To date, Cartesian (x, y, z) coordinate system (CCS) has been the default approach to geometrically specify atomic spatial positions in protein structures since the launch of Protein Data Bank (PDB) in 1971. To this end, this paper proposes a local spherical coordinate system (SCS) approach as an alternative to the default approach and a previously reported global SCS approach. The local SCS approach here requires only two parameters (θ and φ), instead of x, y and z as required by the default CCS approach. Essentially, CCS and SCS are like the two sides of one coin, i.e., geometric coordinate system for three-dimensional position specification. Therefore, this paper furthermore argues that it is time to flip the coin over, and have a look at the other side of the coin, e.g., the local SCS approach, which possesses an intrinsically lower degree of descriptional complexity than that of the default CCS approach, and constitutes a potentially useful alternative perspective for all protein structural research field.

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) micro and nano architectures have been intensively studied in the past years because of many varied applications in environmental, energy conversion, and storage fields, such as heterogeneous catalysis, dye-sensitized solar cells, lithium/sodium ion batteries, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, and bio-nanotechnology, etc. Especially the surface and interface structures in the TiO₂ structures play important roles in those applications. This mini review article focuses on TiO₂ micro and nano architectures with the prevalent crystal structures (anatase, rutile, brookite, and TiO₂(B)), and summarizes major advances in the surface and interface engineering and applications in environmental and electrochemical applications. We present the principles and growth mechanisms of TiO₂ nanostructures via different strategies, with an emphasis on rational control of the surface and interface structures. We further discuss the applications of TiO₂ micro and nano architectures in photocatalysis, lithium/sodium ion batteries, and Li-S batteries. Throughout the discussion, the relationship between the device performance and the surface structures of TiO₂ micro/nano structures will be highlighted. Then we discuss the phase transitions of TiO₂ nanostructures and possible strategies of improving the phase stability. The review concludes with a perspective on the current challenges and future research directions.

: Soil free living nematodes community composition was compared for five agro-management systems in a basaltic soil. The sites differed in their long-term management system and were designated as organic farming (OM), conventional (MI), natural pasture (NP), foliage farming (FF) and open field (OF). The effect of five diverse land use types in vineyard growth in basaltic soils on soil free living nematodes, density, diversity, and functionality in the plant rhizosphere was examined. We found 22 families, 42 genera of which only 14 genera were present in all soil samples, three bacteria feeders, 4 fungi feeders, 3 omnivores-predators and 4 plant parasites, in the soil collected from the five sampling sites. The organic and conventional managements were found to influence soil free living nematode community and its trophic composition. The higher abundance of bacteria feeders included the Cephalobidae and Panagrolaimidae families. The fungi feeders included the Anguinidae and Aphelenchidae families. Ominvores-predators included the Aprocelaimidae and Qudsianematidae, and the plant parasites included the Anguinidae (genus Anguina), Nothotylenchidae and Tylenchidae families. The changes in plant parasite nematodes were one of the main pests in the below-ground rhizosphere biome. Promoting the bacterial community could be a beneficial and promising way for a considerable increase in organic management.

Reactions of Co(OAc)24H2O, N‚N'-bis(3-pyridylmethyl)oxalamide (L) and 4,4’-sulfonyldibenzoic acid (H2SDA) afforded four coordination polymers with the same mixed ligands, {[Co(L)(SDA)(H2O)2]·H2O·CH3OH}n, 1, {[Co(L)0.5(SDA)]·2H2O·0.5L}n, 2, {[Co(L)1.5(SDA)(H2O)]·H2O}n, 3, and {[Co2(L)1.5(SDA)2(H2O)2]·4H2O}n, 4, which have been structurally characterized by using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 – 4 are 2D layers, revealing the topologies of sql, 2,6L1, (4,4)Ia and 6L12, respectively, and demonstrating that the metal to ligand ratio, solvent system and reaction temperature are important in determining the structural diversity. Immersion of these complexes into various solvents show that the structural types govern the chemical stabilities of 1 – 4. Reversible structural transformation can be shown for complexes 1 and 2 upon solvent removal and adsorption, while those of 3 and 4 are irreversible.

The increasing demand for transporting people and goods, rail system is needed for enhancement. An architectural design of train station can significantly impact investment from any government. However, a proper guideline for designing the train station in tropical climate is not publicized. This review examine railway station design through an analysis of student design theses in Thailand, from 1983 to 2022. Furthermore, the building analyses on architectural design theory were done in terms of service area, form, entrance structure, roof structure, style, and design development. The analysis reveals curved and gable roofs are most frequent, followed by 3D curved roofs. HSR stations' main entrances are designed to represent local culture and save walking distance. Curved and gabled porticos provide the most extravagant main entryway, a feeling of grandeur and beauty. A public building's overlapping portico or curving gabled portico lends majesty and refinement to its façade. Architects and designers strive to make buildings more attractive and practical. Besides, university-designed stations prioritize conceptual design and functional space over cost. Finally, railway station design should prioritize transparency, connectivity, movement, and cost- and time-efficiency. Research gaps are identified, such as designing user-friendly for thermal comfort and design-for-all the railway station in tropical climate, are critical for future evaluation.

The aim of the study is to identify structural characteristics of melanocytic nevi. In this context using microscope, could be possible a good describtion related melanocytic nevi, reffering to youth pacients.Good to mention that in a human individual life, play a significant role, genetic, epigenetic, microbiomic, and proteomic factors together with others. Future directions refers to preventive and prophylactic methods.

The development of solid-state forms of drugs is an effective mean of solubility enhancement. In this study, two polymorphs named form C, form D, and two co-crystals of sorafenib (SF) with oxalic acid (SF-OA) and malonic acid (SF-MA), by evaporation and slurry method, have been developed and characterized. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction results showed that the structure of form C was similar to of form I. It had similar cellular parameters, but different arrangement of stacking due to π-π conjugation. The drug molecules in SF-OA underwent torsional folding through four hydrogen bonds of intermolecular and intramolecular. The solubility performance of solid-state forms improved significantly. Compared with form I, form C and form D were 1.59, 1.49 times at pH 1.2 HCl, 1.59, 1.87 fold at pH 6.8 PBS. In particular, the SF-OA and SF-MA increased the apparent solubility of SF at pH 1.2 by 8.3 and 6.4 times, at pH 6.8 by 4.0 and 4.5 times respectively. The dissolution mechanisms were analyzed. New solid-state forms showed strong stability at storage conditions of 40 °C/75% RH and 60 °C/0% RH. Notably, the crystal of SF preferred to transform in mixed solvents, and the formation of co-crystals confirmed the ∆pKa rule.

Polymer hydrogels are 3D networks consisting of hydrophilic crosslinked macromolecular chains, able to swell and retain water. Since their invention in the 1960s, they have become an outstanding pillar in the design, development, and application of engineered polymer systems suitable for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications (such as drug or cell delivery, regeneration of hard and soft tissues, wound healing, and bleeding prevention, among others). Despite several well-established synthetic routes of polymer hydrogels based on batch polymerization techniques, about fifteen years ago academia started to look for alternative methods involving simpler reaction paths, shorter reaction times, and lower energy consumption. In this context, frontal polymerization (FP) undoubtedly has become an alternative and efficient reaction model that allows for converting monomers into polymers via a localized and propagating reaction, by exploiting the formation and propagation of a “hot” polymerization front, able to self-sustain and propagate throughout the monomeric mixture. Therefore, the present work aims to summarize the main research outcomes, achieved during the last years, concerning the design, preparation, and application of FP-derived polymeric hydrogels, demonstrating the feasibility of this technique for the obtainment of functional 3D networks, and providing the reader with some perspectives for the forthcoming years.

Cotton (Gossypium L.) is a major source of natural fibre for the world's textile industry and is also an important oil plant. Cotton fibre is the main source of textiles, the seeds are used for oil and the rest of the bagasse is a high-protein animal feed. In addition, more than 50 industries use cotton's so-called short fibre. Breeding studies in cotton are generally based on crosses between the best genotypes in terms of yield and fibre quality. However, the narrow genetic diversity of cultivars has a negative impact on cotton breeding programmes. For this reason, the identification of genetic resources and the disclosure of genetic diversity are important. Herein, high-resolution capillary gel electrophoresis was used to determine the genetic diversity of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense genotypes. Using 19 EST-SSR markers, a total of 47 genotypes were screened. The PIC values of the markers used ranged from 0.268 to 0.889. The mean PIC value was calculated to be 0.603. Concerning the clustering, PCoA and population structure analyses gave similar results, and the genotypes could be divided into 3 main groups. Genetic admixture with G. hirsutum was found in some genotypes of G. barbadense species. We can conclude that i) the EST-SSR markers used in this study are effective in the determination of genetic diversity, ii) The genetic diversity should be increased through the collection of genetic resources iii) genic EST-SSR markers in this study should be considered in breeding programmes by using them in QTL studies.

A review is given of the experimental values of the magnetic hyperfine structure and the Bohr-Weisskopf effect in muonic atoms. The need for more measurements and systematic calculations is discussed in the light of distinguishing between different models of the Bohr-Weisskopf effect in nuclei.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential part of energy flow between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere, simultaneously involving the water, carbon, and energy cycles. It is mainly determined by climate change, land use, and land cover changes. Climate change is expected to intensify the hydrological cycle and alter ET. Land use affects ET within regional ecosystems mainly through vegetation changes and agricultural activities such as farmland reclamation, crop cultivation, and agricultural management. However, there is still a need for quantitative characterization of the impacts of climate change and human activities on ET and regional water resource efficiency in arid and semiarid regions. Based on Landsat-8 remote sensing imagery and land use data, the planting structure in the Liangzhou District of the middle reaches of the Shiyang River Basin was identified using a multiband and multitemporal approach in this study. Subsequently, the ET of major cash crops was inverted using the three-temperature model. This research quantitatively describes the responses of wheat and corn to the climate and human activities over a two-year period. Furthermore, the impact of planting structure and climatic factors on ET was elucidated. The results indicate that a combination of multitemporal green and shortwave infrared 1 bands is the optimal spectral combination to extract the planting structure. Compared to 2019, the wheat area decreased by 23.27% in 2020, while the corn area increased by 5.96%. Both crops exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity in ET during the growing season. The typical daily range of ET for wheat was 0.4–7.2 mm/day, and for corn, it was 1.5–4.0 mm/day. Among the climatic factors, temperature showed the highest correlation with ET (R = 0.80, p ≤ 0.05). Our research findings provide valuable insights for the fine identification of planting structures and a better understanding of the response of ET to climatic factors and human activities.

Mangrove ecosystems play an important role in local livelihoods in coastal regions of tropical and subtropical countries. However, in recent years urbanisation has changed the income structure of residents near mangroves. Different landscapes provide different job opportunities; thus, analysis of regional landscape patterns is important for understanding income structures. In this study, surveys on the income structure and landscape patterns of the surrounding areas of three mangrove sites were conducted in the Hau and Hoang Mai River estuaries in Nghe An Province, North-Central Vietnam. The results revealed that both natural and socio-economic landscape components affected income structure. The major occupations in the study area were agriculture, including husbandry, sea fishing, and trading. Land morphology and river type were the major factors influencing the income from agriculture, while coastline morphology primarily affected income from sea fishing. Community-based trading was carried out in the study area; thus, the population inside each administrative unit was a significant factor increasing income, while the retail market size in an area had significant negative effects, potentially due to the increasing number of competitors. Our study aimed to evaluate mangrove ecosystem importance for local livelihoods in relation to landscape patterns, and the results contribute to urban planning based on the conservation and sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems.

This paper describes some neural representations that may be helpful for realising intelligence in the human brain. The ideas come from the author's own cognitive model, where a number of algorithms have been developed over time. Through developing and trying to implement the architecture, ideas like separating the data from the function have become architecturally appropriate and there have been several opportunities to make the system more orthogonal. Similarly for the human brain, neural structures may work in-sync with the neural functions, or may be slightly separate from them. Each section discusses one of the neural assemblies with a potential functional result, that cover ideas such as timing or scheduling, inherent intelligence and neural binding. Another aspect of self-representation or expression is interesting and may help the brain to realise higher-level functionality based on these lower-level processes.

Highly transparent thin films with the chemical formula BaSrMgWO6 were deposited by spin coating using a solution of nitrates of Ba, Sr and Mg and ammonium paratungstate in dimethylformamide with a ratio Ba:Sr:Mg;W=1:1:1:1. XRD, SEM, EDX and XPS investigations evidenced that an annealing at 800 ºC for 1h leaves the structure amorphous with a precipitate on the surface and that a supplementary annealing at 850 ºC for 45 min forms a nanocrystalline structure and dissolves a part of precipitates. It was evidenced a textured double perovskite cubic structure (61.9%) decorated with tetragonal and cubic impurity phases (12.7 %) like BaO2, SrO2 and MgO and an under-stoichiometric phase (24.4%) with the chemical formula Ba2-(x+y) SrxMgyWO5. From transmittance measurements the values of optical band gap were estimated for the amorphous (Eg= 5.15) and nanocrystalline (Eg=4.58 eV) phases. The presence of a lattice disorder was indicated by the high values of Urbach and weak absorption tail energies A decrease in their values was observed and attributed to the crystallization process and cation redistribution.

The reaction of [Co2(CO)8] with an equimolar amount of P(OPh)3] in toluene solution yields in situ generated [Co2(CO)7{P(OPh)3}] 1. Subsequent heating of 1 provides in a condensation reaction an alternative synthetic access to the tetranuclear cluster [{Co4(μ2-CO)3(CO)8{P(OPh)3}] 2. Compound 2 has been characterized by IR and 31P NMR spectroscopy, the tetranuclear cluster framework has be ascertained by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study performed at 100 K.

The threat of fine particulate matter concentration (PM2.5) is increasing globally, Tackling this issue requires an accurate understanding of its trends and drivers. The article investigates the PM2.5 characteristics of 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2000-2018 based on multiscale geographically weighted regression(MGWR), and the results show that（1）previous studies based on classical MGWR models may be somewhat unstable, while MGWR can reflect the scale of influence of different variables on the dependent variable, and its regression results are more reliable.（2）PM2.5 is very sensitive to carbon emission(CE) factors, and there is a high degree of spatial heterogeneity, and the influence scale of location is the smallest among all variables, close to the municipal scale.（3）In 2000, the constant term all, IS, OFT, CE, and LT positively affect PM2.5, while GDP (jurisdiction) and UR negatively affect PM2.5; in 2010, the constant term all, GDP (jurisdiction), IS, OFT and LT positively affect PM2.5, while UR and CE negatively affect PM2.5; in 2018 the constant term all, IS, OFT and CE factors positively affect PM2.5, and GDP (jurisdiction), UR and LT negatively affect PM2.5.

Sterile alpha motif domain-containing protein 9 (SAMD9) is a regulatory protein centrally involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Mapped to 7p21.1, variants in SAMD9 have been reported in <50 pediatric cases worldwide, typically with early lethality. Germline gain-of-function SAMD9 variants are associated with MIRAGE Syndrome (myelodysplasia, infection, restricted growth, adrenal hypoplasia, genital anomalies, and enteropathy). Spalt like transcription factor 1 (SALL1) is a zinc finger transcriptional repressor located at 16q12.1 where only two transcript variants in SALL1 are known. RUNX2 (6p21.1) encodes a nuclear protein with a Runt DNA-binding domain critical for osteoblastic differentiation, skeletal morphogenesis, and serves as a scaffold for nucleic acids and regulatory factors involved in skeletal gene expression. RUNX2 and SALL1 are thus both ‘master regulators’ of tissue organization and embryo development. Here, we describe exome sequencing and copy number variants in two previously unknown mutations—R824Q in SAMD9, and Q253H in SALL1. A new multiexon 3’ terminal duplication in RUNX2 is also reported. This is the first known phenotype characterization for the intersection of all three variants in a healthy 46,XX adult. Focusing on developmental progress, ultrastructural renal anatomy, and selected reproductive aspects, we describe this unique genotype diagnosed incidentally during Covid-19 illness. Individual disruption in SAMD9, RUNX2, or SALL1 would be expected to give a bleak prognosis. However, the convergence discovered here appears to dampen severe pathology, perhaps by cross-gene silencing of effects normally deleterious when such changes occur alone.

This paper is the first of a series of papers which aims to address Islamist violent radicalization from different angles: the nature of violent radicalization in the context of Spain, a comparison between European, North American and Indian violent radicalization, the need to refine territorial radicalization indexes within the context of preventing violent radicalization and the relation between Islamist violent radicalization and other forms of violent radicalization in Europe. This set of articles builds upon the general theoretical framework set by the author on two previous works (García, 2018; 2019). These works are framed under the known conception of three layers of micro, meso and macro factors contributing to violent radicalization processes (McCauley, Moskalenko, 2017). The paper starts by defining Islamist violent radicalization, then it explores different theoretical explanations and finally proposes an explanatory hypothesis that is tested against, on the one hand, data proceeding from different institutional sources in Spain and, on the other, some initial conversations which will become life stories and a in depth interviews to Spanish security officials and people who whether radicalized and regretted or lived very close to others that did it.

Tree biomass and diversity relationship in mixed forest impacts on forest ecosystem services provisions. Tree biomass yield is driven by several aspects such as species identity, site condition, stand density, tree age as well as tree diversity expressed as species mingling and structural diversity. By comparing diverse degrees of tree mixture in natural forests we can insight on the ecosystem services provision level and dynamic. Two monitoring sites in the Castilian Northern Plateau (Spain) have been analyzed to disentangle the relationships between biodiversity levels and tree biomass yield. Two permanent one ha squared plots were established at Llano de San Marugan and Valdepoza. In each plot all individual trees were measured (diameter and height), georeferenced and its species identity defined. Tree species in the two sites were Pinus sylvestris, Pinus nigra, Pinus pinea, Quercus pyrenaica, Quercus ilex, Quercus faginea and Juniperus thurifera. From these datasets ten diversity indices that fall in three categories (species richness indices, species compositional/mingling indices and vertical structural indices) were used as predictor variables to fit several candidate models. By merging the trees by site (without considering the species identity) selected models include individual tree basal area as explanatory variable combining by addition or interaction with diversity indices. When species are analyzed independently structural diversity impacts on biomass yield in combination (additive or multiplicative) with tree size is negative Pinus nigra and positive for the other species.

Surface temperature influences human health directly and alters the biodiversity and productivity of the environment. While previous research has identified that the composition of urban landscapes influences the physical properties of the environment such as surface temperature, a generalizable and flexible framework is needed that can be used to compare cities across time and space. This study employs the Structure of Urban Landscapes (STURLA) classification combined with remote sensing of New York City’s (NYC) surface temperature. These are then linked using machine learning and statistical modeling to identify how greenspace and the built environment influence urban surface temperature. It was observed that areas with urban units composed of largely the built environment hosted the hottest temperatures while those with vegetation and water were coolest. Likewise, this is reinforced by borough-level spatial differences in both urban structure and heat. Comparison of these relationships over the period between2008 and 2017 identified changes in surface temperature that are likely due to the changes in prevalence in water, lowrise buildings, and pavement across the city. This research reinforces how human alteration of the environment changes ecosystem function and offers units of analysis that can be used for research and urban planning.

A growing body of research aims at solving what is often referred to as the stimulus-percept problem in olfactory perception. Although computational efforts have made it possible to predict perceptual impressions from the physicochemical space of odors, studies with large psychophysical data sets from non-experts remain scarce. Following previous approaches, we developed a physicochemical odor space using 4,094 molecular descriptors of 1,389 odor molecules. For 20 of these odors, we examined associations with perceived pleasantness, intensity, odor quality and detection threshold, obtained from a dataset of 2,000 naïve participants. Our results show significant differences in perceptual ratings, and we were able to replicate previous findings on the association between perceptual ratings and the first dimensions of the physicochemical odor space. However, the present analyses also revealed striking interindividual variations in perceived pleasantness and intensity. Additionally, interactions between pleasantness, intensity, and olfactory and trigeminal qualitative dimensions were found. Our results support previous findings on the relation between structure and perception on the group level in our sample of non-expert raters. Nevertheless, human olfactory perception is no analytic process of molecule detection alone. Therefore, to gain an understanding of stimulus-percept relationship in the individual, future studies should shift towards a more holistic view that takes into account the influences of context, experience and other interpersonal characteristics.

The beautiful structures of single and multi-domain proteins are clearly ordered in some fashion but cannot be readily classified using group theory methods that are successfully used to describe periodic crystals. For this reason, protein structures are considered to be aperiodic, and may have evolved this way for functional purposes, especially in instances that require a combination of softness and rigidity within the same molecule. By analyzing the solved protein structures, we show that orientational symmetry is broken in the aperiodic arrangement of the secondary structural elements (SSEs), which we deduce by calculating the nematic order parameter, $P_2$. We find that the folded structures are nematic droplets with a broad distribution of $P_2$. We argue that non-zero values of $P_2$, leads to an arrangement of the SSEs that can resist mechanical forces, which is a requirement for allosteric proteins. Such proteins, which resist mechanical forces in some regions while being flexible in others, transmit signals from one region of the protein to another (action at a distance) in response to binding of ligands (oxygen, ATP or other small molecules).

This paper outlines our effort on optimizing Pulsed Magneto-Oscillation (PMO) design in order to improve the efficiency of ingot manufacturing under PMO. Our calculation and experiment provided optimized PMO coil design and special configuration. Our optimized PMO design offered us a device that enabled the operator to examine and operate the melt without losing the efficiency. In one of the designs, the equipment even refined the grain sizes. Our work also showed an optimized distance range between the coil and the melt surface that maximized the refinement effects.

The Rosetta software suite for macromolecular modeling, docking, and design is widely used in pharmaceutical, industrial, academic, non-profit, and government laboratories. Considering its broad modeling capabilities, Rosetta consistently ranks highly when compared to other leading methods created for highly specialized protein modeling and design tasks. Developed for over two decades by a global community of scientists at more than 60 institutions, Rosetta has undergone multiple refactorings, and now comprises over three million lines of code. Here we discuss the methods developed in the last five years, involving the latest protocols for structure prediction, protein–protein and protein–small molecule docking, protein structure and interface design, loop modeling, the incorporation of various types of experimental data, and modeling of peptides, antibodies and other proteins in the immune system, nucleic acids, non-standard amino acids, carbohydrates, and membrane proteins. We briefly discuss improvements to the energy function, user interfaces, and usability of the ­­software. Rosetta is available at www.rosettacommons.org.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-borne alphavirus of the family Togaviridae, has recently emerged in the Americas from lineages from two continents, Asia and Africa. Historically, CHIKV circulated as at least four lineages worldwide with both enzootic and epidemic transmission cycles. To understand the recent patterns of emergence and the current status of the CHIKV spread, updated analyses of the viral genetic data and metadata are needed. Here, we performed phylogenetic and comparative genomics screens of CHIKV genomes, taking advantage of the public availability of many recently sequenced isolates. Based on these new data and analyses, we derive a revised phylogeny from nucleotide sequences in coding regions. Using this phylogeny, we uncover the presence of several distinct lineages in Africa that were previously considered a single one. In parallel, we performed thermodynamic modeling of CHIKV untranslated regions (UTRs), which revealed evolutionarily conserved structured and unstructured RNA elements in the 3'UTR. We provide evidence for duplication events in recently emerged American isolates of the Asian CHIKV lineage and propose the existence of a flexible 3'UTR architecture among different CHIKV lineages.

(-)-Zeylenone is a promising cytotoxic agent，which is a natural product isolated from Uvaria grandiflora Roxb. Though substantial antitumor mechanism has been researched , little has focused on its enantiomer (+)-Zeylenone.This article will try to find a gram scale synthesis method of (+)-Zeylenone and explain the structure-activity relationship of this kind of compound. Total synthesis of (+)-zeylenone was completed in 13 steps with quinic acid as starting material in 8.8% overall yield. The highlight of the route was the control of the three carbon’s chirality by clever use of single step dihydroxylation under the direction of the key C-3 chirality. In addition, zeylenone derivatives were designed and synthesized and their antitumor activity were evaluated against three human cancer cell lines using the CCK8 assay. Structure-activity relationship suggested compounds with both two absolute configurations exhibited good activity. Besides, hydroxyls at C-1/2 position were crucial for the activity and esterification of C-1 hydroxyl with large groups made the activity disappeared. Hydroxyl at C-3 position was also important as proper ester substituent could increase the potency.

The way in which a perforated structure is formed has attracted much interest in the porous membrane research community. This novel structure gives materials an excellent antifouling property as well as a low operating pressure and other benefits. Unfortunately, the current membrane fabrication methods usually involve multi-step processes and the use of organic solvents or additives. Our study is the first to offer a way to prepare perforated membrane by using a physical foaming technique with CO₂ as the blowing agent. We selected thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as the base material because it is a biocompatible elastomer with excellent tensility, high abrasion resistance, and good elastic resilience. Various processing parameters, which included the saturation pressure, the foaming temperature, and the membrane thickness, were applied to adjust the TPU membrane’s perforated morphology. We proposed a possible formation mechanism of the perforated membrane. The as-prepared TPU membrane had good mechanical properties with a tensile strength of about 5 MPa and an elongation at break above 100%. Such mechanical properties make this novel membrane usable as a self-standing filter device. In addition, its straight-through channel structure can separate particles and meet different separation requirements.

Examining the soil microbiome structure has a great significance in exploring the mechanism behind plant growth changes due to maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max Merr.) crop rotation. This study explored the effects of soil microbial community structure after soybean and maize crop rotation by designing nine treatments combining three crop rotations (continuous cropping maize or soybean; and maize after soybean) with three fertility treatments (organic compound fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, or without fertilizer). Soil was sampled to 30 cm depth the second year at approximately the middle of the growing season, and was analyzed for physical, chemical, and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles. Bacteria was found to be the predominant component of soil microorganisms, which mainly contain the PLFAs i15:0, 16:1 ω 7c, 16:0, 10Me16:0, and 18:1 ω 7c. The concentration of soil gram-negative bacteria from the soybean and maize rotation was less than in soybean continuous cropping when organic fertilizer was applied to both. Crop rotation reduced the percentage of fungi in the soil, among which the effect of organic compound fertilizer application was significantly reduced 24%. The combined crop rotation with organic fertilizer can reduce maximum the percentage of fungi/bacteria. In addition, the content of soil aggregate and organic matter had great influence on gram-positive bacteria and actinomyces, and soil pH had a greater impact on other fungi.

There is tremendous interest, in the economic literature, for the determinants of firms’ capital structure decisions. A rich body of empirical works now exists that purports to identify firm- and country-level factors affecting firms’ financing patterns. In addition, more recently, a new stream of studies has emerged that investigates cross-regional variation in small firms’ capital structure. While small firms’ leverage does seem to vary across regions, at least in countries where significant regional differences in economic and financial development and in the quality of institutions exist, not much yet is known about variation in debt maturity, in debt in relation to equity, and between different types of small firms. The present paper aims to fill this gap through an empirical analysis of cross-regional variation in the capital structure of a sample of about 30,000 Italian small firms over a 13-year period, including the aftermath of the credit crunch that followed the 2007-8 global financial crisis. The findings confirm the view that small firms in underdeveloped regions are more financially constrained, but also amend some of the results shown in the literature, in particular by showing how small firms in Italy’s Southern regions have higher levels of equity and fixed assets than small firms in other regions.

Three new secoiridoid constituents Gonocarin A-C (1-3) and a new derivative Gonocarin A monoacetate (4), along with two known lignins pinoresinol (5) and paulownin (6) were isolated from the seed of Gonocaryum calleryanum (Baill.) Becc. The structures of the new metabolites were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, particularly mass spectroscopy and 2D NMR (1H–1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) spectroscopy. When mouse macrophages RAW264.7 were treated with compounds 1-6 together with LPS -stimulated, a concentration-dependent inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) productions were detected. The results confirmed that the Gonocaryum calleryanumrrg could be a potential anti-inflammatory agent.

Abies beshanzuensis, an extremely endangered species, attracts serious concerns on genetic diversity recovery and population protection. However, little genetic information was known about it till now. In this study, intra-/intergenomic ITS variation, secondary structure, and molecular phylogeny of A.beshanzuensis were determined by nrDNA-ITS marker, and results indicated that, ITS region featured rich polymorphism in ITS1 and highly conservative in 5.8S/ITS2 among intra-/inter-genome, implying rich genetic diversities and the occurrence of non-concerted evolution in ITS region. Predicated 5.8S structure possessed Helices-Loops with 3 motifs (M1/M2/M3) and 5 helices B4-B8, and ITS2 could form conservative Clover-like structure with 5 ribotypes, manifesting genetically structural generalities and individualities. Thirteen ITS pseudogenes were also identified from 76 samples (or clones). Molecular phylogeny revealed that, A.beshanzuensis shared genetically closer relationships with A.fanjingshanensis, A.chensiensis, A.yuanbaoshanensis among genus Abies. The available original data provided rich genetic information on ITS sequence, structure and molecular phylogeny of A.beshanzuensis, which not only updated the databases of ITS sequences as well as secondary structures essential for phylogenetic reference and DNA barcoding analyses, but also contributed to deep exploration of population diversities, origin and evolution as well theoretical direction for population recovery and protection of A.beshanzuensis.

In aqueous solution planar bis(1,2-dithiooxalato)nickelates(II), [Ni(dto)2]2- react with lanthanide ions (Ln3+) to form pentanuclear, hetero-bimetallic complexes of the general composition [{Ln(H2O)n}2{Ni(dto)2}3] · x H2O (n = 4 or 5; x = 9 - 12). Two complexes of this series, [{Pr(H2O)5}2{Ni(dto)2}3] · 11 H2O, Pr2Ni3 1 and [{Gd(H2O)5}2{Ni(dto)2}3] · 11 H2O, Gd2Ni3 2 were synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray structure analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, and IR spectroscopy. All Ln2Ni3 complexes crystallize as monoclinic crystals in the space group P21/c.

Rapid urbanization has changed the structure and function of natural ecosystems, especially the floodplain ecosystems in SE Asia. This paper describes the ecological structure of vegetation stands and the usefulness of satellite images to characterize a disturbed tropical urban forest located in the lower floodplain of the Chao Phraya River, Thailand. Nine representative plots were established in Bang Kachao peninsula in 4 tropical urban forest types: rehabilitation forest, home-garden agroforestry, mangrove and park. The correlation between NDVI and LAI obtained from satellite images and plant structure from field surveys were analyzed. The NDVI had the highest relationship with stand factors for the number of families, number of species, Shannon-Weiner’s diversity index and total basal area. The LAI had the highest correlation with total basal area, number of canopy layers, stand density and canopy density. Linear regression predicted the correlation between NDVI and LAI with stand factors as show above. The trend in NDVI and LAI reflected the urban forest type, being high in rehabilitation and mangrove forests, moderate in home-gardens and low in parks. Future urban planning of the Bang Kachao peninsula should focus on rehabilitation to increase the biodiversity and complexity of the urban forest.

This paper proposes a new approach to investigation into the aesthetics. Specifically, it argues that it is possible to explain the aesthetic and its underlying dynamic relations with axiomatic structure (the octahedral axiom derived category) based on contemporary mathematics – namely, category theory – and through this argument suggests the possibility for discussion about the mathematical structure of the aesthetic. If there was a way to describe the structure of aesthetics with the language of mathematical structures and mathematical axioms – a language completely devoid of arbitrariness – then we would make possible a synthetical argument about the essential human activity of “the aesthetics”, and we would also gain a new method and viewpoint on the philosophy and meaning of the act of creating a work of art and artistic activities. This paper presents one hypothesis as a first step in constructing the science of dynamic generative aesthetics based on axiomatic functionalism, which is in turn based on a new interdisciplinary investigation into the functional structure of aesthetics.

By using the particle swarm optimization algorithm for crystal structure prediction, we reveal a newly orthorhombic Cmcm structure of HfB4, which is more energetically superior to the previously proposed YB4-, ReP4-, FeB4-, CrB4-, and MnB4-type structures in the considered pressure range. The phonon dispersion and elastic constants calculations confirm that the new phase is dynamically and mechanically stable. The calculated large shear modulus (240 GPa) and high hardness (45.7 GPa) imply that the predicted Cmcm-HfB4 is a potential superhard material. Meanwhile, the directional dependences of the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus for HfB4 are systematically investigated. Further analyses of the density of states and electronic localization function indicate that the strong B-B and B-Hf covalent bonds greatly contribute to its high hardness and stability.

1) Introduction: Brain parcellation is an important processing step in the analysis of structural brain MRI. Existing software implementations are optimized for fully developed adult brains, and provide inadequate results when applied to neonatal brain imaging. 2) Methods: We developed a semi-automated pipeline, NeBSS, for extracting 50 discrete brain structures from neonatal brain MRI, using an atlas registration method that leverages the existing ALBERT neonatal atlas 3) Results: We demonstrate a simple linear workflow for neonatal brain parcellation. NeBSS is robust to variation in imaging acquisition protocol and magnet field strength. 4) Conclusion: NeBSS is a robust pipeline capable of parcellating neonatal brain MRIs using a simple processing workflow. NeBSS fills a need in clinical translational research in neonatal imaging, where existing automated or semi-automated implementations are too rigid to be successfully applied to multi-center neuroprotection studies and clinically heterogeneous cohorts. The software is open source and freely available.

This study attempts to classify compound words on the basis of Cognitive Linguistics and compares their usage trends using Computational Linguistics. Using Noam Chomsky’s concept of deep and surface structures of a sentence, Lees treated compound words, not as separate units but as a kind of embedded sentences and hinted for possible presence of deep and surface structures in compound words, which this study tries to investigate. Then on the basis of the Idealized Cognitive Model proposed by Lakoff and Fauconnier, compound words have been classified into transparent, opaque and counterintuitive compound words. Using Google Books Corpus, this study also compares their usage trends. This is done using usage frequency, defined in this work, which is analogous to productivity for affixed words calculated by G.E.Booij. Each class of compound word formed on the basis of ICM is found to have different usage frequency. The possible reasons for this are discussed.

In the present work we revise and extend the Characteristic Crystallographic Element (CCE) norm, an algorithm used to simultaneously detect radial and orientational similarity of computer-generated structures with respect to specific reference crystals and local symmetries. Based on the identification of point group symmetry elements, the CCE descriptor is able to gauge local structure with high precision and finely distinguish between competing morphologies. As test cases we use computer-generated monomeric and polymer systems of spherical particles interacting with the hard-sphere and square-well attractive potentials. We demonstrate that the CCE norm is able to detect and differentiate, between others, among: hexagonal close packed (HCP), face centered cubic (FCC), hexagonal (HEX) and body centered cubic (BCC) crystals as well as non-crystallographic fivefold (FIV) local symmetry in bulk 3-D systems; triangular (TRI), square (SQU) and honeycomb (HON) crystals, as well as pentagonal (PEN) local symmetry in thin films of one-layer thickness (2-D systems). The descriptor is general and can be applied to identify the symmetry elements of any point group for arbitrary atomic or particulate system in two or three dimensions, in the bulk or under confinement.

Phylogenomics, the use of large datasets to examine phylogeny, has revolutionized the study of evolutionary relationships. However, genome-scale data have not been able to resolve all relationships in the tree of life; this could reflect, at least in part, the poor-fit of the models used to analyze heterogeneous datasets. Some of the heterogeneity may reflect the different patterns of selection on proteins based on their structures. To test that hypothesis, we developed a pipeline to divide phylogenomic protein datasets into subsets based on secondary structure and relative solvent accessibility. We then tested whether amino acids in different structural environments had distinct signals for the topology of the deepest branches in the metazoan tree. The most striking difference in phylogenetic signal reflected relative solvent accessibility; analyses of exposed sites (on the surface of proteins) yielded a tree that placed ctenophores sister to all other animals whereas sites buried inside proteins yielded a tree with a sponge-ctenophore clade. These differences in phylogenetic signal were not ameliorated when we repeated our analyses using the CAT model, a mixture model that is often used for analyses of protein datasets. In fact, the heterogeneous CAT model resulted in several rearrangements that are unlikely to represent evolutionary history. However, analyses conducted after recoding amino acids to limit the impact of deviations from compositional stationarity increased the congruence in the estimates of phylogeny for exposed and buried sites; after recoding amino acids both trees supported placement of ctenophores sister to all other animals. These results provide striking evidence that it is necessary to achieve a better understanding of the constraints due to protein structure to improve phylogenetic estimation.

In order to investigate the vertical distribution pattern of soil fauna community in low-altitude mountain areas. On July 8th, 2022, a low hill was selected as the study area to collect soil arthropods were collected through trap. Leaf litter, vegetation type and distribution quantity were investigated at each sampling site while soil fauna were collected. Also, the soil physical and chemical parameters were measured simultaneously. The results of one-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences (P

In the present work, the interactions between hydrocortisone and cyclodextrins were investigated. The cyclodextrins selected for this study were hydroxypropyl-α-cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin. The study was carried out using density measurements, 1H-NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. Preliminary studies show that hydroxypropyl-α-cyclodextrin has a low affinity for hydrocortisone, while hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin have a good affinity for hydrocortisone in both solid state and solution. The study was carried out at two temperatures: 298.15 K and 310.15 K. The results suggest that at both temperatures, the system 2-HP-β-CD + HC induces an increase in the solvent structure, with increasing the solute concentration in the solution, while on the contrary the system 2-HP-γ-CD + HC induces a decrease in the solvent structure when the concentration of the solute in the system increases.

Cancer is a devastating disease with female breast cancer becoming the leading cause of global cancer morbidity. Herein we report the design and synthesis of a sorafenib analog 1A and its base-promoted arranged compound 1A2. Their in vitro cytotoxicity and potencies in EFGR inhibition study revealed that compound 1A displayed good antiproliferative activity in MDA-MB-231 (breast) cells with an IC50 value of 16.18±1.42 μM. Crystallization 1A2 affored 1A2a as a solvate with dichloromethane which was explicitly confirmed by the single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

The algorithmic complexity vulnerability (ACV) that may lead to denial of service attacks greatly disrupts the security and availability of applications, and due to the widespread use of third-party libraries, its impact may be amplified through the software supply chain. The existing work in the field is dedicated to abstract loop or iterative patterns and fuzzing the entire application to discover algorithm complexity vulnerabilities, but they still face efficiency and effectiveness issues. Our research focuses on: (1) Proposing a representation and extraction method for code features related to algorithmic complexity vulnerabilities, helping analysts quickly understand program logic; (2) Providing a new ACV detecting model, focusing on the spatial complexity anomalies caused by deep recursion structures, and proposing a new filtering method; (3) Aiming at the difficulty of efficiently generating complex-data-type-related payloads using existing symbol execution techniques, a call-chain-guided payload construction method is proposed. We tested third-party components in the open-source Java Maven Repository, identified many unexposed vulnerabilities and 8 of them received CVE (Common Vulnerabilities & Exposures) identifiers, and demonstrated that our method can discover more algorithmic complexity vulnerabilities compared to existing tools with better performance.

SmCo5 constitutes one of the strongest class of permanent magnets, which exhibit enormous uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy and have a high Curie temperature. However, the performance of SmCo5 permanent magnets is hindered by a limited energy product and relatively high supply risk. Sm is a moderately expensive element among its group, and Co is a material more expensive than Fe, making SmCo5 magnets the most expensive class of permanent magnets. Subsequently, the need for new materials, with less content in critical and thus expensive resources, is obvious. A promising path of producing new compounds that meet these requirements is the chemically modification of established materials used in PM towards the reduction of expensive resources, for example reducing Co content with transition metals (like Fe, Ni) or using as substitutes raw rare earth materials with abundance greater than their demand, like Ce and La. Important instrument to achieve these goals are theoretical calculations, like Ab-initio methods, and especially DFT based calculations in predicting the possible stable RE-TM intermetallic compounds and their magnetic properties. This review aims to present the progress of recent years in the production of improved SmCo5 type magnets.

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem for the global public health. One of the strategies to combat this issue is the synthesis of novel antimicrobials through rational drug design based on extensive structure-activity relationship studies. The thiazole nucleus is a prominent feature in the structure of many authorized antimicrobials, being clubbed with different heterocycles. The purpose of this review is to study the structure-activity relationship in antimicrobial thiazoles clubbed with various heterocycles reported in the literature between 2017 and 2022, in order to offer an overview of the last years in terms of antimicrobial research and provide a helpful instrument for future research in the field.

Reactions of N‚N'-bis(3-methylpyridyl)oxalamide (L1), N,N’-bis(3-methylpyridyl)adipoamide (L2) and N,N’-bis(3-methylpyridyl)sebacoamide (L3) with tricarboxylic acids and Cu(II) salts afforded {[Cu(L1)(1,3,5-HBTC)]·H2O}n (1,3,5-H3BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid), 1, {[Cu1.5(L2)1.5(1,3,5-BTC)(H2O)2]·6.5H2O}n, 2, [Cu(L2)0.5(1,3,5-HBTB)]n (1,3,5-H3BTB = 1,3,5-tri(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene), 3, [Cu4(L3)(OH)2(1,3,5-BTC)2]n, 4, {[Cu3(L3)2(1,3,5-BTB)2]·2.5MeOH·2H2O}n, 5, and {[Cu3(L3)2(1,3,5-BTB)2 ]·DMF·2H2O}n, 6, which have been structurally characterized by using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 – 4 form a 2D layer with the {44.62}-sql topology, a 2D layer with the (4.62)2(42.62.82)-bex topology, a 3-fold interpenetrated 3D net with the (412.63)-pcu topology and a 3D framework with the (410.632.83)(42.6)2(43.63) topology, respectively, whereas 5 and 6 are 3D frameworks with the (63)2(64.82)(68.85.102) topology. Complex 5 shows a better iodine-adsorption factor of 290.0 mg g-1 at 60 oC for 360 minutes than the other ones, revealing that the flexibility of the spacer ligand governs the structural diversity and the adsorption capacity.

The crosslinking behavior of polyethylene (PE) determines its exceptional performance and application. In this study, we investigated the crosslinking behaviors of different PE resins through model simulation and rheological methods. Specifically, the mathematical equation of "S" model was established for PE resin. According to this equation, the optimal maximum gel content for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was found to be around 85%. Moreover, the maximum crosslinking degrees for different PE resins depended largely on their density and molecular weight. The melt viscosities before crosslinking in PE resins were highly influenced by their melt index. The higher melt indexes resulted in the lower storage moduli, improving melt processability during processing. In addition, the crosslinking rates of PE resins were strongly influenced by peroxide concentration, independent of PE resin structures. For high molecular weight and low-density PE resins, they exhibited decreased ti values, increased A0 values, and decreased k6 values. However, there were no noticeable variations in the values of k2 and phi among different PE resins. And all simulated modeling outcomes showed the remarkable consistency with the experimental rheological data. These findings are of utmost significance in the industrial manufacture of PE resin.

The recent advancements in communication technology have facilitated the widespread deployment of electronic communication equipment globally, resulting in the pervasive presence of electromagnetic pollution. Consequently, there is an urgent necessity to develop a thin, lightweight, efficient, and durable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material, capable of withstanding severe environmental conditions, and possessing a scalable production method. In this paper, we proposed an innovative and scalable method for preparing EMI shielding films with a tunable sandwich-structure. The film possesses a nylon mesh (NM) backbone, with AgNWs serving as the shielding coating and aramid nanofibers (ANFs) acting as the cladding layer. The prepared film was thin and flexible, with a thickness of only 0.13 mm. AgNWs could easily form a conductive network structure with excellent performance, and the film had a high EMI shielding efficiency, up to 50.6 dB with 1.0mg/cm2. Due to the outstanding thermal resistance, acid and alkali resistance properties of aramid fibers, the NAAANF film demonstrates remarkable robustness in the face of complex usage environments. Such a thin, efficient and environmentally resistant EMI shielding film provided new ideas for the broad EMI shielding market.

The MLL1 gene located on chromosome 11q23, is crucial for histone lysine-specific methylation and is frequently implicated in various leukemia types. Despite prior in silico investigations into non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) associated with leukemia in the MLL1 gene, there is a dearth of comprehensive studies evaluating their impact on the protein's structure, function, and post-translational modifications. Addressing this, our study screened 2049 nsSNPs from the dbSNP database, identifying 62 high-risk variants. A thorough domain analysis revealed that these nsSNPs are distributed across seven domains of the MLL1 protein, potentially affecting their functions. Our conservation analysis highlighted 31 nsSNPs as deleterious, suggesting their potential effects on protein stability and function. Furthermore, utilizing the MutPred2 tool, we identified mutations affecting metal-binding, protein loop structures, and post-translational modifications, which could alter the MLL1 protein's native functionality. Interaction network analysis underscored the role of MLL1 in hematopoietic cell development, implying that mutations may influence hematological malignancies. Additionally, a subset of non-coding SNPs was found to possess regulatory capabilities, potentially affecting gene expression and chromatin modification. Most significantly, using CScape and CScape-somatic tools, four nsSNPs were predicted to be oncogenic, with two classified as cancer drivers, underscoring their potential role in leukemia development. The oncogenic nsSNP, D2724G, located between the FY-rich N and FY-rich C domain of the MLL1 protein, has raised significant interest due to its potential impact on proteolytic cleavage. Predictive analyses, such as those by Mutpred2, suggest a loss of cleavage at D2724 caused by this mutation, potentially affecting the formation of essential MLL1 fragments, p320 and p180. These fragments play a crucial role in creating a stable multiprotein complex that localizes to a specific subnuclear region. Therefore, mutations like D2724G can potentially alter gene expression patterns, influencing cellular behavior and possibly fostering a cancer-prone environment. In conclusion, our research provides an in-depth assessment of the effects of nsSNPs in the MLL1 gene on leukemia, offering potential avenues for personalized treatment strategies, early detection, prognosis, and a better understanding of hematological malignancy genesis.

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) have emerged as a revolutionary material that holds the potential to change the design and construction methods of buildings and other structures. One of the most promising applications of SMAs in civil engineering is their use as reinforcements for steel structures. This paper presents the latest research progress, opportunities and challenges of SMA in the field of steel structural reinforcement, both in terms of basic components and applications. In terms of components, the construction forms and working mechanisms of Fe-SMA strips, SMA/CFRP composite patches and SMA dampers are introduced. On this basis, the application of SMA in steel structures reinforcement is introduced, and its effect is analyzed from three aspects: crack restoration, seismic retrofitting and structural strengthening. Finally, the results of the current research are summarized and the shortcomings are analyzed, hoping to provide a reference for the research of SMA in the field of steel structures reinforcement.

Swirling coal flames are encountered in swirl burners of boiler furnaces and cyclone coal combustors, and were studied using large-eddy simulation (LES) in reported references. However, the structures of swirling coal flames remain to be further studied. In the present paper LES of swirling coal flames is conducted for two combustors using two gas combustion models. The statistical simulation results are accessed by experiments and the instantaneous simulation results are used to analyze the specific features of flame structures of four cases. It is seen that different inlet flow conditions and different secondary-air flow rate lead to different flame structures

Three new cembranoids (1–3) and a new casbanoid (4), along with three known analogues (5–7), have been isolated from the soft coral Sinularia nanolobata collected off Ximao Island. The structures including the absolute configurations of new compounds were established by extensive spectro-scopic data analysis, time-dependent density functional theory/electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations and the comparison with spectroscopic data of known compounds. In in vitro bioassay, compounds 1 and 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells line with IC50 values of 37.1 and 42.4 uM, respectively.

Changes in the atomic and electronic structure of silicon carbide 3C-SiC (β-SiC), resulting from lead adsorption, have been studied within the density functional theory. The tests were conducted for three representative surfaces with varying degrees of lead coverage. Results indicate that chemisorption occurs, with the strongest binding, found on the hexagonal surface (111) in interaction with three dangling bonds. The adsorption energy rises with increasing coverage, especially as the surface approaches saturation. Analysis of the data was focused on parameters important for corrosion processes such as bond distances, binding energies, Bader charges and charge density difference.

Registration of the flow pattern fine structure and the matter distribution of a free falling liquid drop in a target fluid at rest in the impact mode of coalescence, when the kinetic energy of the drop exceeds its available potential surface energy (APSE), was carried out by photo and video recording. The main attention was paid to the study of the flow structure at the initial stage of the cavity formation. To carry out color registration, the flow pattern was illuminated by several matrix LED and fiber optic sources of constant light. The planning of experiments and interpretation of the results were based on the properties of the complete solutions of the fundamental equations of fluid mechanics system, including the transfer and conversion of energy processes. Complete solutions of the system of equations describe large-scale flow components that are waves or vortices as well as thin jets (ligaments, filaments, fibers, trickles). In experiments, the jets are accelerated by the converted available potential surface energy (APSE) when the free surfaces of merging fluids were eliminated. The experiments were performed with the coalescence of water, solutions of alizarin ink, potassium permanganate, copper sulphate or iron sulphate drops in deep water. In all cases, at the initial contact, the drop begins to lose its continuity and breaks up into a thin veil and jets, the velocity of which exceeds the drop contact velocity. Small droplets, the size of which grows with time, are thrown into the air from spikes at the jet tops. On the surface of the liquid, the fine jets leave colored traces that form linear and reticular structures. Part of the jets penetrating through the bottom and wall of the cavity forms an intermediate covering layer. The forming layer jets are separated by interfaces of the target fluid. The processes of molecular diffusion equalize the density differences and form an intermediate layer with sharp boundaries in the target fluid. All noted structural features of the flow are also visualized when a fresh water drop isothermally spreads in the same tap water. The fast-changing and finely structured diffuse boundary of merging fluids, which at the initial stage has a complex and irregular shape, is gradually smoothed out by molecular diffusion processes. The similar flow patterns were observed in all performed experiments, however the geometric features of the flow depend on the individual thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the contacting fluids.

The popularity and development of social media has made it more and more convenient to spread rumors, and it has become especially important to detect rumor information from massive amounts of information. Most of the traditional rumor detection methods use content characteristics or propagation structure to mine rumor characteristics, ignoring the fusion characteristics of content and structure and their interaction characteristics. Therefore, a novel rumor detection method based on heterogeneous convolutional networks is proposed. Firstly, this paper constructs a heterogeneous map of joint rumor content and propagation structure to explore the interaction between content and propagation structure during rumor propagation and obtain rumor representation. On that basis, this paper uses the deep residual graph convolutional neural network to construct the content and structure interaction information of the current network propagation model. Finally, this paper uses the two datasets of Twitter15 and Twitter16 to verify the proposed method. Experimental results show that the proposed method has higher detection accuracy than the traditional rumor detection method.

Models with age as a variable but actual dynamics invariant under age structure allow use of MaxEnt to predict uniform age structure. Interpretations include a major role for accepting randomness as a causal principle in ecology (in the face of ignorance, in a further interpretative stance).

Chromatin structure plays a fundamental role in regulating gene expression, with histone modifiers shaping the structure of chromatin by adding or removing chemical changes to his-tone proteins. The p53 transcription factor controls gene expression, binds target genes, and regulates their activity. While p53 has been extensively investigated in the context of cancer research, its association with histone modifiers has received limited attention. This review ex-plores the interplay between histone modifiers and p53 in regulating gene expression. We discussed how histone modifications can influence how p53 binds to target genes and how this interplay can be disrupted in cancer cells. This study provides insights into the complex mechanisms underlying gene regulation and their implications for potential cancer therapy.

Fe[C5H5N]2[N(CN)2]2 (1) was synthesized from a reaction of stoichiometric amounts of NaN(CN)2 and FeCl2·4 H2O in a methanol/pyridine solution. Single-crystal and powder diffraction show that 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group I2/m (no. 12), different from Mn[C5H5N]2[N(CN)2]2 (P21/c, no. 14) due to tilted pyridine rings, with a = 7.453(7) Å, b = 13.167(13) Å, c = 8.522(6) Å, β = 114.98(6)° and Z = 2. ATR-IR, AAS, and CHN measurements confirm the presence of dicyanamide and pyridine. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that π-stacking interactions of the pyridine rings play an important role in structural stabilization. Based on DFT-optimized structures, a chemical bonding analysis was performed using a local-orbital framework by projection from a plane-wave basis. The resulting bond orders and atomic charges are in good agreement with the expectations based on the structure analysis. SQUID magnetic susceptibility measurements show a high-spin state FeII compound with predominantly antiferromagnetic exchange interactions at lower temperatures.

The state of knowledge of properties of the Andromeda Galaxy (also known as M31) is reviewed. The spatial structure of the Andromeda Galaxy, its main source populations and the properties of its gas and dust are discussed. To understand the formation history of the Andromeda Galaxy, the critical issues of its star formation history and the gas streams and dwarf galaxies in its surrounding environment are reviewed. Emphasis is on recent studies with important earlier work described in the references provided here. It is important to understand the Andromeda Galaxy because it is the nearest large external galaxy and is close enough for high resolution studies. This allows the Andromeda Galaxy to be used as a template to understand more distant and less resolved galaxies in the universe.

Prunus tenella is a rare and precious relict plant in China. It is an important genetic resource for almond improvement and an indispensable material in ecological protection and landscaping. However, the research of molecular breeding and genetic evolution has been severely restricted, due to the lack of genome information. In this investigation, we created a chromosome-level genomic pattern of P. tenella, 231Mb in length with a contig N50 of 18.1 Mb by Hi-C techniques and high-accuracy PacBio HiFi sequencing. The present assembly predicted 32088 protein-coding genes, and an examination of the genome assembly indicated that 94.7% among all assembled transcripts were alignable to the genome assembly; most (97.24%) were functionally annotated. By phylogenomic genome comparison, we found that P. tenella is an ancient group that diverged approximately 13.4 million years ago (Mya) from 13 additional closely related species and about 6.5 Mya from the cultivated almond. Collinearity analysis revealed that P. tenella is highly syntenic and has high sequence conservation with almond and peach. However, this species also exhibit many presence/absence variants. Moreover, a large inversion at the 7,588 kb position of chromosome 5 was observed, which may have a significant association with phenotypic traits. Lastly, population genetic structure analysis in eight different populations indicated a high genetic differentiation among the natural distribution of P. tenella. This high-quality genome assembly provides critical clues and comprehensive information for the systematic evolution, genetic characteristics, and functional gene research of P. tenella. Moreover, it provides a valuable genomic resource for in-depth study in protecting, developing, and utilizing P. tenella germplasm resources.

This work presents an LC resonant passive wireless gas sensor with a novel structure designed to mitigate the negative impact of substrate. The LC sensor antenna with the new structure and the reader antenna were designed and optimized utilizing HFSS software to improve the transfer efficiency. The superiority of the designed structure compared with the general ones is highlighted and verified. The change in the substrate capacitance has essentially no interference with the parameters to be measured of the LC sensor. The sensor with the new structure was prepared by combining etching and sputtering methods. The structure of the ZnO nanowires (NWs) was characterized to confirm their high purity and wurtzite crystal structure. The LC gas sensors demonstrated excellent wireless sensing performance including a low detection limit of 0.5 ppm NO2, high response of 1.058 and outstanding stability at 180 °C. The developed new sensor structure not only prevented interference from the substrate during gas sensing testing, but also expanded the choice of sensor substrates, playing a critical role in the development of sensors based on LC resonance principle.

As two commonly-used non-selective herbicides, glyphosate (GP) and diquat (DQ) are easily co-resided in lateritic paddy soil due to the rich iron/aluminum oxides, nevertheless there is limited information on their co-impact on microbial diversity and community structure in this type soil. In this study, the short-term effects of combined GP and DQ on soil microbial diversity and community structure shifts were investigated in lateritic paddy soil from a tropical agricultural region (Hainan, China) based on 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that mixed herbicides promoted the abundance of Streptomyces in bacteria (0.45-1.84%) and Curvularia in fungi (0.01-5.85%), while GP and DQ had inhibitory effects on the abundance of Streptomyces (0.13-2.21%) and Curvularia (0.03-1.13%), which were significantly different with their single exposure (p < 0.05); the combined application of the two herbicides aggravate the adverse effect on the diversity of soil fungal community (p < 0.05), although their mixture did not have a greater impact on the soil bacteria abundance/diversity and fungi abundance (p > 0.05). Results suggested that the combined application of GP and DQ affected the fungal diversity although they did not cause other significant negative effects on soil microorganisms, hinting that more attention should be paid to the mixed effect caused by GP and DQ on specific fungal populations in lateritic paddy soil.

Blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most destructive diseases affecting rice production. Understanding population dynamics of the pathogen avirulence genes is pre-required for breeding and then deploying new cultivars carrying promising resistance genes. The divergence and population structure of AvrPii was dissected in the populations of southern (Guangdong, Hunan, and Guizhou) and northern (Jilin, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang) China, via population genetic and evolutionary approaches. The evolutionary divergence between a known haplotype AvrPii-J and a novel one AvrPii-C was demonstrated by haplotype-specific amplicon-based sequencing and genetic transformation. The different avirulent performances of a set of seven haplotype-chimeric mutants suggested that the integrity of the full-length gene structures is crucial to express functionality of individual haplotypes. The population structure of the AvrPii family was shaped by balancing, purifying, and positive selection pressures in the Chinese populations. The AvrPii-J was recognized as the wild type that emerged before rice domestication. Considering higher frequencies of avirulent isolates were detected in Hunan, Guizhou, and Liaoning, the cognate resistance gene Pii could be continuously served as a basic and critical resistance resource in such regions. The unique population structures of the AvrPii family found in China have significant implications for understanding how the AvrPii family has kept an artful balance and purify among its members (haplotypes) those keenly interact with the cognate resistance gene under gene-for-gene relationships.

The number of applications for nanobodies is steadily expanding, positioning these molecules as fast-growing biologic products in the biotechnology market. Several of their applications require protein engineering, which in turn would greatly benefit from having a reliable structural model of the nanobody of interest. However, as with antibodies, structural modeling of nanobodies is still a challenge. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), several methods have been developed in recent years that attempt to solve the problem of protein modeling. In this study, we have compared the performance in nanobody modeling of several state-of-the-art AI-based programs, either designed for general protein modeling, such as AlphaFold2, OmegaFold, ESMFold and Yang-Server, or specifically designed for antibody modeling, such as IgFold, and Nanonet. While all these programs performed rather well in constructing the nanobody framework and CDRs 1 and 2, modeling of CDR3 sill represents a big challenge. Interestingly, tailoring an AI method for antibody modeling does not necessarily translate into better results for nanobodies.

This study assessed the literature about the use of high tunnels (HTs) in agricultural systems in the United States since the 2009 launch of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) High Tunnel Initiative. This NRCS program led to an increase in HT adoption nationwide. The literature searches were conducted using the Web of Science (WoS) database. The final sample was 133 peer-reviewed articles published between 2009 and February 2023. We used CiteSpace 6.2.R1 and Gephi 0.9.2 to conduct co-citation, co-author, co-institution, and clustering techniques. The findings showed that the peer-reviewed literature about HT use has increased since 2009, substantially rising between 2017 and 2021. Horticulture was the top subject category in the literature, and most articles were published in peer-reviewed journals of the American Society for Horticultural Science (i.e., HortTechnology and HortScience). The research field evolved from general HT practices, nutrient management, and plant pathology to focus on trials of specific crops and integrated pest management. The institutions with the most contributions to the HT literature were Kansas State University, the University of Florida, Michigan State University, Purdue University, and the University of Minnesota. The patterns of HT research revealed in this study offer a greater understanding of the current state of knowledge to inform the focus of future research.

The estimation of the efficiency of road transport vehicles remains a significant problem for contemporary transport companies, as the technological process is influenced by numerous stochastic impacts, such as demand stochasticity, road conditions uncertainty, transport market fluctuations, etc. To consider the uncertainty related to the estimation of the vehicles’ fleet efficiency, we propose a fuzzy-logic approach, where the efficiency of a given vehicle is described by a membership function. The efficiency of the whole fleet and its rational structure in that case can be evaluated as a fuzzy set. To demonstrate the developed approach, we depict a case study of using cargo vehicles for deliveries of agricultural products in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The numeric results are presented for the selected models of vehicles that a transport company uses to service a set of clients located in Northern Kazakhstan.

The potential effect of implementing environmental regulations on economic growth is a controversial issue for a long time. As portrayed by Porter hypothesis, environmental regulations may impact on economic growth by reconstructing the economic structure. A number of previous literature proved the connections between the above three parties. With the intention of exploring the nature of this mechanism, it is important to understand the internal inter-relation of the three parties, requiring data from a large economy experiencing the transition in economic structure. By constructing a panel containing data from 30 Chinese provinces over 10 years (2008-2019), this paper investigate the dynamic inter-relation of the three parties by introducing PVAR model with Granger Test. Results reveal that environmental regulations give a “U” shaped impact to economic growth. In return, economic growth promotes the development of economy with a weakening strength. In addition, results also support the hypothesis that economic structure is the intermediate of economic growth and environmental regulations. There is a rooftop for the effect of economic structure to environmental regulations. The rooftop may signify the best optimization of primary structure.

In order to investigate the coordination chemistry of O-alkyl N-aryl thiocarbamate ligands, BiI3 has been reacted with two equivalents of MeOC(=S)N(H)Ph in MeCN solution to afford the dinuclear title compound complexes [{I2Bi(μ2-I)2BiI2}{1-MeOC(=S)N(H)Ph}4] 1. Compound 1 has been characterized by IR, UV and NMR spectroscopy, the dinuclear framework has be ascertained by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study performed at 100 K.

In the current study nanocellulose was isolated from walnut shell using mechanical and chemical methods. This study highlights the particle size, morphology and these methods’ efficiency in nano structure extraction. The difference between morphology and size of the particles (of the both extracted methods) were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Walnut shell is an agro-waste material with source of lignin and cellulose. Ball mill-ing with different times, in the presence and absence of additive and acid hydrolysis were used as mechanical and chemical methods, respectively. The result showed mechanical method is unable to extract nanoparticle and just reshape the walnut shell. Milling time were also found important in morphology of fiber extracted. FE-SEM images represented that structure mean diameter of using ball mill was 1± 5 μm while hydrolysis acid method extract nano particle with mean diameter of 40± 20 nm.

Metamorphosis is a critical process for most anurans to transition from water to land. The appearance of air-breathing lungs occurs during the change in oxygen medium from water to air. Revealing the structural construction and molecular switches of lung organogenesis is essential to understand the realization of air-breathing function. In this study, histology and transcriptomics were combinedly conducted to explore these issues in Microhyla fissipes lungs during metamorphosis. During the pro-metamorphic phase, histological structure improving of the alveolar wall was accompanied by robust substrate metabolism and protein turnover. The lungs, at the metamorphic climax phase, are characterized by an increased number of cilia in the alveolar epithelial cells and collagenous fibers in the connective tissues, corresponding to the transcriptional upregulation of cilia and extracellular matrix-related genes. The post-metamorphic lungs strengthen the contracting function, as suggested by the thickened muscle layer and the upregulated expression of genes involved in muscle contraction. The blood–gas barrier is fully developed in adult lungs whose transcriptional features are tissue growth and differentiation regulation and immunity. Importantly, significant transcriptional switches of pulmonary surfactant protein and hemoglobin facilitate air-breathing. Our results illuminated four key steps of lung development for amphibians to transition from water to land.

The provenance of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) poses challenging questions because of their role in the emergence and evolution of genetic coding. We investigate evidence about their ancestry from curated structure-based multiple sequence alignments of a structurally invariant “scaffold” shared by all 10 canonical Class I aaRS. Three uncorrelated phylogenetic metrics—residue-by-residue conservation, its variance, and row-by-row cladistic congruence—imply that the Class I scaffold is a mosaic assembled from distinct, successive genetic sources. These data are especially significant in light of: (i) experimental fragmentations of the Class I scaffold into three partitions that retain catalytic activities in proportion to their length; and (ii) evidence that two of these partitions arose from an ancestral Class I aaRS gene encoding a Class II ancestor in frame on the opposite strand. Phylogenetic metrics of different modules vary in accordance with their presumed functionality. A 46-residue Class I “protozyme” roots the Class I molecular tree prior to the adaptive radiation of the Rossmann dinucleotide binding fold that refined substrate discrimination. Such rooting is consistent with near simultaneous emergence of genetic coding and the origin of the proteome, resolving a conundrum posed by previous inferences that Class I aaRS evolved long after the genetic code had been implemented in an RNA world. Further, pinpointing discontinuous enhancements of aaRS fidelity establishes a timeline for the growth of coding from a binary amino acid alphabet.

Various efforts have been made to detect minimum value of glucose in any medium like water or body buffer solutions with high-sensitivity, accurate, and low-cost sensors in order to enhance life style. Therefore, the present study was done to investigate reliability of two-dimensional plasmonic structure by circular dichroism (CD) and ellipsometry tools in different concentrations of glucose. Our results confirmed a dependency of the CD signal on glucose concentrations and also a very good sensitivity based on the phase difference between each polarization in ellipsometry parameters with the help of an achiral plasmonic structure.

The biomimetic design of engineering structures is based on biological structures with excellent mechanical properties, which are the result of billions of years of evolution. However, current biomimetic structures, such as ordered lattice materials, are still inferior to many biological materials in terms of structural complexity and mechanical properties. For example, the structure of \textit{Euplectella aspergillum}, a type of deep-sea glass sponge, is an eye-catching source of inspiration for biomimetic design; however, guided by scientific theory, how to engineer structures surpassing the mechanical properties of \textit{E. aspergillum} remains an unsolved problem. The lattice structure of the skeleton of \textit{E. aspergillum} consists of vertically, horizontally, and diagonally oriented struts, which provide superior strength and flexural resistance compared with the conventional square lattice structure. Herein, the structure of \textit{E. aspergillum} was investigated in detail, and by using the theory of elasticity, a lattice structure inspired by the bionic structure was proposed. The mechanical properties of the sponge-inspired lattice structure surpassed the sponge structure under a variety of loading conditions, and the excellent performance of this configuration was verified experimentally. The proposed lattice structure can greatly improve the mechanical properties of engineering structures, and it improves strength without much redundancy of material. This study achieved the first surpassing of the mechanical properties of an existing sponge-mimicking design. This design can be applied to lattice structures, truss systems, and metamaterial cells.

Waxy rice is one of the most popular traditional crops served as a staple food in China. In this study, the effect of different factors including α-amylase activity, protein, and amylopectin structure on the pasting properties of four waxy rice varieties were investigated. Rice flours treated with AgNO3 solution, DL-dithiothreitol (DTT) or protease, suggested that both α-amylase activity and protein significantly decrease the pasting viscosity of waxy rice flours. Chain length distribution of amylopectin as measured by high performance ion exchange chromatography (HPAEC-PAD) showed that starch with higher ratio of short chain leading to a higher pasting viscosity. X-Ray diffractograms showed that the crystal type of all the four varieties of rice starches were characteristic A-type. Relative crystallinity of each rice starch was further calculated, and a higher crystallization resulted in a higher viscosity. Our study would provide a fundamental knowledge of the relationship between different factors and waxy starch pasting properties, as well as be a reference for controlling the quality of waxy rice starch-based food.

Kininogens are multidomain glycoproteins found in the blood of most vertebrates. They are important in the blood coagulation cascade pathways - in intrinsic pathway activation leading to thrombin generation partially independently from tissue factor dependent extrinsic pathway, connecting blood coagulation with the kallikrein-kinin system. Nothing is known about the shape on atomic level therefore the endeavor to obtain the good-quality spatial structure of kininogens is important for a better understanding of their role in disease and treatment. Application of cryo-EM is important for solving the spatial structure of kininogens, drawing new frontiers in understanding the function and opening new pathways for drug development.

Low-energy Coulomb excitation is capable of providing unique information on static electromagnetic moments of short-lived excited nuclear states, including non-yrast states. The process selectively populates low-lying collective states and is therefore ideally suited to study phenomena such as shape coexistence and development of exotic deformation (triaxial or octupole shapes). Historically, these experiments were restricted to stable isotopes. However, the advent of new facilities providing intense beams of short-lived radioactive species has opened the possibility to apply this powerful technique to a much wider range of nuclei. We discuss the observables that can be measured in a Coulomb-excitation experiment, their relation to nuclear structure parameters with an emphasis on the nuclear shape, and present some recent examples of Coulomb-excitation studies that provided outcomes relevant for the Shell Model.

Alphaviruses are arboviruses that cause arthritis and encephalitis in humans. Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) is a mosquito transmitted alphavirus that is implicated in severe encephalitis in humans with high mortality. However, limited insights are available into its fundamental biology of EEEV and residue-level details of its interactions with host proteins. In recent years, outbreaks of EEEV have been reported mainly in the United States, raising concerns about public safety. This review article summarizes recent advances in the structural biology of EEEV based mainly on recent single particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) structures. Together with functional analyses of EEEV and related alphaviruses, these structural investigations provide clues to how EEEV interacts with host proteins, which may open avenues for the development of therapeutics.

Based on surveys of winter roost sites, the eastern migratory population of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in North America appears to have declined in the last 20 years and this has prompted the implementation of numerous conservation strategies. However, there is little information on the survivorship of first-generation monarchs in the core area of occupancy in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana where overwinter population recovery begins. The purpose of this study was to determine the survivorship of first-generation eggs to third instars at a site in north Texas and to evaluate host plant arthropods for their effect on survivorship. Survivorship to third instar averaged 13.4% and varied from 11.7% to 15.6% over three years. The host plants harbored 77 arthropod taxa, including 27 predatory taxa. Despite their abundance, neither predator abundance nor predator richness predicted monarch survival. However, host plants upon which monarchs survived often harbored higher numbers of non-predatory arthropod taxa and more individuals of non-predatory taxa. These results suggest that ecological processes may have buffered the effects of predators and improved monarch survival in our study. The creation of diverse functional arthropod communities should be considered for effective monarch conservation, particularly in southern latitudes.

One of the most important parameters that characterize the traction-coupling properties of a wheeled tractor is its slip. The more tractor's gross traction, the higher its traction-coupling properties. But, this gross traction should not exceed its maximum possible value, which, in turn out, is to be determined by the maximum permissible slip. This article provides the equation to calculate this crucial parameter and establishes the dependencies between the tractor's slip and soil structure coefficient. It was shown that the value basically depends on such soil characteristics as the bulk deformation coefficient and the coefficient of rolling resistance. Calculations showed that for the average value of the soil bulk deformation coefficient at, the average value of rolling resistance coefficient at 0.16, the ratio value of the maximum permissible soil pressure to the tractor wheel rolling radius at the maximum permitted amount slip of the tractor wheels should not exceed 15%. With more slip, the soil structure deteriorates significantly. In this case, its structure coefficient may be less than critical, equal to 0.4.

Abstract: Service polycentricism, in the face of the pandemic, took on a new significance because of sanitary requirements. Population concentrations in large service centres face a high risk of infection both at their destination and during the trip. Higher-tier services were largely closed during the threat’s peak. In this paper, the focus of the study has been placed on the urban scale of a large city’s polycentricism as seen through the prism of service concentrations, which, to a degree, are commuter destinations, but primarily act as attractors that are not associated with work—they satisfy higher-tier service needs. To formulate the investigative apparatus used to study the functio-spatial structure of Cracow. The current threat, as well as the high probability of similar situations happening in the future, will probably lead to changes in behaviour patterns of consumers and service providers in reference to siting. Local service centres that are accessible to pedestrians, due to safety-related considerations, can gain significant popularity.

Inteins are prevalent among extremophiles. Mini-inteins with robust splicing properties are of particular interest for biotechnological applications due to their small size. However, biochemical and structural characterization has still been limited to a small number of inteins, and only a few inteins serve as widely used tools in protein engineering approaches. We determined the crystal structure of a naturally-occurring Pol-II mini-intein from Pyrococcus horikoshii and compared it with two other natural mini-inteins from Pyrococcus horikoshii. Despite the similar sizes, the comparison revealed distinct differences in insertions and deletions, implying specific evolutionary pathways from distinct ancestral origins. Our studies suggest that sporadically distributed mini-inteins might be more promising for further protein engineering applications than the highly conserved mini-inteins. Structural investigations of more inteins could guide the shortest path to finding novel robust mini-inteins suitable for protein engineering purposes.

Although the presence of dark energy is well established from various observations, its true nature is still not well understood. The cosmological constant term seems to be the preferred candidate. In earlier work we had a constant cosmological constant term to limit the sizes of large-scale structures at lower redshifts. In this work, we extend this to large scale structures at higher redshifts. Here we invoke a time varying cosmological constant to set constraints on sizes of galaxies at high redshifts and see that they are consistent with their observed sizes. The time-varying cosmological constant also provides a possible solution to the puzzle of structure formation of large disk galaxies (like the Wolfe disk) observed at very early stages of the Universe. Future observations of galaxies at even higher redshifts could support our approach.

This paper analyzes the political and economic changes in the world after the drastic changes in eastern Europe, starting with Chinese President Xi Jinping's viewpoint "the biggest change in a century". Also, the new international situation and new development in the post-epidemic as well as the development path and direction of China in the post-epidemicera are expected.

Gauge fields control the dynamics of fermions, also a back reaction of fermions on the gauge field is expected. This back reaction is investigated within the vortex picture of the QCD vacuum. We show that the center vortex model reproduces the string tension of the full theory also with the presence of fermionic fields.

New analysis regarding the structure of center vortices and their color structure is presented: Using data from gluonic SU(2) lattice simulation with Wilson action a correlation of fluctuations in color space to curvature of vortex fluxes was found. Finite size effects of the S2-homogeneity hint at color homogeneous regions on the vortex surface.

The aim of this study was to identify MFIs specific determinants of capital structure of selected micro finance institutions in Ethiopia. The researcher employed quantitative research approach with explanatory research design. The result of regression analysis showed that out that variables like growth, profitability, firm size, age, and asset tangibility have positive and statistically significant effect on leverage ratio. Whereas, profitability has statistically significant and negative effect on capital structure. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher concluded that the firm specific determinants of capital structure of micro finance institutions in Ethiopia were growth, profitability, firm size, age, and asset tangibility.

Of the roughly 20,000 canonical human protein sequences, as of September 15, 2020, 6,937 proteins have had their full or partial, medium- to high-resolution structures determined by x-ray crystallography or other methods. Which of these proteins dominate the Protein Data Bank (the PDB) and why? In this paper, we list the 273 top human protein structures based on the number of their PDB entries. This set of proteins accounts for more than 40% of all available human PDB entries and represent past trends as well as current status for protein structural biology. We briefly discuss the relationship which some of the prominent protein structures have with protein research as a whole and mention their relevance to human diseases. The top-10 soluble and membrane proteins are all well-known (most of their first structures being deposited more than 30 years ago). Overall, there is no dramatic change in recent trends in the PDB. Remarkably, the number of structure depositions has grown nearly exponentially over the last 10 or more years (with a doubling time of 7 yrs for proteins from all organisms). Growth in human protein structures is slightly faster (at 5.9 yrs, while E.Coli and Mouse+Rat protein structures accumulate more slowly, Zebrafish protein structures are growing most, at a doubling every 3.7 years, albeit starting from only approx. 100 structure entries in 2010). The information may be informative to senior scientists but also inspire researchers who are new to protein science, providing the year 2020 snap-shot for the state of protein structural biology.

The objective of this study were to conduct association mapping for drought tolerance at the seedling stage and yield-related traits. 60 cowpea accessions were used in the study. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) discovered through genotyping by sequencing (GBS) were used for genotyping. Association mapping was conducted using single-marker regression (SMR) in Q Gene, and general linear model (GLM) and mixed linear model (MLM) built in TASSEL. The population of the cowpea accessions were analysed using STRUCTURE 2.3.4 and the peak of delta K in the greenhouse showed seven population types, whereas the peak of delta K in the glasshouse indicated the presence of six population types. One SNP marker, 14083649|F|0-9 was associated with NP with a p value <0.001. Fifty SNP markers were associated with PWT at p <0.001. Four SNP markers, 14074781|F|0-16, 100047392|F|0-36, 14083801|F|0-28 and 100051488|F|0-49 were associated with AVSPD at p <0.001. SNP markers, 14074781|F|0-16, 14083801|F|0-28 and 100051488|F|0-49 were associated with PL at P <0.001. Five SNP markers, 100047392|F|0-36, 14083801|F|0-28, 100072738|F|0-34, 14076881|F|0-49 and 14076881|F|0-49 were associated with PWDTH at p <0.001. The 65 SNP markers identified can be used in cowpea molecular breeding to select for AVSPD, NP, PL, PWDTH, PWT, and RR through marker assisted selection (MAS).

The unfolded band structure and optical properties of Cu-doped KCl crystals were computed by first principles within the framework of density functional theory, implemented in the ABINIT electronic structure package utilizing pseudopotential approximation and a plane-wave basis set. From a theoretical point of view, Cu substitution into pristine KCl crystals requires calculation by the supercell (SC) method. This procedure shrinks the Brillouin zone, resulting in a folded band structure that is difficult to interpret. To solve this problem and gain insight into the effect of copper ions (Cu+) on electronic properties, the band structure of SC KCl:Cu was unfolded to make a direct comparison with the band structure of the primitive cell (PC) of pristine KCl. To understand the effect of Cu substitution on optical absorption, we calculated the imaginary part of the dielectric function of KCl:Cu through a sum-over-states formalism and broke it down into different band contributions by partially making an iterated cumulative sum (ICS) of selected valence and conduction bands. Consequently, we identified those interband transitions that give rise to the absorption peaks due to the Cu+ ion. These transitions involve valence and conduction bands formed by the Cu-3d and Cu-4s electronic states

Our understanding and theoretical interpretation of observations in astrophysics and cosmology depends on our knowledge of the fundamental constants and their possible dependence on time and space. Atomic spectroscopy and radio astronomy give important information on the validity and stability of the fundamental constants. The possible dependence of the fine structure constant alpha on time and spatial direction is an active topic of research.Period doubling is a universal property of nonlinear dynamical systems, and the doubling is exact in principle. The value of the elementary charge squared can be calculated by the period doubling process from the Planck charge and thereby the value of alpha.If ‘old’ and ‘new’ electrons are identical, then the Planck charge, i.e. a set of natural constants, has remained constant over time. In this article we show that the value of alpha calculated from the Planck charge is 0.007 % smaller than the current accepted value of alpha.

The evolution of metals micro/nano-structure upon severe plastic deformation (SPD) is still far to be theoretically explained, while experimental datasets are persistently growing for several decades. Major problem associated with understanding of SPD is related to a fact that the latter is a synergetic product of several competing physical effects which alter the material micro/nano-structure. In attempt to find deformational boundaries, where predominantly one mechanism determines the micro/nano-structure, in this paper we propose a continuous piecewise model for the analysis of experiments on material hardness vs strain of SPD processed materials. The novelty of this approach lies in its ability to find, as free-fitting parameters, the strain breakpoints which separate different micro/nano-structure modes generated upon SPD process. The model is applied to analyse experimental data for polycrystalline samples of pure iron and two distinctive strain breakpoints are revealed with good accuracies. This finding is in a good agreement with our earlier results on TEM microscopy studies on pure iron polycrystals after SPD treatment.

Storing scientific data on the file system in a meaningful and transparent way is no trivial task. In particular when the data have to be accessed after their originator has left the lab the importance of a standardized file structure cannot be underestimated. It is desirable to have a structure that allows for the unique categorization of all kinds of data from experimental results to publications. It has to be accessible to a broad variety of workflows, e.g., via graphical user interface as well as via command line, in order to find widespread acceptance. Furthermore, the inclusion of already existing data has to be as simple as possible. We propose a three-level structure to organize and store scientific data that incorporates the full chain of scientific data management from data acquisition to analysis to publications. Metadata are saved in a standardized way and connect original data to analyses and publication as well as to their originators. A simple software tool to check a file structure for compliance with the proposed structure is presented.

Henry’s constants for different existing compounds in water have great importance in transfer calculations. Measurement of these constants face different difficulties including high costs of experiment and low accuracy of measurement apparatus. Due to these facts, proposing a low cost and accurate approach becomes highlighted. To this end, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) have been used as Henry’s constant predictor tools. The molecular structure of compounds has been used as inputs of models. After training the models, the visual and mathematical studies of outputs have been done. The coefficients of determination of LSSVM and ANFIS algorithms are 0.999 and 0.990 respectively. According to the comprehensiveness of databank and accurate prediction of algorithms, it can be concluded that LSSVM and ANFIS algorithms are accurate methods for prediction of Henry’s constant in wide range of chemical structure of compounds in water.

The Wolfram (W), Silicium (Si) and Molybdenum (Mo) doped Co-Cr biomedical alloy were fabricated by additive manufacturing method, which is part of powder metadology. The mixture of Wolfram (W), Silicium (Si), Chrome (Cr) and Cobalt (Co) alloy is known good wear and corrosion resistance among of biomedical applications. By addition of Molybdenum (Mo) into the structure of alloy, the structure become more stbale also increase the corrosion and wear resistance. In addition, the effects of secondary annealing process on the alloy were investigated. The microstructure of the produced alloy was analyzed by X-ray diffraction method XRD, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis EDX and scanning electron microscope SEM. Moreover, Electrochemical corrosion test, micro hardness and density measurements were performed to investigate the mechanical properties of the alloy. As a result of the analyzes, the effects of Molydenum (Mo) doped and secondary annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of bioalloying were determined.

The Japanese city presents a certain number of peculiarities in the organization of its physical space (weak zoning regulations, fast piecemeal destruction/reconstruction of buildings and blocks, high compacity, incremental reorganization). Compared to countries where urban fabrics are more perennial and easily distinguishable (old centers, modern planned projects, residential areas, etc.), in Japanese metropolitan areas we often observe higher heterogeneity and more complex spatial patterns. Even within such a model, it should be possible to recognize the internal organization of the physical city. The aim of this paper is thus to study the spatial structure of the contemporary Japanese city, generalizing on the case study of Osaka and Kobe. In order to achieve this goal, we will need to identify urban forms at different local scales (building types, urban fabrics) and to analyze them at a wider scale to delineate morphological regions and their structuring of the overall layout of the contemporary Japanese city. Several analytical protocols are used together with field observations and literature. The results, and more particularly the building and urban fabrics types and their location within the Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area, are interpreted in the light of Japanese history and model of urbanization. A synoptic graphical model of an urban morphological structure based upon Osaka is produced and proposed as an interpretative pattern for the Japanese metropolitan city in general.

Peanut production contributes to food security in northern Ghana due to its ability to tolerate drought and survive on marginal lands. This notwithstanding, poor handling along the value chain favors aflatoxin contamination, a threat to human and animal life. Farmer-led improved storage practice, a potential solution to aflatoxin contamination, have been promoted in northern Ghana. However, there is limited evidence on the factors influencing the use of the improved storage system that may guide dissemination efforts. Using the Cragg’s two stage model, our results show that the probability and intensity of adopting the improved storage structure is principally and significantly influenced by economic active household members, storing of peanut in other places relative to the field, and location of farmer residence. In disseminating the improved peanut storage structure, the identified factors must be incorporated in the selection criteria to ensure maximum uptake and usage. Farmer training programs that incorporate both good agronomic practices and good storage practices must be intensified to reduce postharvest losses due to aflatoxin contamination. These strategies will help mitigate the harmful effect of aflatoxin, ensure economic sustainability, and enhance food security.

The effect of divergence of chute sidewalls with three different baffle block geometries namely USBR, trihedral and semicircular blocks, as well as the depth and dimensions of the scour hole downstream of the chute were studied using a physical model. For this purpose, 9 models of baffled chutes were designed and constructed with divergence ratios of 1.45, 1.75, and 2.45 and without divergence (with a divergence ratio of 1). Comparing the results on the effect of block geometry at different divergence ratios revealed that the use of blocks proposed in this study instead of standard USBR blocks reduced the mean and maximum scour hole by 50%. For a given block geometry, the mean depth, maximum depth, and length of scour hole were reduced by 75%, 58%, and 50%, respectively.

The potential to affect gene expression via G-quadruplex stabilization has been extended to all domains of life, including viruses. Here, we investigate the polymorphism and structures of G-quadruplexes of the human papillomavirus type 52 with UV, CD and NMR spectroscopy and gel electrophoresis. We show that oligonucleotide with five G-tracts folds into several structures and that naturally occurring single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have profound effects on the structural polymorphism in the context of G-quadruplex forming propensity, conformational heterogeneity and folding stability. With help of SNP analysis, we were able to select one of the predominant forms, formed by G-rich sequence d(G3TAG3CAG4ACACAG3T). This oligonucleotide termed HPV52(1-4) adopts a three G-quartet snap back (3+1) type scaffold with four syn guanine residues, two edgewise loops spanning the same groove, a no-residue V loop and a propeller type loop. The first guanine residue is incorporated in the central G-quartet and all four-guanine residues from G4 stretch are included in the three quartet G-quadruplex core. Modification studies identified several structural elements that are important for stabilization of the described G-quadruplex fold. Our results expand set of G-rich targets in viral genomes and address the fundamental questions regarding folding of G-rich sequences.

Methylsilsesquioxane aerogels with uniform mesopores have been facilely prepared via a sol–gel process followed by microwave drying with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as precursor, hydrochloric acid (HCl) as catalyst, water and methanol as solvents, hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) as surfactant and template and propylene oxide (PO) as gelation agent. The microstructure, chemical composition and pore structures of the resultant MSQ aerogels were investigated in detail to achieve controllable preparation of MSQ aerogels, and the thermal stability of MSQ aerogels was also analyzed. The gelation agent, catalyst, solvent and microwave power have important roles on pore structures of MSQ aerogels. Meanwhile, microwave drying method is found to not only have a remarkable effect on improving production efficiency, but also be conducive to avoid the collapse of pore structure especially micropores during drying. The resulting MSQ aerogel microwave-dried at 500 W possesses a specific surface area up to 821 m2/g and a mesopore size of 20 nm, and displays good thermal stability.

One new La (III) based coordination polymer , namely, [La(1,4-bdc)(H2O)].(H2O) (1) (tpa = terephthalic acid) has been synthesized through the solvothermal synthesis using terephthalic acid. Structural analysis reveals that compound 1 has a 3-D network with a cube topology. The solid state photolumienescence study shows that compound 1 has a strong emission peak at 680 nm upon excitation at 220 nm . The emission peak is characteristic of the red light emission in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.