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Photocatalysis is an important technique for synthetic transformations. However, little attention has been paid to light‐driven synergistic redox reactions for directed synthesis. Herein, the authors report tunable oxidation of benzyl to phenylcarbinol with the modest yield (47%) in 5 h via singlet oxygen (1O2) and proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) over the photocatalyst Zn0.5Cd0.5S (ZCS)/graphene oxide (GO) under exceptionally mild conditions. Theoretical calculations indicate that the presence of S vacancies on the surface of ZCS/GO photocatalyst is crucial for the adsorption and activation of O2, successively generating the superoxide radical (•O2−) and 1O2, attributing to the regulation of local electron density on the surface of ZCS/GO and photogenerated holes (h+). Meanwhile, accelerated transfer of photogenerated electrons (e−) to GO caused by the π–π stacking effect is conducive to the subsequent aldehyde hydrogenation to benzyl alcohol rather than non‐selective oxidation of aldehyde to carboxylic acid. Anisotropic charge transport driven by the built‐in electric field can further promote the separation of e− and h+ for multistep reactions. Promisingly, one‐pot photocatalytic conversion of p‐xylene to 4‐methylbenzyl alcohol is beneficial for reducing the harmful effects of aromatics on human health. Furthermore, this study provides novel insights into the design of photocatalysts for cascade reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology has prevailed for years, the growing pressure and increased cost of lithium sources urge the rapid development of other promising energy storage devices. As a low-cost alternative, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) with similar properties of electrochemical reaction have caught researchers' attention. Nevertheless, great challenges of inferior reversible capacity and poor lifespan induced by the bigger ionic radius of sodium ions still exist. To solve these problems, improvements to anode materials prove to be an effective way. Herein, the latest research on promising anodes in SIBs is summarized, and the further prospects are also illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral hygiene has been suspected to contribute to the aetiology of head and neck cancer (HNC). Based on the meta-analysis, we evaluated the impact of oral hygiene on head and neck cancer (HNC) and its survival. Relevant case-control and cohort studies reporting survival data, oral hygiene data were searched via PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. The odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used. Subgroup analysis was performed. Oral hygiene was associated with HNC. Tooth brushing ≥2 a day, dental floss use, denture wearing, caries ≥3, and dental visit ≥1 reduced the risk of oral cavity cancer while mouth wash use, missing teeth >5, gum bleeding, and periodontal disease increased the risk of oral cavity cancer. For oropharynx cancer, tooth brushing ≥2 and caries ≥3 were associated with reduced risk of it. Tooth brushing ≥2 and dental visits ≥1 decreased the risk of pharynx cancer risk and larynx cancer risk, however, missing teeth >5 increased both of them. Oral hygiene was associated with HNC and its sub sites. Oral hygiene should be strengthened, a dental floss use and dentist's visits can be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Findings: What is the central question of this study?Is there a risk of developing diabetes associated with statin treatment? What is the underlying mechanism of the increased incidence rate of new‐onset diabetes in patients treated with rosuvastatin?What is the main finding and its importance?Rosuvastatin therapy reduced intraperitoneal glucose tolerance and changed the catabolism of branched‐chain amino acid (BCAAs) in white adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. Protein phosphatase 2Cm knockdown completely abolished the effects of insulin and rosuvastatin on glucose absorption. This study provides mechanistic support for recent clinical data on rosuvastatin‐related new‐onset diabetes and underscores the logic for intervening in BCAA catabolism to prevent the harmful effects of rosuvastatin. Accumulating evidence indicates that patients treated with rosuvastatin have an increased risk of developing new‐onset diabetes. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we administered rosuvastatin (10 mg/kg body weight) to male C57BL/6J mice for 12 weeks and found that oral rosuvastatin dramatically reduced intraperitoneal glucose tolerance. Rosuvastatin‐treated mice showed considerably higher serum levels of branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs) than control mice. They also showed dramatically altered expression of BCAA catabolism‐related enzymes in white adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, including downregulated mRNA expression of BCAT2 and protein phosphatase 2Cm (PP2Cm) and upregulated mRNA expression of branched‐chain ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase (BCKDK). The levels of BCKD in the skeletal muscle were reduced in rosuvastatin‐treated mice, which was associated with lower PP2Cm protein levels and increased BCKDK levels. We also investigated the effects of rosuvastatin and insulin administration on glucose metabolism and BCAA catabolism in C2C12 myoblasts. We observed that incubation with insulin enhanced glucose uptake and facilitated BCAA catabolism in C2C12 cells, which was accompanied by elevated Akt and glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK3β) phosphorylation. These effects of insulin were prevented by co‐incubation of the cells with 25 μM rosuvastatin. Moreover, the effects of insulin and rosuvastatin administration on glucose uptake and Akt and GSK3β signaling in C2C12 cells were abolished when PP2Cm was knocked down. Although the relevance of these data, obtained with high doses of rosuvastatin in mice, to therapeutic doses in humans remains to be elucidated, this study highlights a potential mechanism for the diabetogenic effects of rosuvastatin, and suggests that BCAA catabolism could be a pharmacological target for preventing the adverse effects of rosuvastatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online Judge (OJ) is an important aid for programming learning that can help students evaluate learning effects in real-time, while teachers can adjust practice tasks in time according to the records of the tool. With these advantages, OJ shows great value for promoting teaching and learning in programming. The existing OJ system usually only provides information such as problem status list and recent rank list. However, it is unable to provide teachers with more fine-grained analysis information, such as the distribution of students' incorrect responses and level of knowledge mastery. And it also cannot provide students with effective comparative information on their learning status. This research developed a visual learning analytics dashboard named VisOJ for the OJ system, which includes two types of user interfaces: teacher and student. The teacher interface presents students' learning status and ranking trends, which help teachers monitor and give feedback on their learning activities. The student interface provides views such as error type analysis and evaluation, which promote students' self-reflection and self-regulation. Preliminary case studies and expert interviews prove the usability of the dashboard. In the end, we summarize our main work and suggest future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a notorious food-borne pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus can readily cause diseases in humans via contaminated food. Biofilm formation on various surfaces can increase the capacity of viable S. aureus cells for self-protection due to the stubborn structure of the biofilm matrix. Increased disease risk and economic losses caused by biofilm contamination in the food industry necessitate the urgent development of effective strategies for the inhibition and removal of S. aureus biofilms. Natural products have been extensively used as important sources of "eco-friendly" antibiofilm agents to avoid the side effects of conventional strategies on human health and the environment. This review discusses biofilm formation of S. aureus in food industries and focuses on providing an overview of potential promising target-oriented natural products and their mechanisms of S. aureus biofilm inhibition or removal. Hoping to provide valuable information of attractive research targets or potential undeveloped targets to screen potent natural anti-biofilm agents in food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fish-borne zoonotic clonorchiasis, caused by Clonorchis sinensis, is an emerging public health problem in several countries with more than 15 million people infected globally. However, a lack of accurate point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests in resource-limited areas is still a critical barrier to effective treatment and control of clonorchiasis. The development of the recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA) assay, a POC diagnostic test based on the amplification of pathogen DNA, has provided a new, simple and inexpensive tool for disease detection with high sensitivity and specificity. Methods: A novel RPA method was developed based on specific primers and probes, and combined with the dipstick, to allow for the rapid and intuitive detection of C. sinensis through the amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene. The lower limit of detection for the combined RPA/lateral flow dipstick (RPA-LFD) assay was evaluated using dilutions of the target DNA sequence. Cross-reactivity was evaluated using genomic DNA from 10 additional control parasites. Forty human clinical stool samples were tested to verify its performance. Results: The evaluated primers designed from the C. sinensisCOX1 region can be used to detect adult worms, metacercariae, and eggs at 39 °C within 20 min, and the results can be visually observed using the LFD. The detection limit of pathogen genomic DNA was as low as 10 fg, and the number of metacercaria(e) in fish and egg(s) in faeces were both as low as one. This improved the sensitivity of low-infection detection tremendously. The test is species-specific, and no other related control parasites were detected. In human stool samples with eggs per gram (EPG) > 50, the RPA-LFD assay was performed consistent with conventional Kato-Katz (KK) and PCR methods. Conclusion: The established RPA-LFD assay provides a powerful tool for the diagnosis and epidemiological survey of C. sinensis from human and animal samples, and has important implications for the effective control of clonorchiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. The isolation of Streptomyces strains from wetlands is helpful to study their diversity and functions in such habitats. In this study, six strains of Streptomyces were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of three plant species in the Huaxi Wetland at Guiyang and were identified as Streptomyces galilaeus, S. avidinii, S. albogriseolus, S. albidoflavus, S. spororaveus, and S. cellulosae, respectively. The six strains all solubilized phosphate, fixed nitrogen, and produced ACC deaminase and siderophores, and four strains also secreted indole-3-acetic acid. The six strains had the ability to resist to certain degrees of salinity, drought, and acidic/alkaline pH stress. In addition, the S. avidinii WL3 and S. cellulosae WL9 strains significantly promoted seed germination of mung bean, pepper, and cucumber, especially the WL3 strain. A pot experiment further showed that WL3 significantly promoted the growth of cucumber seedlings. Thus, strains of six species of Streptomyces with multiple plant growth-promoting characteristics were isolated from the wetland. These results lay a foundation for their potential use as microbial agents for seed-coating treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial photosynthesis is promising to convert solar energy and CO2 into valuable chemicals, and to alleviate the problems of the greenhouse effect and the climate change crisis. Here, we fabricated a novel photocatalyst by directly growing Bi2MoO6 nanosheets on three-dimensional (3D) N,O-doped carbon (NO-C). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that the designed photocatalyst ensured the close contact between Bi2MoO6 and NO-C, and reduced the stacking of the NO-C layers to provide abundant channels for the diffusion of CO2, while NO-C can allow for fast electron transfer. The charge transfer in this composite was determined to follow a step-scheme mechanism, which not only facilitates the separation of charge carriers but also retains a strong redox capability. Benefiting from this unique 3D structure and the synergistic effect, BMO/NO-C showed excellent performance in photocatalytic CO2 reductions. The yields of the best BMO/NO-C catalysts for CH4 and CO were 9.14 and 14.49 μmol g−1 h−1, respectively. This work provides new insights into constructing step-scheme photocatalytic systems with the 3D nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small‐leaved Kuding tea (SLKDT) obtained from Ligustrum robustum is a traditional tea substitute in southern China and has a range of physiological effects. However, the changes in its phytochemical composition after various heat treatments are not reported yet. Thus, the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities of fresh leaves of SLKDT (LrF1) and SLKDT after high‐temperature wet‐heat treatment (LrF2) and wet‐ and dry‐heat treatments (LrF3) were assessed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonate (ABTS) and 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities and lipid peroxidation inhibition activity of LrF1 and LrF3 were investigated. The results indicated that the phytochemical composition of LrF1, LrF2, and LrF3 was significantly different. Overall, 258 and 83 differential constituents, respectively, were obtained in LrF1 versus LrF2 and LrF2 versus LrF3. The differential constituents mainly included amino acids and their derivatives, nucleosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, simple phenylpropanoids, and coumarins. After heat treatment, SLKDT exhibited obvious changes in sensory characteristics and physiological properties, which may be related to the changes in the levels of amino acids, linalool, beta‐geraniol, myricetin, naringin, fraxetin, and isoacteoside. Moreover, the antioxidant activities significantly changed after heat treatment of SLKDT. Overall, our study demonstrated that heat treatment can alter the phytochemical composition of SLKDT, thus affecting its sensory properties and physiological properties. Practical Application: This study preliminarily assessed the changes in the composition of small‐leaved Kuding tea (SLKDT) after various heat treatments and revealed that the composition of SLKDT tea can be adjusted by various heat and temperature treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the small hydrated ionic radius and light molar mass of ammonium ions, aqueous ammonium ion batteries attract much attention, providing high security, environmental friendliness and low cost. However, the lack of suitable electrode materials with high specific capacity is a big challenge for practical application. Therefore, in view of this problem, we fabricated an anode applying a MoS2 material with a ball-flower morphology anchored to MXene nanoflakes, and it shows excellent rate capability in a novel aqueous ammonium ion battery. The corresponding charge capacities of composite electrodes are 279.2, 204.4, 173.2, 118.7, and 80.5 mA h g−1 at 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 mA g−1, respectively. Meanwhile, polyvanadate was selected as a cathode material for a full aqueous ammonium ion battery, and interestingly it was discovered that the size of this material decreases with increasing synthesis temperature. The discharge capacities of NH4V4O10 electrodes fabricated at 140 °C, 160 °C, and 180 °C at 50 mA g−1 are 88.6, 125.1 and 155.5 mA h g−1, respectively. Furthermore, we also explore the corresponding electrochemical mechanism using XRD and XPS. A full aqueous ammonium ion battery based on both electrodes shows superior ammonium ion storage properties and provides new ideas for the development of this strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional lightning detection and location networks use the time of arrival (TOA) technique to locate lightning events with a single time stamp. This contribution introduces a simulation study to lay the foundation for new lightning location concepts. Here, a novel interferometric method is studied which expands the data use and maps lightning events into an area by using coherency. The amplitude waveform bank, which consists of averaged waveforms classified by their propagation distances, is first used to test interferometric methods. Subsequently, the study is extended to individual lightning event waveforms. Both amplitude and phase coherency of the analytic signal are used here to further develop the interferometric method. To determine a single location for the lightning event and avoid interference between the ground wave and the first skywave, two solutions are proposed: (1) use a small receiver network and (2) apply an impulse response function to the recorded waveforms, which uses an impulse to represent the lightning occurrence. Both methods effectively remove the first skywave interference. This study potentially helps to identify the lightning ground wave without interference from skywaves with a long-range low frequency (LF) network. It is planned to expand the simulation work with data reflecting a variety of ionospheric and geographic scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remediation of mercury (Hg)-contaminated soil by mycorrhizal technology has drawn increasing attention because of its environmental friendliness. However, the lack of systematic investigations on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community composition in Hg-polluted soil is an obstacle for AMF biotechnological applications. In this study, the AMF communities within rhizosphere soils from seven sites from three typical Hg mining areas were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 297 AMF operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected in the Hg mining area, of which Glomeraceae was the dominant family (66.96%, 175 OTUs). AMF diversity was significantly associated with soil total Hg content and water content in the Hg mining area. Soil total Hg showed a negative correlation with AMF richness and diversity. In addition, the soil properties including total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total potassium, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, and pH also affected AMF diversity. Paraglomeraceae was found to be negatively correlated to Hg stress. The wide distribution of Glomeraceae in Hg-contaminated soil makes it a potential candidate for mycorrhizal remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanohoop compounds have attracted extensive attention recently due to their aesthetically pleasing structures and unique properties. In order to reveal the structure–property relationship between the size-dependent effect and the nonlinear optical (NLO) response, a series of carbon nanohoops consisting of zigzag carbon nanotubes (CNTs), named D-CM2PnP-A (n = 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12), are systematically designed and investigated using density functional theory (DFT). Significantly, the first hyperpolarizability (βtot) of the system increases with the increasing structure size, which is primarily the result of the charge transfer transition. Subsequently, the major electronic transition changes from local excitation to charge transfer as the size of the structure increases, indicating that charge transfer becomes stronger significantly. Furthermore, a two-level model and the absorption spectrum can well explain the trend of the βtot value. In addition, the unit sphere representation (USR) and hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) are used to further explain the nature of the second-order NLO response. More importantly, adding a π-bridge as an effective strategy further enhances the second-order NLO responses of the system. The relevant results are expected to provide a new perspective on the structure–NLO property correlation of donor (D)–conjugated bridge (π)–acceptor (A) type carbon nanohoops and theoretical guidance for the rational design and synthesis of fascinating carbon nanohoops as NLO materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant planets embedded in protoplanetary disks (PPDs) can create annulus density gaps around their orbits in the type-II regime, potentially responsible for the ubiquity of annular substructures observed in PPDs. Although a substantial amount of works studying type-II planetary migration and gap properties have been published, they have almost exclusively all been conducted under the viscous accretion disk framework. However, recent studies have established magnetized disk winds as the primary mechanism driving disk accretion and evolution, which can coexist with turbulence from the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in the outer PPDs. We conduct a series of 3D global nonideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of type-II planet–disk interactions applicable to the outer PPDs. Our simulations properly resolve the MRI turbulence and accommodate the MHD disk wind. We found that the planet triggers the poloidal magnetic flux concentration around its orbit. The concentrated magnetic flux strongly enhances angular momentum removal in the gap, which is along the inclined poloidal field through a strong outflow emanating from the disk surface outward to the planet gap. The resulting planet-induced gap shape is more similar to an inviscid disk, while being much deeper, which can be understood from a simple inhomogeneous wind torque prescription. The corotation region is characterized by a fast trans-sonic accretion flow that is asymmetric in azimuth about the planet and lacking the horseshoe turns, and the meridional flow is weakened. The torque acting on the planet generally drives inward migration, though the migration rate can be affected by the presence of neighboring gaps through stochastic, planet-free magnetic flux concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, well-defined Mg-Al LDHs nanosheets with high yield are prepared by the following sequential procedures: hydrothermal preparation of Mg-Al-CO 3 2 − LDHs, followed by expanding interlayer spacing by NH4NO3 treatment. The results show that the concentration of the layer expansion agent (NH4NO 3) and the exfoliation solvent play a key role in the exfoliation result. The basal spacing changed from 0.758 nm to the range of 0.758–0.895 nm when the concentration of NH4NO3 was increased up to 5 M, which infers that the increase of layer space is caused by the synergy of NH 4 + and NO 3 − . Among the three exfoliation solvents (formamide, N-methyl pyrrolidone and isopropyl alcohol), formamide showed the highest exfoliation effect. From the characteristic XRD patterns, the as-obtained colloidal aggregates of the exfoliated nanosheets do not show the characteristic diffractions of LDHs, while the typical peaks at 10.562 ∘ , 20.032 ∘ and 21.185 ∘ assigned to LDHs are observed after drying of the colloidal aggregates. Moreover, a transparent LDH film is also successfully prepared by coating colloidal aggregates of nanosheets on a glass substrate without using any adhesive. The stable film exhibits the strong adsorption ability of Methyl Orange. The success in obtaining well-defined Mg-Al LDHs nanosheets through the following sequential procedures was described: hydrothermal preparation of Mg-Al LDHs, expanded interlayer spacing by NH4NO3 treatment, and stable, transparent colloidal suspension with no solid residues after standing in formamide for 2 days. The product had strong adsorption ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study revealed a causal association of plasma proteins with osteoporosis (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA). Bone mineral density (BMD) is the gold standard for the clinical assessment of OP. Recent studies have shown that plasma proteins play an essential role in the regulation of bone development. However, the causal association of plasma proteins with BMD and OA remains unclear. We estimated the effects of 2889 plasma proteins on 2 BMD phenotypes and 6 OA phenotypes using two-sample MR analysis based on the genome-wide association study summary statistics. Then, we performed sensitivity analysis and reverse-direction MR analysis to evaluate the robustness of the MR analysis results, followed by gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analysis to explore the functional relevance of the identified plasma proteins. Overall, we observed a total of 257 protein-estimated heel BMD associations, 17 protein-total-body BMD associations, 2 protein-all-OA associations, and 2 protein-knee-OA associations at PFDR < 0.05. Reverse-direction MR analysis demonstrated that there was little evidence of the causal association of BMD and OA with plasma proteins. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analysis identified multiple pathways, which may be involved in the development of OP and OA. Our findings recognized plasma proteins that could be used to regulate changes in OP and OA, thus, providing new insights into protein-mediated mechanisms of bone development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinically, thyroid-related diseases such as endemic iodine deficiency and congenital hypothyroidism are associated with hearing loss, suggesting that thyroid hormones are essential for the development of normal hearing. Triiodothyronine (T3) is the main active form of thyroid hormone and its effect on the remodeling of the organ of Corti remain unclear. This study aims to explore the effect and mechanism of T3 on the remodeling of the organ of Corti and supporting cells development during early development. In this study, mice treated with T3 at postnatal (P) day 0 or P1 showed severe hearing loss with disordered stereocilia of the outer hair cells (OHCs) and impaired function of mechanoelectrical transduction of OHCs. In addition, we found that treatment with T3 at P0 or P1 resulted in the overproduction of Deiter-like cells. Compared with the control group, the transcription levels of Sox2 and notch pathway-related genes in the cochlea of the T3 group were significantly downregulated. Furthermore, Sox2-haploinsufficient mice treated with T3 not only showed excess numbers of Deiter-like cells but also a large number of ectopic outer pillar cells (OPCs). Our study provides new evidence for the dual roles of T3 in regulating both hair cells and supporting cell development, suggesting that it is possible to increase the reserve of supporting cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intergenerational relationships have become increasingly crucial for maintaining well-being in aging families. Under a changing sociocultural background, families in Hong Kong increasingly exhibit diverse intergenerational relationships and functioning. Focusing on families with mutiple children, this study investigated how the characteristics of parents and their adult children jointly affect different domains of intergenerational relationship quality. A two-stage stratified random sampling design was adopted. Face-to-face questionnaire interviews were conducted between November 2016 and March 2017 with 1,001 Hong Kong residents aged ≥ 50 years. Data of 612 parents and 1,745 adult children were included for analysis. Hierarchical linear modeling was performed to examine child- and parent-level correlates of intergenerational relationship quality. Parents who were female, were married, had higher self-perceived economic status, owned a house, and had fewer depressive symptoms, exhibited higher intergenerational relationship quality. Parents' age was positively related to affectual closeness, whereas their educational level was negatively related to both affectual closeness and conflict. More favorable intergenerational relationships were reported by aging parents whose adult children were younger, female, and married. Children with higher educational levels exhibited higher levels of both affectual closeness and conflict with their parents. Moreover, affectual closeness was found to be transmitted between generations. The findings can help improve awareness of the factors affecting the different domains of intergenerational relationships, thus informing the development of targeted services and interventions to promote family relationships and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Parallel distributed processing theory (PDP theory) holds that all brain regions involved in conceptual representation perform a series of activities at the same time. However, the role of emotional experience information in concrete conceptual representation is still unknown. This study further explores whether the emotional experience will also affect the semantic processing of concrete concept representations. Methods: This study used the emotion priming paradigm and semantic judgment task to explore whether emotion priming impacts the processing of animal concepts with different emotional experiences through two experiments. In Experiments 1a and 1b, pleasant or disgusted faces were used as emotional priming stimuli to explore whether the explicit processing of emotions would affect the semantic processing of animal concepts. Experiments 2a and 2b used positive or negative scenery pictures as emotional priming stimuli to explore whether the implicit processing of emotions would affect the semantic processing of animal concepts. Results: The Experiment 1 results showed that the perception of faces promotes the processing of animal words, showing the "word-emotion congruence effect". Experiment 2a did not show the expected results, while Experiment 2b showed that the general negative perception of scenery pictures could significantly promote the processing of disgusted animal words. The results further proved the "word-emotion congruence effect" shown in the results of Experiment 1 from the perspective of implicit emotion processing. Combining the results of two experiments, it can be proven that emotional experience affects the semantic processing process of concrete concepts. Discussion: Both Experiment 1 and Experiment 2b of this study show the "word-emotion congruence effect". PDP theory believes that conceptual representation is represented by the activity patterns of billions of neurons distributed in many areas of the brain, and related semantic processing and sensory processing will occur simultaneously. The results of this experiment well support PDP theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Incorporated Ni induces the formation of highly active (1 0 1) facet of Ru. • Incorporated Ni restrains the agglomeration of Ru nanocrystals. • Incorporated Ni modulates the electron structure of Ru and increases active sites. • Incorporated Ni endows Ru nanocrystals with very low HER overpotentials. Constructing highly active electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in both alkaline and acidic media is essential for achieving a sustainable energy economy. Here, a facile ethylene glycol reduction strategy was employed to design the nickel-ruthenium nanocrystals (Ni-Ru NC) with an exposed highly active Ru (1 0 1) facet as an efficient electrocatalyst for HER. Testings show Ni-Ru NC outperforms the benchmark catalyst Pt/C by delivering extraordinarily low overpotentials of 21.1 and 70.9 mV to drive 10 mA cm−2 in acidic and alkaline solutions, respectively. The results of experimental and theoretical studies suggest that Ni can modulate the electronic structure of the Ru NC and optimize the hydrogen adsorption free energy on Ru's surface, which accelerates the charge transfer kinetics and enhances the HER performance. The study support the potential application of facet-modulated Ru-based HER eleccatalyst in an alkaline environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purinergic ligand‐gated ion channel 7 receptor (P2X7 receptor) is an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐gated ion channel that is widely distributed on the surfaces of immune cells and tissues such as those in the liver, kidney, lung, intestine, and nervous system. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies with increasing incidence and mortality. Although many treatments for liver cancer have been studied, the prognosis for liver cancer is still very poor. Therefore, new liver cancer treatments are urgently needed. P2X7 receptor activation can secrete proinflammatory factors through the P2X7 receptor‐NLRP3 signaling pathway, thereby affecting the progression of liver injury. The P2X7 receptor may be a target for growth inhibition of HCC cells and may affect the invasion and migration of HCC cells through the PI3K/AKT and AMPK signaling pathways. In recent years, P2X7 receptor antagonists or inhibitors have attracted widespread attention as therapeutic targets for hepatocellular carcinoma and liver injury. Therefore, this review covers the basic concepts of the P2X7 receptor and role of the P2X7 receptor in liver cancer and liver injury, providing new potential therapeutic targets for hepatocellular carcinoma and liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rose plants are widely cultivated as cut flowers worldwide and have economic value as sources of natural fragrance and flavoring. Rosa 'Crimson Glory', whose petals have a pleasant fragrance, is one of the most important cultivars of edible rose plants. Flower storage at low-temperature is widely applied in production to maintain quality; however, chilling results in a decrease in aromatic volatiles. To determine the molecular basis underlying the changes in aromatic volatile emissions, we investigated the changes in volatile compounds, DNA methylation patterns, and patterns of the transcriptome in response to chilling temperature. The results demonstrated that chilling roses substantially reduced aromatic volatile emissions. We found that these reductions were correlated with the changes in the methylation status of the promoters and genic regions of the genes involved in volatile biosynthesis. These changes mainly occurred for CHH (H = A, T, or C) which accounted for 51% of the total methylation. Furthermore, transcript levels of scent-related gene Germacrene D synthase (RhGDS), Nudix hydrolase 1 (RhNUDX1), and Phenylacetaldehyde reductase (RhPAR) of roses were strikingly depressed after 24 h at low-temperature and remained low-level after 24 h of recovery at 20 °C. Overall, our findings indicated that epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the chilling tolerance of roses and lays a foundation for practical significance in the production of edible roses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Photoperiod is an important environmental cue interacting with circadian clock pathway to optimize the local adaption and yield of crops. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) in family Amaranthaceae has been known as superfood due to the nutritious elements. As quinoa was originated from the low-latitude Andes, most of the quinoa accessions are short-day type. Short-day type quinoa usually displays altered growth and yield status when introduced into higher latitude regions. Thus, deciphering the photoperiodic regulation on circadian clock pathway will help breed adaptable and high yielding quinoa cultivars. Results: In this study, we conducted RNA-seq analysis of the diurnally collected leaves of quinoa plants treated by short-day (SD) and long-day conditions (LD), respectively. We identified 19,818 (44% of global genes) rhythmic genes in quinoa using HAYSTACK analysis. We identified the putative circadian clock architecture and investigated the photoperiodic regulatory effects on the expression phase and amplitude of global rhythmic genes, core clock components and transcription factors. The global rhythmic transcripts were involved in time-of-day specific biological processes. A higher percentage of rhythmic genes had advanced phases and strengthened amplitudes when switched from LD to SD. The transcription factors of CO-like, DBB, EIL, ERF, NAC, TALE and WRKY families were sensitive to the day length changes. We speculated that those transcription factors may function as key mediators for the circadian clock output in quinoa. Besides, we identified 15 novel time-of-day specific motifs that may be key cis elements for rhythm-keeping in quinoa. Conclusions: Collectively, this study lays a foundation for understanding the circadian clock pathway and provides useful molecular resources for adaptable elites breeding in quinoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, anisotropic particles have attracted attention because their unique topology, functions and wide applications. Here, a new type of acrylate copolymer microspheres (AcPMs) with anisotropic wrinkled surface was synthesized with conventional monomers through two‐step self‐assembly in one‐pot with regulating reaction media. First, butyl acrylate (BA), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA) were copolymerized in EtOH/H2O solvent. Second, styrene (St) and BA were further copolymerized with increasing H2O proportion in solution, which enable AcPMs with emulsifiability. Its structure and morphology were characterized by FT‐IR, SEM, XRD and DLS. The surface‐wrinkled and anisotropic AcPMs was used as carrier to conjugate with AgNPs by in‐situ reduction of silver ions (Ag+), which afforded the AcPMs conjugating AgNPs (AgNPs@AcPMs), and it presented an excellent antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Hence, AcPMs revealed strong potential in the biomedical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We designed and screened bifunctional catalysts with good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance on bilayer MN 4 -O-MN 4 structures with bridge-bonded oxygen ligands. The ORR and OER catalytic activities of 225 bilayer MN 4 -O-MN 4 structures were explored in an accelerated manner by combining machine learning (ML) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations (DFT-ML). Based on the gradient boosted regression (GBR) algorithm, a series of efficient monofunctional and bifunctional electrocatalysts were successfully predicted with an average prediction error of only 0.04 V and 0.06 V for ORR and OER overpotential (η). ML successfully predicted that the overpotential of the monofunctional catalysts CoN 4 –O–RhN 4 (ORR) and RhN 4 –O–AgN 4 (OER) reached 0.34 V and 0.29 V, respectively; CoN 4 –O–AgN 4 was considered the best bifunctional catalyst due to its overpotential of η ORR = 0.35 V and η OER = 0.33 V on the bifunctional catalysts. Compared with DFT calculations, the DFT-ML accelerated calculation method resulted in a 9.4-fold improvement in catalyst screening speed. The performance prediction of 225 bilayer MN 4 -O-MN 4 structures was used to screen out the potential bifunctional catalysts, thus providing guidance for the experimental synthesis of better performing bridge-bonded oxygen ligand catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blood–brain barrier is essential for maintaining the stability of the central nervous system and is also crucial for regulating drug metabolism, changes of blood–brain barrier's structure and function can influence how drugs are delivered to the brain. In high-altitude hypoxia, the central nervous system's function is drastically altered, which can cause disease and modify the metabolism of drugs in vivo. Changes in the structure and function of the blood–brain barrier and the transport of the drug across the blood-brain barrier under high-altitude hypoxia, are regulated by changes in brain microvascular endothelial cells, astrocytes, and pericytes, either regulated by drug metabolism factors such as drug transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes. This article aims to review the effects of high-altitude hypoxia on the structure and function of the blood–brain barrier as well as the effects of changes in the blood-brain barrier on drug metabolism. We also hypothesized and explore the regulation and potential mechanisms of the blood-brain barrier and associated pathways, such as transcription factors, inflammatory factors, and nuclear receptors, in regulating drug transport under high-altitude hypoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to solve a one-dimensional multi-period cutting stock production replanning problem encountered in manufacturing industry cutting departments, considering pattern-setup costs. For operational purposes, long-term coordinated production and cutting plans are often created based on predicted demand. However, real demand may differ from predictions, and replanning may be warranted by changing conditions. A mixed-integer mathematical model was proposed by minimizing both the production cost and the cost of deviating from established plans. In addition, a hybrid dynamic programming-based heuristic was proposed. Extensive experiments were conducted on randomly generated instances. The influences on the solutions are analysed by varying the holding cost per unit and the deviation cost. Finally, the proposed heuristic is applied to enterprise practice, and the results indicate that the total cost can be expected to be reduced by 14.55% on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butanol dehydrogenase (BDH) plays a significant role in the biosynthesis of butanol in bacteria by catalyzing butanal conversion to butanol at the expense of the NAD(P)H cofactor. BDH is an attractive enzyme for industrial application in butanol production; however, its molecular function remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we found that Fusobacterium nucleatum YqdH (FnYqdH) converts aldehyde into alcohol by utilizing NAD(P)H, with broad substrate specificity toward aldehydes but not alcohols. An in vitro metal ion substitution experiment showed that FnYqdH has higher enzyme activity in the presence of Co2+. Crystal structures of FnYqdH, in its apo and complexed forms (with NAD and Co2+), were determined at 1.98 and 2.72 Å resolution, respectively. The crystal structure of apo- and cofactor-binding states of FnYqdH showed an open conformation between the nucleotide binding and catalytic domain. Key residues involved in the catalytic and cofactor-binding sites of FnYqdH were identified by mutagenesis and microscale thermophoresis assays. The structural conformation and preferred optimal metal ion of FnYqdH differed from that of TmBDH (homolog protein of FnYqdH). Overall, we proposed an alternative model for putative proton relay in FnYqdH, thereby providing better insight into the molecular function of BDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilm-forming Staphylococcus aureus can easily accumulate on various food contact surfaces which induce cross-contamination and are difficult to eliminate in the food industry. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-biofilm effects of natural product biochanin A against S. aureus. Results showed that biochanin A effectively eradicated established S. aureus biofilms on different food-contact materials. Fluorescence microscopic analyses suggested that biochanin A disintegrated the established biofilms by dissociate extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) in matrix. In addition, biochanin A at the sub-MIC concentration also effectively inhibited the biofilm formation by regulating the expression of biofilm-related genes (icaA, srtA, eno) and suppressing the release of EPS in biofilm matrix. Molecular docking also demonstrated that biochanin A conducted strong interactions with biofilm-related proteins (Ica A, Sortase A, and Enolase). These findings demonstrated that biochanin A has the potential to be developed as a potent agent against S. aureus biofilm in food industries. Key points: • Anti-biofilm effect of biochanin A against S. aureus was revealed for the first time. • Biofilm of S. aureus on various food-contact surfaces were efficiently eradicated. • Biochanin A prevented S. aureus biofilm formation via reducing EPS production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer chemotherapy drugs are widely criticized for their serious side effects and low cure rate. Therefore, adjuvant therapy as a combination with chemotherapy administration is being accepted by many patients. However, unclear drug targets and mechanisms limit the application of adjuvant treatment. In this study, we confirmed TMEM16A is a key drug target for lung adenocarcinoma, and narirutin is an effective anti-lung adenocarcinoma natural product. Virtual screening and fluorescence experiments confirmed that narirutin inhibits the molecular target TMEM16A, which is specific high-expression in lung adenocarcinoma. Molecular dynamics simulations and electrophysiological experiments revealed the precise molecular mechanism of narirutin regulating TMEM16A. The anticancer effect of narirutin and its synergistic effect on cisplatin were explored by cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis assays. The signaling pathways regulated by narirutin were analyzed by western blot. Tumor xenograft mice experiments demonstrated the synergistic anticancer effect of narirutin and cisplatin, and the side effects of high concentrations of cisplatin were almost eliminated. Pharmacokinetic experiments showed the biological safety of narirutin is satisfactory in vivo. Based on the significant anticancer effect and high biosafety, naringin has great potential as a functional food in the adjuvant treatment of lung cancer. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starmerella bacillaris is often isolated from environments associated with grape and winemaking. S. bacillaris has many beneficial properties, including the ability to improve the flavor of wine, the production of beneficial metabolites, and the ability to biocontrol. S. bacillaris CC-PT4 (CGMCC No. 23573) was isolated from grape and can inhibit methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and adaptability to harsh environments. In this paper, the whole genome of S. bacillaris CC-PT4 was sequenced and bioinformatics analyses were performed. The S. bacillaris CC-PT4 genome was finally assembled into five scaffolds with a genome size of 9.45 Mb and a GC content of 39.5%. It was predicted that the strain contained 4150 protein-coding genes, of which two genes encoded killer toxin and one gene encoded lysostaphin. It also contains genes encoding F1F0-ATPases, Na(+)/H(+) antiporter, cation/H(+) antiporter, ATP-dependent bile acid permease, major facilitator superfamily (MFS) antiporters, and stress response protein, which help S. bacillaris CC-PT4 adapt to bile, acid, and other stressful environments. Proteins related to flocculation and adhesion have also been identified in the S. bacillaris CC-PT4 genome. Predicted by antiSMASH, two secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters were found, and the synthesized metabolites may have antimicrobial effects. Furthermore, S. bacillaris CC-PT4 carried genes associated with pathogenicity and drug resistance. Overall, the whole genome sequencing and analysis of S. bacillaris CC-PT4 in this study provide valuable information for understanding the biological characteristics and further development of this strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bike rebalancing problem is one of the major operational challenges in the urban bike-sharing system, which involves the redistribution of bikes among stations to prevent stations from being empty or overloaded. This paper investigates a new bike rebalancing problem, which considers the collection of broken bikes in the multi-depot system. The proposed problem can be classified as a two-commodity vehicle routing problem with pick-up and delivery. An integer programming model is formulated to find the optimal vehicle assignment and visiting sequences with the minimum total working time and fixed cost of vehicles. A hybrid heuristic algorithm integrating variable neighborhood search and dynamic programming is proposed to solve the problem. The computational results show that the proposed method can find 26 best solutions out of 36 instances, while the CPLEX obtains 16 best solutions. Impact of broken bikes collection and distribution of depots is examined. Comparison of different practical strategies indicates that the number of vehicles can be significantly reduced by allowing multiple visits to depots. Allowing vehicles to return to different depots can help reduce the total working time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machilus chuanchienensis is an ecological tree distributed in southwestern China. It has a significant valuation with making Hawk tea using its leaves, an ethnic traditional tea-like beverage with a long history in Chinese tea culture. The whole chloroplast (cp) genome is an ideal model for the phylogenetic study of Lauraceae because of its simple structure and highly conserved features. There have been numerous reports of complete cp genome sequences in Lauraceae, but little is known about M. chuanchienensis. Here, the next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to sequence the M. chuanchienensis cp genome. Then, a comprehensive comparative genome analysis was performed. The results revealed that the M. chuanchienensis's cp genome measured 152,748 base pairs (bp) with a GC content of 39.15% and coded 126 genes annotated, including comprising eight ribosomal RNA (rRNA), 36 transporter RNA (tRNA), and 82 protein-coding genes. In addition, the cp genome presented a typical quadripartite structure comprising a large single-copy (LSC; 93,811) region, a small single-copy (SSC; 18,803) region, and the inverted repeats (IRs; 20,067) region and contained 92 simple sequence repeat (SSR) locus in total. Phylogenetic relationships of 37 species indicated that M. chuanchienensis was a sister to M. balansae, M. melanophylla, and M. minutiflora. Further research on this crucial species may benefit significantly from these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of removing non‐starch constituents like lipids, proteins, and β‐glucan on the in‐vitro digestibility of oat bran by steaming, microwaving, and hot air drying were investigated in this study. The results showed that the rapidly digestible starch (RDS) content of steaming oat bran decreased significantly (p < 0.05), and the glycemic index (e GI) was the lowest (66.11). The resistant starch (RS) content decreased, and in vitro digestibility, hydrolysis index, and eGI values of pretreated oat bran increased after removing the non‐starch constituents. Lipid removal increased in vitro digestibility the most, followed by β‐glucan and protein removal. The solubility of oat bran with removing protein increased significantly after steaming and microwaving treatment (p < 0.05). The relative crystallinity of oat bran decreased during steaming and increased after microwave and hot air drying. In conclusion, co‐existed components like proteins, fiber and lipids are helpful to a purpose of a low GI and slow starch digestion. Practical applications: In this study, high value‐added utilization of oat bran was realized, which solved the problems of resource waste and environmental pollution. Meanwhile, the steaming oat bran with intact structure is helpful for a purpose of low GI and slow starch digestion and is more beneficial to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a target for treating obesity. BAT losses thermogenic capacity and gains a “white adipose tissue-like” phenotype (“BAT whitening”) under thermoneutral environments, which is a potential factor causing a low curative effect in BAT-related obesity treatments. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) to mRNAs and function in various processes by sponging shared microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the roles of circRNA- and lncRNA-related ceRNA networks in regulating BAT whitening remain litter known. Results: In this study, BATs were collected from rabbits at day0 (D0), D15, D85, and 2 years (Y2). MiRNA-seq was performed to investigate miRNA changes during BAT whitening. Then, a combined analysis of circRNA-seq and whole-transcriptome sequencing was used for circRNA assembly and quantification during BAT whitening. Our data showed that 1187 miRNAs and 6204 circRNAs were expressed in the samples, and many of which were identified as significantly changed during BAT whitening. Target prediction showed that D0-selective miRNAs were significantly enriched in the Ras, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, and Y2-selective miRNAs were predicted to be involved in cell proliferation. The cyclization of several circRNAs could form novel response elements of key thermogenesis miRNAs at the back-splicing junction (BSJ) sites, and in combination with a dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the binding between the BSJ site of novel_circ_0013792 and ocu-miR-378-5p. CircRNAs and lncRNAs have high cooperativity in sponging miRNAs during BAT whitening. Both circRNA-miRNA-mRNA and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA triple networks were significantly involved in immune response-associated biological processes. The D15-selective circRNA might promote BAT whitening by increasing the expression of IDH2. The Y2-selective circRNA-related ceRNA network and lncRNA-related ceRNA network might regulate the formation of the WAT-like phenotype of BAT via MAPK and Ras signaling pathways, respectively. Conclusions: Our work systematically revealed ceRNA networks during BAT whitening in rabbits and might provide new insight into BAT-based obesity treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the influence of COVID-19, online office and online education has ushered in a golden period of development. The teaching quality of online education has been a controversial issue. Our study takes online course teaching quality assessment as the starting point, explores the influencing factors of online course quality assessment with online courses as the research object, and analyzes the latest research proposal for an online course quality index. To make the online course quality assessment more intelligent, we propose an online course quality assessment method based on a fuzzy neural network. The method uses fuzzy rules as the baseline and adds a TSK perception mechanism to expand the perception domain of the fuzzy neural network and improve the course quality index prediction accuracy. At the input side of the fuzzy neural network, we preclassify the online course data into four parts, and each part of the data represents a different assessment domain. Due to the large data cost, we expanded the collective amount of data using data augmentation methods. In addition, we parse the structure of the fuzzy neural network hierarchy and introduce the construction and role of the TSK perception mechanism in the fuzzy rules. An optimal learning strategy is proposed in the fuzzy neural network training. Finally, in the experimental session, we verify the effectiveness of data augmentation and explore the distribution of course quality assessment weights. In the comparison of the model prediction results with the actual assessment results, our method achieves an excellent matching rate, which proves the high efficiency of our method in the online course quality assessment system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NaMg 0.12 Nb 0.88 O 3 - x BiYbO 3 (abbreviated as NMN- x BY) (x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.015, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08) ceramics were fabricated by using a traditional solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure, morphology, relaxation behavior and energy storage properties of NMN- x BY) ceramics were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) demonstrates that all samples present a single pseudo-cubic phase. It is also found that the grain sizes vary irregular with the BY content, and it can be reduced by the appropriate addition of BY content as indicated by scanning electron morphology. From the measured dielectric properties, it can be seen that all samples are transformed from normal ferroelectric (FEs) to relaxor ferroelectric (RFEs). The maximum relaxor diffuseness coefficient γ (∼1.78) is obtained for 0.98NMN-0.02BY ceramic. As x increases, the polarization-electric (P - E) hysteresis loops gradually become slimmer. The largest discharged energy density (∼0.998 J/cm3) and the maximum energy efficiency (∼70%) are obtained at 170 kV/cm for x = 0.04. Meanwhile, the discharge energy densities present relatively excellent temperature stability for x = 0.02 in the temperature range from 20 to 140 °C. This work demonstrates a wide potential application in enhancing the storage properties of lead-free ferroelectric materials by co-doping MgO and bismuth-based perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improving feed efficiency (FE) is one of the main objectives in broiler breeding. It is difficult to directly measure FE traits, and breeders hence have been trying to identify biomarkers for the indirect selection and improvement of FE traits. Metabolome is the "bridge" between genome and phenome. The metabolites may potentially account for more of the phenotypic variation and can suitably serve as biomarkers for selecting FE traits. This study aimed to identify plasma metabolite markers for selecting high-FE broilers. A total of 441 birds from Northeast Agricultural University broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content were used to analyze plasma metabolome and estimate the genetic parameters of differentially expressed metabolites. Results: The results identified 124 differentially expressed plasma metabolites (P < 0.05) between the lean line (high-FE birds) and the fat line (low-FE birds). Among these differentially expressed plasma metabolites, 44 were found to have higher positive or negative genetic correlations with FE traits (|rg| ≥ 0.30). Of these 44 metabolites, 14 were found to display moderate to high heritability estimates (h2 ≥ 0.20). However, among the 14 metabolites, 4 metabolites whose physiological functions have not been reported were excluded. Ultimately, 10 metabolites were suggested to serve as the potential biomarkers for breeding the high-FE broilers. Based on the physiological functions of these metabolites, reducing inflammatory and improving immunity were proposed to improve FE and increase production efficiency. Conclusions: According to the pipeline for the selection of the metabolite markers established in this study, it was suggested that 10 metabolites including 7-ketocholesterol, dimethyl sulfone, epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)-lysine, gamma-glutamyltyrosine, 2-oxoadipic acid, L-homoarginine, testosterone, adenosine 5'-monophosphate, adrenic acid, and calcitriol could be used as the potential biomarkers for breeding the "food-saving broilers". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HNF4α and HNF1α are core transcription factors involved in the development and progression of a variety of human diseases and drug metabolism. They play critical roles in maintaining the normal growth and function of multiple organs, mainly the liver, and in the metabolism of endogenous and exogenous substances. The twelve isoforms of HNF4α may exhibit different physiological functions, and HNF4α and HNF1α show varying or even opposing effects in different types of diseases, particularly cancer. Additionally, the regulation of CYP450, phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes, and drug transporters is affected by several factors. This article aims to review the role of HNF4α and HNF1α in human diseases and drug metabolism, including their structures and physiological functions, affected diseases, regulated drug metabolism genes, influencing factors, and related mechanisms. We also propose a transcriptional regulatory network of HNF4α and HNF1α that regulates the expression of target genes related to disease and drug metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outer protoplanetary discs (PPDs) can be subject to the magnetorotational instability (MRI) and the vertical shear instability (VSI). While both processes can drive turbulence in the disc, existing numerical simulations have studied them separately. In this paper, we conduct global 3D non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations for outer PPDs, with ambipolar diffusion and instantaneous cooling, and hence conductive to both instabilities. Given the range of ambipolar Elsässer numbers (Am) explored, it is found that the VSI turbulence dominates over the MRI when ambipolar diffusion is strong (Am  = 0.1); the VSI and MRI can co-exist for Am  = 1; and the VSI is overwhelmed by the MRI when ambipolar diffusion is weak (Am  = 10). Angular momentum transport process is primarily driven by MHD winds, while viscous accretion due to MRI and/or VSI turbulence makes a moderate contribution in most cases. Spontaneous magnetic flux concentration and formation of annular substructures remain robust in strong ambipolar diffusion-dominated discs (Am ≤ 1) with the presence of the VSI. Ambipolar diffusion is the major contributor to the magnetic flux concentration phenomenon rather than advection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the dynamics of measurement-induced nonlocality (MIN) with two spins in an ideal single-mode optical cavity. The two-spin entangled states are generated firstly under the photon coherent state assumption by means of the variational method. The time evolution of MIN is then examined based on the derived analytical expressions of the reduced density operator of two spins. It is shown that MIN remains in its upper bound all the time and independent of the average photon number of the coherent field when the two spins are initially in the singlet state, which just is the eigenstate of our model. However, for the initial general two-spin entangled states of antiparallel and parallel spin polarizations, MIN strongly depends on the average photon number and initial angle parameters. We provide a detailed analysis of MIN dynamics by the numerical calculation, and reveal some significant results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An integrating anisotropic aerogel with multiple functions of passive/active thermal protection, warning and fire resistance. • Aerogel exhibits efficient thermal insulation capability with thermal conductivity of 0.040 W/m·K. • A reversible stepwise fire warning response (color, sound and light) based on the thermochromism and Seebeck effect. • Aerogel exhibits excellent thermal protection capability across a wide temperature range (0 ∼ 200 °C). With the significant increase in the frequency of various types of extreme climate caused by global warming, such as extreme heat, drought, and drastic fluctuations in ambient temperature, personal thermal management (PTM) has become an effective solution to such problems. Herein, an anisotropic multifunctional thermal insulating hybrid aerogel consisting of MXene, reduced graphene oxide (RGO), and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been developed through chemical reduction and directional freezing techniques. The aerogel not only provides passive thermal protection by micropores and directional channels in high-temperature conditions but also supplies active heat compensation based on photo/electrothermal conversions in low-temperature environments, achieving excellent heat regulation in harsh environments from 0 °C to 200 °C. Additionally, aerogel is able to monitor the external temperature with thermochromic ink and thermoelectric voltage signal. Once the temperature exceeds a comfortable level for the human body, sharp sound or bright light alarms would be activated after a visual color change as the temperature rises, promptly completing stepwise danger warning responses. Subsequently, when the temperature continues to rise, the risk would be mitigated owing to its excellent flame-retardant performance. Such multiple functional aerogels integrating heat protection and heat warning are of great potential for thermal management applications in extreme environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fe and N co-doped biochar (Fe-N-BC 2) significantly improved SMX degradation. • Fe-N-BC 2 activated PDS to generate SO 4 −, OH and Fe(IV) for SMX degradation. • The relative contributions of free radicals and Fe(IV) were 91.99% and 8.01%, respectively. • Synergistic effects of Fe and N active sites enhanced the PDS activation. The harmful effects of the widespread presence of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in water on ecosystems have become an increasingly pressing concern, necessitating the urgent development of an effective decontamination strategy. In this work, iron and nitrogen co-doped biochar (Fe-N-BC) samples were synthesized using peanut shells as a precursor to activate peroxydisulfate for SMX degradation. The most effective Fe-N-BC had a 12 times higher SMX removal rate of 97.00% within 90 min compared to the pristine biochar. The excellent catalytic performance was achieved by the synergistic effect of the Fe and N active sites, and the system contained not only typical free radicals (SO 4 − and OH) but also high-valent iron species (Fe(IV)). Further quantitative experiments with active species revealed that the free radical reaction pathway played a predominant role, while the relative contribution of Fe(IV) was only 8.01%. Furthermore, the degradation pathways of SMX in the system were proposed, and toxicity assessment revealed that all intermediate products exhibited lower toxicity levels than SMX. This study clarifies the structure–activity relationships of Fe-N-BC for PDS activation and offers an innovative strategy for the treatment and utilization of agricultural waste biomass as the catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information regarding protein expression and phosphorylation modifications in the bovine milk fat globule membrane is scarce, particularly throughout various lactation periods. This study employed a complete proteome and phosphoproteome between bovine colostrum and mature milk. A total of 11 proteins were seen in both protein expression and phosphorylation levels. There were 400 proteins identified in only protein expression, and 104 phosphoproteins identified in only phosphorylation levels. A total of 232 significant protein characteristics were identified within the proteome and significant phosphorylation sites within 86 phosphoproteins of the phosphoproteome. Biological activities and pathways primarily exhibited associations with the immune system. Simultaneously, a comprehensive analysis of proteins and phosphorylation sites using a multi-omics approach. Hence, the data we have obtained has the potential to expand our understanding of how the bovine milk fat globule membrane might be utilized as a beneficial component in dairy products. • A total of 411 MFGM proteins and 197 phosphorylation sites on 115 phosphoproteins were identified from bovine milk. • There were 11 shared MFGM proteins between proteome and phosphoproteome. • 232 MFGM proteins and 122 phosphorylation sites on 86 phosphoproteins were significantly different features. • Proteins and phosphoproteins were mainly involved in immune-related functions and pathways. • Comprehensive characterization and relationships of proteins and phosphorylation sites revealed by multi-omics analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Deep eutectic system of ZrCl 4 /urea is devised to uniformly incorporate Zr with C 3 N 4. • Fluoride adsorption capacity of CN-Zr reaches 145.34 mg/g in hydrochloric acid. • Various Zr sources are considered on the performance and metal leaching rate. • Structural features and fluoride existence form in acid are considered in mechanism. • The adsorption cost of 0.3157 CNY/g indicates substantial industrial applicability. The fluorine chemical industry's rapid growth demands efficient strategies for treating and utilizing the costly and inefficient byproduct, fluoride-containing hydrochloric acid, posing a significant challenge. In this study, a cost-effective method was developed for preparing an acid-resistant and efficient defluorination material. Carbon nitride (C 3 N 4) was chosen for its exceptional acid resistance and was modified via template-free doping with different zirconium source. Characterization results through XRD, FTIR, BET, XPS, SEM, and TEM confirm the successful synthesis of CN-Zr using zirconium chloride (ZrCl 4) with a specific surface area of 87.77 m2/g. Furthermore, the adsorption results indicate outstanding fluoride adsorption performance of CN-Zr in hydrochloric acid, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 145.34 mg/g and minimal zirconium leaching. Moreover, the adsorption mechanism was systematically studied using Zeta potential, FTIR and XPS characterization. The findings indicate that Zr was integrated with C 3 N 4 uniformly by forming a deep eutectic system (DES), utilizing exposed terminal amino groups for effective hydrogen bonding with HF which predominates as the primary fluorine existence in hydrochloric acid. Meanwhile, the enhanced ion exchange, complexation of Zr-F and strong electrostatic attraction all contribute to improving adsorption. Finally, the assessment of recyclability performance and operation cost demonstrate that the material can maintain 80% of its initial adsorption capacity after five cycles. The cost analysis results indicate that the adsorption cost is only 0.3157 CNY/g, making it considerable competitive in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhilong Huoxue Tongyu Capsule (ZL) is clinically prescribed for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, only a few studies have addressed the mechanisms of ZL in treating AIS. To explore the underlying mechanism of macrophage polarization and inflammation mediated by ZL, and to provide a reference for AIS treatment. Sixteen SD rats were fed with different dose of ZL (0, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 g/kg/d) for 4 days to prepare ZL serum. After 500 ng/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, RAW264.7 cells were administrated with ZL serum. Then, experiments including ELISA, flow cytometry, real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot were performed to verify the effects of ZL on macrophage polarization and inflammation. Next, let-7i inhibitor was transfected in RAW264.7 cells when treated with LPS and ZL serum to verify the regulation of ZL on the let-7i/TLR9/MyD88 signaling pathway. Moreover, the interaction between let-7i and TLR9 was confirmed by the dual-luciferase assay. ZL serum significantly decreased the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and increased the expression of IL-10 and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) of LPS stimulated-macrophages. Furthermore, ZL serum polarized macrophages toward M2, decreased the expressions of TLR9, MyD88, and iNOS, as well as increased the expressions of let-7i, CHIL3, and Arginase-1. It is worth mentioning that the effect of ZL serum is dose-dependent. However, let-7i inhibitor restored all the above effects in LPS stimulated-macrophages. In addition, TLR9 was the target of let-7i. ZL targeted let-7i to inhibit TLR9 expression, thereby inhibiting the activation of the TLR9/MyD88 pathway, promoting the M2 polarization, and inhibiting the development of inflammation in AIS. [Display omitted] • ZL is clinically prescribed for AIS. • ZL promotes M2 polarization and inhibited inflammation. • ZL targetes let-7i to inhibit the TLR9/MyD88 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a broad-spectrum anticancer drug, cisplatin is widely used in the treatment of tumors in various systems. Unfortunately, several serious side effects of cisplatin limit its clinical application, the most common of which are nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. Studies have shown that cochlear hair cell degeneration is the main cause of cisplatin-induced hearing loss. However, the mechanism of cisplatin-induced hair cell death remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the potential role of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized protein, on cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we observed that cisplatin exposure induced apoptosis of mouse auditory OC-1 cells, accompanied by a significant increase in the expression of ATF6 and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). In cell or cochlear culture models, treatment with an ATF6 agonist, an ER homeostasis regulator, significantly ameliorated cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. Further, our in vivo experiments showed that subcutaneous injection of an ATF6 agonist almost completely prevented outer hair cell loss and significantly alleviated cisplatin-induced auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold elevation in mice. Collectively, our results revealed the underlying mechanism by which activation of ATF6 significantly improved cisplatin-induced hair cell apoptosis, at least in part by inhibiting apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 expression, and demonstrated that pharmacological activation of ATF6-mediated unfolded protein response is a potential treatment for cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. • ATF6 is involved in oxaliplatin-induced ototoxicity. • Activation of ATF6 significantly attenuated cisplatin-induced hair cell apoptosis. • Pharmacological activation of ATF6-mediated unfolded protein response is a potential treatment for cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over half of the US's sugarcane production comes from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) in Florida (USA). However, the loss of organic soils due to oxidation, which results in the gradual reduction of soil depth, poses a significant concern for the future of agriculture throughout the EAA. Understanding the relationship between soil depth and crop production in the EAA is critical to developing sustainable and profitable farming practices in the region. This study aimed to assess the depths of organic soils in the EAA and monitor the growth of sugarcane to elucidate the relationship between crop growth and soil depths. The soil depth of five locations spanning a total area of 90 ha were surveyed. The sugarcane yield was estimated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from publicly available Landsat 8 satellite images. The soil survey revealed considerable spatial variation in soil depths, ranging from 10 to 105 cm with an average of 51 cm. Over half of the study area had soil depths below 50 cm, while only 11.9 % of the area had soil depths exceeding 80 cm. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated sugarcane variety and age significantly impacts the yield. However, no significant relationship was found between soil depth and sugarcane yields, which can be attributed to the ample availability of nutrients and water in the region, coupled with advancements in agricultural technologies such as stringent soil testing for nutrient recommendations and effective plant breeding that address the constraints posed by shallow soils. The undetectable threshold for soil depth where crop yields decline may be due to numerous reasons including dataset constraints, and modelling limitations. For sugarcane production to be sustainable and profitable in the region soil loss of Histosols in the region warrants further research. Proactive interventions and conservation farming practices are imperative to mitigate soil loss within the region. The outcomes of this study furnish valuable data to support decision-makers in policy formulation, with significant implications for food security and environmental sustainability. • Deriving relationship between soil depth and crop growth in the EAA. • Integrating soil surveys and NDVI identified soil depth's impact on crop growth. • No relationship between soil depth and NDVI for any study crops. • Advancements in farming practices probably reason for maintaining optimum crop yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The significance of S100A8/A9 and S100A12 in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) has not been clarified. This study was dedicated to exploring the potential pathogenic roles of S100A8/A9 and S100A12 in patients with myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA-positive vasculitis. Methods: Serum and urine concentrations of S100A8/A9 and S100A12 of forty-two AAV patients were evaluated. The influence of S100A8/A9 and S100A12 on the chemotaxis, the apoptosis, the release of IL-1β, the complement activation, the respiratory burst, as well as the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation of MPO-ANCA-activated neutrophils was investigated. Results: The serum and urine S100A8/A9 and S100A12 of active MPO-AAV significantly increased (compared with inactive AAV and healthy controls, p < 0.001) and were correlated with the severity of the disease. In vitro study showed that S100A8/A9 and S100A12 activated the p38 MAPK/NF-κB p65 pathway, increased the chemotaxis index (CI) and the release of IL-1β, extended the life span, and enhanced the complement activation ability of MPO-ANCA-activated neutrophils. The Blockade of TLR4 and RAGE inhibited the effects of S100A8/A9 and S100A12. All above-mentioned effects of S100A8/A9 and S100A12 were ROS-independent because neither S100A8/A9 nor S100A12 enhanced the ROS formation and NETs formation of MPO-ANCA-activated neutrophils. Conclusion: S100A8/A9 and S100A12 serve as markers for assessing the disease severity, and they may also play a role in MPO-AAV pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]