Search

Abstract Rockburst, coal bump, and mine earthquake are the most important dynamic disaster phenomena in deep mining. This paper summarizes the differences and connections between rockburst, coal bumps and mine earthquakes in terms of definition, mechanism, phenomenon, evaluation index, etc. The definition and evolution progress of the three disaster categories are summarized, as well as the monitoring, early warning, and prevention measures are also presented. Firstly, by combining theoretical research with specific technologies and engineering field cases, the main categories and failure mechanisms of rockburst, coal bumps and mine earthquakes are introduced. Then, the evaluation indexes of coal bump and mine earthquake are summarized, and a new evaluation index of rockburst is given. Finally, the characteristics of monitoring, early warning technologies and prevention methods of rockburst, coal bumps, and mine earthquakes are discussed in technology and application. At last, the future directions of rockburst, coal bump and mine earthquake are put forward.

Partitioning water distribution networks (WDNs) into district metered areas offers benefits including reduced nonrevenue water and simplified pressure management. However, current research in this field tends to narrowly focus on the topological relationships among nodes, often overlooking the influence of pressure reducing valves (PRVs) and pump stations on clustering results. To address this limitation, this study introduces a topology-distance-based clustering (TDBC) method that enhances the accuracy of partitioning by explicitly considering the impact of PRVs and pump stations. In the TDBC method, the Floyd algorithm is initially employed to construct a topological distance matrix that quantifies the degree of node connectivity. By amplifying topological distances for links including PRVs and pump stations, their effect on clustering results is incorporated. Subsequently, nodes are clustered using the K-means algorithm based on the resulting topology-distance matrix. The proposed TDBC approach is applied to four network cases, and its outcomes are compared with those of two traditional methods. The comparative analysis indicates that the TDBC algorithm achieves precise partitioning results for networks incorporating PRVs or pump stations, while ensuring a harmonious balance between modularity and the uniformity of the partitioning results, even in networks with complex structures and highly interconnected loops. HIGHLIGHTS Incorporation of PRVs and pump stations: The TDBC method introduces a novel approach by explicitly incorporating the influence of pressure reducing valves (PRVs) and pump stations into the clustering process.; Topological distance-based clustering: The TDBC method shifts from traditional geographical proximity-based methods to a topological distance-based approach.; Improved clustering uniformity.;

Failure of irregular rock samples may provide implications in the rapid estimation of rock strength, which is imperative in rock engineering practice. In this work, analytical, experimental and numerical investigations were carried out to study the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of rock spheres under paired point loads. Analytical solutions indicted that with the increase in sample size (contact angle) and decrease in Poisson’s ratio, the uneven tensile stress in theta direction decreased. Then laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the load characteristics and failure mode of spherical marble samples with different sizes subjected to a pair of diametral point loads. The discrete element method (DEM) was adopted to study the failure process of rock spheres. The effect of the sphere diameter on the point load contact angle was examined in terms of peak load, crushed zone distribution and energy dissipation. Experimental and numerical results showed that the samples primarily fail in tension, with crushed zones formed at both loading points. With increase in the sample size, the contact angle, crushed area and total work increase. As the specimen diameter increases from 30 mm to 50 mm, the peak load on the specimen increases from 3.6 kN to 8.8 kN, and the percentage of crushed zone (ratio of crushing zone to sample radius, d/r) increased from 0.191 to 0.262. The results of the study have implications for understanding the failure of irregular rock specimens under point loading conditions and their size effects.

Hard rock pillar is one of the important structures in engineering design and excavation in underground mines. Accurate and convenient prediction of pillar stability is of great significance for underground space safety. This paper aims to develop hybrid support vector machine (SVM) models improved by three metaheuristic algorithms known as grey wolf optimizer (GWO), whale optimization algorithm (WOA) and sparrow search algorithm (SSA) for predicting the hard rock pillar stability. An integrated dataset containing 306 hard rock pillars was established to generate hybrid SVM models. Five parameters including pillar height, pillar width, ratio of pillar width to height, uniaxial compressive strength and pillar stress were set as input parameters. Two global indices, three local indices and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were utilized to evaluate all hybrid models’ performance. The results confirmed that the SSA-SVM model is the best prediction model with the highest values of all global indices and local indices. Nevertheless, the performance of the SSA-SVM model for predicting the unstable pillar (AUC: 0.899) is not as good as those for stable (AUC: 0.975) and failed pillars (AUC: 0.990). To verify the effectiveness of the proposed models, 5 field cases were investigated in a metal mine and other 5 cases were collected from several published works. The validation results indicated that the SSA-SVM model obtained a considerable accuracy, which means that the combination of SVM and metaheuristic algorithms is a feasible approach to predict the pillar stability.

The differential evolution (DE) algorithm is considered the most powerful evolutionary algorithm (EA) for the optimal design of water distribution systems (WDSs). However, when dealing with large-scale WDS optimization, issues such as premature convergence become a concern. This paper presents an auto-enhanced population diversity and ranking selection-based differential evolutionary (AEPD-RSDE) algorithm for the optimal design of WDSs, which is the first work that incorporates an AEPD strategy to avoid the premature convergence issue and enhance the exploration ability of DE applied to WDS optimization. Besides, the proposed algorithm includes a ranking selection strategy that replaces the tournament selection operator to enhance convergence speed. Three well-known WDSs, i.e., the New York Tunnels (NYT), the Hanoi network (HAN), and the Balerma irrigation network (BIN), were used to validate the proposed algorithm. Results indicate the proposed algorithm is able to find the current best solution, with a success rate of 100% for the NYT and HAN cases and lower average cost solution of €1.921 million for the BIN case relative to other EAs. Instead of solely focusing on ultimate performance comparison, search behavior analyses are conducted between different mutation and selection operators, offering deep insight to guide the development of more advanced EAs. HIGHLIGHTS This paper introduces an auto-enhanced population diversity strategy to overcome premature convergence and enhance the exploration ability of differential evolution (DE) in the optimization of water distribution systems (WDS).; The paper compares the searching behavior of mutation and selection operators and provides an explanation for why the proposed algorithm is more effective than traditional DE.;

Accurate structural information plays a crucial role in comprehending biological processes and designing drugs. Indeed, the remarkable precision of the AlphaFold2 has facilitated significant advancements in predicting molecular structures, encompassing antibodies and antigens. This breakthrough has paved the way for rational drug design, ushering in new possibilities in the field of pharmaceutical development. Within this study, performing analysis and humanization guided by the structures predicted by AlphaFold2. Notably, the resulting humanized antibody, h3D5-hIgG1, demonstrated exceptional binding affinity to the PD-L1 protein. The KD value of parental antibody 3D5-hIgG1 was increased by nearly 7 times after humanization. Both h3D5-hIgG1 and 3D5-hIgG1 bound to cells expressing human PD-L1 with EC50 values of 5.13 and 9.92nM, respectively. Humanization resulted in a twofold increase in the binding capacity of the antibody, with h3D5-hIgG1 exhibiting superior performance compared to the parental antibody 3D5-hIgG1. Furthermore, h3D5-hIgG1 promoted cytokine secretion of T cells, and significantly suppressed MC38-hPD-L1 tumor growth. This study highlights the potential for artificial intelligence-assisted drug development, which is poised to become a prominent trend in the future.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different prebiotic (inulin, fructooligosaccharides, and galactooligosaccharides) on textural, rheological, and microstructural properties of synbiotic yogurt. The results showed that synbiotic yogurt group fortified with inulin could significantly improve the water holding capacity and hardness (P

This work aims to investigate the mechanical behaviour of medium-grained sandstones under cyclic loading with different loading/unloading rates. This type of cyclic loading is called differential cyclic loading (DCL) and is considered for testing rock behaviour. In the experiments, constant amplitude and multi-level cyclic loadings were performed. Three loading modes were designed to consider different relationships between loading and unloading rates. Axial strain evolution and energy dissipation were analysed for different loading/unloading rates and maximum cyclic load level. The correlations between P-wave velocities and strengths of rocks deduced from this research are compared with existing published data. The relationships between final strength and axial strain at failure under different loading patterns were also discussed and a rough assessment of the remaining fatigue life is introduced using the predicted value by fitting the axial peak strain.

Abstract Background The brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a target for treating obesity. BAT losses thermogenic capacity and gains a “white adipose tissue-like” phenotype (“BAT whitening”) under thermoneutral environments, which is a potential factor causing a low curative effect in BAT-related obesity treatments. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) to mRNAs and function in various processes by sponging shared microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the roles of circRNA- and lncRNA-related ceRNA networks in regulating BAT whitening remain litter known. Results In this study, BATs were collected from rabbits at day0 (D0), D15, D85, and 2 years (Y2). MiRNA-seq was performed to investigate miRNA changes during BAT whitening. Then, a combined analysis of circRNA-seq and whole-transcriptome sequencing was used for circRNA assembly and quantification during BAT whitening. Our data showed that 1187 miRNAs and 6204 circRNAs were expressed in the samples, and many of which were identified as significantly changed during BAT whitening. Target prediction showed that D0-selective miRNAs were significantly enriched in the Ras, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, and Y2-selective miRNAs were predicted to be involved in cell proliferation. The cyclization of several circRNAs could form novel response elements of key thermogenesis miRNAs at the back-splicing junction (BSJ) sites, and in combination with a dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the binding between the BSJ site of novel_circ_0013792 and ocu-miR-378-5p. CircRNAs and lncRNAs have high cooperativity in sponging miRNAs during BAT whitening. Both circRNA-miRNA-mRNA and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA triple networks were significantly involved in immune response-associated biological processes. The D15-selective circRNA might promote BAT whitening by increasing the expression of IDH2. The Y2-selective circRNA-related ceRNA network and lncRNA-related ceRNA network might regulate the formation of the WAT-like phenotype of BAT via MAPK and Ras signaling pathways, respectively. Conclusions Our work systematically revealed ceRNA networks during BAT whitening in rabbits and might provide new insight into BAT-based obesity treatments.

Salt hydrates have been used as phase change materials (PCMs) for various types of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) especially for cold storage. In this project, a novel composite phase change material (PCM) consisted of mixed solution of inorganic salt and organic salt was developed and characterized. Firstly, the PCM solutions containing sodium formate, potassium chloride and water with various weight percentage were evaluated to understand their solidification temperature, melting temperature, the supercooling degree and the latent heat. Then a PCM with mass fractions at weight percentages of 22%/12%/66% with better performance was selected for further study to restrain the supercooling. Different gelling agents and nucleate agents were employed in this PCM. The results show that the addition of 0.6 wt% xanthan gum can effectively prevent the phase separation and leakage, while 0.6 wt% of nano-TiO2 is the best nucleating agent since the supercooling can be reduced to 2.6 °C, which is 67.9% lower than that of the original PCM without any nucleating agent. Finally, the novel PCM was tested for frozen food storage application, in which the food temperature could be maintained below -18 °C for over 10 hours in the insulated box. This indicated the suitability of developed PCM for frozen food storage and transportation.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to establish a dynamic model of a floating raft vibration isolation system with a liquid tank in order to study the mass effect of the liquid medium, tank form, structural stiffness and loading rate on acoustic performance. MethodsA floating raft system with a cuboidal or cylindrical liquid tank is taken as the research object, and a fluid-structure coupling finite element dynamic model is established. The dynamic force transmission rate and power flow are then used to evaluate the acoustic performance of the system. The influence of the mass effect of the liquid medium, tank form, structural stiffness and loading rate of tank volume on the acoustic performance of the floating raft system are analyzed.ResultsThe results show similar laws obtained through the calculation and analysis of the floating raft system with two types of tanks. The structural stiffness of the tank affects the mass effect of the liquid medium in the tank to a certain extent. ConclusionsIf full advantage is to be taken of the liquid mass effect in the tank with a large loading rate to improve the acoustic performance of the floating raft system, the design of the liquid tank and raft structure must have sufficient stiffness. In addition, under the condition that the floating raft structure has sufficient stiffness, its acoustic performance will improve significantly as the tank loading rate increases in the relevant low frequency range.

RuO2 encounters critical electrochemical dissolution issues during oxygen evolution reaction and it remains a grand challenge to achieve stable and active RuO2 electrocatalyst. Here, the authors report breaking stability and activity limits of RuO2 by constructing a RuO2/CoO x interface.

To investigate the acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of tensile fracture in the rock, an AE experiment of granite, marble, and red sandstone using an expanding agent for fracture generation was designed. Characteristic parameters of AE signals and the P-wave first-motion polarity were analyzed in detail. Results show that the cumulative count and energy of the AE signal increase exponentially when a macroscopic failure occurs in all three kinds of rock samples. The centroid frequency of AE signals of granite, marble, and red sandstone samples mainly concentrates in the range of 100–300 kHz, 200–400 kHz, and 200–500 kHz, respectively, and the proportion of high centroid frequency events in the red sandstone test is the highest, followed by marble and granite. As the AE signal’s centroid frequency in all three kinds of rocks changed with the time of expander action, more AE signals with a low centroid frequency appeared in the late loading period, indicating the increase of large-scale fracture in the late loading period. Meanwhile, RA values of AE signals of the three rock samples mainly concentrate between 0 and 1.9. AF values of marble and red sandstone mainly concentrate between 50 kHz and 100 kHz, and AF values of granite mainly concentrate between 200 kHz and 250 kHz. Distribution characteristics of the RA−AF indicate that the tensile failure dominates the cracking process in such an experiment. The P-wave first-motion polarity analysis method was used to obtain the first-motion polarity of AE signals of each rock sample. Results showed that there are 77.82%, 79.5%, and 87.42% T-type crackles in granite, marble, and red sandstone, respectively. Moreover, granite and marble exhibit almost no S-type crackle, while red sandstone samples have 9.93% S-type crackles. Both RA−AF distribution and P-wave first-motion polarity analyses are statistical analysis methods, which can qualitatively analyze the type of rock fracture.

Abstract Background The conventional belief that glucocorticosteroid (GC) acts through a single brand glucocorticoid receptor (GR)α protein has changed dramatically with the discovery of multiple GR isoforms. We aimed to evaluate whether multiple GR protein isoforms are expressed in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and whether GR protein isoform expression profiles differ between different endotypes of CRSwNP. Methods Thirty-eight patients with CRSwNP and ten healthy volunteers were included. The protein expression of multiple GR isoforms in nasal polyps (NPs) tissue and control mucosae was examined by western blot analysis with different GR antibodies. Results Five bands, including three bands for known proteins (GRα-A/B, GRα-C, and GRα-D) and two bands for unidentified proteins at 67 kilodaltons (kDa) and 60 kDa, were identified with both total GR antibody (PA1-511A) and GRα-specific antibody (PA1-516). GRα-D intensity, which was abundant in nasal mucosa, was significantly increased in the CRSwNP group and was especially elevated in the noneosinophilic CRSwNP (NE-CRSwNP) group (PA1-511A: P

Objective(s): Lysine-specific demethylase1 (LSD1), an important class of histone demethylases, plays a crucial role in regulation of mammalian biology. The up-regulated LSD1 expression was frequently associated with progress and oncogenesis of multiple human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Therefore, inhibition of LSD1 may provide an attractive strategy for cancer treatment. We investigated the effect of sanguinarine against lung cancer cells as a natural alkaloid LSD1 inhibitor. Materials and Methods: The inhibition properties of sanguinarine to the recombinant LSD1 were evaluated by a fluorescence-based method. Subsequently, assays such as viability, apoptosis, clonogenicity, wound healing, and transwell were performed on H1299 and H1975 cells after treatment with sanguinarine.Results: Upon screening our in-house natural chemical library toward LSD1, we found that sanguinarine possessed a potent inhibitory effect against LSD1 with the IC50 value of 0.4 μM in a reversible manner. Molecular docking simulation suggested that sanguinarine may inactivate LSD1 by inserting into the binding pocket of LSD1 to compete with the FAD site. In H1299 and H1975 cells, sanguinarine inhibited the demethylation of LSD1, validating its cellular activity against the enzyme. Further studies showed that sanguinarine exhibited a strong capacity to suppress colony formation, inhibit migration and invasion, as well as induce apoptosis of H1299 and H1975 cells. Conclusion: Our findings present a new chemical scaffold for LSD1 inhibitors, and also provide new insight into the anti-NSCLC action of sanguinarine.

Abstract The accurate determination of fracture toughness (K Ic) in rock is of great significance to the study of rock fracture characteristics. However, the effect of contact friction in the loading process on the test results of fracture toughness is rarely considered, and the tested K Ic in previous studies is generally higher than the inherent K Ic of the material. Based on the ABAQUS software, the influence of friction on the test results of K Ic was investigated under different material elastic moduli, loading conditions and specimen sizes by the finite element analysis in this study. The results show that for the specimen with the notch semi-circular bend configuration, if the presence of friction is considered, the changes of load level, the span of roller support and the specimen size can significantly affect the test results of fracture toughness, except the elastic modulus of the material; if the influence of friction is not considered, there will be a large deviation in the research results of the size effect of fracture toughness in rock. As the friction coefficient increases, the estimated value of the fracture energy increases, while the fracture process zone length decreases for the specimen with an infinite size.

Abstract Drug resistance is responsible for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)-associated mortality. While ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 5 (ABCC5) has been reported to regulate multiple drug resistance, its drug-efflux function may not be the main reason underlying resistance to enzalutamide, an androgen receptor inhibitor. Here, we aimed to determine whether the non-drug efflux function of ABCC5 affects enzalutamide resistance. The ABCC5 expression data in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus, and their correlation with disease prognosis was analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on a cohort of 80 patient samples. Proliferation of enzalutamide-resistant 22RV1 and C4-2B cells was investigated using CCK-8, EdU, and colony formation assays. The effect of ABCC5 silencing on enzalutamide resensitization was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Functional assays indicated that ABCC5 depletion resensitized enzalutamide-resistant cells to inhibit cell growth and impeded xenograft tumor proliferation. Mechanistically, luciferase and ChIP assays confirmed that P65 regulated AR expression and activity by binding to its promoter, while ABCC5-mediated resistance effected by AR-V7 (one of the widely studied AR splicing variants that meditate AR antagonist resistance) upregulation could be reversed by P65 knockdown. Furthermore, activation of the NF-κB pathway reversed the effects of ABCC5 knockdown by extra AR-V7 expression. Thus, ABCC5 might be a novel target for enzalutamide-resistant CRPC treatment.

Isolated pillars in underground mines are subjected to uniaxial stress, and the load bearing cross-section of pillars is commonly rectangularly shaped. In addition, the uniaxial compression test (UCT) is widely used for determining the basic mechanical properties of rocks and revealing the mechanism of isolated pillar disasters under unidimensional stress. The shape effects of rock mechanical properties under uniaxial compression are mainly quantitatively reflected in the specific shape ratios of rocks. Therefore, it is necessary to study the detailed shape ratio effects on the mechanical properties of rectangular prism rock specimens and isolated pillars under uniaxial compressive stress. In this study, granite, marble and sandstone rectangular prism specimens with various height to width ratios (r) and width to thickness ratios (u) were prepared and tested. The study results show that r and u have a great influence on the bearing ability of rocks, and thin or high rocks have lower uniaxial compressive strength. Reducing the level of r can enhance the u effect on the strength of rocks, and increasing the level of u can enhance the r effect on the strength of rocks. The lateral strain on the thickness side of the rock specimen is larger than that on the width side, which implies that crack growth occurs easily on the thickness side. Considering r and u, a novel strength prediction model of isolated pillars was proposed based on the testing results, and the prediction model was used for the safety assessment of 179 isolated pillars in the Xianglu Mountain Tungsten Mine.

The saline soils in the Yellow River Delta are primarily affected by seawater intrusion resulting from the intersection of land and sea, which exhibit variations in salinity. The quality of these soils is also influenced by anthropogenic reclamation, including fertilization and irrigation. This study quantitatively evaluated the distinct soil properties and soil quality characteristics of the Yellow River Delta during different reclamation years (i.e., 0a, 1a, 5a, 10a, and 20a) using principal component analysis (PCA) and the Soil Quality Index (SQI). The findings indicated that the soil salt content (SSC) significantly decreased (p < 0.05) from 6.60 g/kg in the initial reclamation year (0a) to 1.63 g/kg in the 10th year (10a) and then slightly increased to 2.85 g/kg in the 20th year (20a). Consequently, the soil salinity level shifted from saline soil to slight salinity and then increased to medium salinity. Ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) notably increased by 8.31 mg/kg during the first five years of reclamation (0a to 5a) and gradually decreased by 2.56 mg/kg in the 20th year (20a). On the other hand, nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) experienced a significant decrease of 2–5 times after reclamation but continued to increase by 8.96 mg/kg with subsequent reclamation years. The available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and soil organic carbon (SOC) exhibited a significant increase of 24.87 mg/kg, 10.11 mg/kg, and 6.76 g/kg, respectively, with increasing reclamation years. However, available potassium (AK) gradually decreased after reclamation and then increased in the 20th year (20a). The values of SQI for different reclamation years were 0.307 for 0a, 0.339 for 1a, 0.320 for 5a, 0.318 for 10a, and 0.327 for 20a, indicating an increasing trend with increasing reclamation years. It was discovered that long-term reclamation significantly reduced soil salinity and improved soil quality, leading to the sustainable development of reclaimed saline soils in the Yellow River Delta.

The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of rocks is one of the key parameters for evaluating the safety and stability of civil and mining structures. In this study, 386 rock samples containing four properties named the load strength (PLS), the porosity (Pn), the P-wave velocity (Vp), and the Schmidt hardness rebound number (SHR) are utilized to predict the UCS using several typical empirical equations (EA) and artificial intelligence (AI) methods, i.e., 16 single regression (SR) equations, 2 multiple regression (MR) equations, and the random forest (RF) models optimized by grey wolf optimization (GWO), moth flame optimization (MFO), lion swarm optimization (LSO), and sparrow search algorithm (SSA). The root mean square error (RMSE), determination coefficient (R2), Willmott’s index (WI), and variance accounted for (VAF) are used to evaluate the predictive performance of all developed models. The evaluation results show that the overall performance of AI models is superior to empirical approaches, especially the LSO-RF model. In addition, the most important input variable is the Pn for predicting the UCS. Therefore, AI techniques are considered as more efficient and accurate approaches to replace the empirical equations for predicting the UCS of these collected rock samples, which provides a reliable and effective idea to predict the rock UCS in the filed site.

Geological energy has a long history in China [...]

Measurement(s) stable isotope variation • dew Technology Type(s) water vapour isotope analysis Factor Type(s) climate • temporal interval Sample Characteristic - Environment desert climate • Mediterranean climate • humid continental climate Sample Characteristic - Location Namib Desert • Nice • Indianapolis Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19070114

ObjectivesThe vibration-isolation thrust bearing is a new device for the longitudinal vibration control of propulsion shafts. Experimental results show that the dynamic transmission characteristics of the propulsion shaft are quite different from those of theoretical calculation predictions. Analysis shows that there is serious vibration energy leakage from the vibration-isolation thrust bearing. For better understanding the cause of poor acoustical property of the system, a study is conducted with the focus upon the flexible assemblies of the thrust bearing to determine directions for optimization improvement design. MethodsThe dynamic characteristic analysis is conducted concentrated on the coil spring and coil spring cylinder which are key vibration isolation components of the thrust bearing to research the vibration energy leakage. Then, the dynamic model of the coil spring cylinder is established based on both vibration isolation theory and experiment analysis. Moreover, the dynamic characteristic test bench in vertical state is also built up. ResultsThe experimental analysis results show that the vibration resonance peak of the coil spring is sharp and smooth, while that of the coil spring cylinder is flat with more harmonic components induced by contact friction. When there is contact friction, there will be additional stiffness and damping, which significantly change the dynamic characteristics of the coil spring cylinder. ConclusionThe dynamic model of the coil spring cylinder is verified by experiments. The dynamic transmission characteristics of the coil spring can be used as an evaluation standard for design improvement. The results of this study can provide theoretical support for the design optimization and improvement of the vibration-isolation thrust bearing, which can have great significance for practical engineering.

DNA methylation and the alternative splicing of precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs) are two important genetic modification mechanisms. However, both are currently uncharacterized in the muscle metabolism of rabbits. Thus, we constructed the Tianfu black rabbit obesity model (obese rabbits fed with a 10% high-fat diet and control rabbits from 35 days to 70 days) and collected the skeletal muscle samples from the two groups for Genome methylation sequencing and RNA sequencing. DNA methylation data showed that the promoter regions of 599 genes and gene body region of 2522 genes had significantly differential methylation rates between the two groups, of which 288 genes had differential methylation rates in promoter and gene body regions. Analysis of alternative splicing showed 555 genes involved in exon skipping (ES) patterns, and 15 genes existed in differential methylation regions. Network analysis showed that 20 hub genes were associated with ubiquitinated protein degradation, muscle development pathways, and skeletal muscle energy metabolism. Our findings suggest that the two types of genetic modification have potential regulatory effects on skeletal muscle development and provide a basis for further mechanistic studies in the rabbit.

Abstract Aim The study was conducted to examine the effect of attachment orientation and empathy on the relationship quality of infertile couples and assess the inter‐dependency model of these factors. Design A cross‐sectional survey. Method In this study, 168 infertile couples (336 individuals) were enrolled and asked to finish the following questionnaires: the revised Adult Attachment Scales, the Interpersonal Response Index questionnaire and the Relationship Quality sub‐scale of the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQol). Hierarchical regression and path analysis were used to analyse the unique and combined contribution of the independent variables to relationship quality of couples. Results The attachment orientation of infertile couples can influence their relationship quality, and empathetic wives and husbands have actor and partner effects on the infertile couples' relationship quality. Empathetic infertile couples are conducive to the harmony of the relationship.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) represents a valuable target for treating obesity in humans. BAT losses of thermogenic capacity and gains a “white adipose tissue-like (WAT-like)” phenotype (BAT whitening) under thermoneutral environments, which could lead to potential low therapy responsiveness in BAT-based obesity treatments. However, the epigenetic mechanisms of BAT whitening remain largely unknown. In this study, BATs were collected from rabbits at day0 (D0), D15, D85, and 2 years (Y2). RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) were performed to investigate transcriptome and chromatin accessibility of BATs at the four whitening stages, respectively. Our data showed that many genes and chromatin accessible regions (refer to as “peaks”) were identified as significantly changed during BAT whitening in rabbits. The BAT-selective genes downregulated while WAT-selective genes upregulated from D0 to Y2, and the de novo lipogenesis-related genes reached the highest expression levels at D85. Both the highly expressed genes and accessible regions in Y2 were significantly enriched in immune response-related signal pathways. Analysis of different relationships between peaks and their nearby genes found an increased proportion of the synchronous changes between chromatin accessibility and gene expression during BAT whitening. The synergistic changes between the chromatin accessibility of promoter and the gene expression were found in the key adipose genes. The upregulated genes which contained increased peaks were significantly enriched in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, steroid biosynthesis, TGF-beta signaling pathway, osteoclast differentiation, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Moreover, the footprinting analysis suggested that sequential regulation of potential transcription factors (TFs) mediated the loss of thermogenic phenotype and the gain of a WAT-like phenotype of BAT. In conclusion, our study provided the transcriptional and epigenetic frameworks for understanding BAT whitening in rabbits for the first time and might facilitate potential insights into BAT-based obesity treatments.

Due to machining techniques and dust deposition, gas turbine upstream slots and vane roots are always filleted, significantly affecting the cooling performance of the endwall. The effects of upstream slot fillet and vane root fillet on the cooling performance of the gas turbine endwall were investigated by solving the three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with the shear stress transport (SST) k–ω turbulence model. The results indicate that the velocity distribution of the slot coolant is effectively changed by introducing the upstream slot fillets. Among the four cases, the largest adiabatic cooling effectiveness was obtained for the case with two similar fillets, with a 42% increase in effective cooling area compared to the traditional slot. At MFR = 0.75%, the horseshoe vortex is weakened by the introduction of the vane fillet with a small radius, with a 53% increase in effective cooling area compared to the baseline. However, the vane fillet with a large radius makes the boundary layer flow separately prematurely, decreasing the cooling performance. The lateral coverage of the coolant jet from the filmhole embedded in the vane root fillet is greatly enhanced by increasing the vane root fillet radius. However, the streamwise coverage is decreased and the thermodynamic loss is increased.

The developmental tendency of parabolic trough collector (PTC) is larger aperture area for energy harvest and novel optical design for higher solar concentration. Larger aperture faces a higher demand in tracking accuracy and lower tolerances with respect to wind loads, quality of mirrors, control, and mounting imprecisions. With the increase of reflection angle, the divergence size of concentrated focal spot gets enlarged on receiving surface, forming a Gaussian distribution. Receiving more energy and making best use of the concentrated solar power have become a key problem. In current study, a novel trough free-form solar concentrator (TFFC) has been developed by extending the aperture size with the aid of freeform optics and combined PV/thermal utilization. The structure model is composed by traditional parabolic trough with thermal tube, and extended freeform reflector with solar panel in slope configuration. The free-form surface is generated by geometric construction method for the sake of uniform heat flux distribution. The optical characteristics are validated by ray tracing method. The advantages will be revealed by compared with traditional system. The sensitivity analysis and error factors would be discussed as well. The initial results are promising and significant for the enhancement of trough type solar concentrator systems.

Rockburst is one of the common geological hazards. It is of great significance to study the evaluation indexes and classification criteria of the bursting liability of hard rocks, which is important for the prediction and prevention of rockbursts in hard rocks. In this study, the evaluation of the rockburst tendency was conducted using two indoor non-energy indexes, namely the brittleness indicator (B2) and the strength decrease rate (SDR). The measuring methods of B and SDR as well as the classification criteria were analyzed. Firstly, the most rational calculation formulas for B and SDR were selected based on previous studies. The B2 equaled to the ratio between the difference and sum of uniaxial compressive strength and Brazilian tensile strength of rocks. The SDR was the average stress decrease rate of the post-peak stage in uniaxial compression tests and equaled the uniaxial compressive strength dividing the duration time of post-peak rock failure in uniaxial compression tests. Secondly, the uniaxial compression tests of different rock types were designed and carried out, and the change trend of B and SDR with the increase of loading rate in uniaxial compression tests were studied in detail. The results showed that after the loading rate was greater than 5 mm/min or 100 kN/min, the B value was affected, limited by the loading rate, while the SDR value was more affected by the strain rate. The displacement control, with a loading rate of 0.1–0.7 mm/min, was recommended for the measurement of B and SDR. The classification criteria of B2 and SDR were proposed, and four grades of rockburst tendency were defined for SDR and B2 according to the test results.

Heat stress can have an impact on parental gamete maturation and reproduction functions. According to current research, the microbial composition of the vaginal cavity is species specific. Pregnancy, menstruation, and genital diseases have been linked to the dynamics of vaginal ecology. In this study, we characterized the vaginal microbiota and metabolites after heat stress. At the phylum level, the rabbit’s vaginal microbial composition of rabbit showed high similarity with that of humans. In the Heat group, the relative abundance of the dominant microbiota Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria increased, while the relative abundance of Firmicutes decreased. Furthermore, heat stress significantly increased the relative abundance of W5053, Helcococcus, Thiopseudomonas, ldiomaarina, atopostipes, and facklamia, whereas the relative abundance of 12 genera significantly decreased, including Streptococcus, UCG-005, Alistipes, [Eubacterium]_xylanophilum_group, Comamonas, RB41, Fastidiosipila, Intestinimonas, Arthrobacter, Lactobacillus, Leucobacter, and Family_xlll_AD3011_group. Besides, the relative concentrations of 158 metabolites differed significantly between the Heat and Control groups. Among them, the endocrine hormone estradiol (E2) increased in the Heat group and was positively associated with a number of metabolites such as linolelaidic acid (C18:2N6T), N-acetylsphingosine, N-oleoyl glycine, trans-petroselinic acid, syringic acid, 2-(1-adamantyl)-1-morpholinoethan-1-one, 5-OxoETE, and 16-heptadecyne-1,2,4-triol. Further, the majority of the differential metabolites were enriched in steroid biosynthesis and endocrine and other factor-regulated calcium reabsorption pathways, reflecting that heat stress may affect calcium metabolism, hormone-induced signaling, and endocrine balance of vaginal ecology. These findings provide a comprehensive depiction of rabbit vaginal ecology and reveal the effects of heat stress on the vagina via the analysis of vaginal microbiome and metabolome, which may provide a new thought for low female fertility under heat stress.

Optimizing economic benefit while reducing soil CO2 emissions in cropping systems has become the focus of agricultural study. We assessed the influence of short-term straw mulch and no-tillage on soil respiration (Rs), heterotrophic respiration (Rh), and autotrophic respiration (Ra), as well as economic benefit, in a traditional Chinese winterwheat and summermaize rotation system. Combinations of four treatments were tested: NS (no straw), SM (straw mulch), CT (conventional tillage) and NT (no-tillage). For wheat, SM significantly increased Rs in 2019 but significantly decreased Rs in 2020 relative to NS. NT significantly decreased Rs by 5.8% compared to CT from 2019 to 2020. For maize, during all three annual cycles, SM increased Rs relative to NS. NT increased Rs in 2018 with respect to CT but decreased it in 2019 and 2020. From the perspective of annual Rs both wheat and maize, SM increased Rs by 34.8%, 19.8%, and 18.8% in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. NT increased Rs by 4.9%, −1.6%, and −0.7% in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The lowest annual Rs occurred for SM+NT in 2020. Relative to NS and CT, SM and NT promoted Rh but inhibited Ra for wheat during 2019 and 2020. For maize, SM increased Rh and suppressed Ra while NT had no significant effect on Rh and suppressed Ra. Therefore, SM increased Rs by promoting Rh, while NT decreased Rs by inhibiting Ra. In all treatments, Rh averaged 1.82–3.36 times higher than Ra. Soil temperature had a greater influence on temporal variations in soil respiration than soil moisture. Averaged from 2018 to 2020, the annual economic benefit was increased by 11.7% and 15.3% in SM and NT than NS and CT, respectively. Our results suggest that straw mulch and no-tillage should be promoted as an environment-friendly agroecosystem management practice for wheat and maize, as these practices can achieve a balance between improving economic benefit and reducing soil CO2 emissions, contributing to the mitigation of climate change and the early achievement of carbon neutrality goals.

Abstract Background The relationship between selenium (Se) and insulin resistance remains unclear. We aim to explore the association between toenail Se levels and insulin resistance through a cross-sectional study comprising Chinese vegetarians and matched omnivores. Methods In this study, we enrolled 220 vegetarians and 220 omnivores matched by age and sex from Shanghai. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method was used to measure toenail Se levels. Dietary Se intakes were assessed by the 24-h dietary recall method. Blood samples were collected to measure fasting blood glucose level and fasting insulin concentrations. Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and insulin secretion index (HOMA-B) were calculated to evaluate insulin resistance. Multi-linear regression analysis was performed to determine the association between toenail Se levels and insulin resistance, after adjusting for confounders. Results The mean ages of vegetarians (76 vegans, 144 lacto-ovo-vegetarians) and omnivores were 35.96 ± 8.73 years and 35.23 ± 8.93 years, respectively. Of these, 180 (81.8%) were female and 40 (18.2%) were male. No association was found between toenail Se levels and insulin resistance in vegetarians. However, the concentration of Se in toenails was positively correlated with fasting insulin levels (β = 1.030, 95%CI: 0.393 to 1.667) and HOMA-IR (β = 0.245, 95%CI: 0.098 to 0.392) in omnivores, after multivariate adjustment for age, sex, BMI, alcohol consumption, income, and daily dietary intakes (energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, and fiber). This positive relationship persisted only in omnivores whose dietary Se intake was above 60 μg/d. Conclusions Higher toenail Se levels were associated with increased insulin resistance risk in Chinese omnivores whose dietary Se intake was above 60 μg/d, but not in vegetarians. These findings create awareness on the association of dietary Se intake above 60 μg/d with the risk of insulin resistance.

Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate adipose tissue development, which are closely related to subcutaneous and intramuscular fat deposition and adipocyte differentiation. As an important economic and agricultural animal, rabbits have low adipose tissue deposition and are an ideal model to study adipose regulation. However, the miRNAs related to fat deposition during the growth and development of rabbits are poorly defined. Methods In this study, miRNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were used to profile the miRNAs in rabbit perirenal adipose tissue at 35, 85 and 120 days post-birth. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs between different stages were identified by DEseq in R. Target genes of DE miRNAs were predicted by TargetScan and miRanda. To explore the functions of identified miRNAs, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed. Results Approximately 1.6 GB of data was obtained by miRNA-seq. A total of 987 miRNAs (780 known and 207 newly predicted) and 174 DE miRNAs were identified. The miRNAs ranged from 18 nt to 26 nt. GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that the target genes of the DE miRNAs were mainly involved in zinc ion binding, regulation of cell growth, MAPK signaling pathway, and other adipose hypertrophy-related pathways. Six DE miRNAs were randomly selected, and their expression profiles were validated by q-PCR. Conclusions This is the first report of the miRNA profiles of adipose tissue during different growth stages of rabbits. Our data provide a theoretical reference for subsequent studies on rabbit genetics, breeding and the regulatory mechanisms of adipose development.

Background: Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death that follows cell membrane damage and mostly depends on iron-mediated oxidative. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are associated with the development of a variety of tumors. Till date, LncRNAs have been reported to intervene in ferroptosis. Therefore, we intended to provide a prognostic ferroptosis-related-lncRNA signature in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD).Methods: We downloaded ferroptosis-related genes from the FerrDb database and RNA sequencing data and clinicopathological characteristics from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Gene differential expression analysis was performed using the “limma” package. We used Cox regression analysis to determine the ferroptosis-related lncRNAs signature with the lowest AIC value. The Kaplan–Meier curve, ROC curve, and nomogram were used to evaluate the prognostic value of the risk score. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the biologic functions of the three ferroptosis-related lncRNAs. LINC01615 expression in gastric cancer cell lines and tissues was measured by real-time PCR. A nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation assay was used to analyze the subcellular localization for LINC01615. Furthermore, we used bioinformatics to predict potential target microRNAs (miRNAs) of LINC01615 and their target ferroptosis-related mRNAs.Results: Three ferroptosis-related-lncRNA signatures (AP000695.2, AL365181.3, and LINC01615) were identified, and then Kaplan–Meier, Cox regression analyses, and ROC curve confirmed that the ferroptosis-related-lncRNA model could predict the prognosis of STAD. The GSEA indicated that the three ferroptosis-related lncRNAs might be related to the extracellular matrix and cellular activities. LINC01615 is highly expressed in gastric cancer cell lines and tissues. A nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation assay confirmed that in gastric cancer cell lines, most LINC01615 was enriched in the cytoplasm. Bioinformatics further predicts four potential target miRNAs of LINC01615 and then figured out 26 target ferroptosis-related mRNAs.Conclusion: We established a three-ferroptosis-related-lncRNA model (AP000695.2, AL365181.3, and LINC01615) that can predict the prognosis of STAD patients. We also expected to provide a promising target for LINC01615 for research in the future, which was highly expressed in gastric cancer and cell lines and acted as a ceRNA to get involved in ferroptosis.

A natural amino acid-doped polyaniline nanostructure was prepared by a simple in situ chemical polymerization method in an aqueous medium. The structure and morphology of composite material were characterized by FESEM, TEM, FT-IR, and XRD. The results showed that the product possesses a large aspect ratio and a hollow tubular morphology. As-synthesized products were further applied to remove dyes and heavy metal ions from the aqueous solution, which exhibited good removal capacity toward Congo red (955.6 mg·g−1) and Cr(VI) (60.0 mg·g−1). The adsorption data for the former were found to be well described by the pseudo-first-order kinetic and Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Thermodynamic studies show that the adsorption of Congo red by GluP is a spontaneous and endothermic process. Moreover, cyclic experiment results show that the polyaniline composites exhibited good recyclability. Therefore, these amino acid-doped polyaniline nanotubes can be expected to be an ideal candidate for the removal of organic dye and heavy metal ions from wastewater.

Abstract Powered by inexhaustible solar energy, photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen/ammonia production and reduction of carbon dioxide to high added‐value chemicals in eco‐friendly and mild conditions provide a highly attractive solution to carbon neutrality. Recently, substantial advances have been achieved in PEC systems by improving light absorption and charge separation/transfer in PEC devices. However, less attention is given to the atomic design of photoelectrocatalysts to facilitate the final catalytic reactions occurring at photoelectrode surface, which largely limits the overall photo‐to‐energy conversion of PEC system. Fundamental catalytic mechanisms and recent progress in atomic design of PEC materials are comprehensively reviewed by engineering of defect, dopant, facet, strain, and single atom to enhance the activity and selectivity. Finally, the emerging challenges and research directions in design of PEC systems for future photo‐to‐energy conversions are proposed.

In this study, immersion experiments were conducted on the geopolymer mortar (GPM) by using artificial seawater, and the effects of alkali equivalent (AE) and waterglass modulus (WGM) on the resistance of geopolymer mortar (GPM) to seawater immersion were analyzed. The test subjected 300 specimens to 270 days of artificial seawater immersion and periodic performance tests. Alkali equivalent (AE) (3–15%) and waterglass modulus (WGM) (1.0–1.8) were employed as influencing factors, and the mass loss and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) were used as the performance evaluation indexes, combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze the time-varying pattern of geopolymer mortar (GPM) performance with seawater immersion. The findings demonstrated a general trend of initially growing and then declining in the uniaxial compression strength (UCS) of geopolymer mortar (GPM) under seawater immersion. The resistance of geopolymer mortar (GPM) to seawater immersion decreased with both higher or lower alkali equivalent (AE), and the ideal range of alkali equivalent (AE) was 9–12%. The diffusion layer of the bilayer structure of the waterglass particle became thinner with an increase in waterglass modulus (WGM), which ultimately led to the reduction in the resistance of the geopolymer structure to seawater immersion. Additionally, a support vector regression (SVR) model was developed based on the experimental data to predict the uniaxial compression strength (UCS) of GPM under seawater immersion. The model performed better and was able to achieve accurate prediction within 1–2 months, and provided an accurate approach to predicting the strength of geopolymer materials in a practical offshore construction project.

Phosphorus stress is one of the important factors restricting plant growth and development, and the microRNA (miRNA) family is involved in the regulation of the response to plant nutrient stress by repressing the expression of target genes at the post-transcriptional or translational level. miR399 is involved in the transportation of phosphate in multiple plants by improving tolerance to low Pi conditions. However, the effect of miR399 on the response of low Pi stress in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is unclear. The present study showed a significant increase in taproot length and lateral root number of plants overexpressing Bna-miR399c, while the biomass and Pi accumulation in shoots and roots increased, and the anthocyanin content decreased and chlorophyll content improved under low Pi stress. The results illustrate that Bna-miR399c could enhance the uptake and transportation of Pi in soil, thus making B. napus more tolerant to low Pi stress. Furthermore, we confirmed that BnPHO2 is one of the targets of Bna-miR399c, and the rejection of Pi in rapeseed seedlings increased due to the overexpression of BnPHO2. Hence, we suggest that miR399c-PHO2 module can effectively regulate the homeostasis of Pi in B. napus. Our study can also provide the theoretical basis for germplasm innovation and the design of intelligent crops with low nutrient input and high yield to achieve the dual objectives of income and yield increase and environmental protection in B. napus.

As vane inlet temperatures and turbine loadings are increasing, the aerodynamic and thermal management for the endwalls of gas turbines have received increased attention. Non-axisymmetric endwalls are becoming popular due to their proficient capabilities to modify the secondary flow fields and to change the film cooling performance on the endwalls. In this study, by considering the interaction between mainstream and purge flow based on non-axisymmetric endwall contouring, the numerical research model used in the present research was established. Based on the validated numerical method, the influence of the non-axisymmetric endwall contouring on the film-cooling effectiveness and aerodynamic characteristics was studied. Furthermore, the effect of different inclination angles on the film-cooling performance of the contoured endwalls was also investigated. The results indicate that for the high-load turbine vane used in this research, various types of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring can alter the aero-dynamic characteristics and cooling performance simultaneously. By inhibiting the secondary flows, non-axisymmetric endwall contouring can reduce the total cascade pressure loss coefficient by 0.305%. In addition, non-axisymmetric endwall contouring can significantly enhance the effective coverage area of purge flow up to 28.29%, and the endwall near the suction side can achieve better cooling performance. Finally, non-axisymmetric endwall contouring can improve the protective effect of large-angle purge flow.

Abstract Background Tissue remodeling caused by increased MMPs is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP). We previously found higher levels of periostin and tenascin C in CRSwNPs, but whether they are associated with the dysregulation of MMPs is unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the regulatory roles of these two ECM proteins in the expression of MMPs in nasal polyps. Methods The concentrations of MMP‐2, MMP‐3, MMP‐7, MMP‐8, MMP‐9, MMP‐12, MMP‐13, TIMP‐1, TIMP‐2, TIMP‐3, TIMP‐4, periostin, and tenascin C in tissue homogenates of 51 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyps and 15 control subjects were measured and were analyzed by adjusted logistic regression and spearman correlation test. Primary human nasal polyp fibroblasts and epithelial cells were stimulated ex vivo with periostin and tenascin C and the gene expression of MMPs and TIMPs was determined by means of real‐time PCR. Results The protein levels of MMP‐3, MMP‐7, MMP‐8, MMP‐9, TIMP‐1, TIMP‐2, periostin, and tenascin C were significantly higher in patients with CRSwNPs than in healthy control subjects. The adjusted logistic regression analyses showed that MMP‐3, MMP‐7, MMP‐8, MMP‐9, TIMP‐2, periostin, and tenascin C were related to the occurrence of CRSwNP. Spearman correlation test showed periostin was positively correlated with MMP‐3 and TIMP‐2, and tenascin C was positively correlated with MMP‐3, MMP‐7, MMP‐8, MMP‐9, and TIMP‐2. Periostin stimulated the gene expression of MMP‐3, MMP‐7, MMP‐8, and MMP‐9 in fibroblasts and MMP‐9 in epithelial cells ex vivo. Tenascin C stimulated the expression of MMP‐3, MMP‐7, MMP‐8, and MMP‐9 in epithelial cells. The expression of TIMPs in fibroblasts and epithelial cells was affected by neither periostin nor tenascin C. Conclusions Periostin and tenascin C might be involved in the remodeling of nasal polyps by regulating the expression of different MMPs in epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Our findings have the potential to identify key factors of tissue remodeling in CRSwNPs.

The rock acoustic emission (AE) technique has often been used to study rock destruction properties and has also been considered an important measure for simulating earthquake foreshock sequences. Among them, the AE b value is an essential parameter for the size distribution characteristics and probabilistic hazard analysis of rock fractures. Variations in b values obtained in rock AE tests and earthquakes are often compared to establish analogies in the damage process and precursory analysis. Nevertheless, because the amplitudes measured on the sample boundary by an acoustic sensor (apparent amplitude) are often used to estimate the b value, which cannot descript the source size distribution, it is necessary to develop a method to obtain the size distribution characteristics of the real source from the apparent amplitude in doubly truncated distribution. In this study, we obtain AE apparent amplitudes by applying an attenuation operator to source amplitudes generated by a computer with an underlying exponential distribution and then use these simulated apparent amplitudes to perform a comparative analysis of various b value estimation methods that are used in earthquakes and propose an optimal b value estimation procedure for rock AE tests through apparent amplitudes. To further verify the reliability of the newly proposed procedure, a b value characteristics analysis was carried out on a non-explosive expansion agent rock AE test and transparent refractive index experiment with red sandstone, marble, granite, and limestone. The results indicate that mineral grains of different sizes and compositions and different types of discontinuities of rock specimens determine the rock fracture characteristics, as well as the b value. The dynamic b values decreased linearly during the loading process, which confirms that variations in the b value also depend on the stress. These results indicate that the newly proposed procedure for estimating the b value in rock AE tests based on apparent amplitudes has high reliability.

Mg and Si as the typical dopants for p- and n-type gallium nitride (GaN), respectively, are widely used in GaN-based photoelectric devices. The thermal transport properties play a key role in the thermal stability and lifetime of photoelectric devices, which are of significant urgency to be studied, especially for the Mg- and Si-doped GaN. In this paper, the thermal conductivities of Mg- and Si-doped GaN were investigated based on first-principles calculations and phonon Boltzmann transport equation. The thermal conductivities of Mg-doped GaN are found to be 5.11 and 4.77 W/mK for in-plane and cross-plane directions, respectively. While for the Si-doped GaN, the thermal conductivity reaches the smaller value, which are 0.41 and 0.51 W/mK for in-plane and cross-plane directions, respectively. The decrease in thermal conductivity of Mg-doped GaN is attributed to the combined effect of low group velocities of optical phonon branches and small phonon relaxation time. In contrast, the sharp decrease of the thermal conductivity of Si-doped GaN is mainly attributed to the extremely small phonon relaxation time. Besides, the contribution of acoustic and optical phonon modes to the thermal conductivity has changed after GaN being doped with Mg and Si. Further analysis from the orbital projected electronic density of states and the electron localization function indicates that the strong polarization of Mg-N and Si-N bonds and the distortion of the local structures together lead to the low thermal conductivity. Our results would provide important information for the thermal management of GaN-based photoelectric devices.

Oxygen involved reactions, including oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OERs), play a key role in electrochemical energy devices, such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries. Recent theoretical calculations and experimental investigations reveal that the energy loss in ORR/OER is closely related to the triplet O2 generation/conversion step. However, the spin‐related phenomena have long been neglected in understanding of the ORR/OER mechanism. This review highlights recent advances in understanding and application of the spin‐related effect in oxygen electrocatalysis. It is demonstrated that the exchange interaction in magnetic catalysts can build a spin‐selective channel to filter the electron spins with appropriate orientation in the O2 generation/conversion step during ORR/OER. It is believed that the introduction of spin effect can establish a more comprehensive understanding of oxygen electrocatalysis and assist designing more reactive oxygen electrocatalysts.

Skeletal muscle development plays a vital role in muscle quality and yield in meat rabbits. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new type of single-stranded endogenous non-coding RNAs involved in different biological processes. However, our knowledge of circRNAs regulating skeletal muscle development remains largely unknown in meat rabbits. In this study, we collected the leg muscle tissues of ZIKA rabbits at three key growth stages. By performing whole-transcriptome sequencing, we found the sequential expression of day 0- (D0-), D35-, and D70-selective mRNAs mainly functioned in muscle development, nervous development, and immune response during skeletal muscle development, respectively. Then, a combination of circRNA assembly from a circRNA-seq library and the whole-transcriptome sequencing data identified 6845 credible circRNAs in our samples. Most circRNAs were transcribed from exons of known genes, contained few exons, and showed short length, and these circRNAs were more conserved between rabbits and humans than between rabbits and mice. The upregulated circRNAs, which were synchronously changed with host genes, primarily played roles in MAPK signaling pathways and fatty acid biosynthesis. The prediction of circRNA–microRNA–mRNAs networks revealed that circRNAs might be the regulators that mainly functioned in rabbits’ muscle neuron development and metabolic processes. Our work provides a catalog of circRNAs regulating skeletal muscle development at key growth stages in rabbits and might give a new insight into rabbit breeding.

In domestic mammals, cold stress decreases the survival rate of newborns and increases the cost of management. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the main thermogenic organ for cubs, and well-developed fetal BAT (FBAT) is beneficial for newborns to maintain core temperatures during the first several days of life. However, our knowledge of the epigenetic mechanisms during the early development of FBAT remains largely unknown. Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are economically important domestic animals. In this study, a histological analysis shows that the tissue content, thermogenic capacity, and lipid content of FBAT dramatically increases from gestational day 21 (G21) to gestational day 24 (G24) in rabbits. RNA-seq, microRNA-seq (miRNA-seq), and the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) show that many genes, miRNAs, and chromatin-accessible regions (referred to as peaks) were identified as significantly changed from G21 to G24, respectively. The upregulated genes from G21 to G24 were significantly enriched in the mitochondrial metabolism and thermogenesis-related signal pathways. The integrated analysis of transcriptome and chromatin accessibility reveals that the peaks in the promoters have a more regulatory effect than peaks in other genomic elements on the expression of their nearby genes in FBATs. The upregulated genes that are associated with increased chromatin accessibility in the promoter regions are involved in the energy metabolism-related signaling pathways. The genes that have a greater tendency to be regulated by miRNAs than the chromatin accessibility in gene promoters are involved in the apelin, insulin, and endocytosis signaling pathways. Furthermore, genome-wide transcription factor (TF) footprinting analysis identifies early B-cell factor1 (EBF1) as playing a key role during early FBAT development. The carbon metabolism, citrate cycle, and PPAR signaling pathways are significantly enriched by the predicted EBF1-regulated cascade TF-network. In conclusion, our work provides a framework for understanding epigenetics regulatory mechanisms underlying the early development of FBAT and identifies potential TF involved in the early development of FBAT in rabbits.

BackgroundThe effects of up-regulated CircCHST15 on lung cancer remained unclear. In this study, the role of CircCHST15 in lung cancer was investigated.MethodsDual-luciferase reporter verified the bioinformatics prediction that CircCHST15 targeted miR-155-5p and miR-194-5p. The correlation between CircCHST15 and PD-L1 was analyzed by Pearson analysis. CCK-8 and colony formation was performed to determine the viability and proliferation of lung cancer cells. After the lung cancer (subcutaneous-xenotransplant) model was established in mice, the T cell subtype and related cytokines in mouse tumor tissues were detected by flow cytometry and ELISA. Moreover, the expressions of CircCHST15, miR-155-5p, miR-194-5p, immune-related, and proliferation-related factors of the lung cancer cells or mice tumor tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, or Western blot.ResultsCircCHST15 and PD-L1 were high-expressed in lung cancer, and the two was positively correlated. CircCHST15 targeted miR-155-5p and miR-194-5p, the later further targeted PD-L1. Lung cancer cell viability and proliferation were increased by miR-155-5p and inhibited by miR-194-5p. CircCHST15 located in the cytoplasm promoted tumor growth, down-regulated the expressions of miR-155-5p and miR-194-5p, and up-regulated the expressions of PD-L1, Ki-67, PCNA, CCL17, CCL22, IFN-γ, TNF-β, and IL-10. Also, CircCHST15 decreased the CD8+ cells in mouse blood and tumor, but increased the Tregs in mouse tumor. PD-L1 inhibitor showed an opposite effect to CircCHST15 on mouse tumors.ConclusionCircCHST15 sponged miR-155-5p and miR-194-5p to promote the PD-L1-mediated immune escape of lung cancer cells.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a chronic sinonasal inflammatory disease with limited treatment options of corticosteroids, sinus surgery, or both. CRSwNP is frequently associated with allergic rhinitis and asthma, but the molecular mechanisms underlying CRSwNP inflammation are not completely understood. We obtained four gene expression profiles (GSE136825, GSE36830, GSE23552, and GSE72713) from four Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), which collectively included 65 nasal polyp samples from CRSwNP patients and 54 nasal mucosal samples from healthy controls. Using an integrated analysis approach, we identified 76 co-differentially expressed genes (co-DEGs, including 45 upregulated and 31 downregulated) in CRSwNP patients compared with the healthy controls. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses identified the terms including immune effector process, leukocyte migration, regulation of the inflammatory response, Staphylococcus aureus infection, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) showed that 7 genes might be crucial in CRSwNP pathogenesis. Repurposing drug candidates (Alfadolone, Hydralazine, SC-560, Iopamidol, Iloprost, etc) for CRSwNP treatment were identified from the Connectivity Map (CMap) database. Our results suggest multiple molecular mechanisms, diagnostic biomarkers, potential therapeutic targets, and new repurposing drug candidates for CRSwNP treatment.

For the multimeric enzymes R-ω-transaminase (RTA), alanine dehydrogenase (AlaDH), and formate dehydrogenase (FDH), peptide bond formation between the hetrosubunits has been achieved by the intein-mediated in vivo subunit splicing. The subunit ligation is triggered by the heterodimerization of an arginine rich leucine zipper motif with a glutamic acid rich leucine zipper motif. The one-by-one ligation of hetrosubunits constructs the pairing enzymes RTA&AlaDH and AlaDH&FDH. The ligation modes were analyzed based on blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE). The spectra of circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence, and two-dimensional FTIR provide information on the secondary structures and stability of the pairing enzymes. The enzyme-substrate interaction was analyzed based on microscale thermophoresis analysis. In contrast to the mixed three enzymes RTA + AlaDH + FDH, the ligated enzymes RTA&AlaDH + AlaDH&FDH exhibited a much larger substrate affinity, higher stability, and significantly enhanced activity.