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To improve the production process and produce high-quality annealed drawn and ironed (DI) plate, continuous annealing experiments were carried out at 620 °C, 640 °C, 680 °C, and 720 °C, and the effect of continuous annealing temperature on the microstructure, mechanical characteristics, and texture of annealed DI plate were clarified. The microstructure was tested with a scanning electron microscope (SEM); the mechanical properties and weighted average of the plastic strain ratio (r¯) were measured using a tension test; and the texture characterizations were tested by X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results reveal that, with the increase of the annealing temperature, the average grain size grew from 5.14 μm to 6.56 μm, the yield strength and tensile strength decreased, and the elongation increased. The rolling textures drastically reduced after annealing. When annealed at a lower temperature of 620 °C, the texture content of 111 was the highest. When the annealing temperature increased to 640 °C, 680 °C and 720 °C, the texture content of 111 was higher than that of 111 . The mechanical properties of the DI plate that was annealed at 640 °C are the best, with a higher r¯ value and a lower planar anisotropy value.

Tinplate is widely used in food packaging and chemical packaging. Industrial production continues to reduce the thickness of tinplate steel, which puts higher requirements on the control of inclusions. In this study, compared with traditional detection methods, the Ultrasonic Detection method can analyze the distribution of nonmetallic inclusions in larger size samples, which is closer to the actual production process. The numerical simulation model is established to analyze the flow, heat transfer and solidification behavior of molten steel. The results show: There are two nonmetallic inclusion bands in the sample at the edge of the slab, one is the inner and outer arc side of the sample, and the other is the 1/8 to 1/4 slab thickness region of the inner arc side in the sample. The inclusions in the thickness direction of the slab edge within the range of 1/8 to 1/4 are captured in areas 800 mm to 1400 mm below the meniscus. The solidification of the inner and outer arcs is not symmetrical, which leads to the asymmetrical distribution of inclusions in the inner and outer arcs. This study can provide a reference for improving the tinplate production process.

To study the influences of continuous annealing temperature on microstructure, mechanical properties and textures of battery shell steel, continuous annealing experiments were conducted at 710 °C, 730 °C, 760 °C and 780 °C respectively. The mechanical properties and normal anisotropy index (r) were measured by tensile test and the textures were investigated using the method of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results show that as annealing temperature rose, the grain size, fracture elongation and r value increased, whereas the strength and yield ratio decreased. The yield strength was 122 MPa, the tensile strength was 286 MPa, meanwhile the elongation and r value arrived at 38.8% and 2.3 when the annealing temperature rose to 780 °C. After annealing, the main texture in battery shell steel is 111 , followed by 111 . With the increase of annealing temperature, textures in 001 crystallographic plane weakened while textures in 111 plane strengthened, which is beneficial to the deep drawability of the steel.

Little is known about ‘uninformative live-streaming’, a new genre of online streaming media that has become a new trend in China. In these real-time streams, streamers would not interact and communicate with viewers and not perform in front of cameras. The content is about uninterrupted trivial everyday activities, such as sleeping and studying for several hours. This thesis aims to obtain a comprehensive understanding of this media and to explore what motivates users to continuously watch it. This research employed qualitative methods of online observation and semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect empirical data, through the cases of study-stream and sleep-stream. The concept of media life by Mark Deuze provides a general theoretical context of mediatized lifeworld. Based on Uses and Gratifications Theory and Compensatory Internet Use Theory, I described and explained the prominent features of uninformative live-streaming and examined the user motivation for it. The research results show that this authentic, less-interactive, and non-narrative live-streaming creates an undisturbed media environment, in which users can escape media distraction and media overload. The prominent user motivations for uninformative live streams are self-discipline and self-management, and compensation for the real-life deficiency of ‘non-social companion’. These findings offer new insight into user motivation and help to expand and improve related theories.

Helianthus annuus L. (H. annuus) receptacles, a major agricultural by-product generated during seed processing, are currently underutilized. This study aimed to explore the valorization potential of this by-product by extracting H. annuus receptacles total polysaccharides (HRTP) and characterizing their potential as natural ingredients in ultraviolet (UV)-protective cosmetics. A new purified polysaccharide named H. annuus receptacles polysaccharide-1 (HRP-1) was isolated, likely exhibiting a backbone of alternating →4)-α-D-GalA-(1→ and →4)-α-D-GalA(6-OCH3)-(1→ units, with a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 163 kDa. HRTP demonstrated significant protective effects against UV-induced damage in human immortalized keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells by suppressing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and downregulating MAPK-p38/ERK/JNK pathways, thereby inhibiting inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-9). Additionally, HRTP exhibited moisturizing properties. These findings highlight H. annuus receptacle polysaccharides as sustainable, bioactive ingredients for eco-friendly sunscreen formulations, providing a practical approach to converting agricultural by-products into high-value industrial biomaterials.

Lipids are major and essential constituents of plant cells and provide energy for various metabolic processes. However, the function of the lipid signal in defence against Verticillium dahliae, a hemibiotrophic pathogen, remains unknown. Here, we characterized 19 conserved stearoyl‐ACP desaturase family proteins from upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). We further confirmed that GhSSI2 isoforms, including GhSSI2‐A, GhSSI2‐B, and GhSSI2‐C located on chromosomes A10, D10, and A12, respectively, played a dominant role to the cotton 18:1 (oleic acid) pool. Suppressing the expression of GhSSI2s reduced the 18:1 level, which autoactivated the hypersensitive response (HR) and enhanced cotton Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt resistance. We found that low 18:1 levels induced phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase‐mediated salicylic acid (SA) accumulation and activated a SA‐independent defence response in GhSSI2s‐silenced cotton, whereas suppressing expression of GhSSI2s affected PDF1.2‐dependent jasmonic acid (JA) perception but not the biosynthesis and signalling cascade of JA. Further investigation showed that structurally divergent resistance‐related genes and nitric oxide (NO) signal were activated in GhSSI2s‐silenced cotton. Taken together, these results indicate that SA‐independent defence response, multiple resistance‐related proteins, and elevated NO level play an important role in GhSSI2s‐regulated Verticillium wilt resistance. These findings broaden our knowledge regarding the lipid signal in disease resistance and provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of cotton fungal disease resistance. GhSACPD gene family isoforms GhSSI2‐A, GhSSI2‐B, and GhSSI2‐C displayed an important role in regulating 18:1 fatty acid level and negatively regulated cotton disease resistance to Verticillium wilt.

Cotton produces natural fiber for the textile industry. The genetic effects of genomic structural variations underlying agronomic traits remain unclear. Here, we generate two high-quality genomes of Gossypium hirsutum cv. NDM8 and Gossypium barbadense acc. Pima90, and identify large-scale structural variations in the two species and 1,081 G . hirsutum accessions. The density of structural variations is higher in the D-subgenome than in the A-subgenome, indicating that the D-subgenome undergoes stronger selection during species formation and variety development. Many structural variations in genes and/or regulatory regions potentially influencing agronomic traits were discovered. Of 446 significantly associated structural variations, those for fiber quality and Verticillium wilt resistance are located mainly in the D-subgenome and those for yield mainly in the A-subgenome. Our research provides insight into the role of structural variations in genotype-to-phenotype relationships and their potential utility in crop improvement. High-quality genomes of two cultivated tetraploid cottons Gossypium hirsutum cv. NDM8 and Gossypium barbadense acc. Pima90 and resequencing of 1,081  G. hirsutum accessions provide insights into the role of structural variations.

Since the first successful combined liver–kidney transplantation reported in The Lancet in 1984,1 this procedure has evolved into a preferred treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease and end-stage kidney disease. Since the Model for End-stage Liver Disease scoring system was introduced for organ allocation candidates on the waitlist in 2002, the number of combined liver–kidney transplantations has increased rapidly worldwide. To optimise the physiological environment of transplantations and patient outcomes, improved surgical techniques have been developed, such as delayed implantation of kidney grafts in combined liver–kidney transplantation.5 Cold ischaemic time has a negative effect on post-transplantation outcomes.6,7 To reduce the cold ischaemic time for kidney transplantations and overall surgical time, our team proposed a novel surgical technique (with two sub-techniques) for simultaneous orthotopic transplantation of liver and kidney with a single incision (named the Sun technique). XS declares funding from the High-Level Medical Expert Training Program of Guangxi 139 Plan Funding (G202002016) and Guangxi Key Research and Development Program (AB24010059).

Osteoporosis (OP), as the prevalent systemic metabolic bone disease worldwide, progresses insidiously and slowly. The clinical discomfort and complications associated with OP impose a significant burden on patients. Therefore, finding more effective treatments for OP remains an urgent challenge. We first conducted experiments to determine whether Neoandrographolide (NEO) exhibits cytotoxic or proliferative effects on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) and to explore the specific timeframe during which NEO exerts its inhibitory action on osteoclast (OC) differentiation. Through Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis, we examined the relative expression levels of genes and proteins associated with OC differentiation like CTSK,c-Fos,MMP9,NFATc1, and verified the underlying mechanisms. Finally, we performed experiments to further investigate the inflammation. NEO exhibits no significant cytotoxic effects on BMMs at concentrations less than or equal to 30 μM while exerting inhibitory effects on OC differentiation during its early and middle stages. RT-PCR and Western blot results reveal that NEO suppresses the expression of genes and proteins including CTSK,c-Fos,MMP9,NFATc1. Western blot findings also indicate that NEO inhibits the phosphorylation of ERK, P38, JNK, and P65 but does not reverse the degradation of IκB-α. Additionally, NEO affects the phosphorylation of proteins in the PI3K/AKT, GSK3β, and PPARγ signaling pathways, demonstrating that NEO can inhibit OC formation through multiple pathways and targets. experiments further validated the findings by constructing an OP model, showing that NEO can mitigate bone loss induced by OC differentiation. NEO has the potential to serve as a therapeutic agent for OP by targeting multiple sites and inhibiting the formation of mature OC through various signaling pathways.

Fibroblast activation protein (Fap) is a serine protease that degrades denatured type I collagen, α2-antiplasmin and FGF21. Fap is highly expressed in bone marrow stromal cells and functions as an osteogenic suppressor and can be inhibited by the bone growth factor Osteolectin (Oln). Fap is also expressed in synovial fibroblasts and positively correlated with the severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, whether Fap plays a critical role in osteoarthritis (OA) remains poorly understood. Here, we found that Fap is significantly elevated in osteoarthritic synovium, while the genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of Fap significantly ameliorated posttraumatic OA in mice. Mechanistically, we found that Fap degrades denatured type II collagen (Col II) and Mmp13-cleaved native Col II. Intra-articular injection of rFap significantly accelerated Col II degradation and OA progression. In contrast, Oln is expressed in the superficial layer of articular cartilage and is significantly downregulated in OA. Genetic deletion of Oln significantly exacerbated OA progression, which was partially rescued by Fap deletion or inhibition. Intra-articular injection of rOln significantly ameliorated OA progression. Taken together, these findings identify Fap as a critical pathogenic factor in OA that could be targeted by both synthetic and endogenous inhibitors to ameliorate articular cartilage degradation.