ARHGEF18 can promote BVDV NS5B activation of the host NF-κB signaling pathway by combining with the NS5B-palm domain.

Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 18 (ARHGEF18) is a member of the Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) family. RhoGEF plays an important role in the occurrence of tumors and neurological diseases; however, its involvement in host cell resistance against pathogenic microorganisms is mostly unknown. Herein, we report that bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) can activate the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway to induce an immune response. To clarify the functional domains of NS5B that activate NF-κB signaling, the six structural domains of NS5B were expressed separately: NS5B-core, NS5B-finger, NS5B-palm, NS5B-thumb, NS5B-N and NS5B-c domain. We preliminarily determined that the functional domains of NS5B that activate NF-κB signaling are the finger and palm domains. We used a bovine kidney cell cDNA library and yeast two-hybrid technology to identify that the host protein ARHGEF18 interacts with NS5B. Co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that ARHGEF18 interacts strongly with NS5B-palm. Interestingly ARHGEF18 could promote NF-κB signaling activation by BVDV NS5B. In addition silencing ARHGEF18 significantly inhibited NS5B-palm activation of NF-κB signaling. We concluded that ARHGEF18 can bind to BVDV NS5B through the palm domain to activate the NF-κB pathway. These findings provide direct evidence that BVDV NS5B induces immune responses by activating NF-κB signaling.

Flexible Optoelectronic Multimodal Proximity/Pressure/Temperature Sensors with Low Signal Interference.

Multimodal tactile sensors are a crucial part of intelligent human-machine interaction and collaboration. Simultaneous detection of proximity, pressure, and temperature on a single sensor can greatly promote the safety, interactivity, and compactness of interaction systems. However, severe signal interference and complex decoupling algorithms hinder the actual applications. Here, this work reports a flexible optoelectronic multimodal sensor capable of detecting and decoupling proximity/pressure/temperature by integrating a light waveguide and an interdigital electrode (IDE) into a compact fibrous sensor. Negligible signal interference is realized by combining heterogeneous sensing mechanisms of optics and electronics, which encodes proximity into capacitance, pressure into light intensity and temperature into resistance. The sensor exhibits a large sensing distance of 225 mm with fast responses for proximity detection, a pressure sensitivity of 0.42 N-1 , and a temperature sensitivity of 7% °C-1 . As a proof of concept, a doll equipped with the sensor can accurately discriminate and detect various stimuli, thus achieving safe and immersive interactions with the user. This work opens up promising paths for self-decoupled multimodal sensors and related human/machine/environment interaction applications.

Research on the optimization method of a complex diagrammatic sign on urban expressways based on the non-integer rank RSR method.

To investigate the optimal method of the complex diagrammatic guide signs (DGSs), a typical complex DGS is selected, and five alternatives are considered, including the current situation (CS), repetition (RT), simplification (SF), pavement words (PW), and advance placement (AP). This study conducts a driving simulation experiment and develops a comprehensive index system based on five aspects: operating status, maneuvering behavior, lane change behavior, subjective perception, and errors. Seventeen indicators are extracted and analyzed in total. The repeated-measure analysis of variances is performed for the overall, and segment-by-segment influence. In the overall analysis results, the significance indicators are primarily operating status, lane change behavior, subjective perception, and errors. The gas pedal and the releasing gas pedal distance were also significantly affected. However, braking-related indicators are not greatly influenced. In the segment-by-segment analysis results, the five operational status indicators, gas pedals and lane numbers are mainly significantly impacted. It also obtains a spatial distribution pattern of the significance indicators, whose location is related to the area of DGS settings in various alternatives. Significant differences exist between the overall analysis and the segment-by-segment analysis. Significant impact indicators are selected based on two types of analysis. The non-integer rank RSR method is employed to evaluate the efficiency of five alternatives. The final rank order from best to worst was RT, AP, CS, PW, and SF. Comparatively, drivers in RT and AP will experience more minor speed fluctuations, less driving time and throttle release distance, earlier early lane change behavior, and lower error rates. This study recommends the RT and AP alternatives to improve the complex DGS. Under specific conditions, the AP option is preferred.

Temporary Internal Iliac Artery Blockage versus Uterine Artery Embolization in Patients After Laparoscopic Pregnancy Tissue Removal Due to Cesarean Scar Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the clinical value of laparoscopic temporary internal iliac artery blockage (TIIAB) compared with uterine artery embolization (UAE) in type III cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). METHODS: A total of 76 patients with type III CSP admitted to the Department of Gynecology the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between September 2017 and June 2019 were selected for this retrospective study. Thirty-six of them in the study group received TIIAB, and the rest in control group received UAE. Laparoscopic pregnancy tissue was removed from all patients, and the uterine defects were repaired. The absence of remnants was then confirmed using ultrasonography. Follow-ups were performed in the two groups for six months, and the factors of intraoperative blood loss, operation and menelipsis time, 24-h human chorionic gonadotropin decline rate, postoperative complications, hospitalization days, hospitalization costs, peri-operative hormone levels, and ovarian function indicators were compared between the two groups and within each group. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in the hospitalization cost, menelipsis time, and postoperative complication incidence between the two groups (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between ovarian function at one month and three months after surgery (p < 0.05) as well as among the follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol levels at one, three, and six months after surgery in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with uterine artery embolization, laparoscopic TIIAB has the advantages of a low hospitalization cost, lower postoperative complication rate, and shorter menelipsis time. Moreover, it avoids ovarian function damage. It is a safe method worthy of clinical popularization.

Optical fibre taper-enabled waveguide photoactuators.

Photoactuators have attracted significant interest for soft robot and gripper applications, yet most of them rely on free-space illumination, which requires a line-of-site low-loss optical path. While waveguide photoactuators can overcome this limitation, their actuating performances are fundamentally restricted by the nature of standard optical fibres. Herein, we demonstrated miniature photoactuators by embedding optical fibre taper in a polydimethylsiloxane/Au nanorod-graphene oxide photothermal film. The special geometric features of the taper endow the designed photoactuator with microscale active layer thickness, high energy density and optical coupling efficiency. Hence, our photoactuator show large bending angles (>270°), fast response (1.8 s for 180° bending), and low energy consumption (<0.55 mW/°), significantly exceeding the performance of state-of-the-art waveguide photoactuators. As a proof-of-concept study, one-arm and two-arm photoactuator-based soft grippers are demonstrated for capturing/moving small objects, which is challenging for free-space light-driven photoactuators.

Life cycle water footprint assessment of syngas production from biomass chemical looping gasification.

Water is crucial for biofuel production. It is important to study the influence of biofuel technology on water resource for the development of biofuel. Life cycle water footprint for the syngas production via chemical looping gasification of corn straw and wheat straw is developed in this paper. The results show that the total water consumption of syngas production via corn straw and wheat straw chemical looping gasification are 1139.84 and 2170.41 L H2O/m3 syngas, respectively. The total water consumption of the aforementioned approaches is both dominated by crop growth stage. Additionally, different allocation methods have significant impact on the total water consumption. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that water consumption of crop yield and crop growth can have an almost same but opposite impact on water consumption efficiency. Based on the results, guidance can be provided for crop straw to syngas via chemical looping gasification to lower water use.

A prediction method of fire frequency: Based on the optimization of SARIMA model.

In the current study, based on the national fire statistics from 2003 to 2017, we analyzed the 24-hour occurrence regularity of fire in China to study the occurrence regularity and influencing factors of fire and provide a reference for scientific and effective fire prevention. The results show that the frequency of fire is low from 0 to 6 at night, accounting for about 13.48%, but the death toll due to fire is relatively high, accounting for about 39.90%. Considering the strong seasonal characteristics of the time series of monthly fire frequency, the SARIMA model predicts the fire frequency. According to the characteristics of time series data and prediction results, an optimized Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model (SARIMA) model based on Quantile outlier detection method and similar mean interpolation method is proposed, and finally, the optimal model is constructed as SARIMA (1,1,1) (1,1,1) 12 for prediction. The results show that: according to the optimized SARIMA model to predict the number of fires in 2018 and 2019, the root mean square error of the fitting results is 2826.93, which is less than that of the SARIMA model, indicating that the improved SARIMA model has a better fitting effect. The accuracy of the results is increased by 11.5%. These findings verified that the optimized SARIMA model is an effective improvement for the series with quantile outliers, and it is more suitable for the data prediction with seasonal characteristics. The research results can better mine the law of fire aggregation and provide theoretical support for fire prevention and control work of the fire department.

Life cycle water footprint analysis for second-generation biobutanol.

Water is essential in conversion of crop to bioenergy. Therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate the impact of bioenergy technology on water source. Life cycle water footprints of biobutanol from wheat straw, corn grain and corn stover are analyzed in this study according to the characteristics of crop growing and climate conditions. The results show that life cycle water footprints of biobutanol from wheat straw, corn grain and corn stover are 271, 108 and 240 L H2O/MJ biobutanol, respectively. Life cycle water footprints of the crop production stage for wheat straw, corn grain and corn stover are 269.89, 107.84 and 238.95 L H2O/MJ biobutanol, respectively. Owing to the use of fertilizer in the crop production stage, gray water footprint of wheat straw, corn grain and corn stover accounts for 91.08%, 86.65% and 86.40% of the life cycle water footprint, respectively.

Process design and economic assessment of butanol production from lignocellulosic biomass via chemical looping gasification.

Biomass chemical looping gasification (BCLG) is a promising gasification technology to convert biomass into synthesis gas with no need for molecular oxygen. In this study, a novel process for butanol production from lignocellulosic biomass based on BCLG is proposed. The proposed process is simulated using Aspen Plus and composed of main sub-processes such as BCLG, acid gas removal, synthesis and separation of alcohol. An economic assessment is conducted according to results of Aspen Plus model. The equipment cost for the proposed process is evaluated as 4.65 × 108 CNY and the minimum butanol selling price is estimated as 9.35 CNY/kg. Sensitivity analysis of the process indicates that pine sawdust price has the largest effect on the minimum butanol selling price followed by total equipment cost and plant lifetime. Finally, impacts of CO conversion and carbon tax on the minimum butanol selling price are explored.

Development of Laser Scanner for Full Cross-Sectional Deformation Monitoring of Underground Gateroads.

The deformation of underground gateroads tends to be asymmetric and complex. Traditional instrumentation fails to accurately and conveniently monitor the full cross-sectional deformation of underground gateroads. Here, a full cross-sectional laser scanner was developed, together with a visualization software package. The developed system used a polar coordinate measuring method and the full cross-sectional measurement was shown by 360° rotation of a laser sensor driven by an electrical motor. Later on, the potential impact of gateroad wall flatness, roughness, and geometrical profile, as well as coal dust environment on the performance of the developed laser scanner will be evaluated. The study shows that high-level flatness is favorable in the application of the developed full cross-sectional deformation monitoring system. For a smooth surface of gateroad, the sensor cannot receive reflected light when the incidence angle of laser beam is large, causing data loss. Conversely, the roughness surface shows its nature as the diffuse reflection light can be received by the sensor. With regards to coal dust in the measurement environment, fine particles of floating coal dust in the air can lead to the loss of measurement data to some extent, due to scattering of the laser beam.

Deformation Monitoring of Waste-Rock-Backfilled Mining Gob for Ground Control.

Backfill mining is an effective option to mitigate ground subsidence, especially for mining under surface infrastructure, such as buildings, dams, rivers and railways. To evaluate its performance, continual long-term field monitoring of the deformation of backfilled gob is important to satisfy strict public scrutiny. Based on industrial Ethernet, a real-time monitoring system was established to monitor the deformation of waste-rock-backfilled gob at -700 m depth in the Tangshan coal mine, Hebei Province, China. The designed deformation sensors, based on a resistance transducer mechanism, were placed vertically between the roof and floor. Stress sensors were installed above square steel plates that were anchored to the floor strata. Meanwhile, data cables were protected by steel tubes in case of damage. The developed system continually harvested field data for three months. The results show that industrial Ethernet technology can be reliably used for long-term data transmission in complicated underground mining conditions. The monitoring reveals that the roof subsidence of the backfilled gob area can be categorized into four phases. The bearing load of the backfill developed gradually and simultaneously with the deformation of the roof strata, and started to be almost invariable when the mining face passed 97 m.

Four-Dimensional Incommensurate Modulation and Luminescent Properties of Host Material Na3La(PO4)2.

A series of orthophosphates Na3Ln(PO4)2 (Ln = lanthanoids) have for a long time been known as good luminescent materials, yet their crystal structures have not been studied in full detail. In this work, compound Na3La(PO4)2 was prepared using molten salt (flux) method and for the first time was structurally determined on X-ray single-crystal diffraction data. Interestingly, it crystallizes in the four-dimensional incommensurately modulated structure with orthorhombic superspace group Pca21(0ß0)000 and modulation wave vector q = 0.387b*. Furthermore, to evaluate the potentiality of Na3La(PO4)2 to be used as a luminescent host material, 5 mol % Eu3+, Tb3+, and Dy3+ doped phosphors were prepared, respectively. The excitation spectra, emission spectra, decay time, quantum efficiency, and the color purity of prepared phosphors, Na3La0.95Eu0.05(PO4)2, Na3La0.95Tb0.05(PO4)2, and Na3La0.95Dy0.05(PO4)2, were studied.