Epimedin B exhibits pigmentation by increasing tyrosinase family proteins expression,activity,and stability

Epimedin B(EB)is one of the main flavonoid ingredients present in Epimedium brevicornum Maxim.,a traditional herb widely used in China.Our previous study showed that EB was a stronger inducer of melanogenesis and an activator of tyrosinase(TYR).However,the role of EB in melanogenesis and the mechanism underlying the regulation remain unclear.Herein,as an extension to our previous investigation,we provide comprehensive evidence of EB-induced pigmentation in vivo and in vitro and elucidate the melanogenesis mechanism by assessing its effects on the TYR family of proteins(TYRs)in terms of expression,activity,and stability.The results showed that EB increased TYRs expression through microphthalmia-associated transcription factor-mediated p-Akt(referred to as protein kinase B(PKB))/glycogen synthase kinase 3β(GSK3β)/β-catenin,p-p70 S6 kinase cascades,and protein 38(p38)/mitogen-activated protein(MAP)kinase(MAPK)and extracellular regulated protein kinases(ERK)/MAPK pathways,after which EB increased the number of melanosomes and promoted their maturation for melanogenesis in melanoma cells and human primary melanocytes/skin tissues.Furthermore,EB exerted repigmentation by stimulating TYR activity in hydroquinone-and N-phenylthiourea-induced TYR inhibitive models,including melanoma cells,zebrafish,and mice.Finally,EB ameliorated monobenzone-induced depigmentation in vitro and in vivo through the enhancement of TYRs stability by inhibiting TYR misfolding,TYR-related protein 1 formation,and retention in the endoplasmic reticulum and then by downregulating the ubiquitination and proteolysis processes.These data conclude that EB can target TYRs and alter their expression,activity,and stability,thus stimulating their pigmentation function,which might provide a novel rational strategy for hypopigmentation treatment in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

A Bioequivalence Study of Empagliflozin/Metformin Fixed-Dose Combination in Healthy Subjects under Fasting Conditions

Background: This study evaluated the bioequivalence of empagliflozin 12.5 mg/metformin 1000 mg tablets compared to Synjardy® (Empagliflozin 12.5 mg/metformin 1000 mg) tablets in healthy male subjects under fasting conditions. Methods: This was a phase I, randomized, single-dose, two-period, two-sequence, crossover study to evaluate the bioequivalence (BE) profiles of two fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of empagliflozin/metformin. Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ from test and reference formulations were evaluated to access BE. The plasma concentrations were measured using a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Of the 24 subjects enrolled, 23 completed both periods of the study. The two formulations test and reference were considered bioequivalent if 90% confidence interval (CI) fell within 80.00% - 125.00% for Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞. Tolerability and safety were assessed throughout the study. Results: The pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were similar between the test product (T) and reference product (R) Synjardy®. The 90% CI of the test/reference ratios of log-transformed PK parameters point estimates was Cmax: 89.87% (85.68% - 94.27%), AUC0-t: 87.91% (83.65% - 92.39%) and AUC0-∞: 87.16% (82.80% - 91.75%) to empagliflozin and Cmax: 92.19% (87.95% - 96.65%), AUC0-t: 91.38% (84.42% - 98.91%) and AUC0-∞: 93.78% (83.82% - 104.93%) to metformin respectively (90% CI for all PK parameters fell within 80.00% - 125.00%). Conclusion: Our results demonstrated BE between the test and reference formulations of oral tablets of empagliflozin 12.5 mg/metformin 1000 mg (FDC) in healthy male subjects under fasting conditions.

LociScan,a tool for screening genetic marker combinations for plant variety discrimination

To reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of plant genetic marker fingerprinting for variety discrimination,it is desirable to identify the optimal marker combinations.We describe a marker combination screening model based on the genetic algorithm(GA)and implemented in a software tool,Loci Scan.Ratio-based variety discrimination power provided the largest optimization space among multiple fitness functions.Among GA parameters,an increase in population size and generation number enlarged optimization depth but also calculation workload.Exhaustive algorithm afforded the same optimization depth as GA but vastly increased calculation time.In comparison with two other software tools,Loci Scan accommodated missing data,reduced calculation time,and offered more fitness functions.In large datasets,the sample size of training data exerted the strongest influence on calculation time,whereas the marker size of training data showed no effect,and target marker number had limited effect on analysis speed.

A Clinical Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Oral Combination Kit Therapy in Syndromic Management of Abnormal Vaginal Discharge (FEMINE Study) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Background: Vaginal discharge is one of most common and nagging problems that women face. About 20% - 25% of women who visit gynecology department complain of vaginal discharge and leucorrhoea. An orally administered combination kit, containing 2 g secnidazole, 1 g azithromycin and 150 mg fluconazole (Azimyn FS Kit), has been successfully evaluated in clinical trials and used in several countries for management syndromic vaginal discharge due to infections. Methods: This is a longitudinal study which aimed to verify the clinical efficacy of the combined oral kit containing secnidazole, azithromycin and fluconazole (Azimyn FS Kit®) in the syndromic treatment of abnormal vaginal discharge in patients received in outpatient consultations in Kinshasa/DR Congo from March to September 2023. Results: Majority of patients had whitish vaginal discharge (51.6%) of average abundance (56.2%), accompanied by pruritus in 72.1% of cases, and dyspareunia in 23.5% of cases and hypogastralgia in 40.2% of cases. One week after treatment with the Azimyn FS® combined kit, at the greatest majority of patients (97.3%), abnormal vaginal discharge had decreased by more than 50% (84.1%). Two weeks after treatment with the Azimyn FS® combined kit, almost all patients (97.3%) no longer had abnormal vaginal discharge which had completely disappeared. Conclusion: A single dose of secnidazole, azithromycin and fluconazole in the form of an oral combi-kit (Azimyn FS Kit) has shown excellent therapeutic effectiveness in the syndromic treatment of abnormal vaginal discharge wherein patients were treated without diagnostic confirmation.

Orthogonal matrix of polarization combinations:concept and application to multichannel holographic recording

Orthogonal matrices have become a vital means for coding and signal processing owing to their unique distributional properties.Although orthogonal matrices based on amplitude or phase combinations have been extensively explored,the orthogonal matrix of polarization combinations(OMPC)is a novel,relatively unexplored concept.Herein,we propose a method for constructing OMPCs of any dimension encompassing 4n(where n is 1,2,4,8,…)mutually orthogonal 2ncomponent polarization combinations.In the field of holography,the integration of polarization multiplexing techniques with polarization-sensitive materials is expected to emerge as a groundbreaking approach for multichannel hologram multiplexing,offering considerable enhancements in data storage capacity and security.A multidimensional OMPC enables the realization of multichannel multiplexing and dynamical modulation of information in polarization holographic recording.Despite consolidating all information into a single position within the material,we effectively avoided extraneous crosstalk during the reconstruction process.Our results show that achieving four distinct holographic images individually and simultaneously depends on the polarization combination represented by the incident wave.This discovery opens up a new avenue for achieving highly holographic information storage and dynamically displayed information,harnessing the potential of OMPC to expand the heretofore limited dimensionality of orthogonal polarization.

Heterogeneous information phase space reconstruction and stability prediction of filling body–surrounding rock combination

Traditional research believes that the filling body can effectively control stress concentration while ignoring the problems of unknown stability and the complex and changeable stress distribution of the filling body–surrounding rock combination under high-stress conditions.Current monitoring data processing methods cannot fully consider the complexity of monitoring objects,the diversity of monitoring methods,and the dynamics of monitoring data.To solve this problem,this paper proposes a phase space reconstruction and stability prediction method to process heterogeneous information of backfill–surrounding rock combinations.The three-dimensional monitoring system of a large-area filling body–surrounding rock combination in Longshou Mine was constructed by using drilling stress,multipoint displacement meter,and inclinometer.Varied information,such as the stress and displacement of the filling body–surrounding rock combination,was continuously obtained.Combined with the average mutual information method and the false nearest neighbor point method,the phase space of the heterogeneous information of the filling body–surrounding rock combination was then constructed.In this paper,the distance between the phase point and its nearest point was used as the index evaluation distance to evaluate the stability of the filling body–surrounding rock combination.The evaluated distances(ED)revealed a high sensitivity to the stability of the filling body–surrounding rock combination.The new method was then applied to calculate the time series of historically ED for 12 measuring points located at Longshou Mine.The moments of mutation in these time series were at least 3 months ahead of the roadway return dates.In the ED prediction experiments,the autoregressive integrated moving average model showed a higher prediction accuracy than the deep learning models(long short-term memory and Transformer).Furthermore,the root-mean-square error distribution of the prediction results peaked at 0.26,thus outperforming the no-prediction method in 70%of the cases.

A Study on the Effects of Different Interaction Combinations and Language Levels on Continuous Writing in Online Environments

This study was conducted with non-English sophomore students,aiming to explore the effects of different interaction combinations and language levels on continuous writing in an online environment,and compare the differences in lexical alignments and composition quality of learners with different interaction combinations and language levels in the same continuous writing task through experiments.The results show that the mean values of the word-phrase alignment of the paired group were higher than those of the individual group in different interaction combinations,and the two groups showed significant differences;in terms of composition quality,the individual group was better than the paired group,but there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of task continuation.Secondly,the word-phrase alignment and composition scores of the different language-level groups were higher than those of the same language-level groups,and there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of word-phrase alignments,but not in terms of composition scores.The results of this study can be useful and informative for second language teachers in future continuous teaching in online environments.

The Research on the Logic and Value of“Two Combinations”

Through the comprehensive analysis of the connotation and logic,inheritance and innovation and the value of social governance,and the dialectical relationship of“two combination”,the inheritance of the idea of Marxism,the inheritance of excellent traditional culture and the governance of contemporary society.

Back to the drawing board:Overview of the next generation of combination therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is entering a potentially new era of combined therapeutics.Triantafillidis et al provide an insightful review of the current state of combination therapy,with a focus on the use of a combined biologic and immunomodulator,as well as emerging data on the future potential of dual-biologic therapy(DBT).While current evidence for DBT is limited,encouraging safety profiles and ongoing trials suggest a brighter future for this approach.The importance of controlled trials should be stressed in establishing new treatment paradigms.Ongoing prospective randomized trials of DBT and perhaps future combinations of biologics and small molecule therapies will hopefully guide the next generation of IBD care.

Erlotinib combination with a mitochondria-targeted ubiquinone effectively suppresses pancreatic cancer cell survival

BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths.Increased activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)is often observed in pancreatic cancer,and the small molecule EGFR inhibitor erlotinib has been approved for pancreatic cancer therapy by the food and drug administration.Nevertheless,erlotinib alone is ineffective and should be combined with other drugs to improve therapeutic outcomes.We previously showed that certain receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors can increase mitochondrial membrane potential(Δψm),facilitate tumor cell uptake ofΔψm-sensitive agents,disrupt mitochondrial homeostasis,and subsequently trigger tumor cell death.Erlotinib has not been tested for this effect.AIM To determine whether erlotinib can elevateΔψm and increase tumor cell uptake ofΔψm-sensitive agents,subsequently triggering tumor cell death.METHODSΔψm-sensitive fluorescent dye was used to determine how erlotinib affectsΔψm in pancreatic adenocarcinoma(PDAC)cell lines.The viability of conventional and patient-derived primary PDAC cell lines in 2D-and 3D cultures was measured after treating cells sequentially with erlotinib and mitochondria-targeted ubiquinone(MitoQ),aΔψm-sensitive MitoQ.The synergy between erlotinib and MitoQ was then analyzed using SynergyFinder 2.0.The preclinical efficacy of the twodrug combination was determined using immune-compromised nude mice bearing PDAC cell line xenografts.RESULTS Erlotinib elevatedΔψm in PDAC cells,facilitating tumor cell uptake and mitochondrial enrichment ofΔψm-sensitive agents.MitoQ triggered caspase-dependent apoptosis in PDAC cells in culture if used at high doses,while erlotinib pretreatment potentiated low doses of MitoQ.SynergyFinder suggested that these drugs synergistically induced tumor cell lethality.Consistent with in vitro data,erlotinib and MitoQ combination suppressed human PDAC cell line xenografts in mice more effectively than single treatments of each agent.CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that a combination of erlotinib and MitoQ has the potential to suppress pancreatic tumor cell viability effectively.

Advances in extracellular vesicle-based combination therapies for spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury is a severe insult to the central nervous system that causes persisting neurological deficits.The currently available treatments involve surgical,medical,and rehabilitative strategies.However,none of these techniques can markedly reverse neurological deficits.Recently,extracellular vesicles from various cell sources have been applied to different models of spinal cord injury,thereby generating new cell-free therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury.However,the use of extracellular vesicles alone is still associated with some notable shortcomings,such as their uncertainty in targeting damaged spinal cord tissues and inability to provide structural support to damaged axons.Therefore,this paper reviews the latest combined strategies for the use of extracellular vesicle-based technology for spinal cord injury,including the combination of extracellular vesicles with nanoparticles,exogenous drugs and/or biological scaffold materials,which facilitate the targeting ability of extracellular vesicles and the combinatorial effects with extracellular vesicles.We also highlight issues relating to the clinical transformation of these extracellular vesicle-based combination strategies for the treatment of spinal cord injury.

Adaptive H_(∞)Filtering Algorithm for Train Positioning Based on Prior Combination Constraints

To solve the problem of data fusion for prior information such as track information and train status in train positioning,an adaptive H∞filtering algorithm with combination constraint is proposed,which fuses prior information with other sensor information in the form of constraints.Firstly,the train precise track constraint method of the train is proposed,and the plane position constraint and train motion state constraints are analysed.A model for combining prior information with constraints is established.Then an adaptive H∞filter with combination constraints is derived based on the adaptive adjustment method of the robustness factor.Finally,the positioning effect of the proposed algorithm is simulated and analysed under the conditions of a straight track and a curved track.The results show that the positioning accuracy of the algorithm with constrained filtering is significantly better than that of the algorithm without constrained filtering and that the algorithm with constrained filtering can achieve better performance when combined with track and condition information,which can significantly reduce the train positioning error.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified.

Evaluation of soil erosion vulnerability in Hubei Province of China using RUSLE model and combination weighting method

Soil erosion has been recognized as a critical environmental issue worldwide.While previous studies have primarily focused on watershed-scale soil erosion vulnerability from a natural factor perspective,there is a notable gap in understanding the intricate interplay between natural and socio-economic factors,especially in the context of spatial heterogeneity and nonlinear impacts of human-land interactions.To address this,our study evaluates the soil erosion vulnerability at a provincial scale,taking Hubei Province as a case study to explore the combined effects of natural and socio-economic factors.We developed an evaluation index system based on 15 indicators of soil erosion vulnerability:exposure,sensitivity,and adaptability.In addition,the combination weighting method was applied to determine index weights,and the spatial interaction was analyzed using spatial autocorrelation,geographical temporally weighted regression and geographical detector.The results showed an overall decreasing soil erosion intensity in Hubei Province during 2000 and 2020.The soil erosion vulnerability increased before 2000 and then.The areas with high soil erosion vulnerability were mainly confined in the central and southern regions of Hubei Province(Xiantao,Tianmen,Qianjiang and Ezhou)with obvious spatial aggregation that intensified over time.Natural factors(habitat quality index)had negative impacts on soil erosion vulnerability,whereas socio-economic factors(population density)showed substantial spatial variability in their influences.There was a positive correlation between soil erosion vulnerability and erosion intensity,with the correlation coefficients ranging from-0.41 and 0.93.The increase of slope was found to enhance the positive correlation between soil erosion vulnerability and intensity.

Pathogenicity Analysis on Magnaporthe oryzae from Hybrid Combination Wuyou 308

Eighteen blast isolates were obtained from hybrid combination Wuyou308 using the Magnaporthe oryzae pathogen isolation method.Race identification of these isolates was conducted based on seven Chinese blast differentials and 11 blast monogenic lines.The results indicated that the isolates were identified as the races of ZB13,ZB15 and ZC13,accounting for 66.67%,27.78%,5.56%,respectively,and the resistance genes including Pi-ta2 and Pi-sh,Pi-i were highly susceptible to these isolates,while the resistance genes like Pi-kh,Pi-1,Pi2,Pi-9 and Pi-50 showed good resistance to tested pathogens.All isolates were compatible to the original rice hybrid Wuyou308.Three isolates including GDHY-308-1401 were used for testing their pathogenicity to 45 local varieties.The results demonstrated that 13 varieties appeared highly susceptible to the tested isolates,accounting for 28.89%;two varieties appeared moderately susceptible to the tested isolates,accounting for 4.44%;30 varieties showed moderately/highly resistance,accounting for 66.67%.Among them,some of new hybrid combinations such as Wufengyou 9802,Wuyou 613,Wuyou 1179 showed good resistance to the inoculated strains,and they were recommended to be candidates in the rice region where Wuyou308 showed susceptibility.

Effect of Main Cultivation Factors on Quality Combination Parameters of High-quality Brassica napus Hybrids

[Objective] This study aimed to analyze the influence of five cultivation factors including sowing date, plant density, nitrogen fertilizer amount, phosphate fertilizer amount and potash fertilizer amount on the quality parameters of Brassica napus hybrid＆ [Method] Statistical analysis on the data from previous studies and our work was carried out [Result] The contents of erucic acid, thioglycoside, oil, oleic acid and linoleic acid were negatively correlated with the sowing date, while the contents of seed protein, palmitic acid, stearic acid and linolenic acid were positively correlated with the sowing date. The total amount of fat and protein, the ratio of unsaturated fatty acid （UFA） to saturated fatty acid （SFA）, the fatty acid （FA） of erucic acid chain, the total amount of oleic acid and linoleic acid were negatively correlated with the sowing date; the UFA content, the unsatu- ration index, the SFA content, the 18-C FA content, and the ratio of UFA to FA in erucic acid chain were positively correlated with the sowing date. The contents of erucic acid, thioglycoside, seed protein, oleic acid, linolenic acid and eicosenoic acid were negatively correlated with the plant density, while the contents of oil, palmitic acid, stearic acid and linoleic acid were positively correlated with the plant density. The total amount of fat and protein （F ＆ P）, and the ratio of UFA to FA in erucic acid chain were negatively correlated with the plant density, while the UFA content, the unsaturation index, the SFA content, the ratio of UFA to SFA, the 18-C FA content, the FA in erucic acid chain, and the total amount of oleic acid and linoleic acid were positively correlated with the plant density. The contents of erucic acid, thioglycoside, oil, protein in milled rapeseed, palmitic acid and eicosenoic acid were negatively correlated with the nitrogen fertilizer amount, while the contents of seed protein, oleic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid were posi- tively correlated with the nitrogen fertilizer amount; the total F ＆ P, the unsaturation index and the ratio of UFA to FA in erucic acid chain were positively correlated with the nitrogen fertilizer amount, while the UFA content, the SFA content, the FA in erucic acid chain, the total amount of oleic acid and linoleic acid, the ratio of UFA to SFA, and the 18-C FA content were negatively correlated with the nitrogen fertilizer amount The contents of erucic acid, thioglycoside, seed protein, linoleic acid and linolenic acid were negatively correlated with the potash fertilizer amount, while contents of oil, oleic acid, stearic acid and eicosenoic acid were positively correlated with the potash fertilizer amount; the total F ＆ P, the unsaturation index, the SFA, and the ratio of UFA to FA in erucic acid chain were negatively correlated with the potash fertilizer amount There were negative correlations between the contents of erucic acid, thioglycoside, seed protein, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid and phosphate fertilizer amount; positive correlations between the contents of oil, oleic acid, eicosenoic acid and phosphate fertilizer amount The total UFA, the unsaturation index, the 1843 FA, the SFA, the FA in erucic acid chain, and the ratio of UFA to FA in erucic acid chain were negatively correlated with the phosphate fertilizer amount [Conclusion] This study identified the correlations of the five cultivation factors with the quality parameters of high-quality Brassica napus hybrids, to provide theoretical basis for its cultivation.

Extrusion force analysis of aluminum pipe fabricated by CASTEX using expansion combination die

To determine the extrusion force of pipe fabricated by continuous casting and extrusion (CASTEX) using an expansion combination die, the metallic expansion combination die was divided into diversion zone, expansion zone, flow dividing zone, welding chamber, and sizing zone, and the corresponding stress formulae in various zones were established using the slab method. The deformation zones of CASTEX groove were divided into liquid and semisolid zone, solid primary gripping zone, and solid gripping zone, and the formulae of pipe extrusion forces were established. Experiments were carried out on the self-designed CASTEX machine to obtain the aluminum pipe and measure its extrusion force using the expansion combination die. The experimental results of radial extrusion force for aluminum pipe are in good agreement with the calculated ones.

TWO NEW SPECIES AND ONE NEW COMBINATION OF THE CONIFER SAWFLY FAMILY DIPRIONIDAE (HYMENOPTERA: SYMPHYTA) FROM YUNNAN, CHINA

In this paper two new species of Diprionidae were described from Yunnan Province, China, Gilpinia hebedentata, sp. n. and Macrodiprion wui, sp. n. Another species recorded in Yunnan, Gilpinia disa Smith, was transferred from Gilpinia Benson to Microdiprion Enslin. Macrodiprion Enslin is a newly recorded genus in China.

Measurement and Study of Tyrosinase Activity in Potato

[Objective] The paper was to study the activity of tyrosinase,so as to provide reference for preventing browning of potatoes as well as fruits and vegetables containing tyrosinase.[Method] With potato as raw material and Na2HPO4-HCl in buffer solution（pH=7.2）as system,spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorbance of potato extract at 480nm,the curve was established,and the activity of tyrosinase was obtained.[Result] The changes of data were little under the above conditions,and the stability of tyrosinase activity was high.[Conclusion] Using spectrophotometry to determine the tyrosinase activity in potato is simple with high accuracy.

Control Effects of Bacillus subtilis DJ-6 and Pyraclostrobin Alone and in Combination Against Fusarium oxysporum

[Objective] This study was conducted to screen a synergistic biological fungicide complex to control Fusarium wilt, reducing the use of chemical pesticides. [Method] The inhibitory effects of Bacil us subtilis DJ-6 and pyraclostrobin alone or in combination at five ratios against Fusarium oxysporum were detected by mea-suring mycelium growth rate in laboratory tests. The growth promotion and disease control effect of combined or single use of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2 ×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP at 1∶1 000, 1∶2 000 and 1∶3 000 dilutions were detected in field trials. [Result] The EC50 values of combined use of B. subtilis DJ-6 and pyra-clostrobin at ratios of 1∶1, 1∶2, 1∶3, 1∶4 and 1∶5 against F. oxysporum were 5.311 5, 4.008 6, 3.570 6, 3.350 9 and 3.218 9 μg/ml, with the synergistic ratios （SR） of 2.28, 1.77, 1.53, 1.64, 1.11, among which the synergetic effect at 1∶1 was the best. The fungicidal activity of pyraclostrobin was greater than that of B. subtilis DJ-6 in laboratory tests. Field trials revealed that al the 1∶1 000, 1∶2 000 and 1∶3 000 dilu-tions of 20% pyraclostrobin·2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP in combination, 1∶1 000 dilution of 1 ×1012 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP and 1∶2 000 dilution of 250 g/L pyra-clostrobin EC promoted the growth of strawberry by increasing plant height, leaf petiole, leaf blade area and stem diameter. Among them, the treatments with 1∶1 000 and 1∶2 000 of 20% pyraclostrobin · 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP in combina-tion had better effects than other treatments. The control effects of al the treat-ments were measured 30 and 80 d after fungicide application. The control effects of 1∶1 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combina-tion were up to 100% and 93.11%, which were higher than those in al other treat-ments. The second highest control effects were found in the treatment with 1∶ 2 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combination, they were 92.49% and 86.49%, higher than those in other treatments except the 1∶1 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2 ×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combination. The control effects of 1∶3 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combination were 82.61% and 72.42%, higher than those in treatment with 1∶1 000 dilution of 1×1012 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP, but lower than those in treat-ment with 1∶2 000 dilution of 25% pyraclostrobin EC. [Conclusion] Al the results re-vealed that the combination use of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2 ×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP at 1∶1 000 to 1∶2 000 dilution had better control effect against strawberry Fusarium wilt.

On units combination and commitment optimization for electric power production

Electric power system is one of the most important and complex engineering in modern society, supplying main and general power for social production and social life. Meanwhile, since it is a productive system with both high input and output, it has an obvious economic significance to improve its operating efficiency. For an example, an unit is 10 GW scale, if its standard coal consumption can be decreased with 1 g/kW·h, it can save about 5 000 tons standard coal per year. It will be discussed mainly that how to establish optimization model and its numerical algorithm for operating management of the electric power system. The idea on establishing optimization model is how to dispatch work state of units or power plants, so that total cost of fuel consumption for generation is reduced to the minimum. Here the dispatch is to decide which unit or plant to operate, which unit or plant to stop running, how much power should be generated for those operating units or plants at each given time interval.