ATP-treated RCFs. Taken together, these data show that the caspase-1 inhibitor VX765 upregulates Cx43 expression and improves cell-to-cell communication in rat heart after MI via suppressing the IL-1β/p38 MAPK pathway.

The phospholipid phosphatase FIG4/Fig4 is a subunit of PIKFYVE/Pikfyve kinase complex that synthesizes phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2), a key regulator of endolysosomal trafficking and function. Loss of FIG4/Fig4 leads to intracellular deficiency of PI(3,5)P2signaling and multiple endolysosomal defects. Previous works were focused on the effects of FIG4/Fig4 mutations in the nervous and musculoskeletal systems in human clinical and animal studies. In this study, we describe a zebrafish recessive mutant cq35showing robust liver vacuolation and lethality, with a predicted truncating mutation in fig4agene. The liver vacuolation progress in fig4amutant was reversible after regaining normal fig4atranscripts. The hepatic vacuolation pathology was identified as abnormal lysosomal storage with numerous accumulated cargoes, including autophagy intermediates, and caused progressive degeneration of bile canaliculi in mutant liver. These hepatic pathological details of fig4amutant were repeated in zebrafish pikfyvemutant. Thus, zebrafish possess the conserved structural and functional mechanisms in Pikfyve kinase complex, based on which, pikfyvemutant phenotype covered fig4amutant phenotype in their double mutant. Our findings represent the first description of the in vivodefects caused by FIG4/Fig4 mutation or PI(3,5)P2deficiency in liver, and reveal the conserved complex mechanisms associated with FIG4/Fig4-deficient disorders in zebrafish.

Patients with VEXAS syndrome carry mutations of UBA1 gene coding for the E1 enzyme. The three most frequent mutations are p.M41T(122T > C), p.M41V (c.121A > G), and p.M41L (c.121A > C) in codon 41 of exon 3. Currently, sanger sequencing was mainly used to detect these mutations, which has low sensitivity and low throughput. There is a need of high sensitivity, simple and high throughput method to characterize patients with VEXAS syndrome.

Hazard perception (HP) is an important aspect of driving performance and is associated with crash risk. In the current study, we investigate the effect of roadway environment (city vs. highway) and expertise on HP. HP was measured using HP clips that evaluated response lag (defined as the time from the participant’s response to the end of the clip) and fuzzy signal detection theory metrics of response criterion and sensitivity. Forty videos were used: 20 from highway environments and 20 from city environments. Forty-eight participants with a range of driving experience as assessed by the years since obtaining a license (less than 1 year to 24 years) completed the study. There were differences between city and highway environments in response lag and response bias; participants responded earlier to the hazards in the highway environment and exhibited a more liberal response bias. Driving experience was significantly correlated to response lag. When the video clips were categorized by environment, driving experience was only significantly correlated with performance for the city environment.

Biliary epithelial cells (BECs) are a potential source to repair the damaged liver when hepatocyte proliferation is compromised. Promotion of BEC-to-hepatocyte transdifferentiation could be beneficial to the clinical therapeutics of patients with end-stage liver diseases. However, mechanisms underlying the initiation of BEC transdifferentiation remain largely unknown. Here, we show that upon extreme hepatocyte injury, vegfaaand vegfr2/kdrlare notably induced in hepatic stellate cells and BECs, respectively. Pharmacological and genetic inactivation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling would disrupt BEC dedifferentiation and proliferation, thus restraining hepatocyte regeneration. Mechanically, VEGF signaling regulates the activation of the PI3K-mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) axis, which is essential for BEC-to-hepatocyte transdifferentiation. In mice, VEGF signaling exerts conserved roles in oval cell activation and BEC-to-hepatocyte differentiation. Taken together, this study shows VEGF signaling as an initiator of biliary-mediated liver regeneration through activating the PI3K-mTORC1 axis. Modulation of VEGF signaling in BECs could be a therapeutic approach for patients with end-stage liver diseases.

To analyze the visual functions of the elder people in China by Useful Field of View (UFOV) to verify performances in Chinese elders.

A 3‐D refractive‐index matching Lagrangian particle tracking (3D‐RIM‐LPT) system was developed to study the filtration and the clogging process inside a homogeneous porous medium. A small subset of particles flowing through the porous medium was dyed and tracked. As this subset was randomly chosen, its dynamics is representative of all the rest. The statistics of particle locations, number, and velocity were obtained as functions of different volumetric concentrations. It is found that in our system the clogging time decays with the particle concentration following a power law relationship. As the concentration increases, there is a transition from depth filtration to cake filtration. At high concentration, more clogged pores lead to frequent flow redirections and more transverse migrations of particles. In addition, the velocity distribution in the transverse direction is symmetrical around zero, and it is slightly more intermittent than the random Gaussian curve due to particle‐particle and particle‐grain interactions. In contrast, as clogging develops, the longitudinal velocity of particles along the mean flow direction peaks near zero because of many trapped particles. But at the same time, the remaining open pores will experience larger pressure and, as a result, particles through those pores tend to have larger longitudinal velocities. We propose a novel experimental method to track particle dynamics in 3‐D porous medium during cloggingThe method shows the time evolution and spatial distribution of clogged poresIt provides statistics of particle velocity distribution and displacement over time

A major cause of intestinal failure (IF) is intestinal epithelium necrosis and massive loss of enterocytes, especially in the jejunum, the major intestinal segment in charge of nutrient absorption. However, mechanisms underlying jejunal epithelial regeneration after extensive loss of enterocytes remain elusive. Here, we apply a genetic ablation system to induce extensive damage to jejunal enterocytes in zebrafish, mimicking the jejunal epithelium necrosis that causes IF. In response to injury, proliferation and filopodia/lamellipodia drive anterior migration of the ileal enterocytes into the injured jejunum. The migrated fabp6+ileal enterocytes transdifferentiate into fabp2+jejunal enterocytes to fulfill the regeneration, consisting of dedifferentiation to precursor status followed by redifferentiation. The dedifferentiation is activated by the IL1β-NFκB axis, whose agonist promotes regeneration. Extensive jejunal epithelial damage is repaired by the migration and transdifferentiation of ileal enterocytes, revealing an intersegmental migration mechanism of intestinal regeneration and providing potential therapeutic targets for IF caused by jejunal epithelium necrosis.

The relatively new discipline of pharmacovigilance (PV) aims to monitor the safety of drugs throughout their evolution and is essential to discovering new drug risks. Due to their specific and complex physiology, children, pregnant women, and elderly adults are more prone to adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Additionally, the lack of clinical trial data exacerbates the challenges faced with pharmacotherapy in these populations. Elderly patients tend to have multiple comorbidities often requiring more extensive medication, which adds additional challenges for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in delivering safe and effective pharmacotherapy. Clinical trials often have inherent limitations, including insufficient sample size and limited duration of research; as some ADRs are attributed to long-term use of a drug, these may go undetected during the course of the trial. Therefore, the implementation of PV is key to insuring the safe and effective use of drugs in special populations. We conducted a thorough review of the scientific literature on PV systems across the European Union, the United States, and China. Our review focused on basic physiological characteristics, drug use, and PV for specific populations (children, pregnant women, and the elderly). This article aims to provide a reference for the development of follow-up policies and improvement of existing policies as well as provide insight into drug safety with respect to patients of special populations.

Fish detect predators, flow conditions, environments and each other through pressure signals. Lateral line ablation is often performed to understand the role of pressure sensing. In the present study, we propose a non-invasive method for reconstructing the instantaneous pressure field sensed by a fish's lateral line system from two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. The method uses a physics-informed neural network (PINN) to predict an optimized solution for the pressure field near and on the fish's body that satisfies both the Navier–Stokes equations and the constraints put forward by the PIV measurements. The method was validated using a direct numerical simulation of a swimming mackerel, Scomber scombrus, and was applied to experimental data of a turning zebrafish, Danio rerio. The results demonstrate that this method is relatively insensitive to the spatio-temporal resolution of the PIV measurements and accurately reconstructs the pressure on the fish's body.

Response inhibition is a core component of cognitive control. Past electrophysiology and neuroimaging studies have identified beta oscillations and inhibitory control cortical regions correlated with response inhibition, including the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) and primary motor cortex (M1). Hence, increasing beta activity in multiple brain regions is a potential way to enhance response inhibition. Here, a novel dual-site transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) method was used to modulate beta activity over the rIFG-M1 network in a sample of 115 (excluding 2 participants) with multiple control groups and a replicated experimental design. In Experiment 1, 70 healthy participants were randomly assigned to three dual-site beta-tACS groups, including in-phase, anti-phase or sham stimulation. During and after stimulation, participants were required to complete the stop-signal task, and electroencephalography (EEG) was collected before and after stimulation. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale was completed before the experiment to evaluate participants' impulsiveness. In addition, we conducted an active control experiment with a sample size of 20 to exclude the potential effects of the dual-site tACS “return” electrode. To validate the behavioural findings of Experiment 1, 25 healthy participants took part in Experiment 2 and were randomized into two groups, including in-phase and sham stimulation groups. We found that compared to the sham group, in-phase but not anti-phase beta-tACS significantly improved both response inhibition performance and beta synchronization of the inhibitory control network in Experiment 1. Furthermore, the increased beta synchronization was correlated with enhanced response inhibition. In an independent sample of Experiment 2, the enhanced response inhibition performance observed in the in-phase group was replicated. After combining the data from the above two experiments, the time dynamics analysis revealed that the in-phase beta-tACS effect occurred in the post-stimulation period but not the stimulation period. The state-dependence analysis showed that individuals with poorer baseline response inhibition or higher attentional impulsiveness had greater improvement in response inhibition for the in-phase group. These findings strongly support that response inhibition in healthy adults can be improved by in-phase dual-site beta-tACS of the rIFG-M1 network, and provide a new potential treatment targets of synchronized cortical network activity for patients with clinically deficient response inhibition.

Multiple object tracking (MOT) has been used extensively in studies on visual attention and working memory in a dynamic environment. However, the majority of MOT research findings have been collected using two dimensional (2D) displays. Given the lack of ecological connection between 2D MOT displays and 3D real-world visual scenes, the current study aims to investigate the effect of 3D depth information on tracking performance of multiple objects moving in monocular 3D environments. Specifically, the MOT displays were generated in a way to simulate different viewing positions from an observer’s perspective. It was found that the MOT tracking performance significantly decreased with increased target number and shallow viewing angles as small as 15°. The results suggest that 3D MOT programs that mimic more ecological viewing angles could be a better indicator of tracking performance in real-world conditions.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

An efficient method for estimating the range of forming force for an upsetting-extruding process was proposed, which may be useful to choose appropriate forming equipment. The accurate prediction of the forming force of an upsetting-extruding process is the key to form a work piece successfully. However, the forming force is variable in a certain range for the variation of material and process parameters. In general, the variation is dominated by some of the main effects and lower-order interactions due to the sparsity-of-effect principle. Therefore, the construction of polynomial chaos expansion with points of monomial cubature rules, which need fewer points than other kinds of integral, is particularly attractive in dealing with computational model for the forming simulation. An automobile threated plate is used to illustrate the validation of the method.

Mesoporous carbons were prepared by one step method using hard coal pitch as carbon source, in which magnesium oxide was adopted as template. The adsorption value of vitamin B12, specific surface and pore size distribution, surface topography of mesoporous carbons were tested by spectrophotometer, specific surface analyzer and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the vitamin B12 absorption value on mesoporous carbon could be improved with suitable carbonization temperature and mass ratio of template agent to carbon source. The maximum value achieved to 103.82mg/g when the mass ratio of MgO to modified pitch was 8:2.

The multiaxial warp-knit fabrics of glass fiber or carbon fiber as the structure materials have widely applied to many industries. In this study, in order to combined the advantages of these two fibers, glass fiber and carbon fiber were employed as reinforcement materials in RIMR 135 epoxy resins, and hybrid composites were formed. The tensile behavior of hybrid fiber-reinforced plastics (HFRP) were compared with CFRP and GFRP on the longitudinal orientation . The results suggested that HFRP was high tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the morphology of damaged surfaces. The micrographs revealed that CF and GF maintained their own tension behavior in the hybrid composite materials as well in the neat FRP materials. The hybrid effect of HFRP was investigated by the hybrid theory, which was compared to the experimental results. It was confirmed that the tensile behavior of the hybrid composite materials matched the plus hybrid effect.

A mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thioctic acid (T–COOH) and thioctic acid amide (T–NH2) were used to immobilize tyrosinase for fabricating biosensor. The results showed that the mixed SAMs prepared from solution at the ratio of 1:4 provided an excellent microenvironment for enzymatic reaction between tyrosinase and substrate. The biosensor exhibited a fast response and high sensitivity for sensing substrate.

To better understand light regulation of C4plant maize development, we investigated dynamic proteomic differences between green seedlings (control), etiolated seedlings, and etiolated seedlings illuminated for 6 or 12 h using a label-free quantitative proteomics approach based on nanoscale ultraperformance liquid chromatography-ESI-MSE. Among more than 400 proteins identified, 73 were significantly altered during etiolated maize seedling greening. Of these 73 proteins, 25 were identified as membrane proteins that seldom had been identified with two-dimensional electrophoresis methods, indicating the power of our label-free method for membrane protein identification; 31 were related to light reactions of chlorophyll biosynthesis, photosynthesis, and photosynthetic carbon assimilation. The expression of photosystem II subunits was highly sensitive to light; most of them were not identified in etiolated maize seedlings but drastically increased upon light exposure, indicating that the complex process of biogenesis of the photosynthetic apparatus correlates with the transition from a dark-grown to a light-grown morphology. However, transcriptional analysis indicated that most transcripts encoding these proteins were not regulated by light. In contrast, the levels of mRNAs and proteins for enzymes involved in carbon assimilation were tightly regulated by light. Additionally phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, the key enzyme of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase C4pathway, was more tightly regulated by light than the key enzymes of the NADP-malic enzyme C4pathway. Furthermore phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase 1C, which was originally reported to be specifically expressed in roots, was also identified in this study; expression of this enzyme was more sensitive to light than its isoforms. Taken together, these results represent a comprehensive dynamic protein profile and light-regulated network of C4plants for etiolated seedling greening and provide a basis for further study of the mechanism of gene function and regulation in light-induced development of C4plants.

To better understand light regulation of C4plant maize development, we investigated dynamic proteomic differences between green seedlings (control), etiolated seedlings, and etiolated seedlings illuminated for 6 or 12 h using a label-free quantitative proteomics approach based on nanoscale ultraperformance liquid chromatography-ESI-MSE. Among more than 400 proteins identified, 73 were significantly altered during etiolated maize seedling greening. Of these 73 proteins, 25 were identified as membrane proteins that seldom had been identified with two-dimensional electrophoresis methods, indicating the power of our label-free method for membrane protein identification; 31 were related to light reactions of chlorophyll biosynthesis, photosynthesis, and photosynthetic carbon assimilation. The expression of photosystem II subunits was highly sensitive to light; most of them were not identified in etiolated maize seedlings but drastically increased upon light exposure, indicating that the complex process of biogenesis of the photosynthetic apparatus correlates with the transition from a dark-grown to a light-grown morphology. However, transcriptional analysis indicated that most transcripts encoding these proteins were not regulated by light. In contrast, the levels of mRNAs and proteins for enzymes involved in carbon assimilation were tightly regulated by light. Additionally phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, the key enzyme of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase C4pathway, was more tightly regulated by light than the key enzymes of the NADP-malic enzyme C4pathway. Furthermore phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase 1C, which was originally reported to be specifically expressed in roots, was also identified in this study; expression of this enzyme was more sensitive to light than its isoforms. Taken together, these results represent a comprehensive dynamic protein profile and light-regulated network of C4plants for etiolated seedling greening and provide a basis for further study of the mechanism of gene function and regulation in light-induced development of C4plants.

Upon extensive hepatocyte loss or impaired hepatocyte proliferation, liver regeneration occurs via biliary epithelial cell (BEC) transdifferentiation, which includes dedifferentiation of BECs into bipotential progenitor cells (BP-PCs) and then redifferentiation of BP-PCs to nascent hepatocytes and BECs. This BEC-driven liver regeneration involves reactivation of hepatoblast markers, but the underpinning mechanisms and their effects on liver regeneration remain largely unknown. Using a zebrafish extensive hepatocyte ablation model, we perform an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) forward genetic screen and identify a liver regeneration mutant, liver logan (lvl), in which the telomere maintenance 2 (tel2) gene is mutated. During liver regeneration, the tel2mutation specifically inhibits transcriptional activation of a hepatoblast marker, hematopoietically expressed homeobox (hhex), in BEC-derived cells, which blocks BP-PC redifferentiation. Mechanistic studies show that Tel2 associates with the hhexpromoter region and promotes hhextranscription. Our results reveal roles of Tel2 in the BP-PC redifferentiation process of liver regeneration by activating hhex.

A study examined the effects of reduced visibility of scene information because of fog on car-following performance. Drivers were presented with a straight roadway scene in a driving simulator and were asked to maintain a predetermined driving distance in response to speed variations of a lead vehicle. Lead vehicle speed varied according to a sum of three prime sine wave frequencies. Five simulated fog density conditions and three average lead vehicle velocities were examined. Car-following performance was assessed using distance headway, variance of distance headway, root-mean-square (RMS) velocity error, control gain, phase angle, and squared coherence. Distance headway decreased only at the highest fog density condition examined. RMS velocity error increased with an increase in fog density. These results indicate that drivers had greater difficulty responding to changes in lead vehicle speed than to changes in headway. Results for squared coherence indicated that the effects of fog were greatest for the highest rate of change in lead vehicle speed (i.e., highest frequency examined). The importance of visual factors for optimal car-following performance is discussed.

Abstract: Previous research (Andersen & Kim, 2001) has shown that a linear trajectory collision event (i.e., a collision between a moving object and an observer) is specified by objects that expand and maintain a constant bearing (the object location remains constant in the visual field). In the present study, we examined the optical information for detecting a collision event when the trajectory was of constant curvature. Under these conditions, a collision event is specified by expansion of an object and a constant rate-of-bearing change. Three experiments were conducted in which trajectory curvature and display duration were varied while time to contact, speed, and initial image position of the collision objects were maintained. The results indicated that collision detection performance decreased with an increase in trajectory curvature and decreased with a decrease in display duration, especially for highly curved trajectories. In Experiment 3, we found that the presentation of a constant rate-of-bearing change in noncollision stimuli resulted in an increase in the false alarm rate. These results demonstrate that observers can detect collision events on curved trajectories and that observers utilize bearing change information.

A study examined the effects of reduced visibility of scene information because of fog on car-following performance. Drivers were presented with a straight roadway scene in a driving simulator and were asked to maintain a predetermined driving distance in response to speed variations of a lead vehicle. Lead vehicle speed varied according to a sum of three prime sine wave frequencies. Five simulated fog density conditions and three average lead vehicle velocities were examined. Car-following performance was assessed using distance headway, variance of distance headway, root-mean-square (RMS) velocity error, control gain, phase angle, and squared coherence. Distance headway decreased only at the highest fog density condition examined. RMS velocity error increased with an increase in fog density. These results indicate that drivers had greater difficulty responding to changes in lead vehicle speed than to changes in headway. Results for squared coherence indicated that the effects of fog were greatest for the highest rate of change in lead vehicle speed (i.e., highest frequency examined). The importance of visual factors for optimal car-following performance is discussed.

Magnetic particle inspection is typically used to detect the magnetic leakage caused by defects. This method is mainly used to detect the surface and subsurface defects of ferromagnetic materials. The conventional detection method involves inspectors performing visual inspection under high-power ultraviolet light. However, the intense ultraviolet light can easily damage the eyes of the inspectors. Furthermore, the aforementioned process is not only time consuming but also susceptible to human errors. Therefore, this study developed an automated optical inspection system to perform magnetic particle inspection. Analysis of several image features revealed that a contour compactness between four and five can be used to distinguish defective and non-defective features effectively. The defect identification ability obtained with several input combinations of image features for neural networks was analyzed. The results revealed that a high identification ability can be achieved for defective features when the input combination of area, mean width, and compactness is used.

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