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Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a process that can produce electricity by utilizing the temperature difference between deep cold water and surface warm water. The cold-water pipe (CWP) is a key component of OTEC systems, which transports deep cold water to the floating platform. The CWP is subjected to various environmental and operational loads, such as waves, currents, internal flow, and platform motion, which can affect its dynamic response and stability. In this paper, we establish a computational model of the mechanical performance of the CWP based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the Morrison equation, considering the effects of internal flow, sea current, and wave excitation. We use the differential quadrature method (DQM) to obtain a semi-analytical solution of the lateral displacement and bending moment of the CWP. We verify the correctness and validity of our model by comparing it with the finite element simulation results using OrcaFlex software. We also analyze the effects of operating conditions—such as wave intensity, clump weight at the bottom, and internal flow velocity—on the dynamic response of the CWP using numerical simulation and the orthogonal experimental method. The results show that changing the wave strength and internal flow velocity has little effect on the lateral displacement of the CWP but increasing the current velocity can significantly increase the lateral displacement of the CWP, which can lead to instability. The effects of waves, clump weight, internal flow, and sea current on the maximum bending moment of the CWP are similar; all of them increase sharply at first and then decrease gradually until they level off. The differences in the effects are mainly reflected in the different locations of the pipe sections. This paper suggests some design guidance for CWP in terms of dynamic responses depending on the operating conditions. This paper contributes to the journal’s scope by providing a novel and efficient method for analyzing the mechanical performance of CWP for OTEC systems, which is an important ocean energy resource.

Chicken parvovirus (ChPV) infection can cause runting-stunting syndrome (RSS) in chickens. There is currently no commercially available vaccine for controlling ChPV, and ChPV infection in chickens is widespread globally. The rapid detection of ChPV is crucial for promptly capturing epidemiological data on ChPV. Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 1B12 and 2B2, against the ChPV NS1 protein were generated. A double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) was developed for detecting ChPV based on the mAb 1B12 and an anti-chicken polyclonal antibody against the ChPV NS1 protein. The detection limit for the ChPV recombinant pET32a-NS1 protein was approximately 31.2 ng/mL. A total of 192 throat and cloaca swab samples were analyzed for ChPV by the established DAS-ELISA and nested PCR methods. The concordance rate between the DAS-ELISA and the nested PCR method was 89.1%. The DAS-ELISA can detect the ChPV antigen without any cross-reaction with FAdV-4, FAdV-1, NDV, AIV, MS, CIAV, aMPV, EDSV, IBV, or AGV2. The method also has high repeatability, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 5%. These findings indicate that the DAS-ELISA exhibits high accuracy, good sensitivity, and specificity, making it suitable for viral detection, field surveillance, and epidemiological studies.

Interferon-inducible transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) is an antiviral factor that plays an important role in the host innate immune response against viruses. Previous studies have shown that IFITM3 is upregulated in various tissues and organs after avian reovirus (ARV) infection, which suggests that IFITM3 may be involved in the antiviral response after ARV infection. In this study, the chicken IFITM3 gene was cloned and analyzed bioinformatically. Then, the role of chicken IFITM3 in ARV infection was further explored. The results showed that the molecular weight of the chicken IFITM3 protein was approximately 13 kDa. This protein was found to be localized mainly in the cytoplasm, and its protein structure contained the CD225 domain. The homology analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the IFITM3 genes of different species exhibited great variation during genetic evolution, and chicken IFITM3 shared the highest homology with that of Anas platyrhynchos and displayed relatively low homology with those of birds such as Anser cygnoides and Serinus canaria. An analysis of the distribution of chicken IFITM3 in tissues and organs revealed that the IFITM3 gene was expressed at its highest level in the intestine and in large quantities in immune organs, such as the bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen. Further studies showed that the overexpression of IFITM3 in chicken embryo fibroblasts (DF-1) could inhibit the replication of ARV, whereas the inhibition of IFITM3 expression in DF-1 cells promoted ARV replication. In addition, chicken IFITM3 may exert negative feedback regulatory effects on the expression of TBK1, IFN-γ and IRF1 during ARV infection, and it is speculated that IFITM3 may participate in the innate immune response after ARV infection by negatively regulating the expression of TBK1, IFN-γ and IRF1. The results of this study further enrich the understanding of the role and function of chicken IFITM3 in ARV infection and provide a theoretical basis for an in-depth understanding of the antiviral mechanism of host resistance to ARV infection.

H5, H7 and H9 are the most important subtypes of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), and nine neuraminidase (NA) subtypes (N1–N9) of AIVs have been identified in poultry. A method that can simultaneously detect H5, H7, H9 and the nine NA subtypes of AIVs would save time and effort. In this study, 13 pairs of primers, including 12 pairs of subtype-specific primers for detecting particular subtypes (H5, H7, H9 and N1–N9) and one pair of universal primers for detecting all subtypes of AIVs, were designed and screened. The 13 pairs of primers were mixed in the same reaction, and the 13 target genes were simultaneously detected. A GeXP assay using all 13 pairs of primers to simultaneously detect H5, H7, H9 and the nine NA subtypes of AIVs was developed. The GeXP assay showed specific binding to the corresponding target genes for singlet and multiplex templates, and no cross-reactivity was observed between AIV subtypes and other related avian pathogens. Detection was observed even when only 102 copies of the 13 target genes were present. This study provides a high-throughput, rapid and labor-saving GeXP assay for the simultaneous rapid identification of three HA subtypes (H5, H7 and N9) and nine NA subtypes (N1–N9) of AIVs.

Avian reovirus (ARV) infection is prevalent in farmed poultry and causes viral arthritis and severe immunosuppression. The spleen plays a very important part in protecting hosts against infectious pathogens. In this research, transcriptome and translatome sequencing technology were combined to investigate the mechanisms of transcriptional and translational regulation in the spleen after ARV infection. On a genome-wide scale, ARV infection can significantly reduce the translation efficiency (TE) of splenic genes. Differentially expressed translational efficiency genes (DTEGs) were identified, including 15 upregulated DTEGs and 396 downregulated DTEGs. These DTEGs were mainly enriched in immune regulation signaling pathways, which indicates that ARV infection reduces the innate immune response in the spleen. In addition, combined analyses revealed that the innate immune response involves the effects of transcriptional and translational regulation. Moreover, we discovered the key gene IL4I1, the most significantly upregulated gene at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Further studies in DF1 cells showed that overexpression of IL4I1 could inhibit the replication of ARV, while inhibiting the expression of endogenous IL4I1 with siRNA promoted the replication of ARV. Overexpression of IL4I1 significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of IFN-β, LGP2, TBK1 and NF-κB; however, the expression of these genes was significantly upregulated after inhibition of IL4I1, suggesting that IL4I1 may be a negative feedback effect of innate immune signaling pathways. In addition, there may be an interaction between IL4I1 and ARV σA protein, and we speculate that the IL4I1 protein plays a regulatory role by interacting with the σA protein. This study not only provides a new perspective on the regulatory mechanisms of the innate immune response after ARV infection but also enriches the knowledge of the host defense mechanisms against ARV invasion and the outcome of ARV evasion of the host’s innate immune response.

Hydroxamic acid (HA) derivatives display antibacterial and antifungal activities. HA with various numbers of carbon atoms (C2, C6, C8, C10, C12 and C17), complexed with different metal ions, including Fe(II/III), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II), were evaluated for their antimycobacterial activities and their anti-biofilm activities. Some derivatives showed antimycobacterial activities, especially in biofilm growth conditions. For example, 20–100 µM of HA10Fe2, HA10FeCl, HA10Fe3, HA10Ni2 or HA10Cu2 inhibited Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis BCG and Mycobacterium marinum biofilm development. HA10Fe2, HA12Fe2 and HA12FeCl could even attack pre-formed Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms at higher concentrations (around 300 µM). The phthiocerol dimycocerosate (PDIM)-deficient Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra was more sensitive to the ion complexes of HA compared to other mycobacterial strains. Furthermore, HA10FeCl could increase the susceptibility of Mycobacterium bovis BCG to vancomycin. Proteomic profiles showed that the potential targets of HA10FeCl were mainly related to mycobacterial stress adaptation, involving cell wall lipid biosynthesis, drug resistance and tolerance and siderophore metabolism. This study provides new insights regarding the antimycobacterial activities of HA and their complexes, especially about their potential anti-biofilm activities.

Gemstones usually contain inclusions as the natural hallmark of their formation. Studies on inclusions may contribute to our understanding of the gem and better adapt to the gems and jewelry industry. In this study, we applied advanced 3D Raman mapping and high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) and conducted a thorough experiment on one emerald with a special trapiche pattern containing a colorless core, solid minerals, and fluids. Hematite and magnetite were identified as metallic minerals by the Raman spectrum. The hexagonal core is beryl, and the voids are primarily filled with CO2 and N2. HRXCT demonstrated a visualized distribution of these inclusions within the gem host by reconstructing a 3D illustration. Further calculation of the volume of inclusions regarding the host showed that the minerals take up 0.07%, void 0.03%, and the hexagonal core 8.25%. The combined application of Raman-Mapping and X-ray Micro Computed Tomography proved to be a very promising technique for tracing the gemstones by characterizing the unique inclusions (identification and morphology) within the gem host.

β-amylase (BAM) plays an important role in plant development and response to abiotic stresses. In this study, 5 DoBAM members were identified in yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.). A novel β-amylase gene BAM1, (named DoBAM1), was isolated from yam varieties Bikeqi and Dahechangyu. The open reading frame (ORF) of DoBAM1 is 2806 bp and encodes 543 amino acids. Subcellular localization analysis indicates that DoBAM1 localizes to the cell membrane and cytoplasm. In the yam variety Dahechangyu, the starch content, β-amylase activity, and expression of DoBAM1 were characterized and found to all be higher than in Bikeqi. DoBAM1 overexpression in tobacco is shown to promote the accumulation of soluble sugar and chlorophyll content and to increase the activities of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and β-amylase. Under cold treatment, we observed the induced upregulation of DoBAM1 and lower starch content and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation than in WT plants. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that DoBAM1 overexpression plays an advanced role in cold tolerance, at least in part by raising the levels of soluble sugars that are capable of acting as osmolytes or antioxidants.

Peroxidase-mediated chemokinetic therapy (CDT) can effectively resist bacteria; however, factors such as the high dosage of drugs seriously limit the antibacterial effect. Herein, CuFeS2 nanoparticles (NPs) nanozyme antibacterial system with the photothermal effect and peroxidase-like catalytic activity are proposed as a combined antibacterial agent with biosafety, high-efficiency, and broad-spectrum antibacterial ability. In addition, the as-obtained CuFeS2 NPs with a low doses of Cu+ and Fe3+ can change the permeability of bacterial cell membranes and break the antioxidant balance by consuming intracellular glutathione (GSH), which results in more conducive ROS production. Meanwhile, the photothermal heating can regulate the CuFeS2 NPs close to their optimal reaction temperature (60 °C) to release more hydroxyl radical in low concentrations of H2O2 (100 µM). The proposed CuFeS2 NPs-based antibacterial system achieve more than 99% inactivation efficiency of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (106 CFU mL−1 MRSA), hyperspectral bacteria β-Escherichia coli (106 CFU mL−1 ESBL) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (106 CFU mL−1 PA), even at low concentration (2 μg mL−1), which is superior to those of the conventional CuO NPs at 4 mg mL−1 reported in the literature. In vivo experiments further confirm that CuFeS2 NPs can effectively treat wounds infected by MRSA and promote the wound healing. This study demonstrates that excellent antibacterial ability and good biocompatibility make CuFeS2 NPs a potential anti-infection nanozyme with broad application prospects.

In this paper, we proposed a logistic regression model with lp,q regularization that could give a group sparse solution. The model could be applied to variable-selection problems with sparse group structures. In the context of big data, the solutions for practical problems are often group sparse, so it is necessary to study this kind of model. We defined the model from three perspectives: theoretical, algorithmic and numeric. From the theoretical perspective, by introducing the notion of the group restricted eigenvalue condition, we gave the oracle inequality, which was an important property for the variable-selection problems. The global recovery bound was also established for the logistic regression model with lp,q regularization. From the algorithmic perspective, we applied the well-known alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm to solve the model. The subproblems for the ADMM algorithm were solved effectively. From the numerical perspective, we performed experiments for simulated data and real data in the factor stock selection. We employed the ADMM algorithm that we presented in the paper to solve the model. The numerical results were also presented. We found that the model was effective in terms of variable selection and prediction.

Heterosis has been widely accepted as an effective strategy to increase yields in plant breeding. Notably, the chemical hybridization agent SQ-1 induces male sterility in wheat, representing a critical potential tool in hybrid seed production. However, the mechanisms underlying the male sterility induced by SQ-1 still remain poorly understood. In this study, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor gene, TaICK1, which encodes a 229 amino acid protein, was identified as a potential contributor to male sterility in common wheat. The expression of TaICK1 was upregulated during the development of anthers in Xinong1376 wheat treated with SQ-1. Meanwhile, the seed setting rate was found to be significantly decreased in TaICK1 transgenic rice. Furthermore, we identified two cyclin proteins, TaCYCD2;1 and TaCYCD6;1, as interactors through yeast two-hybrid screening using TaICK1 as the bait, which were validated using bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Subcellular localization revealed that the proteins encoded by TaICK1, TaCYCD2;1, and TaCYCD6;1 were localized in the cell nucleus. The expression levels of TaCYCD2;1 and TaCYCD6;1 were lower in Xinong1376 treated with SQ-1. A further analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of OsCYCD2;1 and OsCYCD6;1 were lower in transgenic TaICK1 rice lines as well. Taken together, these results suggest that the upregulation of TaICK1, induced by SQ-1, may subsequently suppress the expression of TaCYCD2;1 and TaCYCD6;1 in anthers, resulting in male sterility. This study provides new insights into the understanding of SQ-1-induced wheat male sterility, as well as the developmental mechanisms of anthers.

With the rapid development of the internet of things, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology plays an important role in various fields. However, RFID systems are vulnerable to cloning attacks. This is the fabrication of one or more replicas of a genuine tag, which behave exactly as a genuine tag and fool the reader to gain legal authorization, leading to potential financial loss or reputation damage. Many advanced solutions have been proposed to combat cloning attacks, but they require extra hardware resources, or they cannot detect a clone tag in time. In this article, we make a fresh attempt to counterattack tag cloning based on spatiotemporal collisions. We propose adaptable clone detection (ACD), which can intuitively and accurately display the positions of abnormal tags in real time. It uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) RFID devices without extra hardware resources. We evaluate its performance in practice, and the results confirm its success at detecting cloning attacks. The average accuracy can reach 98.7%, and the recall rate can reach 96%. Extensive experiments show that it can adapt to a variety of RFID application scenarios.

Minor physical damage can reduce the insulation performance of epoxy resin, which seriously threatens the reliability of electrical equipment. In this paper, the epoxy resin insulating composite was prepared by a microcapsule system to achieve its self-healing goal. The repair performance to physical damage was analyzed by the tests of scratch, cross-section damage, electric tree, and breakdown strength. The results show that compared with pure epoxy resin, the composite has the obvious self-healing performance. For mechanical damage, the maximum repair rate of physical structure is 100%, and the breakdown strength can be restored to 83% of the original state. For electrical damage, microcapsule can not only attract the electrical tree and inhibit its propagation process, but also repair the tubules of electrical tree effectively. Moreover, the repair rate is fast, which meets the application requirements of epoxy resin insulating material. In addition, the repair behavior is dominated by capillarity and molecular diffusion on the defect surface. Furthermore, the electrical properties of repaired part are greatly affected by the characteristics of damage interface and repair product. In a word, the composite shows better repair performance to physical damage, which is conducive to improving the reliability of electrical insulating materials.

Self-healing materials can promote the sustainable reuse of resources. Poly (urea-formaldehyde) (PUF) microcapsules can be incorporated into dielectric materials for self-healing. However, the mechanical properties of PUF microcapsules need to be improved due to insufficient hardness. In this paper, PUF models incorporated with nano-SiO2 of different filler concentrations (0, 2.6, 3.7, 5.3, 6.7, 7.9 wt.%) were designed. The density, the fractional free volume, and the mechanical properties of the PUF-SiO2 models were analyzed at an atomic level based on molecular dynamics simulation. The interfacial interaction model of PUF on the SiO2 surface was also constructed to further investigate the interaction mechanisms. The results showed that the incorporation of nano-SiO2 had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of PUF. Density increased, fractional free volume decreased, and mechanical properties of the PUF materials were gradually enhanced with the increase of nano-SiO2 concentration. This trend was also confirmed by experimental tests. By analyzing the internal mechanism of the PUF−SiO2 interfacial interaction, it was found that hydrogen bonds play a major role in the interaction between PUF and nano-SiO2. Moreover, hydrogen bonds can be formed between the polar atoms of the PUF chain and the hydroxyl groups (−OH) as well as O atoms on the surface of SiO2. Hydrogen bonds interactions are involved in adsorption of PUF chains on the SiO2 surface, reducing the distance between PUF chains and making the system denser, thus enhancing the mechanical properties of PUF materials.

Polyethylene cables, as important transmission equipment of modern power grid, would inevitably be slightly damaged, which seriously threatens the safety of the power supply. This paper has pioneered the preparation and typical performances of a self-healing polyethylene insulating composite. The self-healing performance to structural damage was verified by tests of electrical and mechanical damage. The effect mechanism of doping microcapsules on the electrical performance of polyethylene was emphatically analyzed. The results show that in appropriate conditions (such as 60 °C/30 min), the composite can not only repair the electrical tree and scratches, but also restore the insulation strength of damaged area. The effect of doping microcapsules on the electrical performances of polyethylene, such as breakdown strength, volumetric resistivity, dielectric properties, and space charge characteristics, are mainly related to impurity and the interface of microcapsule. Polarization and ionization of impurities can reduce the electrical performance of polyethylene. The interface not only improves the microstructure of polyethylene (such as how the heterogeneous nucleation effect increases the number of crystal regions, and the anchoring effect enhances the stability of amorphous regions), but also increases the charge traps. Moreover, the microstructure and charge trap can affect the characteristics of carrier transport, material polarization, and space charge accumulation, thus improving the electrical performance of polyethylene. In addition, the important electrical performance of the composite can meet the basic application requirements of polyethylene insulating material, which has good application prospects.

The baculovirus-insect cell expression system has been widely used for heterologous protein expression and virus-like particles (VLPs) expression. In this study, we established a new method for antiviral screening targeting to glycoprotein E of flaviviruses based on the baculovirus expression system. ZIKV is a mosquito-borne flavivirus and has posed great threat to the public health. It has been reported that ZIKV infection was associated with microcephaly and serious neurological complications. Our study showed that either ZIKV E or prME protein expressed in insect cells can form VLPs and induce membrane fusion between insect cells. Therefore, the E protein, which is responsible for receptor binding, attachment, and virus fusion during viral entry, achieved proper folding and retained its fusogenic ability in VLPs when expressed in this system. The syncytia in insect cells were significantly reduced by the anti-ZIKV-E specific polyclonal antibody in a dose-dependent manner. AMS, a thiol-conjugating reagent, was also shown to have an inhibitory effect on the E protein induced syncytia and inhibited ZIKV infection by blocking viral entry. Indeed the phenomenon of syncytial formation induced by E protein expressed VLPs in insect cells is common among flaviviruses, including Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2), and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). This inhibition effect on syncytial formation can be developed as a novel, safe, and simple antiviral screening approach for inhibitory antibodies, peptides, or small molecules targeting to E protein of ZIKV and other flaviviruses.

Paulownia witches’ broom (PaWB), caused by phytoplasma, is an important disease of Paulownia. To further identify the key miRNAs associated with the formation of PaWB symptoms, miRNA and degradome sequencing were performed to explore important miRNAs–target regulation in healthy and diseased Paulownia tomentosa, Paulownia fortunei, and P. tomentosa × P. fortunei seedlings, and the corresponding diseased seedlings treated with 75 mg L−1 dimethyl sulfate. A total of 212, 111, and 197 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were obtained in P. tomentosa, P. fortunei, and P. tomentosa × P. fortunei, respectively. Degradome sequencing detected 559, 251, and 568 target genes of the DEMs in P. tomentosa, P. fortunei, and P. tomentosa × P. fortunei, respectively. The expression patterns of selected miRNAs and the target genes were verified be qRT-PCR. Through analysis of the expression level of the DEMs in this study, combined with the results in our previous studies, as well as with those reported in other phytoplasma-infected plants, we concluded that miR156 is an important miRNA related to witches’ broom. According to the functions of the target genes of DEMs, we constructed a co-regulatory network of the DEMs-target genes interaction. These results will help to advance the understanding of the mechanism of PaWB.