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Rhododendron is a traditional ornamental and medicinal plant in China, renowned for its aesthetic appeal and therapeutic properties. Regarding Rhododendron decorum Franch., mainly distributed in Yunnan Province, its corolla is regarded as an edible food by the Bai ethnic group in Yunnan Province. However, it is still unclear why the Bai people choose to use the Rhododendron species in their seasonal diet. Here, we employed comparative metabolomics analysis to explore the variations in the metabolites and the enriched biosynthesis pathways within the different floral organs of R. decorum Franch. from Heqing and Yulong County. The metabolite analysis showed that 1340 metabolites were identified from the floral organs in the two regions. Comparing the different flower organs of the same region, 85 differential accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were found from the androecium/gynoecium and corolla in the same region, and 66 DAMs were identified from the same organ in different regions. The KEGG pathway and network analysis revealed significant disparities in both the metabolite composition and enriched pathways among the different floral organs or when comparing the same floral organs across diverse regions, with geographical variations exerting even stronger influences. From the perspective of resource utilization, it was observed that the R. decorum Franch. populations in Heqing County exhibited the greater accumulation of secondary metabolites within their flowers, rendering them more advantageous for medicinal purposes, albeit potentially more toxic. This study provides novel insights into the utilization of corollaries for potential de novo pharmacy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aboveground biomass (AGB) serves as a crucial indicator of the carbon sequestration capacity of coastal wetland ecosystems. Conducting extensive field surveys in coastal wetlands is both time-consuming and labor-intensive. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellite remote sensing have been widely utilized to estimate regional AGB. However, the mixed pixel effects in satellite remote sensing hinder the precise estimation of AGB, while high-spatial resolution UAVs face challenges in estimating large-scale AGB. To fill this gap, this study proposed an integrated approach for estimating AGB using field sampling, a UAV, and Sentinel-2 satellite data. Firstly, based on multispectral data from the UAV, vegetation indices were computed and matched with field sampling data to develop the Field–UAV AGB estimation model, yielding AGB results at the UAV scale (1 m). Subsequently, these results were upscaled to the Sentinel-2 satellite scale (10 m). Vegetation indices from Sentinel-2 data were calculated and matched to establish the UAV–Satellite AGB model, enabling the estimation of AGB over large regional areas. Our findings revealed the AGB estimation model achieved an R2 value of 0.58 at the UAV scale and 0.74 at the satellite scale, significantly outperforming direct modeling from field data to satellite (R2 = −0.04). The AGB densities of the wetlands in Xieqian Bay, Meishan Bay, and Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang Province, were 1440.27 g/m2, 1508.65 g/m2, and 1545.11 g/m2, respectively. The total AGB quantities were estimated to be 30,526.08 t, 34,219.97 t, and 296,382.91 t, respectively. This study underscores the potential of integrating UAV and satellite remote sensing for accurately assessing AGB in large coastal wetland regions, providing valuable support for the conservation and management of coastal wetland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Recently, the escalating prices of feedstuff resources have posed significant challenges to animal husbandry, necessitating the creation of innovative approaches to mitigate its effects. GAA (also known as N-amidinoglycine) serves as the sole precursor for creatine synthesis. GAA could enhance growth performance and regulate fat deposition to improve meat quality. Current studies on GAA mainly center on pigs and chickens, with limited reports on its effects on sheep. In our study, we used weaned Hu sheep as subjects. We aimed to explore the impact of dietary GAA supplementation on production performance, serum biochemistry, meat quality and rumen fermentation. This study provides a theoretical foundation for utilizing GAA in sheep meat production. Our findings indicate that GAA enhances growth performance, rumen fermentation and fat accumulation. In addition, GAA might enhance the quality of sheep meat, which presents a promising prospect for meat sheep breeding. Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) can effectively improve the metabolism of energy and proteins by stimulating creatine biosynthesis. We present a study exploring the impact of GAA on production performance, serum biochemistry, meat quality and rumen fermentation in Hu sheep. A total of 144 weaned male Hu sheep (body weight 16.91 ± 3.1 kg) were randomly assigned to four groups with three replicates of twelve sheep in each group. The diets were supplemented with 0 (CON), 500 (GAA−1), 750 (GAA−2) and 1000 mg/kg (GAA−3) of GAA (weight of feed), respectively. After a comprehensive 90-day experimental period, we discovered that the supplementation of GAA had a remarkable impact on various muscle parameters. Specifically, it significantly enhanced the average daily growth (ADG) of the animals and improved the shear force and fiber diameter of the muscle, while also reducing the drip loss and muscle fiber density. Furthermore, the addition of GAA to the feed notably elevated the serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL−C), total protein (TP) and globulin (GLB), as well as the enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH−Px). Concurrently, there was a decrease in the levels of triglycerides (TG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum. In addition, GAA decreased the pH and the acetate-to-propionate ratio and increased the total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3−N) levels of rumen fluid. Additionally, GAA upregulated acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) gene expression in the Hu sheep's muscles. In conclusion, our findings suggest that GAA supplementation not only enhances muscle quality but also positively affects serum biochemistry and ruminal metabolism, making it a potential candidate for improving the overall health and performance of Hu sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of sustainable development has gained significant traction in recent years, leading to a growing emphasis on green consumption. Previous studies have rarely emphasized the important role of sustainability awareness in influencing green consumption. This study explores the mechanism of the influence of sustainability awareness on green purchase intention, using the theory of planned behavior as a conceptual framework. The aim is to contribute to the promotion of environmental protection and green consumption. The research used an online five-point Likert scale questionnaire and collected data from university students in China. Useable data were collected from 419 respondents and were then validated and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and the PROCESS macro for SPSS 22.0. The findings suggest that attitudes toward green purchases, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control have a positive effect on green purchase intention; sustainability awareness significantly and positively moderates the direct effect of attitudes toward green purchases on green purchase intention and the predictive effect of subjective norms on green purchase intention; and sustainability awareness significantly and negatively moderates the direct effect of perceived behavioral control on green purchase intention. The findings can be used to develop strategies that influence university students' intention to purchase green products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal muscle myogenesis hinges on gene regulation, meticulously orchestrated by molecular mechanisms. While the roles of transcription factors and non-coding RNAs in myogenesis are widely known, the contribution of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) has remained unclear until now. Therefore, to investigate the functions of post-transcriptional regulators in myogenesis and uncover new functional RBPs regulating myogenesis, we employed CRISPR high-throughput RBP-KO (RBP-wide knockout) library screening. Through this approach, we successfully identified Eef1a1 as a novel regulatory factor in myogenesis. Using CRISPR knockout (CRISPRko) and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) technologies, we successfully established cellular models for both CRISPRko and CRISPRi. Our findings demonstrated that Eef1a1 plays a crucial role in promoting proliferation in C2C12 myoblasts. Through siRNA inhibition and overexpression methods, we further elucidated the involvement of Eef1a1 in promoting proliferation and suppressing differentiation processes. RIP (RNA immunoprecipitation), miRNA pull-down, and Dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed that miR-133a-3p targets Eef1a1. Co-transfection experiments indicated that miR-133a-3p can rescue the effect of Eef1a1 on C2C12 myoblasts. In summary, our study utilized CRISPR library high-throughput screening to unveil a novel RBP, Eef1a1, involved in regulating myogenesis. Eef1a1 promotes the proliferation of myoblasts while inhibiting the differentiation process. Additionally, it acts as an antagonist to miR-133a-3p, thus modulating the process of myogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate an initial value problem for a nonlinear fractional differential equation on an infinite interval. The differential operator is taken in the Hadamard sense and the nonlinear term involves two lower-order fractional derivatives of the unknown function. In order to establish the global existence criteria, we first verify that there exists a unique positive solution to an integral equation based on a class of new integral inequality. Next, we construct a locally convex space, which is metrizable and complete. On this space, applying Schäuder's fixed point theorem, we obtain the existence of at least one solution to the initial value problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactate has emerged as a key player in regulating neural functions and cognitive processes. Beyond its function as an energy substrate and signal molecule, recent research has revealed lactate to serve as an epigenetic regulator in the brain. However, the molecular mechanisms by which lactate regulates spatial memory and its role in the prevention of cognitive disorders remain unclear. Herein, we injected L-lactate (10 μmol/kg/d for 6 d) into the mouse's hippocampus, followed by the Morris water maze (MWM) test and molecular analyses. Improved spatial memory performances were observed in mice injected with lactate. Besides, lactate upregulated the expression of synaptic proteins post-synaptic density 95 (PSD95), synaptophysin (SYP), and growth associated protein 43 (GAP43) in hippocampal tissues and HT22 cells, suggesting a potential role in synaptic transmission and memory formation. The facilitative role of monocarboxylate transporter 2 (MCT2), a neuron-specific lactate transporter, in this process was confirmed, as MCT2 antagonists attenuated the lactate-induced upregulation of synaptic proteins. Moreover, lactate induced protein lactylation, a post-translational modification, which could be suppressed by MCT2 inhibition. RNA sequencing of lactated-injected hippocampal tissues revealed a comprehensive gene expression profile influenced by lactate, with significant changes in genes associated with transcriptional progress. These data demonstrate that hippocampal lactate injection enhances spatial memory in mice, potentially through the upregulation of synaptic proteins and induction of protein lactylation, with MCT2 playing a crucial role in these processes. Our findings shed light on the multi-faceted role of lactate in neural function and memory regulation, opening new avenues for therapeutic interventions targeting cognitive disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A grouting pad is the key structure for the construction of water inrush grouting on the shaft working surface. Previous methods of calculating the bearing capacity have limitations due to a lack of understanding of the failure mode. To investigate the bearing capacity of a concrete grouting pad on the working surface of a shaft, this paper establishes a mechanical model for the punching shear failure of a grouting pad under symmetrical loading conditions. A unified solution for the bearing capacity is derived, and the influence of parameters is discussed. In addition, a new method for designing the plastic limit thickness is proposed based on this research. The results show that the reason for the grouting pads' punching shear failure resulted from the formation of peripheral grouting holes "weak ring" caused by the reduction of the bearing capacity. When the thickness of B0 remains constant, the bearing capacity qu of the grouting pad is inversely proportional to the ratio of the diameter and the area of the bottom load. Therefore, following the method of "dividing, interval, and jumping holes" during grouting construction is recommended. The greater the thickness of the grouting pad, the greater the bearing capacity qu will be. When the grouting pad diameter is 2r2 and the thickness B0 is constant, the bearing capacity qu increases with the material tensile strength ft. When designing grouting pads, following the principles of "large thickness, uniform strength theory, high strength materials" will improve bearing performance. The findings have been implemented in the design of the grouting pad thickness for the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel shaft project, which can successfully solve the problem of frequent cracking caused by the weak bearing capacity of a grouting pad. The findings can provide a theoretical basis and reference for the design and construction of grouting pads in a highway tunnel shaft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative splicing (AS) plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression, function, and diversity. However, limited reports exist on the identification and comparison of AS in Eastern and Western pigs. Here, we analyzed 243 transcriptome data from eight tissues, integrating information on transcription factors (TFs), selection signals, splicing factors (SFs), and quantitative trait loci (QTL) to comprehensively study alternative splicing events (ASEs) in pigs. Five ASE types were identified, with Mutually Exclusive Exon (MXE) and Skipped Exon (SE) ASEs being the most prevalent. A significant portion of genes with ASEs (ASGs) showed conservation across all eight tissues (63.21–76.13% per tissue). Differentially alternative splicing genes (DASGs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) exhibited tissue specificity, with blood and adipose tissues having more DASGs. Functional enrichment analysis revealed coDASG_DEGs in adipose were enriched in pathways associated with adipose deposition and immune inflammation, while coDASG_DEGs in blood were enriched in pathways related to immune inflammation and metabolism. Adipose deposition in Eastern pigs might be linked to the down-regulation of immune-inflammation-related pathways and reduced insulin resistance. The TFs, selection signals, and SFs appeared to regulate ASEs. Notably, ARID4A (TF), NSRP1 (SF), ANKRD12, IFT74, KIAA2026, CCDC18, NEXN, PPIG, and ROCK1 genes in adipose tissue showed potential regulatory effects on adipose-deposition traits. NSRP1 could promote adipogenesis by regulating alternative splicing and expression of CCDC18. Conducting an in-depth investigation into AS, this study has successfully identified key marker genes essential for pig genetic breeding and the enhancement of meat quality, which will play important roles in promoting the diversity of pork quality and meeting market demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative splicing (AS) is a crucial mechanism in post-transcriptional regulation, contributing significantly to the diversity of the transcriptome and proteome. In this study, we performed a comprehensive AS profile in nine tissues obtained from Duroc (lean-type) and Luchuan (obese-type) pigs. Notably, 94,990 AS events from 14,393 genes were identified. Among these AS events, it was observed that 80% belonged to the skipped exon (SE) type. Functional enrichment analysis showed that genes with more than ten AS events were closely associated with tissue-specific functions. Additionally, the analysis of overlap between differentially alternative splicing genes (DSGs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed the highest number of overlapped genes in the heart and skeletal muscle. The novelty of our study is that it identified and validated three genes (PYGM, MAPK11 and CAMK2B) in the glucagon signaling pathway, and their alternative splicing differences were highly significant across two pig breeds. In conclusion, our study offers novel insights into the molecular regulation of diverse tissue physiologies and the phenotypic differences between obese- and lean-type pigs, which are helpful for pig breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest stock volume is the main factor to evaluate forest carbon sink level. At present, the combination of multi-source remote sensing and non-parametric models has been widely used in FSV estimation. However, the biodiversity of natural forests is complex, and the response of the spatial information of remote sensing images to FSV is significantly reduced, which seriously affects the accuracy of FSV estimation. To address this challenge, this paper takes China's Baishanzu Forest Park with representative characteristics of natural forests as the research object, integrates the forest survey data, SRTM data, and Landsat 8 images of Baishanzu Forest Park, constructs a time series dataset based on survey time, and establishes an FSV estimation model based on the CNN-LSTM-Attention algorithm. The model uses the convolutional neural network to extract the spatial features of remote sensing images, uses the LSTM to capture the time-varying characteristics of FSV, captures the feature variables with a high response to FSV through the attention mechanism, and finally completes the prediction of FSV. The experimental results show that some features (e.g., texture, elevation, etc.) of the dataset based on multi-source data feature variables are more effective in FSV estimation than spectral features. Compared with the existing models such as MLR and RF, the proposed model achieved higher accuracy in the study area (R2 = 0.8463, rMSE = 26.73 m3/ha, MAE = 16.47 m3/ha). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grazing exclusion (GE) and rest grazing (RG) are important management systems for the restoration of degraded grassland ecosystems. In order to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of different grazing management systems on the scale dependency of species diversity, plant community indices and soil variables were determined in 32 plots in the Qilian Mountains in Gansu Province. The results show that diversity effects and their regulating mechanisms had space-scale dependence under different grazing management systems. The species richness and species diversity indices of RG grassland were significantly higher than those of GE at the regional scale. Species richness for RG and GE plots was 128 and 98, respectively, and the Shannon–Wiener and Simpson indices for RG and GE plots were 2.26 and 2.16, and 0.85 and 0.83, respectively. Additionally, three grazing management systems had a significant effect on species richness in mountain meadows, but different management systems had significantly different effects on species diversity indices in mountain meadows and temperate steppes. Meanwhile, soil variables only influenced species diversity at the regional scale. Most of the plant and soil variables at each scale had positive effects on species diversity. However, a negative correlation was seen between biodiversity and species coverage, mean plant height, soil porosity (SP) and bulk density (BD) under the two contrasting grazing management systems. In conclusion, choosing RG at the regional scale and selecting grazing management systems according to different grassland types at the local scale can help to restore degraded grassland vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secure grasping of objects in complex scenes is the foundation of many tasks. It is important for robots to autonomously determine the optimal grasp based on visual information, which requires reasoning about the stacking relationship of objects and detecting the grasp position. This paper proposes a multi-task secure grasping detection model, which consists of the grasping relationship network (GrRN) and the oriented rectangles detection network CSL-YOLO, which uses circular smooth label (CSL). GrRN uses DETR to solve set prediction problems in object detection, enabling end-to-end detection of grasping relationships. CSL-YOLO uses classification to predict the angle of oriented rectangles, and solves the angle distance problem caused by classification. Experiments on the Visual Manipulate Relationship Dataset (VMRD) and the grasping detection dataset Cornell demonstrate that our method outperforms existing methods and exhibits good applicability on robot platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a widely available non-protein amino acid whose physiological importance goes beyond its role as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in mammals. The GABA synthesis ability of ten strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was screened. They produced GABA ranging from 48.19 ± 3.44 to 100.75 ± 1.63 mg/L at 24 h-cultivation. Among them, Lp. plantarum FRT7 showed the highest GABA production. Therefore, FRT7 was chosen for GABA yield optimization. A one-factor-at-a-time strategy analysis of the GABA yield of FRT7 was performed, including the culture temperature, incubation time, inoculum volume, initial pH, the initial amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG), and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) concentration, based on which the response surface methodology (RSM) was performed. After being cultured in an MRS culture medium supplemented with 3% MSG and 2 mmol/L of PLP at 40 °C with an initial pH of 7.0 for 48 h, the GABA reached a maximum yield of 1158.6 ± 21.22 mg/L. The results showed the experimental value of the GABA yield was in good agreement with the predicted values. Furthermore, the results from the RSM also indicated that the initial MSG addition, PLP concentration, and incubation time were significant variables. These results suggest that Lp. plantarum FRT7 has the potential to be a health-beneficial probiotic with commercial capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the ever-increasing demand for transport in modern cities, emissions from urban transport are rising. The proportion of carbon emissions in exhaust gas accounts for a large share of society's total carbon emissions and is increasing. Therefore, urban transport has a sustainable responsibility to reduce carbon emissions. Investigating the factors that influence carbon emissions from transport has become an important practical issue that needs to be addressed. This paper adopts a "bottom-up" theoretical calculation method of transport carbon emissions and establishes the basic distribution model of inter-modal land use around rail transit stations. It clarifies the connection mode of rail transit stations and establishes the distribution model of carbon emission of stations under different building distribution modes, suggesting the planning of building distribution patterns around rail transit stations. This paper proposes a new method to analyze the influencing factors of carbon emissions at rail transit stations based on multi-modal spatial data in order to make full use of the dense characteristics of rail transit stations and reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For China's second-generation aero-engine blade DD6 single-crystal high-temperature alloy, the standard solution-treated test rods were subjected to long-term aging experiments (1290 °C, 1 h + 1300 °C, 2 h + 1315 °C, 4 h air cooling + 1120 °C, 4 h air cooling + 870 °C, 32 h air cooling) at 980 °C for 1000 h, 5000 h, and 7500 h, and the effects of different long-term aging times on the organization evolution, phase precipitation morphology, high-temperature mechanical properties, and endurance performance of the alloy were studied. The results show that with the increase of aging time, the γ′ phase coarsens, joins along the <100> and <010> directions, and merges to form irregularly shaped directional growth and rafting. The endurance life shows a decreasing trend; at 980 °C/243 MPa, 980 °C/270 MPa, 980 °C/309 MPa for the alloys after 5000 h aging, the enduring life decreased by 47.97%, 70.98%, and 76.75%, and 81.25%, 73.18%, and 87.00% after 7500 h aging, respectively. The tensile strength of the alloy at 760 °C first decreases and then increases, with a minimum value at 5000 h; there is a gradual increase in elongation; there is a gradual decrease in tensile strength at 980 °C; and there is first an increase and then decrease in elongation, with a maximum value at 1000 h. This is due to the diffusion phenomenon of the elements in the alloy after 5000 h aging, the emergence of W-rich, Re-, Mo-, and Ni-poor phenomena, and the transformation of the μ-phase from needle-like to rod-like and block-like. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive water and water deficit are two important factors that limit agricultural development worldwide. However, the impact of waterlogging on winter wheat yield on a large scale, compared with drought caused by water deficit, remains unclear. In this study, we assessed the waterlogging damage to winter wheat yield using the downscaled and fused TRMM 3B42 from 1998 to 2014. First, we downscaled the TRMM 3B42 with area-to-point kriging (APK) and fused it with rain gauge measurements using geographically weighted regression kriging (GWRK). Then, we calculated the accumulated number of rainy days (ARD) of different continuous rain processes (CRPs) with durations ranging from 5 to 15 days as a waterlogging indicator. A quadratic polynomial model was used to fit the yield change rate (YCR) and the waterlogging indicator, and the waterlogging levels (mild, moderate, and severe) based on the estimated YCR from the optimal model were determined. Our results showed that downscaling the TRMM 3B42 using APK improved the limited accuracy, while GWRK fusion significantly increased the precision of quantitative indicators, such as R (from 0.67 to 0.84), and the detectability of precipitation events, such as the probability of detection (POD) (from 0.60 to 0.78). Furthermore, we found that 67% of the variation in the YCR could be explained by the ARD of a CRP of 11 days, followed by the ARD of a CRP of 13 days (R2 of 0.65). During the typical wet growing season of 2001–2002, the percentages of mild, moderate, and severe waterlogged pixels were 5.72%, 2.00%, and 0.63%, respectively. Long time series waterlogging spatial mapping can clearly show the distribution and degree of waterlogging, providing a basis for policymakers to carry out waterlogging disaster prevention and mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytosine base editors (CBEs) and adenine base editors (ABEs) are recently developed CRISPR-mediated genome-editing tools that do not introduce double-strand breaks. In this study, five ABEs, ABE7.10, ABEmax, NG-ABEmax, ABE8e and NG-ABE8e, were used to generate A-to-G (T-to-C) conversions in five genome loci in porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs). Variable yet appreciable editing efficiencies and variable activity windows were observed in these targeting regions via these five editors. The strategy of two sgRNAs in one vector exhibited superior editing efficiency to that of using two separate sgRNA expression vectors. ABE-mediated start-codon mutation in APOE silenced its expression of protein and, unexpectedly, eliminated the vast majority of its mRNA. No off-target DNA site was detected for these editors. Substantial off-target RNA events were present in the ABE-edited cells, but no KEGG pathway was found to be significantly enriched. Our study supports that ABEs are powerful tools for A-to-G (T-to-C) point-mutation modification in porcine cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scant research exists on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among law enforcement officers, hindering health messaging development for officers and, by extension, the communities they serve. This paper's goal was to address this gap by providing the necessary data to better under hesitancy to guide training and policy interventions for officers. The objective was to conduct the first nationally representative survey of officers on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its correlates. We collected data from February 2021 to March 2022 on officer COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and examined their responses in terms of sociodemographic factors, health status, and job characteristics. We found that 40% of officers were COVID-19 vaccine hesitant. We found that officers with higher education, older officers, officers with more law enforcement experience, officers who received recent health checkups, and commanders (compared to line officers) were less likely to be COVID-19 vaccine hesitant. Critically, officers working in law enforcement agencies that provided masks for COVID-19 protection were less likely to be COVID-19 vaccine hesitant (compared to agencies not providing masks). Ongoing research is needed to understand how evolving attitudes and barriers toward vaccination change over time for officers and to test messaging to better align officers with health guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable pressure sensors have received widespread attention owing to their potential applications in areas such as medical diagnosis and human–computer interaction. However, current sensors cannot adapt to extreme environments (e.g., wet and underwater) or show moderate sensitivity. Herein, a highly sensitive and superhydrophobic fabric sensor is reported based on graphene/PDMS coating. This wearable sensor exhibits great superhydrophobicity (water contact angle of 153.9°) due to the hydrophobic alkyl long chains and rough structure introduced by the Ar plasma. Owing to the network structure created by the electric-induced alignment of graphene sheets, an enhanced sensitivity (ΔI/I0 of 55) and fast response time (~100 ms) are observed. Due to its superhydrophobicity and sensitivity, this wearable sensor demonstrates efficient and stable monitoring of various underwater activities, including pressure, blowing, and tapping. Our approach provides an alternative idea for highly sensitive wearable sensors while broadening the practical application scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments have typical features of multiple components, high concentration, and long duration. The development of gas sensors with high sensitivity to multiple VOCs is of great significance to protect human health. Herein, we proposed a sensitive ZnO/WO3 composite chemi-resistive sensor facilely fabricated via a sacrificial template approach. Based on the transferable properties of self-assembled monolayer colloidal crystal (MCC) templates, two-dimensional honeycomb-like ordered porous ZnO/WO3 sensing matrixes were constructed in situ on commercial ceramic tube substrates with curved and rough surfaces. The nanocomposite thin films are about 250 nm in thickness with large-scale structural consistency and integrity, which facilitates characteristic responses with highly sensitivity and reliability. Furthermore, the nanocomposite sensor shows simultaneous responses to multiple VOCs that commonly exist in daily life with an obvious suppression sensing for traditional flammable gases. Particularly, a detection limit of 0.1 ppm with a second-level response/recovery time can be achieved, which is beneficial for real-time air quality assessments. We proposed a heterojunction-induced sensing enhancement mechanism for the ZnO/WO3 nanocomposite film in which the formation of abundant heterojunctions between ZnO and WO3 NPs significantly increases the thickness of the electron depletion layer in the bulk film and improves the formation of active oxygen species on the surface, which is conducive to enhanced responses for reducing VOC gases. This work not only provides a simple approach for the fabrication of high-performance gas sensors but also opens an achievable avenue for air quality assessment based on VOC concentration detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the relevant management system makes the road-parking behavior standardized, while increasing the difficulty of temporary parking of operational vehicles such as taxis. Therefore, in order to improve the relevant management measures and promote the sustainable development of the taxi industry, it is necessary to survey the demand for taxi parking and study the layout of taxi stops. To process the GPS data of the taxis, and to extract the loading and unloading positions of the passengers from the spatial trajectory data, big data analysis technology is used. Compared with the data obtained using traditional survey means, the spatial trajectory data reflects the situation of the whole system, which can make the analysis more accurate. K-means cluster analysis was used to determine community demand. Finally, the immune optimization model was used to determine the optimal taxi stand location. The problem of taxi stand location at the level of urban network from two dimensions of quantity and spatial distribution is solved in this paper. The location of 10 taxi stands can not only meet the parking needs of regional taxis, but also reasonably allocate urban resources and promote sustainable development. This study also has a certain reference value for relevant management departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work researched the effects of irradiation on the current-voltage characteristics and voltage magnetic sensitivity of the silicon magnetic sensitive transistor (SMST). The 1-MeV electron irradiation source was used to irradiate the SMST. The irradiation fluences were 1 × 1012 e/cm2, 1 × 1013 e/cm2 and 1 × 1014 e/cm2, respectively (the irradiation flux was 1 × 1010 cm−2·s−1). The experimental results demonstrate that the collector current (IC) of the SMST occurs attenuation after irradiation under the same collector voltage (VCE) and the base current (IB). The attenuated rate of the IC increases obviously with the enhance of electron irradiation fluence when the IB is the same. Moreover, the attenuated rate of the IC increases slight with the rise of the IB when the electron irradiation fluence is the same. When the supply voltage is 5.0 V (RL = 1.5 kΩ) and the IB is 4.0 mA, the voltage magnetic sensitivity (SV) of the SMST occurs attenuate after irradiation. The attenuated rate of the SV increases with the enhance of electron irradiation fluence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing awareness about the global energy crisis and extreme weather from global warming drives the development of smart windows market. Compared to conventional electrochromic, photochromic, or thermochromic smart windows, mechanoresponsive smart windows present advantages of simple construction, low cost, and excellent stability. In this review, we summarize recent developments in mechanoresponsive smart windows with a focus on the structures and properties. We outline the categories and discuss the advantages and disadvantages. Especially, we also summarize six unconventional driving modes to generate mechanical strain, including pneumatic, optical, thermal, electric, magnetic, and humidity modes. Lastly, we provide practical recommendations in prospects for future development. This review aims to provide a useful reference for the design of novel mechanoresponsive smart windows and accelerate their practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than two million people live on the floodplains along the middle and lower streams of the Yellow River. The rapid development of industry and agriculture on both sides of the Yellow River has caused serious pollution of the floodplain soil. Erosion by water has led to the destruction of the floodplain which has not only compressed people's living space but also resulted in a large amount of sediment containing heavy metals entering the river, aggravating water pollution. To further study the law governing the release of pollutants in soil, this work, based on field surveys of the Yellow River floodplain slopes from Wantan town to Liuyuankou, was focused on determining the failure mechanism and laws for the floodplain slope through the combination of a flume experiment and numerical calculations. The results showed that the floodplain slopes, composed of clay and silty sand, presented an interactive structure. Under the action of water erosion, the slope was first scoured to form a curved, suspended layer structure, and then the upper suspended layer toppled. The bank stability coefficient decreased by about 65% when the scour width increased from 0.07 m to 0.42 m, and the water content increased from 20% to 40%. For the failure characteristics, the angle of the failure surface was negatively correlated with the scour width, and the distance from the top failure surface to the bank edge was about 2.5 times that of the scour width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr5Mo steel with high thermal strength is frequently applied as the material for hydrocracking furnace tubes. Nonetheless, Cr5Mo tubes are prone to material failure in a high-temperature environment, threatening production safety. Considering that the IN718 nickel-base superalloy has favorable high-temperature oxidation resistance, the IN718 coating was fabricated on Cr5Mo substrate through laser cladding. The effect of process parameters on the high-temperature oxidation resistance of laser cladding IN718 coating was investigated. The results confirm that laser power and scanning speed affected the eutectic quantity precipitation of this layer, and the eutectic quantity precipitation was positively correlated with the mass gain of the coating. The high-temperature behavior of the coating could be divided into surface oxidation, intergranular corrosion, and material shedding. The scanning speed has a more significant impact on the high-temperature oxidation resistance. When the scanning speed is 15 mm/s, cracks originating in the heat-affected zone could exert a negative impact on the high-temperature oxidation resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 3 D + time numerical simulations, we study the wavelength scaling law for the energy of terahertz (THz) radiation emitted from a two-color femtosecond filament, which forms during cofocusing into air the fundamental and second harmonics of the laser pulse. In our simulations, the central wavelength of the fundamental harmonic varied from 0.8 to 8 μ m and the numerical aperture varied from 0.006 to 0.03. While the harmonics and supercontinuum development are not extreme, so the harmonics spectra are clearly separated, the energy of the generated THz radiation is proportional to the oscillation energy of the electrons, which grows as the squared pump wavelength, and the total number of free electrons in the filament, which decreases quasi-exponentially with the pump wavelength. As a result, the scaling law for the THz energy on the pump wavelength is nonmonotonic with the maximum at 1.6–4 μ m depending on the focusing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This paper focus on the role of chitinase 5-1 (LmCht5-1) and chitinase 5-2 (LmCht5-2) in the degradation of the serosal cuticle and pro-nymphal cuticle during locust embryonic development. Serosal cuticles degenerated from 7-day-old embryos (E7) to E13 with the degradation of fine chitin in the lower part and coarse chitin layer in upper part in sequence, while pro-nymphal cuticles degenerated from E12 to E14 with degradation of chitin in the procuticle layer. RNAi experiments in embryonic stages showed that during the serosal cuticle molting process, dsLmCht5-1 averted the loss of the coarse chitin layer in the upper part during early and late embryogenesis. Meanwhile, dsLmCht5-2 blocked the degradation of the lower fine chitin layer at the early stage and blocked the chitin degradation of loose coarse chitin in the late molting process. During pro-nymphal cuticle degradation stages, dsLmCht5-1 inhibited the degradation of chitin between layers, and dsLmCht5-2 inhibited the degradation of chitin into filaments within layers. This study advances the understanding of the degradation of cuticles in the locust embryonic stage and makes a contribution to molecular targets for agricultural pest control. The success of the degradation of the extraembryonic serosal cuticle and the second embryonic cuticle (pro-nymphal cuticle) is essential for the development and molting of nymph from egg in Orthoptera Locusta migratoria. Chitinase 5 is an important gene for chitin degradation in nymphs and in the egg stage. In this study, we investigated the important roles of chitinase 5-1 (LmCht5-1) and chitinase 5-2 (LmCht5-2) in the degradation of the serosal and pro-nymphal cuticles during locust embryonic development. The serosal cuticle degrades from 7-day-old embryos (E7) to E13, along with the degradation of the pro-nymphal cuticle, which begins at E12 to E14. The mRNA and protein of LmCht5-1 and LmCht5-2 are expressed during the degradation process of the serosal cuticle and the pro-nymphal cuticle. RNAi experiments at the embryonic stage show that both dsLmCht5-1 and dsLmCht5-2 contribute to the failure of development in early and late embryogenesis. Further, during the serosal cuticle molting process, ultra-structure analysis indicated that dsLmCht5-1 prevented the loss of the coarse chitin layer in the upper part in both early and late embryogenesis. Meanwhile, dsLmCht5-2 blocked the degradation of the lower fine chitin layer at the early stage and blocked the chitin degradation of loose coarse chitin in the late molting process. During the degradation of the pro-nymphal cuticle, dsLmCht5-1 suppresses chitin degradation between layers in the procuticle, while dsLmCht5-2 suppresses chitin degradation into filaments inside of the layer. In summary, our results suggest that both LmCht5-1 and LmCht5-2 contribute to the degradation of the serosal and pro-nymphal cuticles during the locust embryonic stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the general relationship between tourists' park visits and life satisfaction. Specifically, the article focuses on relationships between verbal and nonverbal and positive and negative tourist-to-tourist interactions, social connectedness, and life satisfaction. Results show that friendly conversation has significant positive relationships with life satisfaction and social connectedness, whereas unfriendly behavior is negatively related to social connectedness. Social connectedness has a significant positive relationship with life satisfaction and plays a mediating role between tourist-to-tourist interaction and life satisfaction. By exploring several types of tourist-to-tourist interaction, this study offers insights into tourist-to-tourist interaction and life satisfaction under a pandemic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When patent foramen ovale (PFO) combines with the prominent Eustachian valve or Chiari network (EV/CN), contrast transthoracic echocardiography (cTTE) may miss the diagnosis of PFO. We sought to determine the characteristics of right-to-left shunt (RLS) in PFO patients with prominent EV/CN on cTTE and identify the causal factors of missed diagnosis. We consecutively enrolled 98 patients who suffered from PFO-related stroke and with prominent EV/CN. All patients were divided into the delayed and non-delayed groups according to the characteristics of RLS on cTTE. The characteristics of RLS were compared with those of 42 intrapulmonary shunt patients. The anatomical characteristics of PFO and EV/CN were analyzed in the 98 PFO patients. Upon cTTE, significantly delayed occurrence and longer duration of the RLS in the delayed group were found both at rest and during the Valsalva maneuver, similar to the intrapulmonary shunt. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that the length of EV/CN (>19 mm) and the diameter of PFO at the left atrium aspect (<1.2 mm) were high-risk factors for missed diagnosis. In conclusion, RLS showed delayed emergence and disappearance in some of the PFO patients with prominent EV/CN. The length of EV/CN and the diameter of PFO may have been related to the missed diagnosis of PFO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides a theoretical basis for reinforcement of the soil around multi-wing piles. Limit analysis was used to determine the ultimate lateral capacity (ULC) of three- and four-wing piles in Dapeng Bay silty clay. The effects of the pile–soil interaction coefficient α, wing width Bw, and lateral-load direction β on the ULC of the pile and the shear plastic zone range of the surrounding soil were analyzed. The normalized ULC of the three-wing pile decreased when the wing–diameter ratio increased. When Bw was 0.15 m and α was 0.4, the ULC of the four-wing pile was 19% higher than that of the three-wing pile. As β increased, the normalized ULC of the four-wing pile decreased, whereas that of the three-wing pile went through a minimum at 30°. The size of the soil shear plastic ring did not depend on α for either pile type; it increased around the three-wing (but not the four-wing) pile with changes in β. However, there was also a double plastic ring of broken soil around the four-wing pile. The four-wing pile had a more symmetrical influence on the soil around the pile than the three-wing pile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Femtosecond laser filamentation is a unique nonlinear optical phenomenon when high-power ultrafast laser propagation in all transparent optical media. During filamentation in the atmosphere, the ultrastrong field of 1013–1014 W/cm2 with a large distance ranging from meter to kilometers can effectively ionize, break, and excite the molecules and fragments, resulting in characteristic fingerprint emissions, which provide a great opportunity for investigating strong-field molecules interaction in complicated environments, especially remote sensing. Additionally, the ultrastrong intensity inside the filament can damage almost all the detectors and ignite various intricate higher order nonlinear optical effects. These extreme physical conditions and complicated phenomena make the sensing and controlling of filamentation challenging. This paper mainly focuses on recent research advances in sensing with femtosecond laser filamentation, including fundamental physics, sensing and manipulating methods, typical filament-based sensing techniques and application scenarios, opportunities, and challenges toward the filament-based remote sensing under different complicated conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-short laser filamentation has been intensively studied due to its unique optical properties for applications in the field of remote sensing and detection. Although significant progress has been made, the quality of the laser beam still suffers from various optical aberrations during long-range transmission. Astigmatism is a typical off-axis aberration that is often encountered in the off-axis optical systems. An effective method needs to be proposed to suppress the astigmatism of the beam during filamentation. Herein, we numerically investigated the impact of the nonlinear effects on the focusing properties of the astigmatic Gaussian beams in air and obtained similar results in the experiment. As the single pulse energy increases, the maximum on-axis intensity gradually shifted from the sagittal focus to the tangential focus and the foci moved forward simultaneously. Moreover, the astigmatism could be suppressed effectively with the enhancement of the nonlinear effects, that is, the astigmatic difference and the degree of beam distortion were both reduced. Through this approach, the acoustic intensity of the filament (located at the tangential focal point) increased by a factor of 22.8. Our work paves a solid step toward the practical applications of the astigmatism beam as the nonlinear lidar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-intensity (∼1 TW/cm 2 and higher) region formed in the propagation of ∼60 GW, 90 fs Ti:Sapphire laser pulse on a ∼100 m path in air spans for several tens of meters and includes a plasma filament and a postfilament light channel. The intensity in this extended region is high enough to generate an infrared supercontinuum wing and to initiate laser-induced discharge in the gap between the electrodes. In the experiment and simulations, we delay the high-intensity region along the propagation direction by inserting metal-wire meshes with square cells at the laser system output. We identify the presence of a high-intensity region from the clean-spatial-mode distributions, appearance of the infrared supercontinuum wing, and occurrence of the laser-induced discharge. In the case of free propagation (without any meshes), the onset of the high-intensity zone is at 40–52 m from the laser system output with ∼30 m extension. Insertion of the mesh with 3 mm cells delays the beginning of the high-intensity region to 49–68 m with the same ∼30 m extension. A decrease in the cell size to 1 mm leads to both delay and shrinking of the high-intensity zone to 71–73 m and 6 m, respectively. Three-dimensional simulations in space confirm the mesh-induced delay of the high-intensity zone as the cell size decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between reinforcement and soil is a key problem in the application of geosynthetics as reinforcement in geotechnical engineering. In this study, tensile and pull-out tests on a uniaxial geogrid were carried out using self-designed tensile and pull-out test equipment. The tensile test evaluated the tensile load–strain characteristics of a geogrid. Under the condition of lateral confinement, the tensile force and secant tensile stiffness of the geogrid increased with an increase in the normal stress when the strain was constant, and the secant tensile stiffness decreased with a decrease in the tensile rate. The stiffness coefficient was used to quantitatively describe the change in the stiffness of the reinforcement. Using the pull-out test, the variation laws of the pull-out force of the geogrid under different normal stresses and different longitudinal rib percentages were obtained. When the geogrid was broken, the pull-out force of the same type of geogrid was not significantly different under different normal stresses. With an increase in the longitudinal rib percentage, the pull-out force of the geogrid under the same normal stress gradually increased, and the apparent friction coefficient was obtained by analysis. The results of the apparent friction coefficient obtained by the analytical method in accordance with French specifications (NF P94-270-2020) are relatively safe compared to the experimental values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to prolong the service life of cement-based materials subjected to external chloride ion attacks, two kinds of methods, a surface treatment and chloride immobilization, were combined by fabricating a nanosilica-modified cement paste and coating it on mortar samples as a surface treatment material (HSM). The protective effect of the HSM was evaluated according to its surface hardness, and an RCM test was carried out, which indicated that the attached layer could both increase the surface hardness and decrease the chloride diffusion coefficient. Then, the chloride immobilization mechanisms were illustrated in terms of chloride blocking resistance, chemical binding and physical binding X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) and thermodynamic modeling. The results showed that the hybrid nanomaterials that modified the cementitious surface treatment materials may effectively improve the chloride-resistant property of a matrix with content of no more than 1%. This research outcome could provide evidence that hybrid nanosilica can be applied in surface treatment technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports an absorption–transmission multifunctional tunable metamaterial based on graphene. Its pattern graphene layer can achieve broadband absorption, while the frequency selective layer can achieve the transmission of specific band. Furthermore, the absorption and transmission can be controlled by applying voltage to regulate the chemical potential of graphene. The analysis results show that the absorption of the metamaterial is adjustable from 22% to 99% in the 0.72 THz~1.26 THz band and the transmittance is adjustable from 80% to 95% in 2.35 THz. The metamaterial uses UV glue as the dielectric layer and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) as the flexible substrate, which has good flexibility. Moreover, the metamaterial is insensitive to incident angle and polarization angle, which is beneficial to achieve excellent conformal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main feature of grassland degradation is the change in the vegetation community structure. Hyperspectral-based grassland community identification is the basis and a prerequisite for large-area high-precision grassland degradation monitoring and management. To obtain the distribution pattern of grassland communities in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, we propose a systematic classification method (SCM) for hyperspectral grassland community identification using China's ZiYuan 1-02D (ZY1-02D) satellite. First, the sample label data were selected from the field-collected samples, vegetation map data, and function zoning data for the Nature Reserve. Second, the spatial features of the images were extracted using extended morphological profiles (EMPs) based on the reduced dimensionality of principal component analysis (PCA). Then, they were input into the random forest (RF) classifier to obtain the preclassification results for grassland communities. Finally, to reduce the influence of salt-and-pepper noise, the label similarity probability filter (LSPF) method was used for postclassification processing, and the RF was again used to obtain the final classification results. The results showed that, compared with the other seven (e.g., SVM, RF, 3D-CNN) methods, the SCM obtained the optimal classification results with an overall classification accuracy (OCA) of 94.56%. In addition, the mapping results of the SCM showed its ability to accurately identify various ground objects in large-scale grassland community scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) provides an unprecedented opportunity for fingerprinting identification and trace-level detection in chemistry, biomedicine, materials, and so on. Although great efforts have been devoted to fabricating sensitive plasmonic nanomaterials, it is still challenging to batch-produce a SERS substrate with high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and perfect recyclability. Here, we describe a facile fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical Au/CuS nanocomposites, in which high-density Au nanotips enable highly SERS-active sensing, and the well-defined microflower (MF) geometry produces perfect signal reproducibility (RSD < 5%) for large laser spot excitations (>50 μm2), which is particularly suitable for practical on-site detection with a handheld Raman spectrometer. In addition, a self-cleaning ability of this Au/CuS Schottky junction photocatalyst under sunlight irradiation allows complete removal of the adsorbed analytes, realizing perfect regeneration of the SERS substrates over many cycles. The mass-production, ultra-sensitive, high-reproducibility, and fast-recyclability features of hierarchical Au/CuS MFs greatly facilitate cost-effective and field SERS detection of trace analytes in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the compatibility and long-term integrity of candidate structural materials, including the austenitic stainless steel 316NG, the Fe-Ni-based alloy 800H, and the Ni-based alloy 625, were tested in high-temperature and high-pressure SCO2. The exposure time was up to 3000 h. The results showed that the corrosion kinetics approximately followed a near-cubic law for 316NG and 800H. After 3000 h exposure, all oxide layers, mainly composed of Cr2O3, were continuous, compact, and protective, and their thicknesses were about 21~45 nm, 64~88 nm, and 34~43 nm, respectively. In the case of carburization, dark spots corresponding carbon deposition were observed on the surface and a little enriched in the underside of the oxide for 800H. Moreover, the enrichment of trace elements was found at the oxide/substrate interface through GDOES and TEM analyses, i.e., the enrichment of Mn and Si for 316NG, the enrichment of Mn, Si, Al, and Ti for 800H, and the enrichment of Ti and Al for alloy 625. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Base editing is an efficient and precise gene-editing technique, by which a single base can be changed without introducing double-strand breaks, and it is currently widely used in studies of various species. In this study, we used hA3A-BE3-Y130F to simultaneously introduce premature stop codons (TAG, TGA, and TAA) into three tumor suppressor genes, TP53, PTEN, and APC, in large white porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs). Among the isolated 290 single-cell colonies, 232 (80%) had premature stop codons in all the three genes. C−to−T conversion was found in 98.6%, 92.8%, and 87.2% of these cell colonies for TP53, PTEN, and APC, respectively. High frequencies of bystander C−to−T edits were observed within the editing window (positions 3–8), and there were nine (3.01%) clones with the designed simultaneous three-gene C−to−T conversion without bystander conversion. C−to−T conversion outside the editing window was found in 9.0%, 14.1%, and 26.2% of the 290 cell colonies for TP53, PTEN, and APC, respectively. Low-frequency C−to−G or C−to−A transversion occurred in APC. The mRNA levels of the three genes showed significant declines in triple-gene-mutant (Tri-Mut) cells as expected. No PTEN and a significantly lower (p < 0.05) APC protein expression were detected in Tri-Mut cells. Interestingly, the premature stop codon introduced into the TP53 gene did not eliminate the expression of its full-length protein in the Tri-Mut cells, suggesting that stop codon read-through occurred. Tri-Mut cells showed a significantly higher (p < 0.05) proliferation rate than WT cells. Furthermore, we identified 1418 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the Tri-Mut and WT groups, which were mainly involved in functions such as tumor progression, cell cycle, and DNA repair. This study indicates that hA3A-BE3-Y130F can be a powerful tool to create diverse knockout cell models without double-strand breaks (DSBs), with further possibilities to produce porcine models with various purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehensive properties of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) are highly-dependent on their phases. Although a large number of machine learning (ML) algorithms has been successfully applied to the phase prediction of HEAs, the accuracies among different ML algorithms based on the same dataset vary significantly. Therefore, selection of an efficient ML algorithm would significantly reduce the number and cost of the experiments. In this work, phase prediction of HEAs (PPH) is proposed by integrating criterion and machine learning recommendation method (MLRM). First, a meta-knowledge table based on characteristics of HEAs and performance of candidate algorithms is established, and meta-learning based on the meta-knowledge table is adopted to recommend an algorithm with desirable accuracy. Secondly, an MLRM based on improved meta-learning is engineered to recommend a more desirable algorithm for phase prediction. Finally, considering poor interpretability and generalization of single ML algorithms, a PPH combining the advantages of MLRM and criterion is proposed to improve the accuracy of phase prediction. The PPH is validated by 902 samples from 12 datasets, including 405 quinary HEAs, 359 senary HEAs, and 138 septenary HEAs. The experimental results shows that the PPH achieves performance than the traditional meta-learning method. The average prediction accuracy of PPH in all, quinary, senary, and septenary HEAs is 91.6%, 94.3%, 93.1%, and 95.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is still one of the major health issues faced by human beings today. Various nanomaterials have been designed to treat tumors and have made great progress. Herein, we used amino-functionalized metal organic framework (UiO-66-NH2) as superior templates and successfully synthesized the UiO-66-NH2@Aushell composite nanoparticles (UA) with high loading capacity and excellent photothermal properties through a simple and gentle method. In addition, due to the rich pore structure and excellent biocompatibility of the as-prepared composite nanoparticles, the hydrophobic NO donor BNN6 (N,N′-Di-sec-butyl-N,N′-dinitroso-1, 4-phenylenediamine) molecule was efficiently delivered. Based on the phenomenon where BNN6 molecules can decompose and release NO at high temperature, when UiO-66-NH2@Aushell-BNN6 composite nanoparticles (UA-BNN6) entered tumor cells and were irradiated by NIR, the porous gold nanoshells on the surface of composite nanoparticles induced an increase in temperature through the photothermal conversion process and promoted the decomposition of BNN6 molecules, releasing high concentration of NO, thus efficiently killing HeLa cells through the synergistic effect of NO-photothermal therapy. This effective, precise and safe treatment strategy controlled by NIR laser irradiation represents a promising alternative in the field of cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: In the industrial manufacturing of transparent semi-transparent materials, such as glass, plastic, resin, crystal or liquid, have wide application use. The cleanliness and purity of these components have very strict requirements, such as smart phone cover plates, liquid crystal display panels and camera lenses. The environments for manufacture process of above-mentioned industrial fields usually have high-standard requirement of cleanliness. Impurities or contaminants, such as fiber and dust, are defects that have to be identified, analyzed and controlled during the process. Although defect detection based on machine vision and neural network has made great progress, performing tracking, measurement or identification of targets of interests in a volume is still very challenging. This demand has already become much more urgent and favored by industrial customers to control the manufacturing quality of the multi-layer structure of glass, plastic or other composite material. Meanwhile, in biomedical industries, transparent or translucid materials or medium are in common use. Various targets of interest in a solution or other medium needs to be tracked, identified and analyzed. In this sense, the proposed Autostereoscopy-Raman Spectrometry-based (ARS) measurement methodology and its developed system in this paper are able to be widely applied to but not limited to the production quality control of multilayer glass structure, the manufacture and assembly of precision optical components, the production process control of liquid crystal panel in a clean room or in a laboratory testing, or analyzing equipment for biomedical applications. Three-dimensional compound measurement within a volume of interest is of great importance in industrial manufacturing and the biomedical field. However, there is no current method that can simultaneously perform spatial localization and 3D measurement in a non-scanning manner as well as the identification of material in a volume. In this paper, an Autostereoscopic-Raman Spectrometry-based (ARS) three-dimensional measurement system is proposed. The target object in a large depth range is initially positioned by the autostereoscopic 3D measurement method, and then the accurate position information is cross-checked and obtained by combining the spectral signal. Meanwhile, the spectral signal at the precise excitation position guided by the autostereoscopic signal also carries the material composition information. In order to verify the proposed ARS method, an associated measurement system was developed, and experimental studies of detecting various fibers of different depths in multi-layer glass structure were conducted. The spatial locations and dimensional information of multiple different targets can be measured in a volume, and their material can also be identified at the same time. The average error between the calculated position processed by the ARS system and the actual spatial position is within sub-micron levels, and the success rate of spectrum acquisition reaches 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive analysis of the spatial and temporal variations of heavy metals in wetland sediment can delineate the changes in possible contamination sources, providing valuable conservation strategies for further wetland management. Using the pollution index, enrichment factors, and potential ecological risk index, the spatial and temporal variations in heavy metals (Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn) were evaluated in Hengshui Lake in north China in 2005 and 2020. The results demonstrated that the concentrations and assessment index for most heavy metals all decreased, with that of As decreasing the most (−54.3%), which mainly benefited from the implementation of a series of ecological conservation and restoration projects. Although the assessment indexes for most heavy metals indicated non-pollution status, Hg and Cd exhibited medium enrichment and moderate potential ecological risk. Especially for Cd, the related indexes increased by 860.0%, mainly influenced by anthropogenic activities. Furthermore, the high pollution was mainly distributed nearby the regions of dense enterprises and wastewater overflow zone (i.e., Wangkou sluice, the Jizhou Small Lake and its causeway). This was primarily attributed to the discharge of industrial wastewater and Cd-polluted ecological diversion water. These findings demonstrated the necessity of the continued and targeted implementation of wetland conservation and restoration projects and identified possible contamination sources and important pollution regions that could provide insights into contamination control options and targeted management strategies for Hengshui Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate diagnosis of cancer cells directly affects the clinical treatment of cancer and can significantly improve the therapeutic effect of cancer patients. Cancer cells have a unique microenvironment with a large amount of peroxide inside, effectively differentiated from relevant microenvironment normal cells. Therefore, designing the high-sensitive probes to recognize and distinguish the special physiological microenvironment of cancer cells can shed light on the early diagnosis of cancers. In this article, we design and construct a fluorescence (FL) contrast agent for cancer cell recognition and imaging analysis. Firstly, luminol-gold NPs (Lum-AuNPs) have been initially built, and then successfully loaded with the fluorescent receptor Chlorin e6 (Ce6) to prepare the luminescent nanoprobes (Ce6@Lum-AuNPs) with green synthesis, i.e., with biocompatible agents and mild temperature. The as-prepared fluorescent Ce6@Lum-AuNPs can efficiently and sensitively realize FL bioimaging of cancer cells. The relevant bio-sensing mechanism pertains to the presence of hypochlorite (ClO−); hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in cancer cells could readily interact with luminol to produce chemiluminescence, which can activate the Ce6 component to emit near-infrared (NIR) FL. Therefore, this raises the possibility of utilizing the Ce6@Lum-AuNPs as efficient fluorescent nanoprobes for promising cancer early diagnosis and other relevant disease bioanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of global climate change, extreme weather events frequently occur. Many kinds of agro-meteorological disasters that are closely related to environmental conditions (such as sunshine hours, temperature, precipitation, etc.) are witnessed all over the word. However, which factor dominates winter wheat production in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River remains unresolved. Quantifying the key limiting meteorological factor could deepen our understanding of the impact of climate change on crops and then help us to formulate disaster prevention and mitigation measures. However, the relative role of precipitation, sunshine hours and maximum daily temperature in limiting winter wheat yield in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is not clear and difficult to decouple. In this study, we used statistical methods to quantify the effect of precipitation, maximum temperature and sunshine hours extremes on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield based on long time-series, county-level yield data and a daily meteorological dataset. According to the winter wheat growing season period (October of the sowing year to May of the following year), anomaly values of cumulative precipitation, average sunshine hours and average daily maximum temperature are calculated. With the range of −3 σ to 3 σ of anomaly and an interval of 0.5 σ (σ is the corresponding standard deviation of cumulative precipitation, mean maximum temperature and mean sunshine hours, respectively), the corresponding weighted yield loss ratio (WYLR) represents the impact of this kind of climate condition on yield. The results show that excessive rainfall is the key limiting meteorological factor that can reduce winter wheat yield to −18.4% in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, while it is only −0.24% in extreme dry conditions. Moreover, yield loss under extreme temperature and sunshine hours are negligible (−0.66% for extremely long sunshine hours and −8.29% for extreme cold). More detailed analysis results show that the impact of excessive rainfall on winter wheat yield varies regionally, as it causes severe yield reductions in the Huai River basin and the middle to southern part with low elevation and rainy areas of the study area, while for drier areas in the Hubei province, there is even an increase in yield. Our results disclosed with observational evidence that excessive precipitation is the key meteorological limiting factor leading to the reduction in winter wheat yield in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The knowledge of the possible impact of climate change on winter wheat yield in the study area allows policy-makers, agronomists and economists to better forecast a plan that differs from the past. In addition, our results emphasized the need for better understanding and further process-based model simulation of the excessive rainfall impact on crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chicken is a model animal for the study of evolution, immunity and development. In addition to their use as a model organism, chickens also represent an important agricultural product. Pathogen invasion has already been shown to modulate the expression of hundreds of genes, but the role of alternative splicing in avian virus infection remains unclear. We used RNA-seq data to analyze virus-induced changes in the alternative splicing of Gallus gallus, and found that a large number of alternative splicing events were induced by virus infection both in vivo and in vitro. Virus-responsive alternative splicing events preferentially occurred in genes involved in metabolism and transport. Many of the alternatively spliced transcripts were also expressed from genes with a function relating to splicing or immune response, suggesting a potential impact of virus infection on pre-mRNA splicing and immune gene regulation. Moreover, exon skipping was the most frequent AS event in chickens during virus infection. This is the first report describing a genome-wide analysis of alternative splicing in chicken and contributes to the genomic resources available for studying host–virus interaction in this species. Our analysis fills an important knowledge gap in understanding the extent of genome-wide alternative splicing dynamics occurring during avian virus infection and provides the impetus for the further exploration of AS in chicken defense signaling and homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]