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Abstract Tibetan donkeys inhabit the harsh environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Research on serum metabolites related to their high-altitude adaptation is limited compared to other livestock. We used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to analyze serum samples from healthy adult donkeys in Shigatse, Changdu, and Dezhou to evaluate the effects of high altitudes on serum metabolites. Metabolomics analysis identified 443 differential metabolites (DMs) across the three groups, meeting criteria of VIP ≥ 1, p-value

Coal energy has made a significant contribution to the development of human industrialization, but coal energy is faced with the major problem of high carbon emissions. Modern coal-based energy is a new path to crack the contradiction between coal energy and carbon. It can realize independent and controllable energy based on China’s resource endowment, enhance the autonomy of China’s oil and gas, support the clean transformation of electricity and the development of the renewable energy industry, and is an important innovative direction for guaranteeing energy security and realizing the dual-carbon goal. Based on the concept and technical system of modern coal-based energy, this paper systematically introduces the connotation and product lineage of modern coal-based energy. By analyzing and discussing the five core technology modules, 19 technical units and 61 key technologies of modern coal-based energy, including the new technologies such as coal-based gas, coal-based oil, coal-based hydrogen, coal-based electricity production, and dynamic carbon neutrality in mining area, ten revolutionary technologies for the development of low carbonization coal-based energy are proposed: ① Intelligent underground coal gasification technology based on self-moving plasma gasification machine which has the functions of automatic combustion, propulsion, sealing, monitoring and controlling; ② The coupling of underground coal gasification and indirect liquefaction can form a low-cost, low-emission, short-process coal-to-oil route (UCG-ICL); ③ In situ retorting chemical mining technology of oil-rich coal using solar heating or hot dry rock heating;④ In the deep coal underground gasification hydrogen production path (UCG-H2) based on in-situ carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), recycled CO2 is used as a gasification agent to improve the production of effective components of coal gas, and captured CO2 is stored in the underground gasification cavity to form a zero-emission UCG-H2 technical route. ⑤ nanometer hydrogen-rich coal water slurry hydrogen-mixed power generation technology to achieve low-carbon coal-based power production at low temperature and low pressure, and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions of coal power; ⑥ The Low carbon power generation system concept of underground coal gasification coupled with IGCC (UCG+IGCC) reduces the coal-to-gas process of IGCC and significantly reduces CO2 emissions. ⑦ Pulverized coal deflagration linear drive power generation technology structure, the theoretical work energy is more than 15 times of coal combustion; ⑧ Based on the CO2 hydrogenation synthesis “green methanol” route of modern coal-based energy recycling, methanol is synthesized from coal-based “blue hydrogen” produced by low-carbon UCG and captured CO2; ⑨ The CO2 in situ storage technology system generated by modern coal-based energy can help achieve zero-carbon coal-based energy production; ⑩ Dynamic carbon neutral coal-based energy system architecture in mining area, coupling intelligent supply protection, green development, clean transformation, low-carbon utilization and clean emission in a closed-loop system in mining area to achieve dynamic carbon neutrality in mining area.

Abstract Lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is a recently discovered histone acylation modification that is closely associated with gene expression, cell proliferation, and the maintenance of stem cell pluripotency and indicates the transcriptional activity of genes and the regulation of various biological processes. During cell culture, the introduction of exogenous croconic acid disodium salt (Nacr) has been shown to modulate intracellular Kcr levels. Although research on Kcr has increased, its role in cell growth and proliferation and its potential regulatory mechanisms remain unclear compared to those of histone methylation and acetylation. Our investigation demonstrated that the addition of 5 mM Nacr to cultured bovine fibroblasts increased the expression of genes associated with Kcr modification, ultimately promoting cell growth and stimulating cell proliferation. Somatic cell nuclear transfer of donor cells cultured in 5 mM Nacr resulted in 38.1% blastocyst development, which was significantly greater than that in the control group (25.2%). This research is important for elucidating the crotonylation modification mechanism in fibroblast proliferation to promote the efficacy of somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Abstract Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising technology for treating high-salinity mine water. However, MD membranes are known to have low membrane flux and are prone to fouling. In this study, we used the cost-effective and controllable vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) technology to prepare polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes, replacing the traditional immersion precipitation method and optimizing the membrane structure by including LiCl and acetone as porogen in the casting solution. The results showed that the membrane prepared using the VIPS method exhibited a highly open interconnected porous surface. Unlike traditional MD membranes with a dense epidermal layer and large finger-like pores, these optimized membranes had a symmetrical and uniform internal structure, leading to a high flux of 8.62 kg·(m2·h)−1 during direct contact membrane distillation testing. Different porogens produced varied results on the VIPS process and varying effects on membrane structure. The use of LiCl promoted the formation of PVDF β-phase, resulting in a decrease in the number of spherical nodules on the membrane surface, as well as improved density and smoothness. Consequently, this reduced fouling risk during membrane distillation while slightly decreasing membrane flux. On the other hand, acetone rapidly evaporated during the VIPS process, facilitating pre-gelatinization and α-phase formation of PVDF. This concurrent effect effectively restricted excessive nodule growth on the membrane surface, endowing the membrane with antifouling capabilities while preserving high flux.

Donkey meat is characterized by a high content of proteins, essential amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids and is low in fat, cholesterol, and calories. Thus, it is considered a high-quality source of meat. Based on the data from PubMed and Web of science within past 10 years, this review summarizes the factors affecting the quality of donkey meat and its nutritional value, including breed, genetics, gender, age, muscle type, feeding regimen, storage and processing conditions. Breed, gender, age, and feeding regimen mainly affect the quality of donkey meat by influencing its intramuscular fat content and carcass quality. Meanwhile, the tenderness and flavor of donkey meat depend on the muscle type, storage and processing conditions. Genetics, on the other hand, fundamentally affect donkey meat quality by influencing the polymorphism of genes. These findings provide valuable insights and guidance for producers, consumers, and decision-makers in the donkey meat industry, promoting the development of more effective marketing strategies and the improvement of meat quality, thereby enabling the expansion and progress of the entire industry.

Somatosensory abnormalities are commonly recognized as diagnostic criteria in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and may also exist in individuals with autistic traits. The present research included two studies to explore the painful and non-painful sensation and their cognitive-neurological mechanisms of individuals with autistic traits. Study 1 included 358 participants to assess the relationship between autistic traits and pain/non-pain sensitivities using questionnaires: the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire, and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale, respectively. Study 1 found that autistic traits were positively correlated with non-pain sensitivity, but not associated with pain sensitivity. Study 2 recruited 1,167 participants whose autistic traits were assessed using the AQ. Subsequently, thirty-three participants who scored within the top 10% and bottom 10% on the AQ were selected into High-AQ and Low-AQ groups, respectively, to explore the cognitive-neural responses of individuals with autistic traits to both painful and non-painful stimuli with event-related potential (ERP) technology. Results of Study 2 showed that the High-AQ group showed higher intensity ratings, more negative emotional reactions, and larger N1 amplitudes than the Low-AQ group to the non-painful stimuli, but no difference of response to the painful stimuli was found between High-AQ and Low-AQ groups. These findings suggest that individuals with autistic traits may experience enhanced non-painful sensation but intact painful sensation.

Coal has made important contributions to the industrialization process of human society, and has played a key supporting role in ensuring China’s energy security and stable economic development. Since the mid-19th century, the coal-based fuel of coal, kerosene, gas and coal electricity has gradually entered the era of large-scale use. However, the traditional use of coal produces high carbon emissions, which has become a major problem in energy transition. Facing the development of ecological civilization society, the clean and efficient use of coal is imminent, and the innovation of modern coal-based energy technology is imperative. This paper proposes the definition and connotation of modern coal-based energy technology system, which is defined as the production of low-carbon energy products such as coal-based gas, coal-based oil, coal-based hydrogen and coal-based electricity, and the in-situ absorption of carbon dioxide in mining areas to form a clean and low-carbon energy production system with carbon neutrality. Its technical connotation includes coal-based gas, coal-based oil, coal-based hydrogen, coal-based electricity and dynamic carbon neutrality in mining areas, with a total of 5 technical modules, 19 technical units and 61 key technologies. The modern coal-based energy technology system will play an important role of “one main body, three supports and one breakthrough” in the future new energy system. Coal-based electricity provides the main body of electricity system stability. Coal-based oil supports the China’s oil safety. Coal-based gas supports the China’s gas safety. Coal-based hydrogen plays a supporting role in the development of hydrogen energy in China. The major breakthrough is the dynamic carbon neutral technology of coal-based energy. The paper supposes that when the ratio of non-fossil energy and low-carbon coal-based energy is maintained in the range of 2.5−3.0, coal-based energy, oil and gas and wind, water, nuclear energy can be reasonably integrated to form a new quality energy system with strong complementarity, high reliability and low carbon emissions. Based on the major breakthrough and practical application of modern coal-based energy technology, it is predicted that China’s low-carbon coal-based energy production will reach 1.02 billion −1.46 billion tons of standard coal equivalent (tce) in 2060, equivalent to 18%−24% of the national energy demand, and carbon dioxide emissions will be controlled below 500 million tons. Compared with the current energy transformation planning path based on “de coal” planning, the share of coal in our energy system can increase from 10% to more than 20%, and carbon dioxide emissions will reduce by 50%. At that time, the modern coal-based energy system has great technological innovation significance for China’s energy security and carbon dioxide emission reduction, and helps China to become a country with independent energy supply.

Deep underground coal gasification (UCG) for making hydrogen can not only utilize the rich deep coal resources in China and convert difficult-to-mine or uneconomical deep coal resources into hydrogen, but also is a potential low-cost hydrogen production route. Based on the world’s only kilometer-scale deep UCG experimental data and combined with Aspen Plus process simulation, this study analyzes the energy utilization of hydrogen production through deep UCG using the advanced exergy analysis method. In comparison with the commercialized Lurgi surface coal gasification route, the energy consumption levels of the two hydrogen production routes were compared using the cumulative exergy consumption per unit of hydrogen output as an indicator. The research results show that under the hydrogen production capacity of 1.2 billion Nm3/a, the total exergy losses from raw materials to products in deep UCG for hydrogen production are 451.79 MW. Advanced exergy analysis can effectively quantify the exergy losses that can be avoided in the process, and the calculations indicate that 39.9% of these losses are unavoidable. The distribution of exergy destruction indicates that avoidable endogenous exergy destruction (\begin{document}$E_{{\mathrm{dest}},k}^{{\mathrm{AV,EN}}} $\end{document}) and avoidable exogenous exergy destruction (\begin{document}$E_{{\mathrm{dest}},k}^{{\mathrm{AV,EX}}} $\end{document}) of the methane reforming unit are 96.63 MW and 81.58 MW respectively, suggesting that the methane reforming unit has the greatest potential for energy efficiency improvement. By utilizing the heat from converted gas and flue gas as by-product steam, \begin{document}$E_{{\mathrm{dest}},k}^{{\mathrm{AV,EN}}} $\end{document} can be reduced by 38.5%. The \begin{document}$E_{{\mathrm{dest}},k}^{{\mathrm{AV,EN}}} $\end{document} and \begin{document}$E_{{\mathrm{dest}},k}^{{\mathrm{AV,EX}}} $\end{document} of the UCG unit are 4.38 MW and 62.73 MW respectively, indicating that the focus of reducing its exergy losses should be on improving the efficiency of other units to reduce avoidable exogenous exergy destruction. The remaining units have relatively small improvement potential and can be disregarded. When 1 kg of hydrogen is produced, the CExC of UCG-H2 is 376.1 MJ, which is only 83.6% of that of SCG-H2 (449.72 MJ). This indicates that the deep UCG for hydrogen production can significantly reduce the energy consumption level. Sensitivity analysis shows that the difference in CExC between the two routes increases with the expansion of production scale. The research results can provide a scientific basis for the process optimization and quantitative assessment of technical feasibility for hydrogen production with deep UCG.

The main coal producing areas in western China have the problems of dry climate and water shortage, and the mine water produced by coal mining generally has the characteristics of high salinity and high hardness. At present, the zero-discharge treatment of high-salinity mine water generally has the problems of complex process and high operating cost. In order to shorten the treatment process and improve the treatment efficiency, in this study, the vacuum membrane distillation technology was applied to replace the existing multi-stage reverse osmosis membrane concentration technology for the high-salinity mine water concentration and desalination treatment process. The high-salinity mine water after a lime-soda softening treatment was treated with different concentration ratios, and the membrane fouling mechanism and membrane cleaning method during the concentration process were studied. The results showed that with the increase of the concentration ratio, the membrane flux and desalination rate of the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane gradually decreased, while the conductivity of the produced water increased slowly. When the concentration ratio was up to 27 times, the membrane flux was 8.87 L/(m2·h), the salt rejection rate was 99.7%, and the water conductance was 26.6 μS/cm. The membrane distillation process was inhibited by the membrane fouling caused by the scaling of calcium and magnesium ions in mine water, and the inorganic salt deposits could not be removed by physical methods such as backwashing and ultrasonic cleaning. After 96 hours of continuous operation, the PVDF membrane flux reduced from 12.85 L/(m2·h) to 5.21 L/(m2·h). The pretreatment process of hardness removal had obvious influence on the calcium and magnesium scaling in the membrane distillation process. When the hardness removal rate exceeded 95%, the desalting rate and membrane flux attenuation of PVDF membrane were obviously weakened. The membrane fouling caused by the calcium and magnesium precipitation could be effectively removed by the citric acid cleaning agent. Under the optimized conditions of citric acid concentration of 0.87 mol/L, the cleaning temperature of 38 ℃ and the cleaning time of 40 min, the membrane cleaning efficiency could reach 99.5%. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the microscopic morphology and structure of the original film, the contaminated film and the film after chemical cleaning. The results showed that the deposited pollutants on the surface of the cleaned film were significantly reduced, but the surface morphology and microscopic structure were irreversibly changed.

Abstract Background Gut microbiota plays a significant role in host survival, health, and diseases; however, compared to other livestock, research on the gut microbiome of donkeys is limited. Results In this study, a total of 30 donkey samples of rectal contents from six regions, including Shigatse, Changdu, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Dezhou, were collected for metagenomic sequencing. The results of the species annotation revealed that the dominant phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and the dominant genera were Bacteroides, unclassified_o_Clostridiales (short for Clostridiales) and unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae (short for Lachnospiraceae). The dominant phyla, genera and key discriminators were Bacteroidetes, Clostridiales and Bacteroidetes in Tibet donkeys (Shigatse); Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Clostridiales in Tibet donkeys (Changdu); Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Tenericutes in Qinghai donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Negativicutes in Yunnan donkeys; Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Fibrobacteres in Xinjiang donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Firmicutes in Dezhou donkeys. In the functional annotation, it was mainly enriched in the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis of carbohydrate metabolism, and the abundance was the highest in Dezhou donkeys. These results combined with altitude correlation analysis demonstrated that donkeys in the Dezhou region exhibited strong glucose-conversion ability, those in the Shigatse region exhibited strong glucose metabolism and utilization ability, those in the Changdu region exhibited a strong microbial metabolic function, and those in the Xinjiang region exhibited the strongest ability to decompose cellulose and hemicellulose. Conclusion According to published literature, this is the first study to construct a dataset with multi-regional donkey breeds. Our study revealed the differences in the composition and function of gut microbes in donkeys from different geographic regions and environmental settings and is valuable for donkey gut microbiome research.

Studying the interaction between pesticide contamination in the plant system and the dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition is important to understand the impact of pesticides and plants on the ecological function of DOM. The present study investigated the effects of DOM on the bioaccumulation and biotransformation of carbamates in plants, carbamate exposure on DOM composition, and plant root secretion on the interaction between DOM and carbamates. The concentrations of carbamates and their metabolites in living cabbage plants were continuously tracked through an in vivo analytical method. The presence of DOM was found to reduce the highest bioconcentrations and shorten the time it took to reach the highest bioaccumulated amounts of isoprocarb and carbofuran in plants, while it showed no significant effect on the uptake behavior of carbaryl. DOM profiling results indicated that carbamate exposure substantially decreased the number and molecular diversity of DOM. Notably, plant root secretion alleviated carbamate-induced DOM molecular alterations by inducing a higher turnover rate of DOM compared to that in the uncontaminated group, highlighting the role of plants in mitigating the effects of exogenous pesticide exposure on DOM composition and maintaining DOM molecular homeostasis.

The mechanisms of soil preferential flow occurrence and development are influenced by topographic and geomorphological factors. However, the complex distribution patterns of soil preferential flow paths on different slopes remain unclear. Therefore, taking the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest area of Simian Mountain as the study area, this study conducted a quantitative analysis of the spatial distribution characteristics and spatial association of soil preferential flow at different slope positions (slope shoulder (SS), mid-slope (SM) and slope foot (SF)) using field staining tracer tests and spatial point pattern analysis. Results showed that the maximum infiltration depth, the depth of matrix flow, average dye coverage, preferential flow fraction and length index of the SM plot were all greater than those of the SS and SF plots. The number of preferential flow paths in different slope positions decreases with soil depth, with most preferential flow paths measuring 2.5-5.0 mm in each soil layer. The total number of preferential flow paths in SM plot was approximately twice that of the SS and SF plots, and the preferential flow paths in SM plot, regardless of pore size, were all in an aggregated distribution. These findings indicated that differences in soil physical properties and vegetation coverage at different slope positions lead to variations in the spatial distribution and association of soil preferential flow paths. Accordingly, strategies must be modified for the distribution, storage and utilisation of soil water resources. This study provides a theoretical basis for the effective management and protection of water resources in the Simian Mountain area and a scientific basis for exploring the mechanisms of the occurrence and development of the water cycle in forested watersheds.

Aim: VDJ001 is a novel recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody against the anti-interleukin-6 receptor. As an analog of tocilizumab, it exhibited improved affinity and in vitro activity. Based on preclinical studies, a first-in-human clinical study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of VDJ001.Methods: This is a single-center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase I dose-escalation study conducted in healthy Chinese volunteers. Four cohorts were designed with dosages ranging from 1 to 8 mg/kg. There were equal numbers of female and male volunteers in each cohort. Enrolled subjects randomly received a single intravenous administration of VDJ001 or placebo (VDJ001: placebo = 4:1 in both female and male volunteers). Three sentinel volunteers in the 1 mg/kg cohort were first administered, and the treatment of the other seven volunteers was carried out after a safety assessment on D15. The following cohort was conducted only when the safety profile was evaluated as acceptable on D29 of the previous cohort. Samples for pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and immunogenicity were collected at specified time points and analyzed through validated methods. Adverse events and the results of the examination and laboratory were analyzed to assess the safety profile.Results: All cohorts were carried out according to the protocol. With the escalation of dosage, Cmax increased linearly, and AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ increased in a non-linear manner, while clearance decreased and t1/2 prolonged. Six volunteers who received VDJ001 tested ADA-positive, among whom one participant tested Nab-positive on D57. One volunteer in the placebo group tested ADA-positive but Nab-negative. CRP concentrations were not found to be correlated with the dosage. Both IL-6 and sIL-6R concentrations increased after the administration of VDJ001. All adverse events were mild to moderate in severity. No serious adverse events were reported in this study. No unexpected or clinically significant safety issues were found.Conclusion: The safety and tolerability of VDJ001 are acceptable with a single intravenous dosage of 1∼8 mg/kg. Further clinical trials are warranted.

Abstract Objectives Eicosapentaenoic acid in its ethyl ester form is the single active component of icosapent ethyl (IPE). This study was a phase III, multi-center trial assessing the safety and efficiency of IPE for treating very high triglyceride (TG) in a Chinese cohort. Methods Patients having TG levels (5.6–22.6 mmol/L) were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive a treatment of oral intake of 4 g or 2 g/day of IPE, or placebo. Before and after 12 weeks of treatment, TG levels were assessed and the median was calculated to determine the change between the baseline and week 12. In addition to examining TG levels, the impact of such treatments on other lipid changes was also investigated. The official Drug Clinical Trial Information Management Platform has registered this study (CTR20170362). Results Random assignments were performed on 373 patients (mean age 48.9 years; 75.1% male). IPE (4 g/day) lowered TG levels by an average of 28.4% from baseline and by an average of 19.9% after correction for placebo (95% CI: 29.8%-10.0%, P

Abstract Background Voriconazole is a second-generation triazole that is used to prevent and treat invasive fungal infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic equivalency of a test formulation and reference formulation (Vfend®) of Voriconazole. Materials and methods This was a randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-treatment, two-sequence, two-cycle, crossover phase I trial. The 48 subjects were equally divided into 4 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg groups. Within each group, the subjects were randomized 1:1 to the test or reference formulation.. After a 7-day washout period, crossover formulations were administered. The blood samples were collected at 0.5, 1.0, 1.33,1.42,1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 12.0, 24.0, 36.0, 48.0 h later in the 4 mg/kg group, while at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.08, 2.17, 2.33, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 12.0, 24.0, 36.0, 48.0 h later in the 6 mg/kg group. The plasma concentrations of Voriconazole were determined by Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The safety of the drug was evaluated. Results The 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the ratio of geometric means (GMRs) of Cmax, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞ in both 4 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg groups were within the prespecified bioequivalence limits between 80 ~ 125%. In the 4 mg/kg groups, 24 subjects were enrolled and completed the study. The mean Cmax was (2.552 ± 0.448) μg/mL, AUC0-t was (11.875 ± 7.157) h*μg/mL and AUC0-∞ was (12.835 ± 9.813) h*μg/mL after a single dose of 4 mg/kg test formulation. The mean Cmax was (2.615 ± 0.464) μg/mL, AUC0-t was (12.500 ± 7.257) h*μg/mL and AUC0-∞ was (13.416 ± 9.485) h*μg/mL after a single dose of 4 mg/kg reference formulation. In the 6 mg/kg groups, 24 subjects were enrolled and completed the study. The mean Cmax was (3.538 ± 0.691) μg/mL, AUC0-t was (24.976 ± 12.364) h*μg/mL and AUC0-∞ was (26.212 ± 14.057) h*μg/mL after a single dose of 6 mg/kg test formulation. The mean Cmax was (3.504 ± 0.667) μg/mL AUC0-t was (24.990 ± 12.455) h*μg/mL and AUC0-∞ was (26.160 ± 13.996) h*μg/mL after a single dose of 6 mg/kg reference formulation. Serious adverse event (SAE) was not observed. Conclusion In both 4 mg/kg group and 6 mg/kg group, equivalent pharmacokinetic characteristics that satisfied the criteria of bioequivalence for both test and reference formulations of Voriconazole. Trial registration NCT05330000 (15/04/2022).

This study investigates the effects of various dosages of belite replacing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) on properties of OPC binders using carbonation curing. Mechanical strength was examined, pore-related test and microstructural/mineralogical analyses including water absorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si-NMR) were carried out. Extra attention was paid on the changes in the thickness and porosity of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of mortars. Compared to normal curing, carbonation curing increased the compressive strength of all mortar mixes, especially given a longer period of curing and/or with belite addition. The greatest increase (73.18%) in the compressive strength was seen in the specimen with 35% of belite after 28 days of carbonation curing compared its peer under normal curing condition. Besides, specimens with 5% and 15% belite obtained higher flexural strength than that of the control after 7 and 28 days of carbonation curing. Carbonation curing led to about 92.75% increment in the flexural strength of the specimen with 15% belite. Regardless of curing conditions, in most cases, belite modified mortars had higher fractural toughness, probably due to the formation of more C–S–H gels instead of Portlandite. Compressive and flexural strength are more sensitive towards the thickness of ITZ than its porosity and carbonation curing strengthened this sensitivity. Carbonation curing densified the bulk OPC binders, especially after a long period of curing incorporated with belite. Microstructural analyses indicate that although in general belite hinders the hydration process of OPC, a suitable amount (5 wt%) improved the hydration degree of OPC when cured in carbonation environment. The polymerization degree of C–S–H gels could be enhanced when belite is added irrespective of curing conditions.

The rise of new energy and the wide application of electric vehicles (EVs) have led to the substantial expansion of distribution network in recent years. The problems such as the decline of transmission reliability and the rise of power loss in distribution network are becoming increasingly serious. Therefore, distribution network can greatly improve its reliability and quality of power supply voltage through changing topology. This work built a distribution network reconfiguration (DNR) model with new energy and EVs firstly. Then, the position of bus tie switches and the reactive power regulation range of new energy and EVs were proposed as decision variables. A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm would be applied to this DNR model and the optimization results will be obtained when considering the line loss and voltage deviation as the objective function. In order to get different optimal compromise solutions with the changes of actual environment, this work employed a new decision-making method named Prevalence Effect Method (PEM). Finally, a high-quality strategy of DNR and reactive power regulation will be obtained.

Wireless body area networks enable data collection from wearable devices, thereby allowing online medical primary diagnosis via cloud computing. Data security and diagnosis accuracy are two main concerns in the online medical primary diagnosis system. While traditional solutions can ensure the confidentiality of online data, their incapacity to integrate data from multiple users restricts the development of accurate diagnostic models and leads to low accuracy. Recently, a medical preliminary diagnosis scheme with improved accuracy was proposed, which employs skyline computation to construct a precise diagnostic model using multiple medical datasets. However, their scheme requires a trusted third party and experiences excessive query time. To address this issue, we present an Effective and Privacy-preserving Multi-party Skyline diagnosis scheme (EPMS) that offers even higher accuracy and extremely fast diagnosis without trusted third parties. Specifically, we devise several sub-protocols to support secure skyline computation. By integrating our protocols with privacy matrix techniques, the cloud server can generate a comprehensive diagnostic model from multiple data sources, offering accurate diagnosis services without disclosing any users’ personal information. We implement our scheme and conduct extensive experiments, which showed that our approach achieves a speedup of approximately 200× in query time and nearly 20% improvement in accuracy.

In vivo solid phase microextraction (in vivo SPME) has been regarded as a promising high-throughput sample preparation technique for bioanalysis fields in recent years due to its simplicity, great sensitivity and low invasiveness. Therefore, as the key driving force of the development of this technique, many important advances have been also made in biocompatible coating materials. In view of this, this review here focused on various types of materials that are currently popular as in vivo SPME coating for both the targeted and untargeted analysis in living system. The main performance of each exemplary material and its current application as an in vivo SPME extraction phase were summarized in detail. As was shown, the development and the improvement of coating materials make in vivo SPME display a great potential for the targeted and untargeted screening of small molecules in living organisms. Finally, it was emphasized that the implementation of in vivo SPME in the fields of bioanalysis should be more concerned as long as suitable coating materials are available.

Background: Promoting cardiac lymphangiogenesis exerts beneficial effects for the heart. Exercise can induce physiological cardiac growth with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased proliferation markers in cardiomyocytes. However, it remains unclear whether and how lymphangiogenesis contributes to exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth. We aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of lymphangiogenesis in exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth. Methods: Adult C57BL6/J mice were subjected to 3 weeks of swimming exercise to induce physiological cardiac growth. Oral treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3) inhibitor SAR131675 was used to investigate whether cardiac lymphangiogenesis was required for exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth by VEGFR3 activation. Furthermore, human dermal lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC)-conditioned medium was collected to culture isolated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes to determine whether and how LECs could influence cardiomyocyte proliferation and hypertrophy. Results: Swimming exercise induced physiological cardiac growth accompanied by a remarkable increase of cardiac lymphangiogenesis as evidenced by increased density of lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronic acid receptor 1–positive lymphatic vessels in the heart and upregulated LYVE-1 and Podoplanin expressions levels. VEGFR3 was upregulated in the exercised heart, while VEGFR3 inhibitor SAR131675 attenuated exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth as evidenced by blunted myocardial hypertrophy and reduced proliferation marker Ki67 in cardiomyocytes, which was correlated with reduced lymphatic vessel density and downregulated LYVE-1 and Podoplanin in the heart upon exercise. Furthermore, LEC-conditioned medium promoted both hypertrophy and proliferation of cardiomyocytes and contained higher levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 and the extracellular protein Reelin, while LEC-conditioned medium from LECs treated with SAR131675 blocked these effects. Functional rescue assays further demonstrated that protein kinase B (AKT) activation, as well as reduced CCAAT enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPβ) and increased CBP/p300-interacting transactivators with E (glutamic acid)/D (aspartic acid)–rich-carboxylterminal domain 4 (CITED4), contributed to the promotive effect of LEC-conditioned medium on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and proliferation. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that cardiac lymphangiogenesis is required for exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth by VEGFR3 activation, and they indicate that LEC-conditioned medium promotes both physiological hypertrophy and proliferation of cardiomyocytes through AKT activation and the C/EBPβ-CITED4 axis. These results highlight the essential roles of cardiac lymphangiogenesis in exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to detect potential crosstalk genes, pathways and immune cells between periodontitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Chronic periodontitis (CP, GSE156993) and COPD (GSE42057, GSE94916) datasets were downloaded. Differential expressed genes (DEGs; p 0.5 and p-value

The configuration programming of Distributed Generators (DGs) in a micro-grid (MG) through the achievement of multi-objective is an inevitable and primary issue ahead of micro-grid’s construction. The motivation of this paper is to select the most suitable catalog of MG from DC micro-grid (DC-MG), AC micro-grid (AC-MG), and hybrid MG by means of uncertainties’ models and corresponding DGs’ configurations. The DGs in all catalogs of MG are composed of wind turbine (WT), photovoltaic (PV), biomass generation (BG), and battery energy storage (BES) system. In terms of uncertainties’ models, the proposed mathematical models are combined with multifarious scenarios which are considered the uncertainties of variations in solar irradiance and wind speed, temperature, and load demand. Particularly, this paper also proposes differences in allocations and sizes of all the equipment based on the assumed specific structure for each catalog of MG. Then, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (NSGA-III) is utilized by MATLAB working platform to compute the multi-objective functions associating with the minimized system cost, the loss of power supply probability (LPSP), and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for each catalog of MG. Finally, the results and comparisons demonstrate that the AC-MG is the optimal catalog for the case study, which has superiorities of economy and reliability. Although the DC-MG has lower GHG emissions, the AC-MG is the optimal choice after the comprehensive comparisons and analyses depended on three objectives.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of radiomics-based MRI in predicting microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodThe databases of PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, Springer, and Science Direct were searched for original studies from their inception to 20 August 2022. The quality of each study included was assessed according to the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 and the radiomics quality score. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated. The summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was plotted and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to explore the source of the heterogeneity. Deeks’ test was used to assess publication bias. ResultsA total of 15 studies involving 981 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC were 0.79 (95%CI: 0.72–0.85), 0.81 (95%CI: 0.73–0.87), 4.1 (95%CI:2.9–5.9), 0.26 (95%CI: 0.19–0.35), 16 (95%CI: 9–28), and 0.87 (95%CI: 0.84–0.89), respectively. The results showed great heterogeneity among the included studies. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the results of this study were statistically reliable. The results of subgroup analysis showed that hepatocyte-specific contrast media (HSCM) had equivalent sensitivity and equivalent specificity compared to the other set. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method had high sensitivity and specificity than other methods, respectively. The investigated area of the region of interest had high specificity compared to the volume of interest. The imaging-to-surgery interval of 15 days had higher sensitivity and slightly low specificity than the others. Deeks’ test indicates that there was no publication bias (P=0.71).ConclusionRadiomics-based MRI has high accuracy in predicting MVI in HCC, and it can be considered as a non-invasive method for assessing MVI in HCC.

Summary: Background: Homeodomain-Interacting Protein Kinase 2 (HIPK2) has been reported to maintain basal cardiac function, however, its role in pathological cardiac remodeling remains unclear. Methods: HIPK2 inhibitors (tBID and PKI1H) treated mice and two lines of HIPK2−/− mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC). HIPK2 knockdown were performed in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs), neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (NRCFs), and human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs). Microarray analysis was used to screen HIPK2 targets. Overexpression of early growth response 3 (EGR3) and C-type lectin receptor 4D (CLEC4D) were performed in NRCMs, while an activator of Smad3 was used in NRCFs, to rescue the effects of HIPK2 knockdown. Finally, the effects of EGR3 and CLEC4D knockdown by AAV9 in TAC were determined. Findings: HIPK2 was elevated in TAC mice model, as well as cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and NRCFs fibrosis model. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of HIPK2 improved cardiac function and suppressed cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis induced by TAC. In vitro, HIPK2 inhibition prevented cardiomyocyte hypertrophic growth and NRCFs proliferation and differentiation. At the mechanistic level, we identified EGR3 and CLEC4D as new targets of HIPK2, which were regulated by ERK1/2-CREB and mediated the protective function of HIPK2 inhibition in cardiomyocytes. Meanwhile, inhibition of phosphorylation of Smad3 was responsible for the suppression of cardiac fibroblasts proliferation and differentiation by HIPK2 inhibition. Finally, we found that inhibition of EGR3 or CLEC4D protected against TAC. Interpretation: HIPK2 inhibition protects against pathological cardiac remodeling by reducing EGR3 and CLEC4D with ERK1/2-CREB inhibition in cardiomyocytes, and by suppressing the phosphorylation of Smad3 in cardiac fibroblasts. Funding: This work was supported by the grants from National Key Research and Development Project (2018YFE0113500 to J.X.), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82020108002 and 81911540486 to J.X., 81400647 to MJ Xu), the grant from Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (21XD1421300 and 20DZ2255400 to J.X.), the “Dawn” Program of Shanghai Education Commission (19SG34 to J.X.), and Shanghai Sailing Program (21YF1413200 to Q.Z.).

Mudanjiang is a major producer of black wood ear (Auricularia heimuer) mushrooms in China. It has been estimated that more than 1.5 million tons of spent substrates of A. heimuer (SSA) are produced each year. Most of these are discarded or burned and have become an important source of pollution, which urgently merits research to find appropriate uses for them. To explore the feasibility of SSA as a substrate for cultivating Lepista sordida mushrooms, experiments were conducted to assess the effects of the addition of 0, 40%, 73%, and 98% SSA on the days required for the mycelia to fully colonize the substrate and initiate primordia, biological efficiency (BE), yield, and composition of the chemical biomass of the L. sordida fruiting bodies. The yield of fruiting bodies with 0, 40%, 73%, and 98% SSA supplementation for three flushes was 3.90 ± 0.74 kg m−2, 4.06 ± 0.77 kg m−2, 4.03 ± 0.62 kg m−2, and 4.51 ± 0.65 kg m−2, respectively. The addition of 98% SSA significantly delayed the number of days for the mycelia to fully colonize and form primordia by 6 and 3 d, respectively. This treatment also significantly increased the yield and BE by 15.64% compared with that of the control group. The crude polysaccharide content of 25.64 ± 0.38 g 100 g−1 was higher in the samples grown on the 98% SSA substrate, which was shown to increase by 78.93% compared with that of the control substrate with 73% corn straw (14.33 ± 0.03 g 100 g−1). The content of crude protein of 51.10 ± 0.08 g 100 g−1 was higher in the samples grown on the 40% SSA substrate, which increased by 11.14% compared with the protein content of the control group. This study reveals that SSA would be a good substrate for the cultivation of L. sordida and is an efficient, promising, and cost-effective substrate additive that can improve the quality and yield of these mushrooms, while substantially reducing the problems of disposing of SSA.

In this paper, we study the following kind of Schrödinger-Poisson system in $ { \mathbb{R}}^{2} $ $ \begin{equation*} \left\{\begin{array}{ll} -\Delta u+V(x)u+\phi u = K(x)f(u), \ \ \ x\in{ \mathbb{R}}^{2}, \\ \Delta \phi = u^{2}, \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ x\in{ \mathbb{R}}^{2}, \end{array}\right. \end{equation*} $ where $ f\in C({ \mathbb{R}}, { \mathbb{R}}) $, $ V(x) $ and $ K(x) $ are both axially symmetric functions. By constructing a new variational framework and using some new analytic techniques, we obtain an axially symmetric solution for the above planar system. Our result improves and extends the existing works.

Donkeys’ gut microbe is critical for their health and adaptation to the environment. Little research has been conducted on the donkey gut microbiome compared with other domestic animals. The Tibetan Plateau is an extreme environment. In this study, 6 Qinghai donkeys (QH) from the Tibetan Plateau and 6 Dezhou donkeys (DZ) were investigated, and the contents of 4 parts—stomach, small intestine, cecum, and rectum—were collected. 16S rRNA sequencing and metagenomic sequencing were used to analyze the composition and diversity of gut microbial communities in donkeys. The results showed that the flora diversity and richness of the hindgut were significantly higher than those of the foregut (p

Abstract Background Levamlodipine, a calcium channel blocker, has been show act as a cardiovascular drug. To compare the pharmacokinetic parameters between levamlodipine (test formulation) at a single dose of 5 mg and amlodipine (reference formulation) at a single dose of 10 mg, the bioequivalence study was carried out. Methods A single-dose randomized, open-label, two-period crossover study was designed in healthy Chinese subjects. 48 subjects were divided into fasted and fed groups equally. The subjects randomly received the test or reference formulations at the rate of 1:1. Following a 21-day washout period, the alternative formulations were received. The blood samples were collected at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168 h later. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was applied to determine the plasma concentrations of levamlodipine. Adverse events were recorded. Results The 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the ratio of geometric means (GMRs) of Cmax, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞ under both fasted and fed conditions were within the prespecified bioequivalence limits between 80 ~ 125%. Under fasted conditions, 24 subjects were enrolled and completed the study. The mean Cmax was (2.70 ± 0.49) ng/mL, AUC0-t was (141.32 ± 36.24) ng × h/mL and AUC0-∞ was (157.14 ± 45.65) ng × h/mL after a single dose of 5 mg levamlodipine. The mean Cmax was (2.83 ± 0.52) ng/mL, AUC0-t was (153.62 ± 33.96) ng × h/mL and AUC0-∞ was (173.05 ± 41.78) ng × h/mL after a single dose of 10 mg amlodipine. Under fed conditions, 24 subjects were enrolled and completed the study. The mean Cmax was (2.73 ± 0.55) ng/mL, AUC0-t was (166.93 ± 49.96) ng × h/mL and AUC0-∞ was (190.99 ± 70.89) ng × h/mL after a single dose of 5 mg levamlodipine. The mean Cmax was (2.87 ± 0.81) ng/mL AUC0-t was (165.46 ± 43.58) ng × h/mL and AUC0-∞ was (189.51 ± 64.70) ng × h/mL after a single dose of 10 mg amlodipine. Serious adverse event was not observed. Conclusion The trial confirmed that levamlodipine at a single dose of 5 mg and amlodipine at a single dose of 10 mg were bioequivalent under both fasted condition and fed condition. Trial registration Cinicaltrials, NCT04411875 . Registered 3 June 2020 - Retrospectively registered

The mathematical modeling of the cardiovascular system is a simple and noninvasive method to comprehend hemodynamics and the operating mechanism of the mechanical circulatory assist device. In this study, a numerical model was developed to simulate hemodynamics under different conditions and to evaluate the operating condition of continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The numerical model consisted of a cardiovascular lumped parameter (CLP) model, a baroreflex model, and an LVAD model. The CLP model was established to simulate the human cardiovascular system including the left heart, right heart, systemic circulation, and pulmonary circulation. The baroreflex model was used to regulate left and right ventricular end-systolic elastances, systemic vascular resistance, and heart rate. The centrifugal pump HeartMate Ⅲ used as an example to simulate the rotary pump dynamics at different operating speeds. Simulation results show that hemodynamics under normal, left ventricular failure and different levels of pump support conditions can be reproduced by the numerical model. Based on simulation results, HeartMate Ⅲ operating speed can be maintained between 3600 rpm and 4400 rpm to avoid pump regurgitation and ventricular suction. Additionally, in the simulation system, the HeartMate Ⅲ operating speed should be between 3600 rpm and 3800 rpm to provide optimal physiological perfusion. Thus, the developed numerical model is a feasible solution to simulate hemodynamics and evaluate the operating condition of continuous-flow LVAD.

Atherosclerosis, as a chronic inflammatory response, is one of the main causes of cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis is induced by endothelial cell dysfunction, migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells, accumulation of foam cells and inflammatory response, resulting in plaque accumulation, narrowing and hardening of the artery wall, and ultimately leading to myocardial infarction or sudden death and other serious consequences. Flavonoid is a kind of natural polyphenol compound widely existing in fruits with various structures, mainly including flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavanols, anthocyanins, isoflavones, and chalcone, etc. Because of its potential health benefits, it is now used in supplements, cosmetics and medicines, and researchers are increasingly paying attention to its role in atherosclerosis. In this paper, we will focus on several important nodes in the development of atherosclerotic disease, including endothelial cell dysfunction, smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation, foam cell accumulation and inflammatory response. At the same time, through the classification of flavonoids from fruits, the role and potential mechanism of flavonoids in atherosclerosis were reviewed, providing a certain direction for the development of fruit flavonoids in the treatment of atherosclerosis drugs.

Endogenous metabolite determination is critical for obtaining critical biological information, and this metabolic information can indicate an organism's metabolic disturbance in response to specific exogenous stimulation. However, due to the matrix complexity of biological samples and extremely low levels of unintended metabolites, sample pretreatment is necessary before injecting the analytes of interest into the instrumentation. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is a novel and green sample pretreatment technique which integrates sampling, isolation, and concentration in a single step and has been widely used to analyze endogenous biological metabolites. Most importantly, in vivo SPME facilitates the extraction of short-lived species in living organisms, which is conducive to describe changes in biochemical pathways in organisms stimulated exogenously. Thus, this review will discuss the utilization of in vivo SPME to investigate the metabolic changes in organisms (e.g., microorganisms, plants, and animals) in response to exogenous stimulation and forecast its future development trend. We hope that this review will help promote further the application of in vivo SPME in toxicological research and personalized diagnosis.

Summary: Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) is a widely used method for structural characterization. Generally, low temperature is of great significance for improving the crystallographic diffraction quality. Herein we observe that this practice is not always effective for flexible metal-organic frameworks (f-MOFs). An abnormal crystallography, that is, more diffraction spots at a high angle and better resolution of diffraction data as the temperature increases in the f-MOF (1-g), is observed. XRD results reveal that 1-g has a reversible anisotropic thermal expansion behavior with a record-high c-axial positive expansion coefficient of 1,401.8 × 10−6 K−1. Calculation results indicate that the framework of 1-g has a more stable thermodynamic configuration as the temperature increases. Such configuration has lower-frequency vibration and may play a key role in promoting higher Bragg diffraction quality at room temperature. This work is of great significance for how to obtain high-quality SCXRD diffraction data.

Tan sheep is a special breed of locally protected sheep in China, one of the best quality meat sheep in the world. Due to the unclear pedigree of the rams on the Ningxia Tan sheep breeding farm, we investigated 74 rams in the field and explored a new method for family division. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood of breeding rams. Using Plink software, GCTA tools and R language, we analyzed the genetic structure, kinship, and inbreeding coefficient of the breeding sheep, which revealed the genetic relationship between the individuals. The results showed that there was no obvious clustering phenomenon in the PCA, and the genetic background of the samples was similar. The G matrix and IBS distance matrix indicated that most individuals were far away from each other. Paternity testing identified 24 pairs of unknown parent–child pairs, and all the Tan sheep could be divided into 12 families, which provided a reference for sheep breeding. The average inbreeding coefficient based on the ROH of this population was 0.049, so there was a low degree of inbreeding and the rams in the field were able to maintain high genetic diversity. Overall, we explored a more accurate method through paternity and kinship analysis; it provides a scientific basis for pedigree construction, which has an important application value for Tan sheep breeding.

Ampelopsis grossedentata (vine tea) has been used as a detoxifying beverage in China for centuries. To systematically identify its bioactive compounds, the study adopted standards-based ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS) analysis. The analysis was conducted under a negative ion model and the data were collected using the Xcalibur 4.1 software package. Based on comparisons with authentic standards, 36 bioactive compounds were putatively identified by four parameters: retention time, molecular ion peak, MS/MS profile, and characteristic fragments. These bioactive compounds include two chromones (noreugenin and 3,5,7-trihydroxychromone), 15 flavonoids (S-eriodictyol, S-naringenin, luteolin, ampelopsin, taxifolin, myricetin, quercetin, viscidulin I, kaempferol, myricetin 3-O-galactoside, myricitrin, avicularin, quercitrin, isorhamnetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside, and afzelin), four phenolic acids (gallic acid, 3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, and ellagic acid), five tea polyphenols (epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and catechin gallate), three chalcones (phloridzin, phloretin, and naringenin chalcone), one stilbene (polydatin), two lipids (myristic acid and ethyl stearate), one sugar (D-gluconic acid), one amino acid (L-tryptophan), one triterpenoid (oleanolic acid) and one alkaloid (jervine). Notably, the jervine identification is the first report regarding the occurrence of alkaloid in the plant. Two chromones may be the parent skeleton to biosynthesize the flavonoid in A. grossedentata.

Phytophenol dimerization, which is a radical-mediated coupling reaction, plays a critical role in many fields, including lignin biosynthesis. To understand the reaction, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical was used to initiate a series of phytophenol dimerization reactions in methanol. The products were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) analysis in situ. The identified products mainly included biphenols, magnolol, honokiol, gingerol 6,6′-dimers, 3,6-dimethoxylcatechol β,β′ dimer, euphorbetin, bis-eugenol, dehydrodiisoeugenol, trans-ε-viniferin, (+) pinoresinol, and (−) pinoresinol. Structure–function relationship analysis allowed four basic rules to be defined: meta-excluded, C–C bonding domination, ortho-diOH co-activation, and exocyclic C=C involvement. The exocyclic C=C involvement, however, required conjugation with the phenolic core and the para-site of the -OH group, to yield a furan-fused dimer with two chiral centers. Computational chemistry indicated that the entire process was completed via a radical coupling reaction and an intramolecular conjugate addition reaction. Similar results were also found for the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed coniferyl alcohol dimerization, which produced (+) and (−) pinoresinols (but no (−) epipinoresinol), suggesting that the HRP-catalyzed process was essentially an exocyclic C=C-involved phytophenol dimerization reaction. The reaction was highly diastereoselective. This was attributed to the intramolecular reaction, which prohibited Re-attack. The four basic rules and diastereoselectivity can explain and even predict the main products in various chemical and biological events, especially oxidase-catalyzed lignin cyclization.

Low-orbit micro-satellite technology has developed rapidly in recent years due to its advantages of low time delay, low cost and short research period. However, among the existing inter-satellite routing algorithms, the classical flooding and greedy algorithms and their derivatives also have some limitations. The path delay calculated by the flooding algorithm is small but the calculation is large, while the greedy algorithm is the opposite. In this paper, a balanced inter-satellite routing algorithm based on partition routing is proposed. This paper presents the simulation experiments for the following indexes of the classic inter-satellite routing algorithms and the balanced partition routing algorithm: computation complexity, single-node computation pressure, routing path delay, path delay variance (data in Topo table satisfy μ =5, σ2=10). The results reveal that the balanced partition routing algorithm achieves better performance. In this paper, two optimization directions of the balanced partition routing algorithm are simulated under conditions that the data in the Topo table satisfy μ =5, σ2= 6, σ2=10 and σ2=15, respectively, when comparing their performance indicators. The experiments show that these two optimization methods can be adapted to various application scenarios and can further reduce the hardware cost of satellite nodes.

Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) is a common complaint in women throughout the menstrual years. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in dysmenorrhea; however, there are large interindividual differences in patients’ responses to acupuncture treatment. Fifty-four patients with PDM were recruited and randomized into real or sham acupuncture treatment groups (over the course of three menstrual cycles). Pain-related functional connectivity (FC) matrices were constructed at baseline and post-treatment period. The different neural mechanisms altered by real and sham acupuncture were detected with multivariate analysis of variance. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) based on a machine learning approach was used to explore whether the different FC patterns predicted the acupuncture treatment response in the PDM patients. The results showed that real but not sham acupuncture significantly relieved pain severity in PDM patients. Real and sham acupuncture displayed differences in FC alterations between the descending pain modulatory system (DPMS) and sensorimotor network (SMN), the salience network (SN) and SMN, and the SN and default mode network (DMN). Furthermore, MVPA found that these FC patterns at baseline could predict the acupuncture treatment response in PDM patients. The present study verified differentially altered brain mechanisms underlying real and sham acupuncture in PDM patients and supported the use of neuroimaging biomarkers for individual-based precise acupuncture treatment in patients with PDM.

Extremely low nucleotide diversity of modern horse Y-chromosome has been reported, and only poor phylogenetic resolution could be resulted from limited Y-chromosome markers. In this study, three types of horse Y-chromosome markers, including Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), copy number variants (CNVs), and allele-specific CNVs, were developed by screening more than 300 male horses from 23 indigenous Chinese horse populations and 4 imported horse breeds. Fourteen segregating sites including a novel SNP in the AMELY gene were found in approximately 53 kb of male-specific Y-chromosome sequences. CNVs were detected at 11 of 14 sites, while allele-specific CNVs at 6 polymorphic sites in repeated fragments were also determined. The phylogenetic analyses with the SNPs identified in this study and previously published 51 SNPs obtained mainly from European horses showed that indigenous Chinese horses exhibit much deeper divergence than European and Middle Eastern horses, while individuals of Chinese horses with the C allele of the AMELY gene constituted the most ancient group. Via SNPs, CNVs, and allele-specific CNVs, much higher diversity of paternal lines can be detected than those identified with merely SNPs. Our results indicated that there are ancient paternal horse lines preserved in southwestern China, which sheds new light on the domestication and immigration of horses, and suggest that the priorities of the conservation should be given to the ancient and rare paternal lines. These three marker types provided finer phylogenetic resolution of horse patrilineal lines, and the strategies used in the present study also provide valuable reference for the genetic studies of other mammalian patrilineages.

Potato onion has facilitating effect on tomato seedlings; however, the mechanisms underlying the facilitating effect remain unknown. Here, we examined the effects of potato onion leaf volatiles and leachates on tomato seedling growth, and performed a transcriptomic comparison of two potato onion cultivars with different facilitating potentials (‘Suihua’: higher facilitating potential; ‘Qitaihe’: lower facilitating potential). Potato onion leaf volatiles and leachates decreased the stem length, but increased the shoot dry matter of tomato seedlings. Transcriptomic analysis showed that 640 genes were differentially expressed (DEGs) between ‘Suihua’ and ‘Qitaihe.’ DEGs related to photosynthesis, energy metabolism, and hormone metabolism were higher expressed in ‘Suihua’ compared to that in ‘Qitaihe,’ whereas genes related to phenylpropanoid metabolism and disease resistance were lower expressed. Pathway analysis showed the DEGs mainly participated in Metabolism, Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and Plant hormone signal transduction.

With the high penetration of photovoltaic (PV) and electric vehicle (EV) charging and replacement power stations connected to the distribution network, problems such as the increase of line loss and voltage deviation of the distribution network are becoming increasingly prominent. The application of traditional reactive power compensation devices and the change of transformer taps has struggled to meet the needs of reactive power optimization of the distribution network. It is urgent to present new reactive power regulation methods which have a vital impact on the safe operation and cost control of the power grid. Hence, the idea that applying the reactive power regulation potential of PV and EV is proposed to reduce the pressure of reactive power optimization in the distribution network. This paper establishes the reactive power regulation models of PV and EV, and their own dynamic evaluation methods of reactive power adjustable capacity are put forward. The model proposed above is optimized via five different algorithms and approximated through the deep learning when the optimization objective is only set as line loss and voltage deviation. Simulation results show that the prediction of deep learning has an incredible ability to fit the Pareto front that the intelligent algorithms obtain in practical application.

Objective An experiment was conducted to study the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 5′-untranslated regions (5′-UTR) of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) genes and the serum eCG levels. Methods SNPs in 5′-UTR of eCG genes were screened across 10 horse breeds, including 7 Chinese indigenous breeds and 3 imported breeds using iPLEX chemistry, and the association between the serum eCG levels of 174 pregnant Da’an mares and their serum eCG levels (determined with ELISA) was analyzed. Results Four SNPs were identified in the 5′-UTR of the eCGα gene, and one of them was unique in the indigenous breeds. There were 2 SNPs detected at the 5′ end of the eCGβ subunit gene, and one of them was only found in the Chinese breeds. The SNP g.39948246T>C at the 5′-UTR of eCGα was associated significantly with eCG levels of 75-day pregnant mare serum (pC mutation causes appearance of the specific binding site of hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 forkhead homolog 2 (HFH-2), which is a transcriptional repressor belonging to the forkhead protein family of transcription factors. Conclusion The SNP g.39948246T>C at the 5′-UTR of eCGα is associated with eCG levels of 75-day pregnant mare serum (p

The search for a safe and effective inhibitor of ferroptosis, a recently described cell death pathway, has attracted increasing interest from scientists. Two hydrolyzable tannins, chebulagic acid and chebulinic acid, were selected for the study. Their optimized conformations were calculated using computational chemistry at the B3LYP-D3(BJ)/6-31G and B3LYP-D3(BJ)/6-311 + G(d,p) levels. The results suggested that (1) chebulagic acid presented a chair conformation, while chebulinic acid presented a skew-boat conformation; (2) the formation of chebulagic acid requires 762.1729 kcal/mol more molecular energy than chebulinic acid; and (3) the 3,6-HHDP (hexahydroxydiphenoyl) moiety was shown to be in an (R)- absolute stereoconfiguration. Subsequently, the ferroptosis inhibition of both tannins was determined using a erastin-treated bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) model and compared to that of ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1). The relative inhibitory levels decreased in the following order: Fer-1 > chebulagic acid > chebulinic acid, as also revealed by the in vitro antioxidant assays. The UHPLC–ESI-Q-TOF-MS analysis suggested that, when treated with 16-(2-(14-carboxytetradecyl)-2-ethyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-oxazolidinyloxy free radicals, Fer-1 generated dimeric products, whereas the two acids did not. In conclusion, two hydrolyzable tannins, chebulagic acid and chebulinic acid, can act as natural ferroptosis inhibitors. Their ferroptosis inhibition is mediated by regular antioxidant pathways (ROS scavenging and iron chelation), rather than the redox-based catalytic recycling pathway exhibited by Fer-1. Through antioxidant pathways, the HHDP moiety in chebulagic acid enables ferroptosis-inhibitory action of hydrolyzable tannins.

Underground coal gasification (UCG) produces less pollution and is safer than traditional coal mining. In order to investigate the effects of different gasifying agents or comprehensive analyses of the characteristics of the gas components in the three zones for the reverse underground coal gasification process, a model test was carried out. The results showed that the oxygen concentration of a gasifying agent is recommended to be higher than 21%, which will lead to more combustible gases and a higher calorific value of gas. Higher flow rates and oxygen content generally afforded more desirable gas compositions and calorific values, with the latter as high as 1430.19 kcal/Nm3. For the enriched oxygen gasifying agent in the reverse gasification process, the flow increase from 10 to 20 Nm3/h affords a rapid increase in the growth rate of the flame front, from 1.80 to 4.88 m/day, which is much faster than that for the air gasifying agent. Increasing the gas injection rate and oxygen concentration will increase the growth rate of the flame front. This affects the distribution of the three zones and further leads to different characteristics of the gas components.