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Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination is a serious threat to nutritional safety and public health. The CotA-laccase from Bacillus licheniformis ANSB821 previously reported by our laboratory showed great potential to degrade AFB1 without redox mediators. However, the use of this CotA-laccase to remove AFB1 in animal feed is limited because of its low catalytic efficiency and low expression level. In order to make better use of this excellent enzyme to effectively degrade AFB1, twelve mutants of CotA-laccase were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. Among these mutants, E186A and E186R showed the best degradation ability of AFB1, with degradation ratios of 82.2% and 91.8% within 12 h, which were 1.6- and 1.8-times higher than those of the wild-type CotA-laccase, respectively. The catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km) of E186A and E186R were found to be 1.8- and 3.2-times higher, respectively, than those of the wild-type CotA-laccase. Then the expression vectors pPICZαA-N-E186A and pPICZαA-N-E186R with an optimized signal peptide were constructed and transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115. The optimized signal peptide improved the secretory expressions of E186A and E186R in P. pastoris GS115. Collectively, the current study provided ideal candidate CotA-laccase mutants for AFB1 detoxification in food and animal feed and a feasible protocol, which was desperately needed for the industrial production of CotA-laccases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a fuel or energy carrier, hydrogen has been identified as a key way to decarbonize electricity, industry, transportation, and heating sectors. Hydrogen can be produced by a variety of methods, among which water electrolysis driven by renewable energy is sustainable and nearly carbon-free. To use hydrogen widely, storage and transportation over long distances are another key issue. Apart from storage at high pressure and low temperature, hydrogen can be stored in organic compounds via chemical bonding under relatively mild conditions. Efficient utilization of hydrogen includes hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to internal combustion engines. From the above scenarios, catalysis and reaction media are the key factors for realizing hydrogen energy implementation. Ionic liquids (ILs) offer new opportunities due to their tunable functional groups, low vapor pressure, and stable structures as additives, solvents, and charge transfer materials. ILs are known to produce solid catalysts with controllable properties, decorate solid catalysts with modified electrons and geometric structures, and serve as electrolytes and hydrogen storage media. This review summarizes and recaps the recent progress in how ILs act as a cornerstone to support the production, storage, and utilization of hydrogen. Furthermore, critical challenges and future research directions of ILs in hydrogen energy applications are also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the relationship between personality traits measured by the "Big Five Model" and occupational status with a nationally representative household survey from China. I find that four of the five personality traits except extraversion are significantly associated with occupational status in terms of occupational choices, occupational prestige, and socioeconomic status. In particular, conscientiousness is the most important predictor among the five dimensions of personality traits. The findings also suggest that the returns of personality traits to occupational status are higher for females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hazard named entity recognition is a technique used to recognize natural hazard entities from a large number of texts. The method of natural hazard named entity recognition can facilitate acquisition of natural hazards information and provide reference for natural hazard mitigation. The method of named entity recognition has many challenges, such as fast change, multiple types and various forms of named entities. This can introduce difficulties in research of natural hazard named entity recognition. To address the above problem, this paper constructed a natural disaster annotated corpus for training and evaluation model, and selected and compared several deep learning methods based on word vector features. A deep learning method for natural hazard named entity recognition can automatically mine text features and reduce the dependence on manual rules. This paper compares and analyzes the deep learning models from three aspects: pretraining, feature extraction and decoding. A natural hazard named entity recognition method based on deep learning is proposed, namely XLNet-BiLSTM-CRF model. Finally, the research hotspots of natural hazards papers in the past 10 years were obtained through this model. After training, the precision of the XLNet-BilSTM-CRF model is 92.80%, the recall rate is 91.74%, and the F1-score is 92.27%. The results show that this method, which is superior to other methods, can effectively recognize natural hazard named entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Apriori algorithm in association rules is the main algorithm used in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases in data mining, and the algorithm in the current stage of China's medical field of association between chronic diseases has some problems, such as the need to scan the transaction database of cases several times, producing a large data set and more redundant rules. To address the above problems, a data mining algorithm of association rules combining clustering matrix and pruning strategy is proposed, which improves the algorithm by using the clustering matrix method to compress the stored transaction database and introducing the prepruning and postpruning strategy methods on the basis of adding constraint conditions. The experimental results show that the optimization algorithm has unique advantages in reducing the number of database scans and the number of candidate item sets generated and ultimately greatly reduces the running time and I/O load of the algorithm, and the running efficiency of the algorithm is greatly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hazard named entity recognition is a technique used to recognize natural hazard entities from a large number of texts. The method of natural hazard named entity recognition can facilitate acquisition of natural hazards information and provide reference for natural hazard mitigation. The method of named entity recognition has many challenges, such as fast change, multiple types and various forms of named entities. This can introduce difficulties in research of natural hazard named entity recognition. To address the above problem, this paper constructed a natural disaster annotated corpus for training and evaluation model, and selected and compared several deep learning methods based on word vector features. A deep learning method for natural hazard named entity recognition can automatically mine text features and reduce the dependence on manual rules. This paper compares and analyzes the deep learning models from three aspects: pretraining, feature extraction and decoding. A natural hazard named entity recognition method based on deep learning is proposed, namely XLNet-BiLSTM-CRF model. Finally, the research hotspots of natural hazards papers in the past 10 years were obtained through this model. After training, the precision of the XLNet-BilSTM-CRF model is 92.80%, the recall rate is 91.74%, and the F1-score is 92.27%. The results show that this method, which is superior to other methods, can effectively recognize natural hazard named entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a prevalent contaminant in agricultural products, presenting significant risks to animal health. CotA laccase from Bacillus licheniformis has shown significant efficacy in degrading mycotoxins in vitro test. The efficacy of Bacillus CotA laccase in animals, however, remains to be confirmed. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used to investigate the effects of Bacillus CotA laccase level (0 or 1 U/kg), AFB1 challenge (challenged or unchallenged) and their interactions on ducks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Bacillus CotA laccase in alleviating AFB1 toxicosis of ducks. Results: Bacillus CotA laccase alleviated AFB1-induced declines in growth performance of ducks accompanied by improved average daily gain (ADG) and lower feed/gain ratio (F/G). Bacillus CotA laccase ameliorated AFB1-induced gut barrier dysfunctions and inflammation testified by increasing the jejunal villi height/crypt depth ratio (VH/CD) and the mRNA expression of tight junction protein 1 (TJP1) and zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1) as well as decreasing the expression of inflammation-related genes in the jejunum of ducks. Amino acid metabolome showed that Bacillus CotA laccase ameliorated AFB1-induced amino acid metabolism disorders evidenced by increasing the level of glutamic acid in serum and upregulating the expression of amino acid transport related genes in jejunum of ducks. Bacillus CotA laccase ameliorated AFB1-induced liver injury testified by suppressing oxidative stress, inhibiting apoptosis, and downregulating the expression of hepatic metabolic enzyme related genes of ducks. Moreover, Bacillus CotA laccase degraded AFB1 in digestive tract of ducks, resulting in the reduced absorption level of AFB1 across intestinal epithelium testified by the decreased level of AFB1-DNA adduct in the liver, and the reduced content of AFB1 residues in liver and feces of ducks. Conclusions: Bacillus CotA laccase effectively improved the growth performance, intestinal health, amino acid metabolism and hepatic aflatoxin metabolism of ducks fed AFB1 diets, highlighting its potential as an efficient and safe feed enzyme for AFB1 degradation in animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Improving plant biomass yield and/or feedstock quality for highly efficient lignocellulose conversion has been the main research focus in genetic modification of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a dedicated model plant for biofuel production. Here, we proved that overexpression of miR396 (OE‐miR396) leads to reduced plant height and lignin content mainly by reducing G‐lignin monomer content. We identified nineteen PvGRFs in switchgrass and proved thirteen of them were cleaved by miR396. MiR396‐targeted PvGRF1, PvGRF9 and PvGRF3 showed significantly higher expression in stem. By separately overexpressing rPvGRF1, 3 and 9, in which synonymous mutations abolished the miR396 target sites, and suppression of PvGRF1/3/9 activity via PvGRF1/3/9‐SRDX overexpression in switchgrass, we confirmed PvGRF1 and PvGRF9 played positive roles in improving plant height and G‐lignin content. Overexpression of PvGRF9 was sufficient to complement the defective phenotype of OE‐miR396 plants. MiR396‐PvGRF9 modulates these traits partly by interfering GA and auxin biosynthesis and signalling transduction and cell wall lignin, glucose and xylan biosynthesis pathways. Moreover, by enzymatic hydrolysis analyses, we found that overexpression of rPvGRF9 significantly enhanced per plant sugar yield. Our results suggest that PvGRF9 can be utilized as a candidate molecular tool in modifying plant biomass yield and feedstock quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that electron-rotation coupling plays a significant role in diatomic nuclear dynamics induced by intense VUV pulses [Phys. Rev. A 102 (2020) 033114; Phys. Rev. Res. 2 (2020) 043348]. As a further step, we present here investigations of the electron-rotation coupling effect in the presence of Auger decay channel for core-excited molecules, based on theoretical modeling of the total electron yield (TEY), resonant Auger scattering (RAS) and x-ray absorption spectra (XAS) for two showcases of CO and CH+ molecules excited by resonant intense x-ray pulses. The Wigner D-functions and the universal transition dipole operators are introduced to include the electron-rotation coupling for the core-excitation process. It is shown that with the pulse intensity up to 1016 W/cm2, no sufficient influence of the electron-rotation coupling on the TEY and RAS spectra can be observed. This can be explained by a suppression of the induced electron-rotation dynamics due to the fast Auger decay channel, which does not allow for effective Rabi cycling even at extreme field intensities, contrary to transitions in optical or VUV range. For the case of XAS, however, relative errors of about 10% and 30% are observed for the case of CO and CH+, respectively, when the electron-rotation coupling is neglected. It is concluded that conventional treatment of the photoexcitation, neglecting the electron-rotation coupling, can be safely and efficiently employed to study dynamics at the x-ray transitions by means of electron emission spectroscopy, yet the approximation breaks down for nonlinear processes as stimulated emission, especially for systems with light atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Overexpression of OsDST-SRDX chimeric gene in switchgrass promotes plant growth and improves the salt tolerance of transgenic switchgrass by improving its antioxidative ability. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a forage and model feedstock plant. To avoid competing with crops in arable land utilization, improving salt tolerance of switchgrass is required to use marginal saline land for switchgrass production. To improve salt tolerance of switchgrass, a chimeric DROUGHT AND SALT TOLERANCE (DST) gene OsDST-SRDX was constructed using the Chimeric REpressor gene-Silencing Technology (CRES-T), and introduced into switchgrass genome by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Compared to wild-type (WT) plants, OsDST-SRDX transgenic (TG) switchgrass plants showed wider leaves and thicker stems. They performed better under salt stress, had higher relative leaf water content, lower electrolyte leakage and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and accumulated less Na+ and more K+ than WT controls. The transgenic plants had also higher activities of antioxidant enzymes associated with suppressed expressing of genes in H2O2 homeostasis, including glutathione S-transferase (GST2, GST6), cytochrome P450, peroxidase 24 precursor, and induced expressing of CAT and SOD under salt stress to eliminate excess H2O2. Our results indicate that overexpression of the chimeric gene OsDST-SRDX improves salt tolerance of switchgrass, a C4 biofuel crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a C4 perennial grass, has been recognized as one of the most potentially important lignocellulose biofuel crops. MicroRNA319 (miR319) plays a key role in plant development, abiotic resistance, and cell wall biosynthesis by repressing expression of its target TCP genes. We hypothesized miR319–TCP pathway could play important roles in switchgrass feedstock characteristics for biofuel production, and produced switchgrass transgenic plants overexpressing miR319 (by ectopic expressing Osa-MIR319b gene), blocking miR319 (by overexpressing a target mimicry of miR319/MIM319) and repression of miR319 target gene PvPCF5. Plant phenotype, biomass yield, and feedstock quality of transgenic plants were analyzed. Results: Overexpression of miR319 in switchgrass promoted leaf elongation and expansion of transgenic plants, increased plant height, stem diameter, and resulted in a significant increase in plant biomass yield. Transgenic plants overexpressing of miR319 reduced lignin content, showed significantly higher enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency compared to the wild type plant. However, opposite results were observed in the MIM319 plants. Furthermore, suppression of miR319 target gene PvPCF5 activity also reduced lignin content, increased lignin monomer S/G ratio and the proportion of β-O-4 linkages, while significantly improving the sugar production per plant. Quantitative real-time (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that expression of PvMYB58/63B and PvHCT with predicted TCP binding sites in their promoter regions was negatively regulated by miR319–PvPCF5 module. Conclusions: MiR319–PvPCF5 module plays positive roles in regulating biomass yield and quality of switchgrass. It can be utilized as a candidate molecular tool in regulating biomass yield and feedstock quality. The finding could also be transferred to other grasses for forage quality improvement through genetic manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Salinity‐induced accumulation of certain microRNAs accompanied by gaseous phytohormone ethylene production has been recognized as a mechanism of plant salt tolerance. MicroRNA319 (miR319) has been characterized as an important player in abiotic stress resistance in some C3 plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and rice. However, its role in the dedicated biomass plant switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a C4 plant, has not been reported. Here, we show crosstalk between miR319 and ethylene (ET) for increasing salt tolerance. By overexpressing Osa‐MIR319b and a target mimicry form of miR319 (MIM319), we showed that miR319 positively regulated ET synthesis and salt tolerance in switchgrass. By experimental treatments, we demonstrated that ET‐mediated salt tolerance in switchgrass was dose‐dependent, and miR319 regulated the switchgrass salt response by fine‐tuning ET synthesis. Further experiments showed that the repression of a miR319 target, PvPCF5, in switchgrass also led to enhanced ethylene accumulation and salt tolerance in transgenic plants. Genome‐wide transcriptome analysis demonstrated that overexpression of miR319 (OE‐miR319) down‐regulated the expression of key genes in the methionine (Met) cycle but promoted the expression of genes in ethylene synthesis. The results enrich our understanding of the synergistic effects of the miR319‐PvPCF5 module and ethylene synthesis in the salt tolerance of switchgrass, a C4 bioenergy plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants especially need to adapt to all different light environments (shade, high light, etc.) due to the essential role of light in plant life. Either shade or high-light microenvironmental conditions are common for cool-season turfgrasses, such as perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). In order to study how a plant highly conserves microRNA, miR164-affected perennial ryegrass were studied under different light intensities. OsmiR164a-overexpression (OE164), target mimicry OsmiR164a (MIM164), and CRES-T (chimeric repressor gene-silencing technology) OsNAC60 (NAC60) transgenic plants and wild-type (WT) plants were evaluated in both field (shade and full sun) and growth chamber conditions (low, medium, and high PAR at 100, 400, and 1200 µmol s−1 m−2). Morphological and physiological analysis showed miR164 could fine-tune perennial ryegrass adaptation to changing light intensity, possibly via the regulation of target genes, such as NAC60. Overall, OE164 and NAC60 plants were similar to each other and more sensitive to high light, particularly under the field condition, demonstrated by smaller size and much poorer grass quality; MIM164 performed more like WT plants than either the OE164 or NAC60 plants. This study indicates the potential of genetic manipulation of miR164 and/or its targeted genes for turfgrass adaptation to changing light environments, and future research to further investigate the molecular mechanism beneath would be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic biomass is a potential sustainable feedstock to replace fossil fuels. However, the complex structure of biomass makes it difficult to convert into high-value products. Utilization of lignocellulosic biomass in a green and effective way is of great significance for sustainable development. Based on the analysis of different options, we proposed that cascade utilization according to its composition, characteristics, and nature is the best way to utilize the lignocellulosic biomass. To promote the cascade utilization of lignocellulosic biomass, this article provides a review of the latest research results from the aspect of cascade utilization of lignocellulosic biomass covering the whole chain from pretreatment to high-value products, and the research on the non-conventional pretreatments including microwave irradiation, supercritical fluids, ultrasonic irradiation, electric field, hydrodynamic cavitation, and ionic liquids are presented in detail and evaluated by 4 proposed levels, and the newly developed high-value applications were further overviewed for lignin (carbon/graphene/carbon nano-tubes, dye dispersants, bioplastics, and aerogels), cellulose (cellulose-based ionic liquids, functional composites, adsorbent materials, carbon, and aerogels), and hemicellulose (films and pharmaceutical carriers), respectively. Finally, perspectives on the future research on the cascade utilization of lignocellulosic biomass are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant mechanical strength contributes to lodging resistance and grain yield, making it an agronomically important trait in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). In this study, we isolated the brittle culm 1 (bc1) mutant and identified SbBC1 through map-based cloning. SbBC1, a homolog of rice OsBC1 and Arabidopsis thaliana AtCOBL4, encodes a COBRA-like protein that exhibits typical structural features of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein. A single-nucleotide mutation in SbBC1 led to reduced mechanical strength, decreased cellulose content, and increased lignin content without obviously altering plant morphology. Transmission electron microscopy revealed reduced cell wall thickness in sclerenchyma cells of the bc1 mutant. SbBC1 is primarily expressed in developing sclerenchyma cells and vascular bundles in sorghum. RNA-seq analysis further suggested a possible mechanism by which SbBC1 mediates cellulose biosynthesis and cell wall remodeling. Our results demonstrate that SbBC1 participates in the biosynthesis of cellulose in the secondary cell wall and affects the mechanical strength of sorghum plants, providing additional genetic evidence for the roles of COBRA-like genes in cellulose biosynthesis in grasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Over expression of MsSPL12 improved alfalfa salt tolerance by reducing Na+ accumulation and increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and regulating down-stream gene expression. Improvement of salt tolerance is one of the major goals in alfalfa breeding. Here, we demonstrated that MsSPL12, an alfalfa transcription factor gene highly expressed in the stem cells, plays a positive role in alfalfa salt tolerance. MsSPL12 is localized in the nucleus and shows transcriptional activity in the presence of its C-terminus. To investigate MsSPL12 function in plant response to salt stress, we generated transgenic plants overexpressing either MsSPL12 or a chimeric MsSPL12-SRDX gene that represses the function of MsSPL12 by using the Chimeric REpressor gene-Silencing Technology (CRES-T), and observed that overexpression of MsSPL12 increased the salt tolerance of alfalfa transgenic plants associated with an increase in K+/Na+ ratio and relative water content (RWC) under salt stress treatment, but a reduction in electrolyte leakage (EL), reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and proline (Pro) compared to wild type (WT) plants. However, transgenic plants overexpressing MsSPL12-SRDX showed an inhibited plant growth and a reduced salt tolerance. RNA-sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed that MsSPL12 affected the expression of plant abiotic resistance-related genes in multiple physiological pathways. The potential MsSPL12-mediated regulatory pathways based on the differentially expressed genes between the MsSPL12 overexpression transgenics and WT controls were predicted. In summary, our study proves that MsSPL12 is a positive regulator in alfalfa salt tolerance and can be used as a new candidate for manipulation to develop forage crops with enhanced salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress severely affects alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) growth and production. It is particularly important to analyze the key networks of drought in alfalfa through physiological and molecular levels. However, how to quickly screen drought-tolerant alfalfa germplasm and how to elucidate the molecular pathways of alfalfa responding to drought are less studied. In this study, based on our previous research, we further verified the association between the heritability of ABA sensitivity during seed germination and drought tolerance of plants and identified the key pathways of drought tolerance differences between ABA-sensitivity (S1-0) and -insensitivity (S1-50) plants via RNA-seq and analysis. The results showed that the sensitivity to ABA in alfalfa seeds can be inherited and that plants that are insensitive to ABA during germination show stronger drought tolerance. An analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed that ABA biosynthesis and signaling, amino acid metabolism, LEA, and wax synthesis-related pathways may be the key pathways that can be used for drought tolerance improvement in alfalfa. DEGs such as NCED, PYR/PYL, and PP2C may contribute to drought tolerance in the S1-50 plant. The study further confirms that screening with ABA at the seed germination stage can select alfalfa lines with good drought tolerance, which provides a new theoretical basis for alfalfa drought tolerance breeding. The expression of the key genes of alfalfa in response to drought stress was also tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Overexpression of OsPIL1 gene in switchgrass improved biomass yield and saccharification efficiency of OsPIL1 transgenic switchgrass plant. • The higher expression level of OsPIL1 co-related to taller plant height and longer epidermal cell of transgenic plant. • The results suggested that the OsPIL1 can be used as a useful molecular tool in improving plant biomass with the purpose of plant fiber biofuel ethanol production. Abstract Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a herbaceous cellulosic biofuel plant with broad adaptability. However, the intrinsic recalcitrance of biomass and limited land for switchgrass planting hinder its utilization as feedstock for biofuel ethanol production. The OsPIL1 (PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 3-LIKE 1) gene encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. Its expression is induced by light, which facilitated the expression of cell wall-related genes, promoted cell elongation and resulted in longer internode in rice. Here, we introduced the OsPIL1 gene into switchgrass by Agrobacterium -mediated transformation with the aim of improving biomass yield of transgenic switchgrass plants. The transgenic plants were verified by PCR, Southern-blotting, RT-PCR and qRT-PCR tests, respectively. The transgenic plants overexpression of OsPIL1 showed increased plant height and biomass yield. Microscopy analysis showed that the length of epidermal cells of transgenic plants was longer than that of wild type. OsPIL1 overexpressed transgenic switchgrass plants also released more soluble sugar after enzymatic hydrolysis, indicating improved saccharification efficiency. The results suggest OsPIL1 can be used as a useful molecular tool in improving plant biomass and saccharification efficiency with the purpose of plant fiber biofuel ethanol production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method for recycling ionic liquids (ILs) from a cellulose spinning process is suggested. The method involves the combination of freeze crystallization and evaporation of H2O from IL + H2O mixtures to recycle the ILs. Processes with EmimAc and EmimDep were used as references to develop this IL recycling method. EmimAc + 12.5 wt% H2O and EmimDep + 4 wt% H2O were selected for a quantitative mass and energy analysis of the cellulose spinning and IL recycling process (the maximal initial H2O levels in the ILs + H2O mixtures for cellulose dissolution were determined experimentally). The energy requirement for the freeze crystallization + evaporation method was compared to evaporation only for recycling of EmimAc and EmimDep. To produce 1 kg dry cellulose fiber, 45.4 MJ and 62.6 MJ are required for recycling EmimAc and EmimDep respectively by the freeze crystallization + evaporation recycling method. Using evaporation only, 66.9 MJ is required for EmimAc recycling and 99.9 MJ for EmimDep recycling per kg cellulose fiber produced. Thus, to fabricate 1 kg dry cellulose fiber using freeze crystallization + evaporation rather than evaporation, 21.5 MJ can be saved for EmimAc and 37.3 MJ for EmimDep recycling. We also show that compared to a classical Lyocell fiber production method using N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) as solvent, use of ILs is energy saving in itself. Hence, significantly less H2O is required in the cellulose spinning process with ILs than with NMMO, and in turn less H2O has to be evaporated for the solvent recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Insulin resistance (IR) and sympathetic over-activation play a critical role in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Percutaneous renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) was tested to treat refractory hypertension. However, the benefits of RDN for DCM and IR still remain unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the effect and associated mechanisms of bilateral surgical RDN (bsRDN) on cardiac function and glucose metabolism in animals with diabetes.Methods: Thirty-two male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to Chow (n=8, normal diet) and TEST (n=24, high-fructose fat diet [HFD]) groups. At 48 weeks after HFD feeding, animals in the TEST group were randomized to the Sham, HFD, and RDN subgroups and were fed a HFD for an additional 8 weeks. Repeated measurements of cardiac function, IR, apoptosis/autophagy, and histopathological assessment were performed at 48 and 56 weeks.Results: HFD feeding for 56 weeks induced IR and diastolic cardiac dysfunction with hypertrophy in septum but well preserved eject fraction in the animals. Impaired IR further deteriorated over the time in the RDN group, featured by a more profound reduction in GLUT4 mRNA and its translocation to the plasma membrane. Successful denervation was associated with improvement of cardiac function via preventing myocardial fibrosis and over-expression of procollagen III, mammalian target of rapamycin, and cardiac apoptosis. Cardiac autophagy, assessed by either electron microscopy or Western blot, was enhanced by bsRDN.Conclusions: Renal sympathetic denervation led to a significant improvement of HFD-induced cardiac dysfunction by shifting the cardiac apoptosis to autophagy, but worsening IR. Further study is required to identify the clinical benefits of RDN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a vital stress hormone of plants in coping with adverse environmental conditions, such as drought stress. Sensitivity of seed germination to exogenous ABA treatment could be linked to varied drought stress responses in different plant species. Polyploid and outcrossing nature of alfalfa makes it an extensive reservoir of genetic variation, and each single alfalfa seed may have a different genetic background. We speculate the alfalfa seeds resistant to exogenous ABA treatment during germination could lead to a strong plant drought tolerance. Here, we selected the alfalfa seedlings (S0–50) from seeds germinated under 50 μM ABA treatment. The S0–50 alfalfa plants showed more sensitivity in stomatal closure to exogenous ABA and PEG treatments, and also stronger drought tolerance than the plants of ABA-sensitive seeds during germination (S0–0). Leaf ABA content analysis indicated that the S0–50 plants had a higher ABA content in normal and under drought stress growth conditions than the S0–0 plants. The seeds of the S0–50 plants (S1–50) showed significantly higher germination percentage under 50 μM ABA treatment and had longer roots after 15% PEG6000 treatment than the segregated ABA-sensitive seeds (S1–0). We found a cytosol-nucleus dual-localized PPR protein gene MsSOAR1 was significantly highly expressed in the S0–50 than in the S0–0 plants. Overexpression of AtSOAR1 , a negative regulator in ABA-mediated seed germination inhibition in Arabidopsis and a homologous gene of MsSOAR1 , led to significantly improved drought tolerance, increased branch number and plant height, and reduced expression of the ABA receptor genes MsPYL5 and MsPYL6 of AtSOAR1 transgenic alfalfa plants (TGs). The results suggest that ABA-insensitivity during seed germination is associated with the impaired ABA signaling transduction. Screening alfalfa seedlings during seed germination with exogenous ABA is a way to obtain drought tolerant alfalfa germplasm. • During vegetative stage, the ABA-insensitive 'Zhongmu No.1' alfalfa plants, during seeds germination, showed stronger drought tolerance. • Higher ABA content and higher expression of MsSOAR1 gene may contributed to improved drought tolerance of alfalfa plants. • Ectopic overexpression of AtSOAR1 significantly improved alfalfa drought tolerance. • Screening alfalfa seedlings during seed germination with exogenous ABA is a way to obtain drought tolerant alfalfa germplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in the world. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) was not only found to play a key role in the development of tumor angiogenesis, but has also been located in tumor cells of a variety of tumors. This study investigated the expression pattern of VEGFR-2 in breast cancer tissue specimens in order to evaluate the role of VEGFR-2 in the prognosis of breast cancer. Expression and localization of VEGFR-2 in tumor cells of breast cancer specimens from 98 invasive breast cancer patients were determined by immunohistochemistry. The relationships between VEGFR-2 expression and clinicopathological features were also analyzed. The results showed that VEGFR-2 expression correlated positively with lymph node (LN) metastasis of breast cancer. Patients with high expression of VEGFR-2 had a significantly worse OS. It was also observed that the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker, including Twist1 and Vimentin, was higher in the tumors with higher VEGFR-2 expression, while the E-cadherin expression was lower in the same tumors, suggesting that VEGFR-2 may serve as a possible mediator of EMT in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical conversion of nitrate to ammonia is an appealing way for small‐scale and decentralized ammonia synthesis and waste nitrate treatment. Currently, strategies to enhance the reaction performance through elaborate catalyst design have been well developed, but it is still of challenge to realize the promotion of reactivity and selectivity at the same time. Instead, a facile method of catalyst modification with ionic liquid to modulate the electrode surface microenvironment that mimic the role of the natural MoFe protein environment is found effective for the simultaneous improvement of NH3 yield rate and Faradaic efficiency (FE) at a low NaNO3 concentration of 500 ppm. Protic ionic liquid (PIL) N‐butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Bim]NTf2) modified Co3O4−x is fabricated and affords the NH3 yield rate and FE of 30.23±4.97 mg h−1 mgcat.−1 and 84.74±3.43 % at −1.71 and −1.41 V vs. Ag/AgCl, respectively, outperforming the pristine Co3O4−x. Mechanistic and theoretical studies reveal that the PIL modification facilitates the adsorption and activation of NO3− as well as the NO3−‐to‐NH3 conversion and inhibits hydrogen evolution reaction competition via enhancing the Lewis acidity of the Co center, shuttling protons, and constructing a hydrogen bonded and hydrophobic electrode surface microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical conversion of nitrate to ammonia is an appealing way for small‐scale and decentralized ammonia synthesis and waste nitrate treatment. Currently, strategies to enhance the reaction performance through elaborate catalyst design have been well developed, but it is still of challenge to realize the promotion of reactivity and selectivity at the same time. Instead, a facile method of catalyst modification with ionic liquid to modulate the electrode surface microenvironment that mimic the role of the natural MoFe protein environment is found effective for the simultaneous improvement of NH3 yield rate and Faradaic efficiency (FE) at a low NaNO3 concentration of 500 ppm. Protic ionic liquid (PIL) N‐butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Bim]NTf2) modified Co3O4−x is fabricated and affords the NH3 yield rate and FE of 30.23±4.97 mg h−1 mgcat.−1 and 84.74±3.43 % at −1.71 and −1.41 V vs. Ag/AgCl, respectively, outperforming the pristine Co3O4−x. Mechanistic and theoretical studies reveal that the PIL modification facilitates the adsorption and activation of NO3− as well as the NO3−‐to‐NH3 conversion and inhibits hydrogen evolution reaction competition via enhancing the Lewis acidity of the Co center, shuttling protons, and constructing a hydrogen bonded and hydrophobic electrode surface microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Overexpression TaMBF1c improved thermotolerance of perennial ryegrass. • Thermotolerance of transgenic perennial ryegrass associated with elevated antioxidative capacity. • MBF1c offers a strategy to develop cool-season turfgrass/forage plants to cope with the challenges of higher temperature. High temperature is one of the major threats to global crop production, especially the C 3 plant species, such as a widely used forage/turfgrass, perennial ryegrass. MBF1c gene belongs to group II of the highly conserved multiprotein bridging factor1 (MBF1) family, and it has been reported to be involved in various plant abiotic stresses, in particular, heat stress. In the study, a wheat MBF1c (TaMBF1c) was overexpressed in perennial ryegrass, and physiological parameters including antioxidant enzyme activities were investigated under both control (16/22 °C, n/d) and high temperature (42 °C) treatments for 24 and 48 h. The results found that the ectopic expression of TaMBF1c improved thermotolerance of perennial ryegrass, demonstrated by lower leaf electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation, better water status, higher chlorophyll content (SPAD index), and net photosynthetic rate under high temperature, while there was no difference between wild type and transgenic perennial ryegrass plants under control condition. The enhanced stress tolerance of transgenic perennial ryegrass was, at least partially associated with its elevated antioxidative capacity under stress. The findings confirmed that MBF1c could confer thermotolerance in C 3 perennial grass species, which offers an additional strategy to develop cool-season turfgrass/forage plants to cope with the challenges of higher temperature and more frequent heat waves due to global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the uneven distribution of the underwater laser transmission channels, the transmission beam will be affected by water absorption and scattering effects, which induce inter-symbol interference and the degradation of link performance. Based on the binomial Henyey–Greenstein scattering phase function and considering the forward and backward effects, the pulse response expression of the non-line-of-sight underwater laser channel is derived. The effectiveness of the underwater photon transmission channel model established is simulated and verified by the Monte Carlo method. The fitting effects in the coastal waters between the theoretical calculation value of channel impulse response and simulation are better. Under the same simulation parameters, the pulse-broadening factor in coastal waters is higher than that in harbor waters, and the time-domain broadening effect of laser pulse transmission in harbor waters is large. When the asymmetry factor is large, the influence of front scattering on pulse broadening is greater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhizobium rhizogenes-mediated plant hairy root induction is a convenient method for functional study of root-specific genes. To develop an optimized tobacco hairy root induction system and study gene function in nicotine biosynthesis, we investigated hairy root induction by three R. rhizogenes strains, R1601, K599, and LBA9402, on different media with leaf discs from plants of different ages, and we observed that the strain LBA9402 used for explant infection exhibited the highest hairy root induction rate with 4 and 8 week old leaf discs of the tobacco 'Coker176' on 2/3MS medium, and it could also be used as a cargo delivering foreign genes to hairy roots. Overexpression of MsSPL12 gene, an alfalfa (Medicago sativa) SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein-like (SPL) transcription factor, significantly improved nicotine production in transgenic hairy roots, reaching 1.38–1.85 mg/g compared to 0.5 mg/g of the controls. Expression analysis of the nicotine biosynthesis and transport-related genes responding to methyl-jasmonate (MeJA) treatment revealed a significant upregulation of NtMPO2 responsible for increased nicotine biosynthesis in MsSPL12 transgenic hairy roots. Our results establish a high-throughput approach for gene functional characterization in the hairy roots of a tobacco elite cultivar, 'Coker176', as well as suggest a system for efficiently manipulating tobacco nicotine biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the GIS expression of geological phenomena is an important basis for the combination of geology and GIS. Regional geological structures include folds, faults, strata, rocks, and other typical geological phenomena and are the focus of geological GIS research. However, existing research on the GIS expression of regional geological structure focuses on the expression of the spatial and attribute characteristics of geological structures, and our knowledge of the expression of the semantic, relationship, and evolution processes of geological structures is not comprehensive. In this paper, a regional geological structure scene expression model with the semantic terms positional accuracy, geometric shape, relationship type, attribute type, and time-type attributes and operations is proposed. A regional geological structure scenario markup language (RGSSML) and a method for mapping it with graphics are designed to store and graphically express regional geological structure information. According to the geological time scale, a temporal reference coordinate system is defined to dynamically express the evolution of regional geological structures. Based on the dynamic division of the time dimension of regional geological structures, the expression method of "time dimension + space structure" for the regional geological structure evolution process is designed based on the temporal model. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the regional geological structure scene expression method proposed in this paper is verified using the Ningzhen Mountain (Nanjing section) as an example. The research results show that the regional geological structure scene expression method designed in this paper has the following characteristics: (1) It can comprehensively express the spatial characteristics, attribute characteristics, semantics, relationships, and evolution processes of regional geological structures; (2) it can be used to realize formalized expression and unified storage of regional geological information; and (3) it can be used to realize dynamic expression of the regional geological structure evolution process. Moreover, it has significant advantages for the expression of regional geological structure semantics, relationships, and evolution processes. This study improves our knowledge of the GIS expression of regional geological structures and is expected to further promote the combination and development of geology and GIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the mausoleums in the main urban area of Nanjing city as the study object, with the support of GIS technology, this paper extracts eight influencing factors (surface roughness, elevation, surface cutting depth, surface peaks, outfall, river system, slope, and aspect) corresponding to geomantic elements ("Long", "Sha", "Shui", and "Xue") in the geographical environments of mausoleums. The AHP is applied in the correlation weight method to calculate the weights of the eight influencing factors, while the information content method is applied in the grading method to calculate the numerical index of each factor. The feng shui (geomantic) suitability of the mausoleums in the main urban area of Nanjing is evaluated using the AHP-weighted information content method and by combining expert knowledge and experience with mathematical statistical techniques. According to the feng shui (geomantic) suitability evaluation results obtained for the mausoleums in the study area, the relatively low-suitability area accounts for 14.55% of the entire study area, the low-suitability area accounts for 25.40%, the suitable area accounts for 29.13%, the relatively high-suitability area accounts for 22.00%, and the high-suitability area accounts for 8.92%. Finally, through a sensitivity analysis of the model, a verification analysis applied using random mausoleums and a feng shui (geomantic) analysis of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, the feng shui (geomantic) suitability evaluation results obtained for the mausoleums analyzed herein are found to be consistent with the actual distribution of the mausoleum sites. The research shows that the AHP-weighted information method based on GIS is suitable for evaluating the feng shui (geomantic) suitability of mausoleums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a highly toxic mycotoxin that causes severe suppression of the immune system of humans and animals, as well as enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, causing oxidative damage. However, the mechanisms underlying the ROS formation and immunotoxicity of AFB1 are poorly understood. This study used the mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cell line and whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology to address this knowledge-gap. The results show that AFB1 induced the decrease of cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. AFB1 also significantly increased intracellular productions of ROS and malondialdehyde and decreased glutathione levels. These changes correlated with increased mRNA expression of NOS2, TNF-α and CXCL2 and decreased expression of CD86. In total, 783 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified via RNA-Seq technology. KEGG analysis of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway revealed that mRNA levels of ND1, ND2, ND3, ND4, ND4L, ND5, ND6, Cyt b, COX2, ATPeF0A and ATPeF08 were higher in AFB1-treated cells than control cells, whereas 14 DEGs were downregulated in the AFB1 group. Furthermore, seven immune regulatory pathways mediated by oxidative stress were identified by KEGG analysis. Altogether, these data suggest that AFB1 induces oxidative stress in macrophages via affecting the respiratory chain, which leads to the activation of several signaling pathways related to the inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the significant hotspots analysis method (Getis-Ord Gi* significance statistics), space-time cube model (STC) and the Mann–Kendall trend test method, this paper proposes a G-STC-M spatio-temporal analysis method based on Archaeological Sites. This method can integrate spatio-temporal data variable analysis and the space-time cube model to explore the spatio-temporal distribution of Archaeological Sites. The G-STC-M method was used to conduct time slice analysis on the data of Archaeological Sites in the study area, and the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of Archaeological Sites in East China from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty were discussed. The distribution of Archaeological Sites has temporal hotspots and spatial hotspots. Temporally, the distribution of Archaeological Sites showed a gradual increasing trend, and the number of Archaeological Sites reached the maximum in the Qing Dynasty. Spatially, the hotspots of Archaeological Sites are mainly distributed in Jiangsu (30°~33° N, 118°~121° E) and Anhui (29°~31° N, 117°~119° E) and the central region of Zhejiang (28°~31° N, 118°~121° E). Temporally and spatially, the distribution of Archaeological Sites is mainly centered in Shanghai (30°~32° N, 121°~122° E), spreading to the southern region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper examines the long-run relationship between school bullying and later adult health. • Victims have worse health status even after several decades. • Negative health consequences are mainly on those from low-income families or without family support. This paper examines the long-run relationship between school bullying exposure and later adult health using a nationally representative household survey data from China. Our results show that victims are more likely to have low self-reported health, chronic diseases, physical functional limitations, and mental health problems even after several decades. The negative health consequences are more concentrated on the disadvantaged who come from low-income households or lack family support. The main findings are also consistent with qualitative evidence of our online survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-noble-metal-based chalcogenides are promising candidates for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by harnessing the architectural design and the synergistic effect between the elements. Herein, a porous bimetallic selenide (NiFeSe) nanocube deposited on carbon fiber paper (NiFeSe/CFP) was synthesized through a facile selenization reaction based on Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) as precursors. The NiFeSe/CFP exhibited excellent HER activity with an overpotential of just 186 mV for a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH at ambient temperature, similar to most of the state-of-the-art transition metal chalcogenides. The corresponding Tafel slope was calculated to be 52 mV dec−1, indicating fast discharge of the proton during the HER. Furthermore, the catalyst could endure long-term catalytic tests and showed remarkable durability. The enhanced electrocatalytic performance of NiFeSe/CFP is attributed to the unique 3D porous configuration inherited from the PBA templates, enhanced charge transfer occurring at the heterogeneous interface due to the synergistic effect between the bimetallic phases, and the high conductivity improved by the formation of amorphous carbon shells during the selenization. These findings prove that the combination of inexpensive metal–organic framework precursors and hybrid metallic compounds is a feasible way to realize the performance enhancement of non-noble-metal-based chalcogenides towards alkaline HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet climate goals, both CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) and CO 2 capture and utilization (CCU) have been identified as increasingly important technologies for mitigating CO 2 emissions that are difficult to avoid. In this work, the CO 2 utilization, or more specifically, the CO 2 conversion to fuels and urea, considering the large demand for CO 2 , as well as the CO 2 mineralization are surveyed and reviewed. The content of this review includes technologies – all the way from the laboratory studies to the industrial applications – their current status, and future potential. CCS is included for a comparison concerning the costs. Also, aspects as the CO 2 impurities and the effect of it as well as various requirements concerning the CO 2 impurity are included. Many recent studies show that CCU, especially CO 2 conversion to fuels, will play an essential role in mitigating CO 2 emissions, while developed methods and technologies are not yet mature. More research work needs to be conducted to improve the process efficiency via developing catalysts and reducing the cost of producing H 2 that is used as a reactant for fuel synthesis. Moreover, current literature also shows that impurities will affect the process of both CCS and CCU, while the work of studying their influence, especially on CCU, is still scarce. The cost of CCS has been estimated combined with impurities, while studies on cost estimation for CCU are still limited, and the cost, in general, is relatively high with the currently available technologies. • CCU plays an essential role in mitigating CO 2 emissions, while development is immature. • The costs of CCS and CCU are relatively high compared to the present price of emitting CO 2 emissions. • The impurities will affect the process of both CCS and CCU, but the work, especially on CCU, is still scarce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic liquids (ILs) with remarkable performance offer opportunities to advance green and low-carbon chemical processes. Thus, much work is focused on building an innovative theory and knowledge framework to unravel the nature of ILs. Moreover, there is an increasing trend to utilize ILs in rapidly emerging fields. Aiming to provide an overview of the recent advances and challenges of ILs in the development of green processes for renewable resources, this review highlights the properties and functions of ILs in IL gating and as electrolyte additives, modifiers, exfoliation agents, nucleation substrates, tunable solvents, versatile carriers and biosensor components in three representative and revolutionary production processes, namely, new energy, electronic information materials, and biotechnologies. The innovative applications of ILs demonstrate their potential to create a landscape of low-carbon, high-end and smart technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the cellulose phase separation behavior was investigated by using ionic liquids (ILs) as novel solvents to acquire a green process for cellulose fiber spinning. The cloud point titration method combined with the turbidity correlation equation was used to obtain the ternary diagram of IL/cellulose/coagulator throughout the whole compositional range. The effects of the type of ILs, the cellulose materials, the kind of coagulators and the regeneration temperatures for cellulose fiber manufacturing process on the phase separation behavior were studied systematically. It was found that the linearized cloud point (LCP) curve correlation fits to experimental data well and can be used to quantify the optimized coagulator, and among the studied cases, the system of [EMIM]DEP, cotton pulp and water with the regeneration temperature at 298.15 K is the best. Meanwhile, COSMO-RS was used to predict the interaction between solvent, cellulose and coagulator, and the comparison with the LCP correlation shows good agreement. The crystal structure of the regenerated cotton pulp was determined with XRD, and the result evidences that the crystal structure of the regenerated cellulose transforms from cellulose I to cellulose II. The crystallinity decreases from 96.0% (raw cotton pulp) to 85.6% after 24 h dissolution in [EMIM]DEP at 363.15 K, and it has a slight deviation from 24 h to 72 h, which illustrates that the spinning process can run continuously at 363.15 K when using [EMIM]DEP as the solvent. Unlabelled Image • A green process for cellulose fiber spinning was acquired by experimental determination and COSMO-RS prediction. • The ternary diagram of IL/cellulose/coagulator throughout the whole compositional range was obtained. • The COSMO-RS prediction shows good agreement with the linearized cloud point curve correlation. • [EMIM]DEP, cotton pulp and water with the coagulation temperature at 298.15 K is the best system for cellulose spinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are major probiotics in food supplements. Survival in gastrointestinal (GI) tract is important for the effective use of LAB as probiotics. Bile salt hydrolase (BSH), which catalyzes the conversion of conjugated bile salts into free bile salts, can significantly modulate the gut microbiome. Here, we hypothesize that BSH is important for LAB survival and adhesion in the gut. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of BSH on the survival of LAB in the GI tract. A panel of bsh genes from murine gut microbiota were amplified, cloned and expressed into Lactobacillus plantarum, which were then administered to mice by gavage. Our data indicated that the survival of BSH-positive L. plantarum was significantly prolonged in the GI tract compared with wild type L. plantarum. Furthermore, BSH-positive strains exhibited increased adhesion to Caco-2 intestinal cells than BSH-deleted L. plantarum. Enhanced adhesion to intestinal cells of BSH positive LAB can therefore be an important criterion for selecting effective probiotic strains in food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the high-temperature stability of dissimilar steel welded joints between G115 and Sanicro25 steel. The joints were exposed to 700 °C for time up to 2000h. The microstructure evolution of base metal (BM) and fine-grain heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) were analyzed. Tensile, microhardness, and impact experiments were conducted on the joints, and the explanations for the changes in mechanical performance are derived from the microstructure. The results showed that the Laves phase were precipitated after aging for 100 h, which has two nucleation methods. Nucleation adjacent to M 23 C 6 is the main way in this research. Laves phase mainly grows up to consume M 23 C 6. The microstructure in BM and FGHAZ is obviously different after aging. After aging for 1000 h, mechanical properties such as tensile strength, Vickers hardness, impact energy, elongation and area reduction are reduced, except for the yield strength. The softening caused by the microstructure evolution of FGHAZ is the main reason for the joint fracture in FGHAZ. • The Laves phase were precipitated after aging for 100 h, which has two nucleation methods. • All the mechanical performance decrease except the yield strength after aging for 1000 h. • The Laves phase in the heat-affected zone grows abnormally in the aging range of 1000h–1500h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MicroRNA396 (miR396) plays an important role in the regulation of plant growth and development by repressing the expression level of its target growth-regulating factor (GRF) family genes. In our previous study, we found that overexpression of miR396 negatively regulated both tillering and biomass yield in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). We, therefore, speculated that blocking the expression of miR396 could enhance switchgrass tillering and biomass yield. Here, we produced transgenic switchgrass plants overexpressing a target mimicry form of miR396 (MIM396) in wild type (WT) and Os-MIR319b overexpressing switchgrass plant (with higher enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency, but reduced tillering), in which the expression of miR396 was blocked. The phenotype and biological yields of these plants were analyzed. Results: Blocking miR396 to improve its target PvGRFs expression in switchgrass improved the tiller number and dry weight of transgenic plants. Further morphological analysis revealed that MIM396 plants increased the number of aerial branches and basal tillers compared to those of wild-type plants. The enzymatic efficiency of MIM396 plants was reduced; however, the total sugar production per plant was still significantly higher than that of wild-type plants due to the increase in biomass. In addition, blocking miR396 in a transgenic switchgrass plant overexpressing Os-MIR319b (TG21-Ms) significantly increased the PvGRF1/3/5 expression level and tiller number and biomass yield. The miR156-target gene PvSPL4, playing a negative role in aerial and basal buds outgrowth, showed significant downregulated in MIM396 and TG21-Ms. Those results indicate that miR396-PvGRFs, through disrupting the PvSPL4 expression, are involved in miR319-PvPCFs in regulating tiller number, at least partly. Conclusions: MIM396 could be used as a molecular tool to improving tiller number and biomass yield in switchgrass wild type and miR319b transgenic plants. This finding may be applied to other graminaceous plants to regulate plant biological yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two machine learning models of RF-IFC and GBR-IFC are built. • The N 2 solubility in a series of ILs is predicted by the two models. • The COSMO-derived descriptors are taken as input parameters. • Both two models show reliable prediction results for N 2 solubility in ILs. The inertness of nitrogen (N 2) results in extremely low N 2 solubility in most solvents. However, in some important reactions, such as the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) driven by light or electrical energy, sufficient N 2 feedstock in electrolyte allows the reaction to proceed more smoothly. In this context, the study concerning N 2 solubility is of great significance. Previous research has demonstrated that ionic liquids (ILs) have many special characteristics and can be taken as green solvents to enhance N 2 solubility. Herein, two quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) models are established to predict the N 2 solubility in ILs by combining machine learning methods of random forest (RF) and gradient boosting regressor (GBR) with ionic fragments contribution (IFC) method. Firstly, a database with 385 N 2 solubilities in 38 ILs at various temperatures and pressures is collected, in which the ILs are separated into 27 ionic fragments. Then COSMO-derived descriptors for the cations and anions of ILs are calculated and used as input variables. In specific, the determination of coefficient (R2) for the training sets by RF-IFC and GBR-IFC is 0.9983 and 0.9999, respectively. The application examples of N 2 solubility in 1-hexyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate ([HMIM][eFAP]) confirm the availability and usefulness of RF-IFC and GBR-IFC models, indicating that both two models are feasible and reliable for predicting N 2 solubility in ILs, and hopefully can be used to design and screen ILs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important factor secreted by skeletal muscle, myonectin can regulate lipid metabolism and energy metabolism, but its role in the utilization of peripheral free fatty acids (FFAs) by porcine intramuscular fat cells remains to be further investigated. In this study, porcine intramuscular adipocytes were treated with recombinant myonectin and palmitic acid (PA), either alone or in combination, and then were examined for their uptake of exogenous FFAs, intracellular lipid synthesis and catabolism, and mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids. The results showed that myonectin decreased the area of lipid droplets in intramuscular adipocytes (p < 0.05) and significantly increased (p < 0.05) the expression levels of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Moreover, myonectin can up-regulate the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). Myonectin significantly promoted the uptake of peripheral FFAs (p < 0.01), improved (p < 0.05) the expression of fatty transport protein 1 (FATP1) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) in intramuscular adipocytes. Myonectin also significantly increased (p < 0.05) the expression levels of fatty acid oxidation markers: transcription factor (TFAM), uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) and oxidative respiratory chain marker protein complex I (NADH-CoQ) in mitochondria of intramuscular adipocytes. In summary, myonectin promoted the absorption, transport, and oxidative metabolism of exogenous FFAs in mitochondria, thereby inhibiting lipid deposition in porcine intramuscular adipocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic materials were conventionally treated as wastes for disposal, but have now become very important in modern life due to their great roles in the supply of renewable resources. Recently, significant attention has been paid to the dissolution of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, and the production of chemicals and fuels from these feedstocks. It has been demonstrated that lignocellulose has great potential from a sustainable economy perspective and this field has been developing rapidly. Thus, it is critical to review the recent progress in studies on the utilization of lignocellulosic materials. In particular, this work was designed to highlight recent computation-based studies on the chemistry of lignocellulosic materials, from the structural and energetic properties of individual lignocellulose components to their reaction mechanisms in various systems. Importantly, this review summarizes some major simulation studies on the utilization of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin via dissolution, catalytic conversion, and pyrolysis by using density functional theory, first-principles calculation, molecular dynamics simulation, and conductor-like screening models. It has been shown that the theoretical and computational investigations play a key role in the understanding of the efficient utilization of lignocellulose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• QSPR models combining IFC with SVM and ANN are developed. • The solubilities of CO 2 and N 2 in ILs are predicted by IFC-SVM and IFC-ANN models. • The two models of IFC-SVM and IFC-ANN are compared. • The two models show reliable results in predicting CO 2 and N 2 solubility in ILs. • The two models are expected to guide the screening of ILs in the future. Ionic liquids (ILs) with many unique features can act as green solvents to dissolve some gases. In this study, two databases are collected to predict the CO 2 and N 2 solubility in various kinds of ILs with different temperature and pressure ranges. Firstly, 13,055 CO 2 solubility data in 164 kinds of ILs and 415 N 2 solubility data in 38 kinds of ILs are established. The hundreds of ILs are divided into dozens of ionic fragments (IFs). Then, the quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) model is built by combining ionic fragments contribution (IFC) with support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN) to establish the relationship between gas solubility and ILs structure. As a result, for CO 2 solubility prediction, the determination of coefficient (R2) is 0.9855 and 0.9732 for training sets by IFC-SVM and IFC-ANN, respectively, while for N 2 solubility prediction, the R2 is 0.9966 and 0.9909 for training sets by IFC-SVM and IFC-ANN, respectively. The result indicates that both IFC-SVM and IFC-ANN models can accurately and reliably predict CO 2 and N 2 solubility in ILs, so as to guide the screening of ILs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized plasmon resonance (LSPR) is recognized as an effective way to convert incident light energy and significantly boost the catalytic reaction. However, a comprehensive understanding of the plasmon-thermo coupling mechanism is still lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we investigate reaction pathway and plasmonic enhancement mechanism of the photo-thermo coupled catalytic reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reactions over Au/γ-Al 2 O 3. The results indicate that both formate and carboxyl pathways contribute to the overall reaction. The m-formate pathway is suggested as the main reaction mechanism at low reaction temperature over small Au NPs. Spectro-kinetics and theoretical calculation analyses indicate that the plasmonic energy preferentially transfers to HCOO* via a combination of hot electron and resonance energy transfer mechanisms. The plasmonic energy facilitates the dehydration of HCOO* to CO, which is the rate-determining step (RDS) of the overall RWGS reaction. [Display omitted] • Plasmon enhances the CO 2 hydrogenation rate by ∼211.8 % over Au/Al 2 O 3. • m-HCOO* is demonstrated as the main reaction intermediate over small-size Au/Al 2 O 3. • br-HCOO* is proven as a reaction intermediate contributing to CO production. • Plasmon preferentially enhances the br-HCOO* pathway via promoting its dehydration. • Both "hot" electrons and resonance energy transfer are the promoting mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medicago sativa is the most important forage world widely, and is characterized by high quality and large biomass. While abiotic factors such as salt stress can negatively impact the growth and productivity of alfalfa. Maintaining Na+/K+ homeostasis in the cytoplasm helps reduce cell damage and nutritional deprivation, which increases a salt-tolerance of plant. Teosinte Branched1/ Cycloidea/ Proliferating cell factors (TCP) family genes, a group of plant-specific transcription factors (TFs), involved in regulating plant growth and development and abiotic stresses. Recent studies have shown TCPs control the Na+/K+ concentration of plants during salt stress. In order to improve alfalfa salt tolerance, it is important to identify alfalfa TCP genes and investigate if and how they regulate alfalfa Na+/K+ homeostasis. Results: Seventy-one MsTCPs including 23 non-redundant TCP genes were identified in the database of alfalfa genome (C.V XinJiangDaYe), they were classified into class I PCF (37 members) and class II: CIN (28 members) and CYC/TB1 (9 members). Their distribution on chromosome were unequally. MsTCPs belonging to PCF were expressed specifically in different organs without regularity, which belonging to CIN class were mainly expressed in mature leaves. MsTCPs belongs to CYC/TB1 clade had the highest expression level at meristem. Cis-elements in the promoter of MsTCPs were also predicted, the results indicated that most of the MsTCPs will be induced by phytohormone and stress treatments, especially by ABA-related stimulus including salinity stress. We found 20 out of 23 MsTCPs were up-regulated in 200 mM NaCl treatment, and MsTCP3/14/15/18 were significantly induced by 10 μM KCl, a K+ deficiency treatment. Fourteen non-redundant MsTCPs contained miR319 target site, 11 of them were upregulated in MIM319 transgenic alfalfa, and among them four (MsTCP3/4/10A/B) genes were directly degraded by miR319. MIM319 transgene alfalfa plants showed a salt sensitive phenotype, which caused by a lower content of potassium in alfalfa at least partly. The expression of potassium transported related genes showed significantly higher expression in MIM319 plants. Conclusions: We systematically analyzes the MsTCP gene family at a genome-wide level and reported that miR319-TCPs model played a function in K+ up-taking and/ or transportation especially in salt stress. The study provide valuable information for future study of TCP genes in alfalfa and supplies candidate genes for salt-tolerance alfalfa molecular-assisted breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Sequestering microRNA396 by overexpression of MIM396 enhanced alfalfa resistance to Spodoptera litura larvae, which may be due to increased lignin content and enhanced low-molecular weight flavonoids and glucosinolates biosynthesis. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), the most important leguminous forage crop, suffers from the outbreak of defoliator insects, especially Spodoptera litura, resulting in heavy losses in yield and forage quality. Here, we found that the expression of alfalfa microRNA396 (miR396) precursor genes and mature miR396 was significantly up-regulated in wounding treatment that simulates feeding injury by defoliator insects. To verify the function of miR396 in alfalfa resistance to insect, we generated MIM396 transgenic alfalfa plants with significantly down-regulated miR396 expression by Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. The MIM396 transgenic alfalfa plants exhibited improved resistance to Spodoptera litura larvae with increased lignin content but decreased JA accumulation. Most of the miR396 putative target GRF genes were up-regulated in MIM396 transgenic lines, and responded to the wounding treatment. By RNA sequencing analysis, we found that the differentially expressed genes related to insect resistance between WT and MIM396 transgenic plants mainly clustered in biosynthesis pathways in lignin, flavonoids and glucosinolates. In addition to the phenotype of enhanced insect resistance, MIM396 transgenic plants also displayed reduced biomass yield and forage quality. Our results broaden the function of miR396 in alfalfa and provide genetic resources for studying alfalfa insect resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper ions play a crucial role in the progression of cancers. Tumor tissue is rich in copper ions, and copper chelators could potentially scavenge these copper ions and thus exert an antitumor effect. In this study, we report the synthesis of a novel thieno[3,2‐c]pyridine compound we have called "JYFY‐001" that can act as the copper chelator thanks to the inclusion of an N‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)acetamide moiety that targets copper ions. JYFY‐001 potently inhibited cancer proliferation, inducing cell apoptosis and impairing the extracellular acidification rate and oxygen consumption rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. JYFY‐001 also inhibited the growth of a CRC‐transplanted tumor in a dose‐dependent manner, inducing apoptosis of the tumor cells and promoting the infiltration of lymphocytes in the CRC‐transplanted tumor tissues. JYFY‐001 also enhanced the antitumor effects of the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) inhibitor. The relatively benign nature of JYFY‐001 was demonstrated by the effect on normal cell viability and acute toxicity tests in mice. Our findings suggest that JYFY‐001 is a prospective copper chelator to be used as a targeted drug and a synergist of immunotherapy for CRC treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing technologies to store hydrogen efficiently, safely, and economically is essential to achieve the application of hydrogen, among which V-based body-centered cubic (BCC) alloys are a promising material with a high theoretical storage capacity, but, the high cost of V hinder their practical applications. In this work, a novel V alloy with only 5 at% V was developed by suction casting (SC) method, reaching a dehydriding capacity up to 2.9 wt% H. The microstructural control and de-/hydrogenation mechanism for the developed alloys were further investigated systemically. It showed that the low-V alloy prepared by traditional casting displayed Laves phase, and the practical capacity only reached 2 wt% H. Instead, when the suction casting was used in preparation, the developed alloy maintained the single BCC phase and yielded 3.6 wt% H practical capacity, already comparable with V-based alloys. In addition, for the low V SC alloy, after hydriding, the phase structure was transformed from BCC to face-center cubic (FCC), easy to be recovered back to the original BCC structure. The hydrogenation kinetic is controlled by the nucleation growth mechanism with low activation energy, and the enthalpy change △H , was further confirmed by the differential scanning calorimetry curves. This work provided a significant guide for designing a new-generation hydrogen storage alloys with low cost and excellent hydrogen storage performances. [Display omitted] • The body-centered cubic phase of low-V alloys was prepared by a novel method of suction casting. • The low-V alloys have the remarkable dehydrogenation performances with the maximum of 2.9 wt%. • Kinetic and thermodynamic mechanisms of the low-V alloys upon de-/hydrogenation were clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium-based alloys are considered to be one of the most promising hydrogen storage materials due to their high hydrogen storage capacity under ambient conditions. However, their complex activation at high temperature and poor stability pose serious challenges for large-scale applications. In this work, a series of TiCr 3 V 16 Ce x (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 1) hydrogen storage alloys were developed with different Ce contents using arc melting. The hydrogen storage and desorption performance, activation mechanism, and hydrogen absorption mechanism of the prepared alloys were investigated. Physical characterization confirms that the alloy is body-centered cubic (BCC) with Ce dopants, which exist in the form of oxides. The pressure-composition-temperature (PCT) test showed that the hydrogen storage plateau pressure of the Ce-doped alloy is increased compared to the Ce-free counterparts, while the hydrogen storage capacity decreased slightly with increasing Ce content. In addition, the influence of Ce doping on the alloy kinetics and thermodynamics is also discussed. The results showed that the TiCr 3 V 16 Ce x (x = 0.2, 0.4, 1) alloys could absorb and release hydrogen at room temperature without activation. As an optimum, the TiCr 3 V 16 Ce 0.2 alloy shows a hydrogen absorption rate of up to 3.69 wt%, and an effective hydrogen desorption capacity of 2.29 wt% at 25 °C. After hydrogen absorption and desorption cycles, the alloy almost maintains its original capacity. The Ce-doped BCC alloy developed in this work provides a new route to achieve high hydrogen storage performance under mild conditions. • The addition of Ce in the TiCr 3 V 16 Ce x alloys significantly decreases the activation temperature. • Hydrogen can be absorbed/desorbed for the TiCr 3 V 16 Ce 0.2 alloy at low temperature as 25 °C. • The desorption hydrogen rate increases with the addition of Ce in TiCr 3 V 16 Ce x alloys. • The TiCr 3 V 16 Ce 0.2 alloy has high cycle stability in hydrogen storage and desorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity and its related metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance and fatty liver, have become a serious global public health problem. Previous studies have shown Methionine Enkephalin (MetEnk) has the potential on adipocyte browning, however, its effects on the potential mechanisms of its regulation in browning as well as its improvement in energy metabolic homeostasis remain to be deciphered. C57BL/6J male mice were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity model, and MetEnk was injected subcutaneously to detect changes in the metabolic status of mice, adipocytes and HepG2 cells were also treated with MetEnk, and transcriptomic, metabolomic were used to detect the changes of lipid metabolism, mitochondrial function, inflammation and other related factors. We found that MetEnk effectively protected against obesity weight gain in HFD-induced C57BL/6J mice, significantly improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, reduced the expression levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), promoted white fat browning, moreover, using a combination of transcriptomic, metabolomic and inhibitors, it was found that MetEnk improved mitochondrial function, promoted thermogenesis and lipolysis by activating cAMP/PKA pathway in adipocytes, further analysis found that MetEnk also promoted lipolysis and alleviated inflammation through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway in mice liver and HepG2 cells. Our study provides profound evidence for the role of MetEnk in improving lipid metabolism disorders. This study provides a mechanical foundation for investigating the potential of MetEnk to improve obesity and its associated metabolic disorders. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]