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As an endemic species of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, the Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) exhibits adaptation to the extremely high-altitude environment and possesses a number of distinct physiological characteristics. In order to explore potential mechanisms underlying the adaptation of plateau pikas, we investigate transcriptomic differences across tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, muscle, cerebellum, left brain, and right brain) of the Plateau Pika, in a comparative framework. We analyze possible mechanisms of adaptive evolution by including a transcriptome analysis across the 9 tissues from 3 male and 4 female O. curzonia e and contrasting results with the 8 male and 4 female Gansu Pika (O. cansus) that inhabits the lower middle altitudes. Differential expression and protein–protein interaction network analyses were used to identify the differentially expressed genes and their primary functions. By analyzing interspecific differences, we identified significant adaptive transcriptional changes in the heart, lung, and spleen of the Plateau Pika. Specifically, upregulated genes in these tissues not only show a substantial association with apoptosis and DNA damage repair, but also demonstrate apparent enrichment in biological pathways related to energy metabolism and immune regulation. The majority of downregulated genes exhibit decreased activity in metabolic pathways particularly in muscle, spleen, kidney, and brain tissues. We further reveal the pivotal gene interaction networks of the 9 tissues. Our study provides valuable insight into adaptive mechanisms underlying evolution of Plateau Pika at extreme altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High expression of TLR3/TLR4 in breast cancer predicts better prognosis. • Interaction between tumor cells and macrophages restrains TLR3/TLR4. • Pirarubicin combined with TLRs agonists up-regulates TLR3/TLR4 in vitro and in vivo. • Combination therapy promotes anti-tumor function in murine model. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is prone to relapse due to the lack of effective therapeutic targets. Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of breast cancer. Targeting the cross-talk between macrophages and cancer cells provides a more efficient strategy for anti-tumor therapy. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important players involved in macrophage activation, and TLR agonists are known to play roles in cancer therapy. However, the combination strategy of TLR agonists with chemotherapy drugs is still not well characterized. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of TLRs. The communication between breast cancer cells and macrophages were determined by co-culture in vitro. Tumor cells proliferation and migration were investigated by MTT assay and scratch wound assay. The effects of drug combinations and toxic side effects were assessed by immunohistochemistry and Hematoxylin & Eosin staining. Expression of TLR3 and TLR4 were lower in breast tumor tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Patients with higher TLR3 or TLR4 expression levels had a better prognosis than those with lower expression levels. TLR3/4 expression was significantly inhibited when breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 and E0771 were conditioned-cultured with macrophages in vitro and was also inhibited by pirarubicin (THP). However, the combination of TLR agonists and THP could reverse this response and inhibit the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. Additionally, this combination significantly reduced the tumor volume and weight in the murine model, increased the expression of TLR3/4 in mouse breast tumors. Our results provide new ideas for the combination strategy of THP with TLR agonists which improves prognosis of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The J-domain proteins (JDP) form the largest protein family among cellular chaperones. In cooperation with the Hsp70 chaperone system, these co-chaperones orchestrate a plethora of distinct functions, including those that help maintain cellular proteostasis and development. JDPs evolved largely through the fusion of a J-domain with other protein subdomains. The highly conserved J-domain facilitates the binding and activation of Hsp70s. How JDPs (re)wire Hsp70 chaperone circuits and promote functional diversity remains insufficiently explained. Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the JDP family with a focus on the regulation built around J-domains to ensure correct pairing and assembly of JDP-Hsp70 machineries that operate on different clientele under various cellular growth conditions. J-domains play a critical role in (re)wiring cellular JDP-Hsp70 circuits vital for maintaining proteostasis and organismal development. Multiple genetic and structural regulatory elements are built around the J-domain to provide specificity for assembling different JDP-Hsp70 chaperone machineries. J-domains carry discriminatory phylogenetic signatures that could specify the type, class, cell location, and phyla of JDPs. Loss of function and/or aberrant wiring of JDPs with partnering Hsp70s could act as risk factors for a wide range of human diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicone rubber is widely used in power system insulation for its hydrophobicity and hydrophobicity transfer to prevent pollution flashover. The influence of low molecular weight (LMW) siloxanes on hydrophobicity of contaminated silicone rubber after plasma jet treatment was investigated in this study. Experimental results show that plasma jet treatment for several seconds can significantly improve the hydrophobicity of contaminated silicone rubber. LMW siloxanes play an important role in the quick recovery of hydrophobicity induced by plasma jet treatment. Extraction of the LWM siloxanes from the silicone rubber decreases the contact angle after plasma treatment. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows that hydrophobic groups appear on the surface of the contamination layer. The hydrophobicity improvement of contaminated silicone rubber results from LMW siloxanes transferred to the contamination layer during plasma treatment and the LMW siloxanes are mostly original uncrosslinked siloxanes in the silicone rubber. The molar mass distributions of the LMW siloxanes in hydrophobic contamination of treated specimens were similar with naturally transferred ones. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that an inorganic layer appears after plasma aging, which obscures the transfer of LMW siloxanes and reduce the hydrophobicity during plasma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) are employed in a newly developed food sterilization technology via repetitive electric pulses. The evolution of bubbles and the consequent electrical breakdown of the liquid treatment chamber are the main technical hurdles for industrial applications of this technology. The evolution pattern of the bubbles and the effect of pulse parameters on the bubbles under repetitive pulses are studied. Repetitive bipolar rectangular pulses (6–10 kV, 20–80 μs in duration, with a 50–200 Hz repetition rate) are applied to a gap (1 cm) containing sodium chloride solution (with a conductivity of 30 μS/cm). A high-precision bubble monitoring system is developed to recognize and count microbubbles with diameters greater than 50 μm. The pattern of the bubble evolution can be divided into 4 stages: the initial stage, developing stage, converging stage and discharging stage. The saturated time, number, area and average diameter of the bubbles are introduced as feature parameters to better characterize the bubble evolution, and the relevant time-varying curves for different pulse parameters are obtained based on experimental images. The experimental results show that a stronger electric field, a longer pulse duration and a higher repetition rate speed up the evolution of the bubbles. The growth of the bubbles depends more on the effect of continuous long pulses, and the electric field might be a deciding factor concerning the initiation of microbubbles, while the increase in bubble volume is mainly a result of the thermal effect of current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidences have shown that apoptosis plays an important role in mediating the therapeutic effects and toxicity of arsenic. Fas and Bax genes are critical regulatory genes for apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the association between levels of Fas and Bax expression and the three arsenic species (inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)) in vivo and vitro. Three arsenic species in urine were measured and levels of Fas and Bax expression were examined by the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for all subjects. We found that Fas and Bax mRNA expression in the exposed group were significantly higher than that in the control group. The levels of gene expression were positively correlated with the concentrations of urinary iAs, MMA and DMA in all subjects. Sodium arsenite induced Fas and Bax mRNA expression, then MMA and DMA did not induce mRNA expression in MDA-MB-231 and XWLC-05 cells. The findings of the present study indicated that iAs, MMA, and DMA had different effects on expression of Bax and Fas gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on the geometry of compact conformally flat manifolds ( M n , g ) with positive scalar curvature. Schoen–Yau proved that its universal cover ( M n ˜ , g ˜ ) is conformally embedded in S n such that M n is a Kleinian manifold. Moreover, the limit set of the Kleinian group has Hausdorff dimension < n − 2 2 . If additionally we assume that the non-local curvature Q 2 γ ≥ 0 for some 1 < γ < 2 , the Hausdorff dimension of the limit set is less than or equal to n − 2 γ 2 . If Q 2 γ > 0 , then the above inequality is strict. Moreover, the above upper bound is sharp. As applications, we obtain some topological rigidity and classification theorems in lower dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) is a newly developed food sterilization technology applying repetitive electric pulses to inactivate microorganisms and enzymes in liquid food. The evolution of bubbles and consequent electrical breakdown of the liquid treatment chamber have been a bottleneck of its industrial applications. Traditional theory of impulse breakdown cannot be applied to the PEF treatment since its discharge is greatly determined by the size of bubbles. The aim of this study is to clarify the bubbles' evolution characteristics under different pulse parameters and their impact on discharges. A high-precision bubble monitoring system, including a high speed camera was developed to study the behavior of micron-scale bubbles in treated liquids. Quantitative formulas between the bubble cross-sectional area with electric field intensity, pulse duration, and pulse repetition rate were obtained, and the dependence of discharge probability on the bubble area was proposed. Prediction formulas were developed to predict the average discharge time, which makes it possible to find the proper PEF processing time without discharges under given parameters and offer theoretical support to optimize pulse parameters in the PEF food treatment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma bullets in atmospheric pressure plasma jets have drawn much scholarly attention in the past decade, especially its shape. This Letter reports the formation and evolution mechanism of a solid-in-hollow structured bullet. At high pulse repetition frequency (≥20 kHz) and long rising time (≥200 ns), the traditional hollow ring bullet turns into the solid-in-hollow structure, and the plasma plume correspondingly appears as a purple external plume with an extra internal filamentary red core under bare eyes. An image process method based on color recognition and decoupling is designed to separate the images of the external plume and the internal filamentary core and is then used to analyze the discharge mechanism together with the intensified charge-coupled device imaging and spectrum measurement. Analyses reveal that the dominant ionization sources for external ring and internal core are N2 and He, respectively, and the internal discharge can be enhanced by increasing the pulse repetition frequency, which might be explained by the electron oscillating heating in high frequency. Finally, the evolution mechanism of the internal filamentary core is studied, and the internal discharge is initially a hollow ring as well when it just exits the tube end, making the bullet a hollow-in-hollow structure, but quickly contracts into a solid core due to the Coulomb repulsion between the two plasma rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the contamination of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in Chinese food and the risk of dietary exposure for the Chinese population, the data of 17 PFAAs covering 38 cities throughout China in 15 groups of foods were collected for meta-analysis from published and available research literature. Using food consumption and body weight parameters, estimated dietary intakes (EDIs) were calculated for evaluation using the Scenario-Based Risk Assessment (SceBRA) modelling. Among food groups, the highest ΣPFAAs concentrations and EDI contributions were both found in poultry (363 ng/g), fish and shrimp (313 ng/g), dark vegetables (309 ng/g), fruits (116 ng/g) and pork (25 ng/g). The EDI of adults in the high-exposure scenario was about twice that of the intermediate-exposure scenario, while the EDI of children was about twice that of adults’ EDI in the intermediate-exposure scenario. In addition, the PFOS EDI for children under high exposure approached its tolerable daily intake (TDI). Therefore high dietary exposure to PFAAs is giving rise to an increased health risk, especially for children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To explore the residual characteristics of fluorine and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in tea, the total fluorine (TF), extractable organofluorine (EOF) and PFCs in 19 Chinese commercial teas of five categories were measured using cyclic neutron activation analysis combined with HPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that fluorine mainly existed as inorganic fluorine in teas, and identified fluorine (∑PFCs quantified as F) only accounted for 0.023–0.41% of EOF, indicating that most EOF in tea were still unknown. 50–99% of ∑PFCs in tea were short-chain (C ⩽ 6), while perfluorooctanoic acid was the typical PFCs residual species. Less fermented teas contained significantly higher PFCs (mean, 20 ng/g) than more fermented teas (3.0 ng/g, p < 0.01), suggesting that microbe may degrade PFCs during fermentation. The highest TF content was discovered in Hubei brick tea, which poses risk of fluorosis, whereas PFCs residues in teas caused no immediate harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrophobicity improvement of contaminated high temperature vulcanization (HTV) silicone rubber is of great significance to avoid risk of pollution flashover during wetting events. In the present investigation, low-temperature plasma jet produced by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) under atmospheric pressure was used to quickly increase the hydrophobicity of contaminated HTV surface. Effects of the processing time, non-soluble deposit density (NSDD) and transfer time on the hydrophobicity improvement were studied and the long term stability of hydrophobicity was investigated. Experimental results proved that: hydrophobicity of contaminated HTV silicone rubber was significantly improved after a quick exposure to low-temperature plasma jet; and with the increase of exposure time, hydrophobicity transfer increased and a larger contact angle was obtained for the same transfer time. For the low discharge power plasma treatment, NSDD had a negative effect on hydrophobicity improvement and with the increase of the NSDD, increment of the contact angle decreased. In addition, hydrophobicity improvement had long term stability. Control experiment proved that interaction of plasma jet with silicone rubber played an important role in accelerating the transfer of low molecular weight (LMW) silane chains from the silicone rubber to the pollution layer, which finally resulted in the hydrophobicity improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Corona discharge and electromagnetic environment on AC long-term operated conductors are important issues for extra-high-voltage transmission lines. To investigate the relation between conductor age and electromagnetic environment, including audible noise and radio noise, several groups of long-term operated conductors in China are selected for corona cage experiment. According to corona tests, corona discharge becomes more serious as the applied voltage improves. Difference of electromagnetic environment between conductors of different operated year increases. Corona discharge and electromagnetic noise become more serious as the service year lengthens. When the operated years are close, the general environment is important in electromagnetic environment degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical breakdown of the treatment chambers under repetitive high-intensity pulses impedes the industrial application of pulsed electric field (PEF) technology. In this paper, phenomenon and laws of electric discharges in the PEF treatment chambers were studied. The experimental results indicate that temperature increase and formation of gas bubbles under high electric field strength reduces insulation of water solution. Air dissolved in the samples is only a small part of the bubble and hardly affects the size of bubble formed. The majority part of the gas in the bubble comes from the vaporization of liquid. Fluctuations in the temperature curve may be a direct indication of the beginning of bubble formation. Partial electrical discharges occur inside the gas bubble and are the precursor of dielectric breakdown of PEF treatment chambers. Solution temperature and conductivity have significant effect on electrical discharges. Electric field strength needed for the electrical discharge decreases as the initial temperature increases. As the solution conductivity increases, the lowest electric field strength required for electrical discharge occurrence decreases. Findings in the present investigation reveal that measures that help to reduce the bubble formation are helpful to safe operation of the PEF system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Preparation of high strength alkali-activated materials by steel slag coupled with SFCC catalyst. • Addition of SFCC catalyst solves the efflorescence of alkali-activated steel slag materials. • The gel composition under different ratios of SFCC catalyst and steel slag are analyzed. In this paper, the influences of efflorescence on the property of alkali-activated steel slag materials were investigated, and the (Spent Fluid Cracking Catalytic) SFCC catalyst was used as an additive to control efflorescence. The property and microstructure of alkali activated cementitious materials synthesized with different raw materials composition was characterized by XRD, FTIR, TG and SEM-EDS. The efflorescence degree of different products was also evaluated. The C S H was mainly formed during the alkali-activated steel slag, which is difficult to adsorb the alkali metal ions, resulting in the serious efflorescence and a reduction of compressive strength. As the addition of SFCC catalyst increased, more N -A S H gels formed and adsorbed alkali metal ions, while inhibiting the efflorescence and its effect on mechanical property. In addition, the [AlO 4 ]− contained in the N(C)-A S H exhibit stronger adsorption properties for calcium ions than for sodium ions. This study not only proposed a new method of synergistic utilization of steel slag and waste SFCC catalyst, but also provided a further understanding of efflorescence, which is conducive to the collaborative high-value utilization of a variety of solid wastes, and effectively solves the problem of steel slag and SFCC catalyst stockpiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to assess the radioactive impact of Fukushima Incident on the coastal environment of Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen, China, combining accelerator mass spectrometry with epithermal neutron activation analysis, we measured the I/I ratios and I levels in surface seawater, oyster ( Ostrea gigas) and kelp ( Sargassum henslouianum). The results showed that the influence of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Base was ignorable to local environment, but the Fukushima Incident had caused significant increase of I levels in oyster ( P < 0.001) and kelp ( P < 0.05) from Dapeng Peninsula between Jun-2011 and Apr-2012. However, the I levels in oyster and kelp were far below the guideline given by Codex Alimentarius Commission and would not cause immediate harm to the health of local residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of water treatment by bipolar pulsed discharge plasma, there are not only the chemical effects such as the active species formed in the plasma channel, but also the physical effects like the ultraviolet radiation. Power energy consumed in form of optical radiation can be used by photocatalyst to improve the energy efficiency of the discharge system. Therefore, the effects of the photocatalyst on the formation of active species and degradation of the organic pollutant in the packed bed plasma reactor were studied in this paper. The nanoparticle TiO2 photocatalyst was obtained using the sol-gel method, structure and characteristics of TiO2 films were investigated via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Formation of H2O2 and O3 under different conditions (applied voltage, air flow rate, diameter of solid packing, etc.) in the plasma and hybrid plasma–catalysis system was investigated. The experimental results proved that the combination of the pulsed discharge plasma process with TiO2 catalysis enhanced concentration of active species generated, and improved water treatment efficiency. In addition, the synergistic effect on H2O2 and O3 concentration increased with the increase of applied voltage, the gas flow rate and the amount of TiO2 photocatalyst. A small part of the TiO2 film fell off rough surface of the glass beads even after 5-h electric discharge treatment, and then remained almost constant. No obvious differences were found in the removal rate of indigo carmine after the catalyst loss. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We develop a Fredholm theory for the Hodge Laplacian in weighted spaces on ALG∗ manifolds in dimension four. We then give several applications of this theory. First, we show the existence of harmonic functions with prescribed asymptotics at infinity. A corollary of this is a non-existence result for ALG∗ manifolds with non-negative Ricci curvature having group Γ = { e } at infinity. Next, we prove a Hodge decomposition for the first de Rham cohomology group of an ALG∗ manifold. A corollary of this is vanishing of the first Betti number for any ALG∗ manifold with non-negative Ricci curvature. Another application of our analysis is to determine the optimal order of ALG∗ gravitational instantons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipolar pulsed discharges were investigated in columns containing glass spheres and water, and with air bubbling through, using a coaxial electrode configuration. The effect of sphere size on the discharge characteristics was studied, and results showed that the diameter of the glass spheres had a significant effect on the electrical discharges in the three-phase mixture. As the sphere size increased from 2 to 12 mm, no significant changes occurred in the peak voltage and rise time of the load voltage, but a clear maximum in the tail voltage, and a minimum in the injected power per pulse, occurred in the sphere diameter range from 5 to 8 mm. The greatest electric field in the interstices between the spheres, and the rate at which a dye could be removed from the water, both exhibited a maximum in the sphere diameter range from 5 to 8 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Removal of amaranth, a commercial synthetic azo dye widely used in the dye and food industry, was examined as a possible remediation technology for treating dye-contaminated water. Effects of various parameters such as gas flow rate, solution conductivity, pulse repetition frequency, etc. , on decolorization kinetics were investigated. Experimental results show that an aqueous solution of 24mg/l dye is 81. 24% decolorized following 30min plasma treatment for a 50kV voltage and 0. 75m3/h gas flow rate. Decolorization reaction of amaranth in the plasma reactor is a pseudo first order reaction. Rate constant (k) of decolorization increases quickly with increasing the applied voltage, pulse repetition frequency and the gas flow rate. However, when the applied voltage is beyond 50kV and increases further, increase rate of k decreases. In addition, k decreases quickly when the solution conductivity increases from 200 to 1481μS/cm. The decolorization reaction has a high rate constant (k =0. 0269min−1) when the solution pH is beyond 10. Rate constant k decreases with the decrease of pH and reaches minimum at a pH of about 5 (k min =0. 01603min−1), then increases to 0. 02105min−1 when pH decreases to 3. 07. About 15% of the initial TOC can be degraded only in about 120min non-thermal plasma treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper spatial chirp and angular dispersion are calculated theoretically and analyzed for a four-mirror, standing-wave cavity femtosecond OPO. The analytical expression of spatial chirp in the nonlinear crystal is deduced. The analytical expressions of second- and third-order dispersion including angular dispersion of the nonlinear crystal are presented, for the noncollinear type-I phase-matched Fs BBO OPO using angle tuning. Moreover, variations of GDD and TOD with cavity parameters are calculated exactly. The analysis method and the obtained result also are efficacious for a same type Fs OPO. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent years, the use of spent fluid catalytic cracking (SFCC) catalysts to prepare geopolymers has received attention from academic and industrial circles. However, SFCC catalysts have been classified as hazardous waste in China due to their vanadium and nickel content. In this paper, the immobilization rates of vanadium and nickel in geopolymers prepared with SFCC catalysts were studied through a toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). The immobilization mechanism of nickel and vanadium during geopolymerization was investigated by XPS, SEM, XRD, and compressive strength measurements. The nickel and vanadium TCLP concentrations of the SFCC catalyst-based geopolymer are 0.032 mg/L and 10.63 mg/L, respectively. Nickel in the SFCC catalyst is partly dissolved and adsorbed by the negatively charged tetrahedral aluminum in the geopolymer. However, because vanadates formed under alkaline conditions are negatively charged and readily soluble in water, vanadium in the SFCC catalyst is neither immobilized by the charge balance nor effectively immobilized by physical encapsulation. Therefore, the use of SFCC catalysts to prepare geopolymers will lead to vanadium contamination in the environment. In order to clarify the maximum vanadium content in SFCC catalysts for preparing geopolymers without environmental risk, SFCC catalysts with different vanadium levels were prepared by leaching. It was concluded that when the vanadium content in the SFCC catalyst is lower than 1861.4 mg/kg, the vanadium content in the leachate is lower than 2 mg/L and the geopolymer can be considered a non-hazardous material. [Display omitted] • The immobilization of V and Ni in SFCC catalyst-based geopolymers is investigated. • The different immobilization mechanisms of V and Ni by the geopolymers are revealed. • The maximum V content in SFCC catalyst to prepare risk-free geopolymers is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an unmet need for stand-alone digital therapeutics for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of a novel digital therapeutic, IBT-SC02, for cognitive impairment in stable schizophrenia patients. A randomized, parallel-group trial was conducted at the Sichuan Province Institute of Mental Health, China. Participants aged 18–50 diagnosed with schizophrenia were randomized to either the IBT-SC02 intervention or a wait-list control. The primary outcome was cognitive performance measured using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) composite score. A total of 80 patients were randomized (40 intervention, 40 control). The dropout rate was 5 %. The intervention group exhibited significant improvements in the MCCB composite score compared to the control, though the improvement lessened after excluding data collected by unmasked raters. Post-hoc analyses revealed that participants in the intervention group improved in four out of the seven MCCB domains (speed of processing, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning and problem solving). No adverse events were reported. These results suggest that IBT-SC02, a fully automated digital therapeutic, improved cognitive performance in patients with stable schizophrenia and can potentially be a treatment option for patients without access to trained professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Electric field strength (E) and the specific energy input are the decisive factors. • PEF treatment increased the lipid extraction yield by up to 166.67% • An excessively high E decrease the extracted biodiesel's quality. • The liquid yields and the cell disintegration of Chlorella are controllable. • The leakage of cell contents reveals the mechanism of PEF treatment. In order to solve the increasingly serious problems of energy and environment, microalgae are used as a raw material for extracting lipids to produce biodiesel. Prior to the extraction of lipids, microalgae were treated with high-voltage pulsed electric field (PEF) to break the cell membrane. It was found that the lipid extraction yield depends on the electric field strength (E) and the specific energy input (Wsp), and has a certain relationship with the cell disintegration rate of Chlorella. The perforation degree of the Chlorella's cell membrane by PEF treatment is controllable, moderate perforation can be ensured by controlling the power parameters. PEF treatment significantly improved the extraction yield of lipids. Compared with the test samples without PEF treatment, PEF treatment increased the lipid extraction yields by up to 166.67%. However, an excessively high voltage will cause the quality of the extracted biodiesel to decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SFCC catalyst is used to partially replace metakaolin to prepare geopolymer. • RSM optimized parameters make the SMBG compressive strength higher than 40 MPa. • SFCC catalyst can be partially dissolved and participate in geopolymerization. • Reduce SFCC catalyst particle size can make it better in geopolymerization reaction. In this study, spent fluid catalytic (SFCC) catalyst was used to prepare geopolymer as a replacement of metakaolin. Through the response surface experiment method, the single-factor influence degree and interactive influence degree of the content, alkali content and water content of SFCC catalysts as well as the particle size of SFCC catalysts on the compressive strength of geopolymers were analyzed. According to the quadratic model, the replacement of metakaolin with an appropriate amount of SFCC catalyst will improve the compressive strength of the geopolymers, but the replacement of metakaolin with an excessive amount of SFCC catalyst will weaken the compressive strength of geopolymers. a highest compressive strength of 41.22 MPa was obtained with the 20% replacement of SFCC catalysts, which was 21.6% higher than the geopolymer without SFCC catalyst. The microstructure and crystal structure analysis indicated that SFCC catalyst partially participated in the geopolymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modulation of surface properties of Ti3C2Tx plays a crucial role in its diverse applications across various fields. However, a straightforward and reliable technique for controlling its surface functional groups remains elusive. In this study, we achieved controlled modification of Ti3C2Tx surface functional groups using atmospheric‐pressure cold plasma. We evaluated the plasma generation characteristics and found that the gas parameters could influence the discharge power and lead to different gas temperatures with the same voltage. Spectral analysis confirmed the presence of numerous reactive species in the plasma, facilitating the breaking and recombination of chemical bonds of functional groups on the Ti3C2Tx surface. The interaction between the plasma jet and Ti3C2Tx film revealed that the semiconductor properties of the Ti3C2Tx film limit the plasma diffusion area, while N2 doping and increased gas flow rates respectively reduce and enlarge the coverage area of cold plasma. A brief one‐minute cold plasma treatment induced a slight etching effect on the Ti3C2Tx film surface, effectively altering the ‐O and ‐F functional groups. However, it is noteworthy that excessive cold plasma treatment in the air may result in partial oxidation of Ti3C2Tx, necessitating the use of custom gas environments in further applications. This research provides valuable insights into surface modification techniques for Ti3C2Tx with potential implications in a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Thermal runaway' was the most popular mechanism in flash sintering, but this theory was inappropriate under high electric field. In this paper, we described electric discharge and breakdown phenomena in experiment to verify this point. And water moisture was found an important role in conducting electric discharge, that increasing moisture content of samples decreased the onset electric field of flash sintering and as low as 1628 V/cm of onset electric field was realized in this paper. With high electric field that can induce electric discharge in the sample, the flash sintering can be induced at room temperature and atmosphere. With increasing electric field, discharge, sparks and arcs appeared continuously until the electric breakdown happened with flash sintering; moisture inside the sample intensified this process and reduce the onset electric field of flash sintering under high electric field. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of hair loss has become an increasing concern due to growing societal pressures. Currently available hair loss treatments often produce unsatisfactory results, cause significant physical damage, and are costly. Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma has been widely used in various biomedical fields, including sterilization, coagulation promotion, and cancer treatment. This paper pioneered the use of a kind of portable pulsed plasma jet power supply in the resting period of mouse hair follicle, and found that plasma jet can effectively shorten the resting period of mouse hair follicle, so that they re-enter the regeneration period and grow hair. Plasma jet provides a new treatment method for hair loss that is cheap, simple, highly effective, has no side effects and has broad application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmas have emerged as a promising technology for the utilization of NH3 as a carbon-free fuel for direct plasmas-assisted combustion and hydrogen production. This study aims to explore the electrical and optical emission characteristics of the rotating gliding arc (RGA) discharge in NH3 and air swirling flows over a wide range of nominal power inputs. The electrical characteristics were measured using voltage–current probes, while a spectrometer was employed to assess the spectral characteristics. Additionally, a synchronized high-speed camera equipped with a dual-scope objective was utilized to capture transient phenomena of the arc in the optical emission spectrum. Both the spark-type and glow-type discharges were observed in RGA. Interestingly, the spark-type discharge frequency exhibited a non-monotonic variation with increasing nominal power inputs for both NH3 and air, while the glow-type discharge frequency displayed a monotonous upward trend. Regarding the spectral emission characteristics in NH3, a dramatic transition of the arc emission spectrum from Hα to NH2* was observed as nominal power inputs increased. The Hα and NH2* emissions that are dominated in the spark-type and glow-type discharges, respectively, and the intensity ratio of Hα and NH2* emission shows evident correlations with discharge current and electric field strength. In summary, this study represents the first investigation into the electrical and spectral characteristics of RGA in NH3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma jet has a promising application prospect in biomedical fields due to its low operating temperature and its ability to act in open space. In this paper, a mouse excisional wound splinting (MEWS) model is developed using a BALB/c strain of mice. A pulsed low-temperature plasma jet close to the human temperature is generated to treat the wound of the mouse skin. We have demonstrated that the pulsed low-temperature plasma jet can effectively promote wound healing. The large number of active particles contained in the plasma, such as reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, etc., may be responsible for its ability to increase the wound healing rate and promote skin tissue regeneration. The MEWS model adopted in this experiment reduces the interference in the evaluation of the wound healing effect caused by skin contraction and wound dressing, and thus is closer to the healing process of human wounds, and the method of wound area acquisition and calculation based on image processing reduces human interference and is more standardized, which can be used to evaluate the effect of the pulsed low-temperature plasma jet on promoting wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrite morphogenesis is a complex but well-orchestrated process. Various studies reported the involvement of alteration in dendrite morphology in different brain disorders, including neuropsychiatric disorders. Initially, βB2-crystallin (gene symbol: Crybb2 / CRYBB2 ) has been described as a structural protein of the ocular lens. Mutations of the corresponding gene, Crybb2 , lead to cataract. Recent studies in mice suggested that mutations in Crybb2 cause alterations in hippocampal morphology and function, albeit its function in hippocampal neuron development remained elusive. In the current study, we found that Crybb2 contributes to dendritogenesis in vitro and in vivo . Furthermore, screening of previous data on differential expression-arrays, we found Tmsb4X up-regulated in Crybb2 mutants mouse brain. Additionally, Tmsb4X was co-expressed with Crybb2 at actin-enriched cell ruffles. Over-expression of Tmsb4X in cultured hippocampal neurons inhibited dendritogenesis, which phenocopied Crybb 2 knock-down. The current study uncovers a new function of Crybb 2 in brain development, especially in dendritogenesis, and the possible interplay partner Tmsb4X involved in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Biomimetic Surface Engineering of Lanthanide-Doped Upconversion Nanoparticles as Versatile Bioprobes" that was published in the 2012 issue is presented.

In this paper, we introduce a direct method of moving spheres for the fractional Laplacian ( − △ ) α / 2 with 0 < α < 2 , in which a key ingredient is the narrow region maximum principle. As immediate applications, we classify non-negative solutions for semilinear equations involving the fractional Laplacian in R n ; we prove a non-existence result for the prescribing Q α curvature equation on S n ; then by combining the direct method of moving planes and moving spheres, we establish a Liouville type theorem on a half Euclidean space. We expect to see more applications of this method to many other nonlinear equations involving non-local operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bergenin (BER), a natural component of polyphenols, has a variety of pharmacological activities, especially in improving drug metabolism, reducing cholestasis, anti-oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of BER on liver injury induced by isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) in mice. The mice model of liver injury was established with INH (100 mg/kg)+RIF (100 mg/kg), and then different doses of BER were used to intervene. The pathological morphology and biochemical indicators of mice were detected. Meanwhile, RNA sequencing was performed to screen the differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways. Finally, critical differentially expressed genes were verified by qRT-PCR and Western blot. RNA sequencing results showed that 707 genes were significantly changed in the INH+RIF group compared with the Control group, and 496 genes were significantly changed after the BER intervention. These differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the drug metabolism, bile acid metabolism, Nrf2 pathway and TLR4 pathway. The validation results of qRT-PCR and Western blot were consistent with the RNA sequencing. Therefore, BER alleviated INH+RIF-induced liver injury in mice. The mechanism of BER improving INH+RIF-induced liver injury was related to regulating drug metabolism enzymes, bile acid metabolism, Nrf2 pathway and TLR4 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mammalian brain, with its complexity and intricacy, poses significant challenges for researchers aiming to understand its inner workings. Optical multilayer interference tomography (OMLIT) is a novel, promising imaging technique that enables the mapping and reconstruction of mesoscale all-cell brain atlases and is seamlessly compatible with tape-based serial scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for microscale mapping in the same tissue. However, currently, OMLIT suffers from imperfect coatings, leading to background noise and image contamination. In this study, we introduced a new imaging configuration using carbon spraying to eliminate the tape-coating step, resulting in reduced noise and enhanced imaging quality. We demonstrated the improved imaging quality and validated its applicability through a correlative light–electron imaging workflow. Our method successfully reconstructed all cells and vasculature within a large OMLIT dataset, enabling basic morphological classification and analysis. We also show that this approach can perform effectively on thicker sections, extending its applicability to sub-micron scale slices, saving sample preparation and imaging time, and increasing imaging throughput. Consequently, this method emerges as a promising candidate for high-speed, high-throughput brain tissue reconstruction and analysis. Our findings open new avenues for exploring the structure and function of the brain using OMLIT images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the method of reducing the rise time of high-voltage pulse transformer output rectangular pulses using a magnetic compression switch has been studied. An equivalent circuit consisting of pulse transformer and magnetic switch was used to describe the behavior of a transformer operating with magnetic switch. Meanwhile, four simplified equivalent sub-circuits and corresponding differential calculation models were used to analysis the influence of the magnetic switch module on the waveform characteristics of load resistance. The simulation and experiment results showed that the rise time of rectangular pulses could be reduced from more than 1 ?s to less than 150 ns while keeping pulse duration constant which was considered as the principle of rectangular pulse sharpening. Moreover, the pulse waveform performance on load resistance was determined by the pulse transformer, magnetic switch module and their coupling effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant intracranial tumor with a low survival rate. However, only few drugs responsible for GBM therpies, hence new drug development for it is highly required. The natural product Cudraflavone B (CUB) has been reported to potentially kill a variety of tumor cells. Currently, its anit-cancer effect on GBM still remains unknown. Herein, we investigated whether CUB could affect the proliferation and apoptosis of GBM cells to show anti-GBM potential. Results: CUB selectively inhibited cell viability and induced cell apoptosis by activating the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) related pathway, as well as harnessing the autophagy-related PI3K/mTOR/LC3B signaling pathway. Typical morphological changes of autophagy were also observed in CUB treated cells by microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination. 4-Phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA), an ER stress inhibitor, restored the CUB-caused alteration in signaling pathway and morphological change. Conclusions: Our finding suggests that CUB impaired cell growth and induced cell apoptosis of glioblastoma through ER stress and autophagy-related signaling pathways, and it might be an attractive drug for treatment of GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serial scanning electron microscopy (sSEM) has recently been developed to reconstruct complex largescale neural connectomes, through learning-based instance segmentation. However, blurry images are inevitable amid prolonged automated data acquisition due to imprecision in autofocusing and autostigmation, which impose a great challenge to accurate segmentation of the massive sSEM image data. Recently, learning-based methods, such as adversarial learning and supervised learning, have been proven to be effective for blind EM image deblurring. However, in practice, these methods suffer from the limited training dataset and the underrepresentation of high-resolution decoded features. Here, we propose a semisupervised learning guided progressive decoding network (SGPN) to exploit unlabeled blurry images for training and progressively enrich high-resolution feature representation. The proposed method outperforms the latest deblurring models on real SEM images with much less ground truth input. The improvement of the PSNR and SSIM is 1.04 dB and 0.086, respectively. We then trained segmentation models with deblurred datasets and demonstrated significant improvement in segmentation accuracy. The A-rand decreased by 0.119 and 0.026, respectively, for 2D and 3D segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma is the most lethal intracranial malignant tumor, for which the five-year overall survival rate is approximately 5%. Here we explored the therapeutic combination of vitamin C and plasma-conditioned medium on glioblastoma cells in culture and as subcutaneous or intracranial xenografts in mice. The combination treatment reduced cell viability and proliferation while promoting apoptosis, and the effects were significantly stronger than with either treatment on its own. Similar results were obtained in the two xenograft models. Vitamin C appeared to upregulate aquaporin-3 and enhance the uptake of extracellular H 2 O 2 , while the combination treatment increased intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species including H 2 O 2 and activated the JNK signaling pathway. The cytotoxic effects of the combination treatment were partially reversed by the specific JNK signaling inhibitor SP600125. Our results suggest that the combination of vitamin C and plasma-conditioned medium has therapeutic potential against glioblastoma, and they provide mechanistic insights that may help investigate this and other potential therapies in greater depth. Our results lead us to propose a model in which vitamin C upregulates aquaporin-3, which drives uptake of extracellular H 2 O 2 from vitamin C oxidation and plasma-conditioned medium. [Display omitted] • Vitamin C and plasma-conditioned medium combined to inhibit glioblastoma via H 2 O 2. • 2.Vitamin C and plasma-conditioned medium combination treatment upregulated aquaporin-3. • 3.Combined effects involves activation of the JNK signaling path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor with high risks of recurrence and mortality. Chemoradiotherapy resistance has been considered a major factor contributing to the extremely poor prognosis of GBM patients. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop highly effective therapeutic agents. Here, we demonstrate the anti-tumor effect of morusin, a typical prenylated flavonoid, in GBM through in vivo and in vitro models. Morusin showed selective cytotoxicity toward GBM cell lines without harming normal human astrocytes when the concentration was less than 20 µM. Morusin treatment significantly induced apoptosis of GBM cells, accompanied by the activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and the appearance of cytoplasmic vacuolation and autophagosomes in cells. Then, we found the ER stress activation and cytotoxicity of morusin were rescued by ER stress inhibitor 4-PBA. Furthermore, morusin arrested cell cycle at the G1 phase and inhibited cell proliferation of GBM cells through the Akt–mTOR–p70S6K pathway. Dysregulation of ERs and cell cycle in morusin exposed GBM cells were confirmed by RNA-seq analysis. Finally, we demonstrated the combination of morusin and TMZ remarkably enhanced ER stress and displayed a synergistic effect in GBM cells, and suppressed tumor progression in an orthotopic xenograft model. In conclusion, these findings reveal the toxicity of morusin to GBM cells and its ability to enhance drug sensitivity to TMZ, suggesting the potential application value of morusin in the development of therapeutic strategies for human GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we propose a rapid and facile method (oxalic acid leaching under microwave-assisted conditions) to study the simultaneous recovery of vanadium (V) and nickel (Ni) from spent fluid catalytic cracking (SFCC) catalysts. The central issue in all of these studies is to test the modeling and experimental results of excellent fitting effects of leaching parameters. In order to maximize the recovery of V and Ni, leaching parameters were investigated. Furthermore, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the leaching parameters. The optimum conditions obtained were as follows: oxalic acid concentration of 1.8 mol/L; leaching time of 91 min; microwave-assisted power of 500 W; H2O2 concentration of 1.1 mol/L. The maximum leaching rates of V and Ni reached the values of 91.36% and 46.35%, respectively. The results showed that microwave energy was very helpful in improving the efficiency of the leaching process and shortening the leaching time by 75%. According to the shrinking core model, test results showed that a surface chemical reaction was the controlling step of the overall reaction kinetics. The activation energy of V and Ni during the leaching reaction was calculated to be 3.28 and 34.41 kJ/mol, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of spent fluid catalytic cracking (SFCC) catalyst resource utilization, draws more and more attention to system analysis. SFCC was leached in an oxalic solution for comprehensive utilization. The results showed that for a D50 ≤ 17.34 μm, the catalyst leached for 240 min at 95 °C in the presence of a 2 mol/L oxalic acid solution, and the extent of leaching of V, Ni, Fe, and Al was 73.4%, 32.4%, 48.2%, and 36.8%, respectively. Studies on the occurrence state of the main ions (V, Ni, Fe, and Al) in the leaching solution were presented. Additionally, the separation of the main ions from such a solution by the "solvent extraction-stripping-hydrothermal precipitation-comprehensive recovery of valuable metal" process was studied. The immobilization rates of vanadium and nickel in geopolymers can be obtained using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) test, and the geopolymers prepared by SFCC leaching residues can be considered a non-hazardous material. A process diagram of the comprehensive utilization of SFCC catalysts is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Water content has a significant impact on the strength of geopolymers. • As the water content increases, the porosity and pore size of geopolymer increases. • Changes in water content lead to gel structure changes of geopolymer. • Compared with changes in pores, changes in microstructure have a greater impact on the strength of geopolymers. This study synthesized geopolymers with different content of water from 34.35% (10 mol) to 43.97% (15 mol), and the effect of initial water content in pore behavior and gel structure of geopolymer was investigated. The microstructure of geopolymer was characterized through MIP analysis, SEM, TGA-MS, XRD, FTIR and NMR measurement. As the water content in synthesis increasing, the compressive strength of geopolymer significantly decreased from 40.3 MPa to 10.2 MPa. The high initial water content results in a large increase in the diameter of pore in geopolymer, which lead to the transformation of harmless pores to harmful pores. In addition, excess water will also introduce more water to participate in the geopolymer network, so that the content of Q3 structures increased 2.94% from 19.24%, which leads to a decrease in the degree of polymerization. Both of pore behavior and gel structure changes reduce the mechanical property of geopolymers. When the initial water content is low (10–11 mol), the change of geopolymer gel structure has a greater impact on the strength of the geopolymer, while when it is high (12–15 mol), the compressive strength is dominated by the pore structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We exhibit families of Ricci-flat Kähler metrics on the K3 surface which collapse to an interval, with Tian-Yau and Taub-NUT metrics occurring as bubbles. There is a corresponding continuous surjective map from the K3 surface to the interval, with regular fibers diffeomorphic to either 3-tori or Heisenberg nilmanifolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vasculature of the central nervous system is a 3D lattice composed of laminar vascular beds interconnected by penetrating vessels. The mechanisms controlling 3D lattice network formation remain largely unknown. Combining viral labeling, genetic marking, and single-cell profiling in the mouse retina, we discovered a perivascular neuronal subset, annotated as Fam19a4/Nts-positive retinal ganglion cells (Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs), directly contacting the vasculature with perisomatic endfeet. Developmental ablation of Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs led to disoriented growth of penetrating vessels near the ganglion cell layer (GCL), leading to a disorganized 3D vascular lattice. We identified enriched PIEZO2 expression in Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs. Piezo2 loss from all retinal neurons or Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs abolished the direct neurovascular contacts and phenocopied the Fam19a4/Nts-RGC ablation deficits. The defective vascular structure led to reduced capillary perfusion and sensitized the retina to ischemic insults. Furthermore, we uncovered a Piezo2-dependent perivascular granule cell subset for cerebellar vascular patterning, indicating neuronal Piezo2-dependent 3D vascular patterning in the brain. [Display omitted] • Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs directly contact blood vessels with perisomatic endfeet • Ablation of Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs disrupts the perpendicular penetrating vessel growth • Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs utilize neuronal Piezo2 to guide 3D vascular lattice organization • Disorganized 3D vascular lattice impairs capillary perfusion and visual function Perivascular neurons guide the spatial orientation of penetrating vessels via Piezo2 to pattern the 3D vascular lattice in the developing mouse retina. This neuron-guided vascular patterning is critical for capillary perfusion of the retina and protection from ischemic challenge, progressive retinal neuron loss, and visual impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work synthesized geopolymer with quartz mechanical activated at different time, and the strengthening mechanism of geopolymer by activated quartz was investigated. The changes of quartz before and after activation and the microstructure of geopolymer was explained by the determinations of particle size, specific surface area and the concentration of reactive Si, as well as XRD, XPS and NMR measurement. With the activation time of quartz increasing from 0 to 60 min, the compressive strength of geopolymer increased from 31.5 to 55.2 MPa. The results showed that increase of quartz reactivity is mainly due to the formation of the Si-centered radicals and non-bridging oxygen on the surface rather than the changes in physical property or crystal structure of quartz. The high activity tetrahedra Si with non-bridge oxygen on the surface of quartz replace the tetrahedra Al in geopolymer gel, which lead to a Si-rich gel formed around quartz and the improvement of compressive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Taraxasterol has anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and hepatoprotective effects. • RNA sequencing can reveal the mechanism of action of drugs in a more comprehensive way. • Hippo, HIF-1α, TGF-β/Smad, and Wnt pathways intersect to form a network that collectively regulates the development of liver fibrosis. Effective treatment of liver fibrosis remains a challenging medical problem. Taraxasterol (TAR) has anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and hepatoprotective effects. Studies have shown that TAR has good biological activity against liver injury induced by various factors. However, the anti-fibrotic effect of TAR and its mechanism are never clarified. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of TAR in liver fibrosis and to reveal its possible mechanism by RNA sequencing. Our results suggested that TAR attenuated CCl 4 -induced hepatocyte necrosis, inflammatory infiltration and ECM deposition. TAR inhibited the levels of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, LN, HA, PC III and IV-C in serum and TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and MDA in liver. In addition, TAR increased the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in liver. RNA sequencing analysis of liver tissues revealed that CCl 4 and TAR significantly altered 4,155 genes and 2,675 genes, respectively. TAR reversed changes in ECM-related genes. More specifically, TAR mediated the expression of genes related to the activation of the Hippo pathway, while inhibiting the expression of genes related to the activation of HIF-1α, TGF-β/Smad, and Wnt pathways. In the validation experiments, the qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of Yap1, Tead3, Hif1α, Vegfa, Tgfβ1, Want3a, and Ctnnb1 mRNA were consistent with the RNA sequencing results. The Western blot results showed that TAR inhibited the levels of TGF-β1 and p-Smad2. In addition, the results in vitro were consistent with those in vivo. Therefore, we concluded that TAR improved CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis by regulating Hippo, HIF-1α, TGF-β/Smad and Wnt pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]