Daily natural gas load prediction method based on APSO optimization and Attention-BiLSTM.

As the economy continues to develop and technology advances, there is an increasing societal need for an environmentally friendly ecosystem. Consequently, natural gas, known for its minimal greenhouse gas emissions, has been widely adopted as a clean energy alternative. The accurate prediction of short-term natural gas demand poses a significant challenge within this context, as precise forecasts have important implications for gas dispatch and pipeline safety. The incorporation of intelligent algorithms into prediction methodologies has resulted in notable progress in recent times. Nevertheless, certain limitations persist. However, there exist certain limitations, including the tendency to easily fall into local optimization and inadequate search capability. To address the challenge of accurately predicting daily natural gas loads, we propose a novel methodology that integrates the adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithm, attention mechanism, and bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) neural networks. The initial step involves utilizing the BiLSTM network to conduct bidirectional data learning. Following this, the attention mechanism is employed to calculate the weights of the hidden layer in the BiLSTM, with a specific focus on weight distribution. Lastly, the adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithm is utilized to comprehensively optimize and design the network structure, initial learning rate, and learning rounds of the BiLSTM network model, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the model. The findings revealed that the combined model achieved a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 0.90% and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.99. These results surpassed those of the other comparative models, demonstrating superior prediction accuracy, as well as exhibiting favorable generalization and prediction stability.

A Newly Synbiotic Combination Alleviates Obesity by Modulating the Gut Microbiota-Fat Axis and Inhibiting the Hepatic TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

SCOPE: Obesity has been recognized as a worldwide public health crisis, this is accompanied by dysregulation of the intestinal microbiota and upregulation of liver steatosis and adipose inflammation. Synbiotic as a novel alternative therapy for obesity have recently gained much attention. METHODS: This study innovatively research the anti-obesity properties of a newly synbiotic composed of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium infantis and konjac glucomannan oligosaccharides. RESULTS: The synbiotic treatment can reduce body weight, fat mass, blood sugar, liver steatosis and adipose inflammation in obesity mice fed by high-fat diet (HFD). Meanwhile, synbiotic treatment activated brown adipose tissue and improve energy, glucose and lipid metabolism. In addition, synbiotic treatment not solely enhanced the protection of intestinal barrier, but also ameliorated gut microbiota dysbiosis directly by enhancing beneficial microbes and reducing potentially harmful bacteria. Furthermore, the microbiome phenotype and functional prediction showed that synbiotic treatment can improve the gut microbiota functions involving inflammatory state, immune response, metabolism and pathopoiesia. CONCLUSION: The synbiotic may be an effective candidate treatment strategy for the clinical prevention and treatment of obesity and other associated metabolic diseases such as hyperlipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases by alleviating inflammatory response, regulating energy metabolism and maintaining the balance of intestinal microecology.

[Metformin activates AMPK to alleviate acute fulminant hepatitis induced by concanavalin A in mice].

Objective To investigate the protective effect of metformin (Met) on acute fulminant hepatitis induced by concanavalin A (ConA) in mice and explore its mechanism. Methods Twenty-four mice were randomly divided into normal group (NC), ConA group, and Met group, with 8 mice in each group. The latter two groups respectively were gavaged with 0.2 mL normal saline and metformin (100 mg/kg) for 5 days, followed by tail vein injection of 0.1 mL ConA (25 mg/kg) to establish the acute fulminant hepatitis model, and all the mice were sacrificed 18 hours later. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total bilirubin (TB) were detected; the pathological changes of mouse liver tissue were observed with HE staining; the macrophage infiltration in liver tissue was detected with immunohistochemistry. The mRNA of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α in liver tissue were tested with real time quantitative PCR. The number of total white blood cells (WBC) and lymphocytes in the peripheral blood were recorded and the frequency of Th17 cells in the spleen was detected by flow cytometry. The expression of apoptosis protein caspase-3 in liver tissue was observed with immunofluorescence histochemistry and the expression of AMPK and phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK) were detected by Western blot analysis. Results Compared with the ConA group, the Met group showed significantly decreased serum ALT, AST and TB, improved liver tissue pathology, decreased macrophage infiltration and increased content of peripheral total WBCs and lymphocytes, as well as decreased frequency of Th17 lymphocytes in the spleen. The expression of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α and apoptosis also decreased in this group, along with the increased expression of p-AMPK. Conclusion Met has a significant protective effect on acute fulminant hepatitis mice, and its mechanism may be related to the activation of AMPK signal, thus reducing the frequency of Th17 lymphocytes and alleviating the infiltration of hepatic inflammatory cells and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Analyses of the circadian clock genes expression in whole embryos and maternal major tissues of mice.

To create an organism, it is vital to assemble enough cells of the various differentiated types with the correct spatial arrangement within the embryo. Circadian clocks development is closely correlated with all cellular differentiation. However, the expression of its emergence during mammalian development are not fully understood. To determine whether embryonic development is influenced by circadian rhythm, it is necessary to observe the ontogeny of the circadian clock gene. We first measured the expression of key circadian genes in whole embryos and maternal major tissues of 25 female mice using RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis. Our results indicated that mouse embryos begin to express key circadian genes and have the capacity to express active circadian regulatory cycles during development. But circadian molecular rhythms can't be built in embryo. At E15, the expression of Bmal1, Clock and Per1 mRNA in whole embryo were increased, especially Per1. In the meanwhile, immunohistochemical analysis shows a small number of PER1 positive cells were observed in the bottom of right atrium. From E16 to E17, CLOCK and PER1 positive cells were observed in the airway smooth muscle, the wall of left atrium and skeletal muscle of body wall. It is interesting that CLOCK and PER1 positive cells could not be detected in the liver. By using RT-PCR, we continue to observe the expression of myogenic regulatory factor in embryos and also analyse the relationship of embryo development and maternal rhythms. From E12, the expression of myogenin increased quickly. The expression of Tcap at E15 significantly increased. myogenin may play a direct role in contributing Tcap expression. The expression of MAZ is always the highest than myogenin and Tcap in embryos. MAZ may concern with the development of skeletal muscle. The clock gene is a positive regulator of myogenesis and the development of organ. In contrast to embryonic tissues, circadian variation was present for Bmal1, Clock and Per1 at maternal tissues. Our results indicate that circadian clock genes seem to function differently in different tissues of embryo and maternal mice. Synchrony does not occur during embryo development despite exposure to maternal rhythms. But development of embryo may be affected by maternal tissues of mice.

The interrelationship between inflammatory cytokines and skeletal muscle decay from the viewpoint of circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms affect a variety of physiological processes. Disruption of circadian rhythms causes many diseases, most of which are associated with inflammation. Disruption of circadian rhythms has a detrimental impact on the function of immune system. It is common to find that circulatory LPS are increased. LPS induces immune cells to produce inflammatory cytokines. Inflammatory cytokines play a role in skeletal muscle decay. Rev-erbß has been identified as a critical regulator of circadian rhythms and a factor in inflammation. Another effect of disruption is a concomitant disturbance of glucose-insulin metabolism, which skeletal muscle likely contributes to considering it is a key metabolic tissue. Disruption of circadian rhythms is also related to obesity. Obesity can cause an increase expression of inflammatory cytokines. Maybe obesity with skeletal muscle decay is one of major characteristics. Future studies are needed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of inflammatory cytokines and skeletal muscle decay from the viewpoint of circadian rhythms.

Identification of Flavoanoids From Finger Citron and Evaluation on Their Antioxidative and Antiaging Activities.

Finger citron (Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle) is a traditional Chinese herb and considered as a healthy food. Flavonoids are the major bioactive substances in Finger citron. In this study, the major flavonoids of finger citron (FFC) were purified with AB-8 macroporous resins, and then three of them were identified as diosmetin-6-8-di-C-glucoside, hesperidin and diosmetin-6-C-glucoside, and other two were preliminarily inferred as limocitrol 3-alpha-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1->3)-galactoside and scutellarein 4'-methyl ether 7-glucoside by high-performance liquid chromatography and ultraperformance liquid chromatography to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Further, their antioxidation and antiaging activities were determined in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, chemical assays revealed that the purified FFC had strong antioxidative activity as demonstrated by its strong DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS [2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activities and ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity). In vivo, the purified FFC significantly increased the mean and maximum lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans by 31.26 and 26.59%, respectively, and showed no side effects on their physiological functions. Under normal and oxidative stress conditions, purified FFC reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde, while increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activities in C. elegans. Together, we successfully identified three major substances in purified FFC of finger citron and determined the excellent antiaging activity of FFC, which is attributed to its strong antioxidative activity and effect on homeostasis of ROS.

Influence of Dislocations on the Refractive Index of AlN by Nanoscale Strain Field.

The refractive index of AlN has a direct influence on AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronic devices, such as the external quantum efficiency of light-emitting devices. Revealing the dependence of the refractive index of AlN on the threading dislocations is meaningful since high-density threading dislocations usually exist in AlN. In this paper, the effect of different dislocation densities on the refractive index of AlN is investigated. With the increase of dislocation densities from 4.24 × 108 to 3.48 × 109 cm- 2, the refractive index of AlN decreases from 2.2508 to 2.2102 at 280 nm. Further study demonstrates that the nanoscale strain field around dislocations changes the propagation of light and thus decreases the refractive index of AlN. This study will be beneficial to the design of optoelectronic devices and thus realizing high-performance deep ultraviolet optoelectronic devices.

Decorin-loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles modified by anti-alpha fetoprotein antibody: preparation, proliferation inhibition and induced apoptosis effects on HepG2 cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVES: Decorin (DCN) is a negative regulatory factor for the growth of cancer cells and can inhibit the proliferation, metastasis of cancer cells and angiogenesis in cancer tissues. The aims of this study were to prepare the nanoparticles consisting of DCN and poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) modified by anti-alpha fetoprotein (AFP) monoclonal antibody (mAb) and to examine the conventional physical properties, the in-vitro release of DCN and the targeting effect of these nanoparticles on HepG2 cells. KEY FINDINGS: The encapsulated plasmid was slowly and steadily released from the nanoparticles. The targeted PLGA nanoparticles were initiatively taken in HepG2 cells high-efficiently. According to the results of RT-PCR, DCN gene in AFPmAb-PLGA-rhDCN nanoparticles can be expressed in HepG2 cells successfully. These nanoparticles significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells and induced apoptosis. The mRNA expression of Bcl-2 gene in the AFPmAb-PLGA-rhDCN-treated groups appeared significantly to decrease and the caspase-3 gene had the opposite trend as compared with that of control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: These studies revealed that these nanoparticles were capable of specifically targeting the HepG2 cells and inhibiting the proliferation and they induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells in vitro, which was in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Does turbidity induced by Carassius carassius limit phytoplankton growth? A mesocosm study.

It is well established that benthivorous fish in shallow lakes can create turbid conditions that influence phytoplankton growth both positively, as a result of elevated nutrient concentration in the water column, and negatively, due to increased attenuation of light. The net effect depends upon the degree of turbidity induced by the benthivores. Stocked Carassius carassius dominate the benthivorous fish fauna in many nutrient-rich Chinese subtropical and tropical shallow lakes, but the role of the species as a potential limiting factor in phytoplankton growth is ambiguous. Clarification of this relationship will help determine the management strategy and cost of restoring eutrophic lakes in China and elsewhere. Our outdoor mesocosm experiment simulating the effect of high density of crucian carp on phytoplankton growth and community structure in eutrophic shallow lakes suggests that stocking with this species causes resuspension of sediment, thereby increasing light attenuation and elevating nutrient concentrations. However, the effect of light attenuation was insufficient to offset the impact of nutrient enhancement on phytoplankton growth, and significant increases in both phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll a concentrations were recorded. Crucian carp stocking favored the dominance of diatoms and led to lower percentages (but not biomass) of buoyant cyanobacteria. The dominance of diatoms may be attributed to a competitive advantage of algal cells with high sedimentation velocity in an environment subjected to frequent crucian carp-induced resuspension and entrainment of benthic algae caused by the fish foraging activities. Our study demonstrates that turbidity induced by stocked crucian carp does not limit phytoplankton growth in eutrophic waters. Thus, removal of this species (and presumably other similar taxa) from subtropical or tropical shallow lakes, or suspension of aquaculture, is unlikely to boost phytoplankton growth, despite the resulting improvements in light availability.

Critical selection of internal control genes for quantitative real-time RT-PCR studies in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human THP-1 and K562 cells.

The choice of internal control genes is important since it may affect the study outcome in RT-qPCR. Indeed, it is well-known that expression levels of traditional internal control genes can vary across tissue types and across experimental settings within one specific tissue type. The aim of this study is an evaluation of a set of housekeeping genes (HKGs) to be used in the normalization of gene expression in vitro different cultured cells, THP-1 and K562. The transcriptional stability of eleven potential internal control genes (RPL37A, ACTB, GAPDH, B(2)M, PPIB, PGK1, PPIA, SDHA, TBP, HPRT1 and RPL13A) were evaluated using RT-qPCR and were compared in different treatment, that was un-stimulated or LPS-stimulated cells. The raw Ct values were determined for each candidate gene at different time points following LPS-stimulated or unstimulated cells. Furthermore, all data were analyzed by the geNorm, BestKeeper, and NormFinder validation programs. Results indicated that PPIB and PGK1 were the most stable internal control genes in this study. RPL13A was found to be the least stable. This study provides the comprehensive reported assessment of internal control genes for use in expression studies in vitro cultured cells. These findings further emphasize the need to accurately validate candidate internal control genes in the study before use in gene expression studies using RT-qPCR.

Value of 18F-FDG-PET/PET-CT in differentiated thyroid carcinoma with radioiodine-negative whole-body scan: a meta-analysis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET) and FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) in the detection of recurrent or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) that was not identified by radioiodine whole-body scintigraphy (WBS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 25 studies (comprising 789 patients) that were published from January 1990 to September 2008 were reviewed. These studies evaluated the role of FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT in the detection of recurrent or metastatic DTC that radioiodine WBS failed to detect. Systematic methods were used to identify, select, and evaluate the methodological quality of the studies and to summarize the overall findings of sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: In total, 17 studies with 571 patients who had recurrent or metastatic DTC and a radioiodine-negative whole-body scan were collected, and the overall patient-based sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET were 0.835 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.791-0.873] and 0.843 (95% CI: 0.791-0.886), respectively. Of these studies, six included lesion-based data, totaling 237 lesions, and the pooled lesion-based sensitivity and specificity were 0.916 (95% CI: 0.863-0.953) and 0.775 (95% CI: 0.660-0.865), respectively. The pooled sensitivity and specificity in the DTC patients who presented with elevated serum thyroglobulin and negative 131I scan were 0.885 (95% CI: 0.828-0.929) and 0.847 (95% CI: 0.715-0.934), respectively. In the six studies where the 165 patients were diagnosed by using FDG-PET/CT, pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.935 (95% CI: 0.870-0.973) and 0.839 (95% CI: 0.723-0.920), respectively. CONCLUSION: FDG-PET is especially effective in detecting patients with elevated thyroglobulin levels and normal radioiodine WBS; FDG-PET/CT is a more sensitive method in the follow-up of thyroid cancer recurrence or metastases, particularly in those with negative WBS.