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D-phenylalanine (D-Phe) is an important side-chain building block for semi-synthetic penicillins and cephalosporins. To synthesize D-Phe, D-amino acid aminotransferases (Dat) from Bacillus subtilis WB600, Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 14580, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were firstly compared. The theoretical 3 dimensional models of Dat were constructed, which showed appropriate configuration for synthesis of D-Phe in virtual screening. The comparison 3 different Dat on D-Phe formation was tested. All the heterogenous Dat showed high thermostability and pH stability, while Dat from B. subtilis demonstrated a better potential for Phe production than those from B. licheniformis and B. amyloliquefaciens. Then the dat from B. subtilis was expressed in an L-Phe producing chassis of Escherichia coli W14 (pR15ABK) to obtain D-Phe and different factors affecting D-Phe accumulation were tested. The engineered strain E. coli BCEA (pR15ABKApRdatBS) accumulated 1.72 g/L D-Phe in a 15-L jar fermenter which is the highest fermentation concentration that had been reported.

The effect of melt superheating treatment on the microstructure of Mg–1.5Si–1Zn alloy is investigated in this article. The microstructure of samples poured into sand and metal molds shows that the primary Mg₂Si is considerably refined in size when the melt is superheated from 750 to 900 °C. However, its polyhedral morphology does not change. In addition, also the size of eutectic Mg₂Si phase obviously decreases, but the morphology still exhibits Chinese script type. Meanwhile, it is concluded that the reduction of the heredity plays an important role in the grain refinement of Mg–1.5Si–1Zn alloy.

Zirconia-based ceramic materials have received much attention because of their technological significance. Yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) exhibits high strength, high fracture toughness, and high thermal-stability and has many increasing and demanding engineering applications. It is universally acknowledged that an unagglomerated globular powder with a narrow size distribution is the most desirable base material for compacting and sintering of ceramics with a desirable microstructure Several methods have been developed to produce nano-sized zirconia particles, such as hydrolysis of alkoxides, hydrothermal treatment, and thermal hydrolysis of zirconium salts. Since the nano-sized particles tend, to a certain degree, to agglomerate during traditional drying at room or elevated temperatures after synthesis, the particle size distribution in the produced powder is usually not very uniform even if using the hydrothermal treatment. This is because in traditional drying, the surface tension at the liquid-gas interface within gel networks may cause large forces to act on the networks so as to break them down and make the system shrink, leading to agglomeration of the individual particles. For this reason, in the present work the supercritical fluid drying (SCFD) technique has been employed to prepare nano-sized zirconia powders.

Gynecological cancer generally refers to malignant tumors in gynecology, commonly including cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer. Patients with gynecological cancer often suffer from sleep disorders after clinical treatment. Except for serious sleep disorders, female characteristics, family roles, and feudal beliefs make their self-stigma at a medium to high level, leading to huge pressure. This study aims to identify potential categories of sleep disorders, and analyze the relationship between self-stigma, perceived stress, and sleep disorders. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021-2022. Two hundred and two patients' data were collected from ShengJing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University in Liaoning, Shenyang by using paper questionnaires for face-to-face surveys. The survey tools included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Social Impact Scale (SIS). Potential profile analysis (LPA), multiple logistic regression analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed by Mplus 8.3, SPSS 26.0, and Amos 24.0 statistical tools, respectively. Three latent patterns of sleep disorders were found: \"Good Sleep group (42.5%)\", \"Sleep Deficiency group (32.4%)\", and \"Sleep Disturbance group (25.1%)\". Patients with high perceived stress were more likely to report a moderate (OR=1.142, 95% CI: 1.061-1.230) or high (OR=1.455, 95% CI: 1.291-1.640) level of sleep disorders. Self-stigma did not have a direct effect on sleep disorders (0.055, >0.05), but it could have indirect effect on sleep disorders through perceived stress (0.172, <0.01). The perceptions of sleep disorders among gynecological cancer patients varies and exhibits individual differences. Gynecological cancer patients who feels alienated or discriminated may cause high pressure. This internal pressure can exacerbate sleep disorders.

The channel network in Pudong New District, Shanghai, is very complex owing to the large area of its basin, its numerous sluice gates, complex influencing factors and some other management issues involving water delivery, flood prevention, floodwater drainage, navigation and saltwater intrusion. It is generally difficult to achieve efficient water resources management merely through manually operating the sluice gates. Therefore, an artificial intelligence modelling system for managing the water resources in the channel network of Pudong New District has been developed by combining hydrodynamic simulation with an artificial intelligence technique. The artificial neural network model is used to develop sluice gate operation procedures according to the water levels in both the outer and inner rivers. The hydrodynamic model is used to simulate the flow discharges and water levels based on the sluice gate operation procedures. This modelling system has been applied successfully to the water resources management of the Pudong channel network. The results indicate that the modelling system satisfactorily meets the demands for sluice gate operation and water resources optimisation management of the channel network and thus provides decision-making support for integrated management of water resources in this inland channel network.

We aim to test whether resilience mediates the association of fear of progression (FoP) with quality of life (QoL) among ovarian cancer patients in China. We collected 230 questionnaires from the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University in Liaoning Province, and 209 completed the questionnaire survey. The survey instrument consisted of four questionnaires: a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy general instrument, the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relationship among FoP, resilience, and QoL, including physical well-being, social well-being, emotional well-being, and functional well-being. We used asymptotic and resampling strategies to examine the indirect effect of resilience. FoP was negatively associated with resilience ( =-0.543, <0.01) and QoL (physical well-being: =-0.537, <0.01; social well-being: =-0.426, <0.01; emotional well-being: =-0.487, <0.01; functional well-being: =-0.529, <0.01). Resilience was positively related with QoL (physical well-being: =0.449, <0.01; social well-being: =0.548, <0.01; emotional well-being: =0.430, <0.01; functional well-being: =0.655, <0.01). Resilience partly mediated the association between FoP and physical well-being (a×b=-0.05, BCa 95% CI: -0.09, -0.02), social well-being (a×b=-0.21, BCa 95% CI: -0.29, -0.14), emotional well-being (a×b=-0.05, BCa 95% CI: -0.08, -0.02), and functional well-being (a×b=-0.24, BCa 95% CI: -0.32, -0.17). The proportion of the mediating effect accounted for by resilience were 22.57%, 57.22%, 26.02%, 53.42% for physical well-being, social well-being, emotional well-being and functional well-being, respectively. The study showed that resilience could mediate the association between fear of progression and quality of life. It suggests that resilience might provide a potential target for intervention in quality of life with ovarian cancer.

The objective of this study was to explore the association between perceived organizational support (POS) and depressive symptoms, and to further explore whether self-efficacy can act as a moderator between POS and depressive symptoms among Chinese petroleum workers. There was a cross-sectional study conducted at a petrochemical enterprise in Liaoning Province, China, from July to August 2018. A series of questionnaires were accomplished by 1836 petroleum workers, including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relationship of SPOS score, GSES score, and SPOS score×GSES score interaction with CES-D score. A simple slope analysis will be carried out if the interaction has statistical significance. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that SPOS score ( =-0.538, <0.01) and GSES score ( =-0.313, <0.01) played a main influence on CES-D score. The SPOS score×GSES score interaction term significantly explained an extra 9.7% of the variance ( =253.932, adjusted =0.582, Δ =0.097, <0.01). The interaction term was positively correlated with CES-D score ( =0.334, <0.01). The relationship between SPOS score and CES-D score gradually decreased in the low (1 SD below the mean, =-0.589, <0.01), mean ( =-0.338, <0.01), and high (1 SD above the mean, =-0.087, <0.01) groups of GSES score. This study showed that POS and self-efficacy played a main influence on depressive symptoms, and the interaction term was positively correlated with depressive symptoms. Self-efficacy could attenuate the association between POS and depressive symptoms. It suggests that appropriate POS and self-efficacy enhancement measures ought to be supplied to relieve depressive symptoms.

The I Kappa B kinases IKK alpha and IKK beta and the IKK-related kinases TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and IKK epsilon are the master regulators of the NF- Kappa B signaling pathway. Although this pathway has been extensively studied in mammals, less attention has been paid in crustaceans, which have significant economic value. Here, we report the cloning and functional studies of two IKK homologs, LvIKK beta and LvIKK epsilon , from Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. LvIKK beta and LvIKK epsilon mRNAs are widely expressed in different tissues and are responsive to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection. When overexpressed in Drosophila S2 cells, LvIKK beta but not LvIKK epsilon activates the promoters of NF- Kappa B pathway-controlled antimicrobial peptide genes (AMPs), such as the Penaeidins (PENs). In HEK 293T cells, both LvIKK beta and LvIKK epsilon activate an NF- Kappa B reporter. The silencing of LvIKK beta or LvIKK epsilon using double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) decreases the expression of L. vannamei AMPs, including PENs, lysozyme and crustins. Intriguingly, LvIKK beta - or LvIKK epsilon -silenced L. vannamei are resistant to WSSV infection. We hypothesized that successful infection with WSSV requires the activation of the IKK-NF- Kappa B signaling pathway to modulate viral gene expression. We constructed luciferase reporters for 147 WSSV genes. By screening, we found that the WSV051, WSV059, WSV069, WSV083, WSV090, WSV107, WSV244, WSV303, WSV371 and WSV445 promoters can be activated by LvIKK beta or LvIKK epsilon in Drosophila S2 cells. Taken together, our results reveal that LvIKK beta and LvIKK epsilon may participate in the regulation of shrimp AMPs and that WSSV may subvert the L. vannamei IKK-NF- Kappa B signaling pathway to facilitate viral gene expression.

The elemental mercury (Hg0) release characteristics from the Hg-contaminated soil applied with Humic acid fertilizer (HAF) in the greenhouse were identified. The adsorption features of mercuric ion (Hg2+) on HAF under different reaction times and pH were investigated to elucidate the influencing mechanism of HAF on soil Hg0 release. Besides, the microstructure of HAF loading with Hg2+ was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron micrograph-energy dispersive spectrometry–EDS). The results showed that with the increasing HAF dosage, soil oxidation-reduction potential (Eh), and organic matter (SOM) content, as well as the decreasing soil pH, the soil Hg0 release fluxes showed a decreasing tendency. The soil pH, Eh, SOM, and total Hg content are the key factors that can affect the soil Hg0 release fluxes. The interior air temperature, light intensity, soil moisture, and soil temperature have little impact on soil Hg0 release fluxes when the greenhouse soil is applied with HAF. The HAF can immobilize Hg2+ and reduce its activity by surface precipitation and specific adsorption, then affecting the soil Hg0 release fluxes. The results of this study provide a basis for the application of HAF to reduce soil Hg0 release fluxes in the greenhouse of Hg-contaminated areas.

To study the influence of microporous aggregate additions on the properties of alumina-magnesia castables used for ladle linings, samples were prepared in which the tabular corundum aggregate was substituted by microporous corundum aggregate and corundum-calcium hexaluminate composite aggregate. An aluminosilicate gel binder was used. Specimens were fired at 1000 and 1500 C and characterised by measurements of apparent porosity, bulk density, modulus of rupture, cold crushing strength, permanent linear change, thermal conductivity and slag resistance. The addition of microporous aggregate decreased the bulk density and thermal conductivity, and increased the apparent porosity and strength. The castable containing the composite aggregate had the best slag resistance.