Search

Osmanthus fragrans is widely used in gardening, but the short flowering period of O. fragrans affects its ornamental and economic value. ERF, as a plant ethylene response factor, is an important link in the regulation of plant senescence. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the functional role of OfERF1-3 within the petals of O. fragrans. Specifically, the OfERF1-3 gene was cloned and subjected to rigorous sequence analysis. Subsequently, to evaluate its expression patterns and effects, gene overexpression experiments were carried out on both Nicotiana tabacum and O. fragrans. The results showed that OfERF1-3-overexpressing tobacco plants exhibited longer petal opening times compared with those of wild plants. Measurements of physiological parameters also showed that the flowers of overexpressed tobacco plants contained lower levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) than those of the wild type. There was a lower expression of senescence marker genes in overexpressed tobacco and O. fragrans. A yeast two-hybrid assay showed that OfERF1-3 interacted with OfSKIP14 in a manner related to the regulation of ABA. In summary, OfERF1-3 can play a delaying role in the petal senescence process in O. fragrans, and it interacts with OfSKIP14 to indirectly affect petal senescence by regulating the ABA pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene-Responsive Factor (ERF) is a key element found in the middle and lower reaches of the ethylene signal transduction pathway. It is widely distributed in plants and plays important roles in plant growth and development, hormone signal transduction, and various stress processes. Although there is research on AP/ERF family members, research on AP2/ERF in Osmanthus fragrans is lacking. Thus, in this work, AP2/ERF in O. fragrans was extensively and comprehensively analyzed. A total of 298 genes encoding OfAP2/ERF proteins with complete AP2/ERF domains were identified. Based on the number of AP2/ERF domains and the similarity among amino acid sequences between AP2/ERF proteins from A. thaliana and O. fragrans, the 298 putative OfAP2/ERF proteins were divided into four different families, including AP2 (45), ERF (247), RAV (5), and SOLOIST (1). In addition, the exon–intron structure characteristics of these putative OfAP2/ERF genes and the conserved protein motifs of their encoded OfAP2/ERF proteins were analyzed, and the results were found to be consistent with those of the population classification. A tissue-specific analysis showed the spatiotemporal expression of OfAP2/ERF in the stems and leaves of O. fragrans at different developmental stages. Specifically, 21 genes were not expressed in any tissue, while high levels of expression were found for 25 OfAP2/ERF genes in several tissues, 60 genes in the roots, 34 genes in the stems, 37 genes in young leaves, 34 genes in old leaves, 32 genes in the early flowering stage, 18 genes in the full flowering stage, and 37 genes in the late flowering stage. Quantitative RT-PCR experiments showed that OfERF110a and OfERF110b had the highest expression levels at the full-bloom stage (S4), and this gradually decreased with the senescence of petals. The expression of OfERF119c decreased first and then increased, while the expression levels of OfERF4c and OfERF5a increased constantly. This indicated that these genes may play roles in flower senescence and the ethylene response. In the subsequent subcellular localization experiments, we found that ERF1-4 was localized in the nucleus, indicating that it was expressed in the nucleus. In yeast self-activation experiments, we found that OfERF112, OfERF228, and OfERF23 had self-activation activity. Overall, these results suggest that OfERFs may have the function of regulating petal senescence in O. fragrans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tactile sensing has become indispensable for contact-rich dynamic robotic manipulation tasks. It provides robots with a better understanding of the physical environment, which is a vital supplement to robotic vision perception. Compared with other existing tactile sensors, vision-based tactile sensors (VBTSs) stand out for augmenting the tactile perception capabilities of robotic systems, owing to superior spatial resolution and cost-effectiveness. Despite their advantages, VBTS production faces challenges due to the lack of standardised manufacturing techniques and heavy reliance on manual labour. This limitation impedes scalability and widespread adoption. This paper introduces a rapid monolithic manufacturing technique and evaluates its performance quantitatively. We further develop and assess C-Sight, a novel VBTS sensor manufactured using this technique, focusing on its tactile reconstruction capabilities. Experimental results demonstrate that the monolithic manufacturing technique enhances VBTS production efficiency significantly. Also, the fabricated C-Sight sensor exhibits its reliable tactile perception and reconstruction capabilities, proofing the validity and feasibility of the monolithic manufacturing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic microrobots, with their small size and agile maneuverability, are well-suited for navigating the intricate and confined spaces within the human body. In vivo cargo delivery within the context of microrobotics involves the use of microrobots to transport and administer drugs and cells directly to the targeted regions within a living organism. The principal aim is to enhance the precision, efficiency, and safety of therapeutic interventions. Despite their potential, there is a shortage of comprehensive reviews on the use of magnetic microrobots for in vivo cargo delivery from both research and engineering perspectives, particularly those published after 2019. This review addresses this gap by disentangling recent advancements in magnetic microrobots for in vivo cargo delivery. It summarizes their actuation platforms, structural designs, cargo loading and release methods, tracking methods, navigation algorithms, and degradation and retrieval methods. Finally, it highlights potential research directions. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the current landscape of magnetic microrobot technologies for in vivo cargo delivery. It highlights their present implementation methods, capabilities, and prospective research directions. The review also examines significant innovations and inherent challenges in biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In robot-assisted microsurgery (RAMS), surgeons often face the challenge of operating with minimal feedback, particularly lacking in haptic feedback. However, most traditional desktop haptic devices have restricted operational areas and limited dexterity. This report describes a novel, lightweight, and low-budget wearable haptic controller for teleoperated microsurgical robotic systems. We designed a wearable haptic interface entirely made using off-the-shelf material-PolyJet Photopolymer, fabricated using liquid and solid hybrid 3D co-printing technology. This interface was designed to resemble human soft tissues and can be wrapped around the fingertips, offering direct contact feedback to the operator. We also demonstrated that the device can be easily integrated with our motion tracking system for remote microsurgery. Two motion tracking methods, marker-based and marker-less, were compared in trajectory-tracking experiments at different depths to find the most effective motion tracking method for our RAMS system. The results indicate that within the 4 to 8 cm tracking range, the marker-based method achieved exceptional detection rates. Furthermore, the performance of three fusion algorithms was compared to establish the unscented Kalman filter as the most accurate and reliable. The effectiveness of the wearable haptic controller was evaluated through user studies focusing on the usefulness of haptic feedback. The results revealed that haptic feedback significantly enhances depth perception for operators during teleoperated RAMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-channel audio signals provide a better auditory sensation to the audience. However, missing data may occur in the collection, transmission, compression, or other processes of audio signals, resulting in audio quality degradation and affecting the auditory experience. As a result, the completeness of the audio signal has become a popular research topic in the field of signal processing. In this paper, the tensor nuclear norm is introduced into the audio signal completion algorithm, and the multi-channel audio signals with missing data are restored by using the completion algorithm based on the tensor nuclear norm. First of all, the multi-channel audio signals are preprocessed and are then transformed from the time domain to the frequency domain. Afterwards, the multi-channel audio with missing data is modeled to construct a third-order multi-channel audio tensor. In the next part, the tensor completion algorithm is used to complete the third-order tensor. The optimal solution of the convex optimization model of the tensor completion is obtained by using the convex relaxation technique and, ultimately, the data recovery of the multi-channel audio with data loss is accomplished. The experimental results of the tensor completion algorithm and the traditional matrix completion algorithm are compared using both objective and subjective indicators. The final result shows that the high-order tensor completion algorithm has a better completion ability and can restore the audio signal better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under irrigation with saline wastewater, SO42−, Cl−, and Ca2+ aggregated in the topsoil, and Mg2+ was significantly higher in the deeper soil than in the topsoil and 40 cm soil layers. The abundance of Zoopagomycota, Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Rozellomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mucoromycota and Olpidiomycota in the surface soil was influenced by Mg2+, whereas Ca2+ affected the abundance of Zoopagomycota and Chytridiomycota. In the 40 cm soil layer, Mg2+ and Cl− promoted Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, Entotheonellaeota, Myxococcota, Gemmatimonadota and Methylomirabilota, whereas they inhibited Planctomycetota, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Patescibacteria and Bacteroidota. In the 80 cm soil layer, SO42− and Cl− promoted Rozellomycota, Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, Ascomycota, and Mucoromycota, but had a negative effect on Glomeromycota, Blastocladiomycota, Olpidiomycota and Monoblepharomycota. The increase in salinity significantly reduced the abundance of the Actinomycetes phylum and the Amoebozoa phylum. Both saprophytic and symbiotic fungi decreased with increasing salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-layer lightweight composite structures are widely used in the field of aviation and aerospace during the processes of manufacturing and use, and, as such, they inevitably produce defects, damage, and other quality problems, creating the need for timely non-destructive testing procedures and the convenient repair or replacement of quality problems related to the material. When using terahertz non-destructive testing technology to detect defects in multi-layer lightweight composite materials, due to the complexity of their structure and defect types, there are many signal characteristics of terahertz waves propagating in the structures, and there is no obvious rule behind them, resulting in a large gap between the recognition results and the actual ones. In this study, we introduced a U-Net-BiLSTM network that combines the strengths of the U-Net and BiLSTM networks. The U-Net network extracts the spatial features of THz signals, while the BiLSTM network captures their temporal features. By optimizing the network structure and various parameters, we obtained a model tailored to THz spectroscopy data. This model was subsequently employed for the identification and quantitative analysis of defects in multi-layer lightweight composite structures using THz non-destructive testing. The proposed U-Net-BiLSTM network achieved an accuracy of 99.45% in typical defect identification, with a comprehensive F1 score of 99.43%, outperforming the CNN, ResNet, U-Net, and BiLSTM networks. By leveraging defect classification and thickness recognition, this study successfully reconstructed three-dimensional THz defect images, thereby realizing quantitative defect detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new dipyrroloquinones, namely talaroterreusinones A (1) and B (2), together with four known secondary metabolites, terreusinone A (3), penicillixanthone A (4), isorhodoptilometrin (5), and chrysomutanin (6), were isolated from the solid culture of the endophytic fungus Talaromyces sp. by integrating mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling and a bioassay-guided method. Their planar structures and stereochemistry were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis including NMR and MS. The absolute configuration at C-1″ of terreusinone A (1) was established by applying the modified Mosher's method. Compounds 1–6 were evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity and cytotoxicity. As a result, 1–3 inhibited the LPS-stimulated NO production in macrophage RAW264.7 cells, with IC50 values of 20.3, 30.7, and 20.6 µM, respectively. Penicillixanthone A (4) exhibited potent cytotoxic activity against Hep G2 and A549 cell lines, with IC50 values of 117 nM and 212 nM, respectively, and displayed significant antitumour effects in A549 cells by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signalling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOPs) are important active polysaccharides found in Dendrobium officinale, which is commonly used as a conventional food or herbal medicine and is well known in China. DOPs can influence the composition of the gut microbiota and the degradation capacity of these symbiotic bacteria, which in turn may determine the efficacy of dietary interventions. However, the necessary analysis of the relationship between DOPs and the gut microbiota is lacking. In this review, we summarize the extraction, structure, health benefits, and related mechanisms of DOPs, construct the DOPs-host axis, and propose that DOPs are potential prebiotics, mainly composed of 1,4-β-D-mannose, 1,4-β-D-glucose, and O-acetate groups, which induce an increase in the abundance of gut microbiota such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, Bacteroides, and Prevotella. In addition, we found that when exposed to DOPs with different structural properties, the gut microbiota may exhibit different diversity and composition and provide health benefits, such as metabolism regulations, inflammation modulation, immunity moderation, and cancer intervention. This may contribute to facilitating the development of functional foods and health products to improve human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Predatory spider and epigaeic beetle assemblages are major natural enemies (NEs) in agricultural ecosystems. The effects of non-crop natural habitats in supporting predatory NEs are well known for summer crop systems; however, limited attention has been given to summer–winter crop rotation transaction systems and during overwintering periods, especially in small-scale farmland systems. Here, we examine the effect of winter planting regimes and landscape composition on the species diversity and functional diversity of ground predators (spiders and carabids) in eight gradient landscape sites in southern China over two consecutive winters (2019/2020 and 2020/2021). Our work reveal that the spiders were more abundant and had a higher activity density in fallow rice fields (FRs) than oilseed rape fields (OSRs); however, the ground beetles were more abundant in OSRs than that in FRs. The composition of spider assemblages was impacted by semi-natural habitats (SNHs) during overwintering, while ground beetle assemblages were influenced mainly by overwintering planting patterns. The results suggest that different planting regimes and SNHs are a strategic way to enhance these ground predators. To conserve and improve predator diversity during overwintering, we suggest maintaining a diversity of planting regimes and conserving local semi-natural habitats. The rotation patterns of summer rice–winter oil seed rape and summer rice–winter fallow are the main planting regimes in the rice ecosystem in southern China. However, the impact of local rotation patterns and landscape factors on the overwintering conservation of predators in spider and epigaeic beetle assemblages remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the diversity and density of spiders and beetles over two consecutive winters (2019/2020 and 2020/2021), focusing on the impact of two rotation patterns (rice–fallow and rice–oilseed rape) and surrounding landscape compositions on predator diversity. The main findings of our research were that spiders were more abundant and had a higher activity density in the fallow rice fields (FRs) compared to the oilseed rape fields (OSRs), whereas ground beetles exhibited the opposite pattern. Specifically, fallow rice fields supported small and ballooning spiders (e.g., dominant spider: Ummeliata insecticeps), while OSRs supported larger ground beetles (e.g., dominant beetles: Agonum chalcomus and Pterostichus liodactylus). Moreover, the composition of spider assemblages were impacted by semi-natural habitats (SNHs) during overwintering, while ground beetle assemblages were influenced by overwinter planting patterns. Overall, our results suggest that different planting regimes and preserving semi-natural habitats are a strategic way to enhance species diversity and functional diversity of ground predators. It is, therefore, recommended that to conserve and improve predator diversity during overwintering, land managers and farmers should aim to maintain diverse planting regimes and conserve local semi-natural habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legume–rhizobial symbiosis initiates the formation of root nodules, within which rhizobia reside and differentiate into bacteroids to convert nitrogen into ammonium, facilitating plant growth. This process raises a fundamental question: how is plant immunity modulated within nodules when exposed to a substantial number of foreign bacteria? In Medicago truncatula, a mutation in the NAD1 (Nodules with Activated Defense 1) gene exclusively results in the formation of necrotic nodules combined with activated immunity, underscoring the critical role of NAD1 in suppressing immunity within nodules. In this study, we employed a dual RNA-seq transcriptomic technology to comprehensively analyze gene expression from both hosts and symbionts in the nad1-1 mutant nodules at different developmental stages (6 dpi and 10 dpi). We identified 89 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to symbiotic nitrogen fixation and 89 DEGs from M. truncatula associated with immunity in the nad1-1 nodules. Concurrently, we identified 27 rhizobial DEGs in the fix and nif genes of Sinorhizobium meliloti. Furthermore, we identified 56 DEGs from S. meliloti that are related to stress responses to ROS and NO. Our analyses of nitrogen fixation-defective plant nad1-1 mutants with overactivated defenses suggest that the host employs plant immunity to regulate the substantial bacterial colonization in nodules. These findings shed light on the role of NAD1 in inhibiting the plant's immune response to maintain numerous rhizobial endosymbiosis in nodules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neptunea cumingii is an economically important marine shellfish found in the Yellow and Bohai Seas areas of China. In this study, samples of Neptunea cumingii were collected in Zhangzidao and Yantai during spring, summer, autumn, and winter to clarify the gene expression patterns and regulatory mechanisms in their gills in different seasons. Transcriptome analysis was conducted using Neptunea cumingii gill tissues, and genes with significantly different expression levels were extracted for functional verification. The most genes with differences in expression (DEGs) were found in comparisons of the winter and summer samples. Gene enrichment analysis based on Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes terms showed that these DEGs were mainly involved in immune and metabolic pathways, and they had significant effects on oxidative stress, body metabolism, and protein synthesis in Neptunea cumingii. Further screening of DEGs identified thirty-four genes related to temperature regulation, comprising thirteen genes with roles in innate immunity in shellfish, twelve genes related to oxidative stress, and nine genes related to protein synthesis and energy metabolism. Eleven DEGs were randomly selected for qPCR verification, and the results were consistent with the transcriptome analysis results. In summary, the transcriptome results differed significantly between seasons in the gill tissues of Neptunea cumingii. The expression levels of immune regulatory genes could be promoted in Neptunea cumingii during the high temperature season, whereas the expression of these genes may be inhibited in the low temperature season. The results obtained in this study provide insights into the molecular defense mechanisms that might allow Neptunea cumingii to adapt to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classification of sleep state in preterm infants, particularly in distinguishing between active sleep (AS) and quiet sleep (QS), has been investigated using cardiorespiratory information such as electrocardiography (ECG) and respiratory signals. However, accurately differentiating between AS and wake remains challenging; therefore, there is a pressing need to include additional information to further enhance the classification performance. To address the challenge, this study explores the effectiveness of incorporating video-based actigraphy analysis alongside cardiorespiratory signals for classifying the sleep states of preterm infants. The study enrolled eight preterm infants, and a total of 91 features were extracted from ECG, respiratory signals, and video-based actigraphy. By employing an extremely randomized trees (ET) algorithm and leave-one-subject-out cross-validation, a kappa score of 0.33 was achieved for the classification of AS, QS, and wake using cardiorespiratory features only. The kappa score significantly improved to 0.39 when incorporating eight video-based actigraphy features. Furthermore, the classification performance of AS and wake also improved, showing a kappa score increase of 0.21. These suggest that combining video-based actigraphy with cardiorespiratory signals can potentially enhance the performance of sleep-state classification in preterm infants. In addition, we highlighted the distinct strengths and limitations of video-based actigraphy and cardiorespiratory data in classifying specific sleep states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNA that play a crucial role in the development and lactation of mammary glands in mammals. A total of 107 differentially expressed circRNAs (DE circRNAs) were found, of which 52 were up-regulated and 55 were down-regulated. We also found that DE circRNA host genes were mainly involved in GO terms related to the development process of mammary epithelial cells and KEGG pathways were mostly related to mammary epithelial cells, lactation, and gland development. Protein network analysis found that DE circRNAs can competitively bind to miRNAs as key circRNAs by constructing a circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network. CircRNAs competitively bind to miRNAs (miR-10b-3p, miR-671-5p, chi-miR-200c, chi-miR-378-3p, and chi-miR-30e-5p) involved in goat mammary gland development, mammary epithelial cells, and lactation, affecting the expression of core genes (CDH2, MAPK1, ITGB1, CAMSAP2, and MAPKAPK5). Here, we generated CiMECs and systematically explored the differences in the transcription profile for the first time using whole-transcriptome sequencing. We also analyzed the interaction among mRNA, miRNA, and cirRNA and predicted that circRNA plays an important role in the maintenance of mammary epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ores (WREOs) are significant strategic mineral resources. In industry, in situ leaching technology is usually applied with ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate as the leaching solution. However, the slow seepage velocity of the leaching solution and low rare earth leaching efficiency still need to be improved. Ammonium formate can effectively improve the WREO leaching process. In order to further explore the effects of ammonium formate on the ammonium salt leaching process for WREOs, ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate compounded with ammonium formate were used as leaching agents to determine their effects on leaching efficiency, seepage velocity and swelling. The results show that in the presence of ammonium formate, the rare earth leaching efficiencies with ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate are both slightly increased, the seepage velocity of ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate is increased by 1.67 × 10−4 cm·s−1 and 1.18 × 10−4 cm·s−1, and the swelling percentage falls by 0.14% and 0.37%, respectively. The thickness of the adsorbed water layer and thermogravimetric and XRD results confirm that ammonium formate can inhibit surface hydration and thus improve the WREO leaching process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a disruptive impact on public health and the global economy. Fortunately, the development of COVID-19 vaccines based on in vitro-transcribed messenger RNA (IVT mRNA) has been a breakthrough in medical history, benefiting billions of people with its high effectiveness, safety profile, and ease of large-scale production. This success is the result of decades of continuous RNA research, which has led to significant improvements in the stability and expression level of IVT mRNA through various approaches such as sequence optimization and improved preparation processes. IVT mRNA sequence optimization has been shown to have a positive effect on enhancing the mRNA expression level. The innovation of IVT mRNA purification technology is also indispensable, as the purity of IVT mRNA directly affects the success of downstream vaccine preparation processes and the potential for inducing unwanted side effects in therapeutic applications. Despite the progress made, challenges related to IVT mRNA sequence design and purification still require further attention to enhance the quality of IVT mRNA in the future. In this review, we discuss the latest innovative progress in IVT mRNA design and purification to further improve its clinical efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security of digital signatures depends significantly on the signature key. Therefore, to reduce the impact of leaked keys upon existing signatures and subsequent ones, a digital signature scheme with strong forward security could be an effective solution. Most existing strong forward-secure digital signature schemes rely on traditional cryptosystems, which cannot effectively resist quantum attacks. By introducing lattice-based delegation technology into the key-iteration process, a two-direction and lattice-based key-iteration algorithm with strong forward security is proposed. In the proposed algorithm, a unique key pair is assigned to the signer in every period. Based on the proposed algorithm, a strong forward-secure signature scheme is further put forward, which achieves resistance to quantum attacks. Performance analysis shows that under the security assumption of the SIS problem on the lattice, the proposed strong forward-secure signature scheme is existentially unforgeable under the random oracle model. Ultimately, based on the proposed strong forward-secure signature scheme, a remote identity-authentication scheme that is resistant to quantum attacks is proposed, ensuring post-quantum security in the user-authentication process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excavation of deep foundation pits has a significant impact on the stability of adjacent buildings. On the basis of a deep foundation pit project in Xi'an, China, the deformation of a diaphragm wall and the settlement and deformation of an adjacent ancient building with and without MJS (Metro Jet System) pile reinforcement were studied through onsite monitoring and numerical simulation. The influence of the building's settlement difference on the shear strain of the building's walls was analyzed, and then the effect of MJS pile reinforcement was verified. The research results show that (1) the settlement difference serves as the primary cause of the shear strain of the building, and the shear strain rises with increasing settlement difference; (2) the maximum shear strain of the building occurs on both sides of the building's doors and windows and on the left and right corners of the building's walls; (3) the shear strain and settlement of the building without MJS pile reinforcement are significantly greater than those with MJS pile reinforcement; and (4) MJS pile support exhibits a better reinforcement effect within one times the excavation depth of the foundation pit. These research results have a certain guiding significance for enhancing the stability of foundation pits and ensuring the safety of adjacent buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, SEPAM_HRNet, a high-resolution pose-estimation model that incorporates the squeeze-and-excitation and pixel-attention-mask (SEPAM) module is proposed. Feature pyramid extraction, channel attention, and pixel-attention masks are integrated into the SEPAM module, resulting in improved model performance. The construction of the model involves replacing ordinary convolutions with the plug-and-play SEPAM module, which leads to the creation of the SEPAMneck module and SEPAMblock module. To evaluate the model's performance, the YOGA2022 human yoga poses teaching dataset is presented. This dataset comprises 15,350 images that capture ten basic yoga pose types—Warrior I Pose, Warrior II Pose, Bridge Pose, Downward Dog Pose, Flat Pose, Inclined Plank Pose, Seated Pose, Triangle Pose, Phantom Chair Pose, and Goddess Pose—with a total of five participants. The YOGA2022 dataset serves as a benchmark for evaluating the accuracy of the human pose-estimation model. The experimental results demonstrated that the SEPAM_HRNet model achieved improved accuracy in predicting human keypoints on both the common objects in context (COCO) calibration set and the YOGA2022 calibration set, compared to other state-of-the-art human pose-estimation models with the same image resolution and environment configuration. These findings emphasize the superior performance of the SEPAM_HRNet model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current manual reading of substation pointer meters wastes human resources, and existing algorithms have limitations in accuracy and robustness for detecting various pointer meters. This paper proposes a method for recognizing pointer meters based on Yolov7 and Hough transform to improve their automatic readability. The proposed method consists of three main contributions: (1) Using Yolov7 object detection technology, which is the latest Yolo technology, to enhance instrument recognition accuracy. (2) Providing a formula for calculating the angle of a square pointer meter after Hough transformation. (3) Applying OCR recognition to the instrument dial to obtain the model and scale value. This information helps differentiate between meter models and determine the measuring range. Test results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves high accuracy and robustness in detecting different types and ranges of instruments. The map of the Yolov7 model on the instrument dataset is as high as 99.8%. Additionally, the accuracy of pointer readings obtained using this method exceeds 95%, indicating promising applications for a wide range of scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on durability of cementitious materials have focused on harsh environments, but less attention has been paid to low thermal loading situations. In this paper, with the aim of exploring the evolution of internal pore pressure and microcrack extension of cementitious under low thermal environment, cement paste specimens with thermal environment slightly below 100 °C and three water–binder ratios (0.4, 0.45 and 0.5) and four fly ash admixtures (0, 10%, 20% and 30%) were designed. Firstly, the internal pore pressure of the cement paste was tested; secondly, the average effective pore pressure of the cement paste was calculated; and finally, the phase field method was used to explore the expansion of microcracks inside the cement paste when the temperature gradually increased. It was found that the internal pore pressure of the paste showed a decreasing trend as the water–binder ratio and fly ash admixture increased, and the numerical simulation found that the sprouting and development of cracks were delayed when 10% fly ash was added to the cement paste, which was consistent with the experimental results. This work provides a basis for the durability development of concrete under low thermal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae is a notorious soil-borne fungal disease and seriously threatens the yield of economic crops worldwide. During host infection, V. dahliae secretes many effectors that manipulate host immunity, among which small cysteine-rich proteins (SCPs) play an important role. However, the exact roles of many SCPs from V. dahliae are unknown and varied. In this study, we show that the small cysteine-rich protein VdSCP23 inhibits cell necrosis in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, as well as the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, electrolyte leakage and the expression of defense-related genes. VdSCP23 is mainly localized in the plant cell plasma membrane and nucleus, but its inhibition of immune responses was independent of its nuclear localization. Site-directed mutagenesis and peptide truncation showed that the inhibition function of VdSCP23 was independent of cysteine residues but was dependent on the N-glycosylation sites and the integrity of VdSCP23 protein structure. Deletion of VdSCP23 did not affect the growth and development of mycelia or conidial production in V. dahliae. Unexpectedly, VdSCP23 deletion strains still maintained their virulence for N. benthamiana, Gossypium hirsutum and Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. This study demonstrates an important role for VdSCP23 in the inhibition of plant immune responses; however, it is not required for normal growth or virulence in V. dahliae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nash equilibrium strategy is a typical goal when solving two-player imperfect-information games (IIGs). Neural fictitious self-play (NFSP) is a popular method to find the Nash equilibrium in IIGs, which is the first end-to-end method used to compute the Nash equilibrium strategy. However, the training of NFSP requires a large number of sample data and the interactive cost of obtaining such data is often very high. Realizing the efficient training of network under limited samples is an urgent problem. In this paper, we first proposed a new NFSP-based method, NFSP with prioritized experience replay (NFSP-PER), to improve the sample training efficiency. Then, a weighted NFSP-PER with learning time (NFSP-PLT) was proposed to control the utilization degree of priority-weighted samples. Furthermore, based on the NFSP-PLT, an adaptive upper-confidence-bound applied to tree (UCT) is used to solve the optimal response strategy, which makes the solving strategy more accurate. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed NFSP-PLT effectively improves the sample learning efficiency compared with the existing works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethylene (PE) is widely used in pipeline transportation owing to its excellent corrosion resistance, good stability, and ease of processing. As organic polymer materials, PE pipes inevitably undergo different degrees of aging during long-term use. In this study, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy was used to study the spectral characteristics of PE pipes with different degrees of photothermal aging, and the variation in the absorption coefficient with aging time was obtained. The absorption coefficient spectrum was extracted using uninformative variable elimination (UVE), successive projections algorithm (SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and random frog RF spectral screening algorithms, and the spectral slope characteristics of the aging-sensitive band were selected as the evaluation indices of the degree of PE aging. Based on this, a partial least squares aging characterization model was established to predict white PE80, white PE100 and black PE100 pipes with different aging degrees. The results showed that the prediction accuracy of the absorption coefficient spectral slope feature prediction model for the aging degree of different types of pipes was greater than 93.16% and the verification set error was within 13.5 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT)-based ceramics are promising lead-free candidates for energy-storage applications due to their outstanding dielectric and ferroelectric properties derived from large polarization. However, the high coercive field and large remnant polarization are unfavorable for practical applications, and thus NBT-based ceramics with relaxation behavior via doping/forming solid solutions with other elements/components have been widely studied. In this work, BaTiO3 (BT) was introduced to the 0.94Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-0.06Bi(Mg2/3Nb1/3)O3 system by a conventional solid-state reaction to form a homogeneous solid solution of 0.94[(1−x)Na0.5Bi0.51TiO3-xBaTiO3]-0.06Bi(Mg2/3Nb1/3)O3 (BNT-100xBT-BMN). As the BT content increased, the proportion of the rhombohedral R3c phase increased while that of the tetragonal P4bm phase decreased, leading to the maximum Pmax (38.29 μC/cm2) and Eb (80 kV/cm) obtained in BNT-7BT-BMN (x = 0.07) composition. Specifically, the optimal energy storage properties of Wrec ~ 1.02 J/cm3 and η ~ 62.91% under 80 kV/cm were obtained in BNT-7BT-BMN ceramics, along with good temperature stability up to 200 °C, which are promising factors for future pulse power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report detailed polarization and single-pulse studies of PSR B0950+08 with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) at 1250 MHz. Significant bridge emission was observed between the inter-pulse and the main pulse and the height of the bridge decreased with increase in frequency. Our results support the interpretation that both the inter-pulse and the main pulse of this pulsar are from the same magnetic pole. From the relative peak flux density and the relative energy distribution, we conclude that no giant pulse was detected in PSR B0950+08. Our results provide opportunities to study the origin of the emission from PSR B0950+08 and offer new insights into the origins of pulsar emission and bridge emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide references for the fire prevention design of steel–concrete–steel immersed tube tunnels, four types of test conditions—no fire protection, fireproof coating insulation, single-layer seam fireproof boards, and double-layer seam fireproof boards—were carried out using partial full-size structural test members. Additionally, the thermal insulation effects of various fireproofing technology solutions were contrasted and analyzed. Combined with the numerical simulation analysis, the temperature distribution law inside the tube structure under various fireproofing measures and the temperature rise law of measuring points at different depths were studied, and the protective effect of the fireproof layers on the tube structure under high fire temperature was demonstrated. The results of the numerical simulation and the experimental data agree well. The results show that adding fireproof layers can significantly lower both the steel shell's surface temperature and the depth of fire impact. Without fire protection, the surface temperature of the bottom steel shell exceeds 300 °C at 69 s, and the member bursts. The fireproof coatings are cracked and flaking and cannot meet the fire resistance limits. Both single-seam and double-seam schemes of calcium silicate boards can meet the fire resistance limit requirements and the latter has a better heat insulation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the mining process of fully-mechanized caving faces, the roof of the roadway behind the working face easily forms an arched-shape hanging roof structure with the working face pushed forward, which results in potential hazards such as gas accumulation and large-scale roof collapse. Based on the actual situation of a hanging roof at a difficult caving end in fully-mechanized top coal caving faces, through borehole exploration, surrounding rock displacement observation, bolt stress monitoring, theoretical formula calculation, and numerical simulation methods, the structure characteristics of the hanging roof at the end of the fully-mechanized caving face are studied. The ultimate failure depth and ultimate break distance of the hanging roof structure at the end of the working face are obtained, and its formation mechanism is analyzed. It is concluded that the hanging structure is formed by the following reasons: the lithology of sandy mudstone and fine sandstone above the top coal of the roadway is strong; the hanging roof structure is less affected by working-face mining; there is a result of insufficient rotary pressure of the upper mudstone while working together with the protective coal pillar and end support the caving step distance of the curved hanging roof structure is 10~13.55 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapamycin is a polyketide macrocyclic antibiotic with exceptional pharmacological potential. To explore the potential mechanism of rapamycin overproduction, the intracellular metabolic differences of three chemical elicitor treatments were first investigated by combining them with dynamic metabolomics and network analysis. The metabolic response characteristics of each chemical elicitor treatment were identified by a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) model. According to the analysis of the identified metabolic modules, the changes in the cell membrane permeability might play a key role in rapamycin overproduction for dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) treatment. The enhancement of the starter unit of 4,5-dihydroxycyclohex-1-ene carboxylic acid (DHCHC) and the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) availability were the main functions in the LaCl3 treatment. However, for sodium butyrate (SB), the improvement of the methylmalonyl-CoA and NADPH availability was a potential reason for the rapamycin overproduction. Further, the responsive metabolic pathways after chemical elicitor treatments were selected to predict the potential key limiting steps in rapamycin accumulation using a genome-scale metabolic network model (GSMM). Based on the prediction results, the targets within the reinforcement of the DHCHC and NADPH supply were selected to verify their effects on rapamycin production. The highest rapamycin yield improved 1.62 fold in the HT-aroA/zwf2 strain compared to the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is still in the growth period of population urbanization; meanwhile, it is a large agricultural country where high-quality agricultural development requires a high agro-ecological efficiency level. Based on panel data from 31 provinces and cities in China from 2001 to 2020, the paper constructs an agricultural eco-efficiency evaluation index system that is more in line with China's current agricultural production situation. Meanwhile, the undesired output super-efficiency SBM model is used to measure it. Combining the PVAR and panel Tobit models, the paper explores the effect of population urbanization on agro-ecological efficiency and the interaction mechanism in China. The results show that: (1) In the whole of China, and the western region of China in particular, agro-ecological efficiency tended to decrease during the research time, and ended up at an inefficient level. In the eastern and northeastern regions, agro-ecological efficiency has been at a moderate level for a long time, while in the central region it has fluctuated more and is now at a low level of efficiency. (2) Increases and decreases in population urbanization have both had a significant negative impact on agro-ecological efficiency, but the economic development and improved transportation infrastructure brought by population urbanization have had a positive impact on agro-ecological efficiency. (3) The paper's results provide the current agro-ecological efficiency situation in each province of China, and clarify the causal effect of population urbanization on agro-ecological efficiency, which can provide a reference basis for subsequent policy formulation and for further research to be carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidants, which can activate the body's antioxidant defence system and reduce oxidative stress damage, are important for maintaining free radical homeostasis between oxidative damage and antioxidant defence. Six antioxidant peptides (P1–P6) were isolated and identified from the enzymatic hydrolysate of tilapia skin by ultrafiltration, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Moreover, the scavenging mechanism of the identified peptides against DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2-azido-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) was studied by molecular docking. It was found that Pro, Ala and Tyr were the characteristic amino acids for scavenging free radicals, and hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were the main interactions between the free radicals and antioxidant peptides. Among them, the peptide KAPDPGPGPM exhibited the highest DPPH free radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 2.56 ± 0.15 mg/mL), in which the hydrogen bond between the free radical DDPH and Thr-6 was identified as the main interaction, and the hydrophobic interactions between the free radical DDPH and Ala, Gly and Pro were also identified. The peptide GGYDEY presented the highest scavenging activity against ABTS (IC50 = 9.14 ± 0.08 mg/mL). The key structures for the interaction of this peptide with the free radical ABTS were identified as Gly-1 and Glu-5 (hydrogen bond sites), and the amino acids Tyr and Asp provided hydrophobic interactions. Furthermore, it was determined that the screened peptides are suitable for applications as antioxidants in the food industry, exhibit good water solubility and stability, are likely nonallergenic and are nontoxic. In summary, the results of this study provide a theoretical structural basis for examining the mechanism of action of antioxidant peptides and the application of enzymatic hydrolysates from tilapia skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an integrated analytical method to investigate the polychrome clay sculptures of the Qinglian Temple in Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, China. Digital microscopy, SEM-EDS, XRD, Herzberg stain, Micro-Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR were selected to identify the raw materials and techniques used to produce the ground clay layer, the white powder layer and the mineral pigment of the polychrome clay sculptures. The investigation shows that the clay used to make the coarse and fine clay layer is consistent. However, different kinds of fibres were found mixed in the coarse and fine clay layers: wheat straw was the main fibre used in coarse clay layer, while the bast fibres, including ramie, kenaf and sisal hemp, were used as the fibre supports in the fine clay layers due to their useful properties. The white powder layer was made of a mixture of kaolinite and gypsum. For the mineral pigments, it principally contained red (hematite, minium or a mixture of minium and cinnabar), green (atacamite and atacamite), blue (azurite), yellow (yellow ochre), black (amorphous carbon) and white (the mixture of kaolinite and gypsum). Additionally, a gilding technique and multiple paint layers also typified many pigment areas. This work has furthered understanding of the materials and techniques used in making the sculptures of the Qinglian Temple and has clear implications for the restoration and conservation treatments on these kinds of ancient painted clay sculptures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To control the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), a serious threat to maize production in China, the Chinese government has issued biosafety certificates for transgenic insect-resistant maize expressing Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxins including Bt-Cry1Ab maize (crop event DBN9936), Bt-Vip3Aa maize (event DBN9501), Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize with superimposed traits (event DBN9936 × DBN9501) and Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize with superimposed traits (event Bt11 × MIR162), but the susceptibility baselines of geographically distinct FAW populations to these events, which form the basis for managing resistance development in the pest to these events, are not clear. We used the diet-incorporated bioassays method to detect the susceptibilities of the seven FAW populations collected from Yunnan, Henan and Hubei provinces in China in 2021 to the insecticidal proteins of the four Bt maize events. The result showed that the susceptibilities of different geographical populations to Bt insecticidal proteins were significantly different. In the seven populations, the range in median lethal concentrations (LC50) of Cry1Ab expressed in DBN9936 was 0.87–2.63 μg/g, 0.14–0.30 μg/g for Vip3Aa expressed in DBN9501, 0.78–1.86 μg/g for Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa expressed in DBN9936 × DBN9501, and 0.36–1.42 μg/g for CryAb+Vip3Aa expressed in Bt11 × MIR162. The growth inhibition responses also showed that the susceptibilities varied with the different median growth inhibitory concentration (GIC50) ranges (0.38–1.22, 0.08–0.28, 0.28–0.87, and 0.24–0.78 μg/g, respectively). The variations in the ranges of the susceptibility baselines of the geographical populations of fall armyworm in China to the insecticidal proteins expressed in the four events provide a scientific basis for monitoring FAW population resistance to Bt maize and managing the populations using different Bt maize events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During terahertz (THz) non-destructive testing (NDT), multiple echoes from the sample interface reflection signals are mixed with the detection signals, resulting in signal distortion and affecting the accuracy of the THz NDT results. Combined with the frequency property of multiple echoes, an improved wavelet multi-scale analysis is put forth in this paper to correct multiple echoes, allowing the maximum retention of detailed signal information in contrast with the existing echo correction methods. The results showed that the improved wavelet multi-scale analysis enhanced the continuity and smoothness of the image at least twice in testing adhesive layer thickness, prevented missing judgments and misjudgments in identifying characteristic defects, and ensured accurate detection results. Hence, it is of great significance for evaluating the THz NDT results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hybrid PKS–NRPS alkaloid, xylarialoid A (1), containing a 13-membered macrocyclic moiety and [5,5,6] fused tricarbocyclic rings, together with ten known cytochalasins (2–11), was isolated from a plant-derived endophytic fungus, Xylaria arbuscula. The chemical structures of all compounds were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR, HR ESIMS spectroscopic analyses, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. Compounds 1–3 and 10 exhibited significant antitumor activities against A549 and Hep G2 cell lines, with IC50 values of 3.6–19.6 μM. In addition, compound 1 showed potent anti-inflammatory activity against LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in macrophage RAW 264.7 cells (IC50, 6.6 μM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glazed tile is an important building material used throughout the history of traditional Chinese architecture. Architectural glazed tiles used to decorate the screen walls of ancient China are studied scientifically for the first time. More than 30 glazed tile samples from the screen walls of the 15th to 18th century AD of the Hancheng Confucian Temple and Town God's Temple in Shaanxi Province were carefully investigated using SEM–EDS and XRD. Microstructure and chemistry indicated the raw materials, the recipes and the technological choices used to produce the paste and glaze of the glazed tile samples studied. The causes for the key degradation processes of these glazed tiles used as building materials in the screen walls have also been discussed. This work has clear implications for the restoration and conservation treatments on these kinds of ancient Chinese building materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST) ceramic materials have been widely used in the field of multilayer ceramic capacitors. Surface modification through the surface coating to form a heterogeneous layer could effectively improve the dielectric properties. In this work, BST powders were prepared by a co-precipitation method. The effects of reaction conditions on the microstructure of the BST powder were investigated. The reaction temperatures significantly affected the morphology of BST powder, and the rhombic-type particles were obtained with the reaction temperature around 80 °C. Meanwhile, the BST@Fe2O3 was prepared by the chemical precipitation method using BST powders with rhombic-type microstructure as "core", and the so-called "core-shell" microstructure was confirmed in the BST@Fe2O3 powder. Then, BST@x wt%Fe2O3 (x = 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10, denoting the different content of Fe2O3) ceramics were further prepared, and the influence of "core-shell" structure on the phase structure, microstructure, and dielectric properties was investigated. With the increasing of Fe2O3 content, the ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition temperature shifts toward lower temperatures, and dielectric peaks gradually become broad and frequency-dependent, which may be due to inconsistent chemical composition from core to shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of testing temperature and storage period on the polarization fatigue properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF–TrFE)) ultrathin film devices were investigated. The experimental results show that, even after stored in air for 150 days, the relative remanent polarization ( P r / P r (0) ) of P(VDF–TrFE) of ultrathin films can keep at a relatively high level of 0.80 at 25 °C and 0.70 at 60 °C. To account for this result, a hydrogen fluoride (HF) formation inhibition mechanism was proposed, which correlated the testing temperature and the storage period with the microstructure of P(VDF–TrFE) molecular chain. Moreover, a theoretical model was constructed to describe the polarization fatigue evolution of P(VDF–TrFE) samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant pathogens generally employ superoxide dismutase (SOD) to detoxify host defense reactive oxygen species (ROS), and to scavenge ROS derived from their own metabolism. However, the roles of SODs in an important vascular pathogen, Verticillium dahliae, are unclear. Our previous study has shown that a putative signal-peptide-lacking manganese superoxide dismutase (VdSOD3) is present in the exoproteome of V. dahliae cultured in tissues of host cotton, suggesting that VdSOD3 may be exported out of the fungal cells and contribute to the SOD activity extracellularly. Here, we confirm that the N-terminal of VdSOD3 is not a functional signal peptide by yeast signal trap assay. Despite lacking the signal peptide, the extracellular distribution of VdSOD3 was observed in planta by confocal microscopy during infection. Loss-of-function of VdSOD3 decreased extracellular and intracellular SOD activities of V. dahliae by 58.2% and 17.4%, respectively. Deletion mutant of VdSOD3 had normal growth and conidiation but showed significantly reduced virulence to susceptible hosts of cotton and Nicotiana benthamiana. Our data show that signal-peptide-lacking VdSOD3 is a dual function superoxide dismutase, localizing and functioning intracellularly and extracellularly. Whereas nonessential for viability, VdSOD3 plays a vital role in the virulence of V. dahliae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) data has the shortcomings of discontinuous and pixel saturation effect. It was also incompatible with the Soumi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP/VIIRS) data. In view those shortcomings, this research put forward the WorldPop and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) adjusted nighttime light (WEANTL) using EVI and WorldPop data to achieve intercalibration and saturation correction of DMSP/OLS data. A long time series of nighttime light images of china from 2001 to 2018 was constructed by fitting the DMSP/OLS data and NPP/VIIRS data. Corrected nighttime light images were examined to discuss the estimation ability of gross domestic product (GDP) and electric power consumption (EPC) on national and provincial scales, respectively. The results indicated that, (1) after correction, the nighttime light (NTL) data can guarantee the growth trend on national and regional scales, and the interannual volatility of the corrected NTL data is lower than that of the uncorrected NTL data; (2) on the national scale, compared with the established model of NTL data and GDP data (NTL-GDP), the determination coefficient (R2) and the mean absolute relative error (MARE) are 0.981 and 8.518%. The R2 and MARE of the established model of NTL data and EPC data (NTL-EPC) were 0.990 and 4.655%; (3) on the provincial scale, the R2 and MARE of NTL-GDP model under the provincial units are 0.7386 and 38.599%. The R2 value and MARE of NTL-EPC model are 0.8927 and 29.319%; (4) on the provincial scale, the R2 and MARE of NTL-GDP model on time series are 0.9667 and 10.877%. The R2 and MARE of NTL-GDP model on time series are 0.9720 and 6.435%; the established TNL-GDP and TNL-EPC models with 30 provinces data all passed the F-test at the 0.001 level; (5) the prediction accuracy of GDP and EPC on time series was nearly 100%. Therefore, the correction method provided in this research can be applied in estimating the GDP and EPC on multiple scales reliably and accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of reliable alternative climate input data for hydrological modelling is important to manage water resources and reduce water-related hazards in ungauged or poorly gauged basins. This study aims to evaluate the capability of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (NCEP-CFSR) and China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Dataset for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model (CMADS) for simulating streamflow in the Muda River Basin (MRB), Malaysia. The capability was evaluated in two perspectives: (1) the climate aspect—validation of precipitation, maximum and minimum temperatures from 2008 to 2014; and (2) the hydrology aspect—comparison of the accuracy of SWAT modelling by the gauge station, NCEP-CFSR and CMADS products. The results show that CMADS had a better performance than NCEP-CFSR in the climate aspect, especially for the temperature data and daily precipitation detection capability. For the hydrological aspect, the gauge station had a "very good" performance in a monthly streamflow simulation, followed by CMADS and NCEP-CFSR. In detail, CMADS showed an acceptable performance in SWAT modelling, but some improvements such as bias correction and further SWAT calibration are needed. In contrast, NCEP-CFRS had an unacceptable performance in validation as it dramatically overestimated the low flows of MRB and contains time lag in peak flows estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, with the rapid development of electron microscopy (EM) technology and the increasing demand of neuron circuit reconstruction, the scale of reconstruction data grows significantly. This brings many challenges, one of which is how to effectively manage large-scale data so that researchers can mine valuable information. For this purpose, we developed a data management module equipped with two parts, a storage and retrieval module on the server-side and an image cache module on the client-side. On the server-side, Hadoop and HBase are introduced to resolve massive data storage and retrieval. The pyramid model is adopted to store electron microscope images, which represent multiresolution data of the image. A block storage method is proposed to store volume segmentation results. We design a spatial location-based retrieval method for fast obtaining images and segments by layers rapidly, which achieves a constant time complexity. On the client-side, a three-level image cache module is designed to reduce latency when acquiring data. Through theoretical analysis and practical tests, our tool shows excellent real-time performance when handling large-scale data. Additionally, the server-side can be used as a backend of other similar software or a public database to manage shared datasets, showing strong scalability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence that microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a new endocrine disruptor, whereas the impacts of persistent exposure to MC-LR on the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis and health hazards thereafter have not been investigated. In this work, adult male zebrafish (Danio rerio) were immersed into MC-LR solutions at concentrations of 0, 1, 5 and 25 μg/L for 30 d, respectively. The results showed that persistent MC-LR exposure caused an extensive upregulation of HPI-axis genes but an inhibition of brain nuclear receptors (gr and mr), which finally increased serum cortisol levels. Furthermore, the decreased expression of hepatic gr might partly be responsible for the strong inhibition on the expression of downstream genes involved in glucose metabolic enzymes, including gluconeogenesis-related genes (pepck, fbp1a, g6pca), glycogenolysis-related gene (pyg), glycolysis-related genes (gk, pfk1b, pk) and glycogenesis-related gene (gys2). These findings are in accordance with the decline in serum glucose, indicating that long-term MC-LR exposure caused a lower production of glucose relative to glucose lysis. Our above results firstly establish the link between persistent MC-LR exposure and impaired glucose metabolism, suggesting that long-term MC-LR-mediated stress might threaten fish's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]