Construction of Split-Plot Designs with General Minimum Lower Order Confounding

Fractional factorial split-plot design has been widely used in many fields due to its advantage of saving experimental cost. The general minimum lower order confounding criterion is usually used as one of the attractive design criterion for selecting fractional factorial split-plot design. In this paper, we are interested in the theoretical construction methods of the optimal fractional factorial split-plot designs under the general minimum lower order confounding criterion. We present the theoretical construction methods of optimal fractional factorial split-plot designs under general minimum lower order confounding criterion under several conditions.

The anti-cancerous mechanism of licochalcone A on human hepatoma cell HepG2 based on the miRNA omics

To explore the function of licochalcone A as an anticancer phytochemical on HepG2 cells and investigate its potential mechanisms,we analyzed the microRNAs(miRNAs)expression profile of HepG2 cells in response to licochalcone A(70μmol/L)in vitro.102 dysregulated miRNAs were detected,and SP1 was expected as the transcription factor that regulates the functions of most screened miRNAs.A sum of 431 targets,the overlap of predicted mRNAs from TargetScan,miRDB,and miRtarbase were detected as the targets for these dysregulated miRNAs.FoxO signaling pathway was the hub pathway for the targets.A protein-protein interaction network was structured on the STRING platform to discover the hub genes.Among them,PIK3R1,CDC42,ESR1,SMAD4,SUMO1,KRAS,AGO1,etc.were screened out.Afterwards,the miRNA-target networks were established to screen key dysregulated miRNAs.Two key miRNAs(hsa-miR-133b and hsa-miR-145-5p)were filtered.Finally,the miRNA-target-transcription factor networks were constructed for these key miRNAs.The networks for these key miRNAs included three and two transcription factors,respectively.These identified miRNAs,transcription factors,targets,and regulatory networks may offer hints to understand the molecular mechanism of licochalcone A as a natural anticarcinogen.

El Niño and the AMO Sparked the Astonishingly Large Margin of Warming in the Global Mean Surface Temperature in 2023

In 2023,the majority of the Earth witnessed its warmest boreal summer and autumn since 1850.Whether 2023 will indeed turn out to be the warmest year on record and what caused the astonishingly large margin of warming has become one of the hottest topics in the scientific community and is closely connected to the future development of human society.We analyzed the monthly varying global mean surface temperature(GMST)in 2023 and found that the globe,the land,and the oceans in 2023 all exhibit extraordinary warming,which is distinct from any previous year in recorded history.Based on the GMST statistical ensemble prediction model developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics,the GMST in 2023 is predicted to be 1.41℃±0.07℃,which will certainly surpass that in 2016 as the warmest year since 1850,and is approaching the 1.5℃ global warming threshold.Compared to 2022,the GMST in 2023 will increase by 0.24℃,with 88%of the increment contributed by the annual variability as mostly affected by El Niño.Moreover,the multidecadal variability related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO)in 2023 also provided an important warming background for sparking the GMST rise.As a result,the GMST in 2023 is projected to be 1.15℃±0.07℃,with only a 0.02℃ increment,if the effects of natural variability—including El Niño and the AMO—are eliminated and only the global warming trend is considered.

Will the Globe Encounter the Warmest Winter after the Hottest Summer in 2023?

In the boreal summer and autumn of 2023,the globe experienced an extremely hot period across both oceans and continents.The consecutive record-breaking mean surface temperature has caused many to speculate upon how the global temperature will evolve in the coming 2023/24 boreal winter.In this report,as shown in the multi-model ensemble mean(MME)prediction released by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences,a medium-to-strong eastern Pacific El Niño event will reach its mature phase in the following 2−3 months,which tends to excite an anomalous anticyclone over the western North Pacific and the Pacific-North American teleconnection,thus serving to modulate the winter climate in East Asia and North America.Despite some uncertainty due to unpredictable internal atmospheric variability,the global mean surface temperature(GMST)in the 2023/24 winter will likely be the warmest in recorded history as a consequence of both the El Niño event and the long-term global warming trend.Specifically,the middle and low latitudes of Eurasia are expected to experience an anomalously warm winter,and the surface air temperature anomaly in China will likely exceed 2.4 standard deviations above climatology and subsequently be recorded as the warmest winter since 1991.Moreover,the necessary early warnings are still reliable in the timely updated mediumterm numerical weather forecasts and sub-seasonal-to-seasonal prediction.

The incidence rate and histological characteristics of intimal hyperplasia in elastase-induced experimental abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice

Intimal hyperplasia(IH)is a negative vascular remodeling after arterial injury.IH occasionally occurs in elastase-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA)mouse models.This study aims to clarify the incidence and histological characteristics of IH in aneurysmal mice.A retrospective study was conducted by including 42 male elastaseinduced mouse AAA models.The IH incidence,aortic diameters with or without IH,and hyperplasia lesional features of mice were analyzed.Among 42 elastase-induced AAA mouse models,10 mice developed mild IH(24%)and severe IH was found in only 2 mice(5%).The outer diameters of the AAA segments in mice with and without IH did not show significant difference.Both mild and severe IH lesions show strong smooth muscle cell positive staining,but endothelial cells were occasionally observed in severe IH lesions.There was obvious macrophage infiltration in the IH lesions of the AAA mouse models,especially in mice with severe IH.However,only a lower numbers of T cells and B cells were found in the IH lesion.Local cell-secreted matrix metalloproteinases(MMP)2 was highly expressed in all IH lesions,but MMP9 was only overexpressed in severe lesions.In conclusion,this study is the first to demonstrate the occurrence of aneurysmal IH and its histological characteristics in an elastaseinduced mouse AAA model.This will help researchers better understand this model,and optimize it for use in AAA-related research.

GAFEE:5 Steps to Teach Effectively

The authors first propose the GAFEE(Goal-Oriented Engagement,Autonomous Exploration,Feedback-Enhanced Explanation,Challenge-Driven Elaboration,Collaborative Evaluation,Iterative Design,and Technological Synergy)instructional design model,which is based on the integration of gamified teaching and the 5E teaching model.It aims to address the issue of gamification not being systematically incorporated into the curriculum,while also enhancing engagement in the educational setting,stimulating interest in learning,and achieving better learning outcomes.The theoretical application of the GAFEE model is demonstrated through a hypothetical case involving a fourth-grade English class,highlighting its potential to improve students'vocabulary acquisition,grammar comprehension,and speaking proficiency.The study argues that the GAFEE model offers a novel approach to enhancing instructional practices by leveraging gamification strategies.It also emphasizes the need for empirical research to validate the model's effectiveness and broader applicability in gamified educational settings.

Fabrication of highly dispersed platinum-deposited porous g-C_3N_4 by a simple in situ photoreduction strategy and their excellent visible light photocatalytic activity toward aqueous 4-fluorophenol degradation

A series of highly dispersed platinum‐deposited porous g‐C3N4 (Pt/pg‐C3N4) were successfully fabricated by a simple in situ photoreduction strategy using chloroplatinic acid and porous g‐C3N4 as precursors. Porous g‐C3N4 was fabricated by a pretreatment strategy using melamine as a raw material.The morphology, porosity, phase, chemical structure, and optical and electronic properties ofas‐prepared Pt/pg‐C3N4 were characterized. The photocatalytic activity of as‐prepared Pt/pg‐C3N4was preliminarily evaluated by the degradation of aqueous azo dyes methyl orange under visible light irradiation. The as‐prepared Pt/pg‐C3N4 were further applied to the degradation and mineralization of aqueous 4‐fluorophenol. The recyclability of Pt/pg‐C3N4 was evaluated under four consecutive photocatalytic runs.

Improved edge lightweight YOLOv4 and its application in on-site power system work

A“cloud-edge-end”collaborative system architecture is adopted for real-time security management of power system on-site work,and mobile edge computing equipment utilizes lightweight intelligent recognition algorithms for on-site risk assessment and alert.Owing to its lightweight and fast speed,YOLOv4-Tiny is often deployed on edge computing equipment for real-time video stream detection;however,its accuracy is relatively low.This study proposes an improved YOLOv4-Tiny algorithm based on attention mechanism and optimized training methods,achieving higher accuracy without compromising the speed.Specifically,a convolution block attention module branch is added to the backbone network to enhance the feature extraction capability and an efficient channel attention mechanism is added in the neck network to improve feature utilization.Moreover,three optimized training methods:transfer learning,mosaic data augmentation,and label smoothing are used to improve the training effect of this improved algorithm.Finally,an edge computing equipment experimental platform equipped with an NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX chip is established and the newly developed algorithm is tested on it.According to the results,the speed of the improved YOLOv4-Tiny algorithm in detecting on-site dress code compliance datasets is 17.25 FPS,and the mean average precision(mAP)is increased from 70.89%to 85.03%.

Microfluidic chips for the endothelial biomechanics and mechanobiology of the vascular system

Endothelial cells arranged on the vessel lumen are constantly stimulated by blood flow,blood pressure and pressureinduced cyclic stretch.These stimuli are sensed through mechanical sensory structures and converted into a series of functional responses through mechanotransduction pathways.The process will eventually affect vascular health.Therefore,there has been an urgent need to establish in vitro endothelial biomechanics and mechanobiology of models,which reproduce three-dimensional structure vascular system.In recent years,the rapid development in microfluidic technology makes it possible to replicate the key structural and functionally biomechanical characteristics of vessels.Here,we summarized the progress of microfluidic chips used for the investigation of endothelial biomechanics and mechanobiology of the vascular system.Firstly,we elucidated the contribution of shear stress and circumferential stress,to vascular physiology.Then,we reviewed some applications using microfluidic technology in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis,endothelial permeability and mechanotransduction,as well as the blood-brain barrier under these physical forces.Finally,we discussed the future obstacles in terms of the development and application of microfluidic vascular chips.

Cooperative effect of polyvinylpyrrolidone and HPMC E5 on dissolution and bioavailability of nimodipine solid dispersions and tablets

Solid dispersion(SD)systems have been extensively used to increase the dissolution and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs.To circumvent the limitations of polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)dispersions,HPMC E5 was applied in the formulation process and scaling-up techniques,simultaneously.In this study,SD of nimodipine(NMP)and corresponding tablets were prepared through solvent method and fluid bed granulating one step technique,respectively.Discriminatory dissolution media were used to obtain reliable dissolution results.Meanwhile,the stability study of SDs was investigated with storage under high temperature and humidity conditions.Moreover,the solubility of SDs was measured to explore the effect of carriers.The preparations were characterized by DSC,PXRD,and FTIR.Dramatical improvements in the dissolution rate of NMP were achieved by the ingenious combination of the two polymers.Binary NMP/PVP/HPMC-SDs released steadily,while the dissolution of single NMP/PVP-SDs decreased rapidly in water.The fluid-bed tablets(FB-T)possessed a similar dissolution behavior to the commercial Nimotop TM tablets.The characterization patterns implied that NMP existed in an amorphous state in our SDs.Furthermore,the results of stability tests suggested a better stability of the binary SDs.A special cooperative effect of PVP and HPMC was discovered on dissolution characteristics of NMP SDs and tablets,which could be extended to other drugs henceforth.Finally,the bioavailability of FB-T was evaluated in beagle dogs with Nimotop TM as the reference,and the results showed a higher AUC 0–12h value for FB-T.

The Influence Factors of Collective Intelligence Emergence in Knowledge Communities Based on Social Network Analysis

The advent of the age of Information shifts the environment we live in from off-line to on-line. The prospect of Collective Intelligence (CI) is promising. Based on this background, the aim of this paper is to discover the emergence mechanism and influence factors of CI in knowledge communities using the method of quantitative and qualitative analysis. On the basis of the previous research work, our model theorizes that the two dimensions of social network (i.e., interactive network structure and participant’s characteristics) affect two references of effectiveness (i.e. group knowledge production and participation of group decision). And this hypothetical model is validated with simulation data from “Zhihu” community. Our model has been useful since it offers some inspirations and directions to promote the level of CI in knowledge communities.

Fabrication of supported acid catalytic composite fibers by a simple and low-cost method and their application on the synthesis of liquid biofuel 5-ethoxymethylfurfural

In this paper,sulfonic groups functionalized annealed bio-based carbon microspheres loaded polytetrafluoroethylene(A-BCMSs-SO_(3)H@PTFE)fibers with high activity,high stability,and easy regeneration were successfully fabricated by a simple method using low-cost raw materials.The characterization results showed that the annealed biomass carbon microspheres derived from waste Camellia oleifera shells were evenly distributed on the polytetrafluoroethylene fibers and the sulfonic groups can be successfully loaded on the surface of annealed biomass carbon microspheres by room temperature sulfonation.Subsequently,the as-prepared A-BCMSs-SO_(3)H@PTFE fibers were applied to the acidcatalyzed synthesis of liquid biofuel 5-ethoxymethylfurfural.The catalytic experiment results indicated that the annealing temperature and time during catalyst preparation have a significant effect on the activity and selectivity of A-BCMSs-SO_(3)H@PTFE fibers.The results of catalytic reaction kinetics showed that the yield of 5-ethoxymethylfurfural can reach more than 60%after 72 h of acid-catalyzed reaction.The stability test showed that the as-prepared A-BCMSs-SO_(3)H@PTFE fibers still maintained a stable acid catalytic activity after four recycles.

Protective effects of Dioscin on TNF-α-induced collagen-induced arthritis rat fibroblast-like synoviocytes involves in regulating the LTB4/BLT pathway

Background and Objective:LTB4 has been shown to be involved in rheumatoid arthritis(RA)pathogenesis.The effect of Dioscin(Dio)on the LTB4 pathway of RA have not been reported yet.This study aimed at further exploring whether Dioscin’s effects on TNF-αinduced collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rat fibroblast-like synoviocytes(FLS)connected with the LTB4 and its receptor pathway.Materials&Methods:In this experiment,control group,TNF-αgroup,and different concentrations of Dioscin groups were established.Cell viability was evaluated using MTT assay.The levels of LTB4 in the samples of above groups were measured using ELISA.The mRNA expression levels of LTA4H,BLT1,and BLT2 were detected by quantitative real time PCR,while the expression level of LTA4H proteins were detected using western blot.The distribution of LTA4H was assessed by immunofluorescence assay.Results:the LTB4 level of TNF-αgroup in sample supernatant was higher than both control group and Dioscin groups with decreased LTB4 levels(p<0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression of LTA4H was significantly increased in TNF-αgroup(p<0.05),whereas LTA4H expressions were significantly decreased in all Dioscin groups when compared to TNF-αgroup(p<0.05).The mRNA expressions of BLT1 and BLT2 were markedly higher in TNF-αgroup than those in control group while Dioscin treatment significantly inhibited the increased expressions of BLT1 and BLT2 induced by TNF-α(p<0.05).Conclusions:These results firstly demonstrate that the protective effect of Dioscin on TNF-αinduced FLS may involve in its reducing LTB4 production by down-regulating LTA4H expression,and may inhibit its downstream pathway by decreasing LTB4 receptors levels.This findings suggest that dioscin produces a potential therapeutic effects for RA via its influencing LTA4H/LTB4/BLT pathway.

Fabrication of biobased heterogeneous solid Br?nsted acid catalysts and their application on the synthesis of liquid biofuel 5-ethoxymethylfurfural from fructose

A series of biobased heterogeneous solid Br?nsted acid catalysts with perfect spherical microstructures are successfully fabricated directly from waste Camellia oleifera shells by a simple hydrothermal carbonization-annealing-sulfonation process. 350℃ low temperature annealing process helps to increase the activity of the catalyst due to the simultaneous maintenance of the spherical microstructure and aromatic carbon framework. As a renewable catalyst with low cost, the as-prepared materials are successfully applied on the synthesis of green renewable liquid biofuel 5-ethoxymethylfurfural(EMF) directly from fructose. In the catalytic test, the influences of reaction time and temperature, fructose concentration, and adding amount of the catalyst on the yield of EMF are investigated systematically. As a result, the optimal reaction temperature is 100℃, the EMF yield monotonically increases with prolonging the reaction time from 3 to 24 h, the optimal fructose concentration is0.5 mmol, and the EMF yield gradually increases with increasing the adding amount of the catalyst from 50 to 150 mg. In addition, the asprepared catalysts exhibit considerably high stability in the current EMF synthesis system, and they can maintain a similar level of reactivity after four catalytic cycles.

Will the Historic Southeasterly Wind over the Equatorial Pacific in March 2022 Trigger a Third-year La Niña Event?

Based on the updates of the Climate Prediction Center and International Research Institute for Climate and Society(CPC/IRI)and the China Multi-Model Ensemble(CMME)El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)Outlook issued in April 2022,La Niña is favored to continue through the boreal summer and fall,indicating a high possibility of a three-year La Niña(2020-23).It would be the first three-year La Niña since the 1998-2001 event,which is the only observed three-year La Niña event since 1980.By examining the status of air-sea fields over the tropical Pacific in March 2022,it can be seen that while the thermocline depths were near average,the southeasterly wind stress was at its strongest since 1980.Here,based on a quaternary linear regression model that includes various relevant air-sea variables over the equatorial Pacific in March,we argue that the historic southeasterly winds over the equatorial Pacific are favorable for the emergence of the third-year La Niña,and both the anomalous easterly and southerly wind stress components are important and contribute~50%of the third-year La Niña growth,respectively.Additionally,the possible global climate impacts of this event are discussed.

A binder-free CF|PANI composite electrode with excellent capacitance for asymmetric supercapacitors

In this work,carbon fiber and polyaniline(CF|PANI)composites are prepared by using an electrochemical polymeriza-tion method.The morphology and composition characterization results show that the PANI nanospheres are successfully syn-thesized and uniformly coated on the CF.When the electrodeposition period is 300 cycles,the as-prepared CF|PANI electrode ex-hibits good specific capacitance of 231.63 F/g at 1 A/g,high performance of 98.14%retention rate from 0.5 to 20 A/g,and excel-lent cycle stability with only 0.96%capacity loss after 1000 cycles.This is ascribed to the internal resistance that was signific-antly reduced without binders,which helps to the CF|PANI electrode maintains high operating potential and pseudo-capacit-ance performance at high current density.The symmetrical supercapacitor based on two CF|PANI electrodes connecting by acid-ic PVA-H2SO4 gel electrolyte exhibits an energy density of 6.55 W·h/kg at a power density of 564.37 W/kg.In addition,the asym-metric supercapacitor based on MoS2|MWCNTs and CF|PANI electrodes with neutral PVA-Na2SO4 gel electrolyte shows an en-ergy density of 16.12 W·h/kg at a power density of 525.03 W/kg.These results indicate that the low internal resistance contrib-utes to the high energy density of symmetrical supercapacitors and asymmetric supercapacitors at high current density and high power density,which is significant for its practical application.

Adaptive Fault Estimation for Dynamics of High Speed Train Based on Robust UKF Algorithm

This paper proposes an adaptive unscented Kalman filter algorithm(ARUKF)to implement fault estimation for the dynamics of high⁃speed train(HST)with measurement uncertainty and time⁃varying noise with unknown statistics.Firstly,regarding the actuator and sensor fault as the auxiliary variables of the dynamics of HST,an augmented system is established,and the fault estimation problem for dynamics of HST is formulated as the state estimation of the augmented system.Then,considering the measurement uncertainties,a robust lower bound is proposed to modify the update of the UKF to decrease the influence of measurement uncertainty on the filtering accuracy.Further,considering the unknown time⁃varying noise of the dynamics of HST,an adaptive UKF algorithm based on moving window is proposed to estimate the time⁃varying noise so that accurate concurrent actuator and sensor fault estimations of dynamics of HST is implemented.Finally,a five-car model of HST is given to show the effectiveness of this method.

Phloem unloading in cultivated melon fruits follows an apoplasmic pathway during enlargement and ripening

Melon(Cucumis melo L.)has a long history of cultivation worldwide.During cultivation,domestication,and selection breeding,the sugar content of mature melon fruits has been significantly increased.Compared with unsweet melon and wild melon,rapid sucrose accumulation can occur in the middle and late stages of sweet melon fruit development.The phloem unloading pathway during the evolution and development of melon fruit has not been identified and analyzed.In this study,the phloem unloading pathway and the function of related sugar transporters in cultivated and wild melon fruits were analyzed by CFDA[5(6)-carbofluorescein diacetate]and esculin tracing,cytological pathway observation,qRT–PCR,and gene function analysis,etc.Results show that the phloem unloading pathway of wild melon fruit is largely symplastic,whereas the phloem unloading pathway of cultivated melon fruit shifts from symplastic to apoplasmic during development.According to a fruit grafting experiment,the fruit sink accumulates sugars independently.Correlation analysis showed that the expression amounts of several sucrose transporter genes were positively correlated with the sucrose content of melon fruit.Furthermore,CmSWEET10 was proved to be a sucrose transporter located on the plasma membrane of the phloem and highly expressed in the premature stage of sweet melon fruits,which means it may be involved in phloem apoplast unloading and sucrose accumulation in sweet melon fruits.Finally,we summarize a functional model of related enzymes and sugar transporters involved in the apoplast unloading of sweet melon fruits during enlargement and sucrose accumulation.

Remote-controlled dexamethasone-duration on eye-surface with a micelle-magnetic nanoparticulate co-delivery system for dry eye disease

Dexamethasone(DEX)is used to treat ocular surface diseases.However,regulating DEX duration in tears while preventing its absorption into the anterior chamber is critical for balancing its therapy effects and the side effects.In this study,a novel magnetic nanoparticle(MNP)-micelle(MC)codelivery system(MMDS)was developed.The MC moiety in the MMDS served as the carrier for DEX and the MNP part endowed the MMDS with magnetic-responsive properties.To extend its residency,the MMDS was magnetically attracted by an external magnet after instilling,which acted as a precorneal drug-depot enabling a sustainable release of DEX in tears.With combination of magnet treatment,the topical instillation of MMDS@DEX significantly prolonged the DEX-retention in tears and increased the DEX-concentration in the cornea and conjunctiva,as well as concurrently reduced the DEX-level in the aqueous humor,when compared with the commercial DEX eye drop treatment.The combination of MMDS@DEX and magnet treatment exerted significantly better therapeutic effects against DED with smaller side effects than conventional treatments including DEX suspension,commercial DEX eye drops,as well as the MMDS@DEX treatment alone.The present work provided a new method for the effective delivery of DEX to ocular surface tissues while reducing its side effects,which will be beneficial to the treatments of a wide range of ocular surface diseases.

Effects of biochanin A on lactational performance,nitrogen metabolism,and blood metabolites in dairy cows

Optimizing nitrogen utilization efficiency and mitigating nitrogen losses in cows plays a pivotal role in fostering economic sustainability within contemporary agricultural systems.Biochanin A(BCA),a natural component in red clover,has the potential to improve nitrogen metabolism in dairy cows.The primary objective of this study was to probe the impact of biochanin A supplementation on lactational performance,nitrogen metabolism,and blood metabolites in dairy cows.A complete randomized block design experiment was conducted over 28 d,involving 36 multiparous Holstein cows(comparable milk yield=37.1±2.90 kg,BW=642±70.0 kg,days in milk=92±8.0 d,and parity=2.4±0.50),which were allocated to three treatment groups:the Control group(with 0 g/d BCA),the Low group(with 10 g/d per cow BCA),and the High group(with 40 g/d per cow BCA).Biochanin A supplementation improved the lactational performance of cows by increasing milk yield by 6.3%(P=0.007)and feed efficiency by 12.7%(P=0.009).Total intestinal apparent digestibility was unaffected by BCA supplementation(P>0.05),but microbial nitrogen was increased by 30.0%(P=0.002)for promoting nitrogen utilization efficiency by 20.7%(P=0.004).Milk competent yields(protein,lactose,and non-fat milk solid)were increased with increasing BCA supplementation(P 0.05).BCA did not affect body health of dairy cows.Additionally,none of the plasma endocrine hormones were affected(P>0.05).A total of 95 significantly different metabolites were screened from the plasma metabolites of cows in the BCA-added and non-added groups.After performing an enrichment analysis of the metabolic pathways associated with the different metabolites,six specific pathways were identified:bile acid biosynthesis,aspartate metabolism,pyrimidine metabolism,arginine and proline metabolism,the urea cycle,and ammonia recycling.The inclusion of BCA is suggested to enhance milk yield and modulate nitrogen metabolism by influencing relevant metabolites within the metabolic pathways.