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Elevating cut-off voltage is an efficient approach to boost the energy density of Li-ion batteries. However, the failure of conventional carbonate-based electrolyte at high voltage necessitates fundamental understandings of the formation mechanism of the cathode–electrolyte interphase (CEI), especially the contribution from skeleton solvents. In the present work, density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the disparity in the productivity and oxidative stability of organic components in the CEI associated with ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC). These two indicators could jointly determine the existence of lithium alkyl carbonates in the CEI, suggested by the species with a m/z of 95 detected with time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS). That disparity results in a prominent difference in the capacity retention at high voltage associated with EC, PC and FEC, respectively. These understandings of cyclic carbonates could shed light on bottom-up strategies in electrolyte engineering for the high-voltage electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage to the intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) has been reported under high-altitude (HA) conditions and may be responsible for HA-associated gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. However, this pathogenetic mechanism does not fully explain the GI stress symptoms, such as flatulence and motility diarrhea, which accompany the IEB damage under HA conditions, especially for the people exposed to HA acutely. In the present study, we collected the blood samples from the people who lived at HA and found the concentration of enteric glial cells (EGCs)-associated biomarkers increased significantly. HA mouse model was then established and the results revealed that EGCs were involved in IEB damage. Zona occludens (ZO)-1, occludin, and claudin-1 expression was negatively correlated with that of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100β under HA conditions. In order to learn more about how EGCs influence IEB, the in vitro EGC and MODE-K hypoxia experiments that used hypoxic stimulation for simulating in vivo exposure to HA was performed. We found that hypoxia increased S100β secretion in EGCs. And MODE-K cells cultured in medium conditioned by hypoxic EGCs showed low ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1 levels of expression. Furthermore, treatment of MODE-K cells with recombinant mouse S100β resulted in diminished levels of ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1 expression. Thus, HA exposure induces greater S100β secretion by EGCs, which aggravates the damage to the IEB. This study has revealed a novel mechanism of IEB damage under HA conditions, and suggest that EGCs may constitute a fresh avenue for the avoidance of GI disorders at HA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the non-imaging light of optical instruments, stray light has an important impact on normal imaging and data quantification applications. The FY-3D Medium Resolution Spectral Imager (MERSI) operates in a sun-synchronous orbit, with a scanning field of view of 110° and a surface imaging width of more than 2300 km, which can complete two coverage observations of global targets per day with high detection efficiency. According to the characteristics of the operating orbit and large-angle scanning imaging of MERSI, a stray light radiation model of the polar-orbiting spectrometer is constructed, and the design requirements of stray light suppression are proposed. Using the point source transmittance (PST) as the merit function of the stray light analysis method, the instrument was simulated with all stray light suppression optical paths, and the effectiveness of stray light elimination measures was verified using the stray light test. In this paper, the full-link method of "orbital stray light radiation model-system, internal and external simulation design-system analysis and actual test comparison verification" is proposed, and there is a maximum decrease in the system's PST by about 10 times after applying the stray light suppression's optimization design, which can provide a general method for stray light suppression designs for polar-orbit spectral imagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facile preparation of additive-free inks with both high viscosity and high conductivity is critical for scalable screen printing of wireless electronics, yet very challenging. MXene materials exhibit excellent conductivity and hydrophilicity, showing great potential in the field of additive-free inks for screen printing. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of additive-free two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide MXene inks, and realize screen-printed MXene wireless electronics for the first time. The viscosity of MXene ink is solely regulated by tuning the size of MXene nanosheet without any additives, hence rendering the printed MXene film extremely high conductivity of 1.67 × 105 S/m and fine printing resolution down to 0.05 mm on various flexible substrates. Moreover, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags fabricated using the additive-free MXene ink via screen printing exhibit stable antenna reading performance and superb flexibility. This article, thus offers a new route for the efficient, low-cost and pollution-free manufacture of printable electronics based on additive-free MXene inks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrahigh-dimensional grouped data are frequently encountered by biostatisticians working on multi-class categorical problems. To rapidly screen out the null predictors, this paper proposes a quantile-composited feature screening procedure. The new method first transforms the continuous predictor to a Bernoulli variable, by thresholding the predictor at a certain quantile. Consequently, the independence between the response and each predictor is easy to judge, by employing the Pearson chi-square statistic. The newly proposed method has the following salient features: (1) it is robust against high-dimensional heterogeneous data; (2) it is model-free, without specifying any regression structure between the covariate and outcome variable; (3) it enjoys a low computational cost, with the computational complexity controlled at the sample size level. Under some mild conditions, the new method was shown to achieve the sure screening property without imposing any moment condition on the predictors. Numerical studies and real data analyses further confirmed the effectiveness of the new screening procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The side chains on non‐fullerene acceptors (NFAs) can affect greatly the photovoltaic performances of the resulting organic solar cells (OSCs) by regulating the molecular packing and orientation of NFAs. To explore suitable side groups for asymmetric simple NFAs, in this work, we design and synthesize two A‐D1‐A′‐D2‐A type NFAs, NTC‐4Cl, and PhNTC‐4Cl, which own flexible alkyloxy and rigid aryloxy side chains on the A′ cores, respectively. Due to the same molecular backbone (A′: benzotriazole; D1: thiophene; D2: cyclopentadithiophene; A: dichlorodicyanoindanone), NTC‐4Cl and PhNTC‐4Cl have similar absorptions and energy levels. However, the PhNTC‐4Cl‐based OSC gives a higher power conversion efficiency than that of the NTC‐4Cl‐based one (11.09% vs. 10.82%) because PhNTC‐4Cl shows more compact π–π stacking and dominant face‐on orientation, enhancing charge transport and mitigating charge recombination. Therefore, this work provides a new insight into the molecular design of high‐performance NFAs, especially the rational choice of side groups on asymmetric simple NFAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For male patients, serum ALT and AST levels were significantly higher in severe COVID-19 compared with non-severe COVID-19 patients ( I P i =0.013, I P i =0.001), while ALP serum levels in non-severe COVID-19 patients were significantly higher than those in severe patients ( I P i =0.032). Keywords: COVID-19; serum; liver function; follow-up EN COVID-19 serum liver function follow-up 1857 1870 14 05/11/22 20220401 NES 220401 Introduction COVID-19 is a global disease and is considered to be a multi-organ disease with complex clinical manifestations.[1] Acute sequelae of COVID-19 are also a focus of attention today with more and more reports showing organ damage in COVID-19 patients after discharge.[2] Liver injury or abnormalities were reported in COVID-19 patients during and after hospitalization.[3] A Chinese study showed that 76.3% of 417 COVID-19 patients had abnormal liver function test results and 21.5% had liver injury during hospitalization.[3] A large retrospective cohort study showed that abnormal aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and direct bilirubin levels at admission were independent predictors of COVID-19-related mortality. Results This analysis included 118 COVID-19 patients (48.8 ± 13.9 years) consisting of 63 males (47 non-severe patients and 16 severe patients) and 55 females (40 non-severe patients and 15 severe patients) (Table 1). [Extracted from the article]

Epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) is prominently expressed in various epithelial tumors. PD0721, a single-chain antibody (scFv), has been developed to specifically target EGFRvIII. Although doxorubicin (DOX) is an essential treatment approach for glioblastoma (GBM), its toxic effects and limited targeting capabilities are a challenge. To overcome the above limitations, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been developed to exploit the specificity of monoclonal antibodies in directing potent cytotoxic drugs to tumor cells expressing the target antigens. The present study aimed to conjugate DOX with PD0721 scFv to construct a PD0721-DOX ADC targeting EGFRvIII and examine its targeting effect and in vitro anti-GBM activity. PD0721-DOX ADC was generated by combining PD0721 scFv with DOX, using dextran T-10 as a linker. The drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) was measured by ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis). A series of techniques, including cytotoxicity assays, immunofluorescence, cell internalization and flow cytometry assays were employed to evaluate the targeting efficacy and anti-GBM activity of the PD0721-DOX ADC. Following the conjugation of PD0721 scFv with DOX, the UV-Vis results showed a noticeable red shift in the maximum absorbance. The DAR of PD0721 scFv and DOX was 9.23:1. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that DK-MG cells treatment with PD0721-DOX ADC at 10 and 20 µg/ml significantly increased cytotoxicity compared with U-87MG ATCC cells (all P<0.01). Confocal microscopy revealed distinct green and red fluorescence in EGFRvIII-expressing DK-MG cells, while no fluorescence was observed in EGFRvIII negative U-87MG ATCC cells. Furthermore, compared with U-87MG ATCC cells, DK-MG cells showed effective internalization of the PD0721-DOX ADC (P<0.001). Finally, flow cytometric analyses indicated that the PD0721-DOX ADC significantly promoted the apoptosis of DK-MG cells compared with U-87MG ATCC cells (P<0.01). In summary, the current study suggested that the PD0721-DOX ADC could exhibit a notable targeting efficacy and potent anti-GBM activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined that the homogenisation temperature range of experimental as-cast H13 steel was from 1150 to 1230 °C, whilst the effect of homogenisation temperature range on the microstructural evolution and microhardness was tested. The enrichment of alloying elements in the dendrite segregation region decreased the solidus temperature of matrix, whose total content determined the maximum homogenisation temperature. The secondary dendrite branches were most dissolved at 1150 °C, and overheating appeared at 1230 °C in the segregation region. Moreover, the primary carbides underwent shrinking, passivation, fragmentation and dissolution. The secondary carbides M23C6 and M6C were formed at the interfaces of MC/γ and M7C3/γ, respectively. As the homogenisation temperature increased from 1150 to 1230 °C, the value of microhardness gradually decreased from 771 to 740 HV. Nevertheless, the standard deviation value decreased first and then increased, which reached the minimum 32 HV at 1200 °C, indicating that the hardness homogeneity was the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphology optimization is key for the high-performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, we develop a solid additive (i.e. uv-9) showing immiscibility with active layers for morphology control, and comprehensively study its effect on the morphology evolution and device performance of PM6:Y6 OSCs. The addition of uv-9 leads to more refined phase separation and stronger molecular packing in PM6:Y6 blend films, and improves the charge generation, exciton dissociation, charge transport and collection, which contribute to higher photocurrent and fill factor for PM6:Y6 OSCs. Consequently, the OSC device with the uv-9 solid additive exhibits an improvement in the power conversion efficiency from 16.00% to 17.18%, compared to the control device without an additive. Moreover, the generality of uv-9 as an effective solid additive has been verified by applying it to diverse OSCs. This work suggests a new class of solid additives to optimize the morphology of OSCs for high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship among the gut microbiome, global fecal metabolites and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not been systematically evaluated. In this study, we performed 16S rDNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based nontargeted metabolomic profiling on feces of 26 untreated RA patients and 26 healthy controls. Twenty-six genera and forty-one MS2-identified metabolites were significantly altered in the RA patients. Klebsiella , Escherichia , Eisenbergiella and Flavobacterium were more abundant in the RA patients, while Fusicatenibacter , Megamonas and Enterococcus were more abundant in the healthy controls. Function prediction analysis demonstrated that the biosynthesis pathways of amino acids, such as L-arginine and aromatic amino acids, were depleted in the RA group. In the metabolome results, fecal metabolites including glycerophospholipids (PC(18:3(9Z,12Z,15Z)/16:1(9Z)), lysoPE 19:1, lysoPE 18:0, lysoPC(18:0/0:0)), sphingolipids (Cer(d18:0/16:0), Cer(d18:0/12:0), Cer(d18:0/14:0)), kynurenic acid, xanthurenic acid and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid were remarkably altered between the RA patients and healthy controls. Dysregulation of pathways, such as tryptophan metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism, may contribute to the development of RA. Additionally, we revealed that the gut microbiome and metabolites were interrelated in the RA patients, while Escherichia was the core genus. By depicting the overall landscape of the intestinal microbiome and metabolome in RA patients, our study could provide possible novel research directions regarding RA pathogenesis and targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary coenzyme Q10 deficiency-6 (COQ10D6), as a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by COQ6 mutations, is characterized by progressive infantile-onset nephrotic syndrome resulting in end-stage renal failure and sensorineural hearing loss. Here, we report two Chinese siblings with COQ10D6 who primarily presented with severe metabolic acidosis, proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, growth retardation, and muscle hypotonia and died in early infancy. Using whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing, we identified two rare recessive nonsense mutations in the COQ6 gene segregating with disease in affected family members: c.249C > G (p.Tyr83Ter) and c.1381C > T (p.Gln461Ter), resulting in two truncated protein products. Both mutations are located in a highly conserved area and are predicted to be pathogenic. Indeed, the death of our patients in early infancy indicates the pathogenicity of the p.Tyr83Ter and p.Gln461Ter variants and highlights the significance of the two variants for COQ6 enzyme function, which is necessary for the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q10. In conclusion, we discovered a novel compound heterozygous pathogenic variant of the COQ6 gene as a cause of severe COQ10D6 in the two siblings. Based on the clinical history and genetic characteristics of the patients, our cases expand the genotypic spectrum of COQ10D6 and highlight the heterogeneity and severity of clinical features associated with COQ6 mutations. For patients with clinical manifestations suggestive of COQ10D6, early testing for COQ6 mutations is beneficial for disease diagnosis and therapeutic interventions as well as disease prevention in future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the complexity of chemical ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is difficult to maintain quality and efficacy by relying only on chemical markers. Lianhua Qingwen capsule (LHQW) was selected as an example to discuss the feasibility of a bioassay for quality control. Network pharmacology was used to screen potential targets in LHQW with respect to its anti-inflammatory effects. An in vitro cell model was used to validate the prediction. An anti-inflammatory bioassay was established for the quality evaluation of LHQW in 40 batches of marketed products and three batches of destructed samples. The tumor necrosis factor/interleukin-6 (TNF/IL-6) pathway via macrophage was selected as the potential target of LHQW. The IC50 value of LHQW on RAW 264.7 was 799.8 μg/mL. LHQW had significant inhibitory effects on the expression of IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). The anti-inflammatory biopotency of LHQW was calculated based on the inhibitory bioactivity on IL-6. The biopotency of 40 marketed samples ranged from 404 U/μg to 2171 U/μg, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 37.91%. By contrast, the contents of forsythin indicated lower CV (28.05%) than the value of biopotency. Moreover, the biopotencies of destructed samples declined approximate 50%, while the contents of forsythin did not change. This newly established bioassay revealed a better ability to discriminate the quality variations of LHQW as compared to the routine chemical determination. A well-established bioassay may have promising ability to reveal the variance in quality of TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The irregular anatomical shape and complex structures of irregular bones make it more difficult to repair and reconstruct bone defects in irregular bones than in the long bones of the extremities. Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology can help to overcome the technical limitations of irregular bone repair by generating simulations that enable structural integration of the lesion area and bone structure of the donor site in all directions and at multiple angles. Thus, personalized and accurate treatment plans for restoring anatomical structure, muscle attachment points, and maximal function can be made. The present study aimed to investigate the ability of 3D printing technology to assist in the repair and reconstruction of scapular aneurysmal ABC defects.Methods: The study included seven patients with ABCs of the scapula. Based on computed tomography (CT) data for the patient, the scapula (including the defect) and pelvis were reconstructed using Mimics Medical software. The reconstructed scapula model was printed using a 3D printer. Before the operation, the model was used to design the surgical approach and simulate the operation process, to determine the length and radius of the plate and the number and direction of screws, and to determine the bone mass of the ilium and develop reasonable strategies for segmentation and distribution. The operation time, amount of bleeding, length and radius of the plate, and direction and number of screws were recorded.Results: The average duration of follow-up was 25.6 months, and none of the seven patients experienced recurrence during the follow-up period. The surgical approach, the length and radius of internal fixation, and the number and direction of screws were consistent with the designed operation plan. Patients gradually recovered the anatomical structure of the scapula and function of the shoulder joint.Conclusions: In the treatment of bone defects caused by irregular bone tumors, 3D printing technology combined with surgery has the advantages of less trauma, short operation time, less bleeding and reducing the difficulty of operation, which can reduce the waste of bone graft, and more complete reconstruction of the anatomical structure of the defective bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, the fused‐ring electron acceptors show the best photovoltaic performances, and the development of simple non‐fullerene acceptors via intramolecular noncovalent interactions can reduce synthetic costs. In this work, four simple non‐fullerene acceptors with an A‐D‐A'‐D‐A configuration (QCIC1, QCIC2, QCIC3, and QCIC4) were synthesized. They contained the same conjugated backbone (A': quinoxaline; D: cyclopentadithiophene; A: dicyano‐indanone) but different halogen atoms and alkyl side chains. Due to the chlorination on the end‐groups and the most and/or longest branched alkyl side chains on the backbone, the blended film composed of QCIC3 and donor poly{[2,6′‐4,8‐di(5‐ethylhexylthienyl)benzo [1,2‐b : 4,5‐b′]dithiophene]‐alt‐[5,5‐(1′,3′‐di‐2‐thienyl‐5′,7′‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl)benzo[1′,2′‐c : 4′,5′‐c′]dithiophene‐4,8‐dione)]} (PBDB‐T) exhibited the strongest π‐π stacking and the most suitable phase‐separation domains among the four blended films. Therefore, the QCIC3‐based organic solar cells yielded the highest power conversion efficiency of 10.55 %. This work provides a pathway to optimize the molecular arrangements and enhance the photovoltaic property of simple electron acceptors through subtle chemical modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hot-working behavior of as-cast H13 hot work die steel was investigated in the method of isothermal compression test involving the wide deformation temperatures of 900–1150 °C and strain rates of 0.01–10 s−1, with the true strain to 0.8, on the MMS-200 thermo-mechanical simulator. Two characteristic parameters involving the critical strain for DRX initiation ( ε c ) and the strain for peak stress ( ε p ) were identified. The ratio of critical strain to peak strain ranged from 0.26 to 0.6, which decreased with the increase in temperature and decrease in strain rate. Processing maps were established using dynamic material model at strains of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8. The power dissipation maps were not significantly affected by the strain, while the instability maps were sensitivity with the strain when it was over 0.4. The area of instability domain at strain of 0.8 was the largest. The instable characteristics contained the mixed grain structure, adiabatic shear band, intense deformation in serious deformation area and brittle elemental segregation area. The chief effect on the power dissipation was the strain rate, the optimum hot working parameters at strain of 0.8 (910–985 °C, 1010–1150 °C and 0.01–0.05 s−1) were determined. In this filed, the original coarse as-cast grains were gradually refined by dynamic recrystallization mechanism and the DRX grain numbers had a significant increase with the increase of power dissipation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategies to prolong operational life are highly pursued to strengthen the advantage of cost-effectiveness on sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). We demonstrate the crucial influence of particles – internal mechanical strains on durability of cathode, which does not attract enough attentions from the community. Among the investigated samples, 2% Ti-modified-Na0.67Ni0.1Co0.1Mn0.8O2 suppresses the c-axis lattice variation by 38%, attains the reversible capacity 86% higher after 200 cycles, and still keeps intact morphology. This approach indicates that the mechanical properties could tailor cyclic stability of cathode, which is particular important to further improve competitiveness for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhancement of turbulence was considered to be able to bring about better mixing and more uniform distribution of concentration generally, but its influence on ultrafast competitive reactions is an open question. Cu‐Zn co‐precipitation was carried out in three types of micro‐reactors and the turbulent intensity was regulated by changing flow rate and ultrasound power, respectively. Energy‐dispersive spectrometer of precipitates and characteristic aging time indicate the best uniformity of Cu‐Zn distribution in precipitates appears at moderate turbulent intensity. The numerical simulation shows the uniformities of precipitation both in time and in space are impacted by mixing simultaneously but with opposite direction, resulting in the appearance of maximum. The unevenness of Cu‐Zn distribution caused by inconsistent reaction rates along the time will be erased during subsequent structural evolution, while that caused by diverse reaction rates at various positions can survive and further affect the structure and performance of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic recrystallization behavior of as-cast 4Cr5MoSiV1 steel was studied by hot compression tests conducted at various temperatures (900–1150 °C) and strain rates (0.01–10 s−1). Flow stress curves and microstructural observation were employed to experimentally identify the various flow mechanisms during deformation. A revised Sellars' constitutive equation was adopted to construct the thermal activation energy map, which considered the effects of deformation temperature and strain rate on the material variables. The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) type equation X D = 1 - exp [ - k (ε - ε c ε p) m ] , (ε ≥ ε c) was applied to characterize the evolution of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) volume fraction. The nucleation of DRX was performed by the bulging, sub-grain swallowing. The presence of dendrite segregation would affect the DRX to a large extent that the segregated alloying elements and carbide precipitates inhibited the migration of boundaries. The thermal activation energy varied from 4310 to 470 kJ/mol and the thermal activation energy increased sharply at temperature below 1000 °C due to the dendrite segregation. By further analysis of the true stress–strain curves, the material constant m in JMAK type equation was determined to be 1.29366, indicating the DRX was difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hot compression experiments are accomplished to investigate the microstructural evolution of as‐cast H13 steel during homogenization treatment and hot deformation. At a certain homogenization temperature, the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) volume fraction increases with increasing strain and deformation temperature and decreasing strain rate. However, the DRX is also easy to proceed at a high strain rate of 5 s−1 due to the high shear stress. The recrystallization is inhibited in a dendrite segregation region. The residual dendrite segregation left after homogenization treatment will improve the recrystallization nucleation rate during the subsequent deformation. The recrystallization grains preferentially nucleate in the dendrite region, and the grain growth is inhibited by the dendrite segregation. The partial homogenization before deformation is beneficial to achieve the fine microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Reactive oxygen species are believed to be involved in the onset of RA, and the association between nuclear-encoded mitochondrial respiratory chain-related variants and RA has recently been revealed. However, little is known about the landscape of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants in RA. Methods Next-generation sequencing was conducted to profile mtDNA germline and somatic variants in 124 RA patients and 123 age- and sex-matched healthy controls in the Taizhou area, China. Fisher's exact test, SKAT and SKAT-O were used for gene-burden tests to investigate RA-related variants of mitochondrial genes. Predictive tools were applied to evaluate the pathogenicity of mtDNA variants, and mtDNA haplogroups were assigned according to mtDNA mutations recorded in PhyloTree database. The frequency distribution of mtDNA haplogroups between the groups was compared using χ2 analysis. Results We identified 467 RA-unique and 341 healthy control-unique mtDNA variants, with 443 common variants. Only MT-ATP6 with a significant burden of variants was identified by Fisher's exact test, SKAT and SKAT-O, even after Bonferroni adjustment, and the enrichment variants in MT-ATP6 was mainly driven by m.8830C>A, m.8833G>C and m.8843T>A variants. Besides, four frequently low-heteroplasmic variants including the three variants above and m.14135T>G of MT-ND5 were detected in RA only; except for m.8830C>A, they are considered potential pathogenicity based on functional predictions. χ2 analysis before Bonferroni adjustment revealed haplogroup F1/F1a to be negatively associated with RA (P  < 0.05). Conclusion These results profiled the landscape of germline and somatic mtDNA variants in RA and supported the effects of mitochondrial genes on RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for determining Zn content in zincian malachite from a relative location of reflections in an x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern is reported. Based on the standard samples prepared by a micro-reactor, the (220) reflection of zincian malachite is selected as the reference peak to calculate the relative location of other reflections within the 2θ-range from 10° to 35°. After establishing the relationship between the Zn content and the relative location, the shifts of these reflections are considered comprehensively to determine the Zn content by multi-peak fitting. The new method takes full advantage of the XRD pattern, avoiding the interference of adjacent reflections in single-peak fitting, eliminating the systematic deviation among different instruments that causes the overall shift of the pattern. Comparing with the Rietveld refinement, the method is more convenient for ordinary user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot deformation behavior of Al-0.2Sc-0.04Zr (wt.%) aluminum alloy was investigated via conducting hot compression tests at temperatures of 440-600 °C and at strain rates, ranging from 0.001 to 5 s−1, at an interval of an order of magnitude. The characteristics of the true stress-strains acquired in the hot compression tests were investigated, and the influence of processing parameters on the microstructure of the deformed samples was observed by using optical microscope and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). Two types of processing maps for Al-0.2Sc-0.04Zr alloy were developed using the Kumar-Prasad (K-P) and Murty-Rao (M-R) instability/stability criteria, respectively. The prediction results of two types of processing maps were examined. Based on the analysis of the M-R processing map and EBSD, a deformation mechanism map covering a wide range of temperature and strain rate was developed. The result shows that the flow stress had a rapid increase to the maximum stress, and subsequently, the flow stress decreases continually to be of steady-state type when the deformation continues on. The M-R criterion can more accurately predict the unstable region than the K-P criterion. The optimum temperature T and strain rate ε˙ combination conditions for Al-0.2Sc-0.04Zr alloy are T = 520-560 °C, ε˙ = 10−3 s−1 or ε˙ = 0.1-5 s−1. The microstructure evolution dominated by the predominant or complete dynamic recrystallization can be acquired by deformation at the combination conditions. However, it is dominated mainly by dynamic recovery at lower temperatures (T < 520 °C) and by dynamic recrystallization at higher temperatures (T > 520 °C). In addition, the microstructure of specimen deformed at 600 °C shows a growing and coarse trend. Moreover, the nano-dimension precipitate particles of Al3(Sc,Zr) are uniformly distributed throughout Al matrix. The efficiency parameter η value of Al-0.2Sc-0.04Zr alloy in processing maps is smaller in comparison with that in pure aluminum, and it could be attributed to these nano-dimension particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The components of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway in parasitic nematodes remain unknown. In this research, a type I receptor for TGF-β was isolated from the hookworm Ancylostoma caninum. The new gene was designated as Acdaf-1, a Caenorhabditis elegans daf-1 homolog. The full-length cDNA of Acdaf-1 encodes a 595-amino-acid protein with an NH2-terminal signal peptide. This protein has a cytoplasm tail (209-595aa region) which corresponds to the type 1a membrane topology. Between amino acid position 295-500, the protein contains the ATP binding site, substrate binding sites, and PKC-kinase-like domain. Real-time RT-PCR showed that the transcript was expressed in three main stages of A. caninum. It reached the maximal level in the female adult worm stage with lower transcript level in the first and second larvae (L1/L2) and intermediate level in L3 stages as well as in the male worms. After serum activation, the activity of Acdaf-1 was decreased in L3 larvae. These data implied that Acdaf-1 might relate to the infection ability of the larvae. Immunolocalization revealed that AcDAF-1 was present in eggs, intestine, and epidermis cells of larvae (L1, L2, and L3 stages) with strong signal in primordium of the gonads in L3 and was abundant in epidermis, intestine, and ovary of adult worm. These results suggested that Acdaf-1 might be involved in the interaction of the parasite and host relationship and provide a potential target for parasite control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure, deformation mechanisms, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior, and texture evolution of AZ80 magnesium alloy were investigated by three-pass cyclic expansion-extrusion (CEE) tests. Optical microscopy (OM), electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to study microstructure, grain orientation, DRX mechanism, and texture evolution. The results show that the grain sizes decrease continuously with the increase of CEE pass. The grain refinement effect of the first pass is the most remarkable, and there appear a large number of twins. After three-pass CEE, a well-distributed structure with fine equiaxed grains is obtained. With the increase of CEE pass, the deformation mechanism changes from twinning to slipping and the DRX mechanism changes mainly from twinning-induced dynamic recrystallization (TDRX) to rotation dynamic recrystallization (RDRX) and then to continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX). The grain misorientation between the new grains and matrix grains deceases gradually, and a relatively small angle misorientation is obtained after three-pass CEE. Grain misorientations of the first two passes are attributed to TDRX and RDRX behaviors, respectively. The grain refinement changes the deformation and DRX mechanisms of CEE process, which leads the (0002) basal texture intensity first decrease and then increase suddenly. Eventually, the extremely strong basal texture is formed after three-pass CEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-like receptor (TLR) 10, mainly expressed on B cells, has emerged as a modulatory receptor in inflammation. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of TLR10 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear. In this study, we explored the expression of TLR10 in B cells and B cell subsets in RA subjects and healthy controls (HCs) and determined its relevance to disease activity and inflammatory biomarkers. TLR10 levels in B cells and B cell subsets (CD19+CD27+, CD19+CD27−, CD27+IgD−, CD27+IgD+, CD27−IgD+, D27−IgD−, CD19+CD5+, and CD19+CD5−) and inflammatory biomarker concentrations in peripheral blood (PB) obtained from RA subjects and HCs were detected by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The correlations of TLR10 expression with disease activity and inflammatory biomarkers were then analysed. Similar levels of TLR10 in all CD19+ B cells were observed in the RA subjects and HCs. Compared to that in the HCs, TLR10 was elevated significantly in the CD19+CD27−IgD− and CD19+CD5+ subsets in the RA subjects. In addition, almost all subsets expressing TLR10 were increased with disease activity. The present study reveals that enhanced TLR10 in B cell subsets is positively correlated with disease activity in RA subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Nucleotide binding domain and leucine‐rich repeat pyrin 3 domain (NLRP3) inflammasome is known for activating pro‐inflammatory cytokines in knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study was performed to identify whether NLRP3 inflammasome can be triggered by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and adenosine triphos adenine (ATP), which are positively related with knee OA severity in joint‐spaces, in human fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLS), and to identify whether estrogen would inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Methods: In the present study, human FLS were isolated from the knee OA in patients during arthroplasty, and were treated with LPS and ATP in the presence or absence of estradiol (E2). The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of NLRP3 components were analyzed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to examine interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐18 content in the supernatant. Estrogen receptor α inhibitor MPP and β inhibitor PHTPP were used to explore how E2 works. Results: Our results demonstrated that treatment with LPS and ATP increased significantly both in mRNA and protein levels of all the NLRP3 inflammasome components, and triggered the NLRP3 inflammasome, followed by upregulated IL‐1β and IL‐18 in the cell supernatant. E2 appeared to inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by diminishing mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3 through estrogen receptor β, and decreased the expression of IL‐1β and IL‐18 as well. Conclusion: These results suggested the increased LPS and ATP in joint‐space may promote knee OA by NLRP3 inflammasome and E2 may exert a protective effect by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in FLS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advanced MEdium Resolution Spectral Imager (MERSI II) is a major instrument onboard the Chinese FengYun 3D satellite, which was launched in November 2017. Extensive measurements were performed during MERSI II prelaunch testing to ensure effective characterization for on-orbit calibration. This paper gives a brief overview of the prelaunch performance testing conducted for MERSI II, as well as its improvements in terms of instrument design compared to MERSI I. The prelaunch calibration methodology and radiometric performance are detailed, including dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio, noise equivalent differential temperature, linearity, and response uniformity. The assessment results indicate that most bands perform effectively with mirror specification noncompliances in a few reflective solar bands (RSBs). In addition, investigation of the stability and uniformity of the spherical integrating source indicates that they have a critical impact on the performance assessment and prelaunch calibration of RSBs. The temperature-dependence features of thermal emissive bands’ performances are also discussed in terms of their sensitivity to the operating temperature of the focal plane assembly and instrument circumstance. This paper also shows that the self-stability of the calibration source and the representation of the assessment methods are important as they affect the results of instrument performance evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) is a systemic inflammatory marker for prediction of disease development, progress, and survival. Recently, a genome-wide association study identified genetic variations in ITGA4 and HLA-DRB1 that affect the LMR levels and were widely believed to be susceptibility genes for autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the role of LMR in RA patients remains unclear. The LMR level and other laboratory data of 66 RA patients, 163 osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and 131 healthy controls (HC) were compared using binary logistic regression. The correlations between LMR and disease activity and other inflammatory markers were measured using the Spearman rank test. ROC curve analyses assessed the diagnostic accuracy of LMR in RA. The LMR and lymphocyte count were significantly lower in RA patients, whereas the monocyte count was significantly higher relative to the HC group/OA patients ( p < 0.01). A decreased LMR has been associated with increased disease activity ( p = 0.012). In addition, the DAS28 and traditional inflammatory markers, including ESR, CRP, RDW, PLR, and NLR, and immune-related factors, such as C4, IgA, and IgM, were inversely correlated with LMR, while hemoglobin and albumin were positively correlated with LMR. The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of LMR was 0.705 (95%CI = 0.630-0.781). The corresponding specificity and sensitivity were 82.82 and 45.45%, respectively. The present study shows that the LMR is an important inflammatory marker which could be used to identify disease activity in RA patients and to distinguish RA from OA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the formation mechanism of fouling with the action of Fe2O3 corrosion product, the absorption system of Fe and Fe2O3 on calcite (1-10) crystal face was simulated and treated to be balanced in terms of molecular dynamics method. The adhesion energy of two absorption systems was deduced and compared by calculating all energy of the two absorption systems. The results show that the adhesion energy of Fe on calcite (1-10) crystal face is higher than that of Fe2O3 on calcite (1-10) crystal face. Meanwhile, the results are further proved by the calculation of radial distribution function. The theoretical calculation indicates it is hard to clean up the crystallization fouling adhered on Fe surface than that on Fe2O3 surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During acute intestinal ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury, the intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) function is often disrupted. Enteric glial cells (EGCs) play an important role in maintaining the integrity of IEB functions. However, how EGCs regulate IEB function under IR stimulation is unknown. The present study reveals that the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) is important for mediating the barrier-modulating roles of EGCs. A2AR knockout (KO) experiments revealed more serious intestinal injury in A2AR KO mice than in WT mice after IR stimulation. Moreover, A2AR expression was significantly increased in WT mice when challenged by IR. To further investigate the role of A2AR in IEB, we established an in vitro EGC-Caco-2 co-culture system. Hypoxia stimulation was used to mimic the process of in vivo IR. Treating EGCs with the CGS21680 A2AR agonist attenuated hypoxia-induced intestinal epithelium damage through up-regulating ZO-1 and occludin expression in cocultured Caco-2 monolayers. Furthermore, we showed that A2AR and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) combine to activate the PKCα-dependent pathway in conditions of hypoxia. This study shows, for the first time, that hypoxia induces A2AR-mGluR5 interaction in EGCs to protect IEB function via the PKCα pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overgrinding of Portland cement brings excessive shrinkage and poor self-healing ability to concrete. In this paper, through the ultrasonic test and optical micrograph observation, the self-healing properties of concrete prepared by cement with different particle size distributions were studied. Besides, the effect of carbonation and continued hydration on self-healing of concrete was analyzed. Results show that, for the Portland cement containing more particles with the size 30~60 μm, the concrete could achieve a better self-healing ability of concrete at 28 days. For the two methods to characterize the self-healing properties of concrete, the ultrasonic test is more accurate in characterizing the self-healing of internal crack than optical micrograph observation. The autogenous self-healing of concrete is jointly affected by the continued hydration and carbonation. At 7 days and 30 days, the autogenous self-healing of concrete is mainly controlled by the continued hydration and carbonation, respectively. The cement particle size could affect the continued hydration by affecting un-hydrated cement content and the carbonation by affecting the Ca(OH)2 content. Therefore, a proper distribution of cement particle size, which brings a suitable amount of Ca(OH)2 and un-hydrated cement, could improve the self-healing ability of concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]