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To explore the effect of growing altitude on the quality of Zhenghe white tea, the sensory quality and biochemical composition of tea leaves and Zhenghe white tea from different altitudes were evaluated, and multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the obtained data. The results of sensory evaluation showed that there were significant differences in the quality of white tea from different altitudes. The mid- and high-altitude white tea tasted fresh, mellow and clean with a clean and pure aroma, while the low-altitude white tea tasted mellow and thick with a floral aroma. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that soluble sugars, caffeine, 3-carene, verbenenol, terpene oleene, cis-2-pentenol, 2-ethylfuran and cis-2-hexene-1-alcohol were the key components to distinguish fresh tea leaves from different altitudes. The contents of soluble sugar, cis-2-hexene-1 alcohol and cis-2-pentenol were higher in the mid- and high-altitude samples, while the contents of volatile components such as caffeine, 3-carene, verbenol and terpinolene were higher in the low-altitude samples. Soluble sugar, free amino acid, terpinolene, verbenol, 2-ethyl furan, 2-methylbutyraldehyde, 2-phenylethanol and 3-carene were the key components to distinguish white tea from different altitudes. The contents of soluble sugar and free amino acid were higher in the high-altitude white tea, and the contents of volatile components such as terpinolene, verbenol, phenyl ethanol and 3-carene were higher in the mid- and low-altitude samples, but low in the high-altitude samples. According to odor activity value (OAV) analysis, 2-methyl butyl aldehyde, 3-carene and terpinolene could be used as the characteristic volatile components to identify white tea samples from different altitudes. The results of this study will provide a reference for further exploring the flavor quality of tea from different altitudes.

In this paper, an adaptive mix training physics-informed neural networks (A-MTPINNs) model is proposed to study the high-order rogue waves of the famous Gardner equation (GE). Through a series of numerical experiments, we can conclude that this A-MTPINNs model can not only recover the dynamic behavior of the high-order rogue waves of the GE well, but also can guarantee higher learning ability and prediction accuracy than the original PINNs model, and the prediction accuracy is improved by two orders of magnitude. By testing that the A-MTPINNs model can maintain high robustness under different noises for the data-driven solutions of the GE. Furthermore, this model also has good performance for the inverse problem of the Gardner equation by a data-driven discovery approach and also remains robust in noise experiments.

A total of 28 derivatives were designed and synthesized, including 18 estradiol-amino acid (17β-OH) derivatives (I-2 ∼ I-19) and 10 estradiol-amino acid (16-C) derivatives (II-2 ∼ II-11). Amino acids used in synthesis include L-phenylalanine, L-serine, L-leucine, glycine, L-proline and L-glutamine. The results showed that I-8 ∼ I-12 of 17β-OH conjugated amino acids in 17β-estradiol had good in vitro antitumor activity, indicating that the introduction of amino acids could improve the anti-proliferative effect. Among them, 3-benzyloxy-Estra-1,3,5 (10)-triene-17β-ol pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate hydrochloride (I-12) showed the best inhibitory activity against breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells (IC50 = 4.89 µM). Further studies on apoptosis revealed that I-12 could regulate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in MDA-MB-231 cells. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis revealed that I-12 may act on targets such as mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK2) targets and their related pathways.

Annular fuel is a new type of fuel used in pressurized water reactor. The fuel pellets are annular shape and loaded between internal and external cladding. Annular fuel consists of two coolant channels, namely the internal channel and the external channel. The pellets can be cooled by both sides simultaneously. The spacer grid is one of the core components of annular fuel assembly, which has an important influence on flow and heat transfer characteristics. In this paper, the numerical calculation model of 13×13 annular fuel fullspan grid was established for straightthrough cell grid and externallyexpanded cell grid based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The flow and heat transfer characteristics of the two grids were studied. Due to the symmetrical structure of annular fuel, 1/8 external subchannels were selected to evaluate the uniformity of velocity distribution by calculating the standard deviation (σ) of velocity distribution. Three evaluation factors including swirl factor, cross flow factor and turbulence intensity factor were defined, and the mixing characteristics of the two kinds of grids were analyzed based on central sub-channel. The axial heat transfer characteristics of the two grids were evaluated by calculating the average Nusselt number (Nu) distribution of the angular sub-channel, the side sub-channel and the central sub-channel. The circumferential heat transfer characteristics of fuel rods were evaluated by calculating the circumferential Nu. The resistance characteristics of the spacer grid were evaluated by comparing the axial pressure distribution of annular fuel and the resistance coefficient of the spacer grid. By comparing and calculating the coolant flow distribution ratio (φ) between the external channel and the internal channel, the adjustment effect of two kinds of grids on the flow distribution ratio was evaluated. It shows that externallyexpanded cell grid can form a constricted orifice with throttling function, compared with the straightthrough cell grid. It has a good regulating effect on the resistance characteristics and flow distribution characteristics of annular fuel, and can significantly improve the distribution uniformity of flow and heat transfer parameters of external sub-channels. By adopting the externally-expanded cell grid, the velocity distribution uniformity in the external sub-channel is increased by 54%, the maximum relative deviation of the average Nu of each subchannel is reduced from 65% to 24%, and the maximum relative deviation of the circumferential Nu of the fuel rods is reduced from 35% to 24%, which significantly improves the distribution uniformity of the flow and heat transfer parameters in the subchannels. The externally expanded grid has a more significant mixing effect on the fluid, and the active distance reaches 35Dh, which has an enhanced effect on the subchannel heat transfer. In addition, the resistance coefficient of the external expansion grid is 45 times that of the straightthrough grid, and the flow distribution ratio is only 53% of that of the straight-through grid, which has a good adjustment effect on the resistance characteristics and flow distribution characteristics of the annular fuel.

Objective To explore the function and mechanism of tamoxifen, an estrogen receptor modulator, in the pathogenesis of hyperplatic scar. Methods Primary human fibroblasts were isolated and cultured for 4 generations and then aliquated into 3 groups: control group, TGF-β1 group and TGF-β1+ tamoxifen group. The effects of tamoxifen on human fibrogenic factor production, cell proliferation, migration and differentiation of TGF-β1-induced skin fibroblasts were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), MTS, cell scratch test, Western blot and immunofluorescence assay. Results Tamoxifen (10 μmol/L) inhibited the production of collagen 1, collagen 3 and α-SMA induced by TGF-β1 in fibroblasts. MTS results showed that the proliferation activity of TGF-β1 group was higher than that of tamoxifen group (P＜0.05). Wound healing test verified that the migration ability of cells was reduced by tamoxifen intervention. Tamoxifen inhibited collagen secretion and differentiation of skin fibroblasts into muscle fibroblasts. Conclusions The estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen inhibits pathological proliferation of fibroblasts, so it may be a potential novel strategy for the treatment of hyperplastic scar.

Abstract The long-term application of chemical fertilizers has caused to the farmland soil compaction, water pollution, and reduced the quality of vegetable to some extent. So, its become a trend in agriculture to find new bio-fertilizers. Chlorella extract is rich in amino acids, peptides, nucleic acids, growth hormones, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc ions, vitamin E, B1, B2, C, B6, folic acid, free biotin and chlorophyll. Chlorella extract can promote biological growth, mainly by stimulating the speed of cell division, thereby accelerating the proliferation rate of cells and playing a role in promoting plant growth. Whether Chlorella extract can be used to improve the growth of pepper (Capsicum annuum), needs to be verified. In current study, a pepper variety 'Chao Tian Jiao' was used as experiment material, by determining the changes of the related characteristics after spraying the seedlings with Chlorella extract, and its effect on growth of Capsicum annuum plants was investigated. The results showed that the Chlorella extract significantly increased plant height of pepper seedlings (treatment: 32.2 ± 0.3 cm; control: 24.2 ± 0.2 cm), stem diameter (treatment: 0.57 ± 0.02 cm; control: 0.41 ± 0.03 cm) and leaf area (treatment: 189.6 ± 3.2 cm2; control: 145.8 ± 2.5 cm2). Particularly, the pepper seedlings treated with Chlorella extract, developed the root system in better way, significantly increased the chlorophyll a, and the activities of SOD, POD and CAT enzymes were also improved significantly. Based on our results, we can speculate that it is possible to improve the growth of Capsicum annuum seedlings and reduce the application of chemical fertilizers in pepper production by using Chlorella extract.

Abstract K‐rich adakite‐like rocks (KARs) in post‐collisional settings, such as in Tibet, have been widely linked with the melting of pre‐existing thickened crust. Here, we investigate geochemical data of the Late Eocene (38–34 Ma) volcanic rocks including KARs from the southern Qiangtang terrane (SQT) of central Tibet. The data reveal that: (a) the volcanic rocks define a fractionation trend from high‐K alkaline basalt to high‐K calc‐alkaline rhyolite, with a continuous compositional range and (b) they are characterized by a narrow range of depleted Sr–Nd isotopic compositions relative to the pre‐Eocene SQT crust. We contend that the KARs in the SQT resulted from fractional crystallization of hydrous, alkaline melts derived from the lithospheric mantle where fractionation was dominated by amphibole and plagioclase. Partial melting of the lithospheric mantle beneath the SQT was possibly triggered by thermal perturbations owing to the north‐directed subduction of the Indian continental lithosphere beneath southern Tibet.

Purpose – The island areas, in particular, are characterized by a more fragile ecological carrying capacity and higher value of resources and environment, which requires us to take Xi Jinping's green ecological development view as the theoretical basis and adhere to the high-quality development path of gradual development and ecological environment priority. Taking Shengsi and Daishan counties as examples, on the basis of their high-quality development evaluation and identification of the main influencing factors, this study explores the specific path of Xi Jinping's ecological development view in the high-quality development of typical island counties in China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper applies the interpretative structural model to construct an evaluation index system for the high-quality development of the island. In determining the factor weights of the index layer, the AHP hierarchical analysis method was combined with the Delphi method to increase the objectivity of the assignment process as much as possible. This study used the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution to calculate island high quality development index. To measure the main obstacle factors, the index factor contribution rate, the index factor deviation, and the index factor obstacle degree were applied in this research. Findings – The study is supported by Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Guangxi Academy of Sciences (GXKLHY21-04), Special Funds for Fundamental Scientific Research Operation of Central Universities (202113011), Shandong Provincial Social Science Planning Research Youth Project (21DSHJ2) and Tianjin Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project of China (No. TJKS20XSX-015). Originality/value – The connotation and extension of Xi Jinping's view of ecological development should be continuously studied in depth and enriched, with green development as the core idea to guide the correct direction of the high-quality development of the island. In this paper, it is suggested that researchers are supposed to focus on these problems, such as the changes of sea water quality, the reduction of urban greening, the continuous negative growth of population in island areas, the decline of forestry added value and air quality protection, so as to ensure the sustainable high-quality development of example islands.

We have demonstrated that complexes [(edt)2Mo2O2(μ‐S)2Ag2(dppm)2]·4CH3OH·DMF (2, edt = 1,2‐ethanedithiolate dianion, dppm = bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, DMF = N,N‐dimethylformamide) and [(μ‐Cl)2Ag4(μ3‐Cl)2(dppm)2]·4DMF (3), were generated by combining a dinuclear molybdenum precursor [Et4N]2[(edt)2Mo2S2(μ‐S)2] (1a) with two equimolar AgCl and dppm in a CH3OH‐DMF mixed solution. Treatment of complex 1a with one equimolar AgCl and DPEPhos in CH3OH and DMF mixed solutions, producing complex [Et4N][(edt)2Mo2S2(μ‐S)2Ag(DPEPhos)]·CH3OH (4, DPEPhos = bis(2‐diphenylphosphinophenyl)ether). Treatment of complex [nPr4N]2[(edt)2Mo2S2(μ‐S)2] (1b) with AgBr in acetonitrile followed by addition of (NH4)2S produced a dodecanuclear Mo–Ag–S cage cluster [nPr4N]2[{Mo2Ag2S2O2(edt)2}3(μ6‐S)]·1.5CH3CN (5). Complexes 2−5 have been characterized by infrared(IR), 1H NMR, UV‐vis, and fluorescence spectroscopies. Moreover, molecular structures of complexes 2−5 have been established by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (HAOB), crucial for soil nitrification, have unclear benefits for crop water use. This study explored the impact of a novel HAOB strain, S2_8_1, on maize drought resilience via pot culturing. The experiment included various treatments: control with sufficient water (CK), sufficient water + HAOB strain (WI), limited rewatering (DL), sufficient rewatering (DH), sufficient rewatering + HAOB strain (DHI), and limited rewatering + HAOB strain (DLI). The results revealed below-compensatory growth with DL compared to CK. Interestingly, the HAOB strain displayed survival resilience with a 96% increase in its copy numbers in the rhizosphere soils compared to CK during rewatering. The DLI treatment exhibited equal to compensatory growth, showing a remarkable 169% surge in the water use efficiency versus CK. This improvement was attributed to heightened rhizosphere soil nitrification by HAOB, enhancing the cytokinin production in roots and its transference to leaves, leading to a 25% higher leaf cytokinin concentration with DLI compared to CK during rewatering. Additionally, HAOB DHI prompted overcompensatory growth after sufficient rewatering, boosting nitrification and facilitating cytokinin root-to-leaf transport. However, its water use efficiency was 39% lower than DLI. The study highlights HAOB’s importance in optimizing crop water use, particularly in scenarios of limited rewatering in cropland soils.

Purpose – Many experts suggest that the human being explore marine resources and marine new energy sources to alleviate the shortage of land resources and the ecological degradation. However, island coastal zones are considered to be fragile ecosystems; their geographical location and natural characteristics, their biodiversity and associated ecosystems, and their exposure to diverse land and sea conditions all make them highly vulnerable to environmental changes and human activities. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve the goals of environmental protection and sustainable development on the basis of a comprehensive evaluation and understanding of islands. Design/methodology/approach – Due to the importance of island groups, this paper conducts evaluation studies on them. Using the Delphi, AHP and TOPSIS methods, this study evaluated quantitatively the comprehensive development level and comprehensive development potential of island groups in terms of resources, natural environment, economy and society. Innovatively using them as two subsystems, the present study combined the coupling coordination model and the obstacle factor calculation method. Findings – The prospective index of comprehensive development was applied to the Changdao Island Group in Yantai, Shandong Province as an example, and the final evaluation revealed that the comprehensive development prospect of this island group had an upward trend from 2010 to 2017. Future efforts should be made to improve its economic and social conditions and economic development status, apart from promoting its comprehensive development by improving human resources management, increasing the GDP growth rate, and improving fresh water and electricity supply. Originality/value – This study takes the integrated development level of the island and the integrated development potential of the island as two subsystems, and the innovative application of the coupling coordination degree model is used to calculate the integrated development index of the island to understand the development status of the island area. On the basis of this model, the obstacle factor identification method is designed to identify the main obstacle factors, and on the basis of evaluation and identification, specific measures to ensure the sustainable development of the island area are effectively proposed.

ObjectiveThe study aims to investigate the effect of metformin on Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who received transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the first time.MethodsFrom January 2016 to December 2019, T2DM patients diagnosed with HCC in Shandong Cancer Hospital and treated with TACE were included in this retrospective study. Overall survival (OS) and Progression-free survival (PFS) were compared between patients treated with metformin and other antidiabetics. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to evaluate the independent risk factors associated with OS and PFS. And sub-analysis was performed to investigate whether metformin could give a survival advantage in each Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage of HCC. Propensity score matched (PSM) analyses based on patient and tumor characteristics were also conducted.ResultsA total of 123 HCC patients with T2DM underwent TACE, of which 50 (40.65%) received treatment with metformin. For the whole cohort, the median OS (42 vs 32 months, p=0.054) and PFS (12 vs 7 months, P=0.0016) were longer in the metformin group than that in the non-metformin group. Multi-analysis revealed that BCLC stage, BMI (Body Mass Index), and metformin use were independent predictors of OS. Metformin use was independently associated with recurrence. After PSM, 39 matched pairs were identified. The use of metformin was associated with a numerically longer m OS (43 vs 35 months, P=0.183) than the use of other anti-diabetics. And the difference in median PFS (13 vs 7 months, p=0.018) between the metformin group and non-metformin group remained significant.ConclusionThe combination of transarterial chemoembolization and metformin may be associated with better OS and PFS in HCC patients with T2DM.

Here, the authors develop a one-step, contamination-free, Au-assisted mechanical exfoliation method for 2D materials, and isolate 40 types of single-crystalline monolayers, including elemental 2D crystals, metal-dichalcogenides, magnets and superconductors with millimetre size.

The experimental study on aramid fiber-reinforced composites (AFRP) was carried out. The milling experiments of AFRP were carried out from different fiber orientations. The changes in surface quality, fiber section, and chip shape in mPIC1195147illing under different fiber orientations were studied, and the action law of the blade and tooth was analyzed from the micro perspective. The response surface are used to analyze the cutting force. The mathematical model is established to predict the minimum cutting force. The variance analysis method is used to analyze the influencing factors and their weights of cutting force. The research shows that the cutting force is the smallest when the fiber orientation angle is 0° or 90°, the milling surface quality is good, and the chips are primarily powdery. The cutting force is the largest when the fiber orientation angle is 45° and the milling surface quality is poor. The chips are mainly flocculent. At this angle, the cutting force is affected by three factors, and the interaction has the most significant proportion. When the fiber orientation angle is 30° or 60°, the cutting force, the fiber cross-section, and the surface quality are between the former two, and most of the chips are mixed chips (powdery and flocculent). The evolution and distribution law of burr is obtained. During AFRP milling, the milling surface is always sheared on one side and accompanied by extrusion. The fibers are sheared and broken, the surface burrs are few, the side is stretched, the fibers are stretched and broken, and the surface burrs are many. The action rule of the cutting tool on transverse and longitudinal fibers is summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photochemical reactivity of humic substances plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle, and influences the toxicity, mobility, and bioavailability of contaminants by altering their molecular structure and the mineralization of organic carbon to CO2. Here, we examined the simulated irradiation process of Chinese standard fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) by using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence combined with fluorescence regional integration (FRI), parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis, and kinetic models. Humic-like and fulvic-like materials were the main materials (constituting more than 90%) of both FA and HA, according to the FRI analysis. Four components were identified by the PARAFAC analysis: fulvic-like components composed of both carboxylic-like and phenolic-like chromophores (C1), terrestrial humic-like components primarily composed of carboxylic-like chromophores (C2), microbial humic-like overwhelming composed of phenolic-like fluorophores (C3), and protein-like components (C4). After irradiation for 72 h, the maximum fluorescence intensity (Fmax) of C1 and C2 of FA was reduced to 36.01–58.34%, while the Fmax of C3 of both FA and HA also decreased to 0–9.63%. By contrast, for HA, the Fmax of its C1 and C2 increased to 236.18–294.77% when irradiated for 72 h due to greater aromaticity and photorefractive tendencies. The first-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.908–0.990) fitted better than zero-order kinetic model (R2 = 0–0.754) for the C1, C2, and C3, of both FA and HA, during their photochemical reactivity. The photodegradation rate constant (k1) of C1 had values (0.105 for FA; 0.154 for HA) that surpassed those of C2 (0.059 for FA, 0.079 for HA) and C3 (0.079 for both FA and HA) based on the first-order kinetic model. The half-life times of C1, C2, and C3 ranged from 6.61–11.77 h to 4.50–8.81 h for FA and HA, respectively. Combining an excitation-emission matrix with FRI and PARAFAC analyses is a powerful approach for elucidating changes to humic substances during their irradiation, which is helpful for predicting the environmental toxicity of contaminants in natural ecosystems.