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IntroductionDespite rapid advances in molecular biology, personalized molecular therapy remains a clinical challenge for endometrial cancer due to its complex and heterogeneous tumor microenvironment.Based on clinical findings, AIB1 is a marker molecule for poor prognosis in endometrial cancer and may serve as a potential therapeutic target. Moreover, it is well known that aerobic glycolysis plays an important role in tumour energy metabolism. It has been previously reported in various hormone-related tumour studies that AIB1 affects glycolysis and promotes tumour development. However, the link between AIB1 and aerobic glycolysis in estrogen-dependent endometrial cancer remains unclear.MethodsWe used two endometrial cancer cell lines to validate the high expression of target genes and the effect on the proliferative and invasive capacity of the tumours and verified the pattern of interactions and epigenetic modifications by CHIP and CO-IP techniques. Finally, the conclusions were validated on homozygous miceResultsIn this study, we investigated the transcriptional co-activation functions of AIB1, including its acetylation by PCAF, binding to the c-myc transcription factor, and recruitment of glycolysis-related gene promoters.DiscussionOur findings provide new clues that perturbation of normal homeostatic levels of AIB1 is linked with endometrial cancer. These findings suggest that targeting AIB1-mediated regulation of aerobic glycolysis may offer a novel therapeutic approach for endometrial cancer with high AIB1 expression, opening new avenues for personalized diagnostics and treatment strategies in this disease.

With the inherent demand for hydrophobic materials in processes such as membrane distillation and unidirectional moisture conduction, the preparation and application development of profiles such as modified cellulose acetate membranes that have both hydrophobic functions and biological properties have become a research hotspot. Compared with the petrochemical polymer materials used in conventional hydrophobic membrane preparation, cellulose acetate, as the most important cellulose derivative, exhibits many advantages, such as a high natural abundance, good film forming, and easy modification and biodegradability, and it is a promising polymer raw material for environmental purification. This paper focuses on the research progress of the hydrophobic cellulose acetate preparation process and its current application in the water-treatment and resource-utilization fields. It provides a detailed introduction and comparison of the technical characteristics, existing problems, and development trends of micro- and nanostructure and chemical functional surface construction in the hydrophobic modification of cellulose acetate. Further review was conducted and elaborated on the applications of hydrophobic cellulose acetate membranes and other profiles in oil–water separation, brine desalination, water-repellent protective materials, and other separation/filtration fields. Based on the analysis of the technological and performance advantages of profile products such as hydrophobic cellulose acetate membranes, it is noted that key issues need to be addressed and urgently resolved for the further development of hydrophobic cellulose acetate membranes. This will provide a reference basis for the expansion and application of high-performance cellulose acetate membrane products in the environmental field.

In order to address the complexity of fracture damage behavior in metallic materials during service, the thermography technique was used to analyze the temperature evolution behavior of Q460 steel during cyclic deformation. The microscopic organization and microstructural mechanical properties of the crack tip (CT) region of the specimen were also examined to study the fatigue damage mechanism and crack propagation mechanism of Q460 steel from the perspectives of microstructure and energy evolution. The results showed that under the action of fatigue load, dislocation formation and motion occurred in the specimen, accompanied by energy release, which led to a change in surface temperature. The temperature of the fatigue failure area rapidly increased, leading to the formation of a large number of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGB). The nano-indentation results effectively studied the mechanical properties of the stress field area at the CT and revealed that the fatigue crack propagation process of Q460 steel is a result of the synergistic effect between the variation of grain orientation the crack region and the aggregation of a large number of micro-defects in the work-hardened zone. Based on the fatigue heat generation mechanism and entropy evolution mechanism, the study comprehensively analyzed consistency and differences in the damage mechanisms of Q460 steel under tensile load and fatigue load, employing temperature as a bridge. The research results ensure the safety and reliability of Q460 steel during its operation and provide new insights into the study of fatigue fracture behavior in metallic materials.

Acoustic emission (AE) technology is adopted to monitor the whole corrosion fatigue behavior of AZ31 welded joints in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Characteristics of AE signals, effect of corrosive environment and corrosion fatigue evaluation are analyzed and discussed. Results show that the AE waveform has periodic characteristics reflecting the sinusoidal fatigue loading law and the peak frequency of burst waveforms mainly concentrates at about 150 kHz. The steady accumulated energy of AE, ΔEas, is believed to be the boundary estimating the fatigue limit of the material. The corrosion fatigue limit of AZ31 welded joints in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution is 45.05 MPa, which is consistent well with that obtained by S–N curve, 41.53 MPa. AE technology, which has the advantage of penetrating corrosive media, is effective for evaluating corrosion fatigue limit of AZ31 welded joints in corrosive environment. Corrosion fatigue estimation model of two-line not three-line could be used due to that the corrosive environment makes the deformation process of corrosion fatigue in each stage accelerate or even disappear.

Abstract Skin metastasis of ovarian cancer is extremely rare. We report an unusual case of ovarian carcinosarcoma with cutaneous metastasis of carcinomatous component that displayed distinct clinical manifestation. A 48-year-old woman presented to the dermatologist complaining of a new onset of erythematous, plaque-like skin rash with multiple small nodules on the left inner thigh, the area measuring 8 × 5cm. While the patient had no history of dermatologic conditions, she underwent a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and lymph node dissection 16 months ago with a pathology confirmed stage IIIC ovarian carcinosarcoma. Of note, the carcinomatous component, mainly adenocarcinoma with hybrid features of seromucinous, endometrioid and minor high-grade serous carcinoma, involved bilateral fallopian tubes, omentum, and parametrium with extensive lymph node metastases. A skin biopsy specimen revealed an adenocarcinoma involving epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue with nodular contours, consistent with metastatic carcinomatous component of carcinosarcoma. Both carcinomatous component of primary ovarian carcinosarcoma and metastatic adenocarcinoma in the skin demonstrated Pax8, WT-1, and ER positivity and a mutation pattern of p53. The patient passed away 15 months after identification of skin metastasis. This case represents a unique example of cutaneous metastasis of ovarian carcinosarcoma with distinct clinical manifestation and detailed histopathological description. Alertness to the possibility of cutaneous metastasis, in combination with clinical history, morphological and immunohistochemical findings, is critical for a definitive classification.

The arc stability and droplet transfer phenomenon in welding process were analyzed with the help of a high-speed camera system, and the correlation mechanism was explored of arc voltage-arc physical phenomenon-weld morphology and microstructure-mechanical properties of joints in MIG welding of 4 mm-thick 304 stainless steel. The results show that when the voltage is 20.6 V, the welding arc heat distribution is uniform, and the droplet transfer form is a stable and continuous short-circuit transfer. The macroscopic shape of weld is good, and the microstructure is vermicular ferrite. The welded joint has high strength and plasticity. When the voltage drops to 16.6 V, the arc length becomes shorter, and the droplet has been short-circuited before it grows up. Heat conduction is slow, and undercut defects and grooves appear on the upper surface of weld. Part of lathy ferrite appears in the microstructure of weld. When the voltage increases to 24.6 V, the arc energy diverges severely, and the stability and continuity of droplet transfer decrease. Irregular fish scales appear on the surface of weld. Insufficient penetration appears on the back of weld. More lathy ferrite is formed in the lower layer of weld. When the voltage is lower and higher, the strength and plasticity of welded joint are reduced.

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of ammonia toxicity on the growth and hematology of Clarias gariepinus. The mean weight gain of fish 1.52 ± 0.3 g was investigated under laboratory conditions at static bioassay for 96 h and 14 days, respectively. Five treatments of 96 h median lethal concentration LC50 were used, namely, T0 (0.00 g·l−1), T1 (0.40 g·l−1), T2 (0.60 g·l−1), T3 (0.80 g·l−1) and T4 (1.00 g·l−1), and each of these treatment concentrations was replicated three times for both toxicity exposures. The results clearly revealed that 96 h median lethal concentration (LC50) at treatments T4 (4.00), T3 (3.00), T2 (2.00) and T0 (0.00) g·l−1 gave an average mean value of 3.02 ± 0.02 g·l−1 with upper and lower limits of 6.28 and 1.42 g·l−1, respectively. The overall percentage mortality showed more than 71% of fish mortality at T4. Values for the 14-day sub-acute exposures to ammonia concentrations of T4 (1.00), T3 (0.80), T2 (0.60) and control (0.00) g·l−1 were also obtained. Growth indices indicated significant decreases (P

Biogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) from nitrification and denitrification in agricultural soils is a major source of N2O in the atmosphere, and its flux changes significantly with soil moisture condition. However, the quantitative relationship between N2O production from different pathways (i.e., nitrification vs. denitrification) and soil moisture content remains elusive, limiting our ability of predicting future agricultural N2O emissions under changing environment. This study quantified N2O production rates from nitrification and denitrification under various soil moisture conditions using laboratory incubation combined with literature synthesis. 15N labeling approach was used to differentiate the N2O production from nitrification and denitrification under eight different soil moisture contents ranging from 40 to 120% water-filled pore space (WFPS) in the laboratory study, while 80 groups of data from 17 studies across global agricultural soils were collected in the literature synthesis. Results showed that as soil moisture increased, N2O production rates of nitrification and denitrification first increased and then decreased, with the peak rates occurring between 80 and 95% WFPS. By contrast, the dominant N2O production pathway switched from nitrification to denitrification between 60 and 70% WFPS. Furthermore, the synthetic data elucidated that moisture content was the major driver controlling the relative contributions of nitrification and denitrification to N2O production, while NH4+ and NO3− concentrations mainly determined the N2O production rates from each pathway. The moisture treatments with broad contents and narrow gradient were required to capture the comprehensive response of soil N2O production rate to moisture change, and the response is essential for accurately predicting N2O emission from agricultural soils under climate change scenarios.

Aluminum-based AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) composite was fabricated by rapid cooling under water after applying friction stir processing to modify the surface properties of aluminum. The microstructure was characterized by using SEM and EBSD. The microhardness and tribological properties of composite were analyzed on microhardness tester and friction and wear equipment, and wear mechanism was discussed. The results show that the HEA particles are uniformly distributed in the Al matrix with refined grains, the particle-matrix interface is clean with no obvious interface reaction layer. The microhardness and wear resistance of Al surface composite are significantly improved with the increase of HEA particulate contents. When the volume fraction of HEA particles is 15%, the microhardness and wear rate of composite is 147 HV0.2 and 85×10-5 mm3/m, which are 69% higher and 43% lower than those of the base material, respectively. The worn surface analysis reveals that the wear mechanism is transformed from adhesive wear to abrasive wear in the composite with the increase of HEA particulate contents.

Abstract Interfacial structure greatly affects the mechanical properties of laminated plates. However, the critical material properties that impact the interfacial morphology, appearance, and associated bonding mechanism of explosive welded plates are still unknown. In this paper, the same base plate (AZ31B alloy) and different flyer metals (aluminum alloy, copper, and stainless steel) were used to investigate interfacial morphology and structure. SEM and TEM results showed that typical sine wave, wave-like, and half-wave-like interfaces were found at the bonding interfaces of Al/Mg, Cu/Mg and SS/Mg clad plates, respectively. The different interfacial morphologies were mainly due to the differences in hardness and yield strength between the flyer and base metals. The results of the microstructural distribution at the bonding interface indicated metallurgical bonding, instead of the commonly believed solid-state bonding, in the explosive welded clad plate. In addition, the shear strength of the bonding interface of the explosive welded Al/Mg, Cu/Mg and SS/Mg clad plates can reach up to 201.2 MPa, 147.8 MPa, and 128.4 MPa, respectively. The proposed research provides the design basis for laminated composite metal plates fabrication by explosive welding technology.

Understanding soil properties, characteristics and their variation is important for their sustainable utilization and proper management of soil and micro-watershed. Sediments can act as reservoir for heavy metals, thereby they are used to assess the pollution status of the rivers. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the spatial distribution of soil physicochemical characteristics and heavy metal toxicity potential in sediments of Nworie river micro-watershed Imo state, Southeastern, Nigeria. . The sediments of Nworie river micro-watershed were from three different locations. The first location is at Egbeada Village, second is at Amakohia- Egbeada Road and the third location is behind Umuzuruike Hospital Owerri, designated as station one, station two and station three respectively. The physiochemical properties of sediments examined were sand, silt, clay, texture, pH, phosphorous Nitrogen, Organic carbon, organic matter, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, ECEC, and base saturation. The results showed that the textural class of sediment was sandy. The pH of the sediments was found to be acidic and was not within the WHO limit. Results also showed that, sediments had a low exchangeable base. The heavy metals were lowly present in sediments. However, cadmium recorded a higher concentration than the other heavy metals. The contamination factor of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were less than zero at the three course streams indicating that sediments of the Nworie River was lowly contaminated with Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn. The pollution load values were observed to be less than one (1) indicates no pollution. Appropriate measures should be taken to avert anthropogenic sources that degrade Nworie River Micro-Watershed.

Structural deformation has a very important effect on the particle size and adsorption/desorption properties of coal, which is widely distributed in China, but there are few studies in this area. The effects of particle size and internal structure on the pores and adsorption properties of deformed coal were studied, and the influence of structural deformation was analyzed. Eight undeformed and deformed coal samples were progressively crushed from 0.12 to 0.15 mm (100–120 mesh), 0.18–0.25 mm (60–80 mesh), and 0.42–0.84 mm (20–40 mesh), and subsequently, adsorption/desorption characteristics of CO2 and CH4 and pore structure analyses were performed on all the grain size fractions. The coal size fraction has a slightly smaller influence on CO2 adsorption than on CH4 adsorption. Deformation can promote gas desorption, which increases as the deformation increases. Moreover, deformation can reduce the effect of granularity and internal structure on gas adsorption capacities. The 60–80 mesh is suggested to be the optimal size for deformed coal to achieve the ideal adsorption/desorption effect without eliminating the influence of structural deformation. However, below 100–120 mesh is recommended to reduce the impact of structural deformation on data processing and analysis when the sample contains both deformed and undeformed coals.

The growth of lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis) plays a pivotal role in breast cancer progression and metastasis and the immune response. Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC) has been demonstrated to accelerate cancer metastasis and modulate the immune system by enhancing lymphangiogenesis. However, it remains largely unclear how transcription factors physically regulate VEGFC expression by interacting with histone-modifying enzymes. Like many histone-modifying enzymes, SETD7 plays a key role in cell proliferation and inhibits tumour cell differentiation. In this study, we identified the role of the transcription factor zinc finger with KRAB and SCAN domains 5 (ZKSCAN5) in interacting with histone methyltransferase SETD7 and mediating VEGFC transcription and tumour lymphangiogenesis. ZKSCAN5 interacts with and recruits SETD7 to the VEGFC promoter. By regulating breast cancer-secreted VEGFC, ZKSCAN5 could induce the tube formation of lymph endothelial cells, which promotes tumour proliferation, migration, and metastasis. Clinically, the expression of ZKSCAN5 was frequently upregulated in patients with breast cancer and positively correlated with the expression of VEGFC and the number of lymphatic microvessels. ZKSCAN5 is a poor prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer. Our results characterise the role of ZKSCAN5 in regulating VEGFC transcription and predict ZKSCAN5 as a breast cancer therapeutic target.

Fracture characteristics at bedrock reservoirs in the Kunbei fault terrace belt in the southwest of Qaidam Basin, China, are investigated based on cores, thin sections, formation microscanner imaging, and production data. Results show that the weathered unit at the top of bedrocks is not an effective reservoir because of extremely low porosity. A semi-weathered unit is a potential reservoir, where formation water migrating along early effective fractures could form dissolution fractures and pores as primary storage space, and fractures can also act as seepage channels. Four fracture types can be identified from bedrock reservoirs, e.g., structural ones, diagenetic ones, weathering ones, and dissolution ones, while shear fractures related to faults are the most important ones. Fracture types and characteristics are different in granite and slate, e.g., high fracture density results in intensive dissolution in granite. Fracture density is closely related to tectonic stress. The bedrock reservoirs near fault zones and semi-weathered units are potential oil and gas exploration targets in the Kunbei fault terrace belt. Effective fractures govern dissolution behaviors as well as dominant seepage directions, which play a significant role in the development of bedrock reservoirs.

To study the hydrothermal behavior of cotton fiber, the carbonization process and structural evolution of discarded or waste cotton fiber (WCF) under hydrothermal conditions were investigated using microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and glucose was used as a model compound. Results showed that high temperature was beneficial for the hydrolysis of discarded cotton fiber, and the yield of sugar was 4.5%, which was lower than that of MCC (6.51%). WCF and MCC were carbonized at 240–~260°C and 220–~240°C, respectively, whereas the carbonization temperature of glucose was lower than 220°C. The C/O ratios of WCF and glucose hydrothermal products were 5.79 and 5.85, respectively. The three kinds of hydrothermal carbonization products had similar crystal structures and oxygen-containing functional groups. The carbonized products of WCF contained many irregular particles, while the main products of glucose carbonization were 0.5-mm-sized carbon microspheres (CMSs). Results showed that glucose was an important intermediate in WCF carbonization and that there were two main pathways of hydrothermal carbonization of cotton fibers: some cotton fibers were completely hydrolyzed into glucose accompanied by nucleation and then the growth of CMSs. For the other part, the glucose ring of the oligosaccharide, formed by the incomplete hydrolysis of cotton fibers under hydrothermal conditions of high temperature and pressure, breaks and then forms particulate matter.

Sine oculis homeobox 1 (SIX1), a key transcription factor for regulating aerobic glycolysis, participates in the occurrence of various cancer types. However, the role of SIX1 in melanoma and the upstream regulating mechanisms of SIX1 remain to be further investigated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in tumorigenesis and progression. Here, we show that miR-489-3p suppresses SIX1 expression by directly targeting its 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) in melanoma cells. miR-489-3p suppressed melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through inhibition of SIX1. Mechanistically, by targeting SIX1, miR-489-3p dampens glycolysis, with decreased glucose uptake, lactate production, ATP generation, and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), as well as an increased oxygen consumption rate (OCR). Importantly, glycolysis regulated by the miR-489-3p/SIX1 axis is critical for its regulation of melanoma growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. In melanoma patients, miR-489-3p expression is negatively correlated with SIX1 expression. In addition, patients who had increased glucose uptake in tumors and with metastasis assessed by positron emission tomography (PET) scans showed decreased miR-489-3p expression and increased expression of SIX1. Collectively, our study demonstrates the importance of the miR-489-3p/SIX1 axis in melanoma, which can be a potential and a promising therapeutic target in melanoma. Keywords: miR-489-3p, SIX1, melanoma, glycolysis, metabolism

During the past two decades, in post economic reforms and developmental policy push period, Ebonyi state and its surrounding thirteen administrative regions has attracted a large number of populations which led to the rapid transformation of its LULC pattern. Therefore, this study is determine to analyze the LULC changes during 1996 and 2018, to evaluate the growth and pattern of built-up expansion in relation to the population growth, to identify and generate LULC change spatial map and to identify hotspot areas and generate priority map for quantification, prioritization and for expert recommendations that are sensitive to achieving social and environmental goals. Our study applied remote sensing tools, Landsat images, geographical information system (GIS) and geospatial techniques to quantify LULC change, built-up expansion and hotspot areas in Ebonyi state. Five land Use Land Cover (LULC) types were classified; forest area, built-up area, bare land, farm land and water body. LULC analysis reviewed significant land conversation during1996 and 2018 with increases in built up area by +1461 km 2, bare land (+284 ha) and farm land (+349 km 2) at the expense of forest area that has significantly declined by −2094 km (28.1%). No variation or change detection was recorded in water body (0 km 2). The linear regression analysis in 1996 and 2018 confirmed increased in population in the study areas resulted in high/positive increase in built-up expansion with coefficient of determination (R 2) of 0.727 and 0.573 respectively. However, population and built-up expansion within the study periods were 73 and 57 times more related in 1996 and 2018 respectively. LULC change hotspot analysis reviewed that Abakaliki and Ezza North are most critical areas that has witnessed intense and robust land conversion over years. It is recommended that tree planting program should be designed and first priority be given to Abakaliki and Ezza North during reclamation project in Ebonyi state.

Abstract Background TAE-gene therapy for hepatoma, incorporating the tumor-targeted therapeutic efficacy of trans-arterial embolization, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHAP) and anti-cancer wild-type p53 gene (wt-p53), was presented in our former studies (Int J Nanomedicine 8:3757-68, 2013, Liver Int 32:998-1007, 2012). However, the incompletely antitumoral effect entails defined guidelines on searching properer materials for this novel therapy. Methods Unmodified nHAP, Ca(2+) modified nHAP, poly-lysine modified nHAP and liposome were separately used to form U-nanoplex, Ca-nanoplex, Pll-nanoplex, L-nanoplex respectively with wt-p53 expressing plasmid. The four nanoplexs were then applied in vitro for human normal hepacyte L02 and hepatoma HePG2 cell line, and in vivo for rabbits with hepatic VX2 tumor by injection of nanoplexs/lipiodol emulsion into the hepatic artery in a tumor target manner. The distribution, superficial potential, physical structure, morphology and chemical compositions of nanoplexs were evaluated by TEM, SEM, EDS etc., with the objective of understanding their roles in hepatoma TAE-gene therapy. Results In vitro, L-nanoplex managed the highest gene transferring efficiency. Though with the second highest transfection activity, Pll-nanoplex showed the strongest tumor inhibition activity while maintaining safe to the normal hepacyte L02. In fact, only Pll-nanoplex can combine both the antitumoral effect to HePG2 and safe procedure to L02 among the four systems above. In vivo, being the only one with successful gene transference to hepatic VX2 tumor, Pll-nanoplex/lipiodol emulsion can target the tumor more specifically, which may explain its best therapeutic effect and hepatic biologic response. Further physical characterizations of the four nanoplexs suggested particle size and proper electronic organic surface may be crucial for nano-TAE gene therapy. Conclusion Pll-nanoplex is the most proper system for the combined therapy due to its selectively retention in liver cancer cells, secondary to its morphological and physico-chemical properties of nanometric particle size, steady emulsion, proper organic and electronic surface.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with cartilage degeneration, and no effective therapy exists. Here, the authors show that the HPIP protein modulates OA progression by regulating Wnt signaling, and that its knockdown in joints via AAV-mediated gene silencing attentuates pathology.

Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer-related death for many years worldwide. Pemetrexed, either as monotherapy or combined with other agents, is the preferred chemotherapy regimen for lung adenocarcinoma. However, both de novo and acquired resistance against pemetrexed frequently occur and lead to poor prognosis of patients. The underlying mechanisms remain poorly characterized. Here, RNA-seq analysis is utilized to compare gene expression levels in an adenocarcinoma cell line A549 with those in its pemetrexed-resistant counterpart, A549/PEM. We show that SRC3 is one of the most significantly upregulated genes in pemetrexed-resistant cells. SRC3 specifically enhances pemetrexed resistance in cultured adenocarcinoma cells. In addition, SRC3 increases pemetrexed resistance by decreasing chemotherapy-induced apoptosis via downregulating ROS level. Mechanistically, SRC3 enhances pemetrexed resistance via regulating Nrf2 and AKT signaling pathway. High SRC3 expression is positively correlated with decreased responsiveness to pemetrexed rather than other chemotherapeutic agents and predicts a poorer clinical outcome in lung adenocarcinoma patients. These data indicate that knockdown of SRC3 may be useful to treat pemetrexed-resistant lung cancer and may also provide a specific biomarker to predict pemetrexed responsiveness in lung cancer.

Empirical moisture functions that describe the relationship between soil heterotrophic respiration and moisture introduce considerable uncertainty in soil CO2 flux predictions. Here, the authors derive a process-based moisture function by incorporating mechanisms that control soil heterotrophic respiration.

CDC25 phosphatases are important cell cycle regulators. Here, the authors show that the LIM domain-containing proteins (for example, FHL1) induce inhibitory CDC25 phosphorylation resulting in radioresistance and that a specific peptide can increase tumour radiosensitivity by increasing CDC25 activity.

In this paper, the fatigue limit of AZ31B magnesium alloy is evaluated according to the surface temperature of the specimen during the test. Considering the influence of external heating, a special data-processing method is used to filter the raw temperature data obtained by the infrared camera. A thermal indicator based on the analysis of superficial temperature distribution is described and proposed. In contrast, most existing thermal indicators are calculated based on temperature evolution. Three existing algorithms were used to evaluate the fatigue limit of AZ31B magnesium alloy based on the newly proposed thermal indicator. In addition, the results of the test were used to compare with the results of traditional methods. It has been proved that the fatigue limit of AZ31B magnesium alloy can be assessed by using the new thermal indicator based on temperature distribution.

The depositional environment of organic-rich shale and the related tectonic evolution in China are rather different from those in North America. In China, organic-rich shale is not only deposited in marine environment, but also in non-marine environment: marine-continental transitional environment and lacustrine environment. Through analyzing large amount of outcrops and well cores, the geologic features of organic-rich shale, including mineral composition, organic matter richness and type, and lithology stratigraphy, were analyzed, indicating very special characteristics. Meanwhile, the more complex and active tectonic movements in China lead to strong deformation and erosion of organic-rich shale, well-development of fractures and faults, and higher thermal maturity and serious heterogeneity. Co-existence of shale gas, tight sand gas, and coal bed methane (CBM) proposes a new topic: whether it is possible to co-produce these gases to reduce cost. Based on the geologic features, the primary production issues of shale gas in China were discussed with suggestions.

BACKGROUND: Innate immunity to viruses involves receptors such as RIG-I, which senses viral RNA and triggers an IFN-β signaling pathway involving the outer mitochondrial membrane protein MAVS. However, the functional status of MAVS phosphorylation remains elusive. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we demonstrate for the first time that MAVS undergoes extensive tyrosine phosphorylation upon viral infection, indicating that MAVS phosphorylation might play an important role in MAVS function. A tyrosine-scanning mutational analysis revealed that MAVS tyrosine-9 (Y9) is a phosphorylation site that is required for IFN-β signaling. Indeed, MAVS Y9F mutation severely impaired TRAF3/TRAF6 recruitment and displayed decreased tyrosine phosphorylation in response to VSV infection compared to wild type MAVS. Functionally, MAVS Y9 phosphorylation contributed to MAVS antiviral function without interfering with its apoptosis property. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These experiments identify a novel residue of MAVS that is crucially involved in the recruitment of TRAF3/TRAF6 and in downstream propagation of MAVS signaling.

The low efficiency of protease hydrolysis on wool keratin limits the development of protease-based wool shrink-proofing finishing. In this paper, a highly efficient protease catalytic system consisting of a trihydroxy organ phosphine compound and the protease Savinase 16L was used for wool shrinkproofing treatment by multiple padding. The directional friction effect, area shrinkage, fineness, and strength of wool samples were measured. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, and amino acid analyses were used to characterize the structure of the wool samples. Additionally, the dyeing properties of the treated wool were also investigated. The results showed that the hydrolysis of wool fiber scales using the protease catalytic system was an uneven process from point to surface. The padding treatments could promote a synergistic process of biochemical keratin degradation and physical scale removal, improving the efficiency and uniformity of the reaction. The area of the treated wool sample shrank by 1.65% after the TM31 5 x 4N test, while the tenacity decreased by 9.69%. The isoelectric point of the treated fiber increased from 4.37 to 6.09. Under dyeing conditions, the positively charged surface of the treated wool increased, which significantly increased the adsorption rate of the fiber for negatively charged dyes. In addition, the increase in the surface roughness and surface dyeing seat resulted in a significant increase in the color depth of the treated wool fibers after dyeing. This study provides a feasible route for the industrial application of the protease method for the shrink-proofing treatment of wool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Coordination engineering of high-valent Fe(IV)-oxo (FeIV=O) is expected to break the activity-selectivity trade-off of traditional reactive oxygen species, while attempts to regulate the oxidation behaviors of heterogeneous FeIV=O remain unexplored. Here, by coordination engineering of Fe-Nx single-atom catalysts (Fe-Nx SACs), we propose a feasible approach to regulate the oxidation behaviors of heterogeneous FeIV=O. The developed Fe-N2 SACs/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system delivers boosted performance for FeIV=O generation, and thereby can selectively remove a range of pollutants within tens of seconds. In-situ spectra and theoretical simulations suggest that low-coordination Fe-Nx SACs favor the generation of FeIV=O via PMS activation as providing more electrons to facilitate the desorption of the key *SO4H intermediate. Due to their disparate attacking sites to sulfamethoxazole (SMX) molecules, Fe-N2 SACs mediated FeIV=O (FeIVN2=O) oxidize SMX to small molecules with less toxicity, while FeIVN4=O produces series of more toxic azo compounds through N-N coupling with more complex oxidation pathways.

Land use/land cover represents the interactive and comprehensive influences between human activities and natural conditions, leading to potential conflicts among natural and human-related issues as well as among stakeholders. This study introduced economic standards for farmers. A hybrid approach (CA-ABM) of cellular automaton (CA) and an agent-based model (ABM) was developed to effectively deal with social and land-use synergic issues to examine human–environment interactions and projections of land-use conversions for a humid basin in south China. Natural attributes and socioeconomic data were used to analyze land use/land cover and its drivers of change. The major modules of the CA-ABM are initialization, migration, assets, land suitability, and land-use change decisions. Empirical estimates of the factors influencing the urban land-use conversion probability were captured using parameters based on a spatial logistic regression (SLR) model. Simultaneously, multicriteria evaluation (MCE) and Markov models were introduced to obtain empirical estimates of the factors affecting the probability of ecological land conversion. An agent-based CA-SLR-MCE-Markov (ABCSMM) land-use conversion model was proposed to explore the impacts of policies on land-use conversion. This model can reproduce observed land-use patterns and provide links for forest transition and urban expansion to land-use decisions and ecosystem services. The results demonstrated land-use simulations under multi-policy scenarios, revealing the usefulness of the model for normative research on land-use management.

Abstract Biodiversity credits are increasingly recognized as a potential instrument to incentivize and bolster efforts in biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, their efficacy is impeded by a dearth of research. To mitigate these constraints, this study introduces a comprehensive and integrated framework for appraising biodiversity credits. Drawing upon the Emergy Accounting methodology, the framework encompasses four key perspectives: Emergy‐based Ecosystem Potential (EEP), Emergy‐based Ecosystem Network (EEN), Emergy‐based “Species' to Human” contributions (ESH), and Emergy‐based Species' Significance. Furthermore, this study scrutinizes the trajectory of biodiversity credits across 31 provinces spanning from 2000 to 2050, considering 220 distinct scenarios. The findings reveal that China has attained the no net loss (NNL) objective concerning conventional area‐based conservation targets, with forest cover encompassing 27% of the total land area. However, biodiversity credits at the ecosystem level exhibit an escalating trend, with growth rates ranging from 0.73% to 1.0%, while credits at the species level depict a decremental trend, with an approximate growth rate of −0.21%. Under a scenario of moderate growth, projections for the year 2030 indicate that the EEP credit is poised to accrue approximately 4.76E + 20 solar emjoules (sej), the EEN credit is forecasted to accumulate around 1.03E + 21 sej, and the ESH credit is anticipated to decline by 1.46E + 23 sej within the context of the NNL paradigm. These outcomes underscore the necessity of delineating differentiated biodiversity goals, and furnish insights into the dynamics of supply and demand pertaining to biodiversity credits within the ambit of offsetting schemes across the nation.