Dietary polyphenols reduced the allergenicity ofβ-lactoglobulin via non-covalent interactions:a study on the structure-allergenicity relationship

Studies showed that complexation of polyphenols with milk allergens reduced their immunogenic potential.However,the relationship between structures of polyphenols and their hypoallergenic effects on milk allergens in association with physiological and conformational changes of the complexes remain unclear.In this study,polyphenols from eight botanical sources were extracted to prepare non-covalent complexes withβ-lactoglobulin(β-LG),a major allergen in milk.The dominant phenolic compounds bound toβ-LG with a diminished allergenicity were identified to investigate their respective role on the structural and allergenic properties ofβ-LG.Extracts from Vaccinium fruits and black soybeans were found to have great inhibitory effects on the IgE-and IgG-binding abilities ofβ-LG.Among the fourteen structure-related phenolic compounds,flavonoids and tannins with larger MWs and multi-hydroxyl substituents,notably rutin,EGCG,and ellagitannins were more potent to elicit changes on the conformational structures ofβ-LG to decrease the allergenicity of complexedβ-LG.Correlation analysis further demonstrated that a destabilized secondary structure and protein depolymerization caused by polyphenol-binding were closely related to the allergenicity property of formed complexes.This study provides insights into the understanding of structure-allergenicity relationship ofβ-LG-polyphenol interactions and would benefit the development of polyphenol-fortified matrices with hypoallergenic potential.

Structural Characteristics and Evolution of a Weighted Sino-US Container Shipping Network

This study selected the Sino-US route data from the top 30 global container liner companies between December 1,2019,and December 29,2019,as the data source utilizing the complex network research methodology.It constructs a Sino-US container shipping network through voyage weighting and analyzes the essential structural characteristics to explore the network’s complex structural fea-tures.The network’s evolution is examined from three perspectives,namely,time,space,and event influence,aiming to comprehens-ively explore the network’s evolution mechanism.The results revealed that:1)the weighted Sino-US container shipping network exhib-its small-world and scale-free properties.Key hub ports in the United States include NEW YORK NY,SAVANNAH GA,LOS ANGELES CA,and OAKLAND CA,whereas SHANGHAI serving as the hub port in China.The geographical distribution of these hub ports is uneven.2)Concerning the evolution of the weighted Sino-US container shipping network,from a temporal perspective,the evolution of the regional structure of the entire Sino-US region and the Inland United States is in a stage of radiative expansion and de-velopment,with a need for further enhancement in competitiveness and development speed.The evolution of the regional structure of southern China and Europe is transitioning from the stage of radiative expansion and development to an advanced equilibrium stage.The shipping development in Northern China,the Western and Eastern United States,and Asia is undergoing significant changes but faces challenges of fierce competition and imbalances.From a spatial perspective,the rationality and effectiveness of the improved weighted Barrat-Barthelemy-Vespignani(BBV)model are confirmed through theoretical derivation.The applicability of the improved evolution model is verified by simulating the evolution of the weighted Sino-US container shipping network.From an event impact per-spective,the Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has not fundamentally affected the spatial pattern of the weighted Sino-US container shipping network but has significantly impacted the network’s connectivity.The network lacks sufficient resilience and stability in emergency situations.3)Based on the analysis of the structural characteristics and evolution of the weighted Sino-US con-tainer shipping network,recommendations for network development are proposed from three aspects:emphasizing the development of hub ports,focusing on the balanced development of the network,and optimizing the layout of Chinese ports.

Collaborative effect between single-atom Re and S vacancy on modulating localized electronic structure of MoS_(2) catalysts for alkaline hydrogen evolution

Optimizing the catalytic activity and stability of molybdenum disulfide (MoS_(2)) towards alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is significant for sustaining green hydrogen. A moderate localized electronic structure of active sites plays a crucial role in determining the activity and stability of the catalysts, yet how to construct such localized electronic structure still remains indeterminacy. Enlightened by theoretical prediction, herein, the introduction of both single-atom Re and the adjacent S vacancy in MoS_(2) (denoted as Re-MoS_(2)-Vs) exhibits collaborative effect on regulating the localized electronic structure of active sites (viz. Re-(S, Vs)-Mo). Such regulated electronic structure helps to decrease the energy barrier of the water dissociation and optimize hydrogen adsorption energy for enhancing alkaline HER performance. Most importantly, Mo-S bonds in the above local Re-(S, Vs)-Mo configurations are also strengthened for preventing the leaching of Mo and S atoms and then ensuring the long-time stability. Consequently, the deliberately designed Re-MoS_(2)-Vs with a Re coordination number of ~ 5.0 is experimentally verified to exhibit a comparable electrocatalytic performance and robust operational stability over 120 h. This strategy provides a promising guidance for modulating the electronic structure of MoS_(2) based catalysts via double-tuning atomic-scale local configuration for HER applications.

Emerging structures and dynamic mechanisms ofγ-secretase for Alzheimer’s disease

γ-Secretase,called“the proteasome of the membrane,”is a membrane-embedded protease complex that cleaves 150+peptide substrates with central roles in biology and medicine,including amyloid precursor protein and the Notch family of cell-surface receptors.Mutations inγ-secretase and amyloid precursor protein lead to early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease.γ-Secretase has thus served as a critical drug target for treating familial Alzheimer’s disease and the more common late-onset Alzheimer’s disease as well.However,critical gaps remain in understanding the mechanisms of processive proteolysis of substrates,the effects of familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations,and allosteric modulation of substrate cleavage byγ-secretase.In this review,we focus on recent studies of structural dynamic mechanisms ofγ-secretase.Different mechanisms,including the“Fit-Stay-Trim,”“Sliding-Unwinding,”and“Tilting-Unwinding,”have been proposed for substrate proteolysis of amyloid precursor protein byγ-secretase based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations.While an incorrect registry of the Notch1 substrate was identified in the cryo-electron microscopy structure of Notch1-boundγ-secretase,molecular dynamics simulations on a resolved model of Notch1-boundγ-secretase that was reconstructed using the amyloid precursor protein-boundγ-secretase as a template successfully capturedγ-secretase activation for proper cleavages of both wildtype and mutant Notch,being consistent with biochemical experimental findings.The approach could be potentially applied to decipher the processing mechanisms of various substrates byγ-secretase.In addition,controversy over the effects of familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations,particularly the issue of whether they stabilize or destabilizeγ-secretase-substrate complexes,is discussed.Finally,an outlook is provided for future studies ofγ-secretase,including pathways of substrate binding and product release,effects of modulators on familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations of theγ-secretase-substrate complexes.Comprehensive understanding of the functional mechanisms ofγ-secretase will greatly facilitate the rational design of effective drug molecules for treating familial Alzheimer’s disease and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease in general.

The Tension Cosmology, Largest Cosmic Structures and Explosions of Supernovae from SST

Here, using the Scale-Symmetric Theory (SST) we explain the cosmological tension and the origin of the largest cosmic structures. We show that a change in value of strong coupling constant for cold baryonic matter leads to the disagreement in the galaxy clustering amplitude, quantified by the parameter S8. Within the same model we described the Hubble tension. We described also the mechanism that transforms the gravitational collapse into an explosion—it concerns the dynamics of virtual fields that lead to dark energy. Our calculations concern the Type Ia supernovae and the core-collapse supernovae. We calculated the quantized masses of the progenitors of supernovae, emitted total energy during explosion, and we calculated how much of the released energy was transferred to neutrinos. Value of the speed of sound in the strongly interacting matter measured at the LHC confirms that presented here model is correct. Our calculations show that the Universe is cyclic.

Unmanned Ship Identification Based on Improved YOLOv8s Algorithm

Aiming at defects such as low contrast in infrared ship images,uneven distribution of ship size,and lack of texture details,which will lead to unmanned ship leakage misdetection and slow detection,this paper proposes an infrared ship detection model based on the improved YOLOv8 algorithm(R_YOLO).The algorithm incorporates the Efficient Multi-Scale Attention mechanism(EMA),the efficient Reparameterized Generalized-feature extraction module(CSPStage),the small target detection header,the Repulsion Loss function,and the context aggregation block(CABlock),which are designed to improve the model’s ability to detect targets at multiple scales and the speed of model inference.The algorithm is validated in detail on two vessel datasets.The comprehensive experimental results demonstrate that,in the infrared dataset,the YOLOv8s algorithm exhibits improvements in various performance metrics.Specifically,compared to the baseline algorithm,there is a 3.1%increase in mean average precision at a threshold of 0.5(mAP(0.5)),a 5.4%increase in recall rate,and a 2.2%increase in mAP(0.5:0.95).Simultaneously,while less than 5 times parameters,the mAP(0.5)and frames per second(FPS)exhibit an increase of 1.7%and more than 3 times,respectively,compared to the CAA_YOLO algorithm.Finally,the evaluation indexes on the visible light data set have shown an average improvement of 4.5%.

Temporal change of plankton size structure preserved by Lugol's solution:a FlowCAM study

Plankton size structure is crucial for understanding marine ecosystem dynamics and the associated biogeochemical processes.A fixation step by acid Lugol’s solution has been commonly employed to preserve plankton samples in the field.However,the acid Lugol’s solution can bias the estimation of size structure and the preserved plankton size structure can vary with time.Here,we explore the impact of sample storage time on the size-structure of the plankton community preserved by Lugol’s solution.Two short-term experiments and one long-term experiment were conducted to explore the change of plankton community size structure with the storage time:covering from a week to a month,and to nearly seven months based on particle-size data obtained by continuous Flow Cytometer and Microscope(FlowCAM)measurements.We found a linear change of plankton size with the storage time in short-term periods(less than 3 months)with a decrease of the slope but an increase of the intercept for the normalized biomass size spectrum(NBS S).However,there were opposite trends for NBSS with increasing slope but decreasing intercept after3 months.The potential causes of the distinct patterns of the NBSS parameters are addressed in terms of the interplay between particle aggregation and fragmentation.We found large changes in plankton biovolume and abundance among different size classes,which may indicate a distinct effect of acid Lugol’s solution on various plankton size classes.The mechanism driving temporal change in the size-structure of the Lugolfixed plankton community was further discussed in terms of particle aggregation and fragmentation.Finally,we emphasize that the effect of storage time should be taken into account when interpreting or comparing data of plankton community acquired from samples with various storage durations.

Statistical Analysis of Ship Impact Forces on Light Wharf Structures

In the present study,the formula calculating ship impact forces on light wharf structures is presented when the elastic deformation of the hull and the pier structures as well as the nonlinear deformation of the fender are taken into account. The ship impact forces are statistically analyzed with the Monte-Carlo method according to the known probability distribution types of random variables.Based on the simulated results, the distribution of ship impact forces which is characterized by bimodal distribution can be expressed as the combining probability density function of beta distribution and normal distribution. The corresponding parameters of the probability density function can be estimated with the maximum likelihood method. The results show that ship impact forces on light wharf structures follow the distribution of type I extreme value.The mean coefficient and variation coefficient are 1.11 and 0.008 respectively during 50 years of design reference period.

Finite element analysis on nut post structure of Three Gorges Project ship lift

A nonlinear finite element model of the nut post reinforced concrete （RC） structure of the safety mechanism in the Three Gorges Project （TGP） ship lift was built by ANSYS software. Some irregular structures such as the nut post and the rotary rod were divided by curved surface into a series of regular parts, and the structures were all meshed to hexahedron. Constraint equations were defined between two interfaces with different element sizes and mesh patterns. PRETS179 elements were used to simulate the preload in the tendons and the pre-stressed screws, and the loss of prestressing force was calculated. Five extreme load cases were analyzed. The stress of each part in the structure was obtained. The results indicate that the maximum compressive stress of concrete C35 is 24.13 MPa, so the concrete may be partially crushed; the maximum tensile stress of the grouting motar is 6.73 MPa, so the grouting motar may partially fracture; the maximum yon Mises stress of the rotary rod is 648.70 MPa, therefore the rotary rod may partially yield.

Risk Based Optimal Inspection and Repair Planning for Ship Structures Subjected to Corrosion Deterioration

A framework of risk based inspection and repair planning was presented to optimize for the ship structures subjected to corrosion deterioration. The planning problem was formulated as an optimization problem where the expected lifetime costs were minimized with a constraint on the minimum acceptable reliability index. The safety margins were established for the inspection events, the repair events and the failure events for ship structures. Moreover, the formulae were derived to calculate failure probabilities and repair probabilities. Based on them, a component subjected to corrosion is investigated for illustration of the process of selecting the optimal inspection and repair strategy. Furthermore, some sensitivity studies were provided. The results show that the optimal inspection instants should take place before the reliability index reaches the minimum acceptable reliability index. The optimal target failure probability is 10 -3 . In addition, a balance can be achieved between the risk cost and total expected inspection and repair costs by means of the risk-based optimal inspection and repair method, which is very effective in selecting the optimal inspection and repair strategy.

Recent Developments in Fatigue Assessment of Ships and Offshore Structures

A review is provided of various approaches that have been adopted recently to assess the fatigue of ships and offshore structures.The relevant fatigue loading is reviewed first,focusing on the successive loading and unloading of the cargo and the transient loadings.The factors influencing fatigue strength are discussed,including the geometrical parameters,material,residual stress,and ones related to the environment.Different approaches for fatigue analyses of seam-welded joints are covered,i.e.,the structural stress or strain approach,the notch stress or strain approach,notch intensity approach,and the crack propagation approach.

Structure and function of the contactin-associated protein family in myelinated axons and their relationship with nerve diseases

The contactin-associated protein （Caspr） family participates in nerve excitation and conduction, and neurotransmitter release in myelinated axons. We analyzed the structures and functions of the Caspr family- CNTNAP1 （Casprl）, CNTNAP2 （Caspr2）, CNTNAP3 （Caspr3）, CNTNAP4 （Caspr4） and CNTNAP5 （Caspr5）, Casprl-5 is not only involved in the formation of myelinated axons, but also participates in maintaining the stability of adjacent connections. Casprl participates in the formation, differentiation, and proliferation of neurons and astrocytes, and in motor control and cognitive function. We also analyzed the relationship between the Caspr family and neurodegenerative diseases, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune encephalitis. However, the effects of Caspr on disease course and prognosis remain poorly understood. The effects of Caspr on disease diagnosis and treatment need further investigation.

Set-based parametric modeling, buckling and ultimate strength estimation of stiffened ship structures

There have been a great demand for a suitable and convenient method in the field of buckling analysis of stiffened ship structures, which is essential to structural safety assessment and is significantly time-consuming. Modeling, buckling behaviors and ultimate strength prediction of stiffened panels were investigated. The modeling specification including nonlinear finite element model and imperfections generation, and post-buckling analysis procedure of stiffened plates were demonstrated. And a software tool using set-based finite element method was developed and executed in the MSC. Marc environment. Different types of stiffen panels of marine structures have been employed to investigate the buckling behavior and assess the validity in the estimation of ultimate strength. A comparison between results of the generally accepted methods, experiments and the software tool developed was demonstrated. It is shown that the software tool can predict the ultimate capacity of stiffened panels with imperfections with a good accuracy.

Shock resistance of supercharged boilers through integration with ship structure

The non-linear finite element software ABAQUS was used to simulate the dynamic response of a marine supercharged boiler when subjected to impact loading. Shock resistance was analyzed by the time-domain simulation method. After exhaustive simulations,the effect of air pressure induced by different working conditions on the shock response of a supercharged boiler was reviewed,leading to conclusions about the variability of structural response with different loading parameters. In order to simulate the real impulsive environments of supercharged boilers,the integration of equipment and ship structure was then primarily used to analyze shock response. These distinctly different equipment shock test methods,run under equivalent work conditions,were compared and the causes of discrepancy were analyzed. The main purpose of this paper is to present references for the anti-shock design of marine supercharged boilers.

Cost-Benefit Assessment of Inspection and Repair Planning for Ship Structures Considering Corrosion Model Uncertainty

Owing to high costs and unnecessary inspections necessitated by the traditional inspection planning for ship structures, the risk-based inspection and repair planning should be investigated for the most cost-effective inspection. This paper aims to propose a cost-benefit assessment model of risk-based inspection and repair planning for ship structures subjected to corrosion deterioration. Then, the benefit-cost ratio is taken to be an index for the selection of the optimal inspection and repair strategy. The planning problem is formulated as an optimization problem where the benefit-cost ratio for the expected lifetime is maximized with a constraint on the minimum acceptalbe reliability index. To account for the effect of corrosion model uncertainty on the cost-benefit assessment, two corrosion models, namgly, Paik＇ s model and Guedes Soares＇ model, are adopted for analysis. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the proposed method. Sensitivity studies are also providet. The results indicate that the proposed method of risk-based cost-benefit analysis can effectively integrate the economy with reliability of the inspection and repair planning. A balance can be achieved between the risk cost and total expected inspection and repair costs with the proposed method, which is very. effective in selecting the optimal inspection and repair strategy. It is pointed out that the corrosion model uncertainty and parametric uncertaintg have a significant impact on the cost-benefit assessment of inspection and repair planning.

Decreasing of Ship Structure Mass by Active Counteraction to Bending Moment

Pre-stressed structure and its application for civil engineering.Specificity of external loads of ships.Corresponded specificity of controllable pre-stressing.An example of pre-stressed structure and an decreasing estimation of its mass(about 10%of the full displacement).Possibility of wider application.

Allozyme Diversity and Population Genetic Structure of Three Medicinal Epimedium Species from Hubei

Three Epimedium species, E. pubescens Maxim., E. sagittatum （Sieb. ＆ Zucc.） Maxim., and E. wushanense T. S. Ying, which are sympatrically distributed in the western Hubei Province, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） for about 2,000 years. Genetic variability and population genetic structure of 11 natural populations of these Epimedium species were investigated using isoelectric focusing in thin-layer polyacrylamide slab gels. Of the 22 enzyme systems prescreened, six coding for 13 loci and 45 alleles were resolved, which were used for analyzing genetic diversity and population structure at both intraspecific and interspecific levels. The results showed that： l） high levels of genetic diversity were observed in all three species （A = 2.6-3.2, P = 69.2%-84.6%, Ho= 0.274-0.377, HE= 0.282-0.369）, which were higher than that of other herbaceous and aulmal-pollinated species with similar life-history characteristics; 2） there was significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, with one half of the loci showing heterozygote excess and the other homozygote excess, in all populations, suggesting the complicated breeding system of Epimedium species; 3） the low level of intraspecific and interspecific genetic differentiation （GST= 0.0246-0.0409 and 0.0495-0.1213, respectively） indicated a high level of gene flow among populations and close genetic relationship among the three species; and 4） UPGMA cluster analysis further showed that E. pubescens was more closely related to E. sagittatum than to E. wushanense, which was in good agreement with the morphological characters and the recent phylogenetic analysis of these species. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the mixed breeding system, long-lived perennial life form, ancient evolutionary history, and seed dispersal by ants in Epimedium are responsible for the genetic variation and population structure of these species.

A study on deep structure using teleseismic receiver function in Western Yunnan

s Western Yunnan is located at the boundary of collision or underthrusting zone of Eurasian plate and is influenced by many times tectonic movements. With very complex geological environment and tectonic background, it is one of the seismically active areas. In the paper, the teleseismic records were selected from 16 national, local and mo-bile stations, including 4 very-wide-band mobile stations of PASSCAL. And nearly 2 000 receiver functions were extracted. Two measuring lines are 650 km and 450 km, respectively and across some major tectonic units in Western Yunnan. It is indicated that Nujiang might be a seam characterized by underthrusting. The western and eastern boundaries of Sichuan-Yunnan rhombus block, i.e., Honghe and Xiaojiang faults, might be an erection seam or collision belt. Panxi tectonic zone still has the characteristics of continental rift valley, that is, the surface is hollow and the upper mantle is upwarping. The tectonic situation in Western Yunnan is of certain regulation with the interlacing distribution of orogenic zone and seam. The crustal thickness decreases gradually from the north to the south and the S wave velocity is globally lower here.

双金属MOFs碳化材料的结构对锂硫电池正极性能的影响

利用硝酸钴和铁氰化钾在水溶液中沉淀反应以及ZIF-8在水溶液中的部分分解,分别制备了2种组成相近但结构不同的双金属有机框架前驱体Co-Fe precursor和ZCF precursor。经过多巴胺包覆,对2种产品在氩气气氛下退火获得碳化产物。将碳化产物与纳米硫粉混合得到的碳/硫复合材料(E-CoFeCN@C/S、E-ZCF@C/S)分别作为正极,组装扣式锂硫电池并测试电化学性能。利用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、热重分析仪进行形貌和结构分析。在组成相似的情况下,核壳结构碳载体(E-CoFeCN@C)与发散式结构碳载体(E-ZCF@C)对锂硫电池性能的影响呈现出“此消彼长”的特点:E-ZCF@C/S在循环伏安测试中表现出更小的极化以及更强的电流响应,在电化学阻抗测试中表现出更低的电荷转移阻抗,表明该材料有利于促进正极电荷传递过程,即加快电极反应动力学。E-ZCF@C/S在0.2C倍率下放电初始比容量为1211.3mAh/g,在2C倍率下放电初始比容量为794mAh/g,均优于E-CoFeCN@C/S。而核壳结构的优势主要体现在容量衰减方面,E-CoFeCN@C/S在0.2C倍率下经过100次循环后平均衰减率为0.074%(E-ZCF@C/S为0.26%),在2C倍率下循环300次后平均衰减率为0.047%(E-ZCF@C/S为0.13%),说明核壳结构对活性物质的锚固作用明显而对电荷转移不利。

HBsAg和HBsAb共存的慢性乙肝患者的血清学特征和S区突变位点

目的探讨HBsAg/HBsAb双阳患者和HBsAg单阳性患者的血清学差异,并对两组患者的HBV S区突变位点进行比较分析,探寻HBsAg/HBsAb共阳性患者可能的分子机制。方法选取首都医科大学附属北京佑安医院2022年6月至2023年3月的284例HBsAg/HBsAb双阳患者和519例HBsAg单阳患者,统计Age、ALT、AST、AST/ALT、TBiL、ALb、r-GT、HBsAg和HBsAg滴度、HBsAb、HBeAg、HBeAb、HBcAb、WBC,对两组患者的血清学指标进行比较分析。对HBV S区扩增成功的19例HBsAg/HBsAb双阳患者和19例HBsAg单阳患者进行测序分析,统计高频突变位点,分析HBV S区突变特征,探寻HBsAg/HBsAb双阳患者可能发生的分子机制。结果HBsAg/HBsAb双阳患者和HBsAg单阳患者在性别、HBeAg、ALT、AST、TBiL、r-GT差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组患者在Age、HBeAb、HBcAb、AST/ALT、Alb、WBC差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。HBsAg/HBsAb双阳组患者C基因型占78.95%(15/19),其中A113D/T、A317C/S、A45T、A86G、A87T、A96V、A97P等突变频率较高,HBsAg单阳组C基因型占84.21%(16/19),V159A、M47T、I213L、A317S、E44G、Q267L突变频率较高,两组患者的高频突变位点明显不同。结论双阳和单阳CHB患者血清学和基因突变位点存在显著差异。建议针对HBV S区不同的突变位点进一步研究HBsAg和HBsAb共存的机制。