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The household energy management system (HEMS) has become an important system for energy conservation and emission reduction. In this study, home energy management considering carbon quota has been established. Firstly, the household photovoltaic output model, load model of various electrical appliances, battery load model, and charging and discharging of electric vehicles (EVs) model are established. Secondly, the carbon emission and carbon quota of household appliances and EVs are considered in these models. Thirdly, the energy optimization model of minimum the household user’s total comprehensive operation cost with the minimum total electricity consumption, carbon trading cost, battery degradation cost, and carbon quota income are proposed, taking into account constraints such as the comfort of users’ energy use time. Subsequently, the improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) algorithm is used to tackle the problem. Compared to the standard particle swarm optimization (PSO), the IPSO has significantly improved the optimization effect. By comparing the optimization results in different scenarios, the effectiveness of the strategy is verified, and the influence of different carbon trading prices on optimal energy scheduling has been analyzed. The result shows that the comprehensive consideration of carbon trading cost and total electricity cost can reduce the household carbon emissions and the total electricity cost of the household user. By increasing the carbon trading price, the user’s carbon trading income and the EV carbon quota income increase, and the overall operating cost decreases; the guidance and regulation of carbon trading price can make a valuable contribution to HEMS optimization. Compared to the original situation, the household carbon emissions are reduced by 14.58 kg, a decrease of over 21.47%, while the total comprehensive operation cost are reduced by 14.12%. Carbon quota trading can guide household users to use electricity reasonably, reducing household carbon emissions and the total cost of household electricity.

Melatonin is a critical regulator of biological rhythms across organisms, transducing light signals into neuroendocrine signals that facilitate reproductive regulation in response to environmental cues. However, the precise mechanisms through which melatonin regulates reproduction in fish require further investigation. In this study, we employed molecular and organizational biological techniques to examine the expression patterns of melatonin and its five receptor subtypes (LcMTNR1A1, LcMTNR1A2, LcMTNR1B1, LcMTNR1B2, and LcMTNR1C) in various tissues of the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). Our results revealed significant expression of all receptors in the pituitary and testes, with distinct gender differences, including a lack of expression in the ovary. Moreover, our data indicate that melatonin and its receptors are primarily expressed during stage III, highlighting their role in sexual maturity. Enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results further demonstrated that in vitro melatonin incubation in the brain of L. crocea influenced gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and testosterone secretion in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting actions beyond the classical hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis. Overall, our findings provide new evidence supporting the role of the melatonin system in reproductive regulation in marine teleosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the distribution of streaming potentials in cartilage pores, this paper established finite element model to analyze. The results showed that the streaming potential in cartilage micro-pores increased along the axis. The electric potential in 5 μm straight micro-pore was about 50 μV, and the electric potential of curved bifurcation model was about 30 μV. The pressure and Zeta potential had a linear growth relationship with the streaming potential. The streaming potential decreased with the increase of ion concentration until ion concentration was saturated. These results could provide a theoretical basis for cartilage research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Apostichopus japonicus is a temperate marine invertebrate and an economically important aquatic echinoderm species in China. As a benthic organism, sea cucumbers feed on small benthic particulate matter and are easily affected by pollutants. Therefore, for conservation purposes, it is important to elucidate the effects of specific pollutants on these animals. Bisphenol A (BPA) has been identified as an endocrine disruptor that functions as an estrogen analog and typically causes reproductive toxicity by interfering with the endocrine system. We identified the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 in A. japonicus and found that both BPA and estradiol could activate the estrogen-receptor-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. Using biological approaches, we have confirmed the estrogen-analog bioactivity of BPA on sea cucumbers by direct interaction with the estrogen receptor. We also determined that BPA affects the reproduction of sea cucumbers by metabolic disruption in ovary tissue. The sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus, is a marine benthic organism that feeds on small benthic particulate matter and is easily affected by pollutants. Bisphenol A (BPA, 4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol) has been identified as an endocrine disruptor. It is ubiquitously detectable in oceans and affects a variety of marine animals. It functions as an estrogen analog and typically causes reproductive toxicity by interfering with the endocrine system. To comparatively analyze the reproductive effects of estradiol (E2) and BPA on sea cucumbers, we identified a G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) in A. japonicus and investigated its effects on reproduction. The results showed that BPA and E2 exposure activated A. japonicus AjGPER1, thereby mediating the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. High-level expression of AjGPER1 in the ovarian tissue was confirmed by qPCR. Furthermore, metabolic changes were induced by 100 nM (22.83 μg/L) BPA exposure in the ovarian tissue, leading to a notable increase in the activities of trehalase and phosphofructokinase. Overall, our findings suggest that AjGPER1 is directly activated by BPA and affects sea cucumber reproduction by disrupting ovarian tissue metabolism, suggesting that marine pollutants pose a threat to the conservation of sea cucumber resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe most common type of proximal humerus fracture is surgical neck fracture. The purpose of this paper is to study the mechanical mechanism and the effect of bone degeneration on humeral surgical neck fractures. The right humerus finite element models were established based on CT computed tomography. The stress values and crack propagation process under an axial force were obtained. Three indexes (mechanical property, cortical bone thickness of diaphysis and cancellous bone volume fraction) in this article were used to describe bone degeneration. The results showed that the three models group with different index had the same conclusions. The calculation results showed that the higher the bone degeneration level, the shorter the fracture time and the lower the fracture stress. The crack initiated from the medial side of the humerus, then gradually grew toward lateral side along the both sides, and finally broke. The medial crack was flat and single like "a thin line", while the lateral fracture of the humerus was irregular and crushed into fragments. The medial humerus cracks were generated by tensile stress, while the lateral cracks were generated by compressive stress. The thickness of humerus diaphysis might be used as the index of fracture risk due to direct readability from clinical images and quantitative relation of fracture risk. This article would provide reference data for the treatment and prevention of humeral surgical neck fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]