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In the realm of power systems, short-term electric load forecasting is pivotal for ensuring supply–demand balance, optimizing generation planning, reducing operational costs, and maintaining grid stability. Short-term load curves are characteristically coarse, revealing high-frequency data upon decomposition that exhibit pronounced non-linearity and significant noise, complicating efforts to enhance forecasting precision. To address these challenges, this study introduces an innovative model. This model employs complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) to bifurcate the original load data into low- and high-frequency components. For the smoother low-frequency data, a temporal convolutional network (TCN) is utilized, whereas the high-frequency components, which encapsulate detailed load history information yet suffer from a lower fitting accuracy, are processed using an enhanced soft thresholding TCN (SF-TCN) optimized with the slime mould algorithm (SMA). Experimental tests of this methodology on load forecasts for the forthcoming 24 h across all seasons have demonstrated its superior forecasting accuracy compared to that of non-decomposed models, such as support vector regression (SVR), recurrent neural network (RNN), gated recurrent unit (GRU), long short-term memory (LSTM), convolutional neural network-LSTM (CNN-LSTM), TCN, Informer, and decomposed models, including CEEMDAN-TCN and CEEMDAN-TCN-SMA.

A scheme for manufacturing heavy-duty rail grinding wheels with silicone-modified phenolic resin (SMPR) as a binder in the field of rail grinding is presented to improve the performance of grinding wheels. To optimize the heat resistance and mechanical performance of rail grinding wheels, an SMPR for industrial production of rail grinding wheels was prepared in a two-step reaction using methyl-trimethoxy-silane (MTMS) as the organosilicon modifier by guiding the occurrence of the transesterification and addition polymerization reactions. The effect of MTMS concentration on the performance of silicone-modified phenolic resin for application in rail grinding wheels was investigated. The molecular structure, thermal stability, bending strength, and impact strength values of the SMPR were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and mechanical property testing, and the effect of MTMS content on the resin properties was investigated. The results indicated that MTMS successfully improved the performance of the phenolic resin. The thermogravimetric weight loss temperature of the SMPR modified by MTMS with 40% phenol mass at 30% weight loss is 66% higher than that of common phenolic resin (UMPR), exhibiting the best thermal stability; in addition, its bending strength and impact strength were enhanced by approximately 14% and 6%, respectively, compared with those of common UMPR. This study utilized an innovative Bronsted acid as a catalyst and simplified several intermediate reactions in the conventional silicone-modified phenolic resin technology. This new investigation of the synthesis process decreases the manufacturing cost of the SMPR, liberates it from the restrictions of grinding applications, and enables the SMPR to maximize its performance in the rail grinding industry. This study serves as a reference for future work on resin binders for grinding wheels and the development of rail grinding wheel manufacturing technology.

Infrared imaging technology relies on detecting the electromagnetic waves emitted by an object's spontaneous thermal radiation for imaging. It can overcome the adverse effects of complex lighting conditions on the detection of pedestrians and vehicles on the road. To address the issues of low accuracy and missed detection in visual detection under complex traffic conditions, such as during rain, snow, or at night, a pedestrian and vehicle detection model using infrared imaging has been proposed. This model improves the neck network and incorporates an attention mechanism. First, by adding a multi-scale feature fusion small-object detection layer to the model's neck, enhancing the capture of detailed information about small infrared objects and reducing missed detections. Second, a novel dual-layer routing attention mechanism is designed, allowing the model to focus on the most relevant feature areas and improving the detection accuracy of small infrared objects. Next, the CARAFE upsampling method is used for adaptive upsampling and context information fusion, which enhances the model's ability to reorganize features and capture details. Finally, a lightweight CSPPC module is constructed using partial convolutions to replace the C2f module in the neck network, which improves the model's frame rate. Experimental results show that, compared to the baseline model, BCC-YOLOv8n improves precision, recall, mAP@0.5, and mAP@0.5:0.95 by 1.4%, 4.8%, 5.3%, and 4.5%, respectively, while reducing the number of parameters by approximately 7%. Additionally, a frame rate of 70.8 FPS was achieved, satisfying the requirements for real-time detection.

The flavonoid quercitrin has a strong antioxidant property. It is also reported to have a protective effect on the liver. However, the mechanism by which it exerts a protective effect on the liver is not fully understood. The objective of this article is to confirm the protective effect of quercitrin extracted from Albiziae flos on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury and to explain its mechanism. In the in vivo study, quercitrin was administered orally to BALB/c mice at a dose of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg for seven consecutive days. APAP (300 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally after a last dose of quercitrin was administered. Determination of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels showed that quercitrin effectively attenuated APAP-induced acute liver injury in mice. Results of the in vitro study showed that quercitrin reduced the levels of ROS, protected mitochondria from damage, and restored the activity of mitochondrial complex I in APAP-treated L-02 cells. The addition of rotenone which is an inhibitor of complex I blocked the protective effect of quercitrin. The expression of mitochondrial complex I was also maintained by quercitrin. Our results suggest that quercitrin can maintain the level of mitochondrial complex I in injured cells and restore its activity, which reduces the production of ROS, protects the mitochondria from oxidative stress, and has a protective effect on the liver.

Trait-based approaches have been widely used to evaluate the effects of variable environments on submerged macrophytes communities. However, little research focused on the response of submerged macrophytes to variable environmental factors in impounded lakes and channel rivers of water transfer project, especially from a whole plant trait network (PTN) perspective. Here, we conducted a field survey designed to clarify the characteristic of PTN topology among impounded lakes and channel rivers of the East Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project (ERSNWTP) and to unravel the effects of determining factors on the PTN topology structure. Overall, our results showed that leaf-related traits and organ mass allocation traits were the hub traits of PTNs in impounded lakes and channel rivers of the ERSNWTP, which traits with high variability were more likely to be the hub traits. Moreover, PTNs showed different structures among impounded lakes and channel rivers, and PTNs topologies were related to the mean functional variation coefficients of lakes and channel rivers. Specially, higher mean functional variation coefficients represented tight PTN, and lower mean functional variation coefficients indicated loose PTN. The PTN structure was significantly affected by water total phosphorus and dissolved oxygen. Edge density increased, while average path length decreased with increasing total phosphorus. Edge density and average clustering coefficient showed significant decreases with increasing dissolved oxygen, while average path length and modularity exhibited significant increases with increasing dissolved oxygen. This study explores the changing patterns and determinants of trait networks along environmental gradients to improve our understanding of ecological rules regulating trait correlations.

Ligation-mediated PCR (LM-PCR) is a classical method for isolating flanking sequences; however, it has a common limitation of reduced success rate owing to the circularization or multimerization of target restriction fragments including the known sequence. To address this limitation, we developed a novel LM-PCR method, termed Cyclic Digestion and Ligation-Mediated PCR (CDL-PCR). The novelty of this approach involves the design of new adapters that cannot be digested after being ligated with the restriction fragment, and cyclic digestion and ligation may be manipulated to block the circularization or multimerization of the target restriction fragments. Moreover, to improve the generality and flexibility of CDL-PCR, an adapter precursor sequence was designed, which could be digested to prepare 12 different adapters at low cost. Using this method, the flanking sequences of T-DNA insertions were obtained from transgenic rice and Arabidopsis thaliana . The experimental results demonstrated that CDL-PCR is an efficient and flexible method for identifying the flanking sequences in transgenic rice and Arabidopsis thaliana .

The chalcone isomerase gene OsCHI, one of the key genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, plays an important role in rice (Oryza sativa) resistance to abiotic stresses. This study reveals how the chalcone isomerase gene family member OsCHI3 participates in rice responses to drought stress through the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis. Overexpression of OsCHI3 increased the tolerance of rice to drought stress. In contrast, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of OsCHI3 reduced the drought tolerance of rice, an effect that is reversed by exogenous ABA treatment. Transcriptomic and physiological biochemical analyses indicated that flavonoids regulated by OsCHI3 not only scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) but also increase drought tolerance in rice by stimulating ABA biosynthesis through the regulation of OsNCED1 and OsABA8ox3 expression. These findings demonstrate that OsCHI3 increases drought stress tolerance in rice by activating the antioxidant defense system and the ABA metabolic pathway, providing new clues for drought-resistant rice breeding research.

Shale oil resources are abundant on Earth, of which hybrid sedimentary shale (HSS) oil is an important component, including high and medium–low organic matter content (TOC). Oil content, especially the oiliness gradation, is a key parameter for shale oil evaluation and numerous studies had been conducted. However, most studies concentrated on the HSS with high TOC, making oil content evaluation of the HSS with medium–low TOC challenging. The Paleocene Shahejie Formation (E 2 s) shale in Dongpu Depression is a typical HSS with low-moderate TOC, showing great shale oil resource potential. Integrated geochemical characterization of 270 core samples were conducted and results show that, the E 2 s shale has fair-good hydrocarbon generation potential, with TOC ranging from 0.06% to 3.6% (Avg. 0.86%) and II 1 –II 2 kerogen type in thermally mature. The hydrocarbon generation potential decreases with kerogen types changing from type I to III, but S 1C and the oil saturation index (OSI) ( S 1 *100/TOC > 100) increase from type I to II 1 , and then decrease from type II 2 to III, indicating shale with type II 2 kerogen have the greatest oil content. This is related to the differences in hydrocarbon expulsion efficiency caused by differential hydrocarbon generation potential and pore-microfractures evolution among shales with different kerogen types. Significant oil micro-migration occurred in E 2 s shale, with micro-migration quantity (∆Q) ranging from − 846 to 993 mg/g (Avg. − 120 mg/g), and 90% and 10% shale exhibit hydrocarbon intra-micro-migration (∆Q < 0) and extra-micro-migration (∆Q > 0). The shale with type II 2 kerogen has the greatest intra-micro-migration. Based on S 1C , TOC and OSI values and their evolution pattern, shale oil resources were classified into enriched, moderately enriched, less efficient and invalid resources, accounting for 11%, 53%, 16% and 21% respectively, with S 1C thresholds of 3.5 and 0.5 mg/g, OSI threshold of 100 mg/g. Compared with previous grading criteria, the gradation criterion established in this study is relatively lower, which is mainly due to the lower TOC and clay mineral content in HSS. Enriched and moderately enriched resources are mainly shales with type II 2 kerogen, followed by type II 1 kerogen, and the E 2 s 4 U and E 2 s 3 L shale are the most favorable targets for further shale oil exploration. The established oiliness gradation criteria are applicable for the HSS with TOC in other parts of the world.

Trapa natans is one of the main species causing the swamping in the littoral zones of Erhai Lake. It commonly forms a dense canopy on the water surface in the growing season (June–September), which hampers the local water quality and habitat of submerged macrophytes, and releases nutrients to the water after death in autumn and winter, resulting in the deterioration of local water quality. At present, there are many and positive research studies on the short-term effects of harvesting water chestnut on water quality and aquatic plants, but long-term observation results are lacking. In response to the above problems, we studied responses of water quality and aquatic plant community to the removal of Trapa in littoral zone of a northern bay in Erhai from August 2014 to January 2017. This could be the first attempt to discover the long-term effects of floating-leaved vegetation management in the freshwater ecosystem. The results showed that the artificial removal of Trapa significantly improved the local water quality in the growing season, for example, the concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), dissolved nitrogen (DN), total phosphorus (TP), and dissolved phosphorus (DP) in the non- Trapa zone (NTZ) were much lower than the concentrations of those in the adjacent Trapa zone (TZ). And the biomass of aquatic macrophyte community (BAMC) was significantly increased in the NTZ, up to the maximum value of about 21 kg/m 2 in fresh weight. However, the diversity indexes of the community in the NTZ declined. Therefore, we suggested that although the removal of Trapa improved the water quality and increased the productivity of the submerged aquatic plant community, it reduced the species diversity of the aquatic plant community in the long run. This is another issue that we need to pay attention to in the later management in Erhai Lake.