Search Results (23)

Dynamic multi-objective optimization problems (DMOPs) are widely encountered in engineering optimization processes, characterized by conflicting objectives that change over time. Evolutionary transfer optimization (ETO) has recently emerged as a promising optimization paradigm for addressing DMOPs. ETO-based dynamic multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (DMOEAs) usually adopt discriminative prediction strategies to select high-quality initial solutions in new environments by transferring knowledge from the source domain, thereby accelerating the evolutionary process. However, DMOPs often change in both decision and objective spaces. Existing methods rely on a single view from the source domain for knowledge transfer, which can overlook crucial knowledge from other views, potentially affecting the selection of high-quality initial solutions and limiting optimization performance. To address this, we propose a discriminative prediction strategy based on multi-view knowledge transfer for DMOEA, called MKT-DMOEA. Specifically, we construct discriminative predictors from the view of the decision space and objective space in the source domain. Each discriminative predictor effectively reduces the differences between environments under the current view through a transfer strategy based on geometric feature transformation. Meanwhile, these predictors make full use of the transferred knowledge to achieve accurate discriminative predictions under the current view. Finally, we integrate the discriminative prediction results from multiple views to select high-quality initial solutions. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm outperforms four other state-of-the-art DMOEAs in terms of both diversity and convergence on the well-known CEC 2018 dynamic multi-objective optimization benchmark suite DF. Full article

Matrikines (MKs), the products of enzymatic fragmentation of various extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, regulate cellular activity by interacting with specific receptors. MKs affect cell growth, proliferation, and migration, can induce apoptosis and autophagy, and are also effectively used in biomedicine and functional nutrition. Recently, there has been great interest in the structural features and biological activity of MKs from various sources. This review summarized and analyzed the results of modern research on MKs from sea cucumbers, primarily from trepang (MKT). Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the existing knowledge on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and adaptogenic activities of these MKs and the possible mechanisms of their protective action. Full article

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is secondarily accompanied by Ca²⁺ excess in muscle fibers. Part of the Ca²⁺ accumulates in the mitochondria, contributing to the development of mitochondrial dysfunction and degeneration of muscles. In this work, we assessed the effect of intraperitoneal administration of rhodacyanine MKT077 (5 mg/kg/day), which is able to suppress glucose-regulated protein 75 (GRP75)-mediated Ca²⁺ transfer from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to mitochondria, on the Ca²⁺ overload of skeletal muscle mitochondria in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice and the concomitant mitochondrial dysfunction contributing to muscle pathology. MKT077 prevented Ca²⁺ overload of quadriceps mitochondria in mdx mice, reduced the intensity of oxidative stress, and improved mitochondrial ultrastructure, but had no effect on impaired oxidative phosphorylation. MKT077 eliminated quadriceps calcification and reduced the intensity of muscle fiber degeneration, fibrosis level, and normalized grip strength in mdx mice. However, we noted a negative effect of MKT077 on wild-type mice, expressed as a decrease in the efficiency of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, SR stress development, ultrastructural disturbances in the quadriceps, and a reduction in animal endurance in the wire-hanging test. This paper discusses the impact of MKT077 modulation of mitochondrial dysfunction on the development of skeletal muscle pathology in mdx mice. Full article

Deep-water currents are geographically widespread and represent important tight-oil and -gas reservoirs. However, identifying deep-water traction current deposits is challenging work. The main objectives of this research were to identify a new type of reservoir deposited in deep-water traction currents. Based on high-quality 3D seismic data and drilling data (logging data and lithology), the sedimentary characteristics of the MKT Formation of the upper Carboniferous Moscow Stage, southeastern Pre-Caspian Basin, were determined. The MKT Formation of the upper Carboniferous Moscow Stage is mainly composed of mudstone and some thin-bedded siltstone. This formation contains a series of “reversal foresets” dipping west (early paleo–high provenance during the depositional stage). Based on the seismic data and drilling logging data, lithology, paleo-geographic position, seismic facies, and form and scale, deep-water traction current deposits were identified in the M block. The discovery of deep-water traction current deposits in the M block not only provides a precious example for research on Paleozoic deep-water traction current deposits, and enriches our knowledge of basin sedimentary types, but also proves that the M block had complex fluid features and unveils a new domain for petroleum exploration in the basin. Full article

In the context of climate change, where the average temperature has risen in recent decades on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula, bioclimatic indicators show an increase in thermal discomfort. This is especially relevant in regions with a clear focus on mass and seasonal sun and beach tourism, with a large number of tourists experiencing discomfort in hot and humid summer environments. The research analyses the temporal evolution (1967–2022) of the coasts of the provinces of Alicante and Murcia (Spain) using the Climate Comfort Index (CCI), divided into four different regions. Used are 14 coastal meteorological observatories divided into four regions. Trend analysis was performed using the Mann–Kendall (MKT) and Theil–Sen (TSE) tests. The results revealed a loss of climate comfort during the summer season (−0.3 to −0.4/decade), as well as an expansion of the warm period toward June and early September, with an increase of 38.7 days in “hot” thermal comfort. The increase in thermal discomfort in the summer is influenced by an increase in average temperature (0.5 to 0.7 °C/decade) and a reduction in the average relative humidity (−1.0 to −2.1%/decade) and wind speed (−0.2 to −0.9 km/h/decade). In the last 22 years (2000–2022), decreases (p  ≤ 0.05) have been recorded in July and September (−0.2 to −0.4/decade), reaching “excessive heat” climatic comfort thresholds for the first time. Finally, there has been an increase in thermal comfort in winter, especially during December in recent years (2000–2022). Full article

Timor-Leste is a new country still in the process of economic development and does not yet have a capital market for stock and bond investments. These two asset classes have been invested in international capital markets such as the US, the UK, Japan, and Europe. We examine the performance of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and the Fama–French three-factor and five-factor models on the excess returns of Timor-Leste’s equity and bond investments in the international market over the period 2006 to 2019. Our empirical results show that the market factor (MKT) is positively and significantly associated with the excess returns of the CAPM and the Fama–French three-factor and five-factor models. Moreover, the two variables Small Minus Big (SMB) as a size factor and High Minus Low (HML) as a value factor have a negative and significant effect on the excess returns in the Fama–French three-factor model and five-factor model. Further analysis revealed that the explanatory power of the Fama–French five-factor model is that the Robust Minus Weak (RMW) factor as a profitability factor is positively and significantly associated with excess returns, while the Conservative Minus Aggressive (CMA) factor as an investment factor is insignificant. Full article

Drought is a complex threat where its propagation is not yet controllable, causing more environmental, social, and economic damage. This research assesses the effects of incessant warming and decrescent precipitation by calculating SPI and SPEI from 1985 to 2021 in the Amman –Zarqa Basin based on five grid points on time and space scales. The study applied the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) between each one-to-one index at different time scales and the Mann–Kendall test (MKT) to determine trends with different data sources to measure the inferential capturing of historical drought features. Machine learning algorithms are used to predict near-future droughts from 2022 to 2025. TBATS and ARIMA models run diverse input datasets, including observations, CSIC, and CMIP6-ssp126 datasets. The longest drought duration was 14 months. Drought severity and average intensity were found to be −24.64 and −1.76, −23.80 and −1.83, −23.57 and −1.96, and −23.44 and −2.0 where the corresponding drought categories were SPI-12 Sweileh, SPI-9 Sweileh, SPI-12 Wadi Dhullal, SPI-12 Amman Airport, respectively. The dominant drought event occurred between Oct 2020 and Dec 2021. CMIP6-ssp126 can capture the drought occurrence and severity by measuring SPI but did not capture the severity magnitude as the observations (SPI was −2.87 by observation and −1.77 by CMIP6). There are significant differences in drought dimensions between SPI and SPEI, where SPI was more sensitive to drought assessment than SPEI. Using CMIP6-ssp126, ARIMA was more accurate than TBATS, as well as using the observed historical SPEI and CSIC across all stations. The performance metrics ME, RMSE, MAE, and MASE implied significantly promising forecasting models with values of −0.0046, 0.278, 0.179, and 0.193, respectively, for ARIMA and −0.0181, 0.538, 0.416, and 0.466, respectively, for TBATS. The outcomes suggest an increased risk of drought incidents and, consequently, water deficits in the future. Hybrid modelling is suggested for more consistency and robustness of forecasting approaches. Full article

The MK circles represent a kinematic synthesis tool for the dimensional synthesis of planar dyads. The tool is uniquely useful in its ability to both find specific dyad solutions and help the designer visualize numerous potential dyad pivot locations in the solution space. Here, the existing understanding of MK circles is summarized for three and four specified motion positions and extended for additional positions. Then the technique is expanded to show its application to MKT circles for triad synthesis, including solution space visualization, ground pivot specification, and multi-loop synthesis of complex mechanisms. These methods are illustrated by a unifying example that provides a sample procedure for applying the MK/MKT circles, and implements each of the aforementioned techniques. The interchangeability of loop-based synthesis approaches is demonstrated by comparing the new methodology to the compatibility linkages technique. Full article

Understanding variations in contaminant concentrations and exploring their driving factors are essential for pollution control and water environment improvement. The Huaihe River Basin, as an important region in the eastern region of China, has attracted much attention to its water environment issues in recent years. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of spatiotemporal patterns of water quality parameters was carried out on the Huaihe River–Hongze Lake system, for the period 1998–2018, using the Mann–Kendall test (MKT) and wavelet transforms (WTs). Significant decrease trends of ammonia nitrogen (AN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations were detected in the Huaihe River (HR) before 2008 using the MKT. High concentration in the contaminant load was a result of the effect of increased construction and decreased forest on increasing input of pollutants during this period. The results of the WT showed how factors (e.g., streamflow and water temperature), except land use, affect the variations in AN and COD concentrations. The comparison of spatiotemporal patterns of AN and COD between the HR and Hongze Lake (HL) showed their differences in contaminant transport regimes. The contaminants were rapidly transported downstream along the HR with high streamflow during the wet season, while these in the HL were less responsive due to the long residence time of the water body. In addition, rebounds of contaminant concentrations occurred many times at the confluence between the HR and the HL due to strong river–lake interactions, especially in the flood season. These results have implications for future water environment management in the Huaihe River Basin and in similar settings worldwide. Full article

The echoes collected by wideband radar systems provide abundant information on target scatterers, which is beneficial to target detection, classification, and recognition. However, as the radar range resolution increases, range cell migration (RCM) during the coherent integration (CI) period happens much easier, which may cause a degradation of target detection probability. In addition, due to the target’s orientation and structure relative to the radar, the distribution characteristics of the target scatterers in high-resolution range profiles (HRRPs) and the detection window length may vary from pulse to pulse, which may reduce the performance of traditional energy integration (EI) detectors. To solve those problems, moving range-spread target (RST) detection combining the modified keystone transform (MKT) and improved EI (IEI) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, based on waveform entropy minimization, MKT using hunter–prey optimization (HPO) is introduced to reduce the CI gain loss. The target Doppler ambiguity factor is estimated using such an effective optimization technique. Then, the IEI detector optimized by the adaptive threshold and detection window is utilized to achieve target detection, which minimizes the sensitivity of the traditional EI detector to the detection window length. The proposed method significantly improves the performance of moving RSTs in sea clutter without prior knowledge of the target Doppler ambiguity factor. Experiments are conducted by comparing the proposed method with other competing methods on both simulation data and real sea clutter data. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can obtain the CI more efficiently and has a higher detection probability. Full article

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal and pathogenic enteric bacteria of swine is a public health threat. This study evaluated publicly available AMR surveillance data collected by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) by assessing AMR patterns and temporal trends in commensal E. coli isolated from cecal samples of swine at slaughter across the United States. We applied the Mann-Kendall test (MKT) and a linear regression trend line to detect significant trends in the proportion of resistant isolates to individual antimicrobials over the study period. A Poisson regression model assessed differences among years in the number of antimicrobials to which an E. coli isolate was resistant. Among the 3237 E. coli isolates, a very high prevalence of resistance for tetracycline (67.62%), and high resistance for streptomycin (24.13%), and ampicillin (21.10%) were identified. The MKT and the linear trend line showed a significantly increasing temporal trend for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ampicillin, azithromycin, cefoxitin, ceftriaxone, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Compared to 2013 the number of antimicrobials to which an E. coli isolate was resistant was significantly higher in the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. The increasing temporal trend of resistance to important antimicrobials for human medicine (e.g., third-generation cephalosporins) and the increase in multidrug resistance in the later years of the study are concerning and should be followed up by studies to identify sources and risk factors for the selection of AMR. Full article

This paper examines the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on firm-level investment and corporate financial leverage. The panel data of 1072 firms traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), New York Stock Exchange Market (NYSE MKT) (formerly known as American Stock Exchange—AMEX), or NASDAQ over the period 2012–2021 was analyzed using the fixed-effect model. The empirical results show that the financial leverage of a firm is negatively affected by EPU. Additionally, EPU depresses firms’ investment decisions and debt financing. Our results are robust when alternative measures of our main variables are used. Full article

The Nile Delta is the most vital region of the desert-dominated country of Egypt. Due to its prominent level of vulnerability to climate change’s negative impacts and its low capacity for adaptation and mitigation, the current study aims to provide accurate quantification of temperature change across the Nile Delta as an integral basis for sustainability and climate change impacts assessment studies. This was achieved through monitoring urban dynamics and detecting LST trends in 91 cities and their rural surroundings. The relevant local urban bias was discriminated from regional/background changes present in diurnal/nocturnal temperature records. The temperature records were then corrected/adjusted by removing this urban bias. Owing to the insufficiency of ground-based meteorological observatories, the investigation utilized moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperatures (LSTs) and Landsat-based datasets (2000–2021). The widely used Mann–Kendall test (MKT) and Theil–Sen estimator (TSE) were employed to assess trends in urban sprawl, LST time series, and the implied association. The analysis revealed that the region has experienced dramatic urbanization, where the total urban expansion was greater than two-thirds (69.1%) of the original urban area in 2000. This was accompanied by a notable warming trend in the day/night and urban/rural LST records. The nocturnal LST exhibited a warming tendency (0.072 °C year⁻¹) larger than the diurnal equivalent (0.065 °C year⁻¹). The urban dynamics were positively correlated with LST trends, whereas the Mediterranean Sea appeared as a significant anti-urbanization moderator, in addition to the Nile River and the prevailing northerly/northwesterly winds. The urban–rural comparison approach disclosed that the urbanization process caused a warming bias in the nighttime LST trend by 0.017 °C year⁻¹ (21.8%) and a cooling bias in the daytime by −0.002 °C year⁻¹ (4.4%). All results were statistically significant at a confidence level of 99%. It is recommended that studies of climate-related sustainability and climate change impact assessment in the Nile Delta should apply a distinction of urban-induced local effect when quantifying the actual regional temperature change. Full article

This paper comparatively investigated the spreading process of an oil droplet on the surface of highly hydrophobic solid (Teflon) in air and water media using a high-speed imaging technology, and analyzed their differences in spreading behavior from the perspective of empirical relations and energy conservation. Furthermore, the classical HD and MKT wetting models were applied to describe the oil droplet spreading dynamics to reveal the spreading mechanism of oil droplets on the Teflon in different media environments. Results showed that the entire spreading process of oil droplets on Teflon in air could be separated into three stages: the early linear fast spreading stage following $\theta \left(t\right)={\theta }_0+kt$ , the intermediate exponential slow spreading stage obeying $\theta \left(t\right)=b{t}^{-3\alpha }$, and the late spreading stage described by $\theta \left(t\right)={\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}+a\times \exp \left(-t/T\right)$. However, the dynamics behavior of dynamic contact angle during the oil droplet spreading on Teflon in water could be well described by these expressions, $\theta \left(t\right)={\theta }_0+kt$ and $\theta \left(t\right)={\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}+a\times \exp \left(-t/T\right)$. Clearly, a significant difference in the oil droplet spreading behavior in air and water media was found, and the absence of the intermediate exponential spreading stage in the oil–water–Teflon system could be attributed to the difference in the dissipated energy of the system because the dissipation energy in the oil–water–solid system included not only the viscous dissipation energy of the boundary layer of oil droplet, but also that of the surrounding water which was not included in the dissipation energy of the oil–air–solid system. Moreover, the quantitative analysis of wetting models suggested that the MKT model could reasonably describe the late spreading dynamics of oil droplets (low TPCL velocities), while the HD model may be more suitable for describing the oil droplet spreading dynamics at the early and intermediate spreading stages (high TPCL velocities). Full article

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a neuroendocrine tumor mainly caused by mutations in the RET proto-oncogene. We previously demonstrated that depletion of the mitochondrial molecular chaperone, mortalin, can effectively suppress human MTC cells in culture and in mouse xenografts, by disrupting mitochondrial bioenergetics and subsequently inducing apoptosis and RET downregulation. Similar effects were induced by MKT-077, a water-soluble rhodocyanine dye analog known to inhibit mortalin, but with notable toxicity in animals. These observations led us to evaluate recently developed MKT-077 analogs that exhibited higher selectivity to HSP70 proteins and improved bioavailability. We validated the MTC cell-suppressive effects of mortalin depletion in three-dimensional cultures of the human MTC lines, TT, and MZ-CRC-1, and then evaluated different MKT-077 analogs in two- and three-dimensional cell cultures, to show that the MKT-077 analogs, JG-98 and JG-194, effectively and consistently inhibited propagation of TT and MZ-CRC-1 cells in these cultures. Of note, these compounds also effectively suppressed the viability of TT and MZ-CRC-1 progenies resistant to vandetanib and cabozantinib. Moreover, JG-231, an analog with improved microsomal stability, consistently suppressed TT and MZ-CRC-1 xenografts in mice. These data suggest that mortalin inhibition may have therapeutic potential for MTC. Full article