Ribonucleic Acid Export 1 Is a Kinetochore-Associated Protein That Participates in Chromosome Alignment in Mouse Oocytes

Ribonucleic acid export 1 (Rae1) is an important nucleoporin that participates in mRNA export during the interphase of higher eukaryotes and regulates the mitotic cell cycle. In this study, small RNA interference technology was used to knockdown Rae1, and immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, and chromosome spreading were used to study the role of Rae1 in mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. We found that Rae1 is a crucial regulator of meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes. After the resumption of meiosis (GVBD), Rae1 was concentrated on the kinetochore structure. The knockdown of Rae1 by a specific siRNA inhibited GVBD progression at 2 h, finally leading to a decreased 14 h polar body extrusion (PBE) rate. However, a comparable 14 h PBE rate was found in the control, and the Rae1 knockdown groups that had already undergone GVBD. Furthermore, we found elevated PBE after 9.5 h in the Rae1 knockdown oocytes. Further analysis revealed that Rae1 depletion significantly decreased the protein level of securin. In addition, we detected weakened kinetochore–microtubule (K-MT) attachments, misaligned chromosomes, and an increased incidence of aneuploidy in the Rae1 knockdown oocytes. Collectively, we propose that Rae1 modulates securin protein levels, which contribute to chromosome alignment, K-MT attachments, and aneuploidy in meiosis.     

Governing behavioral integration of top management team in megaprojects: A social capital perspective

Behavioral integration (BI), or the extent to which top management team (TMT) members engage in collective interactions, is a critical element for achieving business success in corporate management that has rarely been examined in megaproject studies. The organizational complexities of megaprojects contribute to biases in TMT's behavior. This study presents a team-level analysis of the drivers of BI in megaprojects through the theoretical lens of social capital. Based on a survey conducted with 128 senior managers from 48 megaprojects, the results showed that (1) both the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital have a significantly positive effect on BI, with the structural dimension being more influential; (2) the relational dimension of social capital showed a partial effect on BI; (3) affective commitment plays a mediating role that bridges social capital and the TMT's BI. These findings shed new light on cultivating interactions among TMT members in governing megaprojects.     

面向多模态磁共振脑瘤图像的小样本分割方法

针对脑肿瘤磁共振成像(MRI)模态多、训练数据少、类别不平衡以及各个私有数据库差异大等导致分割困难的问题,引入小样本分割方法,并提出基于U-net的原型网络(PU-net)模型用以对脑肿瘤磁共振(MR)图像进行分割.首先对U-net的结构进行调整来提取各类瘤体的特征用以计算原型;然后在原型网络的基础上,逐像素利用原型对...     

Supplier selection with different risk preferences and attribute sets: An innovative study based on generalized linguistic term sets

Selecting the optimal supplier is crucial to the management of the company’s supply chain, which has received widespread attention from academia and business circles. Generally, a variety of suppliers and multiple attributes are usually involved in this selection proceeding which can be comparatively regarded as a linguistic multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problem. However, common linguistic MAGDM problems may not take the following characteristics into consideration. Due to the limited knowledge, distinctive interests, and different semantic value expectations of decision makers (DMs), it is necessary for them to consider their diverse risk preferences and use multi-granular linguistic term sets (LTSs) to assess suppliers on individual attribute sets independently. Meanwhile, the complex decision environment may have influences on the integrity of the attribute weight information, such that it is always incompletely known. To deal with the afore-mentioned situations, this paper presents a procedure based on risk preferences and several attribute sets with incomplete weight information for choosing the desirable supplier. Firstly, a new multi-granular fuzzy linguistic transformation model is constructed to normalize linguistic domains of multi-granular generalized linguistic term sets (GLTSs). Multi-granular GLTSs are introduced to describe semantic values of multi-granular LTSs given by DMs with risk preferences. Secondly, according to the maximizing deviation method with incomplete attribute weight information, an optimization model is also established to determine attribute weight vectors of individual attribute sets. Thirdly, a novel method that comprises of the aforesaid models is presented to handle supplier selection problems with risk preferences and several attribute sets. Finally, an illustrative example on supplier selection and comparative analyses are provided to clarify the validity and feasibility of our proposed method. Significantly, the initiation of the proposed method and its application could afford to the theoretical development of linguistic MAGDM, as well as the practical expansion in the domain of supplier selection.     

Cooperative surveillance systems and digital-technology enabler for a real-time standard terminal arrival schedule displacement

As the backbone of Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM), Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a surveillance technology and digital-technology enabler relying on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The onboard ADS-B Out system broadcasts the aircraft’s real-time digital information such as position and ground speed periodically (every 0.5–2 s), which is more frequent than the radar system. Taking this advantage, situational awareness and flight efficiency can be highly improved. In this paper, a novel heuristic search method based on ADS-B is proposed for the Aircraft Landing Problem (ALP) with the objective of reducing flight time while maintaining the time separation standards mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The recorded ADS-B data in Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong international airports are adopted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. Results show that there is an obvious decrease in the total flight time. Besides, the heuristic search method can achieve continuous and real-time ALP updates, satisfying the requirements for air traffic control. While highlighting ADS-B-based applications, this study also provides some basic implications for the updated model in air traffic management.     

In Situ Nanozyme-Amplified NIR-II Phototheranostics for Tumor-Specific Imaging and Therapy

The discovery of near-IR-II (NIR-II) tumor phototheranostics holds a great promise for use in nanomedicine on account of its enhanced penetration depth, high spatial resolution, and noninvasiveness. However, contemporary “always on” phototherapeutic agents often have many undesirable side effects that hinder their clinical trial progress. To overcome this dilemma, an in situ nanozyme-amplified chromogenic nanoreactor by loading 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and ultrasmall PtAu nanoparticles into a metal–organic framework is developed for specific tumor theranostics, leaving normal tissues unharmed. As an intelligent photoacoustic diagnostic agent, the as-constructed nanoreactor remains silent until they enter the tumor site (H₂O₂-activated and acid-enhanced conditions) and turns on the photoacoustic signal to render a preoperative tumor diagnosis. As a nanozyme, the special microenvironment of the tumor tissue is used to initiate its catalytic damage by reactive oxygen species for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). More importantly, the TMB is oxidized, and the subsequent photothermal therapy (PTT) can be realized, leading to an optimal combination of CDT and PTT to concurrently fight obstinate cancers. The present “all-in-one” phototheranostics utilize nanozyme-augmented NIR-II agents for specific tumor ablation, which are promising for further development of intelligent nanozymes in tumor therapy.     

Heterogeneous membranes based on a composite of a hypercrosslinked microparticle adsorbent and polyimide binder

This paper deals with the preparation and characterization of heterogeneous membranes based on microparticle hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbents with a polyimide binder. The polyimide based membrane extension is hindered by their low permeability. We enhanced the permeability of polyimide membranes by changed chemical structure and by adding of the new type fillers. Hypercrosslinked polystyrene microparticles of diameter 1–5 μm were prepared by SnCl₄-catalyzed Friedel–Crafts reaction of polystyrene with chloromethyl methyl ether in 1,2-dichlorethane solution. The precursor polyamic acid (PAA) was synthesized by the reaction of equimolar amounts of 4,4′-oxy(bis(phthalic anhydride)) (ODPA) and bis(4,4′-oxydianiline) (ODA) or 4,4′-[(1,4-phenylene)dipropane-2,2-diyl]dianiline (BIS P) in N-methylpyrrolidone (content 10 wt.%). A PAA solution in N-methylpyrrolidone with the adsorbent was spread onto a glass substrate and kept at 60–240 °C for 12 h. Heterogeneous membranes were characterized by thermal, mechanical and separation measurements. The permeability for membrane ODPA–BIS P filled with 10 wt.% of hypercrosslinked adsorbent was 3.5 × 10⁻¹¹ cm³(STP) cm cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ for nitrogen and 4 × 10⁻⁹ cm³(STP) cm cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ for hydrogen. The permeability of homogeneous polyimide membranes is up to one order of magnitude lower. The diffusion coefficient of heterogeneous membranes increased in the order CH₄ < N₂ < O₂ < CO₂ < H₂. The selectivity of hydrogen–nitrogen separation with the amount of adsorbent decreased from 164 to 69. The prepared membranes are intended for separation of gases and low organic molecules even at enhanced temperature. The present paper aims at giving information on the influence of hypercrosslinked adsorbents and polyimide binding materials on the gas separation properties of membranes.     

Controlled synthesis of Fe3O4@SnO2/RGO nanocomposite for microwave absorption enhancement

A ternary nanocomposite of Fe₃O₄@SnO₂/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with different contents of SnO₂ nanoparticles was synthesized by a simple and efficient three-step method. The transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy characterization display that plenty of Fe₃O₄@SnO₂ core–shell structure nanoparticles are well distributed on the surface of RGO sheets. The X-ray diffractograms show that the products consist of highly crystallized cubic Fe₃O₄, tetragonal SnO₂ and disorderedly stacked RGO sheets. The magnetic hysteresis measurement reveals the ferromagnetic behavior of the products at room temperature. The microwave absorption properties of paraffin containing 50 wt% products were investigated at room temperature in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz by a vector network analyzer. The electromagnetic data show that the maximum reflection loss is −45.5 dB and −29.5 dB for Fe₃O₄@SnO₂/RGO-1 and Fe₃O₄@SnO₂/RGO-2 nanocomposite, respectively. Meanwhile, the reflection loss less than −10 dB is up to 14.4 GHz and 13.8 GHz for Fe₃O₄@SnO₂/RGO-1 and Fe₃O₄@SnO₂/RGO-2 nanocomposite, respectively. It is believed that such nanocomposite could be used as promising microwave absorbers.     

Fe and N co-doped carbon derived from melamine resin capsuled biomass as efficient oxygen reduction catalyst for air-cathode microbial fuel cells

Cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance is crucial for power generation of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The current study provides a novel strategy to prepare Fe/N-doped carbon (Fe/N/C) catalyst for MFCs cathode through high temperature pyrolyzing of biomass capsuling melamine resin polymer. The obtained Fe/N/C can effectively enhance activity, selectivity and stability toward 4 e^– ORR in pH neutral solution. Single chamber MFC with Fe/N/C air cathode produces maximum power density of 1166 mW m⁻², which is 140% higher than AC cathode. The improved performance of Fe/N/C can be attributed to the involvement of nitrogen and iron species. The excellent stability can be attributed to the preferential structure of the catalyst. The moderate porosity of the catalyst facilitates mass transfer of oxygen and protons and prevents water flooding of triple-phase boundary where ORR occurs. The biomass particles encapsulated in the catalyst act as skeletons, which prevents catalyst collapse and agglomeration.     

Destruction of Salmonella enteritidis inoculated in liquid whole egg by high hydrostatic pressure: comparative study in selective and non-selective media

The destruction of Salmonella enteritidis inoculated in liquid whole egg at approximately 10⁷−10⁸cfu ml^−lwas studied under combinations of pressure (350 and 450 MPa), temperature (50, 20, 2 and −15°C) and time (5, 10, 15 min and cycles of 5+5 and 5+5+5 min). One non-selective medium (tryptone soy agar) and two selective media (brilliant green agar and salmonella-shigella) were used to evaluate viability of S. enteritidis after pressurization. The inactivation rate increased with pressure and exposure time, being minimal at 350 MPa and −15°C for 5 min (over 1 log₁₀of reduction) and reaching total inactivation (8 log₁₀of reduction) in several treatments at 50°C. Treatments in cycles showed greater effectiveness than continuous treatments of the same total time. The effect of pressure was enhanced by elevated temperatures. The higher counts were obtained in the non-selective medium, indicating the presence of injured cells after pressure treatment. D -values obtained for two temperatures (2 and 20°C) and different times (0–60 min) under controlled pressure (400 MPa) showed that microbial inactivation followed a first-order kinetics with a decimal reduction time evaluated in tryptone soy agar medium of 9·5 min at 2°C and 8·8 min at 20°C.