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The combination of non-fungible token (NFT) with paintings, music, games, videos and other forms of creative content is an innovation to protect the copyright of authors. It digitizes physical works with unique labels. At present, the NFT industry is blooming in the area of digital collections in China, attracting increasingly more artists, art collectors and platform enterprises to interact. However, the NFT digital collection platform is facing challenges and growth limitations. This study adopts the theory framework of responsible innovation. Through semi-structured interview and secondary document review, it analyzes the positive and negative effects of China's NFT digital collections alongside technological, economical, ethical and social dimensions. The paper proposes four development paths to achieve responsible innovation of this emerging new business. Further discussion links NFT with open innovation dynamics, alongside areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novelty ordered orientation gradient "sandwich" texture was fabricated in low-alloying Mg-3Al-1 Zn alloys using low cost process which is single-pass rolling and subsequent annealing (SPR+ A) to realize a high strength-ductility combination with yield strength (190.5 MPa), ultimate tensile strength (291.5 MPa) and elongation (26.5%). The high strength is related to the combination effect of fine grain strengthening and orientation strengthening at the top and bottom position of the alloy. This attributes to the fact that the soft-orientated grain embedding hard-orientated grain structure restricts the deformation of soft-orientated grain, substantial basal-prismatic slip (B-P) modes increase the activation stress for intergranular accommodation, and high fraction of fine grains causes the fine grain strengthening. The high ductility is resulting from the "sandwich" texture structure, beneficial for crack deflection and an ordered orientation gradient texture at the middle position (coarse grain area), effectively introducing non-basal slip and providing enough dislocation motion space. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MiRNAs have emerged as key regulators of skeletal muscle development, but the knowledge of miRNAs in the molecular network of muscle development remains poorly understood. In this study, we designed to examine the biological function of bovine-miR-101-1. The bovine miR-101-1 was detected in the skeletal muscle of fetal, calf and adult cattle. Its abundance was significantly higher in the skeletal muscle of calf cattle than that in fetal and adult cattle. In the course of C2C12 myoblast differentiation, the expression of miR-101-1 gradually increased. Transfected the exogenous miR-101-1 into the C2C12 myoblast could decrease myotube formation, and the mRNA expression levels of the myogenic marker genes MyOD , MyOG and MyHC were up-regulated. The protein level of MyOD, MyOG and MyHC were also up-regulated. Through TargetScan to predict the target gene of bovine miR-101-1, and the dual luciferase system was used for target gene verification. The results show that amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the target gene of miR-101-1. Therefore, our results shed light on miR-101-1 in the regulation of the skeletal muscle development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmine, a β-carboline alkaloid present in Peganum harmala with a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, has been shown to exert strong inhibition against acetylcholinesterase in vitro . However, whether it can rescue the impaired cognition has not been elucidated yet. In current study, we examined its effects on scopolamine-induced memory impairment mice and APP/PS1 transgenic mice, one of the models for Alzheimer's disease, using Morris Water Maze test. In addition, whether harmine could penetrate blood brain barrier, interact with and inhibit acetylcholinesterase, and activate downstream signaling network was also investigated. Our results showed that harmine (20 mg/kg) administered by oral gavage for 2 weeks could effectively enhance the spatial cognition of C57BL/6 mice impaired by intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine (1 mg/kg). Meanwhile, long-term consumption of harmine (20 mg/kg) for 10 weeks also slightly benefited the impaired memory of APP/PS1 mice. Furthermore, harmine could pass through blood brain barrier, penetrate into the brain parenchyma shortly after oral administration, and modulate the expression of Egr-1, c-Jun and c-Fos. Molecular docking assay disclosed that harmine molecule could directly dock into the catalytic active site of acetylcholinesterase, which was partially confirmed by its in vivo inhibitory activity on acetylcholinesterase. Taken together, all these results suggested that harmine could ameliorate impaired memory by enhancement of cholinergic neurotransmission via inhibiting the activity of acetylcholinesterase, which may contribute to its clinical use in the therapy of neurological diseases characterized with acetylcholinesterase deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The presence of 15% lignin promoted the SCFAs production to 1.7 times from WAS, and the proportion of acetic increased by 61.8%. • Lignin was beneficial to the solubilization process, which may be related to its hydrophobic properties. • Lignin enhanced the SCFAs production bio-processes and inhibited the SCFAs consumption bio-processes. • The abundance of microorganisms related to acid production in fermenter with lignin increased. Lignin, a biological resource with great potential, can be as high as ∼16% of the total organics in the waste activated sludge (WAS). This work therefore aims to fill the knowledge gap about the effect of lignin on short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production from anaerobic fermentation of sludge. Experimental results showed that lignin promoted rather than inhibited SCFAs production. Specifically, the presence of 15% lignin promoted the SCFAs production from 129.1 ± 6.5 to 223.14 ± 7.8 mg COD/g VSS compared with the control, and the proportion of acetic increased by 61.8%, while that of propionic decreased by 44.9%. Mechanism exploration revealed that lignin improved the solubilization of biodegradable substrates due to its hydrophobic characteristics. In addition, lignin enhanced the acidogenesis process, possibly by perfecting the electron transfer chain in the fermentation system, and the quinone structure in lignin may compete electrons with methanogens to inhibit the consumption of SCFAs. Microbiological analysis showed that the abundance of microorganisms related to acidogenesi, especially the acetogenesis, including Proteiniclasticum sp., Acetoanaerobium sp., in the fermenter with lignin increased, which caused the community to shift towards specialized and diverse SCFAs production. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel series of dendritic phthalocyanine-single-wall carbon nanotube nanoconjugates, zinc (II) phthalocyanine bearing poly (aryl benzyl ether) dendritic substituents covalently linked with single-wall carbon nanotubes through either ethylenediamine or hexamethylenediamine as the spacer linker, were prepared. The structures and morphologies of the dendritic phthalocyanine-single-wall carbon nanotube nanoconjugates were characterized by IR, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis methods. The photophysical properties of the nanoconjugates were studied by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The intramolecular electron transfer occurred from phthalocyanine (donor) to the carbon nanotubes (acceptor) by a photoinduced process. The electron transfer exchange rate constant and the electron transfer efficacy between the dendritic phthalocyanine and single-wall carbon nanotubes increased with decreasing length of spacer linker. These novel nanoconjugates were fundamentally important due to the synergy effects of carbon nanotubes and dendritic zinc phthalocyanine, which may find potential application as biological labels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tetracycline (TC), a widely used antibiotic, was enriched in waste activated sludge (WAS) at significant levels. However, the TC impact on WAS anaerobic fermentation are still poorly understood. This work aims to analyze the effect of TC to the WAS anaerobic fermentation by investigating the differences of sludge properties, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production and microbial community abundance. The results showed that the environmental level of TC had no effect on the SCFAs production, but with the further increase of the content of TC to 60 mg/kg TSS, the maximum SCFAs yield decreased from 125.1 ± 3.2 to 90.8 ± 1.7 mg COD/g VSS. Mechanism exploration indicated that TC had no significant effect on solubilization, hydrolysis and homoacetogenesis processes, but severely inhibited acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis processes. Microbial analysis showed that the presence of TC reduced the diversity of microbial communities and the abundance of functional microorganisms relevant to SCFAs production and complex organic degradation, such as Proteiniclasticun and Novosphingobium. This negative effect was persistent because only a small amount of TC can be degraded in the anaerobic fermentation process. Hence, CaO 2 was proposed and studied as a regulation strategy that can reduce the toxicity of TC on anaerobic fermentation. [Display omitted] • When the TC level were 5, 30 and 60 mg/kg TSS, the SCFAs production decreased by 11.0%, 18.2%, and 27.4%, respectively. • TC severely inhibited acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis processes. • The most of TC was stuck after anaerobic fermentation of WAS. • CaO 2 improved the SCFAs production by degrading TC and disintegrating sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The reflux ratio of 20% digestion liquid increased the methane production from WAS by 1.6 times. • The digestion liquid promoted the decomposition of WAS and improved the biochemical methane potential. • Ammonium and metal ions increase methane production by promoting WAS solubilization or activating enzyme expression. • The refractory organics reduced methane yield through suppressing the bio-processes. This work proved an efficient method to significantly increase methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS. This method is to reflux proper of digestion liquid into waste activated sludge pretreatment unit (pH 9.5 for 24 h). The yield of maximum methane improved between 174.2 ± 7.3 and 282.5 ± 14.1 mL/g VSS with the reflux ratio of digestion liquid increasing from 0% to 20%. It was observed that the biodegradable organics in the digestion liquid did not affect the biological processes related to anaerobic digestion but increased methane production through reutilization. The ammonium in the digestion liquid was the main contributor to the increase in methane production via promoting sludge solubilization, but refractory organics were the major inhibitors to anaerobic digestion. It should be emphasized that the metal ions present in the digestion liquid were beneficial rather than harmful to the biological processes in the anaerobic digestion, which may be connected with the fact that certain metal ions were involved in the expression and activation of key enzymes. In addition, it was found that anaerobes in digestion liquid were another potential contributor to the enhanced anaerobic digestion. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the poor biodegradability of released organics and the rapid consumption of hydrogen, hydrogen production from the untreated waste activated sludge (WAS) and/or inocula is still limited. In this study, it was found that the dark fermentative hydrogen production was largely enhanced from WAS pretreated by freezing in the presence of nitrite. With an increase of nitrite addition from 100 to 400 mg NO 2 −-N/L during freezing pretreatment (−5 °C for 4 h), the maximal hydrogen yield increased from 7.96 to 19.40 mL/g VS (volatile solids), which was 5.5–13.4 times of that in the control (without freezing and nitrite addition). Mechanism explorations revealed that the proposed pretreatment not only accelerated the disintegration of sludge but also promoted the proportion of biodegradable organics released, thereby provided more bio-available substrates for subsequent hydrogen production. Proposed pretreatment severely suppressed the sludge microorganisms responding to homoacetogenesis (−32.1%), methanogenesis (−58.4%), and sulfate-reducing process (−51.5%), inhibited the consumption of hydrogen. Moreover, there was more acetic and butyric (76% versus 57.5%) but less propionic acid (22.6% versus 13.4%) in this pretreated fermenter, which was in correspondence with the theory of fermentation type affecting hydrogen production. Long-term fermentation experiments indicated that the proposed pretreatment boosted the [FeFe]-hydrogenase activities while suppressed the activities of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, coenzyme F420, and adenylyl sulfate reductase. Image 1 • FNP enhanced dark fermentative hydrogen production from WAS by 5.5–13.4 times. • FNP accelerated sludge disintegration and promoted organics biodegradability. • FNP suppressed the hydrogen-consuming bacteria by 32.1–58.4%. • FNP induced the shift of fermentation to butyrate-type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent investigations verified that calcium peroxide (CaO 2) could be used to pretreat waste activated sludge to promote methane yield from anaerobic digestion. However, the underlying mechanism of how CaO 2 pretreatment promotes methane production is unclear. This work therefore aims to provide insights into such systems. Experimental results showed that with an increase of CaO 2 dosage from 0 to 0.14 g/g VSS (volatile suspended solids) the methane yield increased linearly from 146.3 to 215.9 mL/g VSS. Further increases of CaO 2 resulted in decreases in methane yield. CaO 2 pretreatment promoted the disintegration of sludge and the degradation of sludge recalcitrant organics (especially humus and lignocellulose), thereby providing more substrates for subsequent methane production. Ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy indicated that CaO 2 enhanced the cleavage of unsaturated conjugated bonds and reduced the aromaticity of humus and lignocellulose. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that CaO 2 changed the structures and functional groups of humus and lignocellulose, making them transform to be biodegradable. GC/MS analyses exhibited that the degradation products of humus and lignocellulose included several types of small molecular organics such as ester-like, acid-like, and alcohol-like substances. Further investigation demonstrated that substantial methane could be produced from these degradation products. It was also found that the presence of recalcitrant organics was detrimental to anaerobes relevant to anaerobic digestion, and the degradation of such recalcitrant organics mitigated their inhibitions to the anaerobes. Model-based analysis suggested that CaO 2 pretreatment increased the maximum methane yield and methane production rate, which were consistent with the analysis above. Image 1 • Pretreatment with 0.14 g/g VSS CaO 2 increased methane yield to 1.3 times from WAS. • CaO 2 pretreatment promoted the degradation of humus and lignocellulose. • CaO 2 could mitigate inhibitions of recalcitrant organics to the anaerobes. • The CaO2 reaction residues inhibited all the microbes relevant to anaerobic digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex diseases, such as cancer, are often associated with aberrant gene expression at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. Over the past several years, competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) have emerged as an important class of post-transcriptional regulators that alter gene expression through a miRNA-mediated mechanism. Recent studies in both solid tumors and hematopoietic malignancies showed that ceRNAs have significant roles in cancer pathogenesis by altering the expression of key tumorigenic or tumor-suppressive genes. Characterizing the identity, function, and mechanism of the ceRNAs will not only further our fundamental understanding of RNA-mediated cancer pathogenesis, but may also shed light on the development of new RNA-based therapeutic strategies for treating cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rhamnolipid significantly increased H 2 S production from sludge fermentation. • Rhamnolipid increased the release of organic sulfurs and inorganic sulfate. • The added and in situ generated rhamnolipid damaged the structure of organic sulfurs. • Rhamnolipid promoted H 2 S production from the hydrolysis of organic sulfurs. • Rhamnolipid facilitated H 2 S production from dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Rhamnolipid (RL), one representative biosurfactant, is widely regarded as an economically feasible and environmentally beneficial additive to improve fermentation efficiency and resource recovery from waste activated sludge (WAS). However, its potentially detrimental impact on WAS fermentation such as H 2 S generation was overlooked previously. This study therefore aims to fill the gap through exploring whether and how the presence of RL affects H 2 S generation from WAS anaerobic fermentation. Experimental results showed that when RL increased from 0 to 40 mg/g total suspended solids (TSS), the cumulative H 2 S yield enhanced from 323.6 × 10−4 to 620.3 × 10−4 mg/g volatile suspended solids (VSS). Mechanism analysis showed that RL reduced WAS surface tension, which benefited transformations of organic sulfurs (e.g., aliphatic-S and sulfoxide) and inorganic sulfate from solid to liquid phase. The presence of RL not only reduced the ratio of α-helix/(β-sheet + random coil) and damaged the hydrogen bonding networks of organic sulfurs but also promoted substrate surface charges and cell membrane permeability. These facilitated the contact between hydrolase and organic sulfurs, thereby increasing sulfide production from organic sulfurs hydrolysis. Further investigations showed that RL promoted the expression of key genes (e.g., aprA/B and dsrA/B) involved in the dissimilatory sulfate reduction, which accelerated the reaction of adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (APS) → sulfite → sulfide. Meanwhile, RL inhibited the corresponding key genes such as CysH , and Sir , responsible for assimilatory sulfate reduction (APS → 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'phosphosulfate → organosulfur), which reduced substrate competition in favor of H 2 S production from dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Besides, RL decreased the fermentation pH, which benefited the transformation of H S − to H 2 S. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended-spectrum- β -lactamases (ESBLs)-producing Escherichia coli conferred resistance to most β -lactams, except for carbapenems. To date, the transmission mechanism of bla CTX-M , as the most common ESBLs subtype, in E. coli has received sustained attention around the worldwide, but the research on the pathogenicity of bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli is still scarce. The aims of this study were to discern the spread characteristics of ColV (encoding colicin V) plasmids in bla CTX-M -positive E. coli. The multi-drug resistance traits, phylogroups, and ColV plasmid profilings were screened in 76 bla CTX-M -positive E. coli. Thereafter, the genetic profiles of E. coli G12 and GZM7 were determined by whole genome sequencing, conjugation and S1-pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The median lethal dose was analyzed in E. coli G12 and TG12A, the ColV-plasmid transconjugant of G12. Of all 76 bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli , 67.11% exhibited resistance to at least 2 drugs in addition to ceftiofur, 14.47% carried ColV-positive plasmids, and 53.95% were phylogroup C. Further studies demonstrated that the bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli G12 was assigned to the predominant lineage O78:H4-ST117 of phylogroup G. In addition, its ColV-positive plasmid simultaneously carried multiple resistance genes, and could be independently transferred to confer partial pathogenicity on its host by plasmid mating. E. coli GZM7 was O53:H9-ST23 of phylogroup C, which belonged to another representative lineage of APEC (avian pathogenic E. coli). Its ColV-positive plasmid could complete conjugation with the help of the other coexisting-resistance conjugative plasmid, although it failed to transfer alone. Our findings highlight the flexibly horizontal transfer of ColV plasmids along with multidrug-resistant genes among bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli poses a threat to poultry health and food safety, which contributes to elucidate the concept of "One Health" and deserves particular concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO is a common corrosion product of Zn that may affect the corrosion behavior of Zn/CS in zinc-iron corrosion protection systems. This work is to elucidate the microscopic mechanisms underlying the corrosion promoting effects of ZnO on Zn /CS based on density functional theory. The charge conduction behavior between ZnO and metal contact interface is described. Namely, electrons can be continuously gained, rapidly consumed and conducted to support the cathodic reaction during corrosion, due to the oxygen reduction reactivity of ZnO. The results are conducive to enriching the theory of Zn used as sacrificial anode for corrosion protection. • Effect of ZnO product on zinc-iron corrosion protection system was explained. • First-principles calculation results elaborated on the electron transfer process. • Electrons was inclined to migrate from Zn/Cs to ZnO at the contact interface. • Oxygen reduction activity of ZnO ensured the continuous electronic conduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and genetic environment of the oxazolidinone resistance gene optrA in Streptococcus suis (S. suis) isolates from diseased pigs in China. A total of 178 S. suis isolates were screened for the optrA gene by PCR. The phenotypes and genotypes of optrA -positive isolates were investigated by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, core genome Multilocus Sequence Typing (cgMLST), capsular serotypes determination and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Fifty-one (28.7%) S. suis isolates were positive for optrA. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the spread of the optrA among S. suis isolates was primarily due to horizontal transfer. Analysis of S. suis serotypes from diseased pigs revealed substantial diversity. The genetic environment of optrA was complex and diverse and could be divided into 12 different types. Interestingly, we identified a novel integrative and conjugative element ICE Ssu 988S, carrying optrA and erm (T) genes. This is to the best of our knowledge the first report of the optrA and erm (T) co-located on an ICE in S. suis. Our results showed a high prevalence of optrA gene in S. suis isolates in China. Further research is needed to evaluate the importance of ICEs, as they horizontally propagate important clinical resistance genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When using the kernel-driven bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model to process multi-angular measurements, the input multi-angular measurements must be corrected for atmospheric effects. However, in current databases, a significant number of ground-based multi-angular measurements contain either no corrections or only approximate corrections for atmospheric effects. Thus, the blended diffuse light in the total incident irradiance will result in considerable smoothing of the reflectance anisotropy retrieved by the kernel-driven model unless an atmospheric correction process is conducted. In this study, we propose a diffuse-light correction (DLC) form of the kernel-driven model that improves its ability to process multi-angular measurements blended with hemispherical diffuse light. The DLC form of the kernel-driven model can be used to retrieve the intrinsic reflectance anisotropy of the observed target from atmospheric-uncorrected multi-angular measurements. This study used multi-angular data simulated by the PROSAIL and Radiosity Applicable to Porous IndiviDual objects (RAPID) BRDF model, atmospheric-corrected Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER), Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) multi-angular measurements and their simulated data based on the Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) tools to validate the effectiveness of the DLC form of the kernel-driven model. The results indicated that the reflectance factors directly retrieved by the kernel-driven model are considerably smoothed by the blended diffuse light, especially in hotspot regions. Even under clear and cloudless sky conditions, the retrieved hotspot reflectance in the red band is still underestimated by an average of 9.25%, 7.72%, 11.0% and 13.8% for the PROSAIL, RAPID, POLDER and CAR data, respectively. In contrast, the hotspot reflectance retrieved by the DLC form of the kernel-driven model is very close to the intrinsic reflectance anisotropy of the targets; the average relative error of the DLC form of the kernel-driven model is only 1.99%, 1.50%, 4.57% and 3.42%, respectively. Although the reflectance reconstructed by the DLC form of the kernel-driven model in the hotspot region represents a considerable improvement compared with the reflectance retrieved by the original kernel-driven model, its improvement on the root mean square error (RMSE) and the bias of the entire datasets is not very apparent. Using the DLC form of the kernel-driven model can significantly improve the ability of the kernel-driven model to process multi-angular measurements blended with hemispherical diffuse irradiance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to depict prevalence and antimicrobial resistance characteristics of Proteus mirabilis ( P. mirabilis ) strains in 4 chicken farms and to probe the transfer mechanism of resistance genes. A total of 187 P. mirabilis isolates were isolated from 4 chicken farms. The susceptibility testing of these isolates to 14 antimicrobials showed that the multidrug resistance (MDR) rate was as high as 100%. The β-lactamase resistance genes bla OXA-1 , bla CTX-M-1G , bla CTX-M-9G and colistin resistance gene mcr-1 were highly carried in the P. mirabilis isolates. An MDR strain W47 was selected for whole genome sequencing (WGS) and conjugation experiment. The results showed that W47 carried 23 resistance genes and 64 virulence genes, and an SXT/R391 integrated conjugative elements (ICEs) named ICE Pmi Chn5 carrying 17 genes was identified in chromosome. ICE Pmi Chn5 was able to be excised from the chromosome of W47 forming a circular intermediate, but repeated conjugation experiments were unsuccessful. Among 187 P. mirabilis isolates, 144 (77.01%, 144/187) isolates carried ICE Pmi Chn5-like ICEs, suggesting that ICEs may be the major vector for the transmission of resistance genes among MDR chicken P. mirabilis strains in this study. The findings were conducive to insight into the resistance mechanism of chicken P. mirabilis strains and provide a theoretical basis for the use of antibiotics for the treatment of MDR P. mirabilis infections in veterinary clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study characterized a novel integrative and conjugative element, carrying eight resistance genes and seven IS elements, from a serovar 2 Glaesserella parasuis ST279 isolate. • Tn6743, a novel transposon carrying six resistance genes, was identified. • This study characterized a novel insertion element ISGpa1, which is the first characterized example in G. parasuis. ICE Gpa1804 was identified in the genome of a serovar 2, ST279 isolate EHP1804 carrying eight different resistance genes from 200 Glaesserella parasuis strains isolated from swine with lower respiratory tract infection in seven provinces of China. Susceptibility testing for EHP1804 was determined by broth microdilution, and its genetic profile was determined by whole-genome sequencing. The complete ICE Gpa1804 was analysed by polymerase chain reaction, conjugation assay and bioinformatics tools. The conjugation assay was performed using EHP1804 as the donor and G. parasuis V43 (rifampicin-resistant) as the recipient. ICE Gpa1804 has a size of 71,880 bp and contains 83 genes, including eight resistance genes [ tet (B), bla Rob-1 , aphA1, strA, strB, aac(3)-IId, catA3 and sul2 ]. The conjugation assay showed that ICE Gpa1804 could be transferred to G. parasuis V43 with frequencies of 4.3 × 10−7. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to identify a novel integrative and conjugative element (ICE) carrying eight resistance genes and seven insertion sequence (IS) elements from a G. parasuis isolate. Tn 6743 , a novel transposon carrying six resistance genes, was identified. Moreover, IS Gpa1 , a novel IS 256 family insertion element, is the first characterized example of a G. parasuis insertion element. Multiple mobile genetic elements involved in resistance genes were located in chromosomal ICE Gpa1804 , which showed that ICEs may serve as a vital platform for the accumulation of resistance genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a mathematical model was developed to describe the dynamics of fermentation products in sludge alkaline fermentation systems for the first time. In this model, the impacts of alkaline fermentation on sludge disintegration, hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis processes are specifically considered for describing the high-level formation of fermentation products. The model proposed successfully reproduced the experimental data obtained from five independent sludge alkaline fermentation studies. The modeling results showed that alkaline fermentation largely facilitated the disintegration, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes and severely inhibited methanogenesis process. With the pH increase from 7.0 to 10.0, the disintegration, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes respectively increased by 53%, 1030%, and 30% while methane production decreased by 3800%. However, no substantial effect on hydrolysis process was found. The model also indicated that the pathway of acetoclastic methanogenesis was more severely inhibited by alkaline condition than that of hydrogentrophic methanogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The semi-empirical, kernel-driven Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model has been widely used for many aspects of remote sensing. With the development of the kernel-driven model, there is a need to further assess the performance of newly developed kernels. The use of visualization tools can facilitate the analysis of model results and the assessment of newly developed kernels. However, the current version of the kernel-driven model does not contain a visualization function. In this study, a user-friendly visualization tool, named MaKeMAT, was developed specifically for the kernel-driven model. The POLDER-3 and CAR BRDF datasets were used to demonstrate the applicability of MaKeMAT. The visualization of inputted multi-angle measurements enhances understanding of multi-angle measurements and allows the choice of measurements with good representativeness. The visualization of modeling results facilitates the assessment of newly developed kernels. The study shows that the visualization tool MaKeMAT can promote the widespread application of the kernel-driven model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]