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The aim of this study is to investigate the antimicrobial potential of Lactobacillus plantarum ZJ5, a strain isolated from fermented mustard with a broad range of inhibitory activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Here we present the peptide plantaricin ZJ5 (PZJ5), which is an extreme pH and heat-stable. However, it can be digested by pepsin and proteinase K. This peptide has strong activity against Staphylococcus aureus. PZJ5 has been purified using a multi-step process, including ammonium sulfate precipitation, cation-exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interactions and reverse-phase chromatography. The molecular mass of the peptide was found to be 2572.9 Da using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The primary structure of this peptide was determined using amino acid sequencing and DNA sequencing, and these analyses revealed that the DNA sequence translated as a 44-residue precursor containing a 22-amino-acid N-terminal extension that was of the double-glycine type. The bacteriocin sequence exhibited no homology with known bacteriocins when compared with those available in the database, indicating that it was a new class IId bacteriocin. PZJ5 from a food-borne strain may be useful as a promising probiotic candidate.

Objective In previous studies, Lactobacillus plantarum ZJ316 showed probiotic properties, such as antimicrobial activity against various pathogens and the capacity to significantly improve pig growth and pork quality. The purpose of this study was to reveal the genes potentially related to its genetic adaptation and probiotic profiles based on comparative genomic analysis. Methods The genome sequence of L. plantarum ZJ316 was compared with those of eight L. plantarum strains deposited in GenBank. BLASTN, Mauve, and MUMmer programs were used for genome alignment and comparison. CRISPRFinder was applied for searching the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs). Results We identified genes that encode proteins related to genetic adaptation and probiotic profiles, including carbohydrate transport and metabolism, proteolytic enzyme systems and amino acid biosynthesis, CRISPR adaptive immunity, stress responses, bile salt resistance, ability to adhere to the host intestinal wall, exopolysaccharide (EPS) biosynthesis, and bacteriocin biosynthesis. Conclusions Comparative characterization of the L. plantarum ZJ316 genome provided the genetic basis for further elucidating the functional mechanisms of its probiotic properties. ZJ316 could be considered a potential probiotic candidate.

Heavy commercial vehicles equipped with a hydraulic hub-motor auxiliary system (HHMAS) often operate under complex road conditions. Selecting appropriate operating mode and realizing reasonable energy management to match unpredictable road conditions are the keys to the driving performance and fuel economy of HHMAS. Therefore, a multi-mode energy management strategy (MM-EMS) based on improved global optimization algorithm is proposed in this study for HHMAS. First, an improved dynamic programming (DP) algorithm for HHMAS is developed. This improved DP algorithm considers the effect of SOC and vehicle speed, thereby preventing the calculation results from falling into local optimization. This algorithm also reduces the dimension of the control variable data grid, and the calculation time is reduced by 35% without affecting the accuracy. Second, a MM-EMS with hierarchical control is proposed. This strategy extracts the optimal control rules from the results of the improved DP algorithm. Then it divides the system’s operating region into two types, namely, single-mode working region and mixedmode working region. In the single-mode working region, mode switching is realized through fixed thresholds. In the mixedmode working region, a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) is adopted to determine a target mode and realize SOC tracking control. Finally, the designed MM-EMS is verified separately in offline simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) under actual vehicle test cycles. Simulation results show that the results between HIL and offline simulation are largely coincidence. Besides, in comparison with the engine optimal control strategy, the designed MM-EMS can achieve an approximate optimal control, with oil savings of 3.96%.

Electrical Parking Brake (EPB) has been popularly used in passenger cars over the past ten years. With the help of the several kinds of sensors mounted in driveline for the total traction force estimation, EPB can obtain well performance on drive-off assistance and automatic parking brake. Furthermore, its AUTOHOLD function can realize automatic parking brake and ease the driver. However, given that the higher cost and complexity of this traction force estimation method based on the driveline sensors and its slower response resulted by applying maximum parking force for safety parking while driving off, a novel automatic parking brake system without these transmission system sensors, such as clutch position sensor for the cars with manual transmission, is proposed in this paper, including its control scheme and application test. Firstly, the indirect judgement method of the appropriate moment to release the parking brake, which is based on the car pitch moment when it drives off, is introduced according to the force analysis when the car is ready to go. Then a pragmatic mass estimation method for proper brake force calculation is proposed for improving the drive-off performance. In addition, for the convenience and drivability of skillful driver, as well as the system reliability, a mechanical redundant design to reserve the conventional handbrake lever is also described. Finally, various simulations based on CarSim software and road tests are performed to validate its effectiveness.

The aim of this study is to investigate the antimicrobial potential of Lactobacillus plantarum ZJ5, a strain isolated from fermented mustard with a broad range of inhibitory activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Here we present the peptide plantaricin ZJ5 (PZJ5), which is an extreme pH and heat-stable. However, it can be digested by pepsin and proteinase K. This peptide has strong activity against Staphylococcus aureus. PZJ5 has been purified using a multi-step process, including ammonium sulfate precipitation, cation-exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interactions and reverse-phase chromatography. The molecular mass of the peptide was found to be 2572.9 Da using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The primary structure of this peptide was determined using amino acid sequencing and DNA sequencing, and these analyses revealed that the DNA sequence translated as a 44-residue precursor containing a 22-amino-acid N-terminal extension that was of the double-glycine type. The bacteriocin sequence exhibited no homology with known bacteriocins when compared with those available in the database, indicating that it was a new class IId bacteriocin. PZJ5 from a food-borne strain may be useful as a promising probiotic candidate.

Hybrid electric vehicles have excellent energy efficiency and emission performance. Power split device (PSD) is a key component that directly affects the control strategy of power systems, the economic consumption of fuel, and the dynamic performance of vehicles. A differential-based PSD was proposed in this paper. A traditional differential was taken as the prototype and a new design method is proposed to retrofit the differential into a PSD. First, a comprehensive approach that includes theoretical analysis and software simulation was used to analyze the possibility as well as the necessity of retrofitting the differential into PSD. Then the differential was retrofitted. Finally, finite element analysis and bench test were conducted. Results showed that applying the retrofitted differential as PSD is practicable.

Immunotherapy combined with antiangiogenic targeted therapy has improved the treatment of certain solid tumors, but effective regimens remain elusive for refractory recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC). We conducted a phase 2 trial to evaluate the safety and activity of camrelizumab plus apatinib in platinum-resistant (cohort 1, NCT04547088) and PD-1 inhibitor resistant NPC (cohort 2, NCT04548271). Here we report on the primary outcome of objective response rate (ORR) and secondary endpoints of safety, duration of response, disease control rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival. The primary endpoint of ORR was met for cohort 1 (65%, 95% CI, 49.6–80.4, n  = 40) and cohort 2 (34.3%; 95% CI, 17.0–51.8, n  = 32). Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) were reported in 47 (65.3%) of 72 patients. Results of our predefined exploratory investigation of predictive biomarkers show: B cell markers are the most differentially expressed genes in the tumors of responders versus non-responders in cohort 1 and that tertiary lymphoid structure is associated with higher ORR; Angiogenesis gene expression signatures are strongly associated with ORR in cohort 2. Camrelizumab plus apatinib combination effectiveness is associated with high expression of PD-L1, VEGF Receptor 2 and B-cell-related genes signatures. Camrelizumab plus apatinib shows promising efficacy with a measurable safety profile in RM-NPC patients. Combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors with anti-angiogenic targeted therapy has shown efficacy in some solid tumours. Here the authors report the results of a phase 2 trial of camrelizumab (anti-PD1) plus apatinib as a second-line or later-line treatment regimen in platinum-resistant (cohort 1) or PD-1 inhibitor-resistant (cohort 2) Recurrent/Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma patients.

The general benefit of physical activity (PA) to one's mental health has been widely acknowledged. Nevertheless, the specific type and amount of PA that associates with lower risk of depression in China awaits further investigation. The present study was conducted on middle- and older-aged Chinese population with two objectives: 1) to understand the patterns of PA; 2) to measure the associations between depression and PA at different levels from various aspects. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2015), we selected 9118 community residents aged 45 years and older. Depressive symptoms were measured by 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CES-D 10). Multivariate logistic regression model was performed to examine the association between risk of depression and PA from four aspects including intensity, frequency, duration, and volume. Spending 1-2 days/week (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.91), less than 30 minutes each time (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.42, 1.03) or 150-299 min/week (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.87) on Moderate Physical Activity (MPA) was associated with lower odds of depression in women. Spending 3-5 days/week (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.05) or 6-7 days/week (OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.11), 4 hours and longer each time (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.32), 300 min/week or longer (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.22, 2.24) on Vigorous Physical Activity (VPA) in total, or 2250 Metabolic Equivalent of Task (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.38) on Moderate-to-Vigorous PA was associated with higher risk of depression in men. The association between depression and PA depended largely on intensity and gender. Lower frequency, shorter duration, and moderate amount of MPA was associated with lower risk of depression in women. Risk of depression was higher in men who spent higher frequency, longer duration, and overlong time on VPA.

Metastasis is the main cause of treatment failure in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our previous study developed a transcriptomics-based gene signature (AK4, CPAMD8, DDAH1, and CRTR1) to predict metastasis in NPC and identify candidates that could benefit from induction chemotherapy (IC). Of these, adenylate kinase 4 (AK4) is a potent oncogene involved in the malignant progression of a variety of tumors. This study investigated the expression and mechanism of action of AK4, a member of the AK family of enzymes, in NPC. Quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry revealed that AK4 was upregulated in NPC and correlated with metastasis and chemoresistance. Stable ectopic overexpression of AK4 in NPC cell lines conferred resistance to taxol-induced apoptosis, promoted the migration, invasion, and EMT phenotype, and induced IL-1β secretion by activating the NLRP3 signaling pathway; knockdown of AK4 had the opposite effects. Mechanistically, AK4 co-localized with NNT, upregulated NLRP3 and IL-1β, and consequently altered NPC cell metastasis and chemoresistance. AK4 may play a role in the development of NPC and represent a potential therapeutic target.