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Inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) are a group of genetic disorders characterized by the progressive degeneration of retinal cells, leading to irreversible vision loss. SLC4A7 has emerged as a candidate gene associated with IRDs, yet its mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the role of slc4a7 in retinal development and its associated molecular pathogenesis in zebrafish. Morpholino oligonucleotide knockdown, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, quantitative RT-PCR, eye morphometric measurements, immunofluorescent staining, TUNEL assays, visual motor responses, optokinetic responses, rescue experiments, and bulk RNA sequencing were used to assess the impact of slc4a7 deficiency on retinal development. Our results demonstrated that the knockdown of slc4a7 resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in eye axial length, ocular area, and eye-to-body-length ratio. The fluorescence observations showed a significant decrease in immunofluorescence signals from photoreceptors and in mCherry fluorescence from RPE in slc4a7-silenced morphants. TUNEL staining uncovered the extensive apoptosis of retinal cells induced by slc4a7 knockdown. Visual behaviors were significantly impaired in the slc4a7-deficient larvae. GO and KEGG pathway analyses reveal that differentially expressed genes are predominantly linked to aspects of vision, ion channels, and phototransduction. This study demonstrates that the loss of slc4a7 in larvae led to profound visual impairments, providing additional insights into the genetic mechanisms predisposing individuals to IRDs caused by SLC4A7 deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of low-pressure casting, an excessive inlet velocity may result in the introduction of an oxide film and air into a liquid metal, leading to the formation of a two-layer film structure within the casting. Such defects can significantly degrade the mechanical properties of the castings. In order to optimize the advantages of low-pressure casting, an empirically designed equation for the inlet velocity was formulated and the concept of critical inlet velocity was further refined. A comprehensive numerical simulation was conducted to meticulously analyze the liquid metal spreading phase within the cavity. Subsequently, low-pressure casting experiments were carried out with actual castings of an A357 alloy, using two different entrance velocities—one critical and the other exceeding the critical entrance velocity. Tensile test specimens were extracted from the castings for the comparative evaluation of mechanical properties. It was observed that the average tensile strength of specimens cast at the critical inlet velocity exhibited a notable 16% enhancement. In contrast, specimens cast at velocities exceeding the critical inlet velocity manifested the presence of double oxide film defects. This evidence suggests that casting at a velocity faster than the critical inlet velocity leads to the formation of double oxide film defects, which in turn reduces the mechanical properties of the castings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) typically exhibit excellent high-temperature strength but limited ductility. In this study, a comprehensive machine learning strategy with integrated material knowledge is proposed to predict the elongation of TiZrNbVAl RHEAs. By referring to the ductility theories, a set of cost-effective material features is developed with various mathematical forms of thermodynamic parameters. These features are proven to effectively incorporate material knowledge into ML modeling. They also offer potential alternatives to those obtained from costly first-principles calculations. Based on Pearson correlation coefficients, the linear relationships between pairwise features were compared, and the seven key features with the greatest impact on the model were selected for ML modeling. Regression tasks were performed to predict the ductility of TiZrNbVAl, and the CatBoost gradient boosting algorithm exhibiting the best performance was eventually selected. The established optimized model achieves high predictive accuracies exceeding 0.8. These key features were further analyzed using interpretable ML methods to elucidate their influences on various ductility mechanisms. According to the ML results, different compositions of TiZrNbVAl with excellent tensile properties were prepared. The experimental results indicate that Ti44Zr24Nb17V5Al10 and Ti44Zr26Nb8V13Al9 both exhibited ultimate tensile strengths of approximately 1180 MPa and elongations higher than 21%. They verified that the ML strategy proposed in this study is an effective approach for predicting the properties of RHEAs. It is a potential method that can replace costly first-principles calculations. Thermodynamic parameters have been shown to effectively predict alloy ductility to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fixed-wing UAVs have shown great potential in both military and civilian applications. However, achieving safe and collision-free flight in complex obstacle environments is still a challenging problem. This paper proposed a hierarchical two-layer fixed-wing UAV motion planning algorithm based on a global planner and a local reinforcement learning (RL) planner in the presence of static obstacles and other UAVs. Considering the kinematic constraints, a global planner is designed to provide reference guidance for ego-UAV with respect to static obstacles. On this basis, a local RL planner is designed to accomplish kino-dynamic feasible and collision-free motion planning that incorporates dynamic obstacles within the sensing range. Finally, in the simulation training phase, a multi-stage, multi-scenario training strategy is adopted, and the simulation experimental results show that the performance of the proposed algorithm is significantly better than that of the baseline method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foodborne illnesses can be infectious and dangerous, and most of them are caused by bacteria. Some common food-related bacteria species exist widely in nature and pose a serious threat to both humans and animals; they can cause poisoning, diseases, disabilities and even death. Rapid, reliable and cost-effective methods for bacterial detection are of paramount importance in food safety and environmental monitoring. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) and electrochemical methods have been widely used in food safety and environmental monitoring. In this paper, the recent developments (2013–2023) covering PCR, LFIA and electrochemical methods for various bacterial species (Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli)), considering different food sample types, analytical performances and the reported limit of detection (LOD), are discussed. It was found that the bacteria species and food sample type contributed significantly to the analytical performance and LOD. Detection via LFIA has a higher average LOD (24 CFU/mL) than detection via electrochemical methods (12 CFU/mL) and PCR (6 CFU/mL). Salmonella and E. coli in the Pseudomonadota domain usually have low LODs. LODs are usually lower for detection in fish and eggs. Gold and iron nanoparticles were the most studied in the reported articles for LFIA, and average LODs were 26 CFU/mL and 12 CFU/mL, respectively. The electrochemical method revealed that the average LOD was highest for cyclic voltammetry (CV) at 18 CFU/mL, followed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at 12 CFU/mL and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at 8 CFU/mL. LOD usually decreases when the sample number increases until it remains unchanged. Exponential relations (R2 > 0.95) between LODs of Listeria in milk via LFIA and via the electrochemical method with sample numbers have been obtained. Finally, the review discusses challenges and future perspectives (including the role of nanomaterials/advanced materials) to improve analytical performance for bacterial detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, studies have reported a correlation that individuals with diabetes show an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mulberry leaves, serving as both a traditional medicinal herb and a food source, exhibit significant hypoglycemic and antioxidative properties. The flavonoid compounds in mulberry leaf offer therapeutic effects for relieving diabetic symptoms and providing neuroprotection. However, the mechanisms of this effect have not been fully elucidated. This investigation aimed to investigate the combined effects of specific mulberry leaf flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin, rhamnocitrin, tetramethoxyluteolin, and norartocarpetin) on both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and AD. Additionally, the role of the gut microbiota in these two diseases' treatment was studied. Using network pharmacology, we investigated the potential mechanisms of flavonoids in mulberry leaves, combined with gut microbiota, in combating AD and T2DM. In addition, we identified protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) as a key target for kaempferol in these two diseases. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations showed that kaempferol has the potential to inhibit PTP1B for indirect treatment of AD, which was proven by measuring the IC50 of kaempferol (279.23 μM). The cell experiment also confirmed the dose-dependent effect of kaempferol on the phosphorylation of total cellular protein in HepG2 cells. This research supports the concept of food–medicine homology and broadens the range of medical treatments for diabetes and AD, highlighting the prospect of integrating traditional herbal remedies with modern medical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is arguably the most prevalent and accurate quantitative gene expression analysis. However, selection of reliable reference genes for RT-qPCR in rice (Oryza sativa) is still limited, especially for a specific tissue type or growth condition. In this study, we took the advantage of our RNA-seq datasets encompassing data from five rice varieties with diverse treatment conditions, identified 12 novel candidate reference genes, and conducted rigorous evaluations of their suitability across typical rice tissues. Comprehensive analysis of the leaves, shoots, and roots of two rice seedlings subjected to salt (30 mmol/L NaCl) and drought (air-dry) stresses have revealed that OsMED7, OsACT1, and OsOS-9 were the robust reference genes for leaf samples, while OsACT1, OsZOS3-23, and OsGDCP were recommended for shoots and OsMED7, OsOS-9, and OsGDCP were the most reliable reference genes for roots. Comparison results produced by different sets of reference genes revealed that all these newly recommended reference genes displayed less variation than previous commonly used references genes under the experiment conditions. Thus, selecting appropriate reference genes from RNA-seq datasets leads to identification of reference genes suitable for respective rice tissues under drought and salt stress. The findings offer valuable insights for refining the screening of candidate reference genes under diverse conditions through the RNA-seq database. This refinement serves to improve the accuracy of gene expression in rice under similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traction load of electrified railways is a special user of the power system, which will have a significant impact on and pose a challenge to the power system after grid connection. Considering the impact and fluctuation of traction load connected to the power grid, this paper proposed a method to study the influence of traction load on the transient stability of the power grid based on parameter identification. Firstly, according to the operation characteristics of traction load, a comprehensive traction load model based on the measurement-based method of induction motor parallel power function model is selected, and the objective function of parameter identification is determined. Then, the specific steps of using the improved gray wolf optimizer (IGWO) algorithm to achieve the parameter identification of the traction comprehensive load model are introduced, including chaotic map, nonlinear convergence factor, and individual position update. Next, with the IEEE39 bus system as the network background, the load parameters identified by the measured data of a line of the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway are imported into the Power System Analysis Software Package (PSASP) 7.0 for transient simulation to analyze the impact of traction load on the transient stability of the power grid. Finally, three typical load models are compared with the traction load model to draw relevant conclusions, and it is verified that the traction load characteristics are different from the general load model, which provides reference for the connection of electrified railway traction load to the power grid and the economic and technical construction of the power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lidar presents a promising solution for bird surveillance in airport environments. However, the low observation refresh rate of Lidar poses challenges for tracking bird targets. To address this problem, we propose a gated recurrent unit (GRU)-based interacting multiple model (IMM) approach for tracking bird targets at low sampling frequencies. The proposed method constructs various GRU-based motion models to extract different motion patterns and to give different predictions of target trajectory in place of traditional target moving models and uses an interacting multiple model mechanism to dynamically select the most suitable GRU-based motion model for trajectory prediction and tracking. In order to fuse the GRU-based motion model and IMM, the approximation state transfer matrix method is proposed to transform the prediction of GRU-based network into an explicit state transfer model, which enables the calculation of the models' probability. The simulation carried out on an open bird trajectory dataset proves that our method outperforms classical tracking methods at low refresh rates with at least 26% improvement in tracking error. The results show that the proposed method is effective for tracking small bird targets based on Lidar systems, as well as for other low-refresh-rate tracking systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usher syndrome (USH) is characterised by degenerative vision loss known as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), sensorineural hearing loss, and vestibular dysfunction. RP can cause degeneration and the loss of rod and cone photoreceptors, leading to structural and functional changes in the retina. Cep250 is a candidate gene for atypical Usher syndrome, and this study describes the development of a Cep250 KO mouse model to investigate its pathogenesis. OCT and ERG were applied in Cep250 and WT mice at P90 and P180 to access the general structure and function of the retina. After recording the ERG responses and OCT images at P90 and P180, the cone and rod photoreceptors were visualised using an immunofluorescent stain. TUNEL assays were applied to observe the apoptosis in Cep250 and WT mice retinas. The total RNA was extracted from the retinas and executed for RNA sequencing at P90. Compared with WT mice, the thickness of the ONL, IS/OS, and whole retina of Cep250 mice was significantly reduced. The a-wave and b-wave amplitude of Cep250 mice in scotopic and photopic ERG were lower, especially the a-wave. According to the immunostaining and TUNEL stain results, the photoreceptors in the Cep250 retinas were also reduced. An RNA-seq analysis showed that 149 genes were upregulated and another 149 genes were downregulated in Cep250 KO retinas compared with WT mice retinas. A KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that cGMP-PKG signalling pathways, MAPK signalling pathways, edn2-fgf2 axis pathways, and thyroid hormone synthesis were upregulated, whereas protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum was downregulated in Cep250 KO eyes. Cep250 KO mice experience a late-stage retinal degeneration that manifests as the atypical USH phenotype. The dysregulation of the cGMP-PKG-MAPK pathways may contribute to the pathogenesis of cilia-related retinal degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supply and demand of labour in the market can often experience profound transformations as a result of an ageing population. This can substantially impact the sustainable development of human society. Since the 1970s, China's internal migration has continued to increase, but there has been a shift toward an ageing trend since the year 2000. How does the change of age structure interact with socioeconomic development to produce changes in the supply and demand of labour over space and time? This study constructs a spatial dynamic panel data model of interprovincial migration flows in China from 1985 to 2015 in order to quantify the spatiotemporal impacts of age structure on migration. The preliminary results indicate that age structure plays the most important role among regional socioeconomic characteristics of migration, dominated by the large supply, demand, and cross elasticities of labour population. Labour demand and the cross elasticities of total dependency ratio rank second. Comparatively, the total elasticities of regional GDP and wage levels on migration flows are not as significant as expected. This study lays the groundwork for identifying the interaction mechanisms of migration systems and provides important insights on regional sustainable development from the perspective of ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green space has a cooling effect and its cooling effect can extend to the surrounding environment, conspicuously decreasing with distance. Land surface temperature (LST) and cooling distance are generally researched based on remote sensing and temperature inversion algorithms; this distance is affected by internal and external environment factors, but the high-intensity cooling distance (HCD) is overlooked by using large scale datasets. In addition, the comprehensive relationship between internal and external factors with cooling distance and HCD is still unclear. The aim of this study is to identify the HCD of green spaces by monitoring the changes of LST away from it and to quantify the influences of 12 internal and external factors on HCD. A multiple linear regression model is used to analyze the relationship between them. In the summer of 2022, we measured and calculated HCD for 59 urban green spaces in Xi'an, China. The analysis results show that the HCD is not only affected by the internal landscape factors of green spaces, but also closely related to factors associated with the natural environmental, urban attributes, and surrounding structures. These findings can rationally assist the planning of the allocation of urban green spaces and provide a scientific basis for mitigating the urban heat island effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to provide new insights into the behavior of high-strength low-alloy steel under dynamic compression and to promote its use in high-stress applications. The dynamic compression response of a Cr-Ni-Mo-V steel under shock stresses ranging from 3.54 GPa to 19.76 GPa was investigated using loading technology. The free surface velocity of the specimen was measured using a displacement interferometer system with the range of 166–945 m/s. The Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL), spalling fracture, and microstructure evolution of specimens under different shock stresses were determined. The results showed that an α→ε phase transition occurred in the material at an impact stress of 15.63 GPa, leading to a change in particle velocity. The relationship between the shock wave velocity and particle velocity was found to be linear. The HEL of the steel was found to be consistent at 2.28 GPa, while the spall strength showed a more complex relationship with the increasing shock stress. Initially, the spall strength increased and then decreased with increasing shock stress before increasing again after the phase transformation. The fracture mode of the steel shifted from brittle fracture to ductile fracture with the increasing impact stresses, which is related to the previous plastic deformation under different impact loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centrifugal pumps are widely used in the oil and mining industries. In contrast to water pumps, the centrifugal pumps in the oil and mining industries are used for the transportation of drilling fluid, which is typically non-Newtonian fluid. Drilling fluids are usually modeled as power-law fluids with varying shear viscosity and imposed shear rates. In this paper, a numerical simulation of power-law fluid flow in a centrifugal pump was simulated, varying only in the flow-rate magnitude, using water flow as a comparison. The simulation results show that the pump used for drilling fluid presents a lower head and efficiency but a higher shaft power than that used for water. The flow patterns of both the water pump and the drilling fluid pump were investigated in terms of pressure fluctuation, turbulent kinetic energy, and radial force on the impeller. In contrast to the literature, this paper also analyzes the pressure pulsations in the individual blades of the impeller, as well as those in the volute path. In the case of drilling fluid, it was found that the viscous effect made the flow at the end of the blades highly irregular, and this could be attributed to the pressure generated by them. At the same time, the fluid flow at the small cross-section of the volute was more sensitive to the rotation of the impeller. In addition, the effects of the shear collision exerted on the outlet fluid of the impeller and the fluid in the volute, as well as the dynamic and static interferences, made the non-Newtonian power-law fluid consume more mechanical energy than the water. The results of this paper can be used as a reference for improving the design of centrifugal pumps using non-Newtonian fluids as media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of studies have studied the influence of emotional experience on an individual's estimation performance, but the influence of implicit emotion regulation is still unknown. Participants were asked to complete the following tasks in order: idiom matching task, multiplication computational estimation task (MCE task), gender judgment task (GJ task), and emotional experience intensity assessment task. The words matching task was adopted to achieve the purpose of implicit emotion regulation (implicit reappraisal and implicit suppression). Behavioral results showed that implicit reappraisal and implicit suppression equally contributed to improving an individual's estimation speed (but not ACC (accuracy)). The MCE task related ERP (event-related potential) results showed that the influence of implicit emotion regulation on estimation consisted of two phases. In the first phase (encoding phase), implicit reappraisal both enhanced (larger P1 amplitudes) and weakened (smaller N170 amplitudes) an individual's encoding sensitivity, while implicit suppression enhanced an individual's encoding sensitivity (larger P1 amplitudes). In the second phase (estimation strategies retrieval phase), implicit reappraisal (but not implicit suppression) cost more attention resources (larger LPC2 and LPC3 amplitudes). The present study suggested that both implicit reappraisal and implicit suppression contributed to improving an individual's estimation performance, and the regulation effect of implicit suppression (vs. implicit reappraisal) was better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the fermentation of Fen-flavor Baijiu, the number of lactic acid bacteria is high in summer, resulting in excessive lactic acid and an unpleasant astringent taste. Thus, it is necessary to identify the critical influence factors for the formation of lactic acid and the composition of the microbial community in the fermented grains during the brewing process of Fen-flavor Baijiu in cold and hot seasons using HPLC and high-throughput sequencing technology. The results suggest that Lactobacillus acetotolerans is the key microorganism causing different contents of lactic acid in fermented grains and that Lactobacillus plantarum is a favorable factor for acid production in the fermentation process during hot seasons. Twelve lactic-acid-producing strains were isolated from the fermented grains at the latter stage of fermentation, and the analysis of these strains showed that the Lactobacillus plantarum LP strain has the strongest capacity for lactic acid production and the Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LR strain has the strongest capacity for acid production, respectively. In addition, the Lentilactobacillus hilgardii LH strain has the characteristics of both acid and alcohol resistance. The results obtained from this study provide a reference for reducing the content of lactic acid in summer and have potential value for further improving the quality of Fen-flavor Baijiu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts a close study of Abe Kobo's novel Woman in the Dunes and its screen adaptation (dir. Teshigahara Hiroshi 1964). Engaging adaptation studies, media studies, and sound studies, this paper moves from the conventional focus on the linear transfer of text from a source to a result, to examine adaptation as a multilevel, multisensory, and multidirectional process of remediation. By mediating documentary cinema and avant-garde tradition, the filmic adaptation, as the paper argues, not only provokes and enhances its literary original, but also illuminates existentialist concerns that gained critical currency in the 1960s. The paper moves on to analyze Takemitsu Toru's score in relation to Teshigahara's surrealist imagery; in doing so, it elucidates the way the film gives the sand a form of human agency alluded to yet not fully realized in Abe's novel. Scrutiny of Abe and Takemitsu's early years in Japan-occupied Manchuria further connects Abe's work to the issue of postcolonial identity while opening Woman in the Dunes to more interpretative possibilities as an I-Novel. Through mediating collective history and personal memory, adaptation opens a dialogic intersubjective horizon where questions of identity and affect intersect in the post-war media environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis, a recently discovered iron-dependent regulated cell death, has been implicated in the therapeutic responses of various cancers including breast cancer, making it a promising therapeutic target to manage this malignancy. Phytochemicals are conventional sources for medication development. Some phytochemicals have been utilized therapeutically to treat cancers as pharmaceutic agents or dietary supplements. Intriguingly, a considerable number of antitumor drugs derived from phytochemicals have been proven to be targeting ferroptosis, thus producing anticancer effects. In this review, we provide a short overview of the interaction between core ferroptosis modulators and breast cancer, illustrating how ferroptosis affects the destiny of breast cancer cells. We also systematically summarize the regulatory effects of phytochemicals on ferroptosis and emphasize their clinical applications in breast cancer suppression, which may accelerate the development of their therapeutic use in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella is a bacterial pathogen which is one of the leading causes of severe illnesses in humans. The current study involved the design and development of two methods, respectively using iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP) and iron core gold nanoparticle (ICGNP), conjugated with the Salmonella antibody and the fluorophore, 4-Methylumbelliferyl Caprylate (4-MUCAP), used as an indicator, for its selective and sensitive detection in contaminated food products. Twenty double-blind beverage samples, spiked with Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, were prepared in sterile Eppendorf® tubes at room temperature. The gold layer and spikes of ICGNPs increased the surface areas. The ratio of the surface area is 0.76 (IONPs/ICGNPs). The comparative sensitivity and specificity of the IONP-based and the ICGNP-based methods to detect Salmonella were determined. The ICGNP method shows the limit of detection is 32 Salmonella per mL. The ICGNPs had an 83.3% sensitivity and a 92.9% specificity value for the presence and detection of Salmonella. The IONP method resulted in a limit of detection of 150 Salmonella per mL, and a 66.7% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity for the presence and detection of Salmonella. The higher surface area of ICGNPs increases the efficiency of detection. The monitoring of Salmonella can thus be achieved by a rapid magnetic fluorescent assay using a smartphone for image capture and analyze, providing quantitative results. The findings from the present study would help to detect Salmonella rapidly in water. It can improve the microbial quality of water and food safety due to the presence of Salmonella in the water environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is considered the primary brain tumor to cause brain illnesses, and it is difficult to treat and shows resistance to various routine therapeutics. The most common treatments to cure glioma are the surgical removal of tumors followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The latest biocompatible interfaces have been incorporated into therapeutic modalities such as the targeted delivery of drugs using hydrogels to treat and manage brain glioma. This review illustrates the applications of the multimodal hydrogel as the carrier of therapeutics, gene therapy, therapeutic tactics, and glioma devices. The scientific articles were retrieved from 2019 to 2022 on Google Scholar and the Scopus database and screened to determine whether they were suitable for review. The 20 articles that fit the study are summarized in this review. These studies indicated that the sizes of the hydrogel range from 28 nm to 500 nm. There are 16 out of 20 articles that also explain the post-surgical application of hydrogels, and 13 out of 20 articles are employed in 3D culture and other structural manifestations of hydrogels. The pros of the hydrogel include the quick formulation for a sufficient filling of irregular damage sites, solubilizing hydrophobic drugs, continuously slowing drug release, provision of a 3D cell growth environment, improving efficacy, targetability of soluble biomolecules, increasing patient compliance, and decreased side effects. The cons of the hydrogel include difficult real-time monitoring, genetic manipulations, the cumbersome synchronized release of components, and lack of safety data. The prospects of the hydrogel may include the development of electronic hydrogel sensors that can be used to enhance guidance for the precise targeting patterns using patient-specific pathological idiosyncrasies. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the precision medicine approaches that would aid in the early detection and management of solid brain tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy. MM stem cells (MMSCs) are thought to be the main causes of in vivo engraftment and eventual recurrence. As a notable new technology, cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) show a promising anti-tumor effect, due to their production of various ROS. In this study, we found that different types of plasma could inhibit MM's ability to form cell colonies, suppress MM in vivo engraftment, and extend survival times. We demonstrated that NAC (a ROS scavenger) could block ROS increases and reverse the inhibition of MM's cell-colony-formation ability, which was induced by the plasma treatment. By using a stem cell signaling array, we found that the Notch pathway was inhibited by the plasma treatment; this was further confirmed by conducting real-time PCRs of three MM cell lines. Together, these results constitute the first report of plasma treatment inhibiting MM in vivo engraftment and prolonging survival time by suppressing the Notch pathway via ROS regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of Lycosa shansia, and Lycosa singoriensis by combining Sanger and next-generation sequencing methods and analyzed the sequenced genomes in order to explore the phylogenetic placement and the mitogenome composition and evolution of these species. The mitochondrial genome of L. shansia was 14,638 bp, whereas that of L. singoriensis was 13,686 bp. The type of genes and direction of the coding strand present in the mitogenomes were the same as those in other species of Lycosoidea, including two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs). The mitogenomes of the two species exhibited negative AT and positive GC skews. This indicated that the nucleotide compositions of the mitogenomes of L. singoriensis and L. shansia tended to be T and G. Both the mean and median values of Ka/Ks of ATP8 were the highest among the 13 protein-coding genes, indicating that it might have evolved more rapidly than the other protein-coding genes in both species. ATP8 may have undergone more relaxed selection constraints and accumulated more mutations. In addition, many tRNAs lacked T and D stem loops; a few had no acceptor stems. The assessed species were recovered nested within Lycosidae with high support. The present findings will be useful for future studies on the mitogenome evolution of spiders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolic products of fungi. They are poisonous, carcinogenic, and mutagenic in nature and pose a serious health threat to both humans and animals, causing severe illnesses and even death. Rapid, simple and low-cost methods of detection of mycotoxins are of immense importance and in great demand in the food and beverage industry, as well as in agriculture and environmental monitoring, and, for this purpose, lateral flow immunochromatographic strips (ICSTs) have been widely used in food safety and environmental monitoring. The literature to date describing the development of ICSTs for the detection of different types of mycotoxins using different nanomaterials, nanoparticle size, and replicates was reviewed in an attempt to identify the most important determinants of the limit of detection (LOD). It is found that the particle size and type of materials contribute significantly to determining the LOD. The nanoparticle sizes used in most studies have been in the range 15–45 nm and gold nanoparticle-based ICSTs have been shown to exhibit the lowest LOD. Perspectives for potential future development to reduce the LODs of ICSTs are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The installation of muzzle brake changes the flow direction of propellant gas, which leads to a decline in the recoil force but an increase in the muzzle flow noise of the side rear. Therefore, the coordination between high efficiency and low harm of muzzle brake is one of the factors limiting its optimization. To address this problem, a numerical method for evaluating the comprehensive performance of muzzle brake targeting muzzle brake efficiency and impulse noise is proposed in the present study. The two performance indexes are calculated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-computational aeroacoustics (CAA) coupled method. Afterwards, a corresponding experiment is conducted to verify its feasibility. Furthermore, the comprehensive performance of muzzle brakes with three different structures are analysed based on the two indexes obtained by the proposed numerical method. The results reveal that both indexes can be influenced by the structure of muzzle brakes. The increased braking efficiency is almost accompanied by increased impulse noise, but the functional relation is not linear dependence. Thus, the comprehensive performance can be improved by optimization of the structure. The evaluation method proposed in this paper has theoretical significance for optimizing muzzle brakes, which is of great engineering value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Gut microbiota homeostasis is significant to host health and well-being. Treatment of red-crowned cranes with avian influenza vaccines and anthelmintics has played pivotal roles in therapeutic management in zoos. This study provides evidence concerning if and how the avian influenza vaccine and anthelmintic treatment impact the gut microbiota of red-crowned cranes. For the first time, we revealed that the gut microbiota of red-crowned cranes is resilient to the avian influenza vaccine and anthelmintic, which may be affected to disorder in the short term but can recover to homeostasis over time. In addition, it is proposed that more controlled experiments should be performed properly to contribute to animal disease control and optimal management in the zoo. Gut microbiota homeostasis is important for host health and well-being; however, drugs may affect the composition and function of the gut microbiota. Red-crowned cranes are a vulnerable species. Treatment of red-crowned cranes with avian influenza vaccines and anthelmintics has played pivotal roles in therapeutic management in zoos. To investigate the changes in the diversity and composition of gut microbiota after the avian influenza vaccine and anthelmintic treatment, we used 16S rRNA sequencing to obtain and compare the bacterial community composition before and after the treatment. The alpha diversity of the gut microbiota of red-crowned cranes decreased on the day of the treatment and then fluctuated over time. The composition of gut microbiota tended to be similar in the short term after the treatment, as supported by the beta diversity hierarchical cluster analysis. Only 3, 8, and 72 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of the three individuals were shared among the five groups before and after treatment. The relative abundance of Firmicutes significantly increased to 99.04% ± 0.28% on the day of the treatment, in which the relative abundance of Lactobacillus was 93.33% ± 5.85%. KEGG pathways analysis indicated that the main function of the gut microbiota is involved in metabolism, and the present study indicates that the gut microbiota of red-crowned cranes is resilient to the avian influenza vaccine and anthelmintic, even disordered in the short term, and could recover over time. More individual experimentation and functional potential in metabolism are needed in the future to support animal disease control and optimal management in the zoo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terahertz is a new radiation source with many unique advantages. In recent years, its application has rapidly expanded to various fields, but there are few studies on the individual effects of terahertz. In this study, we investigated the behavioral effects of terahertz radiation on C57BL/6 mice, and we conducted an open field test, an elevated plus maze test, a light–dark box test, a three-chamber social test, and a forced swim test to explore the effects of terahertz radiation on mice from a behavioral perspective. The results show that terahertz wave may increase anti-anxiety, anti-depression, and social interaction in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and commonly diagnosed brain cancer and is highly resistant to routine chemotherapeutic drugs. The present study involves the synthesis of Lignin-g-p (NIPAM-co-DMAEMA) gold nanogel, loaded with curcumin and piperine, to treat GBM. The ongoing study has the application potential to (1) overcome the limitations of drugs biodistribution, (2) enhance the toxicity of anticancer drugs against GBM, and (3) identify the drugs uptake pathway. Atom transfer radical polymerization was used to synthesize the Lignin-g-PNIPAM network, crosslinked with the gold nanoparticles (GNPs) to self-assemble into nanogels. The size distribution and morphological analysis confirmed that the drug-loaded gold nanogels are spherical and exist in the size of 180 nm. The single and combinatorial toxicity effects of curcumin- and piperine-loaded Lignin-g-p (NIPAM-co-DMAEMA) gold nanogels were studied against U-251 MG GBM cells. A cytotoxicity analysis displayed anticancer properties. IC50 of curcumin- and piperine-loaded gold nanogels were recorded at 30 μM and 35 μM, respectively. Immunostaining and Western blot analysis confirmed the protein expression of caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 in cells treated with drug-loaded nanogels. Kinetic drug release revealed 86% release of hybrid curcumin–piperine from gold nanogel after 250 min at pH 4. Atomic absorption spectroscopic analysis confirmed that the drug-loaded nanogels have better internalization or association with the cancer cells than the GNPs or nano-gels alone. Morphological studies further confirmed that the curcumin and piperine nanogels penetrate the cells via endocytic pathways and induce caspase-3-related apoptosis. The experimental evidence shows the enhanced properties of combinatorial curcumin–piperine gold nanogels (IC50: 21 μM) to overcome the limitations of conventional chemotherapeutic treatments of glioma cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astaxanthin, originating from marine organisms, is a natural bioactive compound with powerful antioxidant activity. Here, we evaluated the antioxidant ability of astaxanthin on dendritic cells (DCs), a key target of immune regulation, for inflammatory control in a sepsis model. Our results showed that astaxanthin suppressed nitric oxide (NO) production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and lipid peroxidation activities in LPS-induced DCs and LPS-challenged mice. Moreover, the reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and the GSH/GSSG ratio were increased, suggesting that astaxanthin elevated the level of cellular reductive status. Meanwhile, the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were significantly upregulated. Astaxanthin also inhibited the LPS-induced secretions of IL-1β, IL-17, and TGF-β cytokines. Finally, we found that the expressions of heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were significantly upregulated by astaxanthin in LPS-induced DCs, suggesting that the HO-1/Nrf2 pathway plays a significant role in the suppression of oxidative stress. These results suggested that astaxanthin possesses strong antioxidant characteristics in DC-related inflammatory responses, which is expected to have potential as a method of sepsis treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is a core component of wind engineering assessment for urban planning and architecture. CFD simulations require clean and low-complexity models. Existing modeling methods rely on static data from geographic information systems along with manual efforts. They are extraordinarily time-consuming and have difficulties accurately incorporating the up-to-date information of a target area into the flow model. This paper proposes an automated simulation framework with superior modeling efficiency and accuracy. The framework adopts aerial point clouds and an integrated two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) deep learning technique, with four operational modules: data acquisition and preprocessing, point cloud segmentation based on deep learning, geometric 3D reconstruction, and CFD simulation. The advantages of the framework are demonstrated through a case study of a local area in Shenzhen, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn straw is an agricultural waste. The system for extracting cellulose from corn straw at a high temperature has been widely reported by researchers. However, the system for extracting cellulose from corn straw at a low temperature has been rarely reported. In this paper, a new system for extracting cellulose from corn straw at a low temperature was reported for the first time. This new system is designated as the low temperature laccase system (LTLS). Cellulose was successfully extracted from corn straw by the LTLS, and the used solution could be recycled. Therefore, the low temperature laccase system is an environmentally-friendly system. The cellulose content in corn straw is 30–40%. The yield of cellulose extracted by LTLS was 33%. The obtained cellulose product was creamy white. The extracted cellulose samples were characterized by using infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetry (TG), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results were consistent with that of standard cellulose. We confirmed that the LTLS extracted cellulose from corn straw with high purity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydration heat evolution curves of composite cementitious materials containing copper tailing powder (CT) and graphene oxide (GO) with different contents are measured and analyzed in this paper. The hydration rate and total hydration heat of the composite cementitious materials decrease with the increase of CT dosage, but improve with the increase of CT fineness and GO dosage. The hydration process of the cementitious systems undergoes three periods, namely nucleation and crystal growth (NG), phase boundary reaction (I), and diffusion (D), which can be simulated well using the Krstulovic–Dabic model. The hydration rates of the three controlling processes of the composite cementitious system decrease with the increase of CT content, but improve slightly with the increase of CT fineness. GO enhances the controlling effect of the NG process of the cementitious systems with or without CT, thus promotes the early hydration as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of studies have studied the influence of emotional experience on an individual's estimation performance, but the influence of implicit emotion regulation is still unknown. Participants were asked to complete the following tasks in order: idiom matching task, multiplication computational estimation task (MCE task), gender judgment task (GJ task), and emotional experience intensity assessment task. The words matching task was adopted to achieve the purpose of implicit emotion regulation (implicit reappraisal and implicit suppression). Behavioral results showed that implicit reappraisal and implicit suppression equally contributed to improving an individual's estimation speed (but not ACC (accuracy)). The MCE task related ERP (event-related potential) results showed that the influence of implicit emotion regulation on estimation consisted of two phases. In the first phase (encoding phase), implicit reappraisal both enhanced (larger P1 amplitudes) and weakened (smaller N170 amplitudes) an individual's encoding sensitivity, while implicit suppression enhanced an individual's encoding sensitivity (larger P1 amplitudes). In the second phase (estimation strategies retrieval phase), implicit reappraisal (but not implicit suppression) cost more attention resources (larger LPC2 and LPC3 amplitudes). The present study suggested that both implicit reappraisal and implicit suppression contributed to improving an individual's estimation performance, and the regulation effect of implicit suppression (vs. implicit reappraisal) was better.