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Phenolic resin (PF) was combined with nitrile rubber (NBR) as vulcanizing agent and blend respectively, the effects of PF amount on mechanical properties, damping properties and oil resistance of NBR were studied, and chlorinated paraffin (CP 52) was introduced into it to prepare NBR/PF/CP 52 ternary composites with high damping properties at room temperature. The results showed that PF could significantly broaden the effective damping temperature range of NBR and shift glass transition temperature of NBR to high temperature. Compared with NBR/PF blend, the vulcanizate prepared with PF as vulcanizing agent had better mechanical strength and oil resistance. The tensile strength and tear strength of the vulcanizate with 50 phr (mass) PF were 23.27 MPa and 38.47 MPa respectively, and the mass changerate was only 1.36% after 72 h of hot oil immersion, meeting the requirements of engineering application. CP 52 could further enhance the damping properties of the composite by forming a strong intermolecular van der Waals force with NBR. When m(NBR)/m(PF)/m(CP 52) was 100/50/75, the effective damping temperature range of the composite was -9-45.5 ℃, and the peak value of loss factor was up to 1.48, which had excellent damping properties at room temperature.

Marek’s disease (MD), caused by the Marek’s disease virus (MDV), is a common infectious tumor disease in chickens and was the first neoplastic disease preventable by vaccination. However, the vaccine cannot completely prevent virulent MDV infections, allowing both the vaccine and virulent MDV to coexist in the same chicken for extended periods. This study aims to investigate the changes in viral load of the very virulent strain Md5 and the rHVT-IBD vaccine in different chicken tissues using a real-time PCR assay. The results showed that the rHVT-IBD vaccine significantly reduced the viral load of MDV-Md5 in different organs, while the load of rHVT-IBD was significantly increased when co-infected with Md5. Additionally, co-infection with Md5 and rHVT-IBD in chickens not only changed the original viral load of both viruses but also affected the positive rate of Md5 at 14 days post-vaccination. The positive rate decreased from 100% to 14.29% (feather tips), 0% (skin), 33.33% (liver), 16.67% (spleen), 28.57% (thymus), 33.33% (bursa), and 66.67% (PBL), respectively. This study enhances our understanding of the interactions between HVT vector vaccines and very virulent MDV in chickens and provides valuable insights for the future development of MD vaccines.

This paper proposes a family of bipolar step‐up cells (BSUCs). Additionally, a family of interleaved parallel isolated high‐gain DC/DC converters with bipolar outputs based on the BSUCs is proposed. Using one of these converters as an example, it is demonstrated that the converter inherits the advantages of DC three‐level characteristics, resulting in low component voltage stress and low output voltage ripple. Moreover, the converter features a low input current ripple, electrical isolation, bipolar outputs, high voltage gain and operates both switches and diodes in a soft‐switching state. Furthermore, the neutral point of the bipolar outputs in this converter possesses self‐balancing characteristics, effectively mitigating the impact of parasitic parameters on voltage balance. Even with a significant deviation of the duty cycles in the main switches, the influence on the neutral point voltage balance remains very slight. Besides, to address the difficulty of accurately calculating output voltage ripple using traditional methods, a voltage ripple calculation method based on linearizing the charging of the output capacitor is proposed, characterized by its high accuracy and simplicity in the calculation process. Finally, an experimental prototype is established to verify the performance of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and its building sector needs rapid change. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is supported by the Australian Government to expand the current building envelope thermal performance energy star rating to a whole-of-home (WoH) energy rating. The NatHERS Administrator supports CSIRO to develop a benchmark WoH energy rating tool for new and existing housing, respectively. The tool for new housing was released in June 2023. This study presents the tool development for Australian existing housing. A case study was conducted using the tool for the eight capital cities of Australian states and territories. It shows that with a detached house built in the 1900s being updated to six or more stars and replacing old equipment and appliances with high-energy-efficient ones, more than 50% of energy can be saved in all the eight cities. To be zero-energy (carbon) housing, 5 kW solar PV needs be installed in Darwin and Hobart, 4 kW in Melbourne and Canberra, 3.5 kW in Adelaide and Sydney, and 3 kW in Brisbane and Perth. It demonstrates that this tool can be used for housing retrofitting to be low/zero-carbon emissions and low operational cost.

Marek's disease (MD), caused by the Marek's disease virus (MDV), is a common infectious tumor disease in chickens and was the first neoplastic disease preventable by vaccination. However, the vaccine cannot completely prevent virulent MDV infections, allowing both the vaccine and virulent MDV to coexist in the same chicken for extended periods. This study aims to investigate the changes in viral load of the very virulent strain Md5 and the rHVT-IBD vaccine in different chicken tissues using a real-time PCR assay. The results showed that the rHVT-IBD vaccine significantly reduced the viral load of MDV-Md5 in different organs, while the load of rHVT-IBD was significantly increased when co-infected with Md5. Additionally, co-infection with Md5 and rHVT-IBD in chickens not only changed the original viral load of both viruses but also affected the positive rate of Md5 at 14 days post-vaccination. The positive rate decreased from 100% to 14.29% (feather tips), 0% (skin), 33.33% (liver), 16.67% (spleen), 28.57% (thymus), 33.33% (bursa), and 66.67% (PBL), respectively. This study enhances our understanding of the interactions between HVT vector vaccines and very virulent MDV in chickens and provides valuable insights for the future development of MD vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMounting evidence implicates the gut microbiota as a possible key susceptibility factor for atherosclerosis (AS). The employment of dietary phytochemicals that strive to target the gut microbiota has gained scientific support for treating AS. This study conducted a general overview of the links between the gut microbiota and AS, and summarized available evidence that dietary phytochemicals improve AS via manipulating gut microbiota. Then, the microbial metabolism of several dietary phytochemicals was summarized, along with a discussion on the metabolites formed and the biotransformation pathways involving key gut bacteria and enzymes. This study additionally focused on the anti-atherosclerotic potential of representative metabolites from dietary phytochemicals, and investigated their underlying molecular mechanisms. In summary, microbiota-dependent dietary phytochemical therapy is a promising strategy for AS management, and knowledge of “phytochemical-microbiota-biotransformation” may be a breakthrough in the search for novel anti-atherogenic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit of the skin that has serious adverse effects on the physical and mental health of patients. Probiotics are extensively employed in dermatology and could be an alternative option for acne therapy. Here, we evaluated the effect of oral ingestion of live and inactivated Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8661 on oleic acid‐induced acne using a mouse model. RESULTS: Results indicated that live L. plantarum CCFM8661 suppressed skin inflammation and serum hormone (insulin and testosterone) production in acne mice. Parallelly, live L. plantarum CCFM8661 effectively reduced the formation of skin lipids (triglycerides and non‐esterified free fatty acids), and normalized the expression of skin lipid metabolism‐related genes (PPAR‐γ, SREBP‐1c, ACCα, FASN, PPAR‐α, ACOX1, HSL and ATGL). In comparison, inactivated L. plantarum CCFM8661 had no effect on skin inflammation or serum hormone secretion, but decreased skin triglycerides and normalized the expression of skin lipid metabolism‐related genes (PPAR‐γ, SREBP‐1c, FASN and ATGL) in acne mice. Both live and inactivated L. plantarum CCFM8661 raised the richness of gut microbiota, reduced the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes and decreased the relative abundance of Staphylococcus in the feces of acne mice. CONCLUSION: Oral ingestion of L. plantarum CCFM8661, particularly live cells, could alleviate acne by suppressing skin inflammation, normalizing the metabolism of hormones and skin lipids, which may be achieved by improving the gut microbial ecosystem. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]