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Land surface emissivity (LSE) is a crucial variable in thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing, providing unique information about the land surface across different channels. It is essential for applications such as surface energy budget estimation, resource exploration, and land cover change monitoring. However, current methods for retrieving LSE have certain limitations in terms of applicability or accuracy levels. Furthermore, the relative importance of various parameters in LSE retrieval studies remains unclear. To address these challenges, a practical and transferrable method has been proposed to retrieve LSE of different TIR channels using machine-learning technique. The proposed method uses visible and near-infrared (VNIR) as well as short-wave infrared (SWIR) data at the pixel scale to analyze key parameters for LSE retrieval and to estimate LSE for channels centered around 8.6 μm, 11.0 μm and 12.0 μm. Importance analysis identified crucial variables for LSE retrieval, including reflectivity in channels of SWIR3 (∼2.13 μm), RED (∼0.66 μm) and BLUE (∼0.47 μm), as well as the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) and the view zenith angle (VZ). Compared to the data used in existing methods, the core variables offer a more comprehensive representation of surface information, potentially enhancing both the accuracy and usability of the proposed method. Using these core variables, LSE was retrieved across eleven study areas through a machine learning method. Cross-validation with MODIS products showed that the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the estimated LSE is 0.02 for the channel around 8.6 μm, and 0.01 for the channels around 11.0 μm and 12.0 μm, respectively. Direct-validation with in-situ measurements also demonstrated impressive retrieval accuracies in sandy areas. Furthermore, the model trained using 2019 data exhibited high retrieval accuracy when applied to data from 2017, highlighting its transferability across different time periods. Additionally, the proposed method produced promising results for LSE estimation using Landsat 8 imageries, indicating its potential for generating emissivity products from satellites with high spatial resolution but limited TIR channels.

Insufficient flexibility is a major barrier to the development of new power systems. Leveraging the resource allocation function of the electricity market is a promising way to enhance the flexibility of power systems and promote the consumption of renewables. The reasonable allocation of ancillary service costs plays a pivotal role in this function. Towards the target of “who causes, who shares,” various research related to cost allocation has been conducted. However, there is a lack of quantitative analysis of the impact of different cost allocation mechanisms on the market participants’ revenues. Whether various cost allocation mechanisms can alleviate the insufficient flexibility problem of power systems needs to be validated. With this in mind, taking operating reserve ancillary services as an example, a long-term market operation simulation model with energy-reserve joint clearing is established in this paper based on the time series production simulation. According to this, the revenues of market participants under different reserve cost allocation mechanisms are quantified. Besides, a self-dispatch model for the energy storage (ES) equipped by renewables is established, based on which the impact of ES on the revenues of renewables under different cost allocation mechanisms is analyzed. Case studies based on practical data from a provincial power grid in China demonstrate that with the well-designed reserve cost allocation mechanism, the revenues of flexible resources can be ensured. Meanwhile, renewables are incentivized to reduce their fluctuations and uncertainties by equipping the ES. Hence, the insufficient flexibility problem of power systems can be alleviated from both supply and requirements perspectives.

Abstract CALF-20 was recently identified as a benchmark sorbent for CO2 capture at the industrial scale, however comprehensive atomistic insight into its mechanical/thermal properties under working conditions is still lacking. In this study, we developed a general-purpose machine-learned potential (MLP) for the CALF-20 MOF framework that predicts the thermodynamic and mechanical properties of the structure at finite temperatures within first-principles accuracy. Interestingly, CALF-20 was demonstrated to exhibit both negative area compression and negative thermal expansion. Most strikingly, upon application of the tensile strain along the [001] direction, CALF-20 was shown to display a distinct two-step elastic deformation behaviour, unlike typical MOFs that undergo plastic deformation after elasticity. Furthermore, this MOF was shown to exhibit a fracture strain of up to 27% along the [001] direction at room temperature comparable to that of MOF glasses. These abnormal thermal and mechanical properties make CALF-20 as attractive material for flexible and stretchable electronics and sensors.

ABSTRACTSoil moisture plays a crucial role in understanding the hydrological cycle and the ecological environment. This research presents an improved change detection method that leverages time series data from Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 optical sensors (2019–2021) to estimate surface soil moisture. The response of backscatter to soil moisture in bare soil was expressed in a logarithmic form, and the influence function of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on the backscatter difference was established for various vegetation-covered surfaces. Therefore, the impact of vegetation on backscatter is effectively mitigated, and the resulting change in backscatter relative to bare soil conditions can be obtained. An empirical function is subsequently formulated to ascertain the reference values of soil moisture in each pixel. The retrieval of soil moisture is demonstrated in the Wudaoliang permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and validated against ground measurements. The retrieval results of the improved change detection method exhibit correlation coefficients ranging from 0.672 to 0.941, with root mean squared errors (RMSE) ranging from 0.031 [Formula: see text] to 0.073 [Formula: see text]. Compared to the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) 9-km product, our new method demonstrates higher correlation (0.898 vs. 0.867) and lower RMSE (0.037 [Formula: see text] vs. 0.044[Formula: see text]). The soil moisture retrieved from Sentinel shows a strong correlation with the SMAP 9-km soil moisture in the time series, thereby providing a better representation of the region’s soil moisture heterogeneity. Our method demonstrates the feasibility of combining Sentinel-1 and 2 for high-resolution (100 m) soil moisture mapping in permafrost regions.

Abstract Herein, a robust microporous aluminum tetracarboxylate framework, MIL‐120(Al)‐AP, (MIL, AP: Institute Lavoisier and Ambient Pressure synthesis, respectively) is reported, which exhibits high CO2 uptake (1.9 mmol g−1 at 0.1 bar, 298 K). In situ Synchrotron X‐ray diffraction measurements together with Monte Carlo simulations reveal that this structure offers a favorable CO2 capture configuration with the pores being decorated with a high density of µ2‐OH groups and accessible aromatic rings. Meanwhile, based on calculations and experimental evidence, moderate host‐guest interactions Qst (CO2) value of MIL‐120(Al)‐AP (−40 kJ mol−1) is deduced, suggesting a relatively low energy penalty for full regeneration. Moreover, an environmentally friendly ambient pressure green route, relying on inexpensive raw materials, is developed to prepare MIL‐120(Al)‐AP at the kilogram scale with a high yield while the Metal‐ Organic Framework (MOF) is further shaped with inorganic binders as millimeter‐sized mechanically stable beads. First evidences of its efficient CO2/N2 separation ability are validated by breakthrough experiments while operando IR experiments indicate a kinetically favorable CO2 adsorption over water. Finally, a techno‐economic analysis gives an estimated production cost of ≈ 13 $ kg−1, significantly lower than for other benchmark MOFs. These advancements make MIL‐120(Al)‐AP an excellent candidate as an adsorbent for industrial‐scale CO2 capture processes.

In order to ensure the continuous and reliable observation data of seismic stations, improve the operation rate of seismic stations, it is very important for the earthquake monitoring center station to take charge of the operation and maintenance of the instruments and network in its area. In this paper, the station uses VPN link to configure parameter router, which can not communicate with the provincial agency for data transmission fault case analysis and disposal. The basic working idea of finding this kind of fault is expounded. Combining with experience in actual work, some points for attention in instrument operation and maintenance at the center station are also put forward.

Forest canopy fuel moisture content (FMC) is a critical factor in assessing the vulnerability of a specific area to forest fires. The conventional FMC estimation method, which relies on look-up tables and loss functions, cannot to elucidate the relationship between FMC and simulated data from look-up tables. This study proposes a novel approach for estimating FMC by combining enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference moisture index (NDMI). The method employs the PROSAIL + PROGeoSAIL two-layer coupled radiation transfer model to simulate the vegetation index, the water index, and the FMC value, targeting the prevalent double-layer structure in the study area’s vegetation distribution. Additionally, a look-up table is constructed through numerical analysis to investigate the relationships among vegetation indices, water indices, and FMC. The results reveal that the polynomial equations incorporating vegetation and water indices as independent variables exhibit a strong correlation with FMC. Utilizing the EVI–NDMI joint FMC estimation method enables the direct estimation of FMC. The collected samples from Dali were compared with the estimated values, revealing that the proposed method exhibits superior accuracy (R2 = 0.79) in comparison with conventional FMC estimation methods. In addition, we applied this method to estimate the FMC in the Chongqing region one week before the 2022 forest fire event, revealing a significant decreasing trend in regional FMC leading up to the fire outbreak, highlighting its effectiveness in facilitating pre-disaster warnings.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a group of important detoxification enzymes found in insects related to their resistance to insecticides. To elucidate the CYP6 family genes of P450, which are potentially related to imidacloprid resistance in Aphis glycines, the CYP6 cDNA sequences of A. glycines were studied. The transcriptome of A. glycines was constructed, and the CYP6 cDNA sequences of A. glycines were screened. Their relative expression levels in response to imidacloprid induction were examined through qRT-PCR, and the CYP6s with higher expression levels were used to study the detoxification of imidacloprid through RNA interference and a bioassay. Twelve CYP6s were obtained from the A. glycines transcriptome. These samples were named by the International P450 Nomenclature Committee and registered in GenBank. After 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h of induction with LC50 concentrations of imidacloprid, the relative expression levels of these CYP6s increased; the expression level of CYP6CY7 experienced the highest increase, being more than 3-fold higher than that of those of the non-imidacloprid-induced CYP6s. After RNA interference for CYP6CY7, the relative expression level of CYP6CY7 significantly decreased after 3, 6 and 12 h, while the corresponding P450 enzyme activity decreased after 12 and 24 h. The mortality of A. glycines due to imidacloprid treatment increased by 14.71% at 24 h. CYP6CY7 might detoxify imidacloprid in A. glycines. This study provides a theoretical basis for the further study of the mechanism of action of CYP6s and potential new methods for improving insecticidal efficacy.

Asphalt mixture is a temperature sensitive material. With the change of external environment temperature, asphalt pavement is prone to temperature-related diseases. Adding phase change material (PCM) to asphalt pavement to adjust pavement temperature is one of the effective methods at present. At present, there are many types of research on PCMs, but the research on PCMs added to the pavement structure is very scarce. In this paper, through the temperature test of rutting plate specimens with different layer combinations, the cooling effect of pavement structure combinations with PCMs added to different layers (upper layer, middle layer, and bottom layer) in pavement structure under different illumination times are discussed. Through the self-designed environmental simulation box, the real-time monitoring of the temperature of different layers in the pavement structure is realized. The cooling effect between different layers in different phase change pavement structure combinations is analyzed, and compared with each layer of ordinary pavement structure, and the best addition method is obtained for phase change materials, which provides a certain reference for the construction and specific application of PCM asphalt pavement, and made important contributions to the development of asphalt cooling pavement. The results show that the PCM can effectively reduce the temperature of each layer of the pavement structure. Under different illumination durations, the cooling effect of the samples with PCM in the upper layer was the worst. The samples with phase change material in the middle layer had the best cooling effect in the upper and middle layers of the pavement. The addition of phase change material to both the upper and middle layers had the most obvious cooling effect on the lower layer of the pavement. Therefore, combined with the comprehensive consideration of economy and cooling effect, the comprehensive cooling effect of adding PCMs to the middle surface layer is the best. It is recommended to add phase change materials to the middle surface layer during asphalt cooling pavement construction.

The topography can be very important for passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture due to its complex influence on the emitted brightness temperature observed by a satellite microwave radiometer. In this study, a methodology of using the first brightness Stokes parameter (i.e., the sum of vertical and horizontal polarization brightness temperature) observed by the soil moisture and ocean salinity (SMOS) was proposed to improve the soil moisture retrieval under complex topographic conditions. The applicability of the proposed method is validated using in-situ soil moisture measurements collected at four networks (Pali, Naqu, Maqu, and Wudaoliang) on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. The results over Pali, which is a typical mountainous area, showed that soil moisture retrievals using the first brightness Stokes parameter are in better agreement with the in-situ measurements (the correlation coefficient R > 0.75 and unbiased root mean square error 3/m3) compared with that using the single-polarization brightness temperature. At the other three networks with relatively flatter terrains, soil moisture retrievals using the first brightness Stokes parameter are found to be comparable to the single-polarization retrievals. On the contrary, the maximum bias of the retrieved soil moisture caused by topographic effects exceeds 0.1 m3/m3 when using vertical or horizontal polarization alone, which is far beyond the expected accuracy (0.04 m3/m3) of SMOS satellite. In the regions on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau where the vegetation effect can be ignored, soil moisture retrieved using horizontal polarization brightness temperature is generally underestimated, overestimated when using vertical polarization brightness temperature. It is reasonable due to the polarization rotation effect (depolarization) caused by the topographic effects. It is concluded that the proposed method for soil moisture retrieval using the first brightness Stokes parameter has a great potential in reducing the influence of topographic effects.

IntroductionThe availability of a human-like chronic heart failure (HF) animal model was critical for affiliating development of novel therapeutic drug treatments. With the close physiology relatedness to humans, the non-human primate (NHP) HF model would be valuable to better understand the pathophysiology and pharmacology of HF. The purpose of this work was to present preliminary cardiac image findings using echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in a HF-like cynomolgus macaque model.MethodsThe NHP diet-induced model developed cardiac phenotypes that exhibited diastolic dysfunction with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) or preserved LVEF. Twenty cynomolgus monkeys with cardiac dysfunction were selected by echocardiography and subsequently separated into two groups, LVEF

Trehalose is an important carbohydrate substance in insect hemolymph. Chitin is the main component of cuticle and peritrophic matrix in insects. Trehalase (Tre) catalyzes the decomposition of trehalose. Few studies of trehalase in lepidopteran insects have been conducted. Here, the functions of soluble Tre (Tre1) and membrane-bound Tre (Tre2) in the growth and development of Mythimna separata were investigated. We cloned and identified Tre1 and Tre2 cDNA sequences in M. separata. Analysis expression revealed that MsTre1 and MsTre2 were highly expressed in midgut and integument, respectively. The expression of MsTre1 and MsTre2 was highest in the pupal stage. We used RNA interference (RNAi) to inhibit Tre expression in M. separata larvae. Injection of dsMsTre1 or dsMsTre2 resulted in abnormal phenotypes and impeded normal molting. Silencing of MsTre1 and MsTre2 resulted in significant changes in the expression of genes in the trehalose and chitin metabolism pathways, significantly increased the trehalose and glycogen content, and significantly decreased MsTre1 and MsTre2 activity, the glucose content, and the chitin content in midgut and integument. Silencing of MsTre1 slowed larval molting, and the new cuticle was significantly thinner. These results indicate that RNAi of Tre may be useful for control strategies against M. separata.

BackgroundTissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) was recently demonstrated capable to regulate some gene expression in a myocardial infarction model. Here we aim to explore the gene expression profile in TIMP3-treated cardiomyocytes and related potential cardiovascular functions.MethodsTotal RNA extracted from cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) were used for RNA sequencing analysis and real-time PCR. KEGG pathway enrichment assay and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were performed to study the signaling pathways and downstream effects. Western blot was used to detect phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt). A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was employed to evaluate the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Contraction rate of NRVMs was measured with microscopy.ResultsRNA sequencing data showed that expression of 2,526 genes were significantly modulated by recombinant TIMP3 (rTIMP3, 100 ng/ml) in NRVMs. Some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were validated with real-time PCR. Several KEGG pathways including the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway were significantly regulated by rTIMP3. Phosphorylation of Akt was increased by rTIMP3 and a PI3K inhibitor LY294002 suppressed rTIMP3-induced up-regulation of some genes. Some DEGs were predicted by IPA to increase vascularization, and some to decrease heart rate. RTIMP3 could reduce the contraction rate of NRVMs and its conditioned media increased the proliferation of HUVECs.ConclusionTIMP3 can regulate expression of multiple genes partly through PI3K. Some DEGs were associated with activation of vascularization and some with heart rate reduction. This study suggests that TIMP3 can potentially modulate cardiovascular functions via DEGs.

With the increase of mining depth of coal seam, the impact pressure has severely restricted the coal mine safe and efficient mining, drilling pressure is a kind of through the construction of borehole in the coal seam, achieve the purpose of partial discharge, pressure relief effect is very obvious, the larger the aperture effect of pressure, the better, by comparing the 150 mm in diameter and 300 mm diameter CT detection construction surrounding rock displacement change. Compare the pressure relief effect of 150 mm drilling and 300 mm drilling.

Trehalose is a substrate for the chitin synthesis pathway in insects. Thus, it directly affects chitin synthesis and metabolism. Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) is a crucial enzyme in the trehalose synthesis pathway in insects, but its functions in Mythimna separata remain unclear. In this study, a TPS-encoding sequence in M. separata (MsTPS) was cloned and characterized. Its expression patterns at different developmental stages and in diverse tissues were investigated. The results indicated that MsTPS was expressed at all analyzed developmental stages, with peak expression levels in the pupal stage. Moreover, MsTPS was expressed in the foregut, midgut, hindgut, fat body, salivary gland, Malpighian tubules, and integument, with the highest expression levels in the fat body. The inhibition of MsTPS expression via RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in significant decreases in the trehalose content and TPS activity. It also resulted in significant changes in Chitin synthase (MsCHSA and MsCHSB) expression, and significantly decrease the chitin content in the midgut and integument of M. separata. Additionally, the silencing of MsTPS was associated with a significant decrease in M. separata weight, larval feed intake, and ability to utilize food. It also induced abnormal phenotypic changes and increased the M. separata mortality and malformation rates. Hence, MsTPS is important for M. separata chitin synthesis. The results of this study also suggest RNAi technology may be useful for enhancing the methods used to control M. separata infestations.

MOF/polymer adhesion in Mixed Matrix Membranes (MMMs) has been mainly enhanced so far via MOF and/or polymer functionalization to strengthen the interactions between the two components. This strategy, albeit effective, is generally accompanied by a drop in the permeability and/or selectivity performance of the MMMs. In this contribution, engineering structure defects at the MOF surfaces is proposed as an effective route to create pockets that immobilize part of the polymer chain, which is of crucial importance both to avoid plasticization issues and to enhance the MOF/polymer affinity while overcoming the adhesion/performance trade-off in MMMs. This engineered interfacial interlocking structure also serves as a bridge to accelerate the gas transport from the polymeric region towards the MOF pore entrance. This concept is showcased with a model MMM made of the prototypical UiO-66 MOF and the glassy Polymer of Intrinsic Microporosity-1 (PIM-1) and tested using CO2, CH4 and, N2 as guest species. Our computational findings reveal that a defective UiO-66 MOF surface improves the MOF/PIM-1 adhesion and contributes to accelerate the interfacial gas transport of the slender molecules CO2 and N2 and in a lesser extent of the spherical molecule CH4. This translates into a selective enhancement of the CO2 transport once combined with CH4 which paves the ways toward promising perspective for pre-combustion CO2 capture.

With the acceleration of the urban industrialization process, air pollutant emission has increased sharply, which seriously endangers the ecological environment and human beings. Solar-driven photocatalysis has the broad-spectrum activity for various inorganic to organic pollutants at ambient temperature without harsh reaction conditions, which shows a very broad application prospect in air purification. However, the photocatalysis technology suffers from the unrevealed reaction mechanism and the deactivation of photocatalysts, which severely limits its practical application. Currently, there is still a huge gap between basic research and industrial application in the field of photocatalytic air purification. This review summarizes recent progress on photocatalytic degradation of air pollutants and categorizes them based on the types of photocatalytic materials and air pollutants, with a focus on photocatalytic reaction mechanisms and the application scenarios of photocatalytic air purification to identify this gap. We also critically discussed the major challenges for promoting applications of photocatalytic technology and put forward the development prospect.

Zn ions are widely reported to possess a depression effect on sphalerite in flotation. The effective adsorption of Zn ions on a sphalerite surface is critical to realize the inhibition effect. At the same time, zinc ions are easily hydrated in a slurry solution. Therefore, based on the first principle DFT calculation, the molecular mechanism of Zn ion adsorption on the surface of Sphalerite is further studied from the perspective of hydration. [Zn(H2O)5]2+, [Zn(OH)(H2O)3]+ and [Zn(OH)2(H2O)2] are found to be the effective components of Zn ions adsorbed on a sphalerite (110) surface in the neutral condition. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanism of [Zn(H2O)5]2+ on a sphalerite (110) surface is mainly via the hybridization of Zn 3d orbital in the structure of [Zn(H2O)5]2+ with surface S 3p orbitals. Additionally, the adsorption mechanism of [Zn(OH)(H2O)3]+ and [Zn(OH)2(H2O)2] on a sphalerite (110) surface is primarily ascribed to the hybridization of surface Zn 3d orbital with O atom of hydroxyl ligand 2p orbitals. In addition, the H 1s orbits in the water molecules have a weaker interaction with the sphalerite surface S 3p orbits. This work sheds new light on the adsorption and inhibition mechanism of zinc ions on a sphalerite surface in a neutral aqueous solution.

Abstract Background Hypoxia has been shown to be able to induce tenogenic differentiation and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which lead hypoxia-induced MSCs to be a potential treatment for tendon injury. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the tenogenic differentiation and proliferation process of hypoxic MSCs, which limited the application of differentiation-inducing therapies in tendon repair. This study was designed to investigate the role of Mohawk homeobox (Mkx) in tenogenic differentiation and proliferation of hypoxic MSCs. Methods qRT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were performed to evaluate the expression of Mkx and other tendon-associated markers in adipose-derived MSCs (AMSCs) and bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) under hypoxia condition. Small interfering RNA technique was applied to observe the effect of Mkx levels on the expression of tendon-associated markers in normoxic and hypoxic BMSCs. Hypoxic BMSCs infected with Mkx-specific short hair RNA (shRNA) or scramble were implanted into the wound gaps of injured patellar tendons to assess the effect of Mkx levels on tendon repair. In addition, cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation unit assay, cell cycle analysis, and EdU assay were adopted to determine the proliferation capacity of normoxic or hypoxic BMSCs infected with or without Mkx-specific shRNA. Results Our data showed that the expression of Mkx significantly increased in hypoxic AMSCs and increased much higher in hypoxic BMSCs. Our results also detected that the expression of tenogenic differentiation markers after downregulation of Mkx were significantly decreased not only in normoxic BMSCs, but also in hypoxic BMSCs which paralleled the inferior histological evidences, worse biomechanical properties, and smaller diameters of collagen fibrils in vivo. In addition, our in vitro data demonstrated that the optical density values, the clone numbers, the percentage of cells in S phage, and cell proliferation potential of both normoxic and hypoxic BMSCs were all significantly increased after knockdown of Mkx and were also significantly enhanced in both AMSCs and BMSCs in hypoxia condition under which the expression of Mkx was upregulated. Conclusions These findings strongly suggested that Mkx mediated hypoxia-induced tenogenic differentiation of MSCs but could not completely repress the proliferation of hypoxic MSCs.

BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) is a prevalent cancer with high mortality and strong invasiveness, and the entire regulatory networks of GC is still unclear.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the specific mechanism of the effect of nucleolar protein 6 (NOL6) on the proliferation and apoptosis of GC cells.MethodsThe human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line HGC-27 and AGS were cultured. qRT-PCR was used to verify the expression level of NOL6 in GC cells; MTT and EdU were used to test cell proliferation; TUNEL staining and Flow cytometry were used to detect cell apoptosis; The downstream genes and pathways following NOL6 knockdown were explored through the microarray assay and ingenuity pathway analysis, and the downstream genes were finally verified by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The xenograft mice were used to investigate the effect of NOL6 on GC in vivo.ResultsTCGA data analysis showed that NOL6 expression level was higher in GC cells than adjacent normal cells. Over-expression of NOL6 increased proliferation and colony formation, and inhibited the apoptotic rate in AGS and HGC-27 cells, while NOL6 knockdown induced the opposite effects. Through microarray assay and IPA analysis, NOL6-related downstream genes and critical signaling pathways were found. And we verified the relationship between downstream genes and GC. Additionally, NOL6 knockdown could decrease the weight and volume of tumor in the mice.ConclusionNOL6 knockdown could inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis of GC, suggesting that NOL6 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating GC.

According to the seismic design code of buildings and the identification standard of dangerous buildings, this study carried out a comprehensive survey of rural residential buildings in Tongling city of Anhui Province conducted and evaluated earthquake safety of the buildings. Based on the technical requirement of buildings and characteristics of earthquakes disaster in Anqing and Fuyang city in Anhui Province, the study analyzed the main cause of the weak seismic performance of rural buildings, including unreasonable location, unscientific design and planning, immature construction technology, inferior and substandard building materials, and unreasonable structure of the house. This paper proposed suggestions for the seismic fortification of rural buildings, which will provide scientific basis and reference for the future seismic fortification work in southern Anhui.

As a key ecological zone of terrestrial ecosystem, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) region has experienced a significant change of vegetation coverage in recent years. Using the GIMMS NDVI3g, this study investigated the patterns of spatiotemporal variation of vegetation coverage in the BRI region during the period 1982-2015. The Theil-Sen Median trend analysis and Mann-Kendall method were used to analyze the data, followed by the calculation of Hurst index in order to analyze future trends of vegetation coverage. In addition, possible environmental factors affecting this variation were identified by using the partial correlation analysis and residual analysis methods. The results of the study showed that (1) the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of the study area revealed a slow decrease during 1982-2015, with the linear tendency being -0.1%/10a. During this period, a stable increase was detected before 1997 (linear tendency 1.4%/10a), followed by a sharp decline after 1997 (linear tendency -1.8%/10a). (2) In spatial, the areas with increased vegetation NDVI are mainly distributed in Europe, India and China, whereas the regions with decreased vegetation NDVI are mainly distributed in northern Russia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Malay Islands, and northeast China, of which, the magnitude of decrease in the north of Russia is particularly remarkable. This phenomenon indicates that vegetation activities in high latitude regions declined, such as coniferous forest of subfrigid zone and tundra vegetation. (3) The same characteristic of vegetation coverage change were stronger than the reverse characteristics. A total of 89.2% of the study area's vegetation will change in the same way as in the past, with a continuously increasing area accounting for 34.0% and a continuously decreasing area accounting for 21.6%. (4) Although climate change may play a key role in vegetation growth trends on a long-term scale, human activities are also an important factor driving vegetation change in the BRI area, especially for areas with increased vegetation coverage such as China, India, and Europe.

Population-density-dependent polymorphism is important in the biology of some agricultural pests. The oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) is a lepidopteran pest (family Noctuidae). As the population density increases, its body color becomes darker, and the insect eats more and causes greater damage to crops. The molecular mechanisms underlying this phase change are not fully clear. Here, we used transcriptomic and metabolomic methods to study the effect of population density on the differentiation of second-day sixth instar M. separata larvae. The transcriptomic analysis identified 1148 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in gregarious-type (i.e., high-population-density) armyworms compared with solitary-type (low-population-density) armyworms; 481 and 667 genes were up- and downregulated, respectively. The metabolomic analysis identified 137 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs), including 59 upregulated and 78 downregulated. The analysis of DEGs and DAMs showed that activation of the insulin-like signaling pathway promotes the melanization of gregarious armyworms and accelerates the decomposition of saccharides, which promotes the gregarious type to take in more food. The gregarious type is more capable of digesting and absorbing proteins and decreases energy consumption by inhibiting transcription and translation processes. The phase change traits of the armyworm are thus attributable to plasticity of its energy metabolism. These data broaden our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of insect-density-dependent polymorphism.

In order to reduce the uncertainty of the gas refractive index measurement device based on laser interferometry. A measuring method based on constant pressure reference point was proposed. Combined refractive index of reference point and variation of laser frequency measured by beat frequency, the ratio of refractive index of two cavities can be obtained by inversion. In this paper, the refractive index of He was measured when the pressure is 104–105pa. The relative deviation of result between theory and test is less than 1.7 × 10−6 and the measurement uncertainty is 1.48 × 10−9. The method of refractive index measurement based on constant pressure can reduce the uncertainty effectively, which is great significance to the establishment of primary quantum vacuum metrology standard.

With the increasing application of medical imaging contrast materials, contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) has become the third major cause of iatrogenic renal insufficiency. CIN is defined as an absolute increase in serum creatinine levels of at least 0.50 mg/dl or an increase >25% of serum creatinine from baseline after exposure to contrast. In this study, the protective effects of salvianolic acid B (Sal B) were detected in human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) exposed to iopromide. The results showed that different concentrations of Sal B counteract the loss of cell viability induced by iopromide, and reduce cell apoptosis, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and the levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)–related and apoptosis-related proteins such as p-IRE-1α, p-eIF-2α/eIF-2α, p-JNK, CHOP, Bax/Bcl-2, and cleaved caspase-3. In addition, Sal B at a concentration of 100 μmol/L inhibited ERS and reduced cell damage to a similar extent as the ERS inhibitor 4-PBA. Importantly, treatment with Sal B could abolish the injury induced by ERS agonist tunicamycin, increasing cell viability and the mitochondrial membrane potential, as well as significantly reducing ROS levels and the expression of Bax/Bcl-2, cleaved-caspase-3, GRP78, p-eIF2α, p-JNK, and CHOP. These results suggested that the protective effect of Sal B against HK-2 cell injury induced by iopromide may be related to the inhibition of ERS.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays important roles in maintaining physiological structure and functions of various tissues and organs. Cardiac fibrosis is the excess deposition of ECM, including both fibrillar (collagens I and III) and non-fibrillar proteins. Characteristics of fibrosis can vary depending on the pathology, with focal fibrosis occurring following myocardial infarction (MI), and diffuse interstitial and perivascular fibrosis mainly in non-ischemic heart diseases. Compliance of the fibrotic tissue is significantly lower than the normal myocardium, and this can compromise the diastolic, as well as systolic dysfunction. Therefore, strategies to combat cardiac fibrosis have been investigated. Upon injury or inflammation, activated cardiac fibroblasts (myofibroblasts) produce more ECM proteins and cause fibrosis. The activation could be inhibited or the myofibroblasts could be ablated by targeting their specific expressed proteins. Modulation of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) and moderate exercise can also suppress cardiac fibrosis. More recently, sex differences in cardiac fibrosis have come to light with differential fibrotic response in heart diseases as well as in fibroblast functions in vitro. This mini-review discusses recent progress in cardiac fibroblasts, TIMPs, sex differences and exercise in modulation of cardiac fibrosis.

Gelsolin is an actin severing and capping protein that regulates cytoskeletal remodeling. Here the authors show that gelsolin is negatively regulated in the heart by PI3Kα‐ generated PIP3, and that loss of gelsolin activity prevents adverse cytoskeletal remodeling and heart failure.

Abstract Tamoxifen remains the most effective treatment for estrogen receptor α (ERα)‐positive breast cancer. However, many patients still develop resistance to tamoxifen in association with metastatic recurrence, which presents a tremendous clinical challenge. To better understand tamoxifen resistance from the perspective of the tumor microenvironment, the whole microenvironment landscape is charted by single‐cell RNA sequencing and a new cancer‐associated fibroblast (CAF) subset, CD63+ CAFs, is identified that promotes tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer. Furthermore, it is discovered that CD63+ CAFs secrete exosomes rich in miR‐22, which can bind its targets, ERα and PTEN, to confer tamoxifen resistance on breast cancer cells. Additionally, it is found that the packaging of miR‐22 into CD63+ CAF‐derived exosomes is mediated by SFRS1. Furthermore, CD63 induces STAT3 activation to maintain the phenotype and function of CD63+ CAFs. Most importantly, the pharmacological blockade of CD63+ CAFs with a CD63‐neutralizing antibody or cRGD‐miR‐22‐sponge nanoparticles enhances the therapeutic effect of tamoxifen in breast cancer. In summary, the study reveals a novel subset of CD63+ CAFs that induces tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer via exosomal miR‐22, suggesting that CD63+ CAFs may be a novel therapeutic target to enhance tamoxifen sensitivity.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) is unique among the four TIMPs due to its extracellular matrix (ECM)-binding property and broad range of inhibitory substrates that includes matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs), and ADAM with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTSs). In addition to its metalloproteinase-inhibitory function, TIMP3 can interact with proteins in the extracellular space resulting in its multifarious functions. TIMP3 mRNA has a long 3’ untranslated region (UTR) which is a target for numerous microRNAs. TIMP3 levels are reduced in various cardiovascular diseases, and studies have shown that TIMP3 replenishment ameliorates the disease, suggesting a therapeutic potential for TIMP3 in cardiovascular diseases. While significant efforts have been made in identifying the effector targets of TIMP3, the regulatory mechanism for the expression of this multi-functional TIMP has been less explored. Here, we provide an overview of TIMP3 gene structure, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators (transcription factors and microRNAs), protein structure and partners, its role in cardiovascular pathology and its application as therapy, while also drawing reference from TIMP3 function in other diseases.

Few studies have evaluated craniofacial growth in boys and girls with idiopathic short stature (ISS) during growth hormone (GH) treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of GH treatment on craniofacial growth in children with ISS, compared with those with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Methods: This study included 36 children (mean age, 11.3 ± 1.8 years) who were treated with GH consecutively. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed before and 2 years after start of GH treatment. Results: There were no significant differences in age and sex between ISS and GHD groups and the reference group from semilongitudinal study (10 boys and 8 girls from each group). Before treatment, girls with ISS showed a skeletal Class II facial profile compared with the GHD and reference groups (p = 0.003). During GH treatment, the amount of maxillary length increased beyond norm in the ISS and GHD groups in boys (p = 0.035) > 3 standard deviation score (SDS). Meanwhile, mandibular ramus height (p = 0.001), corpus length, and total mandibular length (p = 0.007 for both) increased more in girls with ISS than in girls with GHD. Lower and total anterior facial heights increased more in girls with ISS than in girls with GHD (p = 0.021 and p = 0.007, respectively), > 7–11 SDS. Conclusion: GH should be administered carefully when treating girls with ISS, because GH treatment has great effects on vertical overgrowth of the mandible and can result in longer face.

At present, a lot of passenger cars and light trucks are equipped with the dual mass flywheel, which can decrease the non-uniformity of the indicated engine torque. In engine bench test, the secondary mass of the dual mass flywheel can’t be fixed because there is no transmission system on the test bench. As a result, the secondary mass of the dual mass flywheel will have radial and circumferential movements, which may lead to a damage to the dual mass flywheel. This paper presents an improved design of the crafting tool for the dual mass flywheel to protect the secondary mass during the engine bench test. For the improved design, the cylinder body is used for the positioning of the crafting tool, and a spline shaft and a ball bearing of centripetal adjustment are chosen to fix the secondary mass. Through this tool, the dual mass flywheel engine can be tested on the test bench without a starting shaft, and the disassembling of the engine flywheel bolts during the hot test can be avoided.

The influences of the installations of the camshaft support, and timing system and the heat release on the valve gap of the gasoline engine were analyzed in the present. The experiments were carried out on 50 4-cylinder 4-stroke gasoline engines, and the results indicate that to tighten the camshaft support has a great impact on valve gap, the indicated mean there was an obvious deformation in cylinder head after the camshaft support was tightened. The timing system also has a significant influence on the valve gap because it produces a downward force to the camshaft, leading to a smaller valve gap near the timing system and a bigger valve gap on the other side. It was also found that with the increase of temperature the valve gap was 0.1 mm larger than that in the normal state.

Laboratory predictions for the fatigue life of an asphalt mixture under cyclic loading based on the plateau value (PV) of the permanent deformation ratio (PDR) were carried out by three-point bending fatigue tests. The influence of test conditions on the recovery ratio of elastic deformation (RRED), the permanent deformation (PD) and PDR, and the trends of RRED, PD, and PDR were studied. The damage variable was defined by using PDR, and the relation of the fatigue life to PDR was determined by analyzing the damage evolution process. The fatigue equation was established based on the PV of PDR and the fatigue life was predicted by analyzing the relation of the fatigue life to the PV. The results show that the RRED decreases with the increase of the number of loading cycles, and the elastic recovery ability of the asphalt mixture gradually decreases. The two mathematical models proposed are based on the change laws of the RRED, and the PD can well describe the change laws. The RRED or the PD cannot well predict the fatigue life because they do not change monotonously with the fatigue life, and one part of the deformation causes the damage and the other part causes the viscoelastic deformation. The fatigue life decreases with the increase of the PDR. The average PDR in the second stage is taken as the PV, and the fatigue life decreases in a power law with the increase of the PV. The average relative error of the fatigue life predicted by the fatigue equation to the test fatigue life is 5.77%. The fatigue equation based on PV can well predict the fatigue life.

The soybean pod borer (Leguminivora glycinivorella Matsumura) successfully survives the winter because of its high expression of 70-kDa heat shock proteins (HSP70s) during its overwintering diapause. The amount of HSP70s is different under different environmental stresses. In this study, inducible heat shock protein 70 and its constitutive heat shock cognate 70 were cloned by RT-PCR and RACE. These genes were named Lg-hsp70 and Lg-hsc70, respectively. Gene transcription and protein expression after cold stress treatment (5°C to -5°C) were analyzed by western blotting and by qRT-PCR for four populations that were sampled in the northeast region of China, including Shenyang, Gongzhuling, Harbin and Heihe, when the soybean pod borer was in diapause. As the cold shock temperature decreased, the levels of Lg-HSP70s were significantly up-regulated. The amount of cold-induced Lg-HSP70s was highest in the southernmost population (Shenyang, 41°50'N) and lowest in the northernmost population (Heihe, 50°22'N). These results support the hypothesis that the soybean pod borer in the northeast region of China displays phenotypic plasticity, and the accumulation of Lg-HSP70s is a strategy for overcoming environmental stress. These results also suggest that the induction of HSP70 synthesis, which is a complex physiological adaptation, can evolve quickly and inherit stability.