Search

Abstract Solving the problem of gas extraction from low-permeability coal seams is an urgent issue in the global coal industry, and exploring green and efficient mining methods has potential applications in this field. In this study, the No. 9 coal seam of the Guizhou Longfeng Coal Mine was selected as the research object. The method of using a hydraulic horizontal slit to create a compensation space and then synergizing it with the coal body’s own stress to decompress and increase the permeability of the coal body was studied through similarity simulation and numerical simulation experiments. This study showed that the slit can cause the overall development, expansion, and penetration of coal seam fissures. Thereby, a large number of fissures are produced in the coal seam and its upper rock layer, which form, as a whole, a “positive trapezoid” shape. The three stages of the slit produced 165, 487, and 1572 fissures, which unpressurized and increased the penetration of the coal and rock body. The slit causes the upper coal body to lose its support, and the original stress balance of the coal and rock is broken, forming a decompression zone. At the same time, the coal body below starts to expand and deform after losing the vertical stress. The decompression zone gradually expands up and down, and the stress on both ends of the compensation space becomes larger, forming a stress concentration area. After the overall displacement of the coal seam caused by the slit, a “positive triangle” area is formed. In the upper part of the area, six displacement dividing lines are created, which form five areas. The displacement shows the distribution characteristics of a large displacement in the middle and a small displacement at both ends. The results of the similarity simulation and numerical simulation experiments were verified. The study provides a new way of thinking for effectively preventing coal and gas protrusion and improving mining efficiency.

Abstract Accurate and efficient identification of water inrush sources, as one of the three critical elements of mine water hazards, is crucial for mine water management. To identify the sources of mine water inrush effectively, a model named HBA-CatBoost is introduced. This model is established on the hybrid bat algorithm (HBA)-optimized category feature gradient boosting tree (CatBoost), and the shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method is employed to elucidate the model’s decision-making process. Given the prevalent occurrence of water hazards in coal seam roofs and floors in the northern Guizhou coalfield, coupled with the challenges in pinpointing water inrush sources in mines, the HBA-CatBoost model is tested at the Longfeng Coal Mine in northern Guizhou to validate its practicality. Comparative analysis with the HBA-RF, HBA-XGBoost, CatBoost, RF, and XGBoost models demonstrates that the hybrid bat algorithm significantly enhances the classification performance of the CatBoost model, resulting in improved convergence speed and classification accuracy. The HBA-CatBoost model outperforms the aforementioned models in terms of classification effectiveness, achieving accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 scores of 96.43%, 97.22%, 96.43%, and 96.61%, respectively. The SHAP method elucidates the decision mechanism of the optimal HBA-CatBoost model, highlighting the significance of sample features and bolstering the model’s credibility. These outcomes underscore the superior performance of the HBA-CatBoost model and its potential for effectively identifying water inrush sources in mines.

Abstract The hydrogeological conditions of the Qianbei coalfield are complex, and karst water in the roof rock frequently disrupts mining operations, leading to frequent water inrush incidents. Taking the representative Longfeng Coal Mine as a case study, research was conducted on the development pattern of the water-conducting fracture zone and the water inrush mechanisms beneath karst aquifers. On the basis of key stratum theory and calculations of the stratum stretching rate, the karst aquifer in the Changxing Formation was identified as the primary key stratum. It was deduced that the water-conducting fracture zone would develop into the karst aquifer, indicating a risk of roof water inrush at the working face. Numerical simulations were used to study the stress field, displacement field, and plastic zone distribution patterns in the overlying roof strata. Combined with similar simulation tests and digital speckle experiments, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the water-conducting fracture zone were investigated. During the coal mining process, the water-conducting fracture zone will exhibit a "step-type" development characteristic, with the fracture morphology evolving from vertical to horizontal. Near the goaf boundary, the strain gradually decreases, and the instability of the primary key stratum significantly impacts the mining space below, leading to the closure of interlayer voids or the redistribution of water-conducting fissure patterns. Field measurements of the water-conducting fracture zone reveal that postmining roof fractures can be classified into tensile-shear, throughgoing, and discrete types, with decreasing water-conducting capacity in that order, the measured development height of the water-conducting fracture zone (51 m) aligns closely with the theoretical height (51.37 m) and the numerical simulation height (49.17 m). Finally, from the perspective of key stratum instability, the disaster mechanisms of dynamic water inrush and hydrostatic pressure water inrush beneath the karst aquifers in the northern Guizhou coalfield were revealed. The findings provide valuable insights for water prevention and control efforts in the Qianbei coalfield mining area.

In order to solve the problem of roof water inrush risk during the mining of No. 9 coal seam in Longfeng Coal Mine, an LDA-RBF neural network model for predicting the development height of water-conduction fracture zone was constructed by linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and a CRITIC-AHP comprehensive weighting method was established based on the improved CRITIC evaluation method combined with analytic hierarchy method (AHP) to evaluate the risk of roof cracking and the water richness level of the aquifer in the mining area. Through ArcGis geographic information processing technology, the cracking risk zone and the water-rich zone are superimposed to obtain a comprehensive zoning map of the water inrush risk of the roof of No.9 coal seam. The results show that the LDA-RBF neural network prediction model has a simple structure and higher fitting accuracy, and the development prediction height of the No.9 coal seam water-conducting fracture zone is 50.4 m, which has exceeded the bottom boundary level of most aquifers in the area, indicating that there is a high risk of cracking in most areas. The improved comprehensive weighting method avoids the problem of excessive subjectivity and objectivity of the evaluation results, and the water-rich zoning results are consistent with the actual water inflow of the borehole. Finally, the water inrush danger zone is mainly distributed in strips in the central and northern parts of the mining area, which is the result of the combined effect of strong water richness and high cracking risk of the aquifer in this area, indicating that the above areas should be paid attention to in actual mining.

Background Pelvic pain is a common complaint of discomfort in women, with an increasing incidence and seriously affecting patients’ quality of life. Its etiology involves multiple systems and disciplines, and therefore treatment modalities are diverse. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) therapy is a classic analgesic means, and electrical stimulation of local acupoints can achieve obvious analgesic effects. This review aims to discuss the application of TEAS for the treatment of various types of pelvic pain, the selection of optimal parameters and the renewal of equipment.Method Result TEAS for treatment of pelvic pain in women has been reported mainly for endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), intrauterine adhesion (IUA), pelvic stasis syndrome, interstitial cystitis, primary dysmenorrhoea and other diseases. And for parameter selection, the most used of frequency is dilatational wave, the most used stimulation intensity is 10–20 mA, and the acupoint selection should be based on the specific conditions of the patient.Conclusions The analgesic mechanism of TEAS has not been fully elucidated, but the efficacy of the treatment is remarkable and there are no significant adverse effects. The selection of the parameters for TEAS and the combination of acupoints for different pains are still the main directions of future research.

In this study, the mating system of the endangered aquatic fern Ceratopteris thalictroides in China was investigated using microsatellite markers. The estimates of the multilocus outcrossing rate (tm) and single-locus outcrossing rate (ts) were high at the species level (tm = 0.701 and ts = 0.595, respectively), indicating that C. thalictroides is a predominantly outcrossing species. Negative F (inbreeding coefficient of the maternal parents) values (-0.137) at the species level indicated an excess of heterozygotes and low inbreeding in the populations analyzed. Our investigation revealed that some of the natural and ex situ conservation populations of C. thalictroides have a prolific capacity for vegetative growth. The results showed that the homosporous pteridophyte C. thalictroides in China predominantly favors gametophytic crossing with a certain level of inbreeding along with vegetative growth. Ten populations have been established for ex situ conservation in Wuhan, China, with a survival rate of more than 90%, and mature spores were collected from them. Several factors, including high dispersal of spores and gametophytes by flowing water, high gene flow, and the wide distribution of the species in China, with the occurrence of some large populations, may have resulted in a high outcrossing rate in Chinese C. thalictroides. The high outcrossing rate of C. thalictroides showed that ex situ plantings are most suitable for enhancing possible mixing of the different populations, thus minimizing inbreeding.

In this study, mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of seven cichlid species (Lamprologus kungweensis, L. meleagris, L. ornatipinnis, Neolamprologus brevis, N. caudopunctatus, N. leleupi, and N. similis) are characterized for the first time. The newly sequenced mitogenomes contained 37 typical genes [13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs)]. The mitogenomes were 16,562 ~ 16,587 bp in length with an A + T composition of 52.1~58.8%. The cichlid mitogenomes had a comparable nucleotide composition, A + T content was higher than the G + C content. The AT-skews of most mitogenomes were inconspicuously positive and the GC-skews were negative, indicating higher occurrences of C than G. Most PCGs started with the conventional start codon, ATN. There was no essential difference in the codon usage patterns of these seven species. Using Ka/Ks, we found the fastest-evolving gene were atp8. But the results of p-distance indicated that the fastest-evolving gene was nad6. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that L. meleagris did not cluster with Lamprologus species, but with species from the genus Neolamprologus. The novel information obtained about these mitogenomes will contribute to elucidating the complex relationships among cichlid species.

Single-cell RNA sequencing technology (scRNA-seq) has been steadily developing since its inception in 2009. Unlike bulk RNA-seq, scRNA-seq identifies the heterogeneity of tissue cells and reveals gene expression changes in individual cells at the microscopic level. Here, we review the development of scRNA-seq, which has gone through iterations of reverse transcription, in vitro transcription, smart-seq, drop-seq, 10 × Genomics, and spatial single-cell transcriptome technologies. The technology of 10 × Genomics has been widely applied in medicine and biology, producing rich research results. Furthermore, this review presents a summary of the analytical process for single-cell transcriptome data and its integration with other omics analyses, including genomes, epigenomes, proteomes, and metabolomics. The single-cell transcriptome has a wide range of applications in biology and medicine. This review analyzes the applications of scRNA-seq in cancer, stem cell research, developmental biology, microbiology, and other fields. In essence, scRNA-seq provides a means of elucidating gene expression patterns in single cells, thereby offering a valuable tool for scientific research. Nevertheless, the current single-cell transcriptome technology is still imperfect, and this review identifies its shortcomings and anticipates future developments. The objective of this review is to facilitate a deeper comprehension of scRNA-seq technology and its applications in biological and medical research, as well as to identify avenues for its future development in alignment with practical needs.

Abstract Centromeres play a crucial role in ensuring the accurate separation of chromosomes during cell division. Despite the three rounds of genome sequencing technology undergone by Citrus sinensis (sweet orange), the presence of numerous repetitive DNA elements in its genome has led to substantial gaps in centromeric genomic mapping, leaving the composition of centromeric repeats unclear. To address this, we employed a combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing with the C. sinensis centromere-specific histone H3 variant antibody and centromere-specific bacterial artificial chromosome-3a sequencing to precisely locate the centromeres. This approach allowed us to identify a series of centromere-specific repeats, comprising five tandem repeats and nine long terminal repeat retrotransposons. Through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, we gained valuable insights into potential centromeric evolution events and discovered the presence of DNA G-quadruplex structures of centromeric repeats in C. sinensis. Altogether, our study not only offers a valuable reference for centromeric genome assembly but also sheds light on the structural characteristics of C. sinensis centromeres.

A quantitative investigation of poly(vinyl) chloride (PVC) de-chlorination using Fe2O3, together with the impact of SiO2 addition on the co-pyrolysis of PVC and Fe2O3, was conducted below 673 K in an Ar atmosphere aiming to cut the emission of gaseous Cl⁻ products. It was found that chlorine in PVC can be fixed in FeCl2 by the reaction between PVC and Fe2O3. The co-pyrolysis of PVC and Fe2O3 proceeds in two stages with a temperature boundary of around 543 K. Below 543 K, a direct reaction occurs between PVC and Fe2O3, resulting in a small mass loss ratio and some extent of chlorine fixing ratio in FeCl2. However, above 543 K, PVC starts to decompose to release gaseous H2, HCl, etc., which react with Fe2O3 through two possible pathways to form FeCl2. In Pathway 1, first Fe2O3 is reduced to Fe3O4 by H2, followed by the chlorination of Fe3O4 to FeCl2 by HCl. In Pathway 2, first Fe2O3 is chlorinated to FeCl3 by HCl, followed by the reduction of FeCl3 to FeCl2 by H2. The chlorine fixing ratio in FeCl2 and the volatile generation ratio increase with decreasing PVC content in the initial mixtures. The addition of SiO2 promotes the chlorine fixing ratio in FeCl2 and volatile generation, and the impact gets stronger with decreasing PVC content in the mixtures. The chlorine fixing ratio is increased from 70.8 to 82.6% by SiO2 addition for the mixtures containing 25% PVC, whereas the difference in the chlorine fixing ratio in FeCl2 caused by SiO2 addition is negligible for the mixtures containing 90% PVC. Fayalite (Fe2SiO4) was not detected in the solid residues after the experiments. After separating FeCl2 using water leaching, the filter residue, a composite of iron oxide and conjugated polyene, can be used as a raw material for iron-making.

In order to effectively prevent and control the impact of reclamation activities on the marine ecological environment, according to the relevant technical guidelines, taking the pressure of habitat, organisms and ecosystem as the index, and based on the survey results of marine ecological environment, this paper evaluated the cumulative impact of reclamation projects on the stability of Meizhou Bay ecosystem, and put forward some suggestions. The results showed that with the increasing intensity of reclamation activities, the marine ecological environment of Meizhou Bay deteriorated significantly from 2010 to 2013, and the stability index of the bay ecosystem showed a downward trend, reaching the degree of serious damage since 2012. We should strictly control the large-scale reclamation activities in Meizhou Bay, focus on the habitat restoration of fishery resources and benthos, and optimize the assignment of primary productivity in the technical guidelines.

Many bioactive inorganic ions such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and silicon (Si) have been confirmed to take part in bone regeneration through promoting the secretion of osteogenesis-related growth factors. However, it is not clear about the effective concentration range and action mechanism of ion combinations on synergistically facilitating osteogenesis. Besides, it is of great significance to design a novel bioceramic that could continuously release these effective inorganic ions to match the need for bone tissue repair. Thus, in this work, the concentration level of combined Ca, Mg, Si ions beneficial to osteogenesis of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was explored by orthogonal experimental design (OED) firstly. Meanwhile, eight single-phase ceramics in CaO–MgO–SiO2 system were synthesized, and the influences of their inherent properties on ion dissolution behaviors were systematically investigated. Finally, based on the above results, three multiphase bioceramics (named C1, C2 and C3) containing calcium silicate, diopside and akermanite as crystalline phase were designed and synthesized. It was found that the ionic extracts of bioceramic C1 were just within the above effective concentration range, displaying a predetermined ability of stimulating osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs through enhancing the expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). All the results indicated that this novel multiphase bioceramic with adjustable ion dissolution behavior has a great application potential in bone tissue engineering.

Contribution: This research provides insights into the applications of virtual reality (VR) in learning spatial reasoning, which could be utilized and developed in educational frameworks and settings, especially in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), and other aspects. Background: Spatial reasoning and VR are essential for an effective STEAM strategy. Thus, professionals must constantly research to help learners explore spatial-reasoning perception. This research's objective is to explore how VR can enhance spatial-reasoning consent of learning, specifically toward mental rotation and spatial visualization skills. Research Question: How does VR help learners embrace spatial-reasoning perception and experiences? Methodology: This study proposes a two-phase comparison experiment to explore the potential improvement of learning spatial-reasoning perception toward spatial abilities and experience in VR. In the first phase, participants experienced conventional hand drawing techniques before moving to the VR environment with the "Gravity Sketch" application, followed by a perceptional assessment in motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) and immersive evaluation with immersive tendency questionnaire (ITQ). In the second phase, participants are invited to conduct the conventional drawing session again, followed by interviews to gain further insights. A galvanic skin response (GSR) device is attached to collect reflection patterns during the whole experiment. Findings: The results support the hypotheses and reveal that VR can help to improve the learning experience and perception of spatial reasoning. Nevertheless, some limitations have been found, such as the small sample size of participants and the need to consider the level of complexity as a future concern.

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) has been demoted to “vulnerable species” because its populations have apparently stabilized in Japan and Korea. Low variation and genetic drift may cause damage to the nascent recovery of the G. japonensis population. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is one of the most polymorphic gene families in the vertebrate genome and can reflect information on the adaptive evolution of endangered species. In this study, variations in MHC I exon 3 of captive G. japonensis in China were assessed and compared with those in cranes from Japan. Forty MHC alleles of 274 base pairs were isolated from 32 individuals from two captive populations in China. There was high variability in the nucleotide and amino acid composition, showing the proportion of polymorphic sites of 18.98 and 32.97%, respectively. Comparative analyses of the Chinese and Japanese populations based on 222 base pair sequences revealed more alleles and higher variation in the Chinese population. The lack of significant geographical differentiation of G. japonensis was supported by the genetic differentiation coefficient (0.04506) between the Chinese and Japanese populations. Positive selection of antigen-binding sites was observed, which contributed to maintaining the diversity of MHC class I genes. Phylogenetic analysis suggested the persistence of trans-species polymorphisms among MHC class I genes in Gruidae species. Our results may contribute to optimizing the management of G. japonensis populations and population recovery of this threatened species.

Cognitive impairment, defined as a decline in memory and executive function, is one of the most severe complications of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Patients with TBI are often unable to return to work due to cognitive impairment and their overall quality of life is reduced. TBI can bring a serious economic burden to patient's families and to society. Reported findings on the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in improving cognitive impairment following TBI are inconsistent. The purpose of the proposed study is to investigate whether rTMS can improve memory and executive function in patients with TBI. Herein, we propose a prospective randomized placebo-controlled (rTMS, sham rTMS, cognitive training), parallel-group, single-center trial. 36 participants with a TBI occurring at least 6 months prior will be recruited from an inpatient rehabilitation center. Participants will be randomly assigned to the real rTMS, sham rTMS, or cognitive training groups with a ratio of 1:1:1. A 20-session transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol will be applied to the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) at frequencies of 10 Hz and 1 Hz, respectively. Neuropsychological assessments will be performed at four time points: baseline, after the 10th rTMS session, after the 20th rTMS session, and 30 days post-intervention. The primary outcome is change in executive function assessed using the Shape Trail Test (STT). The secondary outcome measures are measures from neuropsychological tests: the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT), the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test (BVMT), the Digit Span Test (DST). We report on positive preliminary results in terms of improving memory and executive function as well as beneficial changes in brain connectivity among TBI patients undergoing rTMS and hypothesize that we will obtain similar results in the proposed study.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common among elderly people. So far, effective treatment that can stabilize or reverse the cognitive decline associated with MCI is lacking. Recent studies suggest that playing mahjong may improve attention and memory in elderly people. However, its effect on executive function remains unknown.Methods: 56 elderly people (74.3 ± 4.3 years of age) with MCI from the First Social Welfare the First Nursing Home of Nanchong were randomized into mahjong and control groups (N = 28, each group). Subjects in the mahjong group played mahjong three times a week for 12 weeks, while people in the control group assumed normal daily activity. Executive function was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment—Beijing (MoCA-B), the Shape Trail Test (STT), and the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) before the study and then at 6 and 12 weeks after mahjong administration.Results: There were no baseline differences in MoCA-B, STT, and FAQ scoring between the two groups. The MoCA-B, STT, and FAQ scores, however, improved significantly in the mahjong group but not in the control group after the 12-week mahjong administration. Significant correlations were also found between STT and FAQ scores.Conclusions: Playing Mahjong for 12 weeks improved the executive function of elderly people with MCI. Because Mahjong is a simple, low-cost entertainment activity, it could be widely applied to slow down or reverse the progression of cognitive decline in people with MCI, including those with traumatic brain injury.

[Backgound] The light output response function of the scintillator detector affects its detection efficiency, threshold and its future application prospects. EJ299-33A is a plastic scintillator with pulse shape discrimination properties (PSD). It can be used for the identification of neutrons, γ and charged particles in nuclear physics and nuclear technique experiments.PurposeThis study aims to achieve the energy calibration of EJ299-33A plastic scintillator, and obtain its spectrum-dose conversion G(E) function.MethodsFirst of all, a set of detector and nuclear electronics system was built by using multi-channel pulse amplitude analyzer (MCA) and a EJ299-33A plastic scintillator. Then, the light output spectrum of EJ299-33A detector was experimentally measured with standard γ source 137Cs and 60Co, and Geant4 Monte Carlo code was used to simulate the experiments. Finally, the electron energy calibration of the detector was carried out by comparing the simulation results with the experimental data to accurately determine the position of Compton edge, and neutron detection threshold was further studied by using the energy calibration of detector.Results & ConclusionsThe light responses of the EJ299-33A detector to 15 different γ energies in the range of 200 keV∼3 MeV are calculated with Geant4. The spectrum-dose converted function G(E) is obtained according to the light output results and the theoretical value of air absorbed dose.

Age-related macular degeneration is associated with the degeneration of photoreceptors and retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells in the macular. We, previously, demonstrated the protective effect of hyperoside on RPE cell death. In this study, hyperoside inhibited A2E accumulation and UVA and blue light (BL) induced cell death in RPE cells. Hyperoside exhibited inhibitory effects on AP-1 and NF-kB activities, determined by luciferase assay. BL induced complement C3 activation and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage were inhibited by hyperoside treatment in A2E laden RPE cells. Furthermore, expression of AhR target genes (CYP1A1 and CYP1B1) were upregulated by hyperoside treatment. Finally, hyperoside prevented UVA and BL-induced photoreceptor degeneration in the Balb-c mice. The outer nuclear layer thickness, counts and retinal layer folds were ameliorated by hyperoside treatment. The results suggest that hyperoside could be a potential application to prevent the onset and development of AMD.

Accumulation of N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E) in retinal pigment epithelial cells is implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A recent study has demonstrated that the polyphenol-enriched fraction of Vaccinium uliginosum L. (FH) reduces retinal damage induced by blue light in a mouse model. However, the underlying mechanism of its protective effect remains unclear. Here, we revealed that blue light irradiation of A2E-laden ARPE-19 cells can alter the transcription of genes belonging to TNFα signaling, UV response, complement, p53, and apoptosis pathways. FH treatment of ARPE-19 cells inhibited blue light-induced transcriptional activity of NF-kB and AP1 and activation of C3 complement. Additionally, FH protected ARPE-19 cells from blue light-induced apoptosis. Finally, we showed that FH inhibits the intracellular accumulation of A2E and induces the removal of A2E from retinal pigment cells. Taken together, our study revealed the protective mechanisms of FH against blue light-induced damage of A2E-laden RPE cells.

The internal optimal allocation of R&D funds is directly related to the innovation ability of information industry enterprise. Enterprises have different capital source channels at different stages of the life cycle, and the capital investment at different stages should have different focuses. This paper takes a case study of Electronic and communication equipment manufacturing enterprises and considers that the allocation of R&D funds of information industry enterprise depends on the influence of such factors as technology stock, organizational form and enterprise strategy.

It is of great significance to obtain soil texture information quickly for the realization of farmland management. Soil with good particle condition can well regulate the needs of plants for water, nutrients, air, and temperature during crop growth, thereby promoting high crop yields. The existing methods of measuring soil texture cannot meet the requirements of time and spatial resolution. For this reason, a vehicle-mounted soil texture detector was designed and developed based on machine vision and soil electrical conductivity devices. The detector does not require pretreatment such as air-drying and screening of the soil, and completely uses the original information of the farmland. The whole process can obtain the soil texture information in real time, omitting the complicated chemical process, and saving manpower and material resources. The vehicle-mounted detector is divided into a mechanical part, a control part, and a display part. The mechanical part provides measurement support for the acquisition of soil texture information; the control part collects and processes signals and images; the measurement results can be intuitively observed and recorded on the display, and can be operated through the mobile phone. The vehicle-mounted detector obtains soil conductivity through 4 disc electrodes, while the vehicle-mounted industrial camera captures the soil surface image, and extracts texture parameters through image processing, takes EC and texture parameters as input, and the embedded SVM model of the instrument was used to perform soil texture prediction. In order to verify the measurement accuracy of the detector, farmland verification experiments were carried out on farmland loam in Tongzhou District and Haidian District of Beijing. The R2 of the correlation between the measured value of soil EC and the actual value was 0.75, and the accuracy of soil texture prediction was 84.86%. It shows that the developed vehicle-mounted soil texture detector can meet the requirements for rapid acquisition of farmland texture information.

Since the beginning of the extensive applications in numerous high temperature processes such as iron- and steel-making, coke-making etc. partly in the place of coke, the investigation into the reaction mechanism of waste plastics has become increasingly necessary. In this paper a fundamental study on the behavior of a typical component of waste plastics, high density polyethylene (HDPE), in a mixture with coke at a 1:1 ratio in mass base was conducted during the reaction with iron oxide in steel-making slag at 1823 K and was compared with coke and graphite. The reaction mechanism of carbonaceous materials was analyzed based on the contents of CO and CO2 in the off-gas monitored by an infrared (IR) gas analyzer. It is clear from the results that the reaction of HDPE and coke mixture with steel-making slag approached equilibrium of the Boudouard reaction more quickly and closely than coke or graphite.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is known to mediate the cellular reaction involved in processing environmental contaminants and, ultimately, preventing accumulation of unfavorable extra lipids and proteins. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mediates the expression of genes associated with anti-inflammatory properties. Because AHR and GR are closely related in lipid metabolic dysregulation and inflammation, we speculate that AHR and GR may play a crucial role in AMD pathogenesis and focus on their crosstalk in human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19). However, how AHR and GR regulate each other’s signaling pathways is still poorly understood. In this research, we demonstrate that GR attenuates AHR-mediated gene expression by inhibition of nuclear translocation of AHR mediated by TCDD. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that GR repress AHR recruitment and chromatin accessibility response to TCDD + Dex treatment leading to repression of AHR target genes. In contrast, AHR facilitates GR-mediated expression in ARPE-19. AHR increases GR recruitment on GRE of GR target genes. Coimmunoprecipitation assay revealed that AHR is associated with GR in ARPE-19 cells and the interaction is enhanced by the addition of TCDD and Dex. Taken together, these studies provide a molecular mechanism of crosstalk between AHR and GR in target gene expression in ARPE-19 cells.

Investigating adaptive potential and understanding the relative roles of selection and genetic drift in populations of endangered species are essential in conservation. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes characterized by spectacular polymorphism and fitness association have become valuable adaptive markers. Herein we investigate the variation of all MHC class I and II genes across seven populations of an endangered bird, the crested ibis, of which all current individuals are offspring of only two pairs. We inferred seven multilocus haplotypes from linked alleles in the Core Region and revealed structural variation of the class II region that probably evolved through unequal crossing over. Based on the low polymorphism, structural variation, strong linkage, and extensive shared alleles, we applied the MHC haplotypes in population analysis. The genetic variation and population structure at MHC haplotypes are generally concordant with those expected from microsatellites, underlining the predominant role of genetic drift in shaping MHC variation in the bottlenecked populations. Nonetheless, some populations showed elevated differentiation at MHC, probably due to limited gene flow. The seven populations were significantly differentiated into three groups and some groups exhibited genetic monomorphism, which can be attributed to founder effects. We therefore propose various strategies for future conservation and management.

Citrus sinensis chromosomes present a morphological differentiation of bands after staining by the fluorochromes CMA and DAPI, but there is still little information on its chromosomal characteristics. In this study, the chromosomes in 'Valencia' C. sinensis were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using telomere DNA and the 45S rDNA gene as probes combining CMA/DAPI staining, which showed that there were two fragile sites in sweet orange chromosomes co-localizing at distended 45S rDNA regions, one proximally locating on B-type chromosome and the other subterminally locating on D-type chromosome. While the chromosomal CMA banding and 45S rDNA FISH mapping in the doubled haploid line of 'Valencia' C. sinensis indicated six 45S rDNA regions, four were identified as fragile sites as doubled comparing its parental line, which confirmed the cytological heterozygosity and chromosomal heteromorphisms in sweet orange. Furthermore, Ag-NOR identified two distended 45S rDNA regions to be active nucleolar organizing regions (NORs) in diploid 'Valencia' C. sinensis. The occurrence of quadrivalent in meiosis of pollen mother cells (PMCs) in 'Valencia' sweet orange further confirmed it was a chromosomal reciprocal translocation line. We speculated this chromosome translocation was probably related to fragile sites. Our data provide insights into the chromosomal characteristics of the fragile sites in 'Valencia' sweet orange and are expected to facilitate the further investigation of the possible functions of fragile sites.

Fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP4) and FABP5 are two closely related FA binding proteins expressed primarily in adipose tissue and/or macrophages. The small-molecule FABP4 inhibitor BMS309403 was previously reported to improve insulin sensitivity in leptin-deficient Lepob/Lepob (ob/ob) mice. However, this compound was not extensively characterized in the more physiologically relevant animal model of mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO). Here, we report the discovery and characterization of a novel series of FABP4/5 dual inhibitors represented by Compounds 1–3. Compared with BMS309403, the compounds had significant in vitro potency toward both FABP4 and FABP5. In cell-based assays, Compounds 2 and 3 were more potent than BMS309403 to inhibit lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in primary human adipocytes. They also inhibited MCP-1 release from THP-1 macrophages as well as from primary human macrophages. When chronically administered to DIO mice, BMS309403 and Compound 3 reduced plasma triglyceride and free FA levels. Compound 3 reduced plasma free FAs at a lower dose level than BMS309403. However, no significant change was observed in insulin, glucose, or glucose tolerance. Our results indicate that the FABP4/5 inhibitors ameliorate dyslipidemia but not insulin resistance in DIO mice.

Stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1-deficient (SCD1−/−) mice have impaired MUFA synthesis. When maintained on a very low-fat (VLF) diet, SCD1−/− mice developed severe hypercholesterolemia, characterized by an increase in apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins and the appearance of lipoprotein X. The rate of LDL clearance was decreased in VLF SCD1−/− mice relative to VLF SCD1+/+ mice, indicating that reduced apoB-containing lipoprotein clearance contributed to the hypercholesterolemia. Additionally, HDL-cholesterol was dramatically reduced in these mice. The presence of increased plasma bile acids, bilirubin, and aminotransferases in the VLF SCD1−/− mice is indicative of cholestasis. Supplementation of the VLF diet with MUFA- and PUFA-rich canola oil, but not saturated fat-rich hydrogenated coconut oil, prevented these plasma phenotypes. However, dietary oleate was not as effective as canola oil in reducing LDL-cholesterol, signifying a role for dietary PUFA deficiency in the development of this phenotype. These results indicate that the lack of SCD1 results in an increased requirement for dietary unsaturated fat to compensate for impaired MUFA synthesis and to prevent hypercholesterolemia and hepatic dysfunction. Therefore, endogenous MUFA synthesis is essential during dietary unsaturated fat insufficiency and influences the dietary requirement of PUFA.