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BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) is associated with dysregulation of bone metabolism and gut microbiota. Quinoa is a grain with high nutritional value, and its effects and potential mechanisms on PMO have not been reported yet. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the bone protective effect of quinoa on ovariectomy (OVX) rats by regulating bone metabolism and gut microbiota. Results: Quinoa significantly improved osteoporosis‐related biochemical parameters of OVX rats and ameliorated ovariectomy‐induced bone density reduction and trabecular structure damage. Quinoa intervention may repair the intestinal barrier by upregulating the expression of tight junction proteins in the duodenum. In addition, quinoa increased the levels of Firmicutes, and decreased the levels of Bacteroidetes and Prevotella, reversing the dysregulation of the gut microbiota. This may be related to estrogen signaling pathway, secondary and primary bile acid biosynthesis, benzoate degradation, synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies, NOD‐like receptor signaling pathway and biosynthesis of tropane, piperidine and pyridine alkaloids. Correlation analysis showed that there is a strong correlation between gut microbiota with significant changes in abundance and parameters related to osteoporosis. Conclusion: Quinoa could significantly reverse the high intestinal permeability and change the composition of gut microbiota in OVX rats, thereby improving bone microstructure deterioration and bone metabolism disorder, and ultimately protecting the bone loss of OVX rats. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Themed "Better Sub-Regional and Urban Development from the Perspective of the Belt and Road Initiative," the 2023 Annual Conference of the International Urban Planning Branch of the Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC) was successfully held in Kunming from Jun. 23 to 25, 2023. The conference, organized by the International Urban Planning Branch and hosted by the School of Architecture and Planning, Yunnan University, coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Thus it aimed to share new insights and practices related to sub-regional cooperation, sustainable development, global industrial restructuring, urban vitality, cross-border cultural exchanges, and more, both in China and internationally. Furthermore, the conference presented in-depth research and analysis on the strategic advantages of the Belt and Road Initiative and held dialogues and case studies on high-quality sub-regional and urban development worldwide. The goal was to provide innovative perspectives for China to implement high-quality cross-border collaboration under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. The keynote speeches given at the conference have been collected by China City Planning Review and meticulously proofread by the respective speaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CDPK family genes play crucial roles in signal transduction pathways during plant development and stress response. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the CDPK family genes in mustard (Brassica juncea L.), resulting in the identification of 101 genes (BjuCDPK1–101) located on chromosomes AA_Chr01 to BB_Chr08. RNA-seq analysis showed that most BjuCDPK genes were predominantly expressed in the root and flower bud, suggesting their organ-specific expression patterns. Furthermore, the expression levels of most BjuCDPK genes were significantly altered by cold stress. The promoter regions of BjuCDPK genes had abundant cis-acting elements related to hormones and stress. The interaction network analysis predicted that BjuCDPK proteins respond to abiotic stress probably via interaction with ABF1, ABF4, and/or DI19. Our findings provide valuable information for further the investigation of the cold stress adaption of mustard via the CDPK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a simple method was designed to prepare ordered mesoporous carbons embedded with molybdenum without any extreme conditions. We prepared three different ordered molybdenum carbide materials with mesoporous structures to explore the influence of the structure of molybdenum‐based materials on the HER catalytic efficiency. The ordered mesoporous molybdenum carbide catalysts (CMK‐3‐MoCx, fCMK‐3‐MoCx, CMK‐8‐MoCx) were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, nitrogen adsorption‐desorption and XPS. The HER is catalyzed efficiently on the three electrocatalysts, fCMK‐3‐MoCx shows the best HER electro‐catalytic performance with a small onset potential of −0.06 V vs. RHE, a low tafel slope of 66 mV dec−1 and a small over‐potential value of 89 mV at 10 mA cm−2. This excellent performance on HER is due to its high specific surface area and highly ordered mesoporous structure that resulted in excellent proton transport efficiency and high electron transfer rate. Our results provide a new research direction for the application of flat ordered mesoporous structures in catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-efficiency and economical electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting are the core component of the renewable energy conversion. Herein, a simple and economical strategy is described to synthesize a series of metal oxide decorated nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes materials (N-CNT@Cu–Fe Oxide Alloy NPs) by utilizing carbon nanotubes as the substrate carrier material. Additionally, the polypyrrole (PPy) was served as both the nitrogen resource and the localizing agent to load the Cu–Fe oxide alloy. Moreover, the theoretical and test results indicated that the superior HER and ORR performance is mainly related to the synergistic effect between the nitrogen-doped CNT and metallic oxide alloy. In the series of catalysts we prepared, N-CNT@Cu 1 –Fe 1 Oxide Alloy NPs exhibits more significant catalytic activity and better durability than other catalysts that we synthesized. Meanwhile, the catalyst shows the low Tafel slope of 68.28 mV dec−1 for HER and reaches 10 mA cm−2 at the overpotential of 375 mV. The K–L plot shows that the electron transfer number of N–CNF@Cu 1 –Fe 1 Alloy NPs is 3.43. [Display omitted] • Utilizing a new carbon nanotube as the substrate carrier material. • N-doping and oxide alloy formation can be simultaneously realized. • Polypyrrole as nitrogen source and localizing agent simultaneously. • Electron transfer between FePc and Cu2+ for the formation of metallic precursors. • High electrocatalytic performance for both HER and ORR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to decolorize azo dyes in high-salt industrial wastewater under high-salt and low oxygen conditions using extreme halophilic/halotolerant bacteria screened from the salt fields of Tibet, which consisted of Enterococcus , unclassified Enterobacteriaceae , Staphylococcus , Bacillus , and Kosakonia. Under the optimal conditions, 600 mg/l Congo red, Direct Black G (DBG), Amaranth, methyl red, and methyl orange could be completely decolorized in 24, 8, 8, 12, and 12 h, respectively. When the DBG concentration was 600 mg/l, NADH–DCIP, laccase, and azo reductase were confirmed to be the primary reductase and oxidase during the degradation process, and the degradation pathways were verified. The microflora could not only tolerate changes in salt concentrations of 0–80 g/l, but also displayed strong degradative ability. Under high-salt concentrations (≥ 60 g/l NaCl), NADH–DCIP reductase was primarily used to decolorize the azo dye. However, under low salt concentrations (≤ 40 g/l NaCl), azo reductase began to function, and manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase could cooperate to participate in DBG degradation. Additionally, the halophilic/halophilic microflora was shown to convert the toxic DBG dye to metabolites of low toxicity based on phytotoxicity analysis, and a new mechanism for the microflora to degrade DBG was proposed based on intermediates identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS). This study revealed that the halophilic/halophilic microflora has effective ecological and industrial value for treating wastewater from the textile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a string of different proportion trimetallic loaded the N-doped hollow porous carbon nanospheres (N-HPCS@Co Cu Fe NSs) were successfully crafted by a simple and economical method. Herein, the hollow-carbon structure was formed by etching carbon nanospheres. Moreover, owing to the presence of the PDA and P123, high dispersed nano spheres with mesopores were obtained. By this way, the catalyst can expose unique internal cavity and short transport path. Meanwhile, trimetal-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) Co Cu Fe alloy nano spheres (Co Cu Fe NSs) are first prepared. Creatively, PDA acts as the carbon resource, nitrogen resource and metal grafting agent simultaneously. Through a series of tests, N-HPCS@Co 1 Cu 1 Fe NSs has the best electrocatalytic performance and durable stability. This work highlights the current advances of hollow porous carbon structure, trimetallic active sites and N-doping, as well as, endow high electrocatalytic activity and durability for HER and OER. N-doped hollow porous carbon spheres@Co Cu Fe alloy nanospheres (N-HPCS@Co Cu Fe NSs) as novel non-precious metal electrocatalysts for HER and OER. [Display omitted] • Co Cu Fe alloy nano spheres loaded on the N-doped hollow porous carbon nanospheres. • PDA acts as nitrogen source, carbon source and metal grafting agent simultaneously. • N-doping, alloy formation and reduction simultaneously realized. • High electrocatalytic performance for both HER and OER in alkaline media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Novel multi‐shell hollow SiO2@Au@TiO2 (HSAT) nanospheres are synthesized by multi‐step method. Composite photoanodes and Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with different amount of HSAT nanospheres are studied. The study indicates that the HSAT nanospheres have enhanced the scattering and absorption of incident light in the photoanode, reduced the interface transmission resistance, increased the electron lifetime, and thus significantly improved performance of DSSCs. The maximal Jsc and photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) obtained in the optimal DSSC doped with HSAT of 3.0% are 15.83 mA cm−2 and 7.21%, greatly enhanced by 21.0% and 20.4%, respectively, compared with those of the pure TiO2‐based DSSC. These remarkable enhancements in DSSCs performance can be attributed to the synergistic and complementary effects of the localized surface plasmon resonance and strong light scattering of HSAT nanospheres, which has significantly improved the absorption and utilization on incident light and thus the PCE of the DSSCs. Such synergistic and complementary effects of the different functions are also likely expected to play roles in the performance improvements in other solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Co0.03Zn0.97O (CZO) thin film was epitaxially grown on a Nb doped (001) SrTiO3 (NSTO) single-crystal substrate by pulsed laser deposition to form a Pt/CZO/NSTO heterostructure. This device exhibits stable bipolar resistive switching, well retention and endurance, multilevel memories, and a resistance ratio of high resistance state (HRS)/low resistance state (LRS) up to 7 × 105. Under the illumination of a 405 nm laser, the HRS of the device showed distinct photoelectricity with an open-circuit voltage of 0.5 V. A stronger ferromagnetism was observed at the HRS than at the LRS. The above phenomenon is attributable to the accumulation and migration of oxygen vacancies at the interface of CZO/NSTO. Our results demonstrated a pathway towards making multifunctional devices that simultaneously exhibit resistive switching, photoelectricity, and ferromagnetism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), one of the disinfection byproducts of water chlorination, induces cell proliferation and apoptosis; however, the detailed mechanism remains unclear. Oxidative stress participates in various biological processes, including DNA damage and cytotoxicity. To explore whether oxidative stress mediated DCAN-induced cell proliferation and apoptosis, we assessed the effect of redox imbalance and apoptosis in LO2 cells. We observed increase of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde and increased apoptosis by 13.6% in 500 μM DCAN compared with the control group. We also observed a decrease of antioxidant ability damage including glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and total antioxidant capacity depletion. Furthermore, DCAN might activate oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis pathway via up-regulation of p53 expression and caspase-3 activity. Therefore, we conclude that DCAN may activate apoptotic signals via p53 up-regulation and oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis in LO2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroquinone (HQ), one of the most important metabolites derived from benzene, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) participates in various biological processes, including DNA repair and cell cycle regulation. To explore whether PARP-1 regulatory pathway mediated HQ-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, we assessed the effect of PARP-1 suppression on induction of apoptosis analyzed by FACSCalibur flow cytometer in PARP-1 deficientTK6 cells (TK6-shPARP-1). We observed an increase in the fraction of cells in G1 phase by 7.6% and increased apoptosis by 4.5% in PARP-1-deficient TK6 cells (TK6-shPARP-1) compared to those negative control cells (TK6-shNC cells) in response to HQ treatment. Furthermore, HQ might activate the extrinsic pathways of apoptosis via up-regulation of Fas expression, followed by caspase-3 activation, apoptotic body, and sub G1 accumulation. Enhanced p53 expression was observed in TK6-shPARP-1 cells than in TK6-shNC cells after HQ treatment. In contrast, Fas expression was lower in TK6-shPARP-1 cells than in TK6-shNC cells. Therefore, we conclude that HQ may activate apoptotic signals via Fas up-regulation and p53-mediated apoptosis in TK6-shNC cells. The reduction of PARP-1 expression further intensified up-regulation of p53 in TK6-shPARP-1 cells, resulting in an increased G1→S phase cell arrest and apoptosis in TK6-shPARP-1 cells compared to TK6-shNC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synaptic adhesion protein Neurexin 2a (Nrxn2a) plays a key role in neuronal development and is associated with cognitive functioning and locomotor behavior. Although low-level metal exposure poses a potential risk to the human nervous system, especially during the developmental stages, little is known about the effects of metal exposures on nrxn2a expression during embryonic development. We therefore exposed wild-type zebrafish embryos/larvae to cadmium (CdCl2), manganese (MnCl2), and lead ([CH3COO]2Pb), to determine their effect on mortality, malformation, and hatching rate. Concentrations of these metals in zebrafish were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. Locomotor activity of zebrafish larvae was analyzed using a video-track tracking system. Expression of nrxn2a was assessed by in situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that mortality, malformation, and bioaccumulation increased as the exposure dosages and duration increased. Developmental exposure to these metals significantly reduced larval swim distance and velocity. The nrxn2aa and nrxn2ab genes were expressed in the central nervous system and downregulated by almost all of the 3 metals, especially Pb. These data demonstrate that exposure to metals downregulates nrxn2a in the zebrafish model system, and this is likely linked to concurrent developmental processes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2147-2154. © 2017 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a new type of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles encapsulated in and loaded on hollow carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) wrapped dendritic carbon layers (DCL) architecture were synthesized successfully by a simple method. In the preparation process, hollow polypyrrole (PPy) tubes were used as the base material, iron phthalocyanine (FePc) was applied as iron and carbon source, and the iron in FePc was successfully reduced to Fe 3 O 4 by the reducibility of hydrogen peroxide which were successfully embedded in the hollow PPy tubes and loaded on the outer wall of the PPy tubes. Meanwhile, phthalocyanine, as a carbon source, was wrapped in the outer layer of hollow PPy. After calcination, a carbon layer coated with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles was formed. Moreover, iron as a precursor catalyzed to take shape dendritic carbon layers structure during high temperature calcination. Ultimately, the novel Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles coated in HCNTs and encapsulated in dendritic carbon layers have been successfully prepared which have a relatively unique morphology and structure by an innovative, green and simple preparation method. Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are not only embedded in the interior of HCNTs, but also loaded on the outer wall of HCNTs. Greater specific surface area and better electrocatalytic performance are displayed in acquired 2Fe 3 O 4 @N-HCNT@2Fe 3 O 4 @DCL in oxygen evolution reactions (OER) and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). In this work, a novel method of metal oxide embedding into void internal structure is developed, and a relatively new morphology is obtained, which provides a new train of thought for the progress of material preparation. [Display omitted] • Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles embedded into and loaded on HCNT with dendritic carbon layer. • A novel structure formed between organic specie and inorganic iron precursor. • Gradient structure formed by competitive cross-linking and polymerization reaction. • 2Fe 3 O 4 @N-HCNT@2Fe 3 O 4 shows high electrocatalytic performance for OER and HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]