Upregulation of tetraspanin 8 may contribute to LPSinduced acute lung injury by activation of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways

Purpose: To investigate the effect of tetraspanin8 (Tspan8, also known as TM4SF3 or CO-029) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and the related signaling pathways.Methods: Treatment with LPS was used to induce lung damage in mice and a lung epithelial cell line. The wet-to-dry weight ratio of lung tissue, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, and quantification of cytokine concentrations were conducted to validate the model. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used to measure levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6. Tspan8 levels were knocked down using shRNAs. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway levels were assessed after LPS-induced injury in this cellular model.Results: Levels of Tspan8 were upregulated in the LPS-induced ALI model. Additionally, LPS treatment of mouse lung epithelial cells resulted in Tspan8 upregulation. Tspan8 knockdown alleviated the effects of LPS on lung epithelial injury by inhibiting the upregulation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways.Conclusion: The upregulation of Tspan8 may promote the progression of ALI

Emergence of central recirculation zone in a V-shaped premixed swirling flame

This paper presents an experimental study on the emergence of the central recirculation zone (CRZ) in a V-shaped premixed swirling flame, using simultaneous measurement of particle image velocimetry (PIV) and CH* chemiluminescence. The results show that either increasing the Reynolds number (Re) or decreasing the equivalence ratio ({\phi}) would facilitate the emergence of CRZ, and the inner shear layer (ISL) plays an essential role in governing the characteristics of CRZ. Further analysis demonstrates that the CRZ emergence can be promoted by higher ISL intensity but suppressed by enhanced viscous diffusion owing to higher flame temperature. As such, the CRZ formation can be interpreted as the outcome of a competition between the ISL intensity, i.e., circulation, and the vorticity consumption due to viscous diffusion. This competition physically corresponds to a special Reynolds number, Re_s, defined as the ratio between the ISL circulation ({\Gamma}) and the ISL effective viscosity ({\nu}_s), with a simplified heat loss model proposed for the temperature and viscosity estimations of the ISL. The outputting {\Gamma}-{\nu}_s plot yields a single boundary line separating the cases with and without CRZ, which points to a common critical Re_s of about 637, justifying the generality of the present criterion for lean-premixed V-shaped swirling flames of various operating conditions. Unlike most previous works which study the CRZ of a swirling flame from the point of vortex breakdown, the present work reveals the importance of enhanced viscous diffusion, caused by flame heating, in suppressing the CRZ emergence

Population dynamics of Brachionus calyciflorus driven by the associated natural bacterioplankton

Zooplankton provides bacteria with a complex microhabitat richen in organic and inorganic nutrients, and the bacteria community also changes the physiochemical conditions for zooplankton, where the symbiotic relationship between them plays an important role in the nutrient cycle. However, there are few studies on the effect of associated bacteria on the population dynamics of rotifers. In order to make clear their relationships, we reconstructed the associated bacterial community in Brachionus calyciflorus culture, and examined the life history and population growth parameters, and analyzed the diversity and community composition of the associated bacteria at different growth stages of B. calyciflorus. The results showed that the addition of bacteria from natural water can promote the population growth and asexual reproduction of B. calyciflorus, but has no significant effect on sexual reproduction, exhibited by the improvement of its life expectancy at hatching, net reproduction rates and intrinsic growth rate, no significant effects on the generation time and mixis ratio of offspring. It was found that the B. calyciflorus-associated bacterial community was mainly composed of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota, Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes. Through correlation network analysis, the members of Burkholderiales, Pseudomonadales, Micrococcales, Caulobacterales and Bifidobacteriales were the keystone taxa of B. calyciflorus-associated bacteria. In addition, the relative abundance of some specific bacteria strains increased as the population density of B. calyciflorus increased, such as Hydrogenophaga, Acidovorax, Flavobacterium, Rheinheimera, Novosphingobium and Limnobacter, and their relative abundance increased obviously during the slow and exponential phases of population growth. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of adverse taxa (such as Elizabethkingia and Rickettsiales) decreased significantly with the increase in rotifer population density. In conclusion, the closely associated bacteria are not sufficient for the best growth of B. calyciflorus, and external bacterioplankton is necessary. Furthermore, the function of keystone and rare taxa is necessary for further exploration. The investigation of the symbiotic relationship between zooplankton-associated bacterial and bacterioplankton communities will contribute to monitoring their roles in freshwater ecosystems, and regulate the population dynamics of the micro-food web

Functional Analysis of a Putative Dothistromin Toxin MFS Transporter Gene

Dothistromin is a non-host selective toxin produced by the pine needle pathogen Dothistroma septosporum. Dothistromin is not required for pathogenicity, but may have a role in competition and niche protection. To determine how D. septosporum tolerates its own toxin, a putative dothistromin transporter, DotC, was investigated. Studies with mutants lacking a functional dotC gene, overproducing DotC, or with a DotC-GFP fusion gene, did not provide conclusive evidence of a role in dothistromin efflux. The mutants revealed a major effect of DotC on dothistromin biosynthesis but were resistant to exogenous dothistromin. Intracellular localization studies suggest that compartmentalization may be important for dothistromin tolerance

The salt accumulation at the shifting aeolian sandy soil surface with high salinity groundwater drip irrigation in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert

The EC analysis and water serial sampling was performed in the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt to explore the water and salt dynamics of the shallow aeolian sandy soil (0-30cm) under high salinity groundwater drip irrigation. It was found that in one irrigation cycle, the EC of the shallow shifting aeolian sandy soil (0-30cm) increased while the water content decreased. The EC of the surface aeolian sandy soil at the wetting front was far greater than that of the wetting area or the outside of the wetting area. During the irrigation cycle, the EC of the wetting front and the wetting area changed at a significant magnitude, whereas the EC of the outside of the wetting area remained largely steady. The horizontal influence distance of drip irrigation on the salt accumulation at the soil surface was about 100 cm, and the vertical influence depth was 5 cm. The three most abundant ions in the accumulated salt at the aeolian sandy soil surface were Na+, Cl- and SO42-. The salt accumulation at the soil surface was influenced by air temperature, wind speed, mineralization of irrigation water, sand burial thickness, soil texture, and litter content

Comprehensive eco-environmental effects of the shelter-forest ecological engineering along the Tarim Desert Highway

In this work, we report a comprehensive study about the eco-environmental effects of the shelter forest along the Tarim Desert Highway, including the effects on aeolian environment, soil, micro-climate, biodiversity, and groundwater. The results show that: (1) The movement of windblown sand near the ground surface was affected by the shelter forest. The wind speed and sediment transport rate in the shelter forest decreased by 64%-80% and 87.45%-99.02%, respectively. In addition, there were also significant changes in the sand flux structure, the sand grain size, and the deflation and deposition on the ground surface. (2) Compared to the natural mobile sand, the soil bulk density in the forest area decreased while the total salt content, the total porosity, and the water content increased. In addition, the soil fertility was significantly improved in the forest area, and showed the "first rapid, then slow" variation pattern. (3) The shelter forest showed positive effects on the micro-climate. Within the 6 m height above the ground, the air temperature in the shelter forest at different heights was lower than that in the mobile sand, while the air humidity was higher, while, the soil temperature was also lower in the shelter forest than mobile sand. (4) The number of soil microbial species increased significantly with the improvement of habitat in the shelterbelt. However, the population of different species was not distributed evenly across the surveyed area. (5) Currently, no significant effects of groundwater-pumping and forest-irrigation water have been found on the groundwater level and its salinity. The variation amplitude of both groundwater level and salinity was at the level of centimeters and 1g/L, respectively. No obvious variation trend has been observed

Application of ultra-high pressure hydraulic slotting technology in medium hardness and low permeability coal seam

In order to improve the gas pre-drainage efficiency of medium hard coal seam with high gas and low permeability, the applicable conditions, advantages and disadvantages of hydraulic piercing, hydraulic fracturing and hydraulic cutting seam anti-permeability technology were discussed. Based on the principle of ultra-high pressure hydraulic slotting technology, a kind of ultra-high pressure hydraulic slotting device for through-layer drilling is developed, it is mainly composed of diamond hydraulic slotting bit, shallow spiral drill pipe, ultra-high pressure rotary joint, ultra-high pressure clean water pump, high-low pressure converter, ultra-high pressure rubber pipe, etc. The water pressure reaches 60−100 MPa, which can realize the integration of drilling and cutting, and is simple and convenient to use. The device was used to carry out field tests in the pre-drainage boreholes of 11-2 coal seam through the floor roadway of 1361(1) haulage gateway in Dingji coal mine. The coal seam gas pressure was 1.43 MPa, the gas content was 8.05 m3/t, and the gas permeability coefficient was 0.013 m2/ (MPa2·d), the coal seam firmness coefficient is 0.79; 1361(1) transportation roadway floor No.11−No.15 drilling area unit length 227 meters, using high-pressure hydraulic slotting anti-permeability measures, 1361(1) transportation roadway floor No.6—No.10 drilling area unit length 213 meters, anti-permeability measures of low-pressure water punching in coal mine. The results show that the average single-knife slitting time of ultra-high pressure hydraulic slitting drilling is 10.7 min, the single-knife coal output is 0.31 t, the equivalent slitting radius is 1.38 m, the slitting density of the coal hole section is 1 knife/m, and the average cutting rate per hole is The average gas drainage concentration of ultra-high pressure hydraulic slotted holes is 56.97%, which is 2.37 times that of low-pressure punching; The time to reach the standard is about 23 days, which is 74.4% and 54.9% shorter than that of ordinary drilling and hydraulic punching technology respectively. Compared with ordinary drilling and hydraulic punching technology, ultra-high pressure hydraulic slotting technology is more ideal for gas drainage in low permeability medium-hard coal seams

The dynamics variation of soil moisture of shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway

We studied the variation of soil moisture as well as its regularity over the irrigation cycle at shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway at different site types and different planting years. The results show that: (1) There is an obvious temporal variation of soil moisture within a typical irrigation period in shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway, and the soil water storage varied linearly with the number of days after irrigation. Along the direction perpendicular to the soil top, the soil profile can be divided into four layers and each shows different dynamics of soil moisture variation, including the quickly changing layer (0-20 cm), the active layer (20-60 cm), the weakly layer (60-100 cm), and the regulated layer (under 100 cm). (2) Both the soil moisture and soil water content decreased gradually with the number of planting year, while the soil water deficit increased. It indicates that shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway can retain the water accumulated from previous years. (3) The soil water storage of harden sand is the maximum among all types of sites. Specifically, it is about 1.58 times higher than that of longitudinal dune, 1.15 times higher than clay, and 1.43 times higher than flat sand. Its soil water deficit was over 900 mm

Topographical changes of ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway

To study the effects of sand protection project on modern aeolian landform, the types, distribution, and intensity of topographical changes of the ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway were determined by measuring the deflation and deposition of sand surface in the Tazhong area located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. The results showed that (1) the newly-formed landform in sand protection systems is dominated by aeolian deposition including the small-scale Nabkha Dunes, the medium-scale sheet-like sand deposition and the large-scale ridge-like sand deposition. To some degree, aeolian deflation landform can also be formed in the open space in the shelterbelt. Furthermore, it is difficult for aeolian deflation landform to develop in a large scale in the interdunes. However, aeolian deflation landform can be developed in a large-scale on the windward slope of secondary dunes in longitudinal complex sand ridges; (2) on the windward side of the sand protection systems, both the morphology and strike of dwarf mobile dunes in the interdunes are changed by the sand-obstructing forest belts and the ridge-like sand deposition around it. The windward slope of the ridge-like deposition around the sand-obstructing forest belt forms a stable ground surface. After being damaged by forward-moving dunes in a short period, the ground surface is recovered gradually; (3) on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, aeolian deflations are formed widely. Particularly, the deflation depression is formed in the interdunes. In addition, the dunes in the region with highly topographic relief are cut flat by aeolian deflations; thereafter its relief of topography is reduced. The above analysis indicates that shelterbelts have obvious effects on the windward wind-sand flux in terms of dissipating energy and intercepting sand. With the recovery of wind velocity on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, the wind-sand flux gradually tends to be unsaturated; therefore the sand surface deflation is formed

Classification and regionalization of the forming environment of windblown sand disasters along the Tarim Desert Highway

Through the systematic field survey and observations, the factor quantification as well as setting the criteria, the sand disaster-forming environment along the Tarim Desert Highway can be divided into four grades by the classification and regionalization based on fuzzy mathematics. The length of the regions with significant sand disaster accounted for 37.1% of the total highway length. Particularly, the area along the Tarim Desert Highway, based on the sand disaster-forming environment classification as well as the difference in the five basic landform units along the highway, combined with the difference of wind regime, can be divided into five regions, in which the length of the regions suffering severe sand damage occupied 64.3% of the total highway length. In addition, the index of disaster formation grade along the highway decreased from north to south, showing a repeated spatial pattern in small length scales