To examine the possible correlation of aberrant Wnt signaling and pathological changes in Alzheimer’s disease, we established a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease and measured axin and β-catenin expression in the hip...To examine the possible correlation of aberrant Wnt signaling and pathological changes in Alzheimer’s disease, we established a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease and measured axin and β-catenin expression in the hippocampus. Rats were pretreated with moxibustion or electroacu-puncture, or both, at Baihui（GV20） and Shenshu（BL23）. Axin expression was lower, β-catenin expression was greater, and neuronal cytoplasmic edema was visibly prevented in the rats that had received the pretreatments. Our results suggest that the mechanism underlying the neuro-protective effect of acupuncture and moxibustion in Alzheimer’s disease is associated with axin and β-catenin expression in the Wnt signal transduction pathway.展开更多
The Alzheimer’s disease model in Wistar rats was established by injection of amyloid β-peptide （Aβ1-42 ） into the hippocampal CA1 region. Rats were treated with suspended moxibustion on Baihui （GV20） and Shens...The Alzheimer’s disease model in Wistar rats was established by injection of amyloid β-peptide （Aβ1-42 ） into the hippocampal CA1 region. Rats were treated with suspended moxibustion on Baihui （GV20） and Shenshu （BL23） acupoints. Prior to and post Aβ1-42 exposure. Results showed no evidence of apoptosis in hippocampal neurons, a significantly reduced apoptosis rate of neurons and improved learning and memory abilities were observed in the Alzheimer’s disease model. In particular, moxibustion prior to Aβ1-42 exposure was more effective than moxibustion after Aβ1-42 exposure in protecting the neuronal structure and lowering the apoptosis rate. Our findings indicate that a combination of preventive and therapeutic moxibustion has a beneficial effect for the tion of Alzheimer’s disease development.展开更多
Calcareous sand is widely present in coastal areas around the world and is usually considered as a weak and unstable material due to its high compressibility and low strength.Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precip...Calcareous sand is widely present in coastal areas around the world and is usually considered as a weak and unstable material due to its high compressibility and low strength.Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation(MICP)is a promising technique for soil improvement.However,the commonly adopted bio-augmented MICP approach is in general less compatible with the natural soil environment.Thus,this study focuses on the bio-stimulated MICP approach,which is likely to enhance the dominance of ureolytic bacteria for longer period and thus is deemed more efficient.The main objective of this paper is to investigate the compressibility of calcareous sand treated by bio-stimulated MICP approach.In the current study,a series of one-dimension compression tests was conducted on bio-cemented sand pre-pared via bio-stimulation with different initial relative densities(D r).Based on the obtained compression curves and particle size distribution(PSD)curves,the parameters including cementation content,the coefficient of compressibility(a v),PSD,relative breakage(B r),and relative agglomeration(A r)were discussed.The results showed that a v decreased with the increasing cementation content.The bio-cemented sand prepared with higher initial D r had smaller(approximately 20%e70%)a v values than that with lower initial D r.The specimen with higher initial D r and higher cementation content resulted in smaller B r but larger A r.Finally,a conceptual framework featuring multiple contact and damage modes was proposed.展开更多
Coral sand is widely encountered in coastal areas of tropical and subtropical regions.Compared with silica sand,it usually exhibits weaker performance from the perspective of engineering geology.To improve the geomech...Coral sand is widely encountered in coastal areas of tropical and subtropical regions.Compared with silica sand,it usually exhibits weaker performance from the perspective of engineering geology.To improve the geomechanical performance of coral sand and meet the requirement of foundation construction in coastal areas,a novel alkali activation-based sustainable binder was developed.The alkaliactivated slag(AAS)binder material was composed of ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBS)and hydrated lime with the amendment of biochar,an agricultural waste-derived material.The biocharamended AAS stabilized coral sand was subjected to a series of laboratory tests to determine its mechanical,physicochemical,and microstructural characteristics.Results show that adding a moderate amount of biochar in AAS could improve soil strength,elastic modulus,and water holding capacity by up to 20%,70%,and 30%,respectively.Moreover,the addition of biochar in AAS had a marginal effect on the sulfate resistance of the stabilized sand,especially at high biochar content.However,the resistance of the AAS stabilized sand to wet-dry cycles slightly deteriorated with the addition of biochar.Based on these observations,a conceptual model showing biochar-AAS-sand interactions was proposed,in which biochar served as an internal curing agent,micro-reinforcer,and mechanically weak point.展开更多
Firstly, the definition, structure and working principles of storage batteries in automatic meteorological observation stations were stated simply, and then the daily maintenance of the storage batteries were introduc...Firstly, the definition, structure and working principles of storage batteries in automatic meteorological observation stations were stated simply, and then the daily maintenance of the storage batteries were introduced according to previous practical experience, finally typical faults of storage batteries were analyzed. Practical evidence shows that timely external maintenance and enough supply of electrolyte can greatly extend the lifespan of storage batteries.展开更多
The timing of flowering is an important driver of species distribution and community assembly patterns.However,we still have much to learn about the factors that shape flowering diversity(i.e.,number of species flower...The timing of flowering is an important driver of species distribution and community assembly patterns.However,we still have much to learn about the factors that shape flowering diversity(i.e.,number of species flowering per period) in plant communities.One potential explanation of flowering diversity is the mid-domain effect,which states that geometric constraints on species ranges within a bounded domain(space or time) will yield a mid-domain peak in diversity regardless of ecological factors.Here,we determine whether the mid-domain effect explains peak flowering time(i.e.,when most species of communities are flowering) across China.We used phenological data of 16,267 herbaceous and woody species from the provincial Flora in China and species distribution data from the Chinese Vascular Plant Distribution Database to determine relationships between the observed number of species flowering and the number of species flowering as predicted by the mid-domain effect model,as well as between three climatic variables(mean minimum monthly temperature,mean monthly precipitation,and mean monthly sunshine duration).We found that the mid-domain effect explained a significant proportion of the temporal variation in flowering diversity across all species in China.Further,the mid-domain effect explained a greater proportion of variance in flowering diversity at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes.The patterns of flowering diversity for both herbaceous and woody species were related to both the mid-domain effect and environmental variables.Our findings indicate that including geometric constraints in conjunction with abiotic and biotic predictors will improve predictions of flowering diversity patterns.展开更多
Steam generating heat pump(SGHP)is a key technology for industrial decarbonization.For comprehensive evalu-ation of the feasibility and reliability of SGHP in different industrial sector,the work develops a thorough e...Steam generating heat pump(SGHP)is a key technology for industrial decarbonization.For comprehensive evalu-ation of the feasibility and reliability of SGHP in different industrial sector,the work develops a thorough evaluation model for assessing the performance of SGHP by considering waste heat recovery,CO_(2) trading value,and pollut-ant emission cost,in addition to the conventional evaluation criteria.This work presents a thorough comparison of the thermodynamic performance and sustainability of various types of SGHPs across different industrial sector.Additionally,the conflicting relationships between the coefficient of performance(COP)and exergy efficiency are balanced through the application of the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS).The results show that all the indexes of SGHP connected to an open heat pump(SGHPO)with different application sce-narios are higher than those of SGHP connected to a flash tank(SGHPF).At the most unfavorable operating condi-tion of the system,the COP minimum value is 1.31 and the exergy efficiency minimum value is 20.42%.These results indicate that replacing the coal-fired boiler with SGHP is feasible and the work could provide theoretical guidance for optimal design and equipment manufacture.展开更多
Recent studies have shown that PM_(2.5) may activate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis by inducing hormonal changes,potentially explaining the increase in neurological and cardiovascular risks.In addition,an...Recent studies have shown that PM_(2.5) may activate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis by inducing hormonal changes,potentially explaining the increase in neurological and cardiovascular risks.In addition,an association between PM_(2.5) and gut microbiota and metabolites was established.The above evidence represents crucial parts of the gut-brain axis(GBA).In view of this evidence.展开更多
Beta-glucan has been shown to have a beneficial effect on gastrointestinal health.This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects ofβ-glucan isolated from Agrobacterium sp.ZX09 on growth performance and inte...Beta-glucan has been shown to have a beneficial effect on gastrointestinal health.This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects ofβ-glucan isolated from Agrobacterium sp.ZX09 on growth performance and intestinal health of weaning pigs.A total of 108 weaned pigs(21 d of age;6.05±0.36 kg)were randomly divided into 3 groups(6 pens/group;6 pigs/pen),and the groups were each treated with the following diets:1)basal diet,2)basal diet supplemented with 20 mg/kg olaquindox,3)basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kgβ-glucan,for 21 d.Compared with the control group,pigs fed with200 mg/kgβ-glucan had greaterBW,average daily gain and duodenal villus height to crypt depth ratio(P<0.05).Olaquindox increased the duodenal or jejunal villus height of pigs compared withβ-glucan.Compared with the control group,β-glucan tended to increase the occludin mRNA expression in the jejunum(0.05<P<0.10).Beta-glucan enriched the beneficial microbiota in the ileum of pigs(P<0.05).In conclusion,β-glucan may promote growth performance by improving intestinal health and increasing beneficial microbiota of weaned pigs.The study results will provide valuable theoretical guidance for the utilization ofβ-glucan in weaned pigs.展开更多
The agricultural land suitability assessment based on the natural characteristics of land blocks is traditionally the basis for agricultural and/or land use planning.The assessment,however,is static and cannot be inco...The agricultural land suitability assessment based on the natural characteristics of land blocks is traditionally the basis for agricultural and/or land use planning.The assessment,however,is static and cannot be incorporated with potential land use changes.Recently,a dynamic approach,i.e.,matter element analysis,has been effectively applied for land use planning.In the present study,based on matter element analysis,we estab-lished a matter element analysis model for land use suitability assessment using the suitability grade of land use,evaluation indicators and their characteristic values as matter elements,and also using sutra field,controlled field,weight value and correlation degree from field survey,as well as an expert system.This model was applied to the structure regulation of the land use in the small Yuejiagou watershed of the Langzhong Municipality in Sichuan Province,China.Results show that the proportion among agriculture,forestry and animal husbandry tended to rationalize land use.The economic and eco-logical indices of the lands were increased from 1529.8 to 1719.99 and from 1460.94 to 1758.21 after the regulation,respectively.The regulation also caused changes in landscape patterns as follows:The indices of diversity and evenness were increased from 1.3028 to 2.0920 and from 0.6108 to 0.8463,or by 60.58%and 38.56%,respectively.However,the indices of dominance and contagion were decreased from 0.6431 to 0.2106 and from 0.7467 to 0.7125,respectively.This indicated that the land use in the small watershed was rational.The spatial distribution of patches tended to be uniform.The patch congregation was gradually dispersed.This study verified that the matter element analysis approach can not only overcome the factitious influences and improve the precision of land assessment,but also can be used for the structure regu-lation of specific patches.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30772837the Wuhan Municipal"Morning Sun"Science and Technology Plan,No.200850731347
文摘To examine the possible correlation of aberrant Wnt signaling and pathological changes in Alzheimer’s disease, we established a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease and measured axin and β-catenin expression in the hippocampus. Rats were pretreated with moxibustion or electroacu-puncture, or both, at Baihui（GV20） and Shenshu（BL23）. Axin expression was lower, β-catenin expression was greater, and neuronal cytoplasmic edema was visibly prevented in the rats that had received the pretreatments. Our results suggest that the mechanism underlying the neuro-protective effect of acupuncture and moxibustion in Alzheimer’s disease is associated with axin and β-catenin expression in the Wnt signal transduction pathway.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30901925,81173323,and 81273864
文摘The Alzheimer’s disease model in Wistar rats was established by injection of amyloid β-peptide （Aβ1-42 ） into the hippocampal CA1 region. Rats were treated with suspended moxibustion on Baihui （GV20） and Shenshu （BL23） acupoints. Prior to and post Aβ1-42 exposure. Results showed no evidence of apoptosis in hippocampal neurons, a significantly reduced apoptosis rate of neurons and improved learning and memory abilities were observed in the Alzheimer’s disease model. In particular, moxibustion prior to Aβ1-42 exposure was more effective than moxibustion after Aβ1-42 exposure in protecting the neuronal structure and lowering the apoptosis rate. Our findings indicate that a combination of preventive and therapeutic moxibustion has a beneficial effect for the tion of Alzheimer’s disease development.
基金This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42007246)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.2242022k30055)Indo-U.S.Science and Technology Forum(Grant No.IUSSTF/AUG/JC/047/2018).
文摘Calcareous sand is widely present in coastal areas around the world and is usually considered as a weak and unstable material due to its high compressibility and low strength.Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation(MICP)is a promising technique for soil improvement.However,the commonly adopted bio-augmented MICP approach is in general less compatible with the natural soil environment.Thus,this study focuses on the bio-stimulated MICP approach,which is likely to enhance the dominance of ureolytic bacteria for longer period and thus is deemed more efficient.The main objective of this paper is to investigate the compressibility of calcareous sand treated by bio-stimulated MICP approach.In the current study,a series of one-dimension compression tests was conducted on bio-cemented sand pre-pared via bio-stimulation with different initial relative densities(D r).Based on the obtained compression curves and particle size distribution(PSD)curves,the parameters including cementation content,the coefficient of compressibility(a v),PSD,relative breakage(B r),and relative agglomeration(A r)were discussed.The results showed that a v decreased with the increasing cementation content.The bio-cemented sand prepared with higher initial D r had smaller(approximately 20%e70%)a v values than that with lower initial D r.The specimen with higher initial D r and higher cementation content resulted in smaller B r but larger A r.Finally,a conceptual framework featuring multiple contact and damage modes was proposed.
基金supported by the Hawaii Department of Transportation(Grant No.2020-4ReSUPP)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42007246)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
文摘Coral sand is widely encountered in coastal areas of tropical and subtropical regions.Compared with silica sand,it usually exhibits weaker performance from the perspective of engineering geology.To improve the geomechanical performance of coral sand and meet the requirement of foundation construction in coastal areas,a novel alkali activation-based sustainable binder was developed.The alkaliactivated slag(AAS)binder material was composed of ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBS)and hydrated lime with the amendment of biochar,an agricultural waste-derived material.The biocharamended AAS stabilized coral sand was subjected to a series of laboratory tests to determine its mechanical,physicochemical,and microstructural characteristics.Results show that adding a moderate amount of biochar in AAS could improve soil strength,elastic modulus,and water holding capacity by up to 20%,70%,and 30%,respectively.Moreover,the addition of biochar in AAS had a marginal effect on the sulfate resistance of the stabilized sand,especially at high biochar content.However,the resistance of the AAS stabilized sand to wet-dry cycles slightly deteriorated with the addition of biochar.Based on these observations,a conceptual model showing biochar-AAS-sand interactions was proposed,in which biochar served as an internal curing agent,micro-reinforcer,and mechanically weak point.
文摘Firstly, the definition, structure and working principles of storage batteries in automatic meteorological observation stations were stated simply, and then the daily maintenance of the storage batteries were introduced according to previous practical experience, finally typical faults of storage batteries were analyzed. Practical evidence shows that timely external maintenance and enough supply of electrolyte can greatly extend the lifespan of storage batteries.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 42261004)supported by the Jiangsu Social Development Project (BE2022792)。
文摘The timing of flowering is an important driver of species distribution and community assembly patterns.However,we still have much to learn about the factors that shape flowering diversity(i.e.,number of species flowering per period) in plant communities.One potential explanation of flowering diversity is the mid-domain effect,which states that geometric constraints on species ranges within a bounded domain(space or time) will yield a mid-domain peak in diversity regardless of ecological factors.Here,we determine whether the mid-domain effect explains peak flowering time(i.e.,when most species of communities are flowering) across China.We used phenological data of 16,267 herbaceous and woody species from the provincial Flora in China and species distribution data from the Chinese Vascular Plant Distribution Database to determine relationships between the observed number of species flowering and the number of species flowering as predicted by the mid-domain effect model,as well as between three climatic variables(mean minimum monthly temperature,mean monthly precipitation,and mean monthly sunshine duration).We found that the mid-domain effect explained a significant proportion of the temporal variation in flowering diversity across all species in China.Further,the mid-domain effect explained a greater proportion of variance in flowering diversity at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes.The patterns of flowering diversity for both herbaceous and woody species were related to both the mid-domain effect and environmental variables.Our findings indicate that including geometric constraints in conjunction with abiotic and biotic predictors will improve predictions of flowering diversity patterns.
基金supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2023M740165)Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Major Project(2021SZD0036)Beijing Natural Science Foundation(3242015).
文摘Steam generating heat pump(SGHP)is a key technology for industrial decarbonization.For comprehensive evalu-ation of the feasibility and reliability of SGHP in different industrial sector,the work develops a thorough evaluation model for assessing the performance of SGHP by considering waste heat recovery,CO_(2) trading value,and pollut-ant emission cost,in addition to the conventional evaluation criteria.This work presents a thorough comparison of the thermodynamic performance and sustainability of various types of SGHPs across different industrial sector.Additionally,the conflicting relationships between the coefficient of performance(COP)and exergy efficiency are balanced through the application of the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS).The results show that all the indexes of SGHP connected to an open heat pump(SGHPO)with different application sce-narios are higher than those of SGHP connected to a flash tank(SGHPF).At the most unfavorable operating condi-tion of the system,the COP minimum value is 1.31 and the exergy efficiency minimum value is 20.42%.These results indicate that replacing the coal-fired boiler with SGHP is feasible and the work could provide theoretical guidance for optimal design and equipment manufacture.
基金This study was supported by the National Research Program for Key Issues in Air Pollution Control of China(no.DQGG0401)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(nos.82025030 and 81941023)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(no.2016YFC0206500).
文摘Recent studies have shown that PM_(2.5) may activate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis by inducing hormonal changes,potentially explaining the increase in neurological and cardiovascular risks.In addition,an association between PM_(2.5) and gut microbiota and metabolites was established.The above evidence represents crucial parts of the gut-brain axis(GBA).In view of this evidence.
基金supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFD0501100)Science and Technology Program of Changsha(kq2004078)+3 种基金Science and technology program of Changsha(kq1907074)the Innovation Team of Key areas of the Ministry of Science and Technologythe Science and Technology Leadership Program of Hunan Province(2019RS3021)Sichuan Synlight Biotech Ltd and Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province,China(18B476)。
文摘Beta-glucan has been shown to have a beneficial effect on gastrointestinal health.This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects ofβ-glucan isolated from Agrobacterium sp.ZX09 on growth performance and intestinal health of weaning pigs.A total of 108 weaned pigs(21 d of age;6.05±0.36 kg)were randomly divided into 3 groups(6 pens/group;6 pigs/pen),and the groups were each treated with the following diets:1)basal diet,2)basal diet supplemented with 20 mg/kg olaquindox,3)basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kgβ-glucan,for 21 d.Compared with the control group,pigs fed with200 mg/kgβ-glucan had greaterBW,average daily gain and duodenal villus height to crypt depth ratio(P<0.05).Olaquindox increased the duodenal or jejunal villus height of pigs compared withβ-glucan.Compared with the control group,β-glucan tended to increase the occludin mRNA expression in the jejunum(0.05<P<0.10).Beta-glucan enriched the beneficial microbiota in the ileum of pigs(P<0.05).In conclusion,β-glucan may promote growth performance by improving intestinal health and increasing beneficial microbiota of weaned pigs.The study results will provide valuable theoretical guidance for the utilization ofβ-glucan in weaned pigs.
基金The study was supported by the Key Project of the 11th Five-year Program for Science and Technology Development of China(No.2006BAD03A0504)the Key Project of 11th Five-year Program for Science and Technology Development of China(No.2006BAD03A0204).
文摘The agricultural land suitability assessment based on the natural characteristics of land blocks is traditionally the basis for agricultural and/or land use planning.The assessment,however,is static and cannot be incorporated with potential land use changes.Recently,a dynamic approach,i.e.,matter element analysis,has been effectively applied for land use planning.In the present study,based on matter element analysis,we estab-lished a matter element analysis model for land use suitability assessment using the suitability grade of land use,evaluation indicators and their characteristic values as matter elements,and also using sutra field,controlled field,weight value and correlation degree from field survey,as well as an expert system.This model was applied to the structure regulation of the land use in the small Yuejiagou watershed of the Langzhong Municipality in Sichuan Province,China.Results show that the proportion among agriculture,forestry and animal husbandry tended to rationalize land use.The economic and eco-logical indices of the lands were increased from 1529.8 to 1719.99 and from 1460.94 to 1758.21 after the regulation,respectively.The regulation also caused changes in landscape patterns as follows:The indices of diversity and evenness were increased from 1.3028 to 2.0920 and from 0.6108 to 0.8463,or by 60.58%and 38.56%,respectively.However,the indices of dominance and contagion were decreased from 0.6431 to 0.2106 and from 0.7467 to 0.7125,respectively.This indicated that the land use in the small watershed was rational.The spatial distribution of patches tended to be uniform.The patch congregation was gradually dispersed.This study verified that the matter element analysis approach can not only overcome the factitious influences and improve the precision of land assessment,but also can be used for the structure regu-lation of specific patches.
