China’s investment is creating life-changing opportunities for Rwandans In a significant development in the bilateral eco-nomic partnership,Chinese investors injected some$460 million into Rwanda’s economy in 2024.T...China’s investment is creating life-changing opportunities for Rwandans In a significant development in the bilateral eco-nomic partnership,Chinese investors injected some$460 million into Rwanda’s economy in 2024.This accounted for 14.1 percent of all registered foreign capital in Rwanda,making China the country’s leading foreign investor.According to a report from the Rwanda Development Board(RDB).展开更多
The rapid advancement of Industry 4.0 has revolutionized manufacturing,shifting production from centralized control to decentralized,intelligent systems.Smart factories are now expected to achieve high adaptability an...The rapid advancement of Industry 4.0 has revolutionized manufacturing,shifting production from centralized control to decentralized,intelligent systems.Smart factories are now expected to achieve high adaptability and resource efficiency,particularly in mass customization scenarios where production schedules must accommodate dynamic and personalized demands.To address the challenges of dynamic task allocation,uncertainty,and realtime decision-making,this paper proposes Pathfinder,a deep reinforcement learning-based scheduling framework.Pathfinder models scheduling data through three key matrices:execution time(the time required for a job to complete),completion time(the actual time at which a job is finished),and efficiency(the performance of executing a single job).By leveraging neural networks,Pathfinder extracts essential features from these matrices,enabling intelligent decision-making in dynamic production environments.Unlike traditional approaches with fixed scheduling rules,Pathfinder dynamically selects from ten diverse scheduling rules,optimizing decisions based on real-time environmental conditions.To further enhance scheduling efficiency,a specialized reward function is designed to support dynamic task allocation and real-time adjustments.This function helps Pathfinder continuously refine its scheduling strategy,improving machine utilization and minimizing job completion times.Through reinforcement learning,Pathfinder adapts to evolving production demands,ensuring robust performance in real-world applications.Experimental results demonstrate that Pathfinder outperforms traditional scheduling approaches,offering improved coordination and efficiency in smart factories.By integrating deep reinforcement learning,adaptable scheduling strategies,and an innovative reward function,Pathfinder provides an effective solution to the growing challenges of multi-robot job scheduling in mass customization environments.展开更多
Objective:This study aimed to examine the causal model of eating behaviors among pregnant women working in industrial factories.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 participants,attending 4 healthca...Objective:This study aimed to examine the causal model of eating behaviors among pregnant women working in industrial factories.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 participants,attending 4 healthcare centers,at a tertiary care hospital in Chonburi province,Thailand.Data were collected using 7 questionnaires:demographic form,eating behavior questionnaire,perceived benefits of the healthy eating questionnaire,perceived barriers to the healthy eating questionnaire,perceived self-efficacy questionnaire,social support questionnaire,and accessibility to healthy foods questionnaire.Descriptive statistics and path analysis were used for data analysis.Results:The participants had relatively high mean scores for eating behaviors.The final model fitted well with the dataχ^(2)=12.86,df=10,P=0.23;χ^(2)/df=1.29;comparative fit index(CFI)=0.98;goodness-of-fit index(GFI)=0.98;adjusted goodness-of-fit index(AGFI)=0.95;root mean square error of approximation(RMSEA)=0.04.Four factors-perceived benefits(β=0.13,P<0.05),perceived self-efficacy in healthy eating(β=0.22,P<0.001),pregnancy planning(β=0.28,P<0.001),and accessibility to healthy foods in the factory(β=0.12,P<0.05)-positively affected eating behavior,while only perceived barriers to healthy eating had a negative effect on eating behavior(β=−0.24,P<0.001).All the above factors explained 27.2%of the variance in eating behaviors.Conclusions:Nurses or healthcare providers can apply these findings to create an eating behavior modification program,focusing on pregnancy planning,behavior-specific variables,and interpersonal and situational influence,to promote the nutritional status of pregnant women working in industrial factories.展开更多
The rapid advancement of fundamental theories and computing capacity has brought artificial intelligence,internet of things, extended reality, and many other new intelligent technologies into our daily lives. Due to t...The rapid advancement of fundamental theories and computing capacity has brought artificial intelligence,internet of things, extended reality, and many other new intelligent technologies into our daily lives. Due to the lack of interpretability and reliability guarantees, it is extremely challenging to apply these technologies directly to real-world industrial systems. Here we present a new paradigm for establishing parallel factories in metaverses to accelerate the deployment of intelligent technologies in real-world industrial systems: QAII-1.0. Based on cyber-physical-social systems,QAII-1.0 incorporates complex social and human factors into the design and analysis of industrial operations and is capable of handling industrial operations involving complex social and human behaviors. In QAII-1.0, a field foundational model called Eu Artisan combined with scenarios engineering is developed to improve the intelligence of industrial systems while ensuring industrial interpretability and reliability. Finally, parallel oil fields in metaverses are established to demonstrate the operating procedure of QAII-1.0.展开更多
Development and utilization of“liquid sunshine”could be one of key solutions to deal with the issues of fossil fuel depletion and increasing carbon dioxide.Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes capable of performin...Development and utilization of“liquid sunshine”could be one of key solutions to deal with the issues of fossil fuel depletion and increasing carbon dioxide.Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes capable of performing oxygenic photosynthesis,and their activity accounts for~25%of the total carbon fixation on earth.More importantly,besides their traditional roles as primary producers,cyanobacteria could be modified as“photosynthetic cell factories”to produce renewable fuels and chemicals directly from CO_(2) driven by solar energy,with the aid of cutting-edging synthetic biology technology.Towards their large-scale biotechnological application in the future,many challenges still need to be properly addressed,among which is cyanobacterial cell factories inevitably suffer from high light(HL)stress during large-scale outdoor cultivation,resulting in photodamage and even cell death,limiting their productivity.In this review,we critically summarized recent progress on deciphering molecular mechanisms to HL and developing HL-tolerant chassis in cyanobacteria,aiming at facilitating construction of HLresistant chassis and promote the future application of the large-scale outdoor cultivation of cyanobacterial cell factories.Finally,the future directions on cyanobacterial chassis engineering were discussed.展开更多
In this paper we show that the MDA can be considered as a software industrialization pattern (or a software factory). Nearly all industries today are haunted with how to reduce costs, improve quality, faster time-to-m...In this paper we show that the MDA can be considered as a software industrialization pattern (or a software factory). Nearly all industries today are haunted with how to reduce costs, improve quality, faster time-to-market and to maximize profits. These challenges are particularly relevant to the software industry, because it still lags behind other technology sectors as regards industrialization and the timely delivery of software products. Most software are still of poor quality, always finished after deadlines (most don’t finish at all), and are very labour intensive. Here, we discuss the MDA as an approach that may help solving at the same time both problems of industrialization and ever-changing software infrastructures. We propose a MDA Engine based on a real case study in an IT services company. It is a proposal for a framework to create custom MDA tools, based on XMI, XSLT and the Visitor Pattern.展开更多
Plus-strand RNA virus replication occurs in tight association with cytoplasmic host cell membranes. Both, viral and cellular factors cooperatively generate distinct organelle-like structures, designated viral replicat...Plus-strand RNA virus replication occurs in tight association with cytoplasmic host cell membranes. Both, viral and cellular factors cooperatively generate distinct organelle-like structures, designated viral replication factories. This compartmentalization allows coordination of the different steps of the viral replication cycle, highly efficient genome replication and protection of the viral RNA from cellular defense mechanisms. Electron tomography studies conducted during the last couple of years revealed the three dimensional structure of numerous plus-strand RNA virus replication compartments and highlight morphological analogies between different virus families. Based on the morphology of virusinduced membrane rearrangements, we propose two separate subclasses: the invaginated vesicle/spherule type and the double membrane vesicle type. This review discusses common themes and distinct differences in the architecture of plus-strand RNA virus-induced membrane alterations and summarizes recent progress that has been made in understanding the complex interplay between viral and co-opted cellular factors in biogenesis and maintenance of plus-strand RNA virus replication factories.展开更多
Background： Lung cancer ranks as the fifth largest of all cancer cases in Thailand. However, it is the first leading cancer in the northern part of Thailand （data from 2003-2007）. There are several predisposing cau...Background： Lung cancer ranks as the fifth largest of all cancer cases in Thailand. However, it is the first leading cancer in the northern part of Thailand （data from 2003-2007）. There are several predisposing causes that lead to lung cancer and one important inducement is particulate matters （PMs）. Lampang Province in Thailand is famous for the ceramic industry, where there are over 200 ceramic industrial factories. PMs are produced during the ceramic manufacturing process and spread throughout all of the working areas. It is very possible that workers could directly inhale PM-contaminated air during working hours. Objective： This study focuses on the toxic effects of PMs collected from ceramic factories on genes and lungs of rats. Methods： PMs collected from six ceramic factories in Lampang Province were extracted using dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO）. The inductively coupled plasma mass spec- trometry （ICP-MS） and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry （ICP-OES） were used to analyze the chemical elements at lower and higher concentrations, respectively. Then, the toxicity of PMs on the genes was ex- amined by the Ames test, and subsequently, the effect of PMs on DNA was examined by quantifying the amount of 8-hydroxy-2＇-deoxyguanosine （8-OHdG）. Finally, the toxicity of the PMs on rat＇s lungs was examined by histology. Results： As chemical elements of lower concentrations, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, and lead were detected by ICP-MS. As chemical elements of higher concentrations, manganese, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, and sodium were detected by ICP-OES. No mutagenicity in Salmone/la typhimurium was found in the PM extracts from all six factories by utilizing the Ames test. In the histological study, the reduction in spaces of alveolar ducts and sacs, and terminal bronchioles, the thickening of interstitial connective tissues were noted by PM extracts in high amounts （100 and 350 pg）. Female rats were more sensitive to PM extracts than males in terms of their pulmonary damages. Conclusions： PMs were not mutagenic to S. typhimurium but can damage the lung tissue of rats.展开更多
The increasing demand for software engineers cannot completely be fulfilled by university education and conventional training approaches due to limited capacities.Accordingly,an alternative approach is necessary where...The increasing demand for software engineers cannot completely be fulfilled by university education and conventional training approaches due to limited capacities.Accordingly,an alternative approach is necessary where potential software engineers are being educated in software engineering skills using new methods.We suggest micro tasks combined with theoretical lessons to overcome existing skill deficits and acquire fast trainable capabilities.This paper addresses the gap between demand and supply of software engineers by introducing an actionoriented and scenario-based didactical approach,which enables non-computer scientists to code.Therein,the learning content is provided in small tasks and embedded in learning factory scenarios.Therefore,different requirements for software engineers from the market side and from an academic viewpoint are analyzed and synthesized into an integrated,yet condensed skills catalogue.This enables the development of training and education units that focus on the most important skills demanded on the market.To achieve this objective,individual learning scenarios are developed.Of course,proper basic skills in coding cannot be learned over night but software programming is also no sorcery.展开更多
Purpose: Leagile manufacturing is one of the time-based manufacturing practices used to improve factory performance. It is a practice that combines initiatives of Lean and agile manufacturing under certain enabling co...Purpose: Leagile manufacturing is one of the time-based manufacturing practices used to improve factory performance. It is a practice that combines initiatives of Lean and agile manufacturing under certain enabling competences. Therefore, the purpose of this study is investigate the combinative nature of time-based manufacturing practices under unique enabling competences and their impact on performance of factories in Uganda. Methodology: Firstly, the underlying factor structure of competences and time-based manufacturing was examined was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Enabling competences and time-base manufacturing practices were modelled and validated for each using confirmatory factor analysis, particularly composite reliability, average variance extracted and convergent validity. A fully fledged structural equation model was used to test the impact of leagile manufacturing on performance of factories. Findings: The study results revealed that time-based manufacturing of lean, and leagile are related but differ, in terms of their enabling competences and philosophical orientation. The findings also revealed that when small and medium factories in Uganda adopt leagile practice, they are likely not improve their performance. This is perhaps due to the fact that small and medium factories have inadequate resources. Practical Implications: The study findings shed more insights on the factors that enable adoption and implementation of time-based manufacturing practices. The extent to which these competences are orchestrated determines the benefits derived from the time-based manufacturing practices. In addition, small and medium enterprises should keenly make a choice on the appropriate practices that purposely reduce their lead time and cost of conversion. Originality: This study investigated the combinative nature of time-based manufacturing practices under unique enabling competences and their impact on performance of factories in Uganda. It is among the few studies that provide evidence on the leagile model anchored in the appropriate enabling competences in the context of developing countries. The empirical survey was done on small and medium factories to validate a leagile manufacturing model and tested its impact on factory performance.展开更多
Developing methylotrophic cell factories that can efficiently catalyze organic one-carbon(C1)feedstocks derived from electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide into bio-based chemicals and biofuels is of strategic s...Developing methylotrophic cell factories that can efficiently catalyze organic one-carbon(C1)feedstocks derived from electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide into bio-based chemicals and biofuels is of strategic significance for building a carbon-neutral,sustainable economic and industrial system.With the rapid advancement of RNA sequencing technology and mass spectrometer analysis,researchers have used these quantitative microbiology methods extensively,especially isotope-based metabolic flux analysis,to study the metabolic processes initiating from C1 feedstocks in natural C1-utilizing bacteria and synthetic C1 bacteria.This paper reviews the use of advanced quantitative analysis in recent years to understand the metabolic network and basic principles in the metabolism of natural C1-utilizing bacteria grown on methane,methanol,or formate.The acquired knowledge serves as a guide to rewire the central methylotrophic metabolism of natural C1-utilizing bacteria to improve the carbon conversion efficiency,and to engineer non-C1-utilizing bacteria into synthetic strains that can use C1 feedstocks as the sole carbon and energy source.These progresses ultimately enhance the design and construction of highly efficient C1-based cell factories to synthesize diverse high value-added products.The integration of quantitative biology and synthetic biology will advance the iterative cycle of understand–design–build–testing–learning to enhance C1-based biomanufacturing in the future.展开更多
Plant natural products(PNPs)exhibit a wide range of biological activities and have essential applications in various fields such as medicine,agriculture,and flavors.Given their natural limitations,the production of hi...Plant natural products(PNPs)exhibit a wide range of biological activities and have essential applications in various fields such as medicine,agriculture,and flavors.Given their natural limitations,the production of high-value PNPs using microbial cell factories has become an effective alternative in recent years.However,host metabolic burden caused by its massive accumulation has become one of the main challenges for efficient PNP production.Therefore,it is necessary to strengthen the transmembrane transport process of PNPs.This review introduces the discovery and mining of PNP transporters to directly mediate PNP transmembrane transportation both intracellularly and extracellularly.In addition to transporter engineering,this review also summarizes several auxiliary strategies(such as small molecules,environmental changes,and vesicles assisted transport)for strengthening PNP transportation.Finally,this review is concluded with the applications and future perspectives of transportation engineering in the construction and optimization of PNP microbial cell factories.展开更多
When you think of Dongguan,chances are you picture humming factories and endless assembly lines.For decades,this city in southern China was known as the“world's workshop,”churning out everything from sneakers to...When you think of Dongguan,chances are you picture humming factories and endless assembly lines.For decades,this city in southern China was known as the“world's workshop,”churning out everything from sneakers to smartphones.展开更多
Amid resource shortages and environmental concerns,microbial synthesis has emerged as a promising and sustainable alternative to traditional chemical synthesis.Rhodotorula,a genus of yeasts known for producing red pig...Amid resource shortages and environmental concerns,microbial synthesis has emerged as a promising and sustainable alternative to traditional chemical synthesis.Rhodotorula,a genus of yeasts known for producing red pigments,has gained recognition for its ability to synthesize triglycerides,phospholipids,sterol esters,polyol esters of fatty acids,β-carotene,γ-carotene,torulene,and torularhodin.Rhodotorula has garnered increasing attention as a microbial cell factory,particularly for the production of valuable lipids and carotenoids.In this study,we review the research advancements and challenges associated with Rhodotorula,covering topics such as applicable carbon sources and their utilization mechanisms,key lipid and carotenoid products,and their metabolic pathways.We also provide an overview of the available gene manipulation techniques and associated challenges.Furthermore,this study emphasized the research significance of Rhodotorula based on recent developments and explored its potential as an alternative source of natural biological products.展开更多
Microorganisms,particularly extremophiles,have evolved multiple adaptation mechanisms to address diverse stress conditions during survival in unique environments.Their responses to environmental coercion decide not on...Microorganisms,particularly extremophiles,have evolved multiple adaptation mechanisms to address diverse stress conditions during survival in unique environments.Their responses to environmental coercion decide not only survival in severe conditions but are also an essential factor determining bioproduction performance.The design of robust cell factories should take the balance of their growing and bioproduction into account.Thus,mining and redesigning stress-tolerance elements to optimize the performance of cell factories under various extreme conditions is necessary.Here,we reviewed several stress-tolerance elements,including acid-tolerant elements,saline-alkali-resistant elements,thermotolerant elements,antioxidant elements,and so on,providing potential materials for the construction of cell factories and the development of synthetic biology.Strategies for mining and redesigning stress-tolerance elements were also discussed.Moreover,several applications of stress-tolerance elements were provided,and perspectives and discussions for potential strategies for screening stress-tolerance elements were made.展开更多
AUTONOMOUS buses gliding through the streets,satellites with flexible solar wings whizzing through space,smart electric vehicle factories running at full speed...In recent years,Beijing has seen the emergence of a lar...AUTONOMOUS buses gliding through the streets,satellites with flexible solar wings whizzing through space,smart electric vehicle factories running at full speed...In recent years,Beijing has seen the emergence of a large number of cutting-edge technology companies,confirming the city’s role as a melting pot of scientific innovation in China.展开更多
Greenhouse cultivation has evolved from simple covered rows of open-fields crops to highly sophisticated controlled environment agriculture(CEA)facilities that projected the image of plant factories for urban agricult...Greenhouse cultivation has evolved from simple covered rows of open-fields crops to highly sophisticated controlled environment agriculture(CEA)facilities that projected the image of plant factories for urban agriculture.The advances and improvements in CEA have promoted the scientific solutions for the efficient production of plants in populated cities and multi-story buildings.Successful deployment of CEA for urban agriculture requires many components and subsystems,as well as the understanding of the external influencing factors that should be systematically considered and integrated.This review is an attempt to highlight some of the most recent advances in greenhouse technology and CEA in order to raise the awareness for technology transfer and adaptation,which is necessary for a successful transition to urban agriculture.This study reviewed several aspects of a high-tech CEA system including improvements in the frame and covering materials,environment perception and data sharing,and advanced microclimate control and energy optimization models.This research highlighted urban agriculture and its derivatives,including vertical farming,rooftop greenhouses and plant factories which are the extensions of CEA and have emerged as a response to the growing population,environmental degradation,and urbanization that are threatening food security.Finally,several opportunities and challenges have been identified in implementing the integrated CEA and vertical farming for urban agriculture.展开更多
The global market demand for natural astaxanthin is rapidly increasing owing to its safety,the potential health benefits,and the diverse applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.The major native producers of...The global market demand for natural astaxanthin is rapidly increasing owing to its safety,the potential health benefits,and the diverse applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.The major native producers of natural astaxanthin on industrial scale are the alga Haematococcus pluvialis and the yeast Xanthopyllomyces dendrorhous.However,the natural production via these native producers is facing challenges of limited yield and high cost of cultivation and extraction.Alternatively,astaxanthin production via metabolically engineered non-native microbial cell factories such as Escherichia coli,Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica is another promising strategy to overcome these limitations.In this review we summarize the recent scientific and biotechnological progresses on astaxanthin biosynthetic pathways,transcriptional regulations,the interrelation with lipid metabolism,engineering strategies as well as fermentation process control in major native and non-native astaxanthin producers.These progresses illuminate the prospects of producing astaxanthin by microbial cell factories on industrial scale.展开更多
Environmental sustainability is an increasingly important issue in industry.As an environmentally friendly and sustainable way,constructing microbial cell factories to produce all kinds of valuable products has attrac...Environmental sustainability is an increasingly important issue in industry.As an environmentally friendly and sustainable way,constructing microbial cell factories to produce all kinds of valuable products has attracted more and more attention.In the process of constructing microbial cell factories,systems biology plays a crucial role.This review summarizes the recent applications of systems biology in the design and construction of microbial cell factories from four perspectives,including functional genes/enzymes discovery,bottleneck pathways identification,strains tolerance improvement and design and construction of synthetic microbial consortia.Systems biology tools can be employed to identify functional genes/enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of products.These discovered genes are introduced into appropriate chassis strains to build engineering microorganisms capable of producing products.Subsequently,systems biology tools are used to identify bottleneck pathways,improve strains tolerance and guide design and construction of synthetic microbial consortia,resulting in increasing the yield of engineered strains and constructing microbial cell factories successfully.展开更多
文摘China’s investment is creating life-changing opportunities for Rwandans In a significant development in the bilateral eco-nomic partnership,Chinese investors injected some$460 million into Rwanda’s economy in 2024.This accounted for 14.1 percent of all registered foreign capital in Rwanda,making China the country’s leading foreign investor.According to a report from the Rwanda Development Board(RDB).
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.62372110Fujian Provincial Natural Science of Foundation under Grants 2023J02008,2024H0009.
文摘The rapid advancement of Industry 4.0 has revolutionized manufacturing,shifting production from centralized control to decentralized,intelligent systems.Smart factories are now expected to achieve high adaptability and resource efficiency,particularly in mass customization scenarios where production schedules must accommodate dynamic and personalized demands.To address the challenges of dynamic task allocation,uncertainty,and realtime decision-making,this paper proposes Pathfinder,a deep reinforcement learning-based scheduling framework.Pathfinder models scheduling data through three key matrices:execution time(the time required for a job to complete),completion time(the actual time at which a job is finished),and efficiency(the performance of executing a single job).By leveraging neural networks,Pathfinder extracts essential features from these matrices,enabling intelligent decision-making in dynamic production environments.Unlike traditional approaches with fixed scheduling rules,Pathfinder dynamically selects from ten diverse scheduling rules,optimizing decisions based on real-time environmental conditions.To further enhance scheduling efficiency,a specialized reward function is designed to support dynamic task allocation and real-time adjustments.This function helps Pathfinder continuously refine its scheduling strategy,improving machine utilization and minimizing job completion times.Through reinforcement learning,Pathfinder adapts to evolving production demands,ensuring robust performance in real-world applications.Experimental results demonstrate that Pathfinder outperforms traditional scheduling approaches,offering improved coordination and efficiency in smart factories.By integrating deep reinforcement learning,adaptable scheduling strategies,and an innovative reward function,Pathfinder provides an effective solution to the growing challenges of multi-robot job scheduling in mass customization environments.
文摘Objective:This study aimed to examine the causal model of eating behaviors among pregnant women working in industrial factories.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 participants,attending 4 healthcare centers,at a tertiary care hospital in Chonburi province,Thailand.Data were collected using 7 questionnaires:demographic form,eating behavior questionnaire,perceived benefits of the healthy eating questionnaire,perceived barriers to the healthy eating questionnaire,perceived self-efficacy questionnaire,social support questionnaire,and accessibility to healthy foods questionnaire.Descriptive statistics and path analysis were used for data analysis.Results:The participants had relatively high mean scores for eating behaviors.The final model fitted well with the dataχ^(2)=12.86,df=10,P=0.23;χ^(2)/df=1.29;comparative fit index(CFI)=0.98;goodness-of-fit index(GFI)=0.98;adjusted goodness-of-fit index(AGFI)=0.95;root mean square error of approximation(RMSEA)=0.04.Four factors-perceived benefits(β=0.13,P<0.05),perceived self-efficacy in healthy eating(β=0.22,P<0.001),pregnancy planning(β=0.28,P<0.001),and accessibility to healthy foods in the factory(β=0.12,P<0.05)-positively affected eating behavior,while only perceived barriers to healthy eating had a negative effect on eating behavior(β=−0.24,P<0.001).All the above factors explained 27.2%of the variance in eating behaviors.Conclusions:Nurses or healthcare providers can apply these findings to create an eating behavior modification program,focusing on pregnancy planning,behavior-specific variables,and interpersonal and situational influence,to promote the nutritional status of pregnant women working in industrial factories.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(1811463,62073321)Modeling,Decision and Control Algorithms for Servo Drive Systems。
文摘The rapid advancement of fundamental theories and computing capacity has brought artificial intelligence,internet of things, extended reality, and many other new intelligent technologies into our daily lives. Due to the lack of interpretability and reliability guarantees, it is extremely challenging to apply these technologies directly to real-world industrial systems. Here we present a new paradigm for establishing parallel factories in metaverses to accelerate the deployment of intelligent technologies in real-world industrial systems: QAII-1.0. Based on cyber-physical-social systems,QAII-1.0 incorporates complex social and human factors into the design and analysis of industrial operations and is capable of handling industrial operations involving complex social and human behaviors. In QAII-1.0, a field foundational model called Eu Artisan combined with scenarios engineering is developed to improve the intelligence of industrial systems while ensuring industrial interpretability and reliability. Finally, parallel oil fields in metaverses are established to demonstrate the operating procedure of QAII-1.0.
基金This research was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2019YFA0904600,2018YFA0903600,2020YFA0906800 and 2018YFA0903000)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31770035,31972931,91751102,31770100,31901017,31901016,32070083 and 21621004)Tianjin Synthetic Biotechnology Innovation Capacity Improvement Project(No.TSBICIP-KJGG-007).
文摘Development and utilization of“liquid sunshine”could be one of key solutions to deal with the issues of fossil fuel depletion and increasing carbon dioxide.Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes capable of performing oxygenic photosynthesis,and their activity accounts for~25%of the total carbon fixation on earth.More importantly,besides their traditional roles as primary producers,cyanobacteria could be modified as“photosynthetic cell factories”to produce renewable fuels and chemicals directly from CO_(2) driven by solar energy,with the aid of cutting-edging synthetic biology technology.Towards their large-scale biotechnological application in the future,many challenges still need to be properly addressed,among which is cyanobacterial cell factories inevitably suffer from high light(HL)stress during large-scale outdoor cultivation,resulting in photodamage and even cell death,limiting their productivity.In this review,we critically summarized recent progress on deciphering molecular mechanisms to HL and developing HL-tolerant chassis in cyanobacteria,aiming at facilitating construction of HLresistant chassis and promote the future application of the large-scale outdoor cultivation of cyanobacterial cell factories.Finally,the future directions on cyanobacterial chassis engineering were discussed.
文摘In this paper we show that the MDA can be considered as a software industrialization pattern (or a software factory). Nearly all industries today are haunted with how to reduce costs, improve quality, faster time-to-market and to maximize profits. These challenges are particularly relevant to the software industry, because it still lags behind other technology sectors as regards industrialization and the timely delivery of software products. Most software are still of poor quality, always finished after deadlines (most don’t finish at all), and are very labour intensive. Here, we discuss the MDA as an approach that may help solving at the same time both problems of industrialization and ever-changing software infrastructures. We propose a MDA Engine based on a real case study in an IT services company. It is a proposal for a framework to create custom MDA tools, based on XMI, XSLT and the Visitor Pattern.
基金Supported by The DFG,SFB638,TP A5 and SFB/TRR83,TP 13
文摘Plus-strand RNA virus replication occurs in tight association with cytoplasmic host cell membranes. Both, viral and cellular factors cooperatively generate distinct organelle-like structures, designated viral replication factories. This compartmentalization allows coordination of the different steps of the viral replication cycle, highly efficient genome replication and protection of the viral RNA from cellular defense mechanisms. Electron tomography studies conducted during the last couple of years revealed the three dimensional structure of numerous plus-strand RNA virus replication compartments and highlight morphological analogies between different virus families. Based on the morphology of virusinduced membrane rearrangements, we propose two separate subclasses: the invaginated vesicle/spherule type and the double membrane vesicle type. This review discusses common themes and distinct differences in the architecture of plus-strand RNA virus-induced membrane alterations and summarizes recent progress that has been made in understanding the complex interplay between viral and co-opted cellular factors in biogenesis and maintenance of plus-strand RNA virus replication factories.
基金Project supported by the Oncological Society of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen(No.RE53006)
文摘Background： Lung cancer ranks as the fifth largest of all cancer cases in Thailand. However, it is the first leading cancer in the northern part of Thailand （data from 2003-2007）. There are several predisposing causes that lead to lung cancer and one important inducement is particulate matters （PMs）. Lampang Province in Thailand is famous for the ceramic industry, where there are over 200 ceramic industrial factories. PMs are produced during the ceramic manufacturing process and spread throughout all of the working areas. It is very possible that workers could directly inhale PM-contaminated air during working hours. Objective： This study focuses on the toxic effects of PMs collected from ceramic factories on genes and lungs of rats. Methods： PMs collected from six ceramic factories in Lampang Province were extracted using dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO）. The inductively coupled plasma mass spec- trometry （ICP-MS） and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry （ICP-OES） were used to analyze the chemical elements at lower and higher concentrations, respectively. Then, the toxicity of PMs on the genes was ex- amined by the Ames test, and subsequently, the effect of PMs on DNA was examined by quantifying the amount of 8-hydroxy-2＇-deoxyguanosine （8-OHdG）. Finally, the toxicity of the PMs on rat＇s lungs was examined by histology. Results： As chemical elements of lower concentrations, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, and lead were detected by ICP-MS. As chemical elements of higher concentrations, manganese, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, and sodium were detected by ICP-OES. No mutagenicity in Salmone/la typhimurium was found in the PM extracts from all six factories by utilizing the Ames test. In the histological study, the reduction in spaces of alveolar ducts and sacs, and terminal bronchioles, the thickening of interstitial connective tissues were noted by PM extracts in high amounts （100 and 350 pg）. Female rats were more sensitive to PM extracts than males in terms of their pulmonary damages. Conclusions： PMs were not mutagenic to S. typhimurium but can damage the lung tissue of rats.
基金supported in part by the Junior Research Group“ProMUT”(01UU1705B)which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of its funding initiative“Social-Ecological Research”the German Internet Institute(16DII116).
文摘The increasing demand for software engineers cannot completely be fulfilled by university education and conventional training approaches due to limited capacities.Accordingly,an alternative approach is necessary where potential software engineers are being educated in software engineering skills using new methods.We suggest micro tasks combined with theoretical lessons to overcome existing skill deficits and acquire fast trainable capabilities.This paper addresses the gap between demand and supply of software engineers by introducing an actionoriented and scenario-based didactical approach,which enables non-computer scientists to code.Therein,the learning content is provided in small tasks and embedded in learning factory scenarios.Therefore,different requirements for software engineers from the market side and from an academic viewpoint are analyzed and synthesized into an integrated,yet condensed skills catalogue.This enables the development of training and education units that focus on the most important skills demanded on the market.To achieve this objective,individual learning scenarios are developed.Of course,proper basic skills in coding cannot be learned over night but software programming is also no sorcery.
文摘Purpose: Leagile manufacturing is one of the time-based manufacturing practices used to improve factory performance. It is a practice that combines initiatives of Lean and agile manufacturing under certain enabling competences. Therefore, the purpose of this study is investigate the combinative nature of time-based manufacturing practices under unique enabling competences and their impact on performance of factories in Uganda. Methodology: Firstly, the underlying factor structure of competences and time-based manufacturing was examined was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Enabling competences and time-base manufacturing practices were modelled and validated for each using confirmatory factor analysis, particularly composite reliability, average variance extracted and convergent validity. A fully fledged structural equation model was used to test the impact of leagile manufacturing on performance of factories. Findings: The study results revealed that time-based manufacturing of lean, and leagile are related but differ, in terms of their enabling competences and philosophical orientation. The findings also revealed that when small and medium factories in Uganda adopt leagile practice, they are likely not improve their performance. This is perhaps due to the fact that small and medium factories have inadequate resources. Practical Implications: The study findings shed more insights on the factors that enable adoption and implementation of time-based manufacturing practices. The extent to which these competences are orchestrated determines the benefits derived from the time-based manufacturing practices. In addition, small and medium enterprises should keenly make a choice on the appropriate practices that purposely reduce their lead time and cost of conversion. Originality: This study investigated the combinative nature of time-based manufacturing practices under unique enabling competences and their impact on performance of factories in Uganda. It is among the few studies that provide evidence on the leagile model anchored in the appropriate enabling competences in the context of developing countries. The empirical survey was done on small and medium factories to validate a leagile manufacturing model and tested its impact on factory performance.
基金National Key R&D Program of China,Grant Award Numbers:2018YFA0901500,2021YFC2103500National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Numbers:22078169,32000003,31900004。
文摘Developing methylotrophic cell factories that can efficiently catalyze organic one-carbon(C1)feedstocks derived from electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide into bio-based chemicals and biofuels is of strategic significance for building a carbon-neutral,sustainable economic and industrial system.With the rapid advancement of RNA sequencing technology and mass spectrometer analysis,researchers have used these quantitative microbiology methods extensively,especially isotope-based metabolic flux analysis,to study the metabolic processes initiating from C1 feedstocks in natural C1-utilizing bacteria and synthetic C1 bacteria.This paper reviews the use of advanced quantitative analysis in recent years to understand the metabolic network and basic principles in the metabolism of natural C1-utilizing bacteria grown on methane,methanol,or formate.The acquired knowledge serves as a guide to rewire the central methylotrophic metabolism of natural C1-utilizing bacteria to improve the carbon conversion efficiency,and to engineer non-C1-utilizing bacteria into synthetic strains that can use C1 feedstocks as the sole carbon and energy source.These progresses ultimately enhance the design and construction of highly efficient C1-based cell factories to synthesize diverse high value-added products.The integration of quantitative biology and synthetic biology will advance the iterative cycle of understand–design–build–testing–learning to enhance C1-based biomanufacturing in the future.
基金supported by Fundamental Research Funds for the Zhejiang Provincial Universities(226-2023-00015)National Natural Science Foundation of China(22278361,32200052,and 32300053)+1 种基金China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2023M733096)National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFA0901800 and 2021YFC2103200).
文摘Plant natural products(PNPs)exhibit a wide range of biological activities and have essential applications in various fields such as medicine,agriculture,and flavors.Given their natural limitations,the production of high-value PNPs using microbial cell factories has become an effective alternative in recent years.However,host metabolic burden caused by its massive accumulation has become one of the main challenges for efficient PNP production.Therefore,it is necessary to strengthen the transmembrane transport process of PNPs.This review introduces the discovery and mining of PNP transporters to directly mediate PNP transmembrane transportation both intracellularly and extracellularly.In addition to transporter engineering,this review also summarizes several auxiliary strategies(such as small molecules,environmental changes,and vesicles assisted transport)for strengthening PNP transportation.Finally,this review is concluded with the applications and future perspectives of transportation engineering in the construction and optimization of PNP microbial cell factories.
文摘When you think of Dongguan,chances are you picture humming factories and endless assembly lines.For decades,this city in southern China was known as the“world's workshop,”churning out everything from sneakers to smartphones.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2023YQ026 and ZR2022ZD24)the National Key R&D Program of China(2021YFC2103200)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31970069).
文摘Amid resource shortages and environmental concerns,microbial synthesis has emerged as a promising and sustainable alternative to traditional chemical synthesis.Rhodotorula,a genus of yeasts known for producing red pigments,has gained recognition for its ability to synthesize triglycerides,phospholipids,sterol esters,polyol esters of fatty acids,β-carotene,γ-carotene,torulene,and torularhodin.Rhodotorula has garnered increasing attention as a microbial cell factory,particularly for the production of valuable lipids and carotenoids.In this study,we review the research advancements and challenges associated with Rhodotorula,covering topics such as applicable carbon sources and their utilization mechanisms,key lipid and carotenoid products,and their metabolic pathways.We also provide an overview of the available gene manipulation techniques and associated challenges.Furthermore,this study emphasized the research significance of Rhodotorula based on recent developments and explored its potential as an alternative source of natural biological products.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFA0901000,2022YFC2104800 and 2019YFC1606102)the Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition Program(2022xjkk020603)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U2003305 and 31860018).
文摘Microorganisms,particularly extremophiles,have evolved multiple adaptation mechanisms to address diverse stress conditions during survival in unique environments.Their responses to environmental coercion decide not only survival in severe conditions but are also an essential factor determining bioproduction performance.The design of robust cell factories should take the balance of their growing and bioproduction into account.Thus,mining and redesigning stress-tolerance elements to optimize the performance of cell factories under various extreme conditions is necessary.Here,we reviewed several stress-tolerance elements,including acid-tolerant elements,saline-alkali-resistant elements,thermotolerant elements,antioxidant elements,and so on,providing potential materials for the construction of cell factories and the development of synthetic biology.Strategies for mining and redesigning stress-tolerance elements were also discussed.Moreover,several applications of stress-tolerance elements were provided,and perspectives and discussions for potential strategies for screening stress-tolerance elements were made.
文摘AUTONOMOUS buses gliding through the streets,satellites with flexible solar wings whizzing through space,smart electric vehicle factories running at full speed...In recent years,Beijing has seen the emergence of a large number of cutting-edge technology companies,confirming the city’s role as a melting pot of scientific innovation in China.
文摘Greenhouse cultivation has evolved from simple covered rows of open-fields crops to highly sophisticated controlled environment agriculture(CEA)facilities that projected the image of plant factories for urban agriculture.The advances and improvements in CEA have promoted the scientific solutions for the efficient production of plants in populated cities and multi-story buildings.Successful deployment of CEA for urban agriculture requires many components and subsystems,as well as the understanding of the external influencing factors that should be systematically considered and integrated.This review is an attempt to highlight some of the most recent advances in greenhouse technology and CEA in order to raise the awareness for technology transfer and adaptation,which is necessary for a successful transition to urban agriculture.This study reviewed several aspects of a high-tech CEA system including improvements in the frame and covering materials,environment perception and data sharing,and advanced microclimate control and energy optimization models.This research highlighted urban agriculture and its derivatives,including vertical farming,rooftop greenhouses and plant factories which are the extensions of CEA and have emerged as a response to the growing population,environmental degradation,and urbanization that are threatening food security.Finally,several opportunities and challenges have been identified in implementing the integrated CEA and vertical farming for urban agriculture.
基金We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0907800)Shandong Jincheng Bio-Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd.
文摘The global market demand for natural astaxanthin is rapidly increasing owing to its safety,the potential health benefits,and the diverse applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.The major native producers of natural astaxanthin on industrial scale are the alga Haematococcus pluvialis and the yeast Xanthopyllomyces dendrorhous.However,the natural production via these native producers is facing challenges of limited yield and high cost of cultivation and extraction.Alternatively,astaxanthin production via metabolically engineered non-native microbial cell factories such as Escherichia coli,Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica is another promising strategy to overcome these limitations.In this review we summarize the recent scientific and biotechnological progresses on astaxanthin biosynthetic pathways,transcriptional regulations,the interrelation with lipid metabolism,engineering strategies as well as fermentation process control in major native and non-native astaxanthin producers.These progresses illuminate the prospects of producing astaxanthin by microbial cell factories on industrial scale.
基金by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2019YFA0706900)National Natural Science Foundation of China (22278310).
文摘Environmental sustainability is an increasingly important issue in industry.As an environmentally friendly and sustainable way,constructing microbial cell factories to produce all kinds of valuable products has attracted more and more attention.In the process of constructing microbial cell factories,systems biology plays a crucial role.This review summarizes the recent applications of systems biology in the design and construction of microbial cell factories from four perspectives,including functional genes/enzymes discovery,bottleneck pathways identification,strains tolerance improvement and design and construction of synthetic microbial consortia.Systems biology tools can be employed to identify functional genes/enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of products.These discovered genes are introduced into appropriate chassis strains to build engineering microorganisms capable of producing products.Subsequently,systems biology tools are used to identify bottleneck pathways,improve strains tolerance and guide design and construction of synthetic microbial consortia,resulting in increasing the yield of engineered strains and constructing microbial cell factories successfully.
