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As the development of photovoltaic (PV) power generation continuously accelerated the total installed capacity of PV, the traditional static load model is difficult to meet the needs of the power grid with the increasing penetration of PV. And the dynamic model of grid-connected PV power generation is complicated and there are plenty parameters need to be identified, so the dynamic model of grid-connected PV power generation are extremely challenging to apply in wide-area power system. In this paper, a discrete-time equivalent model of PV (PDEM) is established based on the third-order dynamic differential equation of the PV power generation system and the parameters of the PDEM are identified using the least squares (LS) and the bat algorithm (BA). Besides, the dynamic characteristics of the PV power generation grid connected system with different permeability and the fitting residuals of the two methods is analyzed in the IEEE14-bus system incorporated into the PV system. The applicability of the PDEM is verified by setting short circuit grounding fault and changing the PV permeability and voltage dip. The simulation results demonstrate that the PDEM has a strong adaptability and good applicability in the case of high PV permeability with a wide application. And the applicability of the BA in identification of PDEM are given in this paper.

Abstract In twisted two-dimensional (2D) magnets, the stacking dependence of the magnetic exchange interaction can lead to regions of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interlayer order, separated by non-collinear, skyrmion-like spin textures. Recent experimental searches for these textures have focused on CrI3, known to exhibit either ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic interlayer order, depending on layer stacking. However, the very strong uniaxial anisotropy of CrI3 disfavors smooth non-collinear phases in twisted bilayers. Here, we report the experimental observation of three distinct magnetic phases—one ferromagnetic and two antiferromagnetic—in exfoliated CrBr3 multilayers, and reveal that the uniaxial anisotropy is significantly smaller than in CrI3. These results are obtained by magnetoconductance measurements on CrBr3 tunnel barriers and Raman spectroscopy, in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, which enable us to identify the stackings responsible for the different interlayer magnetic couplings. The detection of all locally stable magnetic states predicted to exist in CrBr3 and the excellent agreement found between theory and experiments, provide complete information on the stacking-dependent interlayer exchange energy and establish twisted bilayer CrBr3 as an ideal system to deterministically create non-collinear magnetic phases.

Molybdenum (Mo) is a rare and important element extensively utilised in aerospace, radar communications, optoelectronic devices, and the military. This study proposes an environmentally friendly physical method based on photon–phonon resonance absorption for the separation of Mo from sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4). We examined the vibrational spectrum of Na2MoO4 using the CASTEP code, employing first-principles density functional theory. Through dynamic process analysis, we analysed the vibrational modes and assigned peaks corresponding to experimental infrared (IR) and Raman data. We focused on the vibrational modes associated with Mo and identified that the highest-intensity IR-active peak at 858 cm−1 corresponded to Mo–O bond asymmetric stretching. Therefore, we propose the use of a high-power terahertz laser at ~25 THz to facilitate the separation of Mo from Na2MoO4. Experimental investigations are expected in the future.

An arrayed nanocavity-shaped architecture consisting of the key GdFe film and SiO2 dielectric layer is constructed, leading to an efficient infrared (IR) absorption metasurface. By carefully designing and optimizing the film system configuration and the surface layout with needed geometry, a desirable IR radiation absorption according to the spatial magnetic plasmon modes is realized experimentally. The simulations and measurements demonstrate that GdFe-based nanocavity-shaped metasurfaces can be used to achieve an average IR absorption of ~81% in a wide wavelength range of 3–14 μm. A type of the patterned GdFe-based nanocavity-shaped metasurface is further proposed for exciting relatively strong spatial electromagnetic wavefields confined by a patterned nanocavity array based on the joint action of the surface oscillated net charges over the charged metallic films and the surface conductive currents including equivalent eddy currents surrounding the layered GdFe and SiO2 materials. Intensive IR absorption can be attributed to a spatial electromagnetic wavefield excitation and resonant accumulation or memory residence according to the GdFe-based nanocavity-shaped array formed. Our research provides a potential clue for efficiently responding and manipulating and storing incident IR radiation mainly based on the excitation and resonant accumulation of spatial magnetic plasmons.

With the widespread integration of distributed resources, optimizing the operation of urban distribution networks faces challenges including uneven source-load-storage distribution, fluctuating feeder power flows, load imbalances, and network congestion. The urban snow-shaped distribution network (SDN), characterized by numerous intra-station and inter-station tie switches, serves as a robust framework to intelligently address these issues. This study focuses on enhancing the safe and efficient operation of SDNs through a two-phase optimal scheduling model that coordinates source-network-load-storage. In the day-ahead scheduling phase, an optimization model is formulated to minimize operational costs and mitigate load imbalances. This model integrates network reconfiguration, energy storage systems (ESSs), and flexible load (FL). During intra-day scheduling, a rolling optimization model based on model predictive control adjusts operations using the day-ahead plan to minimize the costs and penalties associated with power adjustments. It provides precise control over ESS and FL outputs, promptly correcting deviations caused by prediction errors. Finally, the proposed model is verified by an actual example of a snow-shaped distribution network in Tianjin. The results indicate significant improvements in leveraging coordinated interactions among source-network-load-storage, effectively reducing spatial-temporal load imbalances within feeder clusters and minimizing the impact of prediction inaccuracies.

Blind tees, as important junctions, are widely used in offshore oil and gas transportation systems to improve mixing flow conditions and measurement accuracies in curved pipes. Despite the significance of blind tees, their unsteady flow characteristics and mixing mechanisms in turbulent flow regimes are not clearly established. Therefore, in this study, Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations, coupled with Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Model (EARSM), are employed to explore the complex turbulent flow characteristics within blind-tee pipes. Firstly, the statistical flow features are investigated based on the time-averaged results, and the swirl dissipation analysis reveals an intense dissipative process occurring within blind tees, surpassing conventional elbows in swirling intensity. Then, the instantaneous flow characteristics are investigated through time and frequency domain analysis, uncovering the oscillatory patterns and elucidating the mechanisms behind unsteady secondary flow motions. In a 2D-length blind tee, a nondimensional dominant frequency of oscillation (Stbt = 0.0361) is identified, highlighting the significant correlation between dominant frequencies inside and downstream of the plugged section, which emphasizes the critical role of the plugged structure in these unsteady motions. Finally, a power spectra analysis is conducted to explore the influence of blind-tee structures, indicating that the blind-tee length of lbt = 2D enhances the flow-mixing conditions by amplifying the oscillation intensities of secondary flow motions.

Low-light imaging capabilities are in urgent demand in many fields, such as security surveillance, night-time autonomous driving, wilderness rescue, and environmental monitoring. The excellent performance of SPAD devices gives them significant potential for applications in low-light imaging. This article presents a 64 (rows) × 128 (columns) SPAD image sensor designed for low-light imaging. The chip utilizes a three-dimensional stacking architecture and microlens technology, combined with compact gated pixel circuits designed with thick-gate MOS transistors, which further enhance the SPAD’s photosensitivity. The configurable digital control circuit allows for the adjustment of exposure time, enabling the sensor to adapt to different lighting conditions. The chip exhibits very low dark noise levels, with an average DCR of 41.5 cps at 2.4 V excess bias voltage. Additionally, it employs a denoising algorithm specifically developed for the SPAD image sensor, achieving two-dimensional grayscale imaging under 6 × 10−4 lux illumination conditions, demonstrating excellent low-light imaging capabilities. The chip designed in this paper fully leverages the performance advantages of SPAD image sensors and holds promise for applications in various fields requiring low-light imaging capabilities.

With rapid urbanization, many cities have experienced significant changes in land use and land cover (LULC), triggered urban heat islands (UHI), and increased the health risks of citizens’ exposure to UHI. Some studies have recognized residents’ inequitable exposure to UHI intensity. However, few have discussed the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in environmental justice and countermeasures for mitigating the inequalities. This study proposed a novel framework that integrates the population-weighted exposure model for assessing adjusted thermal comfort exposure (TCEa) and the spatiotemporal weighted regression (STWR) model for analyzing countermeasures. This framework can facilitate capturing the spatiotemporal heterogeneities in the response of TCEa to three specified land-surface and built-environment parameters (i.e., enhanced vegetation index (EVI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI), and modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI)). Using this framework, we conducted an empirical study in the urban area of Fuzhou, China. Results showed that high TCEa was mainly concentrated in locations with dense populations and industrial regions. Although the TCEa’s responses to various land-surface and built-environment parameters differed at locations over time, the TCEa illustrated overall negative correlations with EVI and MNDWI while positive correlations with NDBI. Many exciting spatial details can be detected from the generated coefficient surfaces: (1) The influences of NDBI on TCEa may be magnified, especially in rapidly urbanizing areas. Still, they diminish to some extent, which may be related to the reduction in building construction activities caused by the COVID-19 epidemic and the gradual improvement of urbanization. (2) The influences of EVI on TCEa decline, which may be correlated with the population increase. (3) Compared with NDBI, the MNDWI had more continuous and stable significant cooling effects on TCEa. Several mitigation strategies based on the spatiotemporal heterogeneous relationships also emanated. The effectiveness of the presented framework was verified. It can help analysts effectively evaluate local thermal comfort exposure inequality and prompt timely mitigation efforts.

Lhx3 is a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor that affects body size in mammals by regulating the secretion of pituitary hormones. Akita, Shiba Inu, and Mame Shiba Inu dogs are Japanese native dog breeds that have different body sizes. To determine whether Lhx3 plays a role in the differing body sizes of these three dog breeds, we sequenced the Lhx3 gene in the three breeds, which led to the identification of an SNP in codon 280 (S280N) associated with body size. The allele frequency at this SNP differed significantly between the large Akita and the two kinds of smaller Shiba dogs. To validate the function of this SNP on body size, we introduced this change into the Lhx3 gene of mice. Homozygous mutant mice (S279N+/+) were found to have significantly increased body lengths and weights compared to heterozygous mutant (S279N+/−) and wild-type (S279N−/−) mice several weeks after weaning. These results demonstrate that a nonsynonymous substitution in Lhx3 plays an important role in regulating body size in mammals.

In recent years, the efficient removal of organic pollutants from wastewater has emerged as a critical area of global research interest. Against this backdrop, an array of innovative technologies for wastewater treatment has been developed. Among numerous advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), periodate (PI), an emerging oxidizing agent in AOPs, has garnered significant attention from researchers. Particularly, the integration of ultrasound (US)-activated PI systems has been recognized as an exceptionally promising approach for the synergistic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. In this paper, we conducted a thorough analysis of the mechanisms underlying the degradation of organic pollutants using the US/PI system. Furthermore, we comprehensively delineated the effects of ultrasonic power, periodate concentration, temperature, pH, coexisting inorganic ions, and dissolved organic matter on the removal efficiency of organic pollutants and summarized application cases of the US/PI system for the degradation of different pollutants. Finally, we also offered prospective discussions on the future trajectories of US/PI technology development.

The vertical transition zone of mountain vegetation is characterized by high species diversity, and the width of the transition zone may serve as an indirect indicator of climate change. However, research into the differential characteristics of vegetation response to climate changes at the boundary of vertical transition zones has been limited. This study employs MODIS and climate data spanning 2001 to 2018 to investigate spatiotemporal trends in precipitation (PRE), temperature (TMP), radiation (RAD), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) across nine montane deciduous broad-leaved forests in the eastern monsoon region of China. It explores the time-lag and -accumulation effects of climatic variables on NDVI, quantifying their relative contributions to both its short-term and interannual variations. Results show that, notably, with the Qinling-Daba Mountains as a demarcation, northern regions exhibit significant increases in RAD (0.874–2.047 W m−2/a), whereas southern regions demonstrate notable rises in TMP (0.59–0.73 °C/10a). Areas of lower annual PRE correspond to the most rapid increases in annual average NDVI (5.045 × 10−3/a). NDVI’s lag time and cumulative duration responses to TMP are the shortest (0 and 2~4 periods), while its correlation with RAD is the strongest (0.815–0.975), generally decreasing from higher to lower latitudes. TMP significantly affects NDVI variations, impacting both short-term and interannual trends, with PRE driving short-term fluctuations and RAD dictating long-term shifts. This research provides critical data and a theoretical framework that enhances our understanding of how regional vegetation’s vertical zonation responds to climate change, thereby making a substantial contribution to the study of mountain vegetation’s diverse adaptability to climatic variations.

With climate change and urbanization expansion, wetlands, which are some of the largest carbon stocks in the world, are facing threats such as shrinking areas and declining carbon sequestration capacities. Wetland carbon stocks are at risk of being transformed into carbon sources, especially those of wetlands with strong land use–natural resource conservation conflict. Moreover, there is a lack of well-established indicators for evaluating the health of wetland carbon stocks. To address this issue, we proposed a novel framework for the safety assessment of wetland carbon stocks using the Super Slack-Based Measure (Super-SBM), and we then conducted an empirical study on the Quanzhou Bay Estuary Wetland (QBEW). This framework integrates the unexpected output indicator (i.e., carbon emissions), the expected output indicators, including the GDP per capita and carbon stock estimates calculated via machine learning (ML)-based remote sensing inversion, and the input indicators, such as environmental governance investigations, climate conditions, socio-economic activities, and resource utilization. The results show that the annual average safety assessment for carbon pools in the QBEW was a meager 0.29 in 2015, signaling a very poor state, likely due to inadequate inputs or excessive unexpected outputs. However, there has been a substantial improvement since then, as evidenced by the fact that all the safety assessments have exceeded the threshold of 1 from 2018 onwards, reflecting a transition to a “weakly effective” status within a safe and acceptable range. Moreover, our investigation employing the Super-SBM model to calculate the “slack variables” yielded valuable insights into optimization strategies. This research advances the field by establishing a safety measurement framework for wetland carbon pools that leverages efficiency assessment methods, thereby offering a quantitative safeguard mechanism that supports the achievement of the “3060” dual-carbon target.

Fish fry counting has been vital in fish farming, but current computer-based methods are not feasible enough to accurately and efficiently calculate large number of fry in a single count due to severe occlusion, dense distribution and the small size of fish fry. To address this problem, we propose the deconvolution enhancement keypoint network (DEKNet), a method for fish fry counting that features a single-keypoint approach. This novel approach models the fish fry as a point located in the central part of the fish head, laying the foundation for our innovative counting strategy. To be specific, first, a fish fry feature extractor (FFE) characterized by parallel dual branches is designed for high-resolution representation. Next, two identical deconvolution modules (TDMs) are added to the generation head for a high-quality and high-resolution keypoint heatmap with the same resolution size as the input image, thus facilitating the precise counting of fish fry. Then, the local peak value of the heatmap is obtained as the keypoint of the fish fry, so the number of these keypoints with coordinate information equals the number of fry, and the coordinates of the keypoint can be used to locate the fry. Finally, FishFry-2023, a large-scale fish fry dataset, is constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of the method proposed by us. Experimental results show that an accuracy rate of 98.59% was accomplished in fish fry counting. Furthermore, DEKNet achieved a high degree of accuracy on the Penaeus dataset (98.51%) and an MAE of 13.32 on a public dataset known as Adipocyte Cells. The research outcomes reveal that DEKNet has superior comprehensive performance in counting accuracy, the number of parameters and computational effort.

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs), a superfamily of enzymes that hydrolyze cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), are recognized as a therapeutic target for various diseases. However, the current screening methods for PDE inhibitors usually experience problems due to complex operations and/or high costs, which are not conducive to drug development in respect of this target. In this study, a new method for screening PDE inhibitors based on GloSensor technology was successfully established and applied, resulting in the discovery of several novel compounds of different structural types with PDE inhibitory activity. Compared with traditional screening methods, this method is low-cost, capable of dynamically detecting changes in substrate concentration in live cells, and can be used to preliminarily determine the type of PDEs affected by the detected active compounds, making it more suitable for high-throughput screening for PDE inhibitors.

Ciliates of the order Pleurostomatida play essential functions in microbial food webs from a variety of habitats and have been thought to possess a high level of diversity. Due to undersampling and often absent molecular data, the actual diversity and phylogenetic relationships within this group remain unclarified. To help address this deficiency, a survey of freshwater pleurostomatid ciliates was undertaken in Lake Weishan Wetland, northern China. Here, two new Amphileptus species, Amphileptus sinicus sp. nov. and Amphileptus piscinarius sp. nov., were investigated using modern morphological and molecular techniques. Amphileptus sinicus sp. nov. is characterized by possessing a comparatively large cell size of 330–490 μm, contractile vacuoles on both ventral and dorsal margins, and 8–10 left and 42–61 right kineties. Amphileptus piscinarius sp. nov. is characterized by possessing a cell size of 140–210 μm, a large distinctly developed apical extrusome group, 3–4 contractile vacuoles on the ventral margin, and 6–8 left and 24–28 right kineties. Phylogenetic results based on the 18S rRNA gene data of these two species group them with other congeners, with these data suggesting the genus Amphileptus is paraphyletic.

Objective The leakage of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) with a density greater than that of water into the underground environment becomes a long-term pollution source. Previous researchers have studied the effects of flushing fluid flow rate, cosolvent concentration, and media properties on DNAPL removal efficiency through methods such as column experiments, sandboxes, and numerical simulations. Methods However, the effect of pore-scale flow rate on the dissolution rate of residual DNAPL in the pores remains unclear. In this study, ethanol flushing solution was injected into a micropore model to simulate the removal process of residual PCE from pores. Microscale particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to obtain the distribution of the water phase velocity field in the pore channel, and the factors affecting the dissolution and removal rate of residual PCE in different pore structures were analysed. Results The experimental results indicate that the dissolution rate (R) of residual PCE in unconnected pores is influenced by several factors, including the water phase flow rate, the cross-sectional flux (q) within the pore, the angle (α) between the direction of pore opening and the direction of water phase flow, and the flux gradient (I). Based on fitting the experimental data, the quantitative relationship between dissolution rate and influencing factors is obtained as follows: R=3 876.79q(-0.016a+2.28/I)2. A larger value of q corresponds to a higher renewal rate of the water phase in pore channels near unconnected pores, leading to an increased dissolution rate of residual PCE. When α is larger (α>90°), more flushing fluid enters the unconnected pores, further enhancing the dissolution rate of residual PCE. On the other hand, a larger value of I leads to a faster attenuation of the vertical component of the water phase flux entering the unconnected pores. This results in lower flow velocities near the interface, causing a decrease in the dissolution rate of residual PCE. Conclusion Based on micropore PIV technology, multiple factors, such as pore flow rate and medium pore structure, have been quantitatively revealed to jointly affect the dissolution rate of DNAPL in pores. This finding offers a novel approach to enhance our the understanding of the dissolution mechanism of residual DNAPL in pores and to quantitatively assess the removal efficiency of residual DNAPL under real-site conditions.

Ultrasonic combined with enzymatic pretreatment-assisted three-phase partitioning (UCWEPATPP) was utilized to simultaneously extract the β-glucan, protein and oil from highland barley (Hordeum vulgare L.var.nudum Hook.f.). Based on the single-factor experiments, the extraction process conditions of UCWEPATPP were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) with the extraction rate of highland barley β-glucan as the index. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the change of surface structure during the extraction of highland barley, and the extraction mechanism of UCWEPATPP was preliminarily analyzed. Finally, the molecular weight range of the obtained highland barley β-glucan was determined using a high performance gel size exclusion chromatography. The results showed that the optimal UCWEPATPP process conditions were as follows: Enzyme addition was 1.0%, ultrasonic time was 9 min, ultrasonic power was 140 W, ammonium sulfate addition was 0.5 g/mL, three-phase extraction temperature was 35 ℃, three-phase extraction time was 1.5 h, the liquid ratio was 1:14 g/mL, the volume ratio of tert-butanol to aqueous phase was 1.3:1, the enzymatic hydrolysis time was 2.0 h. Under the optimal conditions, the extraction rate of highland barley β-glucan was 66.96%±0.05%, the extraction rate of highland barley oil was 81.42%±0.15%, and the extraction rate of highland barley protein was 50.31%±0.23%. Scanning electron microscope results showed that UCWEPATPP made the surface tissue structure of highland barley become transparent and porous. UCWEPATPP not only could extract highland barley β-glucan, protein and oil at the same time, but also could reduce the production cost and improve the utilization of highland barley resources. The actual value of the extraction process and the predicted value had a high degree of fit, which was used to predict the extraction of highland barley β-glucan. In addition, the obtained highland barley β-glucan had a relatively concentrated molecular weight distribution (1.7×105~3.0×105 Da).

Abstract ALES is a rare subtype that demonstrates the EWSR1-FLI1 translocation characteristic of ES and demonstrates complex epithelial differentiation including diffuse cytokeratin and p40 expression. It has predominantly recognized in the head and neck and is common in middle-aged population. This case is the first case of ALES reported in the pancreatic tail, sharing some morphological characteristics with ALES in the head and neck, including monotonous cytology, infiltrative growth pattern, and complex epithelioid differentiation, but ALES in the head and neck often has high-grade histological features (e.g., necrosis, high mitotic rate, etc.), and sudden keratinization can also occur, but these features were not reflected in this primary pancreatic tail ALES. Although ALES arising in the pancreatic tail and in the head and neck sites share the immunohistochemical and molecular profile, our case can provide new ideas in differential diagnosis of ALES arising in pancreatic tail and promote increased recognition and understanding of ALES.

Abstract Knowledge graphs (KGs) are of great importance to many artificial intelligence applications, but they usually suffer from the incomplete problem. Knowledge graph embedding (KGE), which aims to represent entities and relations in low-dimensional continuous vector spaces, has been proved to be a promising approach for KG completion. Traditional KGE methods only concentrate on structured triples, while paying less attention to the type information of entities. In fact, incorporating entity types into embedding learning could further improve the performance of KG completion. To this end, we propose a universal Type-augmented Knowledge graph Embedding framework (TaKE) which could utilize type features to enhance any traditional KGE models. TaKE automatically captures type features under no explicit type information supervision. And by learning different type representations of each entity, TaKE could distinguish the diversity of types specific to distinct relations. We also design a new type-constrained negative sampling strategy to construct more effective negative samples for the training process. Extensive experiments on four datasets from three real-world KGs (Freebase, WordNet and YAGO) demonstrate the merits of our proposed framework. In particular, combining TaKE with the recent tensor factorization KGE model SimplE can achieve state-of-the-art performance on the KG completion task.

Abstract Background Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still rage worldwide, there are still very limited treatments for human coronaviruses (HCoVs) infections. Xiaochahu decoction (XCHD), which is one of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions in Qingfeipaidu decoction (QFPDD), is widely used for COVID-19 treatment in China and able to relieve the symptoms of fever, fatigue, anorexia, and sore throat. To explore the role and mechanisms of XCHD against HCoVs, we presented an integrated systems pharmacology framework in this study. Methods We constructed a global herb-compound-target (H-C-T) network of XCHD against HCoVs. Multi-level systems pharmacology analyses were conducted to highlight the key XCHD-regulated proteins, and reveal multiple HCoVs relevant biological functions affected by XCHD. We further utilized network-based prediction, drug-likeness analysis, combining with literature investigations to uncover the key ani-HCoV constituents in XCHD, whose effects on anit-HCoV-229E virus were validated using cytopathic effect (CPE) assay. Finally, we proposed potential molecular mechanisms of these compounds against HCoVs via subnetwork analysis. Results Based on the systems pharmacology framework, we identified 161 XCHD-derived compounds interacting with 37 HCoV-associated proteins. An integrated pathway analysis revealed that the mechanism of XCHD against HCoVs is related to TLR signaling pathway, RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway, cytoplasmic DNA sensing pathway, and IL-6/STAT3 pro-inflammatory signaling pathway. Five compounds from XCHD, including betulinic acid, chrysin, isoliquiritigenin, schisandrin B, and (20R)-Ginsenoside Rh1 exerted inhibitory activity against HCoV-229E virus in Huh7 cells using in vitro CPE assay. Conclusion Our work presented a comprehensive systems pharmacology approach to identify the effective molecules and explore the molecular mechanism of XCHD against HCoVs.

Abstract Background Red flesh is a desired fruit trait, but the regulation of red flesh formation in grape is not well understood. ‘Mio Red’ is a seedless table grape variety with light-red flesh and blue-purple skin. The skin color develops at veraison whereas the flesh color develops at a later stage of berry development. The flesh and skin flavonoid metabolomes and transcriptomes were analyzed. Results A total of 161 flavonoids were identified, including 16 anthocyanins. A total of 66 flavonoids were found at significantly different levels in the flesh and skin (fold change ≥ 2 or ≤ 0.5, variable importance in projection (VIP) ≥ 1). The main anthocyanins in the flesh were pelargonidin and peonidin, and in the skin were peonidin, delphinidin, and petunidin. Transcriptome comparison revealed 57 differentially expressed structural genes of the flavonoid-metabolism pathway (log2fold change ≥ 1, FDR

Abstract Enrichment of Veillonella parvula in the lung microbiota is strongly associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and induces the progression of lung adenocarcinoma in vivo, but its actual role and mechanism remain unexplored. This study analyzed the correlation between NSCLC and V. parvula abundance based on 16 s rRNA sequencing results. The effects of V. parvula on the progression of lung adenocarcinoma were observed in vivo and in vitro using a C57 bl/6j mouse tumor-bearing model, a bacterial cell co-culture model, combined with transcriptome sequencing, and a TCGA database to explore and validate the growth promotion of lung adenocarcinoma by V. parvula and its molecular mechanism. 16 s rRNA sequencing revealed that V. parvula was significantly enriched in lung adenocarcinoma. In vivo, V. parvula promoted the growth of lung adenocarcinoma in mice by suppressing the infiltration of tumor-associated T lymphocytes and peripheral T lymphocytes. It showed a higher affinity for lung adenocarcinoma in vitro and promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation through adhesion or intracellular invasion. Further analysis of differential gene expression and KEGG enrichment by transcriptome sequencing revealed that V. parvula induced CCN4 expression and activated NOD-like receptor and NF-κB signaling pathway in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Further analysis clarified that V. parvula promoted activation of the NF-κB pathway via Nod2/CCN4 signaling, which promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation. Thus, V. parvula mediates activation of the Nod2/CCN4/NF-κB signaling pathway to promote non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma progression, thereby providing a potential target for diagnosing and treating lung adenocarcinoma. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background To investigate the effect of intraoperative goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) combined with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program on postoperative complications in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary resection. Methods Patients, more than 60 years old, undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary resection for non-small cell lung cancer were randomly divided into GDFT group and restrictive fluid therapy (RFT) group. ERAS program was implemented in all patients. In GDFT group, the intraoperative fluid management was guided by stroke volume variation (SVV), cardiac index (CI), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and maintained the SVV 2.5 L/min/m2, and MAP > 65 mmHg. In RFT group, fluid maintenance with 2 ml/kg/h of balanced crystalloid solution, norepinephrine was used to maintain MAP > 65 mmHg. The incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) and pulmonary and cardiac complications was compared. Results Two-hundred seventy-six patients were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups (138 in each group). Compared to RFT group, the total intraoperative infusion volume, colloids infusion volume, and urine output were more; the dosage of norepinephrine was lower in GDFT group. Although there were no significant differences of postoperative AKI (GDFT vs RFT; 4.3% vs 8%; P = 0.317) and composite postoperative complications (GDFT vs RFT; 66 vs 70) between groups, but the postoperative increase degree of serum creatinine was lower in GDFT group than that in RFT group (GDFT vs RFT; 91.9 ± 25.2 μmol/L vs 97.1 ± 17.6 μmol/L; P = 0.048). Conclusions Under ERAS program, there was no significant difference of AKI incidence between GDFT and RFT in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary resection. But postoperative increase degree of serum creatinine was lower in GDFT group. Trial registration Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04302467 on 26 February 2020.

Abstract The soil microbiota is critical to plant performance. Improving the ability of plant-associated soil probiotics is thus essential for establishing dependable and sustainable crop yields. Although fertilizer applications may provide an effective way of steering soil microbes, it is still unknown how the positive effects of soil-borne probiotics can be maximized and how their effects are mediated. This work aims to seek the ecological mechanisms involved in cabbage growth using bio-organic fertilizers. We conducted a long-term field experiment in which we amended soil with non-sterilized organic or sterilized organic fertilizer either containing Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU4742 or lacking this inoculum and tracked cabbage plant growth and the soil fungal community. Trichoderma-amended bio-organic fertilizers significantly increased cabbage plant biomass and this effect was attributed to changes in the resident fungal community composition, including an increase in the relative abundance and number of indigenous soil growth-promoting fungal taxa. We specifically highlight the fundamental role of the biodiversity and population density of these plant-beneficial fungal taxa in improving plant growth. Together, our results suggest that the beneficial effects of bio-organic fertilizer seem to be a combination of the biological inoculum within the organic amendment as well as the indirect promotion through effects on the diversity and composition of the soil resident plant-beneficial fungal microbiome.

Abstract Endothelial cells (ECs) angiogenesis is the process of sprouting new vessels from the existing ones, playing critical roles in physiological and pathological processes such as wound healing, placentation, ischemia/reperfusion, cardiovascular diseases and cancer metastasis. Although mitochondria are not the major sites of energy source in ECs, they function as important biosynthetic and signaling hubs to regulate ECs metabolism and adaptations to local environment, thus affecting ECs migration, proliferation and angiogenic process. The understanding of the importance and potential mechanisms of mitochondria in regulating ECs metabolism, function and the process of angiogenesis has developed in the past decades. Thus, in this review, we discuss the current understanding of mitochondrial proteins and signaling molecules in ECs metabolism, function and angiogeneic signaling, to provide new and therapeutic targets for treatment of diverse cardiovascular and angiogenesis-dependent diseases.

Abstract Floating piles have been widely employed as foundations in coastal regions abounding with marine clay. A growing concern for these floating piles is their long-term performance of bearing capacity. To better understand the time-dependent mechanisms behind the bearing capacity, in this paper a series of shear creep tests was conducted to study the effects of load paths/steps and roughness on shear strain of the marine clay-concrete interface. Four main empirical features were observed from the experimental results. First, the creep process of the marine clay-concrete interface can be largely decomposed into the instantaneous creep stage, the attenuation creep stage and the uniform creep stage. Second, the creep stability time and the shear creep displacement generally increase as the shear stress level increases. Third, the shear displacement rises as the number of loading steps drops under the same shear stress. The fourth feature is that under the shear stress condition, the rougher the interface is, the smaller the shear displacement is. Besides, the load-unloading shear creep tests suggest that: (a) shear creep displacement typically contains both viscoelastic and viscoplastic deformation; and (b) the proportion of unrecoverable plastic deformation increases with increasing shear stress. These tests confirm that the Nishihara model can provide a well-defined description of the shear creep behavior of marine clay-concrete interfaces.

China’s mountainous village relocation planning faces the problems of extensive survey ranges and high travel costs, and current planning still depends on traditional field visits and census data survey method. To improve efficiency and control costs, digital survey methods are proposed to support efficient data collection and produce data with accurate spatial reference . This research discusses a specific survey method for relocation planning using virtual imaging space modeling based on 3D GIS combined with neural network algorithm. A digital village model of a pilot village is established by oblique photography and WEBGIS technology, while the improved Mask R-CNN algorithm is adopted to identify and classify different buildings in the village. A relocation plan including the number of buildings in each class and the reclamation area is provided and the cost and value of the plan is fully evaluated. The results demonstrate that compared with the traditional survey method, the proposed method of digital survey can better address the issue of remote mountain areas, including provide more accurate, complete and sustainable information, make the surveying and planning more convenient, efficient and smart and improve the objectivity of village relocation planning.

Abstract Inducing and controlling spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in graphene is key to create topological states of matter, and for the realization of spintronic devices. Placing graphene onto a transition metal dichalcogenide is currently the most successful strategy to achieve this goal, but there is no consensus as to the nature and the magnitude of the induced SOC. Here, we show that the presence of backscattering in graphene-on-WSe2 heterostructures can be used to probe SOC and to determine its strength quantitatively, by imaging quasiparticle interference with a scanning tunneling microscope. A detailed theoretical analysis of the Fourier transform of quasiparticle interference images reveals that the induced SOC consists of a valley-Zeeman (λ vZ ≈ 2 meV) and a Rashba (λ R ≈ 15 meV) term, one order of magnitude larger than what theory predicts, but in excellent agreement with earlier transport experiments. The validity of our analysis is confirmed by measurements on a 30 degree twist angle heterostructure that exhibits no backscattering, as expected from symmetry considerations. Our results demonstrate a viable strategy to determine SOC quantitatively by imaging quasiparticle interference.

Abstract Background Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) patients present with a chronic inflammatory state. Cell-free mitochondria DNA (cf-mtDNA) has been explored as a reliable biomarker for estimating the inflammation-related disorders, however, the cf-mtDNA levels in POI patients have never been measured. Therefore, in the presenting study, we aimed to evaluate the levels of cf-mtDNA in plasma and follicular fluid (FF) of POI patients and to determine a potential role of cf-mtDNA in predicting the disease progress and pregnancy outcomes. Methods We collected plasma and FF samples from POI patients, biochemical POI (bPOI) patients and control women. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the ratio of mitochondrial genome to nuclear genome of cf-DNAs extracted from the plasma and FF samples. Results The plasma cf-mtDNA levels, including COX3, CYB, ND1 and mtDNA79, were significantly higher in overt POI patients than those in bPOI patients or control women. The plasma cf-mtDNA levels were weakly correlated with ovarian reserve, and could not be improved by regular hormone replacement therapy. The levels of cf-mtDNA in FF, rather than those in plasma, exhibited the potential to predict the pregnancy outcomes, although they were comparable among overt POI, bPOI and control groups. Conclusions The increased plasma cf-mtDNA levels in overt POI patients indicated its role in the progress of POI and the FF cf-mtDNA content may hold the value in predicting pregnancy outcomes of POI patients.

Traditional cement concrete has the disadvantages of low tensile strength, poor toughness, and rapid development of cracks while cracking, which causes a significantly negative influence on the safety and durability of concrete road pavement. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of toughness improvement mechanisms and evaluation methods of cement concrete for road pavement. The review indicates that (i) The performance of concrete material depends on its material composition and internal structure. Aggregate size, cement properties and admixtures are the main factors of concrete toughness. (ii) The incorporation of rubber or fiber in pavement concrete improves the toughness of concrete materials. However, these additions must be maintained within a reasonable range. The amount of rubber and fiber are encouraged not more than 30% of the volume of fine aggregate and 2% of the volume of concrete, respectively. (iii) The toughness of pavement concrete material includes the toughness regarding bending, impact and fracture. The toughness of cement concrete for highway and municipal pavement is generally evaluated by bending and fracture toughness, while the toughness of airfield pavement concrete is more focused on impact toughness. (iv) The toughening measures of cement concrete for road pavement are mainly mixed with rubber or fiber, while these two materials have their defects, and the application of high-toughness cement concrete in the actual road still faces many challenges. For example, the synergistic effect of rubber and fiber, the development and application of new flexible admixtures, and the formulation of the toughness index of pavement cement concrete materials need further research.

A positively charged nanofiltration (NF) membrane is known to have exceptional separation performance for bivalent cations in aqueous solutions. In this study, a new NF activity layer was created using interfacial polymerization (IP) on a polysulfone (PSF) ultrafiltration substrate membrane. The aqueous phase combines the two monomers of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and phthalimide, while successfully producing a highly efficient and accurate NF membrane. The conditions of the NF membrane were studied and further optimized. The aqueous phase crosslinking process enhances the polymer interaction, resulting in an excellent pure water flux of 7.09 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 under a pressure of 0.4 MPa. Additionally, the NF membrane shows excellent selectivity toward inorganic salts, with a rejection order of MgCl2 > CaCl2 > MgSO4 > Na2SO4 > NaCl. Under optimal conditions, the membrane was able to reject up to 94.33% of 1,000 mg/L of MgCl2 solution at an ambient temperature. Further to assess the antifouling properties of the membrane with bovine serum albumin (BSA), the flux recovery ratio (FRR) was calculated to be 81.64% after 6 h of filtration. This paper presents an efficient and straightforward approach to customize a positively charged NF membrane. We achieve this by introducing phthalimide, which enhances the membrane's stability and rejection performance. HIGHLIGHTS A new positive-charge NF membrane was created for the separation of bivalent cations.; The composite NF membrane demonstrated excellent selectivity and permeability.; The composite NF membrane exhibited steady antifouling properties.;

Abstract Inflammation plays a major role in the development and progression of breast cancer(BC). Proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis are all linked to inflammation and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, tumor microenvironment (TME) inflammation-mediated cytokine releases play a critical role in these processes. By recruiting caspase-1 through an adaptor apoptosis-related spot protein, inflammatory caspases are activated by the triggering of pattern recognition receptors on the surface of immune cells. Toll-like receptors, NOD-like receptors, and melanoma-like receptors are not triggered. It activates the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 and is involved in different biological processes that exert their effects. The Nod-Like Receptor Protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome regulates inflammation by mediating the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and interacting with other cellular compartments through the inflammasome's central role in innate immunity. NLRP3 inflammasome activation mechanisms have received much attention in recent years. Inflammatory diseases including enteritis, tumors, gout, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and obesity are associated with abnormal activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Different cancer diseases have been linked to NLRP3 and its role in tumorigenesis may be the opposite. Tumors can be suppressed by it, as has been seen primarily in the context of colorectal cancer associated with colitis. However, cancers such as gastric and skin can also be promoted by it. The inflammasome NLRP3 is associated with breast cancer, but there are few specific reviews. This review focuses on the structure, biological characteristics and mechanism of inflammasome, the relationship between NLRP3 in breast cancer Non-Coding RNAs, MicroRNAs and breast cancer microenvironment, especially the role of NLRP3 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). And the potential strategies of using NLRP3 inflammasome to target breast cancer, such as NLRP3-based nanoparticle technology and gene target therapy, are reviewed.

Abstract Background Clinical tissue adhesives remain some critical drawbacks for managing emergency injuries, such as inadequate adhesive strength and insufficient anti-infection ability. Herein, a novel, self-healing, and antibacterial carboxymethyl chitosan/polyaldehyde dextran (CMCS/PD) hydrogel is designed as the first-aid tissue adhesive for effective trauma emergency management. Methods We examined the gel-forming time, porosity, self-healing, antibacterial properties, cytotoxicity, adhesive strength, and hemocompatibility. Liver hemorrhage, tail severance, and skin wound infection models of rats are constructed in vivo, respectively. Results Results demonstrate that the CMCS/PD hydrogel has the rapid gel-forming (~ 5 s), good self-healing, and effective antibacterial abilities, and could adhere to tissue firmly (adhesive strength of ~ 10 kPa and burst pressure of 327.5 mmHg) with excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. This suggests the great prospect of CMCS/PD hydrogel in acting as a first-aid tissue adhesive for trauma emergency management. The CMCS/PD hydrogel is observed to not only achieve rapid hemostasis for curing liver hemorrhage and tail severance in comparison to commercial hemostatic gel (Surgiflo ®) but also exhibit superior anti-infection for treating acute skin trauma compared with clinical disinfectant gel (Prontosan ®). Conclusions Overall, the CMCS/PD hydrogel offers a promising candidate for first-aid tissue adhesives to manage the trauma emergency. Because of the rapid gel-forming time, it could also be applied as a liquid first-aid bandage for mini-invasive surgical treatment. Graphical Abstract

Studying the apportionment and sharing of agricultural water prices is necessary for clarifying the relationship between agricultural water price apportionment and government responsibility and ensuring the benign operation of irrigated areas. From the perspective of the versatility of irrigation water, irrigation benefits are classified as internal or external; the degree of benefit is measured using the proportion of irrigation water per cubic metre of internal and external benefits. This is used as an allocation coefficient to reasonably share prices based on farmers’ water price tolerance, build agricultural water price apportionment and sharing models, and calculate the range of water prices borne by farmers and the government in the Baojixia Irrigation District in the Shaanxi Province of China. Results showed that the apportionment coefficients of farmers and government were 0.85 and 0.15, respectively. For grain crops, the farmers' price range was 0.115–0.508 yuan/m3, while that of the government was 0.516–0.909 yuan/m3; for cash crops, these values were 0.566–3.009 and 0.154–0.458 yuan/m3, respectively. The results of this study support the formulation of agricultural water prices and provide a theoretical reference for reducing the water burden of farmers and promoting the high-quality development of the regional economy HIGHLIGHTS Study on the apportionment and sharing of agricultural water prices; The agricultural irrigation benefit is divided into direct benefit and indirect benefit according to the degree of influence.; The emergy theory method was used to calculate the benefit value of agricultural irrigation.; Using the benefit apportionment method, the apportionment ratio of different subjects was calculated, and the apportionment model of agricultural water price was constructed.; Considering farmers' water bearability, research on agricultural water sharing models and analysis of agricultural water price share the scale.;

Background: Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is a common oxidoreductase and one of the aldehyde dehydrogenases, which can convert toxic acetaldehyde to harmless acetyl CoA. Results: A novel acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (LpALDH) from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was obtained by gene mining and then was analyzed by a series of bioinformatics software. Phylogenetic tree results showed that LpALDH was highly homologous with acetaldehyde dehydrogenase derived from Pediococcus sp., and their sequence similarity was 62.9%. Moreover, it was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21, its expression level was 195 U/mL, which was about 600 times than that expressed in L. plantarum. After purification by affinity chromatography, the specific activity of reLpALDH was 1709 U/mg. Its temperature optimum was 35°C, and the optimal reaction pH was 8.0. Moreover, the purified LpALDH showed good stability in simulated gastrointestinal fluids, which indicated that it had great potential in functional food additive field. Conclusions: This research also laid a solid foundation for further molecular modification, optimal expression host selection and application of acetaldehyde dehydrogenases.How to cite: Wang Z, He J, Liu X, et al. High-level expression of an acetaldehyde dehydrogenase from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and preliminary evaluation of its potential as a functional food additive. Electron J Biotechnol 2023;63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.12.005.

BackgroundIn context of COVID-19 as a collective trauma and the intense involvement of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the pandemic, perceived stress continues to have a tremendous impact on their psychological well-being. However, few studies have attempted to delineate the underlying mechanisms. This study examined whether COVID-19-related traumatic stress symptoms and mentalization act as mediators.MethodsA sample of HCWs (N = 2610) from 22 hospitals in Beijing, China participated in this cross-sectional investigation. Data on their perceived stress, psychological well-being, the impact of event, and reflective function during the COVID-19 pandemic were collected using self-report questionnaires. Different mediating models were tested.ResultsCOVID-19-related stress symptoms and mentalization independently mediate the association between perceived stress and psychological well-being. These two mediators also compose a serial mediation model. In particular, higher perceived stress inhibits the psychological well-being of HCWs through increased severity of traumatic stress symptoms, which in turn is associated with hypomentalizing.ConclusionThese findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being in HCWs. We strongly recommend incorporating a mentalization framework with trauma-informed practice in prevention and intervention work with this population during this and future healthcare crisis.

As a proxy of vegetation photosynthesis, solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) contains rich photosynthetic information that can reveal the physiological state of vegetation and its response to the environment. Current publicly available SIF products vary in accuracy, spatiotemporal resolution, and coverage due to the different inversion algorithms and sensor characteristics. Although awareness of their performances is essential for researchers to select and use data rationally, no systematic comparative analyses of these products have been conducted. In this paper, 8 sets of widely used SIF products were systematically evaluated in terms of spatiotemporal agreement with gross primary productivity (GPP) against 3 GPP datasets (FLUXNET observations, FLUXCOM–GPP, and random forest–GPP) and the derived phenology metrics against the phenological observation data (Pan European Phenological database). Results showed that the GOSIF (757 nm) and CSIF datasets best encapsulate the spatiotemporal variability of global GPP and characterize the spatial distribution of GPP-derived phenology. The ability of SIF products to explain GPP variation changed according to ecosystem type. The ability was strong for deciduous broadleaf forests, mixed forests, and evergreen needleleaf forests, whereas it was poor for evergreen broadleaf forests. Regarding consistency with phenological observations, SIF products were substantial better at predicting the start of the growing season rather than the end or length of the growing season. The systematic evaluation of the widely used SIF products serves as a reference for subsequent studies and may also provide comprehensive information for further refinements and future development of the new SIF products.

The collaborative R&D of new products between enterprises is prone to the “free-rider effect” due to knowledge spillover. To avoid that, this paper establishes a three-stage dynamic game to explore the collaborative R&D co-competition behavior between asymmetric horizontal supplier enterprises. In this paper, we incorporate the uncertainty of R&D success probability into the model and reverse induction is applied to solve it. In the model, two asymmetric enterprises play dynamic games under three modes: complete noncooperation, semicooperation, and complete cooperation. We discuss the sensitivity of various asymmetric factors to the R&D investment level and profit of enterprises. The results indicate that the R&D investment level of supplier enterprises is positively correlated with the absorptive capacity, technology spillover, and R&D success probability, and negatively correlated with the initial R&D investment and innovation efficiency under the three co-competition modes. Especially, when the absorptive capacity of the enterprise or the degree of technological spillover of the other party exceeds a certain value, the profits of the enterprise in the mode of complete noncooperation and semicooperation will intersect, which can easily lead to “free-riding” behavior. It provides a decision-making basis for the direction and extent of enterprises’ R&D efforts. In addition, some methods are proposed to improve the level of R&D investment and increase the income of enterprises under three modes.

Fut2-mediated α1,2-fucosylation is important for gut homeostasis, including the intestinal stem cell (ISC). The stemness of ISC declines with age, and aging-associated ISC dysfunction is closely related to many age-related intestinal diseases. We previously found intestinal epithelial dysfunction in some aged Fut2 knockout mice. However, how Fut2-mediated α1,2-fucosylation affects ISC aging is still unknown. On this basis, the herein study aims to investigate the role of Fut2-mediated α1,2-fucosylation in ISC aging. Aging models in ISC-specific Fut2 knockout mice were established. ISCs were isolated for proteomics and N-glycoproteomics analysis. ISC functions and mitochondrial functions were examined in mice and organoids. Ulex europaeus agglutinin I chromatography and site-directed mutagenesis were used to validate the key target fucosylated proteins of Fut2. As a result, Fut2 knockout impaired ISC stemness and promoted aging marker expression in aged mice. Proteomics analysis indicated mitochondrial dysfunction in Fut2 knockout ISC. More injured mitochondria, elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, and decreased levels of adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) in Fut2 knockout ISC were found. Moreover, respiratory chain complex impairment and mitophagy dysfunction in Fut2 knockout ISC were further noted. Finally, Fut2 was demonstrated to regulate mitochondrial functions mainly by regulating the α1,2-fucosylation of N-acyl sphingosine amidohydrolase 2 (Asah2) and Niemann–Pick type C intracellular cholesterol transporter 1 (Npc1). In conclusion, this study demonstrated the substantial role of Fut2 in regulating ISC functions during aging by affecting mitochondrial function. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of ISC aging and therapeutic strategies for age-related intestinal diseases.

Lysophospholipids (LPLs) and bile acids (BA) are commonly used as emulsifiers in aquaculture. This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of LPLs or BA on the growth performance, lipid deposition, and intestinal health of largemouth juveniles. Fish were randomly allotted into three groups in quadruplicate and fed with a basal diet (CON) or diets containing 300 mg/kg LPLs (LPLs), or 300 mg/kg commercially available BA product (BA) for 8 weeks. The results showed that compared with the control group, LPLs and BA supplemented groups showed a higher weight gain trend, and LPLs supplementation promoted the protein deposition in fish body. Both BA and LPLs supplementations helped to maintain liver health by decreasing the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum. Besides, LPLs supplementation decreased overall lipid deposition in terms of mesenteric fat index and liver lipid content. Furthermore, LPLs supplementation showed unique advantage in improving intestinal barrier, as characterized by the increased villus length and higher expression of the tight junction protein zo-1 expression. LPLs supplementation also increased the alpha diversity index and the abundances of Proteobacteria in the intestinal microbiota which is positively correlated with the abundance of SCFA in the gut. These findings will promote the application of novel feed additives and especially provide a basis for the rational selection of emulsifiers in the aquaculture industry.

PDHα1 gene encodes catalytic subunit PDHE1α of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex. Based on previous studies, it is hypothesized that inhibition of PDH activity prevents the entry of glycolytic pyruvate into TCA cycle, while promotes fatty acid oxidation and reduces liver triglyceride (TG) level, thereby alleviating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, an in vitro model for NAFLD was established with medical fat emulsion; the most effective siRNA for PDHα1 gene was screened out by qPCR technology; the alterations in metabolism of glucose and lipid, and structure & function of mitochondria in the NAFLD cells were primarily evaluated after transfecting PDHα1 siRNA. As the results showed, after inhibiting the expression of PDHα1 gene, glucose level in culture medium was time-dependently increased, and LDH activity in the cells was moderately elevated after 24 h of transfection and then returned to the normal level after 48 h; intracellular TG level was decreased while LPS activity was increased in a time-dependent manner; no significant change in mitochondrial structure was observed with or without siRNA transfection, and ATP content was obviously reduced after 24 h of transfection, followed by restoration after 48 h. It can be concluded that inhibiting PDHα1 gene in fatty liver cells enhances lipid degradation, and represses the utilization of glucose to an extent, thus reducing TG level without impacting energy generation required for cell survival.

During a routine hole probe inspection, the aviation division found that the combustion chamber flame tube of a V2500 aero engine had failed early and that the TBCs around the vent holes on the flame tube liner panel 4 had peeled off over a large area, causing the flame tube liner to burn through. This work studies the premature failure of the V2500 aero-engine flame tube and, using modeling and simulation tests, finds the reason for premature failure as a substantial area of thermal barrier coating peeling owing to sintering. The sintering procedure significantly increases the thermal barrier coating's Young's modulus, which reduces the coating's resistance to thermal mismatch strain. The reliability of the TBCs was then evaluated using a probabilistic approach. Owing to the non-uniformity of temperature distribution induced by the hot airflow, the lifetime of the TBCs in the high temperature region is only around 3000 h, but the lifetime in the low temperature region is at least 25,000 h. Using the method of hole-probing, the values of the calculated and real outcomes are compared. The relative error is less than 5 %, demonstrating that the suggested approach for evaluating dependability has high credibility and applicability.

Amid growing emphasis on achieving carbon neutrality, this study conducts a thorough assessment of different fuel cell technologies for their suitability as primary ship power sources. The primary goal is to evaluate the energy efficiency and carbon footprint impacts associated with adopting fuel cells for ship propulsion. The analysis employs simulation modeling and comparative evaluation to establish key indices: energy efficiency design index (EEDI), energy efficiency operational index (EEOI), and carbon footprint design index (CFDI). These indices consider factors like system weight, maintenance cycle, and fuel economy, ensuring a comprehensive comparison under consistent ship design parameters. Results reveal that liquefied natural gas fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells, and low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (LT-PEMFC) outperform other fuel cell systems in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction. Their respective EEDI values stand at 11.62, 12.72, and 10.05 g CO2/ton·km, accompanied by corresponding EEOI values of 0.10, 0.13, and 0.11 g CO2/ton·km. Additionally, CFDI values are calculated as 39.10 %, 19.45 %, and 11.64 %, respectively. Notably, the comprehensive assessment underscores LT-PEMFC as the most viable option for ship propulsion, offering improved energy utilization, reduced carbon impact, and decreased operational expenses. These findings contribute valuable insights into the appropriateness of diverse fuel cell technologies for ship power applications, considering both their energy efficiency and environmental implications.

Summary: Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent programmed cell death triggered by excessive lipid peroxidation, has shown promising therapeutic potentials in human diseases. Here, we describe a protocol of a CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screen to identify regulators in response to different inducers of ferroptosis. We emphasize the steps of library amplification, drug treatment, high-throughput sequencing preparation, and bioinformatics analysis using model-based analysis of genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout (MAGeCK). We also present a method to discover the regulators of ferroptosis and verify the potential targets efficiently.For complete details on use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Yang et al. (2023).1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

The use of strong intermolecular interaction force to promote the formation of ion transport channels is one of the common methods to increase the conductivity of AEMs. In this work, a series of poly(acenaphthylenyl aryl piperidinium) membranes and ionomer were prepared by ultra-strong acid-catalyzed polymerization. The π-π self-assembly of acenaphthylene monomer promoted the aggregation of piperidinium cation and the formation of efficient ion transport channel, which was confirmed by well aggregated transmission electron micrographs of the ion clusters. Therefore, the prepared membrane had desirable conductivity (173.38 mS cm−1 at 80 °C). Meanwhile, the membrane exhibited excellent alkaline stability (99 % retention of conductivity in 3 M NaOH solution immersed at 80 °C for 1000 h), acceptable dimensional stability (swelling rate < 27.78 % at 80 °C), and high mechanical properties (tensile strength >33.9 MPa). The H2/O2 fuel cell assembled based on the prepared QPANTP-20 membrane and ionomer exhibited peak power density of 266 mW cm−2 at 80 °C.

Background Lack of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes and concurrent T-cell dysfunction have been identified as major contributors to glioblastoma (GBM) immunotherapy resistance. Upregulating CXCL10 in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a promising immunotherapeutic approach that potentially increases tumor-infiltrating T cells and boosts T-cell activity but is lacking effective delivery methods.Methods In this study, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were transduced with a recombinant lentivirus encoding Cxcl10, Nrf2 (an anti-apoptosis gene), and a ferritin heavy chain (Fth) reporter gene in order to increase their CXCL10 secretion, TME survival, and MRI visibility. Using FTH-MRI guidance, these cells were injected into the tumor periphery of orthotopic GL261 and CT2A GBMs in mice. Combination therapy consisting of CXCL10-Nrf2-FTH-MSC transplantation together with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) was also performed for CT2A GBMs. Thereafter, in vivo and serial MRI, survival analysis, and histology examinations were conducted to assess the treatments’ efficacy and mechanism.Results CXCL10-Nrf2-FTH-MSCs exhibit enhanced T lymphocyte recruitment, oxidative stress tolerance, and iron accumulation. Under in vivo FTH-MRI guidance and monitoring, peritumoral transplantation of CXCL10-Nrf2-FTH-MSCs remarkably inhibited orthotopic GL261 and CT2A tumor growth in C57BL6 mice and prolonged animal survival. While ICB alone demonstrated no therapeutic impact, CXCL10-Nrf2-FTH-MSC transplantation combined with ICB demonstrated an enhanced anticancer effect for CT2A GBMs compared with transplanting it alone. Histology revealed that peritumorally injected CXCL10-Nrf2-FTH-MSCs survived longer in the TME, increased CXCL10 production, and ultimately remodeled the TME by increasing CD8+ T cells, interferon-γ+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), GzmB+ CTLs, and Th1 cells while reducing regulatory T cells (Tregs), exhausted CD8+ and exhausted CD4+ T cells.Conclusions MRI-guided peritumoral administration of CXCL10 and Nrf2-overexpressed MSCs can significantly limit GBM growth by revitalizing T lymphocytes within TME. The combination application of CXCL10-Nrf2-FTH-MSC transplantation and ICB therapy presents a potentially effective approach to treating GBM.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and its incidence continues to rise, particularly in developing countries. The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has represented a significant advancement in CRC treatment. Deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) or high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) serves as a biomarker for immunotherapy, with dMMR/MSI-H CRC exhibiting significantly better response rates to immunotherapy compared to proficient mismatch repair (pMMR)or microsatellite stable (MSS) CRC. While some progress has been made in the treatment of pMMR/MSS CRC in recent years, it remains a challenging issue in clinical practice. The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role not only in the development and progression of CRC but also in determining the response to immunotherapy. Understanding the characteristics of the TME in pMMR/MSS CRC could offer new insights to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. In this review, we provide an overview of the current research progress on the TME characteristics and advancements in immunotherapy for pMMR/MSS CRC.

Introduction: Apparent treatment-resistant hypertension (aTRH) is characterized by the use of four or more antihypertensive (AHT) classes to achieve blood pressure (BP) control. In the current study, we conducted single-variant and gene-based analyses of aTRH among individuals from 12 Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine cohorts with whole-genome sequencing data.Methods: Cases were defined as individuals treated for hypertension (HTN) taking three different AHT classes, with average systolic BP ≥ 140 or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg, or four or more medications regardless of BP (n = 1,705). A normotensive control group was defined as individuals with BP < 140/90 mmHg (n = 22,079), not on AHT medication. A second control group comprised individuals who were treatment responsive on one AHT medication with BP < 140/ 90 mmHg (n = 5,424). Logistic regression with kinship adjustment using the Scalable and Accurate Implementation of Generalized mixed models (SAIGE) was performed, adjusting for age, sex, and genetic ancestry. We assessed variants using SKAT-O in rare-variant analyses. Single-variant and gene-based tests were conducted in a pooled multi-ethnicity stratum, as well as self-reported ethnic/racial strata (European and African American).Results: One variant in the known HTN locus, KCNK3, was a top finding in the multi-ethnic analysis (p = 8.23E-07) for the normotensive control group [rs12476527, odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 0.80 (0.74–0.88)]. This variant was replicated in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s DNA repository data. Aggregate gene-based signals included the genes AGTPBP, MYL4, PDCD4, BBS9, ERG, and IER3.Discussion: Additional work validating these loci in larger, more diverse populations, is warranted to determine whether these regions influence the pathobiology of aTRH.