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1D structures/patterns (e.g., line defect arrays, 1D Moiré patterns) embedded in 2D materials provide fascinating platforms for exploring versatile intriguing phenomena, for example, 1D Luttinger liquids and charge density waves (CDWs). Despite persistent efforts, incorporating periodic 1D patterns into 2D materials remains an ongoing pursuit. Herein, the direct preparation of monolayer 1D‐defect‐induced Co4Te7 superlattices (with periodic Te defect lines in the upper Te layer in 1T‐CoTe2) is reported, on lattice‐matched SrTiO3(001) (STO(001)) substrates via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Utilizing on‐site scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the detailed atomic structure of monolayer Co4Te7 is identified, and its formation mechanisms from the synergistic effects of the Co/Te precursor ratio and adlayer‐substrate interfacial coupling are uncovered. The potential flat‐band feature of the monolayer Co4Te7 is also unveiled. This work should hereby offer valuable insights into the engineering of periodic 1D‐defect patterns in 2D materials, as well as the atomic‐scale structure and electronic property characterizations, thus paving ways for their intriguing property investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction stir welding of 7075 aluminum alloy plate with a thickness of 10 mm was carried out with a self-designed stirring tool, and after welding, an irregular transitional zone between the tool shoulder zone and the nugget zone, known as the turbulent zone, was discovered on the advancing side of the weld. The formation mechanism of the turbulent zone was analyzed by observing the transverse and longitudinal sections of the joint cross section. The grain size, the degree of dynamic recrystallization, the misorientation angle distribution in the turbulent region were evaluated by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The grain size in the turbulent zone is large with an average grain size of 2.98 μm. The proportion of substructure is as high as 75.1 %, which makes the hardness value higher than that of other areas of the weld. In addition, layered tensile mechanical test results show that the tensile strength of the turbulent zone layer (342 MPa) is comparable to that of the central layer of the weld nugget zone (345 MPa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting a change in policy governing the entry of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2002, we apply the difference-in-differences model to estimate the effects of FDI on the product scope of domestic Chinese firms. In industries that experienced relaxation in FDI regulations, the average product scope increased by 5% which indicates more product innovation. Through vertical linkages, the product scope of firms is positively (negatively) affected by FDI in upstream (downstream) industries. The negative effect of FDI in downstream industries occurs because foreign firms engaging in processing trade rely more on imported inputs than inputs from domestic suppliers. The main channels of effect are firm-level R&D and industry-level technological distance, as FDI entry leads to an improvement in these variables. However, the positive effects of FDI on product innovation have limits, as new products are mainly introduced within the same industry rather than across different industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to consider a type of inverse optimal value problem in second-order conic programming, in which the parameter in its objective function needs to be adjusted under a given class that makes the corresponding optimal objective value closest to a target value. This inverse problem can be reformulated as a minimization problem with some second-order cone complementarity constraints. To tackle these bilinear constraints, we apply a penalty-type method and show that the associated penalty term is exact, which avoids the hurdles of penalty-type methods in the update strategy of the penalty parameter. Numerical results show that our method is suitable to solve the given inverse optimal value problem under different metric distances between the optimal value of the forward problem and a target objective counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An allelic variation of TaCRTISO is valuable in adjusting spike number per plant and plant height in wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiFe-layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDH) have been reported to possess exceptional oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. However, maintaining the stability of high activity over a long time remains a critical challenge that needs to be addressed for their practical application. Here, we report a custom-sized deep recombination of 2D graphene oxide with NiFe-LDH (NiFe-LDH/GO/NF) through a simple electrodeposition method that improves OER activity and achieves excellent stability. The excellent performance of the catalyst mainly comes from the three-phase interface and electron transport channel dredged by the three-dimensional structure constructed by the deep composite, which can not only significantly reduce its charge and electron transfer resistance, improving the material conductivity, but it also effectively increases the specific surface area, inhibits aggregation, and exposes rich active sites. In addition, GO with good conductivity not only supports NiFe-LDH well but also increases the heterogeneous interface, putting the NiFe-LDH/GO composites in close contact with Ni foam and increasing the electrocatalytic stability of the NiFe-LDH/GO/NF. The experimental results show that the overpotential of NiFe-LDH/20,000GO/NF is only 295 mV at a current density of 100 mA cm−2; the Tafel slope is 52 mV dec−1, and the charge transfer resistance (Rct) is only 0.601 Ω in 1 M KOH. This indicates that GO has excellent potential to assist in constructing geometric and electronic structures of NiFe-LDH in long-term applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The plasma used for routine coagulation test (CCT) can only reflect a single component at a certain coagulation time point/segment, while thromboelastography (TEG) can depict the overall dynamic process curve of coagulation and fibrinolysis, which can more independently and completely reflect the true state of the blood and can serve as a supplement to coagulation function testing. This study aimed to evaluate the application value of combined coagulation function indexes in monitoring the hypercoagulable state of patients with colorectal cancer after chemotherapy, and to explore the risk factors of thrombosis in patients with colorectal cancer after chemotherapy, so as to provide reference for clinical monitoring of hypercoagulable state. Methods: A total of 160 patients with colorectal cancer from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from June 2021 to June 2023 were selected as the experimental group, and 80 healthy subjects were selected as the control group. Then the experimental group was divided into a group without thrombosis (82 cases) and a group with thrombosis (78 cases) according to whether they had thrombosis or not. The determinations of thromboelastography (TEG) [coagulation reaction time (R), coagulation formation time (K), blood clot formation rate (a-Angle), maximum amplitude (MA) and coagulation index (CI)], conventional coagulation tests (CCT) [activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (Fib), D-dimer (DD), fibrinogen degradation products (FDP)] and platelet count (PLT) were studied among three groups. With or without thrombosis as the criterion of hypercoagulable state, statistically significant indicators were selected to be included in the binary logistic regression analysis, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of single and combined detection of the coagulation function indicators for hypercoagulable state in patients with colorectal cancer after chemotherapy. Basic information, tumor stage and Autar score of deep vein thrombosis were collected in 160 patients with colorectal cancer. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the risk factors of thrombosis. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (number: 050432-4-2108*). Results: Compared with the control group, the R, TT and PLT of the group with thrombosis were decreased (P<0.05), while APTT, PT, DD and FDP were increased (P <0.05). The differences in various indicators between the group with thrombosis and the control group were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the group without thrombosis, the K in the group with thrombosis decreased (P<0.05), while Angle, MA, CI, FIB, DD and FDP all increased (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that in the assessment of hypercoagulable state in patients with colorectal cancer after chemotherapy, the area under curve (AUC) of TEG was 0.756, sensitivity was 67.5%, and specificity was 73.8%. The AUC of CCT was 0.691, sensitivity was 78.8%, and specificity was 56.2%. The combined detection AUC was 0.840, sensitivity was 80.0%, and specificity was 77.5%. In the analysis of risk factors, tumor stage, distant metastasis and Autar score were correlated with thrombus formation in patients with colorectal cancer after chemotherapy (P<0.05), and the differences of the three risk factors in K, Angle, MA, CI, Fib, DD and FDP were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: K, Angle, MA, CI, Fib, DD and FDP are the main indicators to reflect the hypercoagulable state, and the combined detection of TEG and CCT can better reflect the coagulation state of patients with colorectal cancer after chemotherapy. Tumor stage H to IV, distant metastasis and high Autar score are risk factors for thrombosis. The incidence of thrombosis can be reduced by monitoring the relevant coagulation indicators in the high-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Predicting Parkinson's disease (PD) can provide patients with targeted therapies. However, disease severity can be roughly evaluated in clinical practice based on the patient's symptoms and signs. Objective: The current study attempted to explore the factors linked with PD severity and construct a predictive model. Method: The PD patients and healthy controls were recruited from our study center while recording their basic demographic information. The serum inflammatory markers levels, such as Cystatin C (Cys C), C‐reactive protein (CRP), RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted), Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), and Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) were determined for all the participants. PD patients were categorized into early and mid‐advanced groups based on the Hoehn and Yahr (H‐Y) scale and evaluated using PD‐related scales. LASSO logistic regression analysis (Model C) helped select variables based on clinical scale evaluations, serum inflammatory factor levels, and transcranial sonography measurements. The optimal harmonious model coefficient λ was determined via 10‐fold cross‐validation. Moreover, Model C was compared with multivariate (Model A) and stepwise (Model B) logistic regression. The area under the curve (AUC) of a receiver operator characteristic (ROC), brier score, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) helped determine the discrimination and calibration of the predictive model, followed by configuring a forest plot and column chart. Results: The study included 113 healthy individuals and 102 PD patients, with 26 early and 76 mid‐advanced patients. Univariate analysis of variance screened out statistically significant differences among inflammatory markers Cys C and RANTES. The average Cys C level in the mid‐advanced stage was significantly higher than in the early stage (p < 0.001) but not for RANTES (p = 0.740). The LASSO logistic regression model (λ.1se = 0.061) associated with UPDRS‐I, UPDRS‐II, UPDRS‐III, HAMA, PDQ‐39, and Cys C as the included independent variables revealed that the Model C discrimination and calibration (AUC = 0.968, Brier = 0.049) were superior to Model A (AUC = 0.926, Brier = 0.079) and Model B (AUC = 0.929, Brier = 0.071) models. Conclusion: The study results show multiple factors are linked with PD assessment. Moreover, the inflammatory marker Cys C and transcranial sonography measurement could objectively predict PD symptom severity, helping doctors monitor PD evolution in patients while targeting interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al 2 O 3 ceramic addition in glass significantly influenced thermal performance during sealing process in RSOC stack. The effect of Al 2 O 3 ceramic on crystallization behavior, phase compositions, microstructure, and viscosity of glass were discussed. With increasing Al 2 O 3 ceramic content, the crystallization activation energy of glass gradually increased. The crystallization behavior of glass was effectively suppressed with Al 2 O 3 ceramic addition. The glass with 20 wt% Al 2 O 3 ceramic exhibited that the content of BaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 crystallization phase remained at around 45 wt% after heat-treated at 750 °C for 300 h. The controlled hexagonal BaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 crystallization content combining with Al 2 O 3 ceramic in seals effectively adjusted viscosity at about 105.1 Pa s and 107.2 Pa s during 700 °C–900 °C. During sealing process, the moderate Al 2 O 3 ceramic and BaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 were embedded in glass matrix acting as frame to enhance structural stability. Simultaneously, the glass phase owned proper fluidity, which could infiltrate components and ceramic without wide flow and release thermal stress during sealing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the internal structure and dynamics of cosmic-web filaments connecting massive high- z haloes. Our analysis is based on a high-resolution arepo cosmological simulation zooming-in on three Mpc-scale filaments feeding three massive haloes of |$\sim 10^{12}\, \text{M}_\odot$| at z ∼ 4, embedded in a large-scale sheet. Each filament is surrounded by a cylindrical accretion shock of radius |$r_{\rm shock} \sim 50 \, {\rm kpc}$|⁠. The post-shock gas is in virial equilibrium within the potential well set by an isothermal dark-matter filament. The filament line-mass is |$\sim 9\times 10^8\, \text{M}_\odot \, {\rm kpc}^{-1}$|⁠ , the gas fraction within r shock is the universal baryon fraction, and the virial temperature is ∼7 × 105 K. These all match expectations from analytical models for filament properties as a function of halo mass and redshift. The filament cross-section has three radial zones. In the outer 'thermal' (T) zone, |$r \ge 0.65 \, r_{\rm shock}$|⁠ , inward gravity, and ram-pressure forces are overbalanced by outward thermal pressure forces, decelerating the inflowing gas and expanding the shock outwards. In the intermediate 'vortex' (V) zone, 0.25 ≤ r / r shock ≤ 0.65, the velocity field is dominated by a quadrupolar vortex structure due to offset inflow along the sheet through the post-shock gas. The outward force is dominated by centrifugal forces associated with these vortices, with additional contributions from global rotation and thermal pressure. Shear and turbulent forces associated with the vortices act inwards. The inner 'stream' (S) zone, |$r \lt 0.25 \, r_{\rm shock}$|⁠ , is a dense isothermal core, |$T\sim 3 \times 10^4 \, {\rm K}$| and |$n_{\rm H}\sim 0.01 \, {\rm cm^{-3}}$|⁠ , defining the cold streams that feed galaxies. The core is formed by an isobaric cooling flow and is associated with a decrease in outward forces, though exhibiting both inflows and outflows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tourmaline enhanced the reductive dechlorination efficiency of Desulfitobacterium hafniense. • Tourmaline was able to guide the dechlorination pathway of chlorophenols. • The role of electric field in the process of reductive dechlorination was explored. • Tourmaline had good application prospects in the field of environmental remediation. The dehalogenation of organohalides has been a research hotspot in bioremediation field; however, the influence of tourmaline, a natural ore that can generate spontaneous electric field, on organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB) and their dechlorination process is not well known. In this study, the effect and mechanism of tourmaline on the reductive dechlorination of 2,3-dichlorophenol (2,3-DCP) by Desulfitobacterium hafniense DCB-2T were explored. The characterization results confirmed that tourmaline had good stability and the optimal dosage of tourmaline was 2.5 g/L, which shortened the total time required for dechlorination reaction to 72 hr. Besides, tourmaline amendment also increased the proportion of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) from 18% to 30% of end products, while that of 3-CP decreased correspondingly. The theoretical calculations showed that the bond charge of the ortho -substituted chlorine declined from -0.179 to -0.067, and that of meta -substituted chlorine increased from -0.111 to -0.129, which indicated that the spontaneous electric field of tourmaline affected the charge distribution of 2,3-DCP and was more conducive to the generation of 2-CP. Overall, tourmaline with the spontaneous electric field affected the reductive dechlorination pathway of Desulfitobacterium ,and the tourmaline-OHRB combining system might serve as a novel strategy for the bioremediation of environments polluted with chlorinated phenols. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study by Sedeek et al. provides multiomic resources that illustrate the genetic diversity, metabolites, elemental composition, and the possibility of agronomic trait improvement, through genome-editing technology, for nutrient-rich pigmented rice. This will guide future rice breeding programs for balancing optimal agronomic traits and excellent nutritional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of interfacial electric field (IEF) in semiconductor heterojunction is of great significance in boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution through efficient separation of photogenerated charge‐carriers. However, the exploitation of IEF in type‐I heterojunction has not been proposed for designing photocatalysts. Herein, based on the density functional theory prediction, p‐SnS with different work functions modulated by Sn‐vacancy are compounded with n‐ZnIn2S4 containing S‐vacancy to form type‐I heterojunction. The optimized SnS/ZnIn2S4 photocatalyst without co‐catalysts exhibits an impressive hydrogen evolution rate of 22.75 mmol g−1 h−1, 6.23 times of ZnIn2S4. Systematic investigations reveal that the interfacial Sn‐S bond acts as a transport channel that accelerates the interface charge‐carriers transfer under the promotion of IEF originating from the significant Fermi level difference. A large difference in the surface photovoltage signal of SnS/ZnIn2S4 and ZnIn2S4 is achieved from effective photogenerated charge‐carriers separation by IEF. The new p‐n type‐I scheme of SnS/ZnIn2S4 induced by the interfacial mediation can separate the photogenerated charge‐carriers, and retain the highly reductive electrons of ZnIn2S4 for hydrogen evolution, overcoming the disadvantage of reduction potential decline in the typical type‐I scheme. This study will afford a new theoretical basis for the achievement of high‐efficiency photocatalytic hydrogen evolution through interface modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitiligo is a common skin disease with a complex pathogenesis, and so far, no effective treatment is available. Lycium barbarum L. (Solanaceae) polysaccharide (LBP), the main active ingredient of goji berries, has been demonstrated to protect keratinocytes and fibroblasts against oxidative stress. This study explored the effects and mechanism of LBP on monobenzone-induced vitiligo in mice. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 6): negative control that received vaseline, vitiligo model group induced by monobenzone that treated with vaseline, positive control that received tacrolimus (TAC), LBP groups that received 0.3 and 0.6 g/kg LBP, respectively. We quantified the depigmentation by visual examination and scores, detected the expression of CD8+ T cells, pro-inflammatory cytokines and analysed the STAT3-Hsp70-CXCL9/CXCL10 pathway. LBP 0.3 and 0.6 g/kg groups can significantly reduce depigmentation scores and the infiltration of local inflammatory cells in the skin lesions. Moreover, the expression of CXCL9, CXCL3, CXCL10 and HSP70 decreased by 54.3, 20.3, 48.5 and 27.2% in 0.3 g/kg LBP group, which decreased by 62.1, 26.6, 58.2 and 34.5% in 0.6 g/kg LBP group. In addition, 0.3 and 0.6 g/kg LBP decreased the release of IL-8 (9.7%, 22.8%), IL-6 (40.8%, 42.5%), TNF-α (25.7%, 35%), IFN-γ (25.1%, 27.6%) and IL-1β (23.7%, 33.7%) and inhibited the phosphorylation expression of STAT3 by 63.2 and 67.9%, respectively. These findings indicated LBP might be recommended as a new approach for vitiligo which provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of LBP in treating vitiligo patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3Reactivity of six PCV2 isolates with mAb 8E4 by the IPMA, serum neutralization assay and capture ELISA. (a) IPMA reactivity of PK-15 cells inoculated with PCV2a/LG (1 and 2), PCV2a/CL (3 and 4), PCV2a/JF2 (5 and 6), PCV2b/YJ (7 and 8), PCV2b/SH (9 and 10) and PCV2b/JF (11 and 12), against PCV2-positive serum and mAb 8E4. [Extracted from the article]

To overcome the shortcomings of the temperature sensitivity of exterior flexible facing tiles (EFFIs), a series of crosslinking carboxylic styrene-acrylate (SA) latices were prepared via the semicontinuous seed emulsion polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), methacrylic acid (MAA), acrylic acid (AA), butyl acrylate (BA), and styrene (St), and were applied as binders to fabricate EFFTs with mineral powder. The obtained latices exhibited Bragg diffraction because of the narrow particle size distribution. Owing to the low dosage of emulsifiers and the crosslinking reaction between the epoxy group and the carboxyl group, the latex films displayed excellent water resistance, with water adsorption as low as 7.1%. The tensile test, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) test, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) indicated that at a GMA dosage of 4–6% the latex films had high mechanical strengths, which remained relatively stable in the temperature range of 10 to 40 °C. The optimal AA dosage was found in the range of 2 to 3%, at which the wet mixture exhibited good processability, conducive to forming an EFFT with a compact microstructure. Using the optimal SA latex, the obtained EFFT displayed a series of improved performances, including low water absorption, high mechanical strength, and stable self-supporting ability over a wide temperature range, exhibiting the application potential in the decoration and construction industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the major immune cells infiltrating the tumor microenvironment (TME) and typically exhibit an immunosuppressive M2-like phenotype, which facilitates tumor growth and promotes resistance to immunotherapy. Additionally, tumor cells tend to express high levels of CD47, a "don't eat me" signal, that obstructs macrophage phagocytosis. Consequently, re-educating TAMs in combination with CD47 blockage is promising to trigger intense macrophage immune responses against tumors. As a toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist, resiquimod (R848) possesses the capacity to re-educate TAMs from M2 type to M1 type. We found that intratumoral administration of R848 synergistically improved the antitumor immunotherapeutic effect of CV1 protein (a SIRPα variant with high antagonism to CD47). However, the poor bioavailability and potential toxicity of this combo strategy remain a challenge. Here, a TAMs-targeted liposome (named: R-LS/M/CV1) co-delivering R848 and CV1 protein was constructed via decorating mannose on the liposomal surface. R-LS/M/CV1 exhibited high abilities of targeting, re-education and pro-phagocytosis of tumor cells to M2 macrophages in vitro. Intratumoral administration of R-LS/M/CV1 remarkedly eliminated tumor burden in the MC38 tumor model via repolarization of TAMs to M1 type, pro-phagocytosis of TAMs against tumors, and recruitment of tumor-infiltrating T cells. More encouragingly, due to the double targeting to TAMs and tumor cells of mannose and CV1 protein, R-LS/M/CV1 effectively accumulated at the tumor site, thereby not only remarkedly inhibiting tumors, but also exerting no hematological and histopathological toxicity when administered systemically. Our integrated strategy based on re-educating TAMs and CD47 blockade provides a promising approach to trigger macrophage immune responses against tumors for immunotherapy. [Display omitted] • Mannose-modified R848 and CV1 co-delivered liposomes achieved targeting, repolarization, and pro-phagocytosis of TAMs. • Achieved binding of CV1 to the liposomal surface in a simple and site-specific manner, using DOGS-NTA-Ni. • Systemic administration of the co-delivery liposome remarkably suppressed tumor growth with no obvious toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excellent characteristics of transparent hard materials such as high hardness, high transparency, corrosion resistance, and high temperature resistance enable their applications in microfluidic substrates even in harsh environments. Microchannels are important parts in microfluidic systems, and the preparation of microchannel structures in transparent hard materials deserves further in‐depth study. The traditional processing method is contact processing with large thermal influence and low processing efficiency, so it is impossible to obtain complex microchannels with high quality and high aspect ratio. The femtosecond laser processing is a non‐contact processing approach with no thermal damage, high processing accuracy, and easy to form complex microchannels, making it the best choice for processing microchannels in transparent hard materials. This work reviews the recent advances in femtosecond laser processing of transparent hard materials to form microchannel structures, focusing on the reaction mechanism, processing methods, and the obtained microchannel structures, including surface microchannels, 2D microchannels, and 3D microchannels. Furthermore, the application of microchannel structure in microfluidic field, including optical inspection and biochemical reaction, is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) is a common pathogen in the poultry industry, which can cause substantial economic losses. Recently, emerging evidence showed that miRNAs were involved in various viral and bacterial infections. To elucidate the role of miRNAs in chicken macrophages in response to APEC infection, we attempted to investigate the miRNAs expression pattern upon APEC infection via miRNA-seq, and to identify the molecular mechanism of the important miRNAs by using RT-qPCR, western blotting, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and CCK-8. The results showed that a total of 80 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified in comparison of APEC vs. wild-type group, which corresponded to 724 target genes. Moreover, the target genes of the identified DE miRNAs were mainly significantly enriched in the MAPK signalling pathway, autophagy-bird, mTOR signalling pathway, ErbB signalling pathway, Wnt signalling pathway, and TGF-beta signalling pathway. Remarkably, gga-miR-181b-5p is able to participate in host immune and inflammatory responses against APEC infection via targeting of TGFBR1 to modulate the activation of TGF-beta signalling pathway. Collectively, this study provides a perspective of miRNA expression patterns in chicken macrophages upon APEC infection. These findings provide insight into miRNAs against APEC infection, and gga-miR-181b-5p might be a potential target for treating APEC infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Chromatin modifications shape the epigenome and are essential for gene expression reprogramming during plant development and adaptation to the changing environment. Chromatin modification enzymes require primary metabolic intermediates such as S‐adenosyl‐methionine, acetyl‐CoA, alpha‐ketoglutarate, and NAD+ as substrates or cofactors. The availability of the metabolites depends on cellular nutrients, energy and reduction/oxidation (redox) states, and affects the activity of chromatin regulators and the epigenomic landscape. The changes in the plant epigenome and the activity of epigenetic regulators in turn control cellular metabolism through transcriptional and post‐translational regulation of metabolic enzymes. The interplay between metabolism and the epigenome constitutes a basis for metabolic control of plant growth and response to environmental changes. This review summarizes recent advances regarding the metabolic control of plant chromatin regulators and epigenomes, which are involved in plant adaption to environmental stresses. Significance Statement: Chromatin modification requires primary metabolites as substrates and cofactors. In this review, we summarize recent advances on how cellular metabolism affects activities of chromatin regulators and relevant epigenomes to regulate gene expression in plants by emphasizing the metabolic and epigenetic interaction in plant adaptation to stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the role of iodine‐125 (125I) combined with epirubicin (EPI) in inhibiting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth and promoting apoptosis. Methods: Both in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted. CCK‐8 assay was performed to determine the cells viability after EPI treatment. HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells were treated with EPI or 125I or in combination. Colony formation assays were performed to verify the antiproliferation effect. Annexin V–FITC/PI, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays, and western blotting were performed to analyze cellular apoptosis. Scratch wound healing assays and transwell assays were used to examine migration following different treatments. An isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation analysis was used to detect changes in protein expression after 125I treatment, identifying the potential mediating protein cathelicidin (LL‐37). LL‐37 protein and WNT pathway‐related proteins were detected by western blotting in SMMC7721 and HepG2 cells. Mice were treated with 125I and EPI to evaluate whether EPI enhanced the antitumor effect of 125I. Results: EPI promoted 125I‐induced apoptosis and reduced the proliferation of HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells. EPI also prevented the migration of HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells. EPI combined with 125I may interfere with the WNT signaling pathway by decreasing LL‐37 to inhibit HCC development. The antitumor effects of EPI with 125I were verified in mice. Conclusion: EPI combined with 125I induced apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells by LL‐37 downregulating the WNT pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital inclusive finance (DIF) has the power to spawn a new system of Internet finance and realize financial inclusion. However, the role of DIF in improving the health status of individuals is largely unknown. This study aims to demonstrate whether and how the development of DIF impacts the mental health of Chinese employees. This paper performs an empirical study based on the city-level data of the digital inclusive financial index with the China family panel studies. Ordinary least squares (OLS), probit models and mediation techniques are employed with appropriate instruments to alleviate endogeneity concerns. The results show that DIF can help employees improve their mental health. The results were robust to a variety of checks. Moreover, increasing income is the main pathway in which DIF improves individual mental health. Finally, it also reveals the heterogeneous effects of DIF on individual mental health. That is, the use depth of DIF has a significant positive effect on mental health status, but not on other sub-indicators, such as coverage breadth and degree of digital service provision; on those vulnerable groups containing females and employees with low education, its decisive role is larger than their counterparts who are males and have high levels of education. These results highlight the vital role of DIF in improving the mental health status of individuals. Consequently, there is a need to strengthen the construction of financial infrastructure and achieve a deeper integration of the financial system with digital technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, biodegradable polymers have gained the attention of many researchers for their promising applications, especially in drug delivery, due to their good biocompatibility and designable degradation time. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biodegradable functional polymer made from the polymerization of lactic acid (LA) and glycolic acid (GA) and is widely used in pharmaceuticals and medical engineering materials because of its biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and good plasticity. The aim of this review is to illustrate the progress of research on PLGA in biomedical applications, as well as its shortcomings, to provide some assistance for its future research development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reversible solid oxide cell (RSOC) integrating solid oxide fuel (SOFC) and a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) usually utilizes compressive seals. In this work, the vermiculite seals of various thickness and compressive load during thermal cycles and long-term operation were investigated. The leakage rates of seals were gradually increased with increasing thickness and input gas pressure. The thinner seals had good sealing performance. The compressive load was carried out at thinner seals, the possible holes were squeezed, and finally the leakage rates were lower. With a fixed input gas pressure of 1 psi, 2 psi, and 3 psi, the leakage rates of 0.50 mm vermiculite remained at around 0.009 sccm/cm, 0.017 sccm/cm and 0.028 sccm/cm during twenty thermal cycles, while the leakage rates remained at around 0.011 sccm/cm for about 240 h. Simultaneously, elemental diffusions between seals and components were limited, implying good compatibility. Furthermore, the open circuit voltage (OCV) remained at around 1.04 V during 17 thermal cycles, which is close to Nernst potentials. The stack performance confirmed that the vermiculite seals can meet the structural support and sealing requirements. Therefore, the vermiculite shows good promise for application in stacks during thermal cycles and long-term operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 240 pediatric SAA patients who underwent unmanipulated alternative HSCT between September 2012 and November 2020 at our center. The incidence of GF (PGF + SGF) was higher in the UCBD cohort compared to the MUD and HID cohorts [(13.5% ± 6.5%) vs (0%), and (1.6% ± 5.3%), respectively, p =.0001]. The incidence of platelet engraftment within 180 days post-HSCT was lower in the UCBD cohort (82.4% ± 2.3%) compared to the HID group (96.2% ± 1.3%) and the MUD group (97.4% ± 0.5%) (p =.020). the median duration time for platelet engraftment in the UCBD cohort was 29 days, longer than in HID cohort 14 days and the MUD cohort 13 days (p =.005). UCBD cohort had a lower 3-year failure-free survival (FFS) (70.5% ± 8.4%) compared to the HID cohort (81.1% ± 4.3%) and the MUD cohort (92.5% ± 3.1%) (p =.030) and lower 3-year GVHD/relapse free survival (GRFS) (63.3% ± 9.5.4%) compared to the HID cohort (75.5% ± 6.8%) and MUD cohort (87.9% ± 4.5%) (p =.002). UCBD-HSCT had inferior FFS and GRFS compared to an HSCT with an HID or MUD in pediatric patients with acquired SAA. A UCBD-HSCT had a higher GF and lower incidence of platelet engraftment and longer platelet engraftment time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare hematopoietic malignancy characterized by poor prognosis even following an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). We retrospectively analyzed 15 patients diagnosed with BPDCN who underwent an allo-HSCT with myeloablative conditioning (MAC) at our center. The male to female ratio was 11:4. The median age of 36 (range: 6–70) years, all patients initially presented with extramedullary lesions (13 with cutaneous lesions, 1 in the breast and 1 in the lymph nodes) and involved the bone marrow, two cases were diagnosed as central nervous system leukemia (CNSL). Nine patients were in CR1 and six patients were in CR2 status prior to HSCT. All patients received the MAC regimen and an unmanipulated graft. All patients successfully engraftment and achieved full donor chimerism. One patient developed poor graft function, three patients developed aGVHD (Grade I, II, and IV), and seven patients developed cGVHD (mild in 6; moderate in 1). The median follow-up time for survival was 34 (range: 6–64) months. The primary endpoint, overall leukemia-free survival (LFS) rate and overall survival rate was 73.3 ± 10.5%. Allo-HSCT with MAC is a valid option for BPDCN patients in complete remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only curative treatment for haematological complications in patients with Fanconi anaemia (FA). Haploidentical (haplo‐) HCT is a promising alternative for FA. We aimed to analyse the outcomes of unmanipulated haplo‐HCT in patients with FA with radiation‐free conditioning. A total of 56 patients from 11 centres between 2013 and 2021 in China were retrospectively analysed. The mean (SD) cumulative incidence was 96.4% (0.08%) for 30‐day neutrophil engraftment and 85.5% (0.24%) for 100‐day platelet engraftment. With a median (range) follow‐up of 2.4 (0.2–5.8) years, favourable mean (SD) overall survival of 80.9% (5.5%) and event‐free survival of 79.3% (5.6%) were achieved. The mean (SD) incidences of acute graft‐versus‐host disease (aGvHD) Grade II–IV and Grade III–IV were 55.4% (0.45%) and 42.9 (0.45%) respectively. The mean (SD) cumulative incidence of 3‐year chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (cGvHD) was 34.7% (0.86%) and that of moderate‐to‐severe cGvHD was 9.0% (0.19%). Our data demonstrate that in unmanipulated haplo‐HCT for patients with FA, radiation‐free regimens based on fludarabine and low‐dose cyclophosphamide ± busulfan achieved favourable engraftment and survival with relatively high incidences of aGvHD and cGvHD. These results prompt the use of low‐intensity conditioning without radiation and intensive GvHD prophylaxis when considering unmanipulated haplo‐HCT in patients with FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sparse linear regression, the SLOPE estimator generalizes LASSO by penalizing different coordinates of the estimate according to their magnitudes. In this paper, we present a precise performance characterization of SLOPE under the i.i.d. Gaussian design. We focus on the asymptotic regime where the number of unknown parameters grows in proportion to the number of observations. Our asymptotic characterization enables us to derive the fundamental limits of SLOPE in both estimation and variable selection settings. We also provide a computationally feasible way to optimally design the regularizing sequences to reach the aforementioned fundamental limits. In both settings, we show that the optimal design problem can be formulated as certain infinite-dimensional convex optimization problems that have efficient and accurate finite-dimensional approximations. Numerical simulations verify all our asymptotic predictions. They demonstrate the superiority of our optimal regularizing sequences over other designs used in the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A reasonable supply of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is essential for obtaining high-quality, high-level, and stable potato yields, and an improvement in the N utilization efficiency can effectively reduce N fertilizer use. It is important to use accurate, straightforward, and efficient transgenic breeding techniques for the identification of genes that can improve nitrogen use efficiency, thus enabling us to achieve the ultimate goal of breeding N-efficient potato varieties. In recent years, some of the mechanisms of miRNAs have been elucidated via the analysis of the correlation between the expression levels of potato miRNA target genes and regulated genes under conditions of stress, but the role of miRNAs in the inhibition/expression of key genes regulating N metabolism under N stress is still unclear. Our study aimed to identify the role played by specific enzymes and miRNAs in the responses of plants to N stress. Results: The roots and leaves of the N-efficient potato variety, Yanshu4 ("Y"), and N-inefficient potato variety, Atlantic ("D"), were collected at the seedling and budding stages after they were exposed to different N fertilizer treatments. The miRNAs expressed differentially under the two types of N stress and their corresponding target genes were first predicted using miRNA and degradome analysis. Then, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to verify the expression of differential miRNAs that were closely related to N metabolism. Finally, the shearing relationship between stu-miR396-5p and its target gene StNiR was determined by analyzing luciferase activity levels. The results showed that NiR activity increased significantly with an increase in the applied N levels from the seedling stage to the budding stage, and NiR responded significantly to different N treatments. miRNA sequencing enabled us to predict 48 families with conserved miRNAs that were mainly involved in N metabolism, carbon metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis. The differences in the expression of the following miRNAs were identified via screening (high expression levels and P < 0.05): stu-miR396-5p, stu-miR408b-3p_R-1, stu-miR3627-3p, stu-miR482a-3p, stu-miR8036-3p, stu-miR482a-5p, stu-miR827-5p, stu-miR156a_L-1, stu-miR827-3p, stu-miR172b-5p, stu-miR6022-p3_7, stu-miR398a-5p, and stu-miR166c-5p_L-3. Degradome analysis showed that most miRNAs had many-to-many relationships with target genes. The main target genes involved in N metabolism were NiR, NiR1, NRT2.5, and NRT2.7. qRT-PCR analysis showed that there were significant differences in the expression levels of stu-miR396-5p, stu-miR8036-3p, and stu-miR482a-3p in the leaves and roots of the Yanshu4 and Atlantic varieties at the seedling and budding stages under conditions that involved no N and excessive N application; the expression of these miRNAs was induced in response to N stress. The correlation between the differential expression of stu-miR396-5p and its corresponding target gene NiR was further verified by determining the luciferase activity level and was found to be strongly negative. Conclusion: The activity of NiR was significantly positively correlated with N application from the seedling to the budding stage. Differential miRNAs and target genes showed a many-to-many relationship with each other. The expression of stu-miR396-5p, stu-miR482a-3p, and stu-miR8036-3p in the roots and leaves of the Yanshu4 and Atlantic varieties at the seedling and budding stages was notably different under two types of N stress. Under two types of N stress, stu-miR396-5p was down-regulated in Yanshu4 in the seedling-stage and shoot-stage roots, and up-regulated in seedling-stage roots and shoot-stage leaves; stu-miR482a-3p was up-regulated in the seedling and shoot stages. The expression of stu-miR8036-3p was up-regulated in the leaves and roots at the seedling and budding stages, and down-regulated in roots under both types of N stress. The gene expressing the key enzyme involved in N metabolism, StNiR, and the stu-miR396-5p luciferase assay reporter gene had a strong regulatory relationship with each other. This study provides candidate miRNAs related to nitrogen metabolism and highlights that differential miRNAs play a key role in nitrogen stress in potato, providing insights for future research on miRNAs and their target genes in nitrogen metabolic pathways and breeding nitrogen-efficient potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitiligo is a skin disease characterized by lack of functional melanocytes. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) has been demonstrated to preserve keratinocytes and fibroblasts against oxidative stress. This study aimed to explore the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of LBP on autophagy in H2O2‐damaged human melanocytes. Cellular viability was measured by 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and annexin V–fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide double staining. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and electron microscopy were performed to detect autophagy. The protein expression level of Nrf2 and p62 were assessed by western blotting. Plasmid transfection and lentiviral infection were used to overexpress and silence Nrf2 in PIG1 cells. LBP promoted the proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of H2O2‐damaged PIG1 cells. LBP increased the proliferation of H2O2‐damaged PIG1 cells via induction of autophagy, and Nrf2 shRNA experiment confirmed that LBP activated the Nrf2/p62 signal pathway. These results suggest that LBP may be used for the treatment of vitiligo. Practical applications: Goji berry is the mature and dried fruit of Lycium barbarum L., which is a common food with a long history in China, as well as a Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our previous research found that LBP could activated the Nrf2/ARE pathway in an ultraviolet (UV)‐induced photodamage model of keratinocytes, and increase the levels of phase II detoxification and antioxidant enzymes. We firstly confirmed the anti‐vitiligo effects of L. barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) by inducing autophagy and promoted proliferation of human melanocytes, and LBP induced autophagy via activating the Nrf2/p62 signaling pathway in this study. These results proved that LBP can be an effective therapy for vitiligo treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread presence of antibiotics in global watershed environments poses a serious threat to public health and ecosystems. It is essential to examine the resistance of microbial communities in watershed environments in response to shifting antibiotic residues. Sediment samples were collected from seven sites across a watershed, encompassing surface sediment (0–10 cm) and bottom sediment (30–40 cm) depths. The aim was to replicate exposure scenarios to different antibiotics (oxytetracycline (OTC) and sulfadiazine (SD)) at varying concentrations (0, 10, and 100 μg/L) in sediment overlying water, within controlled laboratory settings. The study findings revealed significant variations in the microbial community structure of sediments between different treatments, with distinct differences observed in the upper stream and top sediment layers compared to the sediments located downstream and in the bottom layers. After the introduction of antibiotics, a significant decrease in microbial nodes was observed in the genus-level co-occurrence network analysis of the bottom sediment layer, particularly in the OTC treatment groups. In contrast, the downstream region displayed more robust correlations among the top 20 genera than the upstream area. There was no significant variance observed in the expression of Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), consisting of tetracycline resistance genes (tetC , tetG , tetM , tetW , and tetX) and sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1 , sul2 , and sul3), between sediments in the top and bottom layers. Nevertheless, downstream samples exhibited significantly higher levels of ARGs when compared to upstream samples. Network correlation analysis indicated notably lower correlations between ARGs and bacterial genera in sediments from upstream or surface layers compared to those in downstream or deeper layers. Moreover, correlations in the sediments from surface layers and upstream regions showed a decreasing trend with increasing SD exposure concentrations, while those in deeper layers and downstream areas remained relatively stable. The presence of antibiotics notably enhanced the correlation between sediment properties and ARGs, particularly emphasizing associations with total carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur content. However, the introduction of SD and OTC resulted in a decrease in the influence of these sediment factors on microbial community functions related to sulfur and nitrogen metabolism, as indicated by KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) annotation. The research provided empirical evidence on how microbial resistance responds to changes in antibiotics in sediment samples taken from various depths and locations within a watershed. It emphasized the urgent need for heightened awareness of the movement and alteration of antibiotic resistance patterns in watershed ecosystems. [Display omitted] • Microbial resistance in surface sediment lower antibiotic susceptibility than in deeper sediment. • Downstream sediments more resilient to antibiotic reintroduction than upstream sediments. • Lower correlations between ARGs and bacterial genera in sediments from upstream or the surface. • Antibiotics reduced sediment properties' impact on microbial sulfur and nitrogen metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed effective low NO x combustion technology with arch-supplied secondary air. • The flow characteristics of the two-phase flows in the furnace were investigated. • Arch-supplied secondary air increases the downward impulse of the two-phase flow. • Increasing arch-supplied secondary air rate can improved the combustion performance. This study proposes a low NO x combustion method for Foster Wheeler type down-fired boilers. The effectiveness of this technique was validated through laboratory-scale gas-particle two-phase experiments and industrial trials. The flow field characteristics within FW-type boiler furnaces equipped with arch-supplied secondary air injection nozzles were investigated. Furthermore, the application of this technique to a 660 MW subcritical FW-type boiler was examined, focusing on NO x emissions and combustion characteristics. Results demonstrate that optimizing the damper openings for F-layer and arch-supplied secondary air can significantly reduce NO x emissions by over 33 %. Additionally, increasing the mass flow rate of arch-supplied secondary air aids in reducing unburned carbon in fly ash and inducing a downward shift in the flame center within the furnace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture are required to address its shortcomings and deficiencies, which have resulted in environmental pollution or water problems. Precision agriculture emerged at the historic moment to solve the current problems. Field information collection, information management and decision-making, and execution systems are the three key links of precision fertilization and irrigation. The technical principle and application of field information acquisition systems are analyzed. The information management and decision-making system describes the management and summary of information in crop growth. The execution system combines the knowledge of various disciplines and experts for targeted applications to specific crops. It further focuses on the core implementation system, that is, variable fertilization technology and variable spraying technology that can realize variable operations. Major contributions from different countries, institutions, corresponding authors, and journals are presented in detail. This study proposes several suggestions and ideas based on the research status and progress of the three key systems to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the research and development of key technologies and innovative devices of precision agricultural fertilization and irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) effect makes W18O49 an effective visible and near‐infrared (NIR) light antenna to realize full‐spectrum solar‐light driven photocatalysis, yet the precise origin remains elusive. Here, the LSPR originates from the localized electron confinement around lattice W5+–W5+ pairs in the unique structure of W18O49 by density‐functional theory calculation, which gives W18O49 a broad absorption ranging from visible to NIR region, independent of the particle shape and size is confirmed. This unique periodic LSPR simplifies the design of W18O49‐sensitized photocatalytic composite into enhancing the light absorbance of W18O49 and screening photocatalytic semiconductors with suitable energy band potentials. To this end, hierarchical‐structure W18O49 microflowers with high absorbance have been coated with ZnIn2S4 nanosheets to achieve cocatalyst‐free photocatalytic composite, which presents an outstanding H2 production rate of 902.57 µmol within 3 h under simulated solar‐light. Comprehensive characterizations, including ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, prove the injection of hot electrons from W18O49 to ZnIn2S4 and the increase of long‐lived active electrons. This work clarifies the LSPR origin of oxygen‐deficient semiconductors and paves the way for the search of broad‐spectrum active photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unidirectional consolidation theory of soils is widely used in certain conditions and approximate calculations. The multidirectional theory of soil consolidation is more reasonable than the unidirectional theory in practical applications but is much more complicated in terms of index determination and solution. To address the above problem, in this paper, we propose a deep learning method using physics-informed neural networks (PINN) to predict the excess pore water pressure of two-dimensional soil consolidation. In the proposed method, (1) a fully connected neural network is constructed; (2) the computational domain, partial differential equation (PDE), and constraints are defined to generate data for model training; and (3) the PDE of two-dimensional soil consolidation and the model of the neural network are connected to reduce the loss of the model. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by comparison with the numerical solution of PDE for two-dimensional consolidation. Moreover, the FEM and the proposed PINN-based method are applied to predict the consolidation of foundation soils in a real case of Sichuan Railway in China, and the results are quite consistent. The proposed deep learning approach can be used to investigate large and complex multidirectional soil consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA can act as a scaffold for the cooperative binding of protein oligomers. For example, the phage 186 CI repressor forms a wheel of seven dimers wrapped in DNA with specific binding sites, while phage λ CI repressor dimers bind to two well‐separated sets of operators, forming a DNA loop. Atomic force microscopy was used to measure transcription elongation by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) through these protein complexes. 186 CI, or λ CI, bound along unlooped DNA negligibly interfered with transcription by RNAP. Wrapped and looped topologies induced by these scaffolded, cooperatively bound repressor oligomers did not form significantly better roadblocks to transcription. Thus, despite binding with high affinity, these repressors are not effective roadblocks to transcription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to protect against abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression. Statins have immunomodulatory properties, and their effect on AAA partly depends on immune-related mechanisms. In this study, we aimed to explore whether there is an association between statins and Tregs in AAA progression. Sixty ApoE−/− mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 15 per group): A, saline group; B, control group; C, simvastatin group (intragastric administration of simvastatin); and D, PC61 group (simvastatin combined with an intraperitoneal injection of 100 μg CD25-depleting antibody PC61). After 2 weeks of simvastatin treatment, the mice received a continuous subcutaneous infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II; B, C, and D groups) or saline (A group) for 28 days. Simvastatin therapy for 6 weeks significantly decreased the incidence and severity of AAA and inhibited the apoptosis of smooth muscle cells and generation of reactive oxygen species, which was partly abolished after the injection of PC61 antibody. Importantly, simvastatin increased the number of Tregs and the levels of Treg-associated cytokines (TGF-β and IL-10) and decreased the level of IL-17 both in aortic tissues and serum. Interestingly, simvastatin attenuated Ang II-induced gut microbial dysbiosis, which might be associated with the accumulation of Tregs. In conclusion, simvastatin therapy prevented the development of AAA induced by Ang II in ApoE−/− mice, which might be partly due to the induction of Treg accumulation. In addition, simvastatin regulated gut microbial dysbiosis, which might also be associated with Treg generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alveolar echinococcosis is an epidemic disease caused by the parasitism of Echinococcus multilocularis (Em) larvae in the intermediate or final host.Objective: To identify and analyze B-cell and T-cell (Th1, Th2, and Th17) epitopes of the Em antigen protein thrombospondin 3 (TSP3).Methods: The amino acid sequence of TSP3 was obtained, and the secondary structural characteristics of TSP3 were predicted using bioinformatics software to further predict its potential T-cell and B-cell epitopes. The spleen lymphocytes of BALB/c mice, which were immunized with the TSP3 protein, were collected for co-culture with B-cell and T-cell antigen small peptides. The B-cell epitopes and T-cell epitope subtypes Th1, Th2, and Th17 were identified as having good immunogenicity.Results: After identification, it was found that the predominant epitopes of B cells existing in TSP3 were T18-33, T45-55, and T110-122. Furthermore, the predominant epitopes of T cells existing in TSP3 were T33-42, T45-55, T80-90, and T110-122 in the T1 subtype, T45-55, T68-77, and T92-104 in the Th2 subtype, and T53-63 and T80-90 in the Th17 subtype.Conclusions: Six T-cell and eight B-cell dominant epitopes of the TSP3 antigen were revealed; these results may be applied in the development of a dominant epitope vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The image captioning of fine art paintings aims at generating a sentence to describe the painting content. Compared with photographic images, there are few annotated data of clear and precise content descriptions for paintings. Besides, painting images usually have abstract expressions, making it hard to extract their representative features. In this paper, we propose a virtual-real semantic alignment training process to address these challenges in painting captioning. To provide sufficient training data, we generate a virtual painting captioning dataset by applying style transfer to a large-scale photographic image captioning dataset and maintaining their annotations. To tackle the difficulty of abstract expressions, we employ a semantic alignment loss between photographic image features and virtual painting features to guide the training of the painting feature extractor. We evaluate our method in two data-hungry scenarios where only a few or no annotated painting data for training. According to the evaluation results on a public painting captioning dataset and our annotated painting captioning dataset, our model achieves significant improvements and higher data efficiency than the baselines in the two data-hungry scenarios on all datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the outcomes of 32 patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) who underwent either a haploidentical donor (HID) or a matched unrelated donor (MUD) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Seventeen patients received an HSCT from an HID and 15 patients received an HSCT from an MUD. The median follow-up time of the surviving patients was 36 months (range: 12–96 months). No significant differences were observed in the 3-year overall survival (OS) between the HID and MUD cohorts (74.1%±11.4% vs. 93.3%±6.4%, respectively, p=.222) or in the 3-year failure-free survival (68.8%±11.8% vs. 86.7%±8.8%, respectively, p=.307). Treatment-related mortality occurred in five patients. A univariate analysis of risk factors revealed platelet engraftment failure negatively impacted OS and FFS. We conclude that HID and MUD-HSCT are feasible and can be effective options for those PNH patients with concomitant bone marrow failure, recurrent life-threatening thrombosis, and uncontrollable hemolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies examines how a firm's position in the global value chain affects its pollutant emissions. This paper integrates China's firm-level trade data into China's multi-regional input-output tables to provide an index to measure a firm's position in global value chains. Based on a firm-level pollution dataset (2000–2014) in China, this paper conducts an empirical analysis and find that the most-downstream firms on the global value chain have lower pollutant emission intensity. Our results also suggest that the production factor structure effect, the knowledge absorption effect and the abatement investment effect together contribute to the emission intensity gap between the most-upstream firms and the most-downstream firms. These novel results are significant in guiding firms towards reducing their emissions and promoting a green global value chain, with the ultimate goal of achieving multinational environmental protection. [Display omitted] • The most-downstream firms have lower pollutant emission intensity. • A supply chain disruption shock is used as an instrumental variable. • Factor structure, knowledge absorption and abatement investment are channels. • Effects on firms with diverse ownership and trade patterns are heterogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CircWWP2 was created by back-splicing of exons 2 to 4 of the WWP2 gene. • Overexpression of circWWP2 can promote the LPS induced cellular injury via decreasing cell viability, increasing NO product and pro-inflammatory cytokines. • Thirteen miRNAs were identified to interact with circWWP2 , which potentially target 3,264 genes. • The target genes were enriched in the pathways of lysosomes, IgA-producing intestinal immune networks for IgA production, and Notch signaling pathway. CircRNA, a non-coding RNA, is an ideal biomarker and a suitable potential therapeutic target for various disease due to its high stability, species conservation and cell/tissue specificity. Our previous study has found a circular RNA WWP2 (circWWP2) was significantly decreased in chicken macrophages during bacterial infection. However, the function of circWWP2 in chicken macrophages remains unclear. In this study, it was demonstrated that circWWP2 was a stable circular RNA created by back-splicing of exons 2 to 4 of WWP2 via PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing, RNase R exonuclease digestion, and RT-qPCR. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis showed circWWP2 could interact with 13 miRNAs and target 3,264 genes, which were significantly enriched in lysosomes, IgA-producing intestinal immune networks for IgA production, and Notch signaling pathway. Furthermore, CCK8 and RT-qPCR indicated that overexpression of circWWP2 could promote lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cellular injury by decreasing cell viability and increasing the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and pro-apoptosis genes, and NO production. CircWWP2 may exert a potential target for the treatment of bacterial infection. Further experiments are necessary to validate the specific mechanism that circWWP2 regulates LPS induced cellular immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the integration of 3D concrete printing (3DCP) with recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and plant fibres, highlighting its role in advancing sustainable construction practices. The findings demonstrate that plant fibres enhance the mechanical and thermal properties and environmental impact of normal concrete and RAC, including the improvements in compressive, flexural, fracture characteristics. Building on these substantial enhancements, the study further investigates the potential of combining 3DCP with plant fibre-reinforced RAC. Researches indicate that fibres can mitigate the negative performance impacts brought about by the use of RAC in 3D printing, particularly in terms of tensile and flexural resistance. Based on these findings, the introduction of plant fibres is expected to optimise the mechanical properties while also having a notable impact on carbon emissions. This synergy between 3DCP and plant fibre-reinforced RAC not only aligns with sustainable construction goals but also marks a significant shift towards environmentally responsible practices and innovations in the construction industry. • A critical review is presented on 3D printed recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) incorporating plant fibres. • Fibre reinforcing mechanism in RAC for 3D concrete printing (3DCP) applications is explored. • Potential of merging RAC, 3DCP, and plant fibres is analysed from mechanical and carbon perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A burner structure suitable for atmospheric entrained-flow gasifiers using fine ash as feedstock was proposed. The study investigates the impact of the burner structure on the mixing characteristics through 0.75:1 (geometry reduction) single-phase airflow experiments. Additionally, numerical simulations were conducted to study of the gasification process of fine ash in a 10,000 Nm3/h atmospheric entrained flow gasifier. The results indicate that a larger residual temperature near the burner outlet was observed when the diameter of the burner's gasification agents channel was 10 mm or 15 mm, approximately 0.7–0.8. Additionally, the mixing degree of the two airflows at the burner outlet was high, and the distance required for complete mixing was short. When the diameter of the gasification agent channel was 15 mm, the mixed syngas flow velocity was appropriate. This resulted in a maximum temperature of 2500 °C, an 80 % carbon conversion rate, and an outlet effective syngas (CO + H 2) concentration of 62 %. • Novel gasifier and burner structures for fine ash gasification are given. • Fine ash is quickly mixed at the outlet of burner and fully mixed in the center of gasifier. • The highest carbon conversion rate of fine ash entrained-flow gasifier is about 80 %. • Gasification agent channel diameter affects the mixing and gasification characteristics. • The outlet temperature exceeds 1600 °C which satisfies the requirement for liquid slag discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation is intrinsically dependent on the construction of local infrastructure. Using panel data on 285 cities in China, we empirically examined the impact of high-speed rails on urban innovation and the mechanism underlying this effect. We found that high-speed rails significantly increase urban innovation. In our analysis, high-speed rails were found to increase the agglomeration of innovation factors, including population and investment, which in turn increase urban technological innovation. The agglomeration of investment factors brought about by high-speed rails is the main source of the improvement in urban innovation. Through the use of a spatial panel model, we found that high-speed rails promote knowledge dissemination and technology spillovers among the cities along high-speed railways, thus improving their innovation levels. However, the existing effects of high-speed rails on innovation exhibit spatial heterogeneity. We confirmed the effect of high-speed rails on innovation and explored the mechanism underlying this effect by considering the effects of factor agglomeration and knowledge spillovers. Our conclusions can be used as a resource by policymakers to stimulate knowledge and technology diffusion, which in turn cultivates and stimulates urban innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a common co-morbidity in asthma, worsening asthma control and impairing quality of life. Previous studies have reported a higher risk of cognitive deficit in depression, yet little research has focused on the level of cognition in asthmatic patients with depression. Evidence shows that inflammation may play an important role in both asthma and depression. Cerebral white matter injury, possibly induced by inflammation, has been associated with depression. This study assesses cognitive function in patients with asthma and a depression comorbidity, compared to patients with asthma only or depression only. Four groups were studied: Asthma comorbid Depression group (A + D, n = 26), Depression group (D, n = 25), Asthma group (A, n = 33) and Normal controls (N, n = 28). Cognitive function was evaluated using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Inflammatory cytokines were measured, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1) and Netrin-1. Cerebral white matter injury was assessed by serum myelin basic protein (MBP) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), and their correlations with cognitive performance were calculated. A + D group showed the highest incidence of cognitive deficit, with the cognitive domain particularly affected. Compared to N group, serum levels of IL-6, HMGB1, Netrin-1, MBP and MOG were significantly elevated in A + D group. MOG level negatively correlated with the MoCA score. Patients with comorbidities presented with more severe cognitive deficits and higher levels of inflammatory cytokines. Cerebral white matter injury may account for the cognitive deficit in patients and MOG could be a potential biomarker for this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a continuous convolution method combined with memoryless nonlinear transformation for multi-input multi-output stationary non-Gaussian random vibration tests. The challenge of the multi-shaker non-Gaussian random vibration test lies in the coupling problems that are manifested in the inherent physical system and in the existence of cross-spectral densities. In the presented method, the independent stationary Gaussian random signals pass through a designed finite impulse response filter with a convolution manipulation first, and then the resulting signals are transformed to the non-Gaussian random signals by the memoryless nonlinear transformation method. The desired drive signals are obtained by the input–output relationship in the frequency domain. The finite impulse response filter is constructed by the frequency sampling technique in which the amplitude characteristics of the filter are determined by the predefined reference power spectral densities. A new monotonic nonlinear transformation function with an approximate kurtosis solution is provided. It only contains one parameter for kurtosis control both in sub-Gaussian and super-Gaussian cases. The memoryless nonlinear transformation is used to maintain the cross-spectral densities, although some distortions are introduced to the power spectra during the transformation process. The inverse system method is used to overcome the coupling problem caused by the inherent physical system. A simulation example and a triaxial vibration test are carried out, and the results indicate the validity and feasibility of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ottelia acuminata (O. acuminata) is an edible and medicinal submerged plant endemic to southwestern China, yet there is little information available concerning its nutritional or bio-active composition. This study aimed to evaluate in detail the nutritional profile and phenolic composition of O. acuminata (inflorescence, peduncle, and leaf) and investigate a protective activity in phenolic extracts on DNA damage induced by •OH and ROO• radicals. O. acuminata was excellent sources of protein (17.7–24 g/100 g DW), TPC (11.43–19.00 mg GAE/g DW), ascorbic acid, and minerals (especially potassium, calcium, and iron). Interestingly, the protein contained a high amount of EAA with a ratio (EAA11/TAA) in the range of 47.79–50.93%, BCAA and MSG-like AA. The inflorescences and leaves of O. acuminata contained abundant UFA with a ratio of UFA/TFA more than 50%. Five phenolic compounds, with a predominance of luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside and chlorogenic acid, were identified by HPLC. Phenolic extracts of O. acuminata displayed a significant protective effect on DNA damage, which effect was comparable to that of the positive control (trolox). It was concluded that O. acuminata is an excellent vegetable with a high nutritional value and a great potential as a natural antioxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]