Search Results (11)

The study aimed to evaluate the cold tolerance of various peach cultivars under diverse low-temperature conditions (−5, −10, −15, −20, −25, −30, and −35 °C). A comprehensive assessment of their responses to cold was performed by integrating LT50 values with membership functions and evaluating local adaptability among the selected peach cultivars. The findings revealed that as temperatures dropped, electrical conductivity (REC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) levels initially rose, then fell, and subsequently increased once more. Soluble sugar (SS) and soluble protein (SP) concentrations peaked at −25 °C and showed a significant negative correlation with semi-lethal temperature (LT50). The expression of free proline varied among different samples. Combining physiological analyses with field adaptation correlation assessments, it was found that ‘Ziyan Ruiyang’ exhibited a relatively low LT50 value of −29.67 °C and a membership function degree of 0.76, suggesting robust field adaptation abilities. At the same time, ‘Ganlu Shumi’ demonstrated stable trends in H₂O₂ and MDA levels, maintaining them at relatively low concentrations; it also had the lowest LT50 value, the highest membership function score, and the highest survival rate. Consequently, this cultivar could be a valuable resource for enhancing cold resistance under low-temperature stress. In summary, by correlating LT50 values with membership functions and observing local adaptability in these peach cultivars, we have established reliable data that can serve as a basis for identifying potential cross-breeding parents to develop new cold-resistant varieties. Full article

Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) is a filamentous fungus that causes invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised individuals. Regulating fungal growth is crucial for preventing disease development. This study found that deleting the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sec2p gene led to slower A. fumigatus growth and reduced the fungal burden and mortality of infected mice. However, the mechanism by which this gene affects A. fumigatus growth and pathogenicity remains unclear. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the vacuoles of the gene knockout strain ΔSec2p accumulated more autophagosomes, indicating inhibition of autophagosome degradation. When phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride was applied to inhibit autophagosome degradation, the ΔSec2p strain produced fewer autophagosomes; the ΔSec2p autophagy pathway was inhibited, affecting A. fumigatus’ nutrient homeostasis and growth. Unlike the wild type, the ΔSec2p strain showed strong resistance to cell wall stress. When exposed to caspofungin, Sec2p negatively regulated the expression of cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway genes and participated in the cell wall stress response of A. fumigatus. Furthermore, this gene positively regulated the autophagy pathway and enhanced CWI pathway gene expression to respond to rapamycin-induced autophagy. In summary, Sec2p positively regulated the autophagy pathway; it negatively regulated the CWI pathway during cell wall stress, coordinating the growth and pathogenicity of A. fumigatus. Full article

Global climate change is one of the major challenges facing the world, and the spatial optimization of land use patterns has been regarded as critical in realizing carbon mitigation. In this study, the linear programming model and the Markov Chain model are integrated in different scenarios to optimize land use structure for low-carbon development. The land use pattern is then simulated through the adjusted convolutional neural network and cellular automata model, taking Guangzhou City as the case study area. The results reveal that construction land with high economic efficiency will increase its area, and the reaming types will experience slight changes, in 2035 in the natural development scenario and the economic priority scenario. Ecological land such as forest land, grassland, and water is partly occupied by construction land in the urban–rural fringe areas. The total carbon emissions decrease by 2.32% and 1.57% in these two scenarios. In the low-carbon-oriented scenario, the expansion of construction land is restricted, and the forest land and grassland undergo great expansion. The total carbon emission decreases by 18.95%—a figure much larger than that in the natural development scenario and the economic priority scenario. Our paper embeds the needs and constraints in land spatial planning into the spatial optimization of the land use pattern, which provides valuable references for low-carbon city development in the future. Full article

This paper attempts to situate the notion of shumi as a rhetorical device used by modern Japanese department stores as part of their marketing strategies. Although often equated with the concept of ‘taste’, I demonstrate how shumi both overlaps with and differs from the concept of taste, as it is often discussed in critical theory in the context of consumerism. I do this by examining how shumi was used in the PR-magazines of various department stores and other related forms of print media. Special attention is paid to the PR-magazine of Mitsukoshi, which is perhaps the most innovative department store in modern Japanese history. Subsequently, I analyze three short stories by Mori Ōgai (1862–1922) published in Mitsukoshi’s PR-magazine between 1911 and 1912. Mitsukoshi printed short stories by acclaimed authors in their magazines, mostly as a form of lighthearted entertainment and branding. Yet, when read closely, Ōgai’s three stories also form a profound observation of the skewed moral reality of a market-driven economy. Each of the narratives under scrutiny in this paper shows the human cost of a system in which social relations are dictated by consumer objects. The cultivation of the urge to consume was carefully framed around the rhetoric of shumi and was thus not merely a marketing tool to increase profit margins but also a mechanism to manipulate the desires and anxieties of consumers. A reading of Ōgai’s three short narratives reveals the ambivalent morality produced by the rhetoric of shumi, which in turn engendered and validated the identities of an emerging middle class through the consumable object-as-sign. Full article

A robotic digit with shape modulation, allowing personalized and adaptable finger motions, can be used to restore finger functions after finger trauma or neurological impairment. A soft pneumatic robotic digit consisting of pneumatic bellows actuators as biomimetic artificial joints is proposed in this study to achieve specific finger motions. A parametric kinematic model is employed to describe the tip motion trajectory of the soft pneumatic robotic digit and guide the actuator parameter design (i.e., the pressure supply, actuator material properties, and structure requirements of the adopted pneumatic bellows actuators). The direct 3D printing technique is adopted in the fabrication process of the soft pneumatic robotic digit using the smart material of thermoplastic polyurethane. Each digit joint achieves different ranges of motion (ROM; bending angles of distal, proximal, and metacarpal joint are 107°, 101°, and 97°, respectively) under a low pressure of 30 kPa, which are consistent with the functional ROM of a human finger for performing daily activities. Theoretical model analysis and experiment tests are performed to validate the effectiveness of the digit parametric kinematic model, thereby providing evidence-based technical parameters for the precise control of dynamic pressure dosages to achieve the required motions. Full article

To precisely achieve a series of daily finger bending motions, a soft robotic finger corresponding to the anatomical range of each joint was designed in this study with multi-material pneumatic actuators. The actuator as a biomimetic artificial joint was developed on the basis of two composite materials of different shear modules, and the pneumatic bellows as expansion parts was restricted by frame that made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). A simplified mathematical model was used for the bending mechanism description and provides guidance for the multi-material pneumatic actuator fabrication (e.g., stiffness and thickness) and structural design (e.g., cross length and chamber radius), as well as the control parameter optimization (e.g., the air pressure supply). An actuation pressure of over 70 kPa is required by the developed soft robotic finger to provide a full motion range (MCP = 36°, PIP = 114°, and DIP = 75°) for finger action mimicking. In conclusion, a multi-material pneumatic actuator was designed and developed for soft robotic finger application and theoretically and experimentally demonstrated its feasibility in finger action mimicking. This study explored the mechanical properties of the actuator and could provide evidence-based technical parameters for pneumatic robotic finger design and precise control of its dynamic air pressure dosages in mimicking actions. Thereby, the conclusion was supported by the results theoretically and experimentally, which also aligns with our aim to design and develop a multi-material pneumatic actuator as a biomimetic artificial joint for soft robotic finger application. Full article

Secondary injuries are common during upper limb rehabilitation training because of uncontrollable physical force and overexciting activities, and long-time training may cause fatigue and reduce the training effect. This study proposes a wearable monitoring device for upper limb rehabilitation by integrating electrocardiogram and electromyogram (ECG/EMG) sensors and using data acquisition boards to obtain accurate signals during robotic glove assisting training. The collected ECG/EMG signals were filtered, amplified, digitized, and then transmitted to a remote receiver (smart phone or laptop) via a low-energy Bluetooth module. A software platform was developed for data analysis to visualize ECG/EMG information, and integrated into the robotic glove control module. In the training progress, various hand activities (i.e., hand closing, forearm pronation, finger flexion, and wrist extension) were monitored by the EMG sensor, and the changes in the physiological status of people (from excited to fatigue) were monitored by the ECG sensor. The functionality and feasibility of the developed physiological monitoring system was demonstrated by the assisting robotic glove with an adaptive strategy for upper limb rehabilitation training improvement. The feasible results provided a novel technique to monitor individual ECG and EMG information holistically and practically, and a technical reference to improve upper limb rehabilitation according to specific treatment conditions and the users’ demands. On the basis of this wearable monitoring system prototype for upper limb rehabilitation, many ECG-/EMG-based mobile healthcare applications could be built avoiding some complicated implementation issues such as sensors management and feature extraction. Full article

The interactive effects between particulate matter (PM) and heat waves on circulatory mortality are under-researched in the context of global climate change. We aimed to investigate the interaction between heat waves and PM on circulatory mortality in Fuzhou, a city characterized by a humid subtropical climate and low level of air pollution in China. We collected data on deaths, pollutants, and meteorology in Fuzhou between January 2016 and December 2019. Generalized additive models were used to examine the effect of PM on circulatory mortality during the heat waves, and to explore the interaction between different PM levels and heat waves on the circulatory mortality. During heat waves, circulatory mortality was estimated to increase by 8.21% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.32–16.72) and 3.84% (95% CI: 0.28–7.54) per 10 μg/m³ increase of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, respectively, compared to non-heat waves. Compared with low-level PM_2.5 concentration on non-heat waves layer, the high level of PM_2.5 concentration on heat waves layer has a significant effect on the cardiovascular mortality, and the effect value was 48.35% (95% CI: 6.37–106.89). Overall, we found some evidence to suggest that heat waves can significantly enhance the impact of PM on circulatory mortality. Full article

Due to their atomic thicknesses and semiconducting properties, two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are gaining increasing research interest. Among them, Hf- and Zr-based TMDCs demonstrate the unique advantage that their oxides (HfO₂ and ZrO₂) are excellent dielectric materials. One possible method to precisely tune the material properties of two-dimensional atomically thin nanomaterials is to adsorb molecules on their surfaces as non-bonded dopants. In the present work, the molecular adsorption of NO₂ and NH₃ on the two-dimensional trigonal prismatic (1H) and octahedral (1T) phases of Hf and Zr dichalcogenides (S, Se, Te) is studied using dispersion-corrected periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The adsorption configuration, energy, and charge-transfer properties during molecular adsorption are investigated. In addition, the effects of the molecular dopants (NH₃ and NO₂) on the electronic structure of the materials are studied. It was observed that the adsorbed NH₃ donates electrons to the conduction band of the Hf (Zr) dichalcogenides, while NO₂ receives electrons from the valance band. Furthermore, the NO₂ dopant affects than NH₃ significantly. The resulting band structure of the molecularly doped Zr and Hf dichalcogenides are modulated by the molecular adsorbates. This study explores, not only the properties of the two-dimensional 1H and 1T phases of Hf and Zr dichalcogenides (S, Se, Te), but also tunes their electronic properties by adsorbing non-bonded dopants. Full article

Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) is a proactive compression therapeutic technique in the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis, reduction of limb edema, and treatment of chronic venous ulcers. To appropriately detect and analyze biomechanical pressure profiles delivered by IPC in treatment, a dynamic interface pressure monitoring system was developed to visualize and quantify morphological pressure mapping in the spatial and temporal domains in real time. The system comprises matrix soft sensors, a smart IPC device, a monitoring and analysis software, and a display unit. The developed soft sensor fabricated by an advanced screen printing technology was used to detect intermitted pressure by an IPC device. The pneumatic pressure signals inside the bladders of the IPC were also transiently collected by a data acquisition system and then transmitted to the computer through Bluetooth. The experimental results reveal that the developed pressure monitoring system can perform the real-time detection of dynamic pressures by IPC and display the morphological pressure mapping multi-dimensionally. This new system provides a novel modality to assist in the effective evaluation of proactive compression therapy in practice. The study results contribute to understanding the working mechanisms of IPC and improving its functional design based on intuitive biomechanical characteristics of compression delivery profiles. Full article

Aging increases free radical generation and lipid oxidation and, thereby, mediates neurodegenerative diseases. As the brain is rich in lipids (polyunsaturated fatty acids), the antioxidative system plays an important role in protecting brain tissues from oxidative injury. The changes in microtubule formation and antioxidative enzyme activities have been investigated in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells exposed to various concentrations of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxides (PCOOH). We measured three typical antioxidative enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT). The microtubule assembly system was dependent on the antioxidative enzyme system in cells exposed to oxidative stress. The activities of the three enzymes increased in a PCOOH exposure-dependent manner. In particular, the changes in the activity as a result of PCOOH exposure were similar in the three antioxidative enzymes. This is the first report indicating the compatibility between the tubulin-microtubule and antioxidative enzyme systems in cells that deteriorate as a result of phospholipid hydroperoxide administration from an exterior source. The descending order of sensitivity of the three enzymes to PCOOH is also discussed. Full article