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Abstract In the current economic downturn, consumers are showing increased price sensitivity. With mobile technology enabling anytime connection, understanding daily price sensitivity fluctuations is crucial. This study analyzes transaction data from two companies, covering both offline and online scenarios. Additionally, an online experiment was conducted to further reveal the causal relationship between time-of-day and consumers’ price sensitivity. The studies indicate that price sensitivity is highest in the morning, decreasing by approximately 0.5% per hour. These findings are interpreted using the circadian rhythms theory. This research deepens our understanding of how price sensitivity changes over time, offering invaluable insights for businesses to tailor their pricing and promotional strategies throughout the day.

Abstract The BTB-TAZ protein is a subfamily of the BTB protein family and plays a crucial regulatory role in plant resistance to pathogen infection. However, the function of the maize BTB-TAZ protein ZmBT2a in maize resistance to pathogens has not been reported. Here, we investigate the role of ZmBT2a in maize resistance to pathogen infection by examining its expression characteristics. The results showed that the expression level of ZmBT2a changed significantly in response to biotic and abiotic stresses in maize. Moreover, ZmBT2a-OE exhibited enhanced resistance to Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, while the maize ZmBT2a mutants Zmbt2a-1 and Zmbt2a-2 showed increased sensitivity to Fusarium graminearum and Cochliobolus carbonum infections. Notably, the expression of the key synthetic genes ZmLOXs and pathogenesis-related genes ZmPRs in the JA synthesis pathway was significantly down-regulated during F. graminearum infection. Additionally, yeast two-hybrid assays confirmed the direct interaction between ZmBT2a and E3 ubiquitinated proteins ZmCUL3a and ZmCUL3b. These findings suggest that the ZmBT2a gene is crucial in maize resistance to pathogen infection. It is hypothesized that ZmBT2a binds to ZmCUL3 and, through ubiquitination, affects the transcriptional regulation of ZmLOXs and ZmPRs by downstream transcription factors, thus participating in the disease resistance process of maize.

Abstract ARHGAP25, a member of the ARHGAP family, encodes a negative regulator of Rho-GTPase that is important for actin remodeling, cell polarity, and cell migration. ARHGAP25 is down-regulated in a variety of solid tumors and promotes cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion. However, nothing is understood about ARHGAP25’s biological function in osteosarcoma. This work used qPCR and WB to confirm the expression of ARHGAP25 in osteosarcoma following the initial analysis of its expression in pan-cancer. For GO and KEGG analysis, we have chosen 300 genes from the TARGET osteosarcoma data that had the strongest positive correlation with ARHGAP25, and we created nomogram and calibration charts. We simultaneously overexpressed ARHGAP25 in osteosarcoma cells to examine its impact on apoptosis and proliferation. By using MSP, we determined their methylation status in osteosarcoma cells and normal bone cells. We observed that ARHGAP25 was significantly downregulated in a range of malignancies, including osteosarcoma, and was associated with poor patient outcomes. The decrease of ARHGAP25 expression in osteosarcoma is related to DNA methylation. Overexpression of ARHGAP25 induced apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells in vitro. In addition, ARHGAP25 is also associated with immune-related pathways in osteosarcoma. These findings suggest that ARHGAP25 is a valuable prognostic biomarker in osteosarcoma patients.

The effects of basalt fibers (BF) and nano-silica (NS) on the mechanical properties and microstructure of recycled concrete (RC) in early low-temperature environments were investigated by placing the BF and NS modified RC specimens in the environments of −20, −10, 0, and 25°C for curing for 6 h, followed by standardized maintenance. The damage morphology and mechanical properties of modified RC were analyzed in such environments. The formulae for the compressive strength of RC, which was affected by BF and NS, were fitted using statistical product and service solutions, and a micromorphological analysis of the modified RC was conducted using scanning electron microscope. The mechanical properties of RC decreased owing to the influence of early low temperatures, among which 0°C caused the largest damage crack and the most serious effects. In the early low-temperature environments, the physical properties of RC generally increased and then decreased with the increase in BF dosage; however, increasing NS dosages improved its mechanical properties. The composite doping of BF and NS was more obvious than the single doping of BF or NS to enhance the performance of RC, and the internal pore structure was considerably improved. The preferred doping amounts were 3 kg m−3 of BF and 2% NS.

Basalt fiber (BF) and nano-silica (NS) are used to improve the properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and produce modified RAC (MRAC). The fatigue failure patterns of the MRAC were observed through a uniaxial compression fatigue test, and the reasons for the different patterns were explained. The effects of the stress level, replacement rate, and loading frequency on the fatigue life were investigated, and the effects of BF and NS on the fatigue strain, damage evolution, and energy dissipation evolution of MRAC were analyzed. The enhancement mechanism of BF and NS on RAC was revealed using microstructural analysis techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and computed tomography (CT). The results showed that the fatigue failure modes of the MRAC could be divided into split, shear, and mixed failures. The fatigue life and fatigue strain of RAC exhibited a pattern of initially increasing and subsequently decreasing with an increase in the BF content (from 0 kg m−3 to 3 kg m−3 and then to 6 kg m−3). At stress level of 0.80, the average fatigue life of the specimens increased by 76.15 % compared to RAC when the BF doping was 3 kg m−3; however, when the BF doping was increased to 6 kg m−3, the average fatigue life of the specimens increased by only 47.68 % compared to RAC. The mixed BF and NS improved the fatigue life of RAC more than the single mixed BF or NS. Fatigue equations and unified single logarithmic fatigue equations, including fiber parameters, were established to accurately describe the relationship between the fatigue stress level, fatigue life, and failure probability. The fatigue strain gradually decreases with increasing NS content (0–2 %); with increasing loading frequency (from 1 Hz to 10 Hz and then to 15 Hz), the fatigue strain gradually decreases. The fatigue life of the MRAC decreased dramatically at low loading frequencies (1 Hz) and then steadily increased as the loading frequency increased. BF and NS have an improving effect on the porosity of microstructure, improve the fatigue life of RAC, and BF exhibits a more significant improvement than NS. A composite fatigue damage model that comprehensively considers the contribution rates of NS and BF was established, and the fatigue damage evolution of the MRAC was predicted.

The enhancements in thermoelectric (TE) performances of p-type skutterudites are usually limited due to the relatively low Seebeck coefficients owing to the higher carrier concentration and more impurity phases induced by inherent structural instability of a Fe-based skutterudite. As shown in this study, alloying engineering of Ni doping at Fe sites in a p-type CeFe3.8Co0.2Sb12 skutterudite can not only reduce the impurity phases with high thermal conductivity but also regulate the carrier concentration, and thus significantly increase the Seebeck coefficient. The thermal conductivity was largely suppressed due to the enhanced point defect phonon scattering and decreased hole concentration. As a result, a TE figure of merit ZT of the CeFe3.5Ni0.3Co0.2Sb12 sample reached 0.8, which is approximately 50% higher than that of a Ni-free sample. Appropriate Ni doping can maintain a high ZT at a high temperature by controlling the reduction in a band gap. Therefore, a high average ZT close to 0.8 at 650–800 K for CeFe3.5Ni0.3Co0.2Sb12 was obtained, which was comparable to or even higher than those of the reported Ce-filled Fe-based skutterudites due to the synergistic optimization of electrical and thermal performances. This study provides a strategy to synergistically optimize electrical–thermal performances of the p-type skutterudites by alloying engineering.

With recent technological advances in nanotechnology, solid particles in nanometer dimensions are being produced. Researchers have created a new nanofluid (NF) fluid with excellent thermal properties using these nanoparticles (NPs). This study examines the influence of the CuO NPs’ length on the atomic conduct and phase transition duration of water-based fluid in a nanochannel with Cu walls using molecular dynamics simulation (MDS). The outcomes show that the phase transition duration decreases by adding CuO NP in the simulated base fluid (BF). Numerically, the phase transition duration decreased from 6.78 ns to 6.01 ns by adding CuO NPs with a 1.5 nm length. As the length of CuO NPs enhances from 1.5 to 5 nm, the phase transition duration decrease to 4.33 ns. Also, increasing the length of NPs to 5 nm leads to a decrease in the total energy (TE) from −44924.5 to −64214.3 eV. Finally, it was found that the highest density of BF/NF was detected in final and initial bins with 0.0187/0.01944 atom/Å3 values. Also, the maximum velocity and temperature (T) of BF/NF were detected in middle-bins with 0.0011/0.0021 Å/fs and 688.25/753.69 K values. This atomic evolution shows that the CuO NPs have appropriate performance in the phase transition procedure.

To increase the surface roughness of basalt fiber (BF) and enhance the bonding properties with the concrete matrix, three modified solutions were prepared to treat the BF surface. The BF surface was modified by the best mixture-ratio solution after SEM and AFM tests. Modified basalt fiber (MBF) and nano-silica (NS) were used as reinforcing materials to improve the RC. The MBF and NS contents were used as the mix ratio control parameter. Ten recycled concrete beams were designed. Through a four-point flexural test, the destruction characteristics, deflection, cracking load, maximum bearing capacity, and strain of RC beams were obtained. The effects of replacement rate, MBF content, and NS content on the flexural properties of the RC beams were obtained. The results showed that in comparison to modification by other solutions, the surface roughness of BF was greater with modification by 2.91% KH550 and 5% NS mixed solution. The failure characteristics were similar for natural aggregate concrete beams and RC beams reinforced with MBF and NS; all underwent four stages of ordinary concrete damage. The natural aggregate concrete beams had greater flexural strength and flexural resistance than RC beams. However, the MBF and NS, added separately or together, improved the dehiscence load, peak load, ductility, and tensile strain of the RC beams. The current standards can be used to calculate the cracking moment and ultimate bearing capacity of MBF and NS reinforced RC beams; their effect was significant.

Abstract Piezoelectric polymers have been widely used in a variety of applications, including tactile sensors, energy harvesting, polymer actuators, and biological devices. In this investigation, we fabricated the PLLA (poly(L‐lactic Acid)‐based bimorph structures for piezoelectric motor applications. First, a strain measurement setup was established to measure the strain of the PLLA and PDLA film at different temperatures. The effective piezoelectric constants d14 calculated for the PLLA and PDLA films were 10.2 pC/N and 9.4 pC/N, respectively. Furthermore, the PLLA films showed a strong thermostability of piezoelectricity at 130°C. The PLLA bimorph minimotor showed the maximum load of 1.2 g and the maximum torque of 0.019 cN·m. The minimotors were capable of rotating a plastic hemisphere container in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions at 65 V voltage. Due to the light weight, low driving voltage, and thermal stability, the PLLA/PDLA motors show a great promise in future Braille display, robots, and mini‐digital camera applications.

IntroductionMacadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche is a domesticated high-value nut crop. The development of nut flower affects the fruit setting rate, yield and quality of nuts. Therefore, in this experiment, two varieties with different flower color, flowering time, flowering quantity and nut yield (single fruit weight) were selected as the research objects.MethodsTranscriptome (RNA-Seq) and metabolome (LC-MS/MS, GC-MS) analyses were performed to study the regulatory mechanisms of nut flower development, color and aroma.ResultsThe results indicated that plant hormone signal transduction, starch sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways were related to nut flower development and flower color formation. In the early stage of flowering, most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are involved in the IAA signal transduction pathway, while in the later stage, the brassinolide signal pathway is mainly involved. In starch and sugar metabolism, DEGs are mainly involved in regulating and hydrolyzing stored starch into small molecular sugars in flower tissues. In the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, DEGs are mainly related to the color and aroma (volatile organic compounds, VOCs) formation of nut flowers. Four color formation metabolites (anthocyanins) in nut flowers were found by LC-MS/MS detection. In addition, the VOCs showed no significant difference between red nut flowers (R) and white nut flowers (W), which was mainly reflected in the aroma formation stage (flowering time). And 12 common differentially accumulation metabolites (DAMs) were detected by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS. At the same time, the DEGs, AAT, LOX and PAL genes, were also identified to regulate key metabolite synthesis during nut flower development. These genes were further verified by qRT-PCR.ConclusionOur results provide insights to clarify the molecular mechanism of color and aroma formation during M. integrifolia flower development that pave the way for nut quality and yield breeding.

Wind and photovoltaic (PV) power forecasting are crucial for improving the operational efficiency of power systems and building smart power systems. However, the uncertainty and instability of factors affecting renewable power generation pose challenges to power system operations. To address this, this paper proposes a digital twin-based method for predicting wind and PV power. By utilizing digital twin technology, this approach provides a highly realistic simulation environment that enables accurate monitoring, optimal control, and decision support for power system operations. Furthermore, a digital twin platform for the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Grid is established, allowing real-time monitoring, and ensuring the safe, reliable, and stable operation of the grid. Additionally, a deep learning-based model WPNet is developed to predict wind and PV power at specific future time points. Four datasets are constructed based on weather conditions and historical wind and PV power data from the Flanders and Wallonia regions. The prediction models presented in this paper demonstrate excellent performance on these datasets, achieving mean square error (MSE) values of 0.001399, 0.001833, 0.000704, and 0.002708; mean absolute error (MAE) values of 0.025164, 0.027854, 0.018592, and 0.033501; and root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.037409, 0.042808, 0.026541, and 0.052042, respectively.

Aiming at the hardware reusability, multi-service carrying capacity, and computing resource limitations of edge devices, a light-weight voltage sag monitoring and classification method based on improved firefly algorithm optimization, extended Kalman filter, and least-square support-vector machine is proposed. The strategy of linearly decreasing inertia weight is introduced to optimize the state error of the extended Kalman filter algorithm and the measurement noise covariance matrix to achieve accurate monitoring of voltage sags. Extract characteristic quantities such as average value, duration of sag, minimum sag dispersion characteristics, number of sag phases, and flow direction of disturbance energy. As a model training data set, the least-square support-vector machine method optimized based on the improved firefly algorithm is used to create a multi-level classification model of voltage sag source to realize the classification of voltage sag sources. This method fully considers the influence of the limited resources of edge computing equipment on the algorithm, and effectively improves the use of computing resources by improving the optimization algorithm. Simulation and experimental results show that this method is suitable for edge computing equipment to monitor and distinguish voltage sags.

To promote the engineering application of recycled concrete, recycled concrete is modified by the addition of nanosilica (NS) and steel fibers (SF) to form NS and SF reinforced recycled concrete (NSFRC). The effects of the replacement rate and the SF and NS content on the fracture properties of recycled concrete (RC) are analyzed via a three-point bending test. The research shows that the fracture surface of the specimen is relatively flat when no SF are added. With an increase in the SF or NS content, the initial cracking load, initiation fracture toughness, instability load, and fracture energy of the NSFRC increase. The fracture properties of RC composites reinforced with SF and NS are better than those of RC reinforced with a single material. When 2% NS and 1.5% SF are added, the fracture properties reach a maximum value. The damage model established in this study can better reflect the stress-strain relationship of NSFRC during fracture.

This paper presents the comparative studies of two permanent magnet (PM) motors, which are modular-stator outer-rotor flux-switching permanent-magnet (MSOR-FSPM) motor and conventional outer-rotor flux-switching permanent-magnet (COR-FSPM) motor. The differences in structure and design principles between the two types are compared. Then, a 2D finite element method (FEM) is used to analyze the basic electromagnetic performances. The magnetic field distribution, no-load back-EMF, cogging torque, and electromagnetic torque are presented and compared. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparison of the motor performances which are important for electric vehicles is investigated. The theoretical analysis and FEM results predict that the MSOR-FSPM motor has superior capability compared to that of the COR-FSPM motor, including fault tolerance capability, and field weakening capability.

Wide-scale automatic monitoring based on the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN) with remote sensing images is of great significance for the management of aquaculture areas. However, different spatial resolutions brought different cost and model performance. To find more suitable image spatial resolutions for automatic monitoring offshore aquaculture areas, seven different resolution remote sensing images in the Sandu’ao area of China, from 2 m, 4 m, to 50 m, were compared. Results showed that the remote sensing images with a resolution of 15 m and above can achieve the corresponding recognition effect when no financial issues were considered, with the F1 score of over 0.75. By establishing a cost-effectiveness evaluation formula that comprehensively considers image price and recognition effect, the best image resolution in different scenes can be found, thus providing the most appropriate data scheme for the automatic monitoring of offshore aquaculture areas.

To achieve rapid and highly efficient recovery of Li+ from seawater, a series of H2TiO3/cellulose aerogels (HTO/CA) with a porous network were prepared by a simple and effective method. The as-prepared HTO/CA were characterized and their Li+ adsorption performance was evaluated. The obtained results revealed that the maximum capacity of HTO/CA to adsorb Li+ was 28.58 ± 0.71 mg g−1. The dynamic k2 value indicated that the Li+ adsorption rate of HTO/CA was nearly five times that of HTO powder. Furthermore, the aerogel retained extremely high Li+ selectivity compared with Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, and Na+. After regeneration for five cycles, the HTO/CA retained a Li+ adsorption capacity of 22.95 mg g−1. Moreover, the HTO/CA showed an excellent adsorption efficiency of 69.93% ± 0.04% and high selectivity to Li+ in actual seawater. These findings confirm its potential as an adsorbent for recovering Li+ from seawater.

The article discusses a study conducted by Yonggui Wang et al., published in the journal "J Nippon Med Sch 2024." The research employs finite element analysis (FEA) to investigate the impact of varus and valgus angles on the lateral compartment in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). The findings reveal that the optimal femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle in UKA is less than 4°, as angles beyond this threshold lead to significant increases in stress on various knee structures.