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This study aims to propose a decision-making method based on artificial potential fields (APFs) and finite state machines (FSMs) in emergency conditions. This study presents a decision-making method based on APFs and FSMs for emergency conditions. By modeling the longitudinal and lateral potential energy fields of the vehicle, the driving state is identified, and the trigger conditions are provided for path planning during lane changing. In addition, this study also designed the state transition rules based on the longitudinal and lateral virtual forces. It established the vehicle decision-making model based on the finite state machine to ensure driving safety in emergency situations. To illustrate the performance of the decision-making model by considering APFs and finite state machines. The version of the model in the co-simulation platform of MATLAB and CarSim shows that the developed decision model in this study accurately generates driving behaviors of the vehicle at different time intervals. The contributions of this study are two-fold. A hierarchical vehicle state machine decision model is proposed to enhance driving safety in emergency scenarios. Mathematical models for determining the transition thresholds of lateral and longitudinal vehicle states are established based on the vehicle potential field model, leading to the formulation of transition rules between different states of autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Abundant {10–12} twins appeared in an extruded Mg-2.8Y (wt. %) sheet with rare-earth (RE) texture under compression along the transverse direction (TD). Twinning-detwinning behavior during compression-tension loading was quantitatively investigated via quasi-in-situ EBSD observation. The evolution of deformation mechanisms was quantitatively studied by calculation of the plastic strain fraction of twinning, detwinning, and dislocation slip. Twinning and detwinning were the dominant deformation modes in compression and reverse tension, respectively, owing to their relatively higher Schmid factors (SF) and lowest activation stresses (τ). Twin variants with SF ranking 1st and 2nd were activated preferentially while detwinning with low SF ranking showed high activation. The impact of texture and load path on variant selection was systematically discussed. Moreover, short twin chains only passing through two or three grains caused by twinning transfer were observed. Grain boundary misorientation angle (GBMA) and geometric compatibility factor (m’) were introduced to analyze the crystallographic characteristics of twinning transfer. GBMA ≤34.5° or m’ ≥ 0.80 is a necessary condition for most twinning transfer events. RE texture as well as the nearly uniform distribution of GBMA gave rise to short twin chains and restricted the formation of long twin bands. The relationship between GBMA and m’ was also discussed.

Grain refinement could promote the activation of non-basal slip and enhance the strength and ductility of Mg alloy simultaneously. In this work, the grain size effect on deformation modes and deformation heterogeneity and its relations to crystallographic orientation in a rolled Mg–1.58Zn–0.1Ca alloy sheet with a weakened transverse direction (TD) spread texture were investigated via intragranular misorientation axis (IGMA) and high resolution-digital image correlation (HR-DIC) measurement. The results indicate that a decrease of the grain size from 55 to 13 μm increased the yield strength (YS) by 56.9%, from 72 MPa to 113 MPa, for the TD samples, but only by 8% for the rolling direction (RD) samples, from 125.7 to 135.7 MPa. Moreover, grain refinement enhanced the elongation by 76.4% for the TD samples, from 11% to 19.1%, and merely by 26.5% for the RD samples, from 16.6% to 21%. The transition in dominant deformation modes due to grain size decreasing can be summarized as: for the RD samples: basal slip → prismatic slip; for the TD samples: basal slip + tension twinning → prismatic slip. The enhanced activity of prismatic slip in the fine-grained (FG)-TD and FG-RD samples can be ascribed to the reduced ratio of critical resolved shear stress (CRSS)prismatic/CRSSbasal. For both the RD and TD samples, grain refinement facilitated deformation homogeneity, which could be related to the enhanced activity of basal slip and non-basal slip, as well as the resulting improved deformation compatibility across grain boundary.

Abstract In this work, braided carbon fiber reinforced carbon matrix composites (3D-C/C composites) are prepared by chemical vapor infiltration process. Their composite structure, mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and in vivo experiments are investigated and compared with those of traditional 2.5D-C/C composites and titanium alloys TC4. The results show that 3D-C/C composites are composed of reinforced braided carbon fiber bundles and pyrolytic carbon matrix and provide 51% open pores with a size larger than 100 μm for tissue adhesion and growth. The Young’s modulus of 3D-C/C composites is about 5 GPa, much smaller than those of 2.5D-C/C composites and TC4, while close to the autogenous bone. 3D-C/C composites have a higher tensile strength (167 MPa) and larger elongation (5.0%) than 2.5D-C/C composites (81 MPa and 0.7%), and do not show obvious degradation after 1 × 106 cyclic tensile loading. The 3D-C/C composites display good biocompatibility and have almost no artifacts on CT imaging. The in vivo experiment reveals that 3D-C/C composites artificial ribs implanted in dogs do not show displacement or fracture in 1 year, and there are no obvious proliferation and inflammation in the soft tissues around 3D-C/C composites implant. Our findings demonstrate that 3D-C/C composites are suitable for chest wall reconstruction and present great potentials in artificial bones.

Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a type of cardiomyopathy characterized anatomically by prominent ventricular trabeculation and deep intertrabecular recesses. The mortality associated with LVNC ranges from 5% to 47%. The etiology of LVNC is yet to be fully understood, although decades have passed since its recognition as a clinical entity globally. Furthermore, critical questions, i.e., whether LVNC represents an acquired pathology or has a congenital origin and whether the reduced contractile function in LVNC patients is a cause or consequence of noncompaction, remain to be addressed. In this study, to answer some of these questions, we analyzed the clinical features of LVNC patients. Out of 9582 subjects screened for abnormal cardiac functions, 45 exhibit the characteristics of LVNC, and 1 presents right ventricular noncompaction (RVNC). We found that 40 patients show valvular regurgitation, 39 manifest reduced systolic contractions, and 46 out of the 46 present different forms of arrhythmias that are not restricted to be caused by the noncompact myocardium. This retrospective examination of LVNC patients reveals some novel findings: LVNC is associated with regurgitation in most patients and arrhythmias in all patients. The thickness ratio of the trabecular layer to compact layer negatively correlates with fractional shortening, and reduced contractility might result from LVNC. This study adds evidence to support a congenital origin of LVNC that might benefit the diagnosis and subsequent characterization of LVNC patients.

ObjectiveTo understand the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of psittacosis cases in Wuhan city, Hubei province, and to provide references for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of psittacosis. MethodsA retrospective investigation was conducted on confirmed cases of psittacosis in nine tertiary general hospitals and two specialized infectious disease hospitals in Wuhan city from January 2018 to April 2023. The epidemiological characteristics, laboratory tests, and clinical diagnosis and treatment processes of the cases were analyzed. ResultsA total of 59 psittacosis cases were confirmed in 11 hospitals, including 2 fatal cases. The cases reported per year from 2018 to 2022 were 1, 3, 5, 20, and 23, respectively, with 7 cases reported from January to April 2023. Among the cases, 33 were male and 26 were female; 72.88% were aged 50-69 years; and 62.71% were retired individuals or farmers. The incidence was highest in winter, followed by spring and autumn, with fewer cases in summer. Only 24 cases (40.68%) had documented exposure to birds, including 16 with exposure to parrots, pigeons, and other birds, and 8 with exposure to chickens, ducks, and other poultry. The main clinical symptoms were fever (84.75%) and cough (59.32%). CT scans of 58 cases indicated pulmonary infections. The median time from onset to consultation was 6 days, and the median hospitalization duration was 13 days. ConclusionsThe number of psittacosis cases in Wuhan city showed an increasing trend from 2018 to 2022, with a peak incidence in winter and predominantly affecting middle-aged and elderly individuals. The time from onset to consultation and the duration of hospitalization were relatively long. Measures should be taken for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment to reduce public health hazards.

ABSTRACT: The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) can protect probiotic bacteria from bile stress. However, its potential mechanism has not been reported. In this study, the viability, morphology and gene transcriptional response of Bifidobacterium longum ssp. infantis ATCC 15697 (BI_15697) stressed by bile salts with or without MFGM were investigated. It was shown that MFGM alleviated the reduction in BI_15697 population induced by 0.2% porcine bile stress and restored the population to the control levels. MFGM ameliorated the shrunken, fragmented appearance and irregular morphology of BI_15697 and maintained cell integrity disrupted by bile stress. RNA-sequencing results showed that MFGM increased transport of glucose and raffinose and decreased that of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in the presence of bile salts. MFGM stimulated the expression of genes involved in the synthesis of raffinose in galactose metabolism and the metabolism of BCAA, suggesting that MFGM stimulated the accumulation of raffinose and BCAA in the presence of bile. In addition, MFGM stimulated the expression of 2 bile efflux transporters under bile stress. Together, the multifactorial response helps BI_15697 excrete bile salts and maintain cellular integrity in response to bile stress. This study proposes a mechanism for the protection of BI_15697 against bile salt stress by MFGM, thereby providing a molecular basis for its application in incorporation of probiotics.

A new optimization method for estimating the State of Charge (SOC) of battery charge state is proposed. This method incorporates the Levenberg–Marquardt Algorithm (LMA) for online parameter identification and the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for SOC. On the one hand, the LMA efficiently alleviates the ’Data saturation’ problem experienced by least squares methods by dynamically adjusting weights of data. On the other hand, the EKF improves the robustness and adaptability of SOC estimation. Simulation results under Hybrid Pulse Power Characteristic (HPPC) conditions demonstrate that this new approach offers superior performance in SOC estimation in batteries for electric vehicles compared to existing methods, with better tracking of the true SOC curve, reduced estimation error, and improved convergence.

Carya, in the Juglandiodeae subfamily, is to a typical temperate-subtropical forest-tree genus for studying the phylogenetic evolution and intercontinental disjunction between eastern Asia (EA) and North America (NA). Species of the genus have high economic values worldwide for their high-quality wood and the rich healthy factors of their nuts. Although previous efforts based on multiple molecular markers or genome-wide SNPs supported the monophyly of Carya and its two EA and NA major subclades, the maternal phylogeny of Carya still need to be comprehensively evaluated. The variation of Carya plastome has never been thoroughly characterized. Here, we novelly present 19 newly generated plastomes of congeneric Carya species, including the recently rediscovered critically endangered C. poilanei. The overall assessment of plastomes revealed highly conservative in the general structures. Our results indicated that remarkable differences in several plastome features are highly consistent with the EA-NA disjunction and showed the relatively diverse matrilineal sources among EA Carya compared to NA Carya. The maternal phylogenies were conducted with different plastome regions and full-length plastome datasets from 30 plastomes, representing 26 species in six genera of Juglandoideae and Myrica rubra (as root). Six out of seven phylogenetic topologies strongly supported the previously reported relationships among genera of Juglandoideae and the two subclades of EA and NA Carya, but displayed significant incongruencies between species within the EA and NA subclades. The phylogenetic tree generated from full-length plastomes demonstrated the optimal topology and revealed significant geographical maternal relationships among Carya species, especially for EA Carya within overlapping distribution areas. The full-length plastome-based phylogenetic topology also strongly supported the taxonomic status of five controversial species as separate species of Carya. Historical and recent introgressive hybridization and plastid captures might contribute to plastome geographic patterns and inconsistencies between topologies built from different datasets, while incomplete lineage sorting could account for the discordance between maternal topology and the previous nuclear genome data-based phylogeny. Our findings highlight full-length plastomes as an ideal tool for exploring maternal relationships among the subclades of Carya, and potentially in other outcrossing perennial woody plants, for resolving plastome phylogenetic relationships.

Dehydration tolerance is a vital factor for land plant evolution and world agricultural production. Numerous studies enlightened that the plant-specific C2H2-type zinc-finger proteins (C2H2-ZFPs) as master regulators played pivotal roles in the abiotic stress responses of plants. However, a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of C2H2-ZFPs in terrestrial plants and its regulatory mechanism in dehydration and rehydration response remains a mystery. In this study, the genome-wide identification of C2H2-ZFP genes revealed 549 homologs in the representatives of terrestrial plant lineages from liverwort to angiosperms. Based on the characteristics of the conserved C2H2-ZF domains, four major C2H2-ZF types (M-, Z-, Q-, and D-type) were identified in the C2H2-ZFPs, with the dominants of M-type in all selected species and followed by Z-type in non-seed plants and Q-type in seed plants, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of the identified C2H2-ZFPs supported four major groups in the land plant representatives, among which the members from the desiccation-tolerant Physcomitrium patens and the dehydration-sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana displayed different topological relationships in the phylogenies reconstructed for a single species. C2H2-ZFPs clustered in the same subclades shared similar features in their conserved domains and gene structures. Approximately, 81% of the C2H2-ZFP promoters of all 549 identified C2H2-ZFPs harbored the conserved ABA-responsive elements (ABREs) and/or dehydration-responsive elements (DREs). Comparative transcriptomic analyses showed that 50 PpZFPs and 56 AtZFPs significantly changed their transcripts abundance. Interestingly, most of the dehydration- and rehydration-responsive PpZPFs and AtZFPs had been predicted to contain the ABRE and DRE elements in their promoter regions and with over half of which phylogenetically belonging to group III. The differences in the expression patterns of C2H2-ZFPs in responses to dehydration and rehydration between P. patens and A. thaliana reflected their different strategies to adapt to dehydration. The identified candidate PpZFPs were specifically induced by moderate dehydration and reached the peak transcript abundance in severe dehydration. Our study lays the foundations for further functional investigation of C2H2-ZFPs in dehydration responses from an evolutionary perspective in land plants. The findings will provide us with genetic resources and potential targets for drought tolerance breeding in crops and beyond.

A commercial multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was selected as an adsorbent to remove triazophos, which is a representative insecticide. The MWCNT was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of initial pH value, ionic strength and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption capacity of triazophos was optimized. The adsorption behaviors of triazophos on MWCNT including adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics were investigated. The results demonstrated that the adsorption kinetics belonged to the pseudo-second-order and the adsorption rate constant was up to 1.7586 g/min; correlation coefficient was above 0.997. The Freundlich model fits better than Langmuir model, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 42.02 mg/g. The adsorption of triazophos onto MWCNT was thermodynamically feasible and spontaneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) as the sole carbon source can be an efficient way to screen bifidobacteria with superior probiotic capabilities since 2′-FL is a key element in promoting the growth of intestinal bifidobacteria in newborns. This approach was used in this work to screen eight bifidobacteria strains, including one strain of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis BI_Y46 and seven strains of Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB_Y10, BB_Y30, BB_Y39, BB_S40, BB_H4, BB_H5 and BB_H22). Studies on their probiotic properties showed that BI_Y46 had a unique morphology with pilus-like structure, a high resistance to bile salt stimulation and a potent inhibitory action on Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Similarly, BB_H5 and BB_H22 produced more extracellular polysaccharides and had a higher protein content than other strains. In contrast, BB_Y22 displayed considerable auto-aggregation activity and a high resistance to bile salt stimulation. Interestingly, BB_Y39 with weak self-aggregation ability and acid resistance had very excellent bile salt tolerance, extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) production and bacteriostatic ability. In conclusion, 2′-FL was used as sole carbon source to identify eight bifidobacteria with excellent probiotic properties.

An improved Sage-Husa extended Kalman filter (SHEKF) algorithm is intended to improve the accuracy and stability of SOC prediction. In this paper, two different exponential weighting algorithms are used to adaptively select the forgetting factor for adaptive noise estimation. Moreover, the OCV-SOC curve is obtained using a 7-segment linear fitting method before the algorithms estimate the SOC. In addition, by combining this improved method with a third-order RC equivalent circuit model in the dynamic stress test (DST) case the convergence time is reduced by 0.15 s compared to the second-order RC equivalent circuit model. Following that, four different types of comparison experiments are carried out by comparing the improved algorithm to EKF and other SHEKF algorithms.The estimation accuracy under DST conditions of 0 °C, 25 °C and 45 °C is approximately 0.5%, 2.2% and 1.3% improvement compared to the EKF algorithm.

In light of the increasing number of electric vehicles (EV), disorderly charging in mountainous cities has implications for the stability and efficient utilization of the power grid. It is a roadblock to lowering carbon emissions. EV aggregators are a bridge between EV users and the grid, a platform to achieve energy and information interoperability, and a study of the orderly charging of EVs to reach carbon emission targets. As for the objective function, the EV aggregator considers the probability of EV charging access in mountainous cities, the SOC expectation of EV users, the transformer capacity constraint, the charging start time, and other constraints to maximize revenue. Considering the access probability of charging for users in mountainous cities, the optimized Lagrange relaxation method is used to solve the objective function. The disorderly charging, centralized optimized charging, and decentralized optimized charging modes are investigated using simulation calculations. Their load profiles, economic benefits, and computational efficiency are compared in three ways. Decentralized optimal charging using the Lagrange relaxation method is shown to be 50% more effective and to converge 279% faster than centralized optimal charging.

Broomcorn millet is one of the earliest domesticated plants and has the highest water use efficiency among cereals. Here, the authors report its genome assembly and annotation, which provides a valuable resource for breeders and paves the way for studying plant drought tolerance and C4 photosynthesis.

BackgroundDifferentiated plant cells can retain the capacity to be reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells during regeneration. This capacity is associated with both cell cycle reactivation and acquisition of specific cellular characters. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the reprogramming of protoplasts into stem cells remain largely unknown. Protoplasts of the moss Physcomitrella patens easily regenerate into protonema and therefore provide an ideal system to explore how differentiated cells can be reprogrammed to produce stem cells.Principal findingsWe obtained genome-wide digital gene expression tag profiles within the first three days of P. patens protoplast reprogramming. At four time-points during protoplast reprogramming, the transcript levels of 4827 genes changed more than four-fold and their expression correlated with the reprogramming phase. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified a set of significantly enriched GO terms and pathways, most of which were associated with photosynthesis, protein synthesis and stress responses. DEGs were grouped into six clusters that showed specific expression patterns using a K-means clustering algorithm. An investigation of function and expression patterns of genes identified a number of key candidate genes and pathways in early stages of protoplast reprogramming, which provided important clues to reveal the molecular mechanisms responsible for protoplast reprogramming.ConclusionsWe identified genes that show highly dynamic changes in expression during protoplast reprogramming into stem cells in P. patens. These genes are potential targets for further functional characterization and should be valuable for exploration of the mechanisms of stem cell reprogramming. In particular, our data provides evidence that protoplasts of P. patens are an ideal model system for elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying differentiated plant cell reprogramming.

Purpose: To determine the combined effect of radiotherapy (RT) and dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy on tumor regression, and the influence of miR-15b-5p on the sensitivity of the tumor to RT/DC. Methods: Colon carcinoma cell line (T-26) was injected subcutaneously into BALB/c mice to generate xenograft tumors. The animals were exposed to radiation therapy (RT) only or DC only, or RT plus DC (RT/DC). Tumor progression was measured and analyzed followed by quantification of miR-15b-5p using qPCR in each group 21 days after tumor inoculation. Overexpressed xenograft tumors were generated by transfecting MiR-15b-5p mimic to CT-26 cell lines and subcutaneously administered to mice. The mice were then subjected to RT/DC treatment and assessed for tumor growth, TUNEL staining, as well as mRNA and protein expressions of B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), caspase-3 (casp-3), and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). Results: RT/DC combination treatment resulted in tumor regression and increased miR-15b-5p expression, when compared with other groups treated with RT and DC alone (p < 0.001). There was a marked reduction in tumor growth following RT/DC combination therapy in miR-15b-5p overexpressed xenograft tumor (p < 0.001). Moreover, miR-15b-5p/(RT/DC) treatment significantly increased cancer cell apoptosis. These results were substantiated by increased mRNA and protein expressions of casp-3, reduced BCL-2 and XIAP (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that RT/DC combination therapy increases miR-15b-5p levels in mice, and that miR-15b-5p upregulation enhances the sensitivity of tumors to RT/DC combination therapy. Therefore, the combination of RT and dendritic cell-based immunotherapy offers significant therapeutic advantage in controlling cancers, including metastatic tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New CdS nano-rod/TiO2 (B) nano-belt composites (denoted as CdS-NR/TiO[sub 2] (B)-NB) were successfully prepared via a two-step hydrothermal process. The chemical composition and structure of synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), element map, UV visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The prepared samples were used to remove 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) under visible light irradiation, which has most potent estrogenic activity and resists to biodegradation. The results show that the B-type TiO2 (TiO2 (B)) nano-belts are crosslinked with CdS nano-rods to form heterojunction with higher removal rate (92.00%) than pure CdS nanorods (55.67%) for 3 mg/L EE2 within 120 min when the mass ratio of CdS nanorods to TiO2 (B) nanobelts is 1:15. The degradation rate constant of EE2 over CdS-NR/TiO2 (B)-NB (0.001763 min-1) is 3 times higher than pure CdS-NR (0.00567 min-1) under visible light irradiation. Charge generation, migration and possible photocatalytic mechanism of EE2 on CdS-NR/TiO2 (B)-NB photocatalyst has been proposed based on the theoretical calculation and reactive species trapping experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known, representative endocrine disruptor chemical, which can cause adverse effects on human health and environment. In this work, we prepared TiO2-MoS2-reduced graphene oxide (denoted as TiO2-MoS2-RGO) ternary hybrid photocatalyst to remove it by adsorption and photocatalysis. The prepared photocatalyst were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mass ratio of MoS2 in the composite was optimized. The results indicated that the anatase TiO2 and MoS2 were anchored on the reduced graphene oxide, and the optimum mass ratio of MoS2 in TiO2-MoS2-reduced graphene oxide was 1.0% (denoted as TiO2-1MoS2-RGO). Under the same photocatalytic degradation condition, BPA adsorption removal ratios over TiO2, P25, TiO2-1MoS2, TiO2-RGO and TiO2-1MoS2-RGO were 0.75%, 0.79%, 2.30%, 24.00% and 22.10%, photocatalytic degradation removal ratios were 17.20%, 19.90%，27.33%, 26.30% and 40.30% and the total removal ratios were 17.95%, 21.69%, 29.66%, 50.30% and 62.40%, respectively. The results indicated that TiO2-1MoS2-RGO exhibited highest adsorption and photocatalytic degradation activity among them and the introduction of MoS2 in the TiO2-RGO can reduce the electron-hole pair combination and enhance photocatalytic activity of TiO2 for BPA greatly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]