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The application of zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) is seriously challenged by the poor stability of Zn anode and cathode in aqueous solution, which is closely associated with electrolyte structure and water reactivity. Herein, the stability issues both for the cathode and anode can be simultaneously addressed via tuning the electrolyte solvation structure in hybrid electrolyte with tripropyl phosphate (TPP) as co‐solvent. On the Zn anode, a robust poly‐inorganic solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer comprised of Zn3(PO4)2‐ZnS‐ZnF2 species is in situ formed, effectively suppressing parasitic reaction and dendrite evolution. For V2O5 cathode, the notorious vanadium dissolution is effectively restricted with improved structure stability achieved. The optimized electrolyte facilitates the reversible redox kinetics both at the cathode and Zn anode. Consequently, Zn||Zn cells display extended cycling lifespans over 3000 h at 1 mA cm−2, 1 mAh cm−2. Zn||V2O5 full cells deliver a high reversible capacity of 261.8 mAh g−1 and hold retention of 73.6% upon 500 cycles even operated in harsh conditions with thin Zn anode (10 µm) and low negative/positive (N/P) ratio of ≈4.3, which also showcase impressive performance with regard to rate and storage performance, further emphasizing the potential of electrolyte regulation tactics in advancing the commercialization of ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to carry out a systematic research on bitterness quantification to provide a reference for scholars and pharmaceutical developers to carry out drug taste masking research. Significance: The bitterness of medications poses a significant concern for clinicians and patients. Scientifically measuring the intensity of drug bitterness is pivotal for enhancing drug palatability and broadening their clinical utility. Methods: The current study was carried out by conducting a systematic literature review that identified relevant papers from indexed databases. Numerous studies and research are cited and quoted in this article to summarize the features, strengths, and applicability of quantitative bitterness assessment methods. Results: In our research, we systematically outlined the classification and key advancements in quantitative research methods for assessing drug bitterness, including in vivo quantification techniques such as traditional human taste panel methods, as well as in vitro quantification methods such as electronic tongue analysis. It focused on the quantitative methods and difficulties of bitterness of natural drugs with complex system characteristics and their difficulties in quantification, and proposes possible future research directions. Conclusion: The quantitative methods of bitterness were summarized, which laid an important foundation for the construction of a comprehensive bitterness quantification standard system and the formulation of accurate, efficient and rich taste masking strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although WD repeat domain 45 (WDR45) mutations have been linked to β -propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN), the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms behind this disease remain elusive. This study aims to shed light on the impacts of WDR45-deficiency on neurodegeneration, specifically axonal degeneration, within the midbrain dopaminergic (DAergic) system. We hope to better understand the disease process by examining pathological and molecular alterations, especially within the DAergic system. Methods: To investigate the impacts of WDR45 dysfunction on mouse behaviors and DAergic neurons, we developed a mouse model in which WDR45 was conditionally knocked out in the midbrain DAergic neurons (WDR45cKO). Through a longitudinal study, we assessed alterations in the mouse behaviors using open field, rotarod, Y-maze, and 3-chamber social approach tests. We utilized a combination of immunofluorescence staining and transmission electron microscopy to examine the pathological changes in DAergic neuron soma and axons. Additionally, we performed proteomic and lipidomic analyses of the striatum from young and aged mice to identify the molecules and processes potentially involved in the striatal pathology during aging. Further more, primary midbrain neuronal culture was employed to explore the molecular mechanisms leading to axonal degeneration. Results: Our study of WDR45cKO mice revealed a range of deficits, including impaired motor function, emotional instability, and memory loss, coinciding with the profound reduction of midbrain DAergic neurons. The neuronal loss, we observed massive axonal enlargements in the dorsal and ventral striatum. These enlargements were characterized by the accumulation of extensively fragmented tubular endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a hallmark of axonal degeneration. Proteomic analysis of the striatum showed that the differentially expressed proteins were enriched in metabolic processes. The carbohydrate metabolic and protein catabolic processes appeared earlier, and amino acid, lipid, and tricarboxylic acid metabolisms were increased during aging. Of note, we observed a tremendous increase in the expression of lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (Lpcat1) that regulates phospholipid metabolism, specifically in the conversion of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) to phosphatidylcholine (PC) in the presence of acyl-CoA. The lipidomic results consistently suggested that differential lipids were concentrated on PC and LPC. Axonal degeneration was effectively ameliorated by interfering Lpcat1 expression in primary cultured WDR45-deficient DAergic neurons, proving that Lpcat1 and its regulated lipid metabolism, especially PC and LPC metabolism, participate in controlling the axonal degeneration induced by WDR45 deficits. Conclusions: In this study, we uncovered the molecular mechanisms underlying the contribution of WDR45 deficiency to axonal degeneration, which involves complex relationships between phospholipid metabolism, autophagy, and tubular ER. These findings greatly advance our understanding of the fundamental molecular mechanisms driving axonal degeneration and may provide a foundation for developing novel mechanistically based therapeutic interventions for BPAN and other neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zn interfacial issues involved dendrite evolution and undesired parasitic reactions are tough challenges to impede the progress of Zn ion battery. Herein, dendrite‐free Zn anode with boosted stability is achieved by four‐in‐one functional additive triethyl phosphate (TEP). Experiments and theoretical calculation reveal that TEP additive participates in the generation of compact inorganic interface to prevent Zn from corrosion. Meanwhile, the interfacial electrical double layer (EDL) is reconstructed with adsorbed TEP molecules in inner layer and weakened Zn2+ solvation structure in diffusion layer, which efficiently shields Zn from active H2O and moderate electrochemical kinetics, thereby preventing water‐related secondary reaction and Zn electroplating on tip region. Additionally, TEP additive manipulates zinc growth direction by adsorbing on the (002) facet, thus enabling long‐lasting dendrite‐free deposition. Accordingly, Zn||Zn symmetric cell demonstrates an ultralong lifespan over 5000 h (almost 7 months) at 1 mA cm−2, 1 mAh cm−2 and remarkable coulombic efficiency (CE) of ≈97.6% for 1500 cycles. For practical demonstration, Zn||LiFePO4 full cell demonstrates an improved rate capability and an elevated capacity of 116.0 mAh g−1. These findings highlight interface chemistry manipulated by multifunctional additives as an efficient approach to stabilize Zn anode, holding promise for top‐notch Zn‐based batteries with improved longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The rise of virtual simulation technology and dental simulators has created a new pedagogical approach for undergraduate medical education. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of virtual simulation (VS) technology on improving the students' comprehensive abilities in periodontal probing teaching in pre‐practicum periodontology, such as increasing the accuracy of probing, tactile perception and performance on force control. Materials and Methods: Twenty students were randomly selected among the fourth‐year students and equally divided into VS technology teaching group (VS group) and traditional teaching group (TT group) by drawing half lots. One day later, students were required to probe the periodontal pathology model. The consistency rate between PD measurements and PD reference values, time consumption and final exam scores were recorded and statistically analysed using an unpaired Student's t test and p <.05 was considered statistical significance. Finally, questionnaires relating to teaching methods evaluation and the fidelity of the digital VS training system were distributed to students and teachers. Results: VS group had a significantly higher consistency rate (72.976 ± 6.811%) than TT group (64.107 ± 4.988%, p =.004). To specify, the difference of consistency rates between the two groups in posterior teeth was larger than anterior teeth. Similarly, a larger difference was also found in proximal surfaces compared with buccal‐lingual surfaces. As the pocket depth increased, the difference between the two groups increased too. These results indicated that VS is more efficient in complicated parts of periodontal probing teaching. In addition, students in VS group spent less time and gained a higher score than TT group (p <.05). The overall satisfaction rating in VS group was significantly higher than TT group. Lastly, teachers gave significant lower scores than students concerning the fidelity of VS system. Conclusion: Although there are much to improve, VS technology has obvious advantages in periodontal probing teaching in pre‐practicum periodontology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of high entropy niobates with cation at A-site varying in size disorder and mass disorder is designed. High entropy niobates are all monoclinic structures with uniform rare-earth element distribution, but different space groups, which are closely related to the average radius at A-site. High entropy niobates possess excellent sintering resistance and ultra-low thermal conductivity due to stronger phonon-point defect scattering and shorter phonon lifetime. The effect of high entropy on average grain size and thermal conductivity is inversely proportional to size disorder. Moreover, the radiative heat transfer of (Dy 0.2 Ho 0.2 Er 0.2 Y 0.2 Yb 0.2)NbO 4 is substantially reduced due to the co-doping of active multi-component Dy3+, Er3+, and Yb3+, which broadens the range of intrinsic absorption band and improves lattice absorption derived from lattice distortion. Besides, the (La 0.2 Nd 0.2 Sm 0.2 Eu 0.2 Y 0.2)NbO 4 exhibits an ultra-high thermal expansion coefficient (12.34 ×10−6 K−1, 673 °C). The excellent thermophysical properties imply that high entropy niobates are more promising thermal barrier coating materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Heat shock (HSF) transcription factors are among the most important transcription factors in plants and are involved in the transcriptional regulation of various stress responses, including drought, salinity, oxidation, osmotic stress, and high light, thereby regulating growth and developmental processes. Astragalus mongholicus is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with important medicinal value and is widely used worldwide. Although the HSF gene has been reported in most species, it has not been thoroughly studied in A. mongholicus. This study not only confirmed all HSF genes genome-wide in A. mongholicus, but also conducted systematic bioinformatics analysis. At the same time, the expression patterns of AmHSF genes in different tissues of A. mongholicus and under light response were explored. These results will provide a theoretical basis for understanding the function of HSF genes. Astragalus mongholicus is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with important medicinal value and is widely used worldwide. Heat shock (HSF) transcription factors are among the most important transcription factors in plants and are involved in the transcriptional regulation of various stress responses, including drought, salinity, oxidation, osmotic stress, and high light, thereby regulating growth and developmental processes. However, the HFS gene family has not yet been identified in A. mongholicus, and little is known regarding the role of HSF genes in A. mongholicus. This study is based on whole genome analysis of A. mongholicus, identifying a total of 22 AmHSF genes and analyzing their physicochemical properties. Divided into three subgroups based on phylogenetic and gene structural characteristics, including subgroup A (12), subgroup B (9), and subgroup C (1), they are randomly distributed in 8 out of 9 chromosomes of A. mongholicus. In addition, transcriptome data and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses revealed that AmHSF was differentially transcribed in different tissues, suggesting that AmHSF gene functions may differ. Red and blue light treatment significantly affected the expression of 20 HSF genes in soilless cultivation of A. mongholicus seedlings. AmHSF3, AmHSF3, AmHSF11, AmHSF12, and AmHSF14 were upregulated after red light and blue light treatment, and these genes all had light-corresponding cis-elements, suggesting that AmHSF genes play an important role in the light response of A. mongholicus. Although the responses of soilless-cultivated A. mongholicus seedlings to red and blue light may not represent the mature stage, our results provide fundamental research for future elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms of HSF in the growth and development of A. mongholicus and its response to different light conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the forbidden subgraph conditions for Hamilton-connected graphs. If the degree sequence of the graph is (4 , 2 , 2 , 2 , 2) and it is connected, then it is called hourglass Γ 0 . For integers i ≥ 1 , the graph Z i is paw, which is obtained by attaching one of the vertices of the triangle to one of the end vertices of a path with a number of edges i. We show that every graph G is Hamilton-connected if G is a Γ 0 -free, K 1 , 3 -free, Z 14 -free, and a 3-connected graph. Moreover, we give an example to show the sharpness of a paw-type forbidden subgraph in a 3-connected, Hamilton-connected graph. Our focus on the Hamilton-connected problem can be applied to data center networks (DCNs). In the future, we will remove the forbidden subgraph families from our conclusions when building the network to obtain the optimal communication cost. Our result extends the result of Ryjáček and Vrána (Discrete Mathematics 344: 112350, 2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper calculates numerical solutions of an extended three-coupled Korteweg–de Vries system by the q-homotopy analysis transformation method (q-HATM), which is a hybrid of the Laplace transform and the q-homotopy analysis method. Multiple investigations inspecting planetary oceans, optical cables, and cosmic plasma have employed the KdV model, significantly contributing to its development. The uniqueness, convergence, and maximum absolute truncation error of this algorithm are demonstrated. A numerical simulation has been performed to validate the accuracy and validity of the proposed approach. With high accuracy and few algorithmic processes, this algorithm supplies a series solution in the form of a recursive relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a global health problem and leading cause of death worldwide. Thrombus formation, one of the CVDs, is essentially the formation of fibrin clots. The existing thrombolytic agents have the disadvantages of high price, short half‐life, and high bleeding risk; hence, there is an urgent need to find the alternative thrombolytic agents. In recent years, traditional fermented foods have been widely investigated for their outstanding effects in the prevention and treatment of thrombus formation. In this review, we have focused on fibrinolytic enzymes produced by microorganisms during the fermentation of traditional fermented foods and their potential use for treating CVDs. First, we discussed about the sources of fibrinolytic enzymes and microbial strains that produce those enzymes followed by the optimization of fermentation process, purification, and physicochemical properties of fibrinolytic enzymes. Finally, we have summarized the thrombolytic effects of fibrinolytic enzymes in humans and mice. Fibrinolytic enzymes produced by microorganisms during the fermentation of traditional fermented foods not only lyse thrombi but also acts as anti‐atherosclerotic, anti‐hyperlipidemia, and neuroprotection agents. Therefore, fibrinolytic enzymes from traditional fermented foods have great potential for the prevention and treatment of CVDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verticillium wilt is a fungal disease in upland cotton and exerts a significant effect on growth and potential productivity. This disease is mainly caused by V. dahliae Kleb. Ethylene response factor (ERF) is one of the superfamilies of transcription factors that is involved in the development and environmental adaption of crops. A total of 30 ERF.B4 group members were detected in upland cotton and divided into 6 subgroups. Gene structures, conserved motifs, and domain analysis revealed that members in each subgroup are highly conserved. Further, the 30 GhERF.B4 group members were distributed on 18 chromosomes, and 36 gene synteny relationships were found among them. GhERF.B4 genes were ubiquitously expressed in various tissues and developmental stages of cotton. Amongst them, GhERF.B4-15D was predominantly expressed in roots, and its expression was induced by V. dahliae infection. In addition, GhERF.B4-15D responded to methyl jasmonate (MeJA), methyl salicylate (MeSA), and ethylene (ET) phytohormones. It was also found that the V. dahliae resistance was enhanced due to overexpression of GhERF.B4-15D in Arabidopsis thaliana. On the contrary, interference of GhERF.B4-15D by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology decreased the V. dahliae resistance level in upland cotton. The subcellular localization experiment showed that GhERF.B4-15D was located in the nucleus. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and luciferase complementation (LUC) approaches demonstrated that GhERF.B4-15D interacted with GhDREB1B. Additionally, the V. dahliae resistance was significantly decreased in GhDREB1B knockdowns. Our results showed that GhERF.B4-15D plays a role during V. dahliae infection in cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: The perceived supportive care needs (SCNs) of cancer patients are essential components of a care program. The first step in planning and intervening for supportive care is the proper identification of the SCNs of cancer patients. Cervical cancer (CC) is the most prevalent cancer among Nepali women. The authors assess SCNs and their predictors among CC patients under treatment by using a validated Nepali version supportive care need survey short form (SCNS- SF 34 N). Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 cancer treatment hospitals in Nepal. A culturally adapted and psychometrically validated Nepali version SCNS –SF- 34 N was completed by a convenience sample of 218 CC patients. Data were analyzed by using descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, median) and inferential (Chi-square P-value and binary logistic regression analysis) statistics. Results: The study showed that 99% of the respondents were in need of some level (low, moderate, high) of supportive care. The psychological domain, physical daily living, health system information, patient care support and sexuality domain ranked from first to fifth for SCNs with mean and standard deviations 70.29 ± 18.84, 63.25 ± 23.15, 57.90 ± 21.11, 56.46 ± 21.92 and 46.06 ± 34.16, respectively. Binary logistic regression found causal association between SCNs and variables "occupation (p-value = 0.007), and type of hospital (p-value = 0.000)" at a 95% confidence level. Conclusion: Nepali CC patients perceive and experience many unmet SCNs, with psychological SCNs being the first priority. It is essential that the SCNs of patients may need to be known by their close family members, care providers, CC related program. so that they can offer intervention as per patients' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach to question answering is challenging because it usually requires finding useful information from within and between question and answer sentences for sentence semantic matching. The key information mined from existing question and answer sentences, as a supplement to semantic information, maybe helpful for this task. However, capturing the intra-sentence and inter-sentence semantic interactions is somewhat difficult given the implicit interrelationships between question and answer sentences. Although the learning effect of multi-layer neural network is good, it lacks explanatory and theoretical support. This paper mainly studies how to select the best answer sentence from a set of question and answer sentences, mine information more effectively, perform semantic matching, and have a certain interpretability. Therefore, we propose a hierarchical attention network (QHAN) based on the mathematical framework of quantum theory, which integrates the attention mechanism under quantum measurement and density matrix (DMATT) and the attention mechanism under quantum weak measurement and weak value (WMATT) in one in a unified model framework. QHAN can not only discover key sentences in a set of question and answer sentences and key words in a sentence, but also perform sentence semantic matching quickly and accurately. Furthermore, QHAN has the advantage of interpretability in terms of models due to the physical meaning and attentional full weight distribution implied by quantum theory. Extensive experiments on the question answering dataset show that our method is comparable to the baselines and can explain why the selected question and answer sentence is the best option in terms of intra-sentence and inter-sentence attention distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A graph is called supereulerian if it has a spanning eulerian subgraph. A connected even [2, 2s]-factor of a graph G is a connected factor with all vertices of even degree i (i ∈ { 2 , 4 , … , 2 s }) , where s ≥ 1 is an integer. Let W s , t be the graph obtained from vertex-disjoint s K 2 and (t + 1) K 1 by adding all possible edges between exactly one K 1 and the remaining graphs s K 2 and t K 1 . When s = t = 1 , W 1 , 1 is Z 1 . In this paper, we show that for any positive integer k ≤ 4 and 2 ≤ i ≤ k + 1 , every connected supereulerian H -free graph of order at least 6 contains a connected even [2, 2k]-factor if and only if H satisfies the following condition. H ≼ { { K 1 , 2 k + 2 , Z 1 } , { K 1 , k + i , W k + 3 - i , 0 } , { K 1 , k + i , W k + 2 - i , i - 1 } }. And when k = 5 , 6 , we give some relevant results. We also show that for positive integers k, 2 ≤ i ≤ k + 1 and H ≼ { { K 1 , 2 k + 2 , Z 1 } , { K 1 , k + i , W k + 3 - i , 0 } } , if G is supereulerian H -free graph of order at least 6, then G contains a connected even [2, 2k]-factor. Our results extend the result of Yang et al. (Discrete Appl Math 288:192–200, 2021) and Duan et al. (Ars Comb 115:385–389, 2014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the cultivation of Marsupenaeus japonicus, there are often obvious differences in the growth within the same family under the same food, water quality, and environment, which greatly affects cultivation efficiency. To explore the molecular mechanism of this growth difference, this study used RNA-seq technology to compare the transcriptomes of M. japonicus individuals with significant growth differences from the same family. A total of 1375 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 1109 were upregulated and 266 were downregulated. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed on the differentially expressed genes, and the results showed that growth-related processes, including chitin metabolism, chitin-binding amino sugar metabolism, and antioxidant processes, including response to oxidative stress, peroxidase activity, antioxidant activity, and peroxidase activity, showed significant differences between the large-size and small-size groups. The expression levels of some differentially expressed genes, such as cuticular protein, low-density lipoprotein receptor, ecdysteroid kinase, myosin heavy chain, and apoptosis inhibitor, were verified by quantitative PCR experiments. One cuticle gene was annotated, and phylogenetic analysis showed that this sequence clustered with the penaeid cuticle genes. This study provides valuable data and a scientific basis for understanding the mechanism of growth differences in M. japonicus at the molecular-genetic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to address how to facilitate more community members making purchases in social commerce communities. The research is expected to shed new light on the underlying process by which individuals' social networks influence their purchases in social commerce communities. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey and secondary archive data are presented to confirm all the hypotheses. Findings: Community members' out-degree ties show a positive effect on their attachment to other members, as well as to the community. Community members' attachment to the community has a positive influence on their purchases made in the e-commerce modules of social commerce communities and mediates the effect of their attachment to community members. The study establishes a theoretical framework to reveal how community members' social networks influence their purchases in social commerce communities. Practical implications: The findings of this study provide new insights for managers and designers of new social commerce communities to inspire them to achieve their goal of keeping consumers making purchases in the e-commerce modules of social commerce communities. Originality/value: Firstly, this study draws on attachment theory to explain why community members make purchases in a social commerce community. Then, the study enriches the research on social network ties and attachment theory by initially integrating the social network perspective with attachment theory to examine the effects of social network ties on different types of attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let (H , α H , β H , ψ H , ω H , S H) be a BiHom-Hopf algebra and (A , α A , β A) be an (H , α H , β H , ψ H , ω H) -BiHom-bimodule algebra, where the maps α H , β H , ψ H , ω H , α A , β A are bijective. We first prove the Maschke-type theorem for the BiHom-L-R smash product over a finite-dimensional semisimple BiHom-Hopf algebra. Next we give a Morita context between the BiHom-subalgebra A b i H and the BiHom-L-R smash product A ♯ H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic hydrogen (photoH2) production is an elegant approach to storing solar energy. The most efficient strategy is to couple the hydrogen‐producing enzyme, the hydrogenase (H2ase), directly to photosystem I (PSI), which is a light‐driven nanomachine found in photosynthetic organisms. PSI–H2ase fusions have been tested in vivo and in vitro. Both approaches have each their specific advantages and drawbacks. Here, a system to combine both approaches by assembling PSI–H2ase fusions in vivo for in vitro photoH2 production is established. For this, cyanobacterial PSI–H2ase fusion mutants are generated and characterized concerning photoH2 production in vivo. The chimeric protein is purified and embedded in a redox polymer on an electrode where it successfully produces photoH2 in vitro. The combination of in vivo and in vitro processes comes along with reciprocal benefits. The in vivo assembly ensures that the chimeric protein is fully functional and suited for the fabrication of bioelectrodes in vitro. At the same time, the photoelectrochemical in vitro characterization now permits to analyze the assemblies in detail. This will open avenues to optimize in vivo and in vitro approaches for photoH2 production in a target‐oriented manner in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus cereus, a Gram-positive bacterium, is a food contaminant that threatens the health of thousands of people around the world. Because of the continuous emergence of drug-resistant strains, the development of new classes of bactericides from natural products is of high priority. In this study, two novel cassane diterpenoids (pulchins A and B) and three known ones (3–5) were elucidated from the medicinal plant Caesaplinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. Pulchin A, with a rare "6/6/6/3" carbon skeleton, showed significant antibacterial activity against B. cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, with MIC values of 3.13 and 6.25 μM, respectively. Further investigation of its mechanism of antibacterial activity against B. cereus is also discussed in detail. The results revealed that the antibacterial activity of pulchin A against B. cereus may be caused by pulchin A interfering with bacterial cell membrane proteins, affecting membrane permeability and causing cell damage or death. Thus, pulchin A may have a potential application as an antibacterial agent in the food and agricultural industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the network connectedness approach to examine the risk spillover between the economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and exchange rate volatility (ERV) of 21 countries. Using monthly data from January 1997 to August 2022, we find that the spillover effect of ERV on EPU is greater than that of the inverse. In addition, the spillover effect of EPU on ERV is mainly concentrated in the foreign exchange markets of developing countries. This finding indicates that the foreign exchange markets of developing countries are more susceptible to shocks of global economic risk, and the spreading of risk contagion between EPU and ERV mainly follows the pathway "increase in global ERV → rising global EPU → further intensified volatility in the foreign exchange markets of developing countries." A rolling-window analysis shows that the spillover between global EPU and ERV is time-varying. The cross-market spillovers between EPU and ERV in the post-crisis period continued to rise and further increased sharply after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its promising capacity in improving drug efficacy, polypharmacology has emerged to be a new theme in the drug discovery of complex disease. In the process of novel multi-target drugs (MTDs) discovery, in silico strategies come to be quite essential for the advantage of high throughput and low cost. However, current researchers mostly aim at typical closely related target pairs. Because of the intricate pathogenesis networks of complex diseases, many distantly related targets are found to play crucial role in synergistic treatment. Therefore, an innovational method to develop drugs which could simultaneously target distantly related target pairs is of utmost importance. At the same time, reducing the false discovery rate in the design of MTDs remains to be the daunting technological difficulty. In this research, effective small molecule clustering in the positive dataset, together with a putative negative dataset generation strategy, was adopted in the process of model constructions. Through comprehensive assessment on 10 target pairs with hierarchical similarity-levels, the proposed strategy turned out to reduce the false discovery rate successfully. Constructed model types with much smaller numbers of inhibitor molecules gained considerable yields and showed better false-hit controllability than before. To further evaluate the generalization ability, an in-depth assessment of high-throughput virtual screening on ChEMBL database was conducted. As a result, this novel strategy could hierarchically improve the enrichment factors for each target pair (especially for those distantly related/unrelated target pairs), corresponding to target pair similarity-levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Social commerce platforms are prevalent in the explosion of social media and e-commerce, and they enable conversations across a broad range of topics. However, their success depends on consumers' willingness to invest their time, attention and money. Digital influencers have shown prominent effects on consumers in those social commerce platforms. This study, thus, aims to attempt to unravel the role of digital influencers in affecting consumer engagement and purchase behaviour in online social commerce communities. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed approach with a field interview, an online survey and secondary archive data are presented to confirm all the hypotheses. Findings: Several forms of social power from digital influencers (including expert power, informational power, referent power and legitimate reciprocity power) could influence consumer engagement behaviours (including content participation and content creation). Moreover, the two types of consumer engagement behaviours could further influence consumer purchase likelihood in the social commerce community. Research limitations/implications: Several forms of social power from digital influencers (including expert power, informational power, referent power and legitimate reciprocity power) could affect consumer engagement behaviours (including content participation and content creation). Moreover, the two types of consumer engagement behaviours could further affect consumer's purchase expenditure in the social commerce community. Originality/value: This study draws on the theories of social power and social influence and integrates the literature on consumer engagement to explain how digital influencers affect consumer engagement and their purchase behaviour in an online social commerce community. Firstly, this work extends existing studies on the antecedents of consumer engagement in the social commerce communities by considering the role of digital influencers. Secondly, this research advances the theoretical understanding of the influence of digital influencers through a new lens of social power. The findings also contribute to community managers, users who pursue popularity and companies who target business goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective strategy for construction of 1,5‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐2‐one scaffolds by a cascade of 1,5‐dienes with cyclobutanone oxime esters was developed. The reaction proceeded through radical addition, 5‐endo cyclization, and subsequent deprotonation, in which two new C−C bonds were formed. This protocol features excellent regioselectivity and a low‐cost catalyst, as well as broad substrate scope, which are expected to promote its potential applications in pharmacy and synthetic chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut microbial β-glucuronidases (GUSs) inhibition is a new approach for managing some diseases and medication therapy. However, the structural and functional complexity of GUSs have posed tremendous challenges to discover specific or broad-spectrum GUSs inhibitors using Escherichia coli GUS (Eco GUS) alone. This study first assessed the effects of twenty-one dietary flavones employing three Loop 1-type GUSs of different taxonomic origins, which were considered to be the main GUSs involved in deglucuronidation of small molecules, on p -nitrophenyl- β -D-glucuronide hydrolysis and a structure-activity relationship is preliminarily proposed based on both in vitro assays and a docking study with representative compounds. Eco GUS and Staphylococcus pasteuri GUS showed largely similar inhibition propensities with potencies positively correlating with the total hydroxyl groups and those at ring B of flavones, while docking results revealed strong interactions developed via ring A and/or C. Streptococcus agalactiae GUS (Saga GUS) exhibited distinct inhibition propensities, displaying late-onset inhibition and steep dose-response profiles with most tested compounds. The α-helix in loop 1 region of Saga GUS which causes spatial hindrance but offers a hydrophobic surface for contacting with the carbonyl group on ring C of flavones is believed to be essential for the allosteric inhibition of Saga GUS. Taken together, the study with a series of flavones revealed varied preferences for GUSs belonging to the same Loop 1-type, highlighting the necessity of adopting multi-GUSs instead of Eco GUS alone for screening broad-spectrum GUSs inhibitors or tailoring the inhibition based on specific GUS structure. • Three Loop 1 GUSs showed different inhibitory propensities via distinct mechanisms. • Eco GUS and Spas GUS inhibition correlates positively with B ring OH group of flavones. • Loop-1 α-helix of Saga GUS mainly accounts for steep-slope incomplete inhibition. • Docking study revealed primary interactions between GUSs and ring A/C of flavones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We proposed a dual GroupGAN network constructed by a SENet-based four-competitor (2V2), which leverages the predicted video frame as input to the reconstruction network to amplify the reconstruction error and improve the detection of anomalies. • The proposed approach introduced in this paper can effectively enhance crucial spatial-temporal features presented in video frames, thereby facilitating better preservation of normal patterns in memory. • The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through extensive experiments on three standard public VAD datasets. In response to the issues of overgeneralization in reconstruction-based methods and noise sensitivity in prediction-based methods for video anomaly detection, this paper proposes a novel unsupervised video anomaly detection approach using dual GroupGAN, refers to a four-competitor (2V2), based on channel attention mechanism. Our appraoch incorporates a channel attention mechanism into two generators, namely the SE-U-Net and SE-VAE, which respectively serve as the prediction and reconstruction networks. The SE-U-Net captures essential spatio-temporal features and automatically calibrates the channel dimension, while the SE-VAE learns global features from associated video frames. A weighting strategy is used to fuse the anomaly scores of the two networks and balance their emphasis on spatio-temporal feature representation. To wrap up, the proposed prediction network (SE-U-Net) is resistant to overgeneralization and improves quality of the reconstruction network (SE-VAE) when using the prediction frame as the input of SE-VAE. Also, the SE-VAE enhances predicted future frames from normal events, thereby increasing the robustness of the SE-U-Net. Experimental results from UCSD Ped2, CUHK Avenue, and ShanghaiTech datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach both qualitatively and quantitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to reveal the response of multi Lane pre disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone embankment under vehicle dynamic load. In this paper, the pre-disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone samples whose fractal dimension meets the requirements are obtained through the indoor disintegration test of carbonaceous mudstone. Geotechnical basic tests such as particle analysis experiments, compaction tests, and direct shear tests were carried out on the pre-disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone samples, and the physical and mechanical parameters of the pre-disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone were obtained. On this basis, a two-way 4-lane pre-disintegration carbonaceous mudstone embankment model of the expressway was established by ABAQUS numerical software. Three different working conditions are set up to study the dynamic response of multi-lane pre-disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone embankment under vehicle load. The results show that the stress change trend on the surface of the pre-disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone embankment without vehicles is the same as that on the side with vehicles. Under this condition, the vertical displacement of the pre-disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone embankment surface can be as high as 4.33mm, and the vertical displacement change of the embankment in the 0–0.6s phase is basically the same as the stress amplitude distribution. When a traffic jam occurs on one side, the maximum increase in vertical stress on the surface of the embankment on the normal driving side is about 170 kPa compared to condition one, and the vertical displacement at each depth of the embankment has been significantly increased. When a traffic jam occurs on one side, it can significantly increase the vertical stress on the surface of the pre-disintegrated carbonaceous mudstone embankment in this lane. The middle part of the stress time curve of monitoring points 3 and 4 in working condition three is more stable and significant than in working condition one, and the maximum vertical displacement is increased by about 1.70mm. The research results can reference the stability analysis of carbonaceous mudstone embankments and engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrospraying technique has attracted much attention in food science because of its importance for biological macromolecule encapsulation of food bioactive substances. The purpose of this review is to overview the electrospraying technique and its recent application advances for biological macromolecule encapsulation of food bioactive substances. First, the history, principles, setup, and products of the electrospraying technique are briefly introduced. Second, the application of electrosprayed nano-, micro-, and millimeter-sized particles with solid, porous, core-shell, and multi-core structures for biological macromolecule encapsulation of nutrients is reviewed. Thirdly, the application of electrosprayed micro- and millimeter-sized particles for biological macromolecule encapsulation of probiotics is analyzed. Finally, the application of electrospraying technique for biological macromolecule encapsulation of food bioactive substances is summarized and an outlook is provided. This review will provide guide instruction to the research and development of electrosprayed particles for biological macromolecule encapsulation of food bioactive substances in novel food development. It will be useful for those who are interested to enter this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Ir/Ag dual-catalysis method has been developed for the synthesis of β- anti -substituted α-amino acids in high yields and with good enantioselectivities through a ligand/chelation-control strategy. By using this chiral-ligand-control strategy, a natural product for the regulation of a plant-growth hormone was synthesized on a gram scale in three steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel biocatalyst BFMO@BC was successfully synthesized. • 1O 2 was evidenced as the dominant reactive oxidizing species. • BFMO@BC was environmentally adaptable and exhibited excellent cycling properties. • The bimetallic cycle, C=O groups, and carbon defects were responsible for the superior catalytic activity. Biogenic metal oxides are considered superior eco-friendly candidates for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. However, they often suffer from metal aggregation, high ion leaching, and poor recyclability, diminishing their practical attractiveness. In this study a novel biochar-loaded biogenic iron-manganese oxide composite (BFMO@BC) was synthesized to activate PMS for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation. The introduction of biochar brought more active sites (C=O and carbon degree), promoted the bimetallic redox cycle between Fe and Mn, and facilitated the conversion of SO 5 •− to 1O 2 , which significantly improved the catalytic performance. Results demonstrated 100 % SMX degradation within 3 min in BFMO@BC/PMS system. And the reaction rate constant of this system was as high as 0.852 min−1, which was 11.6 times than that of BFMO/PMS. Moreover, high SMX removal efficiencies (near 100 %) could be obtained over a wide pH range (3–11) and in complex water matrices. BFMO@BC displayed excellent adaptability, stability, and reusability for SMX removal. This study provides new insights into the utilization of biocatalysts in advanced oxidation processes for pollutant degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cu-Al co-doped BiFeO 3 was prepared by hydrothermal method. • Cu-Al co-doping effectively improved the electronic structure of the catalyst. • The catalyst exhibits excellent photo-fenton synergistic degradation of pollutant. Cu-Al co-doped bismuth ferrite catalyst (Cu-Al-BFO) was prepared by hydrothermal method. The strong interaction between Cu-Al and BFO formed in the Cu-Al-BFO catalyst not only improved the stability of the catalyst, but also enhanced the photo-generated charge separation efficiency. The photocurrent of the composite catalyst is 6.3 times higher than that of BFO. In addition, Cu-Al co-doping effectively improves the electronic structure of the catalyst and promotes the generation of hydroxyl oxygen, which enhances the degradation activity of the catalyst. The 5 %Cu-Al-BFO catalyst for photo-fenton synergistic degradation of pollutants was up to 99 %, which is 93 % higher than that of BFO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, analytical analysis of a wind-induced vibration energy harvester used for the bacterial disinfection of water is mainly considered. The complexification-averaging (CA) method is utilized to analytically calculate the results of the harvester, the model equations of the harvester satisfied are reduced into a set of complex variable equations. The relationship between the displacement amplitude and voltage amplitude is derived under the steady-state case. The amplitudes and phases of both the displacement and voltage are obtained. The analytical solutions of the harvester are then verified by direct numerical simulation. The response mechanism under different parameters is discussed. The frequency island and multi-valued phenomena are found. Meanwhile, it is found that a higher wind speed corresponds to a larger displacement amplitude and voltage. In addition, the RMS voltage and average power are studied. Both have the same variation rules under different excitation amplitudes. Under the same coupling coefficient, load resistance and piezoelectric patch capacitance, the lower the frequency, the easier it is to obtain the larger voltage output. However, the load resistance has the opposite effect on both of them. Finally, to obtain maximum output in a wider frequency region, the optimization and choice of the parameters is studied, and the critical boundary can be identified. • Analytical solutions of the wind-induced vibration energy harvester are presented. • The relationship of frequency response is derived based on complexification-averaging method. • The root mean square voltage and average power are studied. • The selection of important parameters is discussed, and the critical boundary can be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has been recognized as an important gaseous signaling molecule in living systems, and is of great significance in many pathological and physiological processes. Misregulation of endogenous H 2 S is implicated in various diseases in the neuronal, gastrointestinal, circulatory, and endocrine systems. Fluorescent probe with large Stokes shift and near infrared emission, is ideal candidate for imaging applications to prevent excitation scattering, autofluorescence interference, matrix absorption caused signal loss, and sample destruction. In this study, a dual-side expansion approach was performed to develop spectra tunable hydroxyl functional flavylium derivative named HN8 with enlarged Stokes shift of 81 nm, lengthened emission of 671 nm, satisfied quantum yield of 0.23, and good fluorescence enhancement factor of 14.3-fold. Moreover, based on HN8 , the screened probe HN8DNP displayed 225-fold fluorescence enhancement containing linear correlations to H 2 S from 0 to 50 μM with good limit of detection (LOD) of 0.31 μM. Therefore, HN8DNP was then applied for imaging exogenous H 2 S and drug induced enzymatic H 2 S generation in living cells with satisfied results, revealing the relationship between intracellular H 2 S levels and related enzyme activities. In a word, the present work provided a potential fluorescence probe for highly selective and sensitive detecting H 2 S in vitro and in living cells. And the promising dual-side expansion strategy for regulation optical feature of traditional fluorophore may meet the increasing requirements of sensing and imaging applications. [Display omitted] • HN8 has Stokes shift of 81 nm, emission of 671 nm, and quantum yield of 0.23. • HN8 showed 14.3-fold fluorescence enhancement factor. • Probe HN8DNP displayed 225-fold enhancement and LOD of 0.31 μM to H 2 S. • Probe HN8DNP was applied for imaging exogenous H 2 S and enzymatic H 2 S generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Zwitterionic hydrogel nanolayer was synthesized by interfacial polymerization. • Zwitterionic monomer modulated the hydrogel layer structure and membrane characters. • Zwitterionic hydrogel hindered the adhesion of biomacromolecules and killed microbes. • The growth of biofilm on zwitterionic hydrogel nanolayer surface was inhibited. Ultralow-pressurized ultrafiltration membrane process with low energy consumption is promising in surface water purification. However, membrane fouling and low selectivity are significant barriers for the wide application of this process. Herein, an ultrathin zwitterionic hydrogel nanolayer was in-situ grown on polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane surface through interfacially-initiated free radical polymerization. The hydrogel-modified membrane possessed improved biological fouling resistance during the dynamic filtration process (bovine serum albumin, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus), comparing with commercial polysulfone membrane. The enhanced biofouling resistance ability of zwitterionic hydrogel nanolayer was derived from the foulant repulsion of hydration shell and the bactericidal effect of quaternary ammonium, according to the results of foulant-membrane interaction energy analyses and antibacterial performances. In surface water treatment, the zwitterionic hydrogel layer inhibited biofouling and resulted in the formation of a loose and thin biofilm. In addition, the hydrogel-modified membrane possessed 22% improvement in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal and 134% increasement in stable water flux, compared to commercial polysulfone membrane. The in-situ grown zwitterionic hydrogel nanolayer on membrane surface offers a prospectively alternative for biofouling control in ultralow-pressurized membrane process. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNA (circRNA), a new type of endogenous non-coding RNA, is abundantly present in eukaryotic cells, and characterized as stable high conservation and tissue specific expression. It has been generated increasing attention because of their close association with the progress of diseases. The liver is the vital organ of humans, while it is prone to acute and chronic diseases due to the influence of multiple pathogenic factors. Moreover, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the one of most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Overwhelming evidences indicate that some circRNAs are differentially expressed in liver diseases, such as, HCC, chronic hepatitis B, hepatic steatosis and hepatoblastoma tissues, etc. Additionally, these circRNAs are related to proliferation, invasion, migration, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and metastasis of cell in liver diseases and act as oncogenic agents or suppressors, and linked to clinical manifestations. In this review, we briefly summarize the biogenesis, characterization and biological functions, recent detection and identification technologies of circRNA, and regulation network mechanism of circRNA in liver diseases, and discuss their potential values as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for liver diseases, especially on HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For commercial aquatic animals, hypoxia phenomenon often occurs in live transport and aquaculture. In previous studies, much interest has been focused on antioxidant enzyme activities and could not present the complexities. The multifaceted responses, especially considering physiological indexes, histological structure, cell apoptosis, and immune pathways, are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the comprehensive hypoxic responses of Marsupenaeus japonicus. The results showed that the physiological indexes showed time-dependent changes upon hypoxia stress. Hypoxia stress led to significant tissue damage and cell apoptosis in the gill and hepatopancreas. Compared with the control group, the apoptosis index (AI) of the 12 h hypoxic treatment increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the gills and hepatopancreas. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified 900 and 1400 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the gill and hepatopancreas, respectively. Several DEGs were related to the lysosome, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, citrate cycle, and apoptosis, and seven of them were validated using quantitative real-time PCR. This study provided valuable clues to understanding the mechanisms underlying the hypoxic responses of M. japonicus. • The physiological indexes showed time-dependent changes upon hypoxia stress. • Hypoxia stress led to significant tissue damage and cell apoptosis. • A total of 900 and 1400 DEGs were detected in the gill and hepatopancreas. • Glycolysis, anaerobic metabolism and TCA cycle were affected by hypoxia stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The influence of foliar nitrogen fertilizer during veraison (FNFV) on anthocyanin accumulation and chromatic characteristics of 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapes over two seasons was investigated. RESULTS: Urea and phenylalanine fertilizers (TU and TP, respectively) and a control were sprayed three times at veraison. In 2018, TU displayed a significant enhancement in total individual anthocyanin content and a* and Cab* profiles. In 2019, FNAV significantly improved the content of total non‐acylated, acylated anthocyanin and total individual anthocyanin, and the profiles of L*, a* and Cab*, except a* in TU. The whole process from phenylalanine variation to anthocyanin accumulation in grape skins was analyzed. On the whole, after the first FNFV to harvest, the increase in phenylalanine metabolism, abscisic acid content, effects of PAL (Phenylalanine ammonia lyase), UFGT (UDP glucose‐flavonoid 3‐O‐glucosyltransferase) and transcript concentrations of VvPAL and VvUFGT involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis were also strong evidence explaining the increased anthocyanin and chromatic profiles in 2019. CONCLUSION: Overall, FNFV for nitrogen‐deficient grapevines could significantly improve grape color, especially in the 2019 veraison with a proper climate. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks a recognized therapeutic molecular target and has an unfavorable prognosis. (20S)-Protopanaxatriol (g-PPT, PPT) is an active metabolite extracted from ginseng. Accumulating evidence suggests that it has good anti-cancer activity in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the anti-tumor effects of PPT in TNBC cells and tumor-bearing mice, as well as the relevant molecular mechanisms of autophagy and apoptosis. In vitro , we have found that PPT is capable of inducing non-protective autophagy and apoptosis, thus exerting some anti-proliferative and anti-migration activity in TNBC cells. And in vivo , the therapeutic effects of PPT were evaluated by xenograft mouse models. The potential binding mode of PPT and Akt was predicted by molecular docking. Our findings indicated that PPT treatment induced non-protective autophagy in TNBC cells by inhibiting the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Therefore, PPT may be a potential treatment for TNBC in the future. • PPT exerted anti-cancer effect in TNBC cells both in vitro and in vivo. • PPT activates apoptosis and non-protective autophagy in TNBC cells. • PPT activates apoptosis and autophagy by inhibiting Akt/mTOR pathway in TNBC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosystem I (PSI), a robust and abundant biomolecule capable of delivering high‐energy photoelectrons, has a great potential for the fabrication of light‐driven semi‐artificial bioelectrodes. Although possibilities have been explored in this regard, the true capabilities of this technology have not been achieved yet, particularly for their use as bioanodes. Here, the use of PSI Langmuir monolayers and their electrical wiring with specifically designed redox polymers is shown, ensuring an efficient mediated electron transfer as the basis for the fabrication of an advanced biophotoanode. The bioelectrode is rationally implemented and optimized for enabling the generation of substantial photocurrents of up to 17.6 µA cm−2 and is even capable of delivering photocurrents at potentials as low as −300 mV vs standard hydrogen electrode, surpassing the performance of comparable devices. To highlight the applicability of the developed light‐driven bioanode, a biophotovoltaic cell is assembled in combination with a gas‐breathing biocathode. The assembly operates in a single compartment cell and delivers considerable power outputs at large cell voltages. The implemented biophotoanode constitutes an important step toward the development of advanced biophotovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kuruma shrimp, a major commercial shrimp species in the world, has two cryptic or sibling species, Marsupenaeus japonicus and Marsupenaeus pulchricaudatus. Codon usage analysis would contribute to our understanding of the genetic and evolutionary characteristics of the two Marsupenaeus species. In this study, we analyzed codon usage and related indices using coding sequences (CDSs) from RNA-seq data. Results: Using CodonW 1.4.2 software, we performed the codon bias analysis of transcriptomes obtained from hepatopancreas tissues, which indicated weak codon bias. Almost all parameters had similar correlations for both species. The gene expression level (FPKM) was negatively correlated with A/T3s. We determined 12 and 14 optimal codons for M. japonicus and M. pulchricaudatus, respectively, and all optimal codons have a C/G-ending. The two Marsupenaeus species had different usage frequencies of codon pairs, which contributed to further analysis of transcriptional differences between them. Orthologous genes that underwent positive selection (ω > 1) had a higher correlation coefficient than that of experienced purifying selection (ω < 1). Parity Rule 2 (PR2) and effective number of codons (ENc) plot analysis showed that the codon usage patterns of both species were influenced by both mutations and selection. Moreover, the average observed ENc value was lower than the expected value for both species, suggesting that factors other than GC may play roles in these phenomena. The results of multispecies clustering based on codon preference were consistent with traditional classification. Conclusions: This study provides a relatively comprehensive understanding of the correlations among codon usage bias, gene expression, and selection pressures of CDSs for M. japonicus and M. pulchricaudatus. The genetic evolution was driven by mutations and selection pressure. Moreover, the results point out new insights into the specificities and evolutionary characteristics of the two Marsupenaeus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low temperature plasma (LTP) exerted beneficial effects on seed germination and crop growth. With application of LTP on seed germination of Platycodon grandiflorum , germination indexes and physiological parameters and transcriptome profile were investigated in this experiment. The results showed the seed germination rate and germinating potential of Platycodon grandiflorum in LTP increased by 24.7% and 30.7% comparing to CK respectively (p < 0.05). The SOD and CAT activity of the seed sprouts increased by 26.78% and 12.41% comparing to CK. Transcriptome results showed that 14342 up-regulated and 4366 down-regulated different expressing genes (DEGs) at LTP and CK. A considerable number of DEGs related to the plant hormone signal transduction, peroxisome, oxidative phosphorylation, starch and surose in response to low temperature plasma were identified in this study. The transcriptomic gene expression profiles present a valuable genomic tool to the molecular mechanisms of Platycodon grandiflorum seed germination underlying low temperature plasma. which can provide theoretical basis and practical guidance for cultivation and planting of Platycodon grandiflorum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly regioselective and stereoselective palladium-catalyzed addition reaction of indoles to glycals has been accomplished. This palladium-catalyzed chemistry provides a facile route to a variety of N-glycosyl indoles in high to excellent yields with β-selectivity. Remarkably, the reaction showed complete site selectivity toward the nitrogen of indole in a mild reaction condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web search has become a popular way for people to obtain information. Due to the complexity of search task, one retrieval cannot serve all of user's information needs. Multiple interactions with the search engine are required, and session search comes into being. Currently proposed session search methods still cannot take advantage of interactive information to capture the user's implicit information needs. Recently, quantum theory has been successively applied into information retrieval task. We find the similarities between quantum measurements and session interactions. This paper thus develops a Quantum Interactive Retrieval Model (QIRM), which involves both quantum standard measurement (QSM) and quantum weak measurement (QWM) to re-characterize the user's cognition shifts during a session interaction. Particularly, the user's cognition states in strong interaction and weak interaction are quantified into quantum-like representations formalized by QSM and QWM, respectively. The representations are then viewed as the user's information needs for computing ranking score of an evaluated document. We conduct experiments on TREC 2013 and 2014 Session Track datasets. The empirical evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our proposed methods, which obtains very comparable performance in terms of nDCG@10 and ERR@10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of this research was to study the influence of waterborne epoxy resin on the properties of emulsified asphalt and its microstructure. First, the proportions of curing agent and waterborne epoxy resin were determined based on the test results of three indexes. Then, modified emulsified asphalt emulsion samples with different waterborne epoxy resin contents were prepared. The evaporation residues of the modified emulsified asphalt samples were subjected to the three index tests, dynamic shear rheological (DSR) test, bending beam rheometer (BBR) test, and pullout test. In addition, the performance parameters of the waterborne-epoxy-resin modified emulsified asphalt were compared with those of the neat asphalt and the emulsified asphalt. Last, the microstructures of the modified emulsified asphalt samples were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The test results indicated that the optimal curing agent to waterborne epoxy resin ratio was 10∶1. As the waterborne epoxy resin content increased, the softening point of the evaporation residue of the modified emulsified asphalt samples increased and penetration decreased. The ductility suddenly decreased. The addition of waterborne epoxy resin significantly improved the high-temperature performance and bond behavior of the modified emulsified asphalt. However, its low-temperature performance deteriorated. The results of the microstructure analysis indicated that when the waterborne epoxy resin content was 10%, the waterborne epoxy resin was more evenly distributed throughout the modified emulsified asphalt. The comprehensive properties of the waterborne-epoxy-resin modified emulsified asphalt were superior to those of neat asphalt and emulsified asphalt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elaeagnus L. (Elaeagnaceae) is an important plant genus widely used in erosion control due to its high wind breaking and soil binding capacity, but also possessing medicinal and ornamental values. The phenotypic similarity of fruits and flowers of E. moorcroftii and E. angustifolia has often led researchers to speculate on their close relationship and they have sometimes been considered conspecific. In this study, 16 morphological characters were selected and assigned for cluster analysis which divided the samples (n = 49) into six groups: three of E. moorcroftii and three of E. angustifolia. Simple‐sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to discern the genetic diversity of the 49 individuals. Genetic diversity was found to be high (He = 288, I = 0.938) and there was a strong correlation between the morphological and SSR data. Thus, when combined, the phenotypic classification and SSR marker based evidence confirmed E. moorcroftii as a distinct species independent from E. angustifolia, a conclusion not in agreement with the treatment in recent floras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SNX32 is a member of the evolutionarily conserved Phox (PX) homology domain‐ and Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain‐ containing sorting nexin (SNX‐BAR) family of proteins, which play important roles in sorting and membrane trafficking of endosomal cargoes. Although SNX32 shares the highest amino acid sequence homology with SNX6, and has been believed to function redundantly with SNX5 and SNX6 in retrieval of the cation‐independent mannose‐6‐phosphate receptor (CI‐MPR) from endosomes to the trans‐Golgi network (TGN), its role(s) in intracellular protein trafficking remains largely unexplored. Here, we report that it functions in parallel with SNX1 in mediating epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐stimulated postendocytic trafficking of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Moreover, SNX32 interacts directly with EGFR, and recruits SNX5 to promote sorting of EGF–EGFR into multivesicular bodies (MVBs) for lysosomal degradation. Thus, SNX32 functions distinctively from other SNX‐BAR proteins to mediate signaling‐coupled endolysosomal trafficking of EGFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Harary index of a connected (molecular) graph is defined as the sum of reciprocals of distances between all its pairs of vertices. In this paper, we characterize the extremal Eulerian graphs (with a fixed number of vertices) with greatest and smallest Harary indices and characterize the Harary indices of two special type of Eulerian graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy with high rates of recurrence and metastasis. There are no standard treatment options available for patients with recurrence and metastases. The case of a 61-year-old male with SDC of the left parotid gland is presented in this study. The results revealed that the patient's tumour had strong positive staining for androgen receptor (AR) expression, mutations in HRAS and PIK3CA but not in other related genes, and no gene amplification of HER-2. After the primary therapy of parotidectomy with neck dissection and postoperative radiation, bone metastases were found in the ribs, pelvis and spine. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) involving combined androgen blockade (CAB) was effective as the first-line therapy for the patient's metastases and resulted in a progression-free survival (PFS) of over 7 months to date. In conclusion, androgen deprivation therapy is recommended for patients with recurrent or metastatic SDC positive for androgen receptor expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in lung cancer worldwide, and immune escape plays a vital role in the process of metastasis. Clinical studies have proven that Jinfukang (JFK) can effectively treat lung cancer metastasis by regulating T lymphocytes. However, it is still unknown whether JFK plays a role in treating lung cancer metastasis by regulating T-cell receptors (TCRs). To explore the effect of JFK in inhibiting lung cancer metastasis by regulating TCR. A lung metastasis model was established in C57BL/6J and BALB/c-nude mice by tail vein injection of Lewis lung cancer cells. JFK was given by continuous intragastric administration. Anatomical observation combined with hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to evaluate lung metastasis. T cells, MDSCs, and macrophages in the peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry, and the proliferation and immune cell infiltration of lung metastases were observed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. The diversity and gene expression of TCR in peripheral blood and lung tissues were detected by immune repertoire sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis was carried out. Compared with the control group, the number of pulmonary metastatic nodules in JFK-treated mice showed a decreasing trend, and it significantly reduced the burden of lung tumor metastasis in mice. We found that the expression level of Ki-67 protein in lung metastatic tumor tissues of mice treated with JFK was significantly reduced, while the infiltration level of CD8+ T lymphocytes and NK cells was significantly increased. In addition, we also found that JFK could significantly increase the proportion of CD4+ T, CD8+ T and NKT cells in the peripheral blood of mice. Moreover, JFK reduced the ratio of M-MDSCs and increased the ratio of PMN-MDSCs in the peripheral blood of mice. JFK increased the ratio of M1 macrophages in the peripheral blood of Lewis tumor-bearing mice. The sequencing of TCR in the peripheral blood and lung tissue of mice indicated that there was no notable difference in TCR diversity as the tumor progressed and JFK treatment was administered. However, the downregulation of TRBV16, TRBV17, TRBV1 and the upregulation of the TRBV12-2 gene in the TCR caused by tumor progression can be reversed by JFK. These results suggest that JFK may upregulate the proportion of CD4+ T, CD8+ T and NKT cells in peripheral blood, reverse the TCR changes caused by tumor metastasis, and promote the infiltration of CD8+ T and NK cells in tumor tissues, thereby inhibiting the growth of tumors and ultimately reducing the burden of lung cancer metastasis. This will provide new strategies for developing Chinese herbal medicine to treat metastasis by regulating TCR. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The surface changes during the malachite sulfidization process at the microscale were explored using various advanced techniques. • The in-situ change in malachite surface morphology after reagents adsorption was directly observed using AFM. • The effect of sulfide film formation on the interaction force between malachite particles and bubbles was determined. With the gradual depletion of copper sulfide resources, efficient flotation technologies for the recovery of copper oxide minerals, such as malachite, have received significant attention. Although sulfidization plays a critical role in malachite flotation, the fundamental theory of sulfidization flotation remains uncertain in the context of practical industrial applications. In this study, evolution of the sulfide product morphology on the malachite surface was observed after treatment with various concentrations of sodium sulfide. In addition, the valence states and phase compositions of the sulfide products were investigated using different X-ray techniques. Furthermore, the evolution of the malachite surface morphology after the formation of a sulfide film was investigated, as were the interaction forces between the malachite and bubbles under the action of butyl xanthate. As a result, it was possible to directly observe the growth process of the sulfide film on the malachite surface, and the presence of Cu(I) was confirmed in the sulfide products. Moreover, the compositions of the sulfide products were investigated using X-ray techniques. The obtained results demonstrated that the sulfide film facilitated the formation of butyl xanthate product layers on the malachite surface, whilst also enhancing the interfacial interaction forces between the malachite and the bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]