The clean-up of viscous crude-oil spills is a global challenge. Hydrophobic and oleophilic oil sorbents have been demonstrated as promising candidates for oil-spill remediation. However, the sorption ...speeds of these oil sorbents for viscous crude oil are rather limited. Herein we report a Joule-heated graphene-wrapped sponge (GWS) to clean-up viscous crude oil at a high sorption speed. The Joule heat of the GWS reduced in situ the viscosity of the crude oil, which prominently increased the oil-diffusion coefficient in the pores of the GWS and thus speeded up the oil-sorption rate. The oil-sorption time was reduced by 94.6% compared with that of non-heated GWS. Besides, the oil-recovery speed was increased because of the viscosity decrease of crude oil. This in situ Joule self-heated sorbent design will promote the practical application of hydrophobic and oleophilic oil sorbents in the clean-up of viscous crude-oil spills.
This paper presents a hybrid algorithm to solve the multi-objective path planning (MOPP) problem for mobile robots in a static nuclear accident environment. The proposed algorithm mimics a real ...nuclear accident site by modeling the environment with a two-layer cost grid map based on geometric modeling and Monte Carlo calculations. The proposed algorithm consists of two steps. The first step optimizes a path by the hybridization of improved ant colony optimization algorithm-modified A∗ (IACO-A∗) that minimizes path length, cumulative radiation dose and energy consumption. The second module is the high radiation dose rate avoidance strategy integrated with the IACO-A∗ algorithm, which will work when the mobile robots sense the lethal radiation dose rate, avoiding radioactive sources with high dose levels. Simulations have been performed under environments of different complexity to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, and the results show that IACO-A∗ has better path quality than ACO and IACO. In addition, a study comparing the proposed IACO-A∗ algorithm and recent path planning (PP) methods in three scenarios has been performed. The simulation results show that the proposed IACO-A∗ algorithm is obviously superior in terms of stability and minimization the total cost of MOPP.
Vimentin (VIM), an indispensable protein, is responsible for the formation of intermediate filament structures within cells and plays a crucial role in viral infections. However, the precise role of ...VIM in classical swine fever virus (CSFV) infection remains unclear. Herein, we systematically investigated the function of VIM in CSFV replication. We demonstrated that both knockdown and overexpression of VIM affected CSFV replication. Furthermore, we observed by confocal microscopy the rearrangement of cellular VIM into a cage-like structure during CSFV infection. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging indicated that the cage-like structures were localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and ringed around the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), thereby suggesting that VIM was associated with the formation of the viral replication complex (VRC). Mechanistically, phosphorylation of VIM at serine 72 (Ser72), regulated by the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway, induced VIM rearrangement upon CSFV infection. Confocal microscopy and coimmunoprecipitation assays revealed that VIM colocalized and interacted with CSFV NS5A. Structurally, it was determined that amino acids 96 to 407 of VIM and amino acids 251 to 416 of NS5A were the respective important domains for this interaction. Importantly, both VIM knockdown and disruption of VIM rearrangement inhibited the localization of NS5A in the ER, implying that VIM rearrangement recruited NS5A to the ER for VRC formation. Collectively, our results suggest that VIM recruits NS5A to form a stable VRC that is protected by the cage-like structure formed by VIM rearrangement, ultimately leading to enhanced virus replication. These findings highlight the critical role of VIM in the formation and stabilization of VRC, which provides alternative strategies for the development of antiviral drugs.
Classical swine fever (CSF), caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV), is a highly infectious disease that poses a significant threat to the global pig industry. Therefore, gaining insights into the virus and its interaction with host cells is crucial for developing effective antiviral measures and controlling the spread of CSF. Previous studies have shown that CSFV infection induces rearrangement of the endoplasmic reticulum, leading to the formation of small vesicular organelles containing nonstructural protein and double-stranded RNA of CSFV, as well as some host factors. These organelles then assemble into viral replication complexes (VRCs). In this study, we have discovered that VIM recruited CSFV NS5A to form a stable VRC that was protected by a cage-like structure formed by rearranged VIM. This enhanced viral replication. Our findings not only shed light on the molecular mechanism of CSFV replication but also offer new insights into the development of antiviral strategies for controlling CSFV.
An herbal prescription is usually composed of several herbal medicines. The complex and diverse components bring great challenges to its bioactivity study. To comprehensively analyze the bioactivity ...of an herbal prescription, a new strategy based on peak‐by‐peak cutting and knock‐out chromatography was proposed. In this strategy, active compounds were screened out via peak‐by‐peak cutting from an herbal extract, and the influence of a compound on the overall activity of the herbal extract was evaluated by knock‐out chromatography. Qiliqiangxin capsule is an herbal prescription composed of 11 herbal medicines for the treatment of chronic heart failure. A total of 71 peaks were collected through peak‐by‐peak cutting, and each peak was identified by a high‐resolution mass spectrum. The bioassay against 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl showed that two types of compounds namely salvianolic acids and caffeoylquinic acids were potent scavengers. Knock‐out chromatography suggested that the removal of one single compound had no obvious influence on the overall activity of the Qiliqiangxin capsule. After all the main peaks in the Qiliqiangxin capsule were knocked out, the remaining part still exhibited a potent activity, indicating high activity stability of the Qiliqiangxin capsule. The proposed strategy is helpful for the comprehensive analysis of the bioactivity of other herbal prescriptions.
Abstract Receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3) is a key molecular switch in tumor necrosis factor-induced necroptosis requiring the formation of an RIP3–RIP1 complex. We have recently shown that ...hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) neuronal death induced by 20-min global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a form of programmed necrosis. However, the mechanism behind this process is still unclear and was studied here. Global cerebral ischemia was induced by the four-vessel occlusion method and Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), a specific inhibitor of necroptosis, was administered by intracerebroventricular injection 1 h before ischemia. Normally, in the hippocampal CA1 neurons, RIP1 and RIP3 are located in the cytoplasm. However, after I/R injury, RIP3 was upregulated and translocated to the nucleus while RIP1 was not affected. Nec-1 pretreatment prevented hippocampal CA1 neuronal death and I/R induced changes in RIP3. Decreased level of NAD+ in hippocampus and the release of cathepsin-B from lysosomes after I/R injury were also inhibited by Nec-1. Our data demonstrate that Nec-1 inhibits neuronal death by preventing RIP3 upregulation and nuclear translocation, as well as NAD+ depletion and cathepsin-B release. The nuclear translocation of RIP3 has not been reported previously, so this may be an important role for RIP3 during ischemic injury.
The study sought to establish a sensitive and specific on-site loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for Brucella heated using a warmer pad. LAMP primers specific to the conserved BvrR gene ...were designed, and the LAMP reaction was optimized. The heating characteristics of the warmer pad were investigated. The detection validity (specificity, sensitivity) of clinical samples by warmer-pad LAMP (WP-LAMP) was compared with that of qPCR. The WP-LAMP method displayed high specificity and sensitivity for five Brucella gene copies. The detection of 104 clinical samples was 97.1% concordant with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed the success of the WP-LAMP for on-site detection. The method requires no special equipment and is conducive to the prevention and control of brucellosis.
Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease that causes great economic losses. Vaccine immunisation is the main strategy for the prevention and control of brucellosis. Although live attenuated ...vaccines play important roles in the prevention of this disease, they also have several limitations, such as residual virulence and difficulty in the differentiation of immunisation and infection. We developed and evaluated a new bacterial ghost vaccine of
A19 by a new double inactivation method. The results showed that the bacterial ghost vaccine of
represents a more safe and efficient vaccine for brucellosis. We further characterised the antigenic components and signatures of the vaccine candidate A19BG. Here, we utilised a mass spectrometry-based label-free relative quantitative proteomics approach to investigate the global proteomics changes in A19BGs compared to its parental A19. The proteomic analysis identified 2014 proteins, 1116 of which were differentially expressed compared with those in A19. The common immunological proteins of OMPs (Bcsp31, Omp25, Omp10, Omp19, Omp28, and Omp2a), HSPs (DnaK, GroS, and GroL), and SodC were enriched in the proteome of A19BG. By protein micro array-based antibody profiling, significant differences were observed between A19BG and A19 immune response, and a number of signature immunogenic proteins were identified. Two of these proteins, the BMEII0032 and BMEI0892 proteins were significantly different (P < 0.01) in distinguishing between A19 and A19BG immune sera and were identified as differential diagnostic antigens for the A19BG vaccine candidate. In conclusion, using comparative proteomics and antibody profiling, protein components and signature antigens were identified for the ghost vaccine candidate A19BG, which are valuable for further developing the vaccine and its monitoring assays.
This paper addresses the position control of valve-controlled cylinder system employed in hydraulic excavator. Nonlinearities such as dead zone, saturation, discharge coefficient and friction existed ...in the system are highlighted during the mathematical modeling. On this basis, simulation model is established and then validated against experiments. Aim for achieving excellent position control performances, an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is presented to search for the optimal proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller gains for the nonlinear hydraulic system. The proposed algorithm is a hybrid based on the standard PSO algorithm but with the addition of selection and crossover operators from genetic algorithm in order to enhance the searching efficiency. Furthermore, a nonlinear decreasing scheme for the inertia weight of the improved PSO algorithm is adopted to balance global exploration and local exploration abilities of particles. Then a co-simulation platform combining the simulation model with the improved PSO tuning based PID controller is developed. Comparisons of the improved PSO, standard PSO and Phase Margin (PM) tuning methods are carried out with three position references as step signal, ramp signal and sinusoidal wave using the co-simulation platform. The results demonstrated that the improved PSO algorithm can perform well in PID control for positioning of nonlinear hydraulic system.
•An improved PSO based PID is proposed for positioning of nonlinear hydraulic system.•Nonlinearities of hydraulic system are highlighted.•Selection and crossover operators are introduced into standard PSO algorithm.•Co-simulation platform is carried out to estimate the performance of controller.•Effectiveness of the improved PSO algorithm is validated by simulation.
The functional connectivity of the brain depends not only on the structural integrity of the cortex but also on the white matter pathways between cortical areas. White matter hyperintensities (WMH), ...caused by chronic hypoperfusion in the white matter, play a role in the outcome of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Herein, we investigate how the location and volume of WMH affect the default-mode network (DMN) connectivity in acute mild TBI (mTBI) patients. Forty-six patients with acute mTBI and 46 matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. All participants underwent T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), resting-state functional MRI (fMRI),and neuropsychological assessments. The volume and location of WMH were recorded. The relationships between the WMH volume and clinical assessments were evaluated using Spearman's correlation. Patients with higher frontal lobe WMH volume had more severe post-concussion symptoms and poorer information processing speed. Moreover, these patients had significantly lower functional connectivity in the right middle temporal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and left anterior cingulate cortex, compared with patients with low frontal lobe WMH volume. Compared to the controls, the patients with high frontal WMH volume exhibited significantly lower functional connectivity in the right inferior temporal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, and right superior frontal gyrus. These findings suggest that frontal lobe WMH volume may modulate the functional connectivity within the DMN. Therefore, the WMH volume in specific regions of the brain, particularly the frontal and parietal lobes, may accelerate the process of aging and cognitive impairment may be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of acute mTBI.
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms are becoming more widely applied in the modification of turbulence models. In this paper, with the aim of improving ...the prediction accuracy of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) model, a semi-implicit treatment of Reynolds stress anisotropy discrepancy model is developed using a higher-order tensor basis. A deep neural network is constructed and trained based on this discrepancy model. The trained model parameters are embedded in a computational fluid dynamics solver to modify the original RANS model. Modification computations are performed for two cases: one interpolation and one extrapolation of different Reynolds numbers. For these two cases, the ability of the modified model to capture anisotropic features has been improved. Moreover, when compared with the mean velocity of large eddy simulations (LES), the root mean square error of the modified model is significantly lower than the original RANS model. Meanwhile, the modified model can better simulate flow field separation and fluctuation in the shear layer and has better prediction accuracy for the reattachment point and the mean velocity profile compared with the original RANS model. In addition, the modified model also improves the prediction accuracy for the mean pressure coefficient and mean friction coefficient of the underlying wall surface. The previously trained model is also directly performed for the modification computation of the two massive separation periodic hill flows. It is shown that the results simulated by the modified model and LES approach are more consistent in both trend and magnitude than the original RANS model and LES approach.
PDF
