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Based on macroscopic qualitative observation, microscopic quantitative analysis, low-temperature adsorption, high-pressure mercury intrusion and three-dimensional CT scanning, the spatial structure and heterogeneity of the #5 coal from the eastern Ordos Basin, Shanxi Formation, are quantitatively characterized. The following observation were studied: 1) The main body of the #5 coal was intact structural coal seam, with the density of cleats gradually increasing from north to south. 2) The microscopic composition of the #5 coal is dominated by desmocollinite, which contains small amounts of inertinite and inorganic minerals, with the inorganic component mainly composed of carbonate rocks and a small amount of clay. The carbon content and the content of its inorganic minerals in the #5 coal gradually decrease toward the inner basin, caused by transport distance and depositional environment. 3) At the micrometer scale, no significant pores were observed, and the #5 coal bed is primarily composed of micro-mesopores smaller than 40 nm, with a small number of 50∼100 nm macropores. Simultaneously, micro-fractures in the coal bed were well developed; by using mercury intrusion data of the bimodal feature of the pore throat, indicates the coexistence of micrometer-scale micro-fractures and nanometer-scale mesopores within the coal, with pronounced differences and interconnected complexity. 4) The porosity and permeability of microfractures, as well as the number of microfracture bars and permeability, indicate that the connectivity of coal bed is primarily caused by the microfracture system. By reconstructing the three-dimensional spatial structure of the #5 coal through multiple tests, the heterogeneous characteristics are quantitatively characterized.

Objective: To better control the growth of spoilage microorganisms, and ensure the food safety of Xiangwei Luodou dry. Methods: The putrefactive microorganisms in Xiangwei dried tofu were identified by plate scribing method, colony morphology observation, Gram staining, 16S rDNA and ITS sequence. Results: A total of 9 strains were isolated andscreened. KZ2780-3 and KZ2780-4 are Bacillus subtilis, NZ2559-1 is Bacillus cereus, and JZ2559-5 is Bacillusamylolyticus amyloliquefaciens, FZ2559-2 for Klebsiella pneumoniae, SZ2641-5 for Enterococcus faecium, RZ2641-7 for Staphylococcus haemolyticus, BZ2780-1 for Acinetobacter baui, CZ2780-5 for Penicillium citri. Conclusion: The strains causing dry rot of Xiangwei bean are Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus hemolyticus, Acinetobacter baui and Penicillium citri. The control methods of Xiangwei stewed bean dry are ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization technology, plasma sterilization technology, natural antibacterial substances combined with biological preservatives, vacuum packaging, air conditioning preservation and so on.

Rapid and accurate pathogen identification is necessary for appropriate treatment of pneumonia. Here, we describe the use of shotgun metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of bronchoalveolar lavage for pathogen identification in pneumonia in a large-scale multicenter prospective study with 159 patients enrolled. The results of mNGS were compared with standard methods including culture, staining, and targeted PCR, and the clinical impact of mNGS was evaluated. A positive impact was defined by a definitive diagnosis made using the mNGS results, or change of management because of the mNGS results, leading to a favorable clinical outcome. Overall, mNGS identified more organisms than standard methods (117 versus 72), detected 17 pathogens that consistently were missed in all cases by standard methods, and had an overall positive clinical impact in 40.3% (64 of 159) of cases. mNGS was especially useful in identification of fastidious and atypical organisms causing pneumonia, contributing to detection of definitive pathogens in 45 (28.3%) cases in which standard results were either negative or insufficient. mNGS also helped reassure antibiotic de-escalation in 19 (11.9%) cases. Overall, mNGS led to a change of treatment in 59 (37.1%) cases, including antibiotic de-escalation in 40 (25.2%) cases. This study showed the significant value of mNGS of bronchoalveolar lavage for improving the diagnosis of pneumonia and contributing to better patient care.

Purpose: Based on social influence theory, this paper aims to explore the influence of academic entrepreneurs on team innovation activities. The innovation behavior of academic team members is the key behavior in academic entrepreneurial activities. As a special entrepreneurial group, academic entrepreneurs' political skills play an important role in stimulating team innovative behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a multi-level study design and takes as samples the paired data of 91 academic entrepreneurial teams (n = 475). Based on team cognition, it constructs a model of the influence mechanism of academic entrepreneurs' political skills on team innovation behavior and explores the mechanism of transactive memory system in this influence effect. The authors use HLM and PROCESS macro to test our multilevel model. Findings: The results show that academic entrepreneurs' political skills positively impact team innovation behavior, and a transactive memory system plays a mediating role between them. Team psychological safety significantly enhances the positive relationship of both academic entrepreneurs' political skills and a transactive memory system with team innovation behavior. Moreover, with enhanced perceptions of team psychological safety, academic entrepreneurs' political skills are more likely to improve team innovation behavior through the transactive memory system. Originality/value: The study explores the influence of transactive memory system on the relationship between academic entrepreneurs' political skills and team innovation behavior, with the team cognitive perspective derived from social influence theory. This provides authors with new insights on the complex dynamics at place in the team innovation process and offers implications for how we can fruitfully manage this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intramolecular O−H ... π hydrogen bond has garnered significant research interest in recent decades. In this work, we utilized the infrared (IR)-vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) nonresonant ionization detected IR spectroscopy (NRID-IR) method to study the molecular structure of neutral and cationic 2-methylallyl alcohol (MAA, CH2=C(CH3)−CH2−OH). Density functional theory calculations revealed five stable neutral and three stable cationic MAA conformers, respectively. Two neutral MAA conformers are expected to have an O−H ... π intramolecular hydrogen bond interaction, based on the structural characterization that the OH group is directed toward the C=C double bond. The IR spectra of both neutral (2700−3700 cm−1) and cationic MAA (2500−7200 cm−1) were measured, and the anharmonic IR spectra were calculated at the B3LYP-D3(BJ)/def2-TZVPP level. The OH stretching vibration frequency of neutral MAA was observed at 3656 cm−1, slightly lower than those of methanol and ethanol. In contrast, the OH stretching vibration of cationic MAA was red-shifted by about 140 cm−1 compared to neutral MAA. The interaction region indicator and natural bond orbital analysis suggest that the O−H ... π interaction in neutral MAA is weak, and may not play a major role in stabilizing the neutral MAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the potential role of serum and tissue hsa_circ_0008621 as a prognostic biomarker for CRC patients. Focused on the functional role of hsa_circ_0008621 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: Serum and tissue hsa_circ_0008621 expression were quantified by qRT‐PCR in 157 CRC patients, as well as 100 serums from healthy controls. Serum and tissue hsa_circ_0008621 expression was evaluated for their prognostic role in CRC patients using Kaplan–Meier curves and Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis. To further characterize the biological role of hsa_circ_0008621 expression in CRC, in vitro hsa_circ_0008621 inhibition was performed and the effects on cellular growth, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and glycolysis were explored. Next, the downstream molecules for hsa_circ_0008621 were predicted. Results: Hsa_circ_0008621 expression was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues and serums. Serum hsa_circ_0008621 levels were significantly up‐regulated in advanced‐staged samples. High serum hsa_circ_0008621 expression was associated with shorter overall survival and recurrence‐free survival in CRC patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified a high level of serum hsa_circ_0008621 expression as an independent prognostic factor with respect to overall survival and recurrence‐free survival. Loss of function assays for hsa_circ_0008621 in vitro led to a significant decrease in cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis, but an increase in cell apoptosis. Hsa_circ_0008621 can sponge miR‐532‐5p, which targets SLC16A3. Conclusion: High level of serum hsa_circ_0008621 is associated with poor survival in CRC and promotes CRC progression, suggesting it to be a promising non‐invasive prognostic biomarker and novel therapeutic target in CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]