Sugars will eventually be exported transporters (SWEET) are involved in plant biological processes. CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17, were found to be induced by cold acclimation in Camellia sinensis. Particularly, CsSWEET17 was differentially alternatively spliced and its inclusion/exclusion ratio was higher in the cold-resistant cultivar than in the cold-susceptible cultivars. Both CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 were located in the plasma membrane, and their interaction was confirmed using yeast two-hybrid and biomolecular fluorescence complementation. The C-terminal of the CsSWEET17, which was different from AtSWEET17, did not affect its plasma membrane localization but promoted its sugar transport activities. Overexpression (OE) of CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 resulted in an increased uptake of sugars in Arabidopsis, affecting plant germination and growth. The leaf and seed size of CsSWEET17-OE lines were significantly bigger than wild-type. Moreover, OE of CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 significantly reduced the relative electrolyte leakage levels under cold stress. Compared with those in wild-type, the expressions of AtCWINV genes were suppressed in both CsSWEET1a-OE and CsSWEET17-OE lines, indicating the alteration of sugar contents in the cell wall of OE lines. Our results suggest that CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 form homo/heterodimers in the plasma membrane to import sugars into the cytoplasm, thereby regulating plant growth and cold tolerance.

Geo-environmental hazards associated with abandoned borrow pits in Nigeria are on the rise and a major concern to citizens, environmentalists and governments. Several highway failure spots are directly linked to the action of erosion initiated by active or abandoned (inactive) borrow pits situated close to the roads. This study examines the negative environmental impacts of the continuous removal of soil from borrow pits in some areas of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Four borrow pits were selected; two active sites and two abandoned sites. At inception, topographical and 3-Dimensional maps of the borrow pits were drawn and modelled. The area of the borrow pits and the volume of overburden excavated soils were calculated. The soil over burden pressure at the average height of the borrow pits were measured. The active borrow pit sites were checked again after two months to know the difference in the volume of overburden removed in the pit for that period. The volume of soil removed from borrow pit 1 (Active site), 2 (Active site), 3(Abandoned) and 4 (Abandoned) are 37000 m3, 34000 m3, 114000 m3 and 81000 m3 respectively. Environmental assessment of the study area through photographs showed prevalence of landslides, erosion, flooding, vegetation removal and structural failure. The volume of soil overburden removed from the abandoned borrow pit is more than the volume extracted from the active sites, this significant change in the value of overburden removed causes significant change to the terrain of the borrow pit. Some measures were then suggested to curb the problem occurring from the uncontrolled and indiscriminate borrow pits excavation thereby improving environmental sustainability. This study serves as a basis for government to put in place laws that help protect the environment from indiscriminate mining of borrow pits.

Abstract Rationale, aims, and objectives: Cardiac failure is one of the most common chronic diseases with high rate of morbidity and mortality. Fatigue and decreased ability to perform daily activities are of the most common complications of this disease. The purpose of this study was to determine effect of care plan based on Roy adaptation model on fatigue and daily activities in patients with heart failure. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 60 heart failure patients admitted in two educational hospitals supervised by the Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Sample was randomly assigned into two intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the care plan through a face to face and group training program in 6 sessions at one month. Interval followed by a follow-up period for 4 weeks later, while the control group only received the regular services from hospital. Fatigue level was calculated based on piper fatigue scale and daily activities were calculated by Barthes scale. Results: finding indicated there was a significant difference between the two groups control and intervention after the intervention. Result showed that the intervention group had significantly lower mean scores in fatigue and higher mean scores in daily activities compared to the control group after intervention P ≤ .05. There was significant relationship between fatigue and daily activities of life with frequency of hospitalization and duration of disease in both groups P ≤ .05. Conclusion: Implementation of Roy model based education program as a low-cost, effective, and non-aggressive nursing intervention can affect fatigue and improve the ability to perform daily activities in patients with heart failure.

For the prediction of the runoff sequence, owing to the non-stationariness and randomness of the sequence, the prediction accuracy of extreme runoff is not enough. In this study, the sparse factor of the loss function in a sparse autoencoder was enhanced using the inverse method of simulated annealing (ESA), and the runoff of the Kenswat Station in the Manas River Basin in northern Xinjiang, China, at 9:00, 15:00, and 20:00 daily during June, July, and August in 1998–2000 was considered as the study sequence. When the initial values of the sparse factor β are 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, the experiment is designed with 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 neurons, respectively, in the hidden layer to explore the relationship between the output characteristics of the hidden layer and the original runoff sequence after the network is trained with various sparse factors and different numbers of neurons in the hidden layer. Meanwhile, the orthogonal experimental groups ESA1, ESA2, ESA3, ESA4, and ESA5 were designed to predict the daily average runoff in September 2000 and compared with the prediction results of the support vector machine (SVM) and the feed forward neural network (FFNN). The results indicate that after the ESA training, the output of the hidden layer consists a large number of features of the original runoff sequence, and the boundaries of these features can reflect the runoff series with large changes.Meanwhile, the prediction results of the orthogonal experiment group indicate that when the number of neurons in the hidden layer is 90 and β0 = 15, the ESA has the best prediction effect on the sequence. In particular, the fitting effect on the day of “swelling up” of the runoff is more satisfactory than those of SVM and FFNN. The results are significant, as they provide a guide for exploring the evolution of the runoff under drought and flood as well as for optimally dispatching and managing water resources.

A high sensitivity refractive index (RI) sensor based on a multimode interference arises from the self-imaging effect in single-mode–multimode–single-mode fiber structure was experimentally demonstrated. The sensor performance with different coreless fiber diameter (CLF) was examined to obtain an appropriate dimension of extreme evanescent fields. Various diameters of CLF of 100 and 50 μm with three different tune lengths 20, 25 and 30 mm were achieved by chemical etching technique based on hydrofluoric (HF) acid plunging. The sensor performance is recognized by determining the spectral shift from the transmission spectrum for different values of refractive indices. The highest sensor sensitivity of about 1012 nm/RIU was attained when the CLF diameter was 50 μm. This sensor offers an appropriate and economical technique for applications of RI measurement.

A document by Md Sarwar, written on Authorea.

Temperature, time and particle size effects on Irvingia gabonensis kernel oil (IGKO) yield, as well as the kinetics and thermodynamics parameters were investigated. Highest oil yield of 68.80 % (by weight) was obtained at 55 °C, 150 min., and 0.5 mm. Evaluated physicochemical properties of IGKO indicated that viscosity, acidity, dielectric strength, flash and pour points were 19.37 mm2s-1, 5.18 mg KOHg-1, 25.83 KV, 285 °C, and 17 °C, respectively, suggesting its feasibility as transformer fluid upon further treatment. Of the pseudo second order (PSO) and hyperbolic kinetic models studied, the former gave better fit to the experimental data. ∆H, ∆S and ∆G values of IGKO extraction at 0.5 mm and 328 K were, 251.81 KJ/mol, 1.08 KJ/mol and -105.49 KJ/mol, respectively, indicating the endothermic, irreversible and spontaneous nature of the process. Kinetic model equations that describe the process were successfully developed for both models based on the process parameters.

This work focused on the chemical synthesis and characterization of palm kernel oil (PKO) for bio-lubricant production using transesterification of palm kernel methyl ester (PKME) with trimethylolpropane (TMP) and epoxidation-esterification methods. The PKO was extracted using solvent extraction method. The physicochemical characteristics of the PKO and produced bio-lubricant samples were determined using standard methods. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry and Gas Chromatographic analyses, were respectively, used to determine the predominant functional groups and fatty acids of PKO and the produced bio-lubricant samples. At 55 °C, 150 min and 0.5 mm particle size, kernel oil yield was 49.82 % (by weight). The viscosities at 40 °C, 100 °C, viscosity index, pour and flash points of the bio-lubricants produced by transesterification of TMP (PKBLT) and epoxidation-esterification (PKBLE) methods, were [42.53 cSt, 10.65 cSt, 139, - 11 °C, 235 °C] and [44.69 cSt, 11.42 cSt, 132, - 12 °C, 240 °C], respectively. Time, mole ratio and temperature effects were the main factors that significantly influenced the transesterification and epoxidation processes. The obtained physicochemical properties of PKBLE and PKBLT samples showed conformity with ISO VG 32 standard, hence, their possible application as bio-lubricant basestock.

Regime shifts are increasingly prevalent in the ecological literature. However, definitions vary, and many detection methods are subjective. Here, we employ an operationally objective means of identifying regime shifts, using a Bayesian online change-point detection algorithm able to simultaneously identify shifts in the mean and(or) variance of time series data. We detected multiple regime shifts in long-term (59-154 years) patterns of coastal Norwegian Atlantic cod (>70% decline) and putative drivers of cod productivity: North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO); sea-surface temperature; zooplankton abundance; fishing mortality (F). The consequences of an environmental or climate-related regime shift on cod productivity are accentuated when regime shifts coincide, fishing mortality is high, and populations are small. The analyses suggest that increasing F increasingly sensitized cod in the mid 1970s and late 1990s to regime shifts in NAO, zooplankton abundance, and water temperature. Our work underscores the necessity of accounting for human-induced mortality in RS analyses of marine ecosystems.

Evolutionary relatedness may hinder stable coexistence due to similar niches and non-linear responses to competition. The mechanisms driving stability may respond differently to phylogenetic distance. Related species may be synchronic (have similar demographic responses over time), affecting fluctuation-dependent mechanisms: the storage effect should destabilize coexistence, and relative non-linearity (RNL) should be stronger due to increased fluctuations in competition. We tested these hypotheses using invasion analysis based on a model parameterized for 19 plant species from a semiarid grassland. Coexistence stability increased with phylogenetic distance. Stabilization through fluctuation-independent niche differentiation was stronger between distant relatives as a result of weaker competition. Synchronicity was higher between relatives, having the expected effects on SE and RNL. RNL was also strong between distant species probably due to different non-linear responses. Phylogenetic distance became more important as more species interacted, suggesting that evolutionary relatedness may be decisive in species-rich communities.

We present a novel radar signal processing technique to identify the presence or absence of a living body in a vehicle using a mm-wave frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar. Unlike traditional detection methods which are mostly based on constant false alarm rate (CFAR), our proposed method extracts and monitors the consistent Doppler effect of received signals from the radar antenna resulting from the consistent breathing of living bodies over time. The proposed method works in all types of cars without the need for threshold definition for tracking as well as no need for training. Hence, the algorithm is more robust, accurate and fast. We assess our proposed signal processing with two phantoms mimicking the breathing of children and with adults in the vehicle in various conditions. The system has been proven to be robust in extensive studies over the course of multiple months.

A study is considered to a steady, two-dimensional boundary layer flow of an incompressible MHD fluid for the Blasius and Sakiadis flows about a flat plate in the presence of thermo-diffusion (Dufour) and thermal-diffusion (Soret) effects for variable parameters. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using similarity variables. The transformed systems are solved numerically by Runge-Kutta Gills method with shooting techniques. The variations of the flow velocity, temperature and concentration as well as the characteristics of heat and mass transfer are presented graphically with tabulated results. The numerical computations show that thermal boundary layer thickness is found to be increased with increasing values of Eckert number (Ec), Prandtl number (Pr) and local Grashof number (Gr_x) for both Blasius and Sakiadis flow. The Blasius flow elevates the thickness of the thermal boundary layer compared with the Sakiadis flow. The local magnetic field has shown that flow is retarded in the boundary layer but enhances temperature and concentration distributions.

The deposition characteristics of lead ions (Pb2+) in the presence of silicon powders (SPs) were investigated in water seepage in a long one-dimensional sand column experiment. The injected SPs possess a very wide particle-size distribution (PSD). The concentrations of deposited Pb2+ and SPs and the migration distance along the water flow direction were measured by sampling. The PSDs of the deposited SPs in different sections were obtained by laser diffraction after transport test completion, and microstructure photos were also acquired through metallographic microscopy. Test results show that the presence of SPs may promote or inhibit Pb2+ migration, which is closely related to the concentration of injected Pb2+, particle size and concentration of injected SPs, seepage velocity, and change in the absolute zeta potential in the surface charge. Larger SPs are first deposited within a relatively short distance from the injection surface of the sand column compared with smaller SPs. The median diameter of the deposited SPs near the injection end is larger than that of the injected SPs and gradually decreases with increasing distance, which represents a clear particle-separation characteristic due to the flowing water.

Complementarity in resource use leading to increased resource partitioning is the most commonly proposed mechanism for explaining the positive relationship between plant diversity and productivity. However, we still have a poor understanding of the relationship between plant diversity and root biomass. We used molecular method to identify tree species and to estimate the biomass of fine root (≤ 2 mm in diameter) for each tree species in soil cores sampled from the plots along a tree species gradient elaborated in subtropical forests. Our objectives were to examine whether spatial resource partitioning and symmetric proliferation are responsible for the relationship between aboveground tree species richness (SRA) and fine root biomass. We found that increasing SRA led to higher fine root biomass and a support for symmetric proliferation strategies, but this pattern only appeared in nutrient-rich upper soil layer. Structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that stand density was the dominant factor to mediate SRA effects on fine root biomass. Specifically, fine root biomass depended on the SRA × stand density interaction, with lower biomass at lower density and low richness, and this effect disappeared in higher density forests. Overall, we found inconsistent support for the vertical niche partitioning, indicating that greater soil volume filling is not the reason for belowground overyielding pattern. Alternatively, density-dependent biotic interactions affecting tree recruitment are an important driver affecting productivity in diverse subtropical forests but the usual root distribution patterns in line with the resource partitioning hypothesis are unrealistic in contexts where soil nutrients are heterogeneously distributed.

Accurate cooling crystallization is vitally important in the production of highly specialized fine chemicals and pharmaceutical engineering, etc. Herein, a novel hollow fiber membrane-assisted cooling crystallization (MACC) was developed to achieve precise nucleation and self-seeding process control. Poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyethersulfone (PES) membrane with diverse interfacial induced nucleation and thermal conduction properties were introduced to accelerate the nucleation and then transfer the automatically detached crystal seed into the crystallizer. Polymeric membrane can dominate the nucleation kinetic and hinder the secondary nucleation, which was validated from the theoretical model and on-line detective experiments. The crystal product manufactured by MACC possessed better morphology, larger mean size (>1.35 mm), higher purity (>99.5 wt%) and narrower size distribution than the conventional cooling crystallization. Space-time process decoupling between nucleation and crystal growth can be realized via auto-screening uniform nuclei in the membrane modules and controllable growth in the crystallizer during MACC.

High temperature stress increasingly threatens plant development and survival. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in plant stress responses, but their functions in the complex stress-responsive network remain elusive. Poplar is one of the most widely planted trees in the world and contributes to terrestrial ecological stability. In this study, we identified 261 high temperature-responsive lncRNAs in poplar (Populus simonii). These lncRNAs were predicted to target a total of 353 target genes of which 163 are cis-targets and 190 trans-targets. To determine the function of select heat-responsive lncRNAs, transient overexpressed and repressed lncRNA were implemented in poplar leaves and roots. As expected, the abundance of lncRNA target transcripts were altered. One such lncRNA TCONS_00202587 binds to upstream sequences of targets via its secondary structure and interfere with the target gene transcription. Another lncRNA TCONS_00260893 could enhance Ca2+ influx in response to high-temperature treatment by interfering with a specific variant/isoform of the target gene. Two lncRNA targets overexpressed experiment revealed heat tolerance in Arabidopsis. These results revealed lncRNAs could regulate their targets genes by acting as potential RNA scaffolds or through RNA interference pathway. It is indicated a new layers of highly complex RNA-based gene regulation in heat tolerance of perennial plants.

Trehalose protects and stabilizes the reaction center and improves photosystem II (PS II) activity. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Cyclic electron flow is an important mechanism to protect PS II under stress. This study focused on the effects of exogenous trehalose on the activity of PS II, D1 protein content, the plastoquinone (PQ) pool, and ATP synthase activity in wheat seedlings under heat and drought stress to explore the relationship between trehalose and cyclic electron flow (CEF). Our experimental results indicated that heat and drought stress decreased the maximal photochemical efficiency of PS II (Fv/Fm) and the electron transport rate of PS II (EFR(II)), whereas the trehalose pretreatment improved photochemical efficiency and the electron transport rate of PS II. The trehalose pretreatment stimulated CEF under heat and drought stress. Furthermore, the proton gradient (ΔpH) across the thylakoid membrane and ATPase activity increased. The higher ΔpH and ATPase activity played a key role in protecting PS II under stress. Inhibition of the oxidized PQ pool caused by heat and drought stress was alleviated by the trehalose pretreatment. Thus, our results show that photoinhibition of heat and drought-stressed plants was alleviated by the trehalose pretreatment. Our findings further reveal that this effect was mediated by CEF and the PQ pool.

Enzyme immobilization enhances the catalytic activity and stability of the enzyme, and also improves reusability. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), which possess diversified structures and porosity, have been used as excellent carriers for enzyme immobilization. Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase (PFL) has been successfully immobilized onto MOFs by covalent cross-linking to obtain a series of immobilized lipase (PFL@MOFs). PFL@MOFs are used for catalytic enantioselective hydrolysis of 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid ethyl ester enantiomers (2-HPPAEE) in aqueous medium and transesterification of 4-methoxymandelic acid enantiomers (4-MMA) in organic medium. The experimental results indicated that PFL@Uio-66(Zr) exhibits excellent enzymatic catalysis performances and high enantioselectives. In addition, to increase catalytic activity and reusability, PFL is modified by the polyethylene glycol (PEG) to prepare PEG-modified lipase (PFL-PEG), then PFL-PEG is immobilized onto Uio-66(Zr) to prepare PFL-PEG@Uio-66(Zr), demonstrating better reusability and catalytic activity compared with PFL@Uio-66(Zr).

A document by Vasiliki Tsavatopoulou, written on Authorea.

Removal of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from air is essential due to health issues. An industrial cyclic temperature swing adsorption (TSA) unit is investigated over activated carbon. The comparison of industrial data with that of model showed good agreement between them. The results showed that ethanol is more adsorbed on activated carbon than diethyl ether and outlet concentration of diethyl ether exceeds its inlet concentration due to its partial replacement by ethanol. Performance of the TSA unit is measured through calculating diethyl ether and ethanol recoveries. Moreover, an energy requirement is also added into the model and multi-objective optimization has been carried out. High model accuracy of 99.98 % is obtained for objectives indicating a good fitting. The suggested optimum variables wereduration of heating stepas 30min, duration of cooling stepas 20 min, regeneration flow rate of 400 kmol/h and humidity of 0.001 in air.

Rationale, aims and objectives: In emergency cesarean section, time from decision to delivery should be within 30 minutes. This study aims to compare decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) in emergency cesarean section before and after the implementation of a specific care process improvement protocol (“code blue”). Methods: 300 women underwent emergency cesarean section were included. Study and comparison group were 150 women before and 150 women after “code blue” protocol implementation. Medical records were reviewed for clinical information. Timing of decision-to-delivery process was compared. Results: Maternal age, parity, and GA at delivery were comparable between the 2 groups. The most common indication was abnormal FHR in NICHD category III in both groups. Median DDI was significantly shorter in study than comparison group (22 vs. 52.5 minutes, p<0.001). In addition, median decision-to-room and decision-to incision intervals were also significantly shorter (8 vs. 25 minutes and 18 vs. 45 minutes, p<0.001, respectively). Women in study group had significantly higher rate of DDI ≤30 minutes than in comparison group (80% vs. 8%, p<0.001). Similar significant differences of each time interval and rate of DDI ≤30 minutes between the 2 groups were observed regardless of decision time. Only 5 (3.3%) of women in study group had DDI >75 minutes compared to 13 cases (25%) in comparison group (p<0.001). Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were comparable between the 2 groups. Conclusion: The implementation of “code blue” protocol for emergency cesarean section results in significantly shorter DDI and other time intervals.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3∆9,12,15) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3∆6,9,12) are important trienoic fatty acids which are beneficial for human health in their own right, or as precursors for the biosynthesis of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. ALA and GLA in seed oil are synthesized from linoleic acid (LA, 18:2∆9,12) by the microsomal ω-3 fatty acid desaturase (FAD3) and ∆6 desaturase (D6D), respectively. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seed oil composition was modified by transforming with a FAD3 gene from Brassica napus and a D6D gene from Echium plantagineum, resulting in approximately 30% ALA and 20% GLA, respectively. The total oil content in transgenic seeds remained unaltered relative to parental seeds. Despite the use of a seed-specific promoter for transgene expression, low levels of GLA and increased levels of ALA were found in non-seed cotton tissues. At low temperature the germinating cottonseeds containing the linolenic acid isomers elongated faster than the untransformed controls. ALA-producing lines also showed higher photosynthetic rates at cooler temperature and better fibre quality compared to both untransformed controls and GLA-producing lines. The oxidative stability of the novel cottonseed oils was assessed, providing guidance for potential food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications of these oils.

The Arctic marine ecosystem has experienced extensive changes in sea ice dynamics, with significant impacts on ice-dependent species such as polar bears (Ursus maritimus). We used abundance estimates, age/sex structure, and body condition data to estimate population energy density and storage energy in Western Hudson Bay polar bears from 1985 to 2018. We examined intra-population variation in energetic patterns, temporal energetic trends, and the relationship between population energetics and sea ice conditions. Energy metrics for most demographic classes declined over time in relation to earlier sea ice breakup, most significantly for solitary adult females and yearlings, demonstrating their vulnerability to nutritional stress. Population energy metrics declined significantly over time in relation to earlier breakup and longer lagged open water periods, suggesting multi-year effects of sea ice decline. This study provides insights into ecological mechanisms linking population responses to sea ice decline and highlights the utility of long-term bioenergetics research.

La ricerca presenta un approccio di valutazione integrato per la definizione della sostenibilità ambientale dei WWTPs, con l'obiettivo di fornire uno strumento utile per la caratterizzazione e l'aumento della sostenibilità, attraverso l'identificazione e la quantificazione degli elementi critici. La procedura si basa sul concetto di miglioramento continuo, che può essere implementato sulla filosofia del ciclo di deming il quale consente l’ottimizzazione dei processi e il miglioramento della qualità e dell’efficienza.  L'approccio viene discusso considerando tre dimensioni di valutazione (aree tematiche): ubicazione, impianto e gestione.