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The marine–continental transitional shale of the Upper Permian Longtan Formation in northern Guizhou is an important source rock in the upper Yangtze region of China, and it holds significant potential for the exploration of shale gas. To investigate the correlation between sedimentary conditions and the accumulation of organic matters in marine–continental transitional shale, this paper performed an extensive analysis using organic geochemical testing, organic petrology examination, a cross-section polisher–scanning electron microscope (CP-SEM), and geochemical analysis. The Jinsha and Dafang drilling cores were selected as the research subjects. The results showed that the TOC of the Longtan Formation in the study area was relatively high, and the TOC content of the tidal flat–lagoon environment (average of 8.37%) was significantly higher than that of the delta samples (average of 2.77%). The high content of Al2O3 (average of 17.41% in DC-1, average of 16.53% in JC-1) indicated strong terrigenous detrital input. The proxies indicated that the Longtan Formation shale in northern Guizhou was deposited in a climate that was both warm and humid, with oxic–dysoxic sedimentary water characterized by high biological productivity and a rapid sedimentation rate. The organic-rich shales during the marine and continental transitional phases were affected by various factors, including the paleo-climate, water redox properties, paleo-productivity, sedimentation rate, and other variables, which directly or indirectly impacted the availability, burial, and preservation of organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of the relationship between fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) levels, dietary quality and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in rural populations is limited. Here, we aimed to investigate the association between fecal SCFA levels and T2DM and the combined effects of dietar quality on T2DM in rural China. In total, 100 adults were included in the case–control study. Dietary quality was assessed by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), and SCFA levels were analysed using the GC-MS system. Generalised linear regression was conducted to calculate the OR and 95 % CI to evaluate the effect of SCFA level and dietary quality on the risk of T2DM. Finally, an interaction was used to study the combined effect of SCFA levels and AHEI-2010 scores on T2DM. T2DM participants had lower levels of acetic and butyric acid. Generalised linear regression analysis revealed that the OR (95 % CI) of the highest acetic and butyric acid levels were 0·099 (0·022, 0·441) and 0·210 (0·057, 0·774), respectively, compared with the subjects with the lowest tertile of level. We also observed a significantly lower risk of T2DM with acetic acid levels > 1330·106 μg/g or butyric acid levels > 585·031 μg/g. Moreover, the risks of higher acetic and butyric acid levels of T2DM were 0·007 (95 % CI: 0·001, 0·148), 0·005 (95 % CI: 0·001, 0·120) compared with participants with lower AHEI-2010 scores (all P < 0·05). Acetate and butyrate levels may be important modifiable beneficial factors affecting T2DM in rural China. Improving dietary quality for body metabolism balance should be encouraged to promote good health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of wild-type vesicular stomatitis virus strain (VSV-IN) on immunomodulation and tumour metastasis in mouse triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) 4T1 cell transplantation model mice. Methods: After VSV-IN infected 4T1 cells with MOI=1, MOI=10 and MOI=100 for 12, 24 and 48 h, 4T1 cell mortality was detected by CCK-8 method, migration ability by scratch healing assay, and the expressions of E-cadherin, MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA by qPCR. The fat pads of female BALB/c mice were inoculated with 0.1 mL of 4T1 cells with a cell density of 1x106 cells/mL to construct a 4T1 cell-loaded mouse model. When the tumour volume reached 200 mm³, the mice were injected intratumorally with PBS, taxol (TAX) (15 mg/kg), and VSV (1x106 pfu) once a week, respectively. After 4 administrations, mice were executed, stripped of intact grafted tumour tissues, and tumour volume and mass were measured. Histopathological sections of the lungs were stained with H-E, and tumour metastatic nodules of the lungs were observed. The proportion of T-cell subpopulations in the spleen was detected by flow cytometry. The levels of serum IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of migration-related proteins in mammary gland tumours were analysed by using the online analysis of GEPIA. The expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9 and E-cadherin in mouse tumours were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the affinity of G and M proteins of VSV-IN and ERK2 and E-cadherin was predicted by protein-protein docking technology. Results: The mortality rate of 4T1 cells after 48 hours of VSV treatment at MOI=10 and 100 were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.01). Compared with that of the control group, the cell migration rate of the VSV-IN group (MOI=10) was significantly lower (P<0.01), and the relative expression of MMP-9 mRNA was significantly lower (P<0.05). Compared with those in the mice of the control group, transplanted tumours in the mice of the VSV-IN group grew more slowly, and their endpoint volume was significantly reduced (P<0.05). The number of lung metastatic nodules in the mice of the VSV group was significantly less than that of the control group ([12.86±1.86] vs [24±3.67], P<0.01). The proportions of splenic CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells in the VSV group were significantly higher (both P<0.05). The serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly higher (both P< 0.01). GEPIA tool analysis revealed that the expression levels of E-cadherin and MMP-9 were higher in breast cancer tissues than in paracancerous tissues (P<0.05). The expression of MMP-9 in the tumour cells of the mice in the VSV-IN group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The binding free energies of G and M proteins of VSV-IN to ERK2 were -11.7 kcal/mol and -6.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Conclusion: Wild-type VSV-IN inhibits the growth and metastasis of transplanted tumours in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, which may be related to its promotion of anti-tumour immunity and modulation of the expression of migration-related proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop 960MPa grade high strength steel, the effects of cooling rate and austenite deformation on the hardness and the microstructure of high strength steel has been studied by Scanning Electron microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Gleeble-3500 thermal simulation testing machine and T2500 Vickers hardness tester. The results show that only when the cooling rate was higher than 10∘C/s and the final cooling temperature was lower than 250∘C, the microstructure mainly consists of martensite, and the strength of high strength steel could be above 960MPa; and austenite deformation could effectively refine the width of martensite lath, thus improving the strength and toughness.

Globalization has been the catalyst of world economic development in the past decades. However, the phenomenon has recently been severely challenged by a wave of deglobalization. Within this new trend, the conflict between the United States (US) and China has attracted the attention of scholars from various fields because of the two countries' significance in the world economy. In this study, we focus on the higher education sector, which is highly relevant to globalization, and explore the factors that may affect Chinese college students' attitudes towards US universities, including country image, cultural openness, consumer animosity and perceived quality. In particular, we distinguish between cognitive and affective animosity and test their different impacts on students' attitudes. The results show that students' perception of the US's image positively influences attitudes towards the country's universities thanks to the mediation of perceived quality. Moreover, cultural openness and cognitive animosity are positively related to attitudes, whereas affective animosity exerts a negative impact on attitudes. The implications and limitations of this study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The gut microbiota plays an active role in gut development and host growth in juvenile ruminants and contributes to their productive performance in adulthood. However, the gut microbiota composition and metabolic profile patterns of succession from birth to weaning of juvenile sika deer remain unclear. Feces are a highly efficient and convenient biological sample that can be used to reflect gut microbiology and metabolomics studies. Based on fecal samples, we demonstrated that the gut bacterial community and metabolic profile of juvenile sika deer were significantly altered at birth compared to the transition and rumination periods, suggesting functional changes in amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. Our results revealed the key role of the birth–transition period in the regulation of gut bacterial communities and metabolic functions during juvenile sika deer development. The gut microbiota establishment in young ruminants has a profound impact on their adult production performance. However, the critical phase for the succession of the gut microbial composition and metabolic profiles of juvenile sika deer still needs to be further investigated. Here, we analyzed the fecal microbiota and metabolites of juvenile sika deer during the birth (D1), transition (D42), and rumination (D70) periods based on 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography–time–of–flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOF–MS). The results showed that the fecal bacteria and metabolites composition were significantly different in D1 compared to D42 and D70, and the number of OTUs and the Shannon index were significantly higher in D70 than in D1 (p < 0.05). The relative abundances of Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Lachnoclostridium showed a significant increase in D1 compared to D42 and D70, whereas the relative abundances of Ruminococcaceae UCG-005, Ruminococcaceae UCG-010, Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Christensenellaceae R-7, and Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group were significantly decreased in D1 compared to D42 and D70 (p < 0.05). The amounts of serine, phenylalanine, aspartic acid, ornithine, citrulline, creatine, isoleucine, galactose, and ribose in the feces were significantly higher in D1 compared to D42 and D70. In contrast, the concentrations of cortexolone, resveratrol, piceatannol, fumaric acid, alpha-ketoglutarate, glycerol, uracil-5-carboxylic acid, and maleic acid were significantly decreased in D1. The enrichment analysis showed that amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism were significantly changed in D1 compared to D42 and D70. The glycine, serine and threonine metabolism; alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; arginine biosynthesis; glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism; citrate cycle; and pyruvate metabolism were significantly enriched across the three periods (p < 0.05). In conclusion, our results suggested that the birth–transition period is a critical phase for the gut bacterial community and metabolic function shift in juvenile sika deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the geographical distribution of dietary patterns and their association with T2DM among Chinese adults aged 45 years and above. Methods: Data was from the China Adults Chronic Diseases and Nutrition Surveillance (2015). Dietary intake for each participant was determined through a combination of 3-day 24-h dietary recall interviews and food frequency questionnaires. Principal component analysis was used to extract dietary patterns and spatial analysis was employed to investigate the geographic distribution of them. T2DM was diagnosed using criteria of ADA 2018, and binary logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and T2DM. Results: A total of 36,648 participants were included in the study; 10.9% of them were diagnosed as T2DM. Three dietary patterns were identified with the name of plant-based pattern, animal-based pattern, and oriental traditional pattern, which were represented located in northern, northwest, and southern regions, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the highest quartile of the plant-based pattern were associated with lower T2DM odds (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.90) when comparing with the lowest quartile. However, participants inclined to higher quartiles of animal-based pattern had a higher risk of T2DM (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.27) compared with those in the lower quartiles. No significant association was found between the oriental traditional pattern and T2DM (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.14). Conclusion: Dietary patterns of Chinese population revealed geographical disparities, with plant-based dietary pattern showing protective effects and animal-based pattern carrying high risks for T2DM. Regional dietary variations and food environment are paramount in T2DM prevention and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the evolution of the Internet and its platform, the architectural design industry has undergone a transformation from platform-based awareness to platform-based"budding", characterized by computational design and intelligent construction, showing a trend of establishing an Internet platform for the architectural design industry in the Metaverse, which is of positive significance for promoting the transformation and upgrade of the architectural design industry. This paper reviews the evolution of the Internet and its platforms over the last decade, and expounds the platform-based transformation under the influence of the Internet and its platforms. On this basis, four aspects, including design models, intelligent equipment, intelligent services, and system integration, of possible platform-based breakthroughs in the architectural design industry are analyzed in combination with Metaverse, and the envisaged development prospects of Internet platform for the architectural design industry is envisioned from the perspectives of function, effect and form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]