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All-solid-state ion selective electrodes (ASS-ISEs) are easy to miniaturize and array, meeting the needs of home sensing devices. However, ASS-ISEs still faces challenges in accuracy and stability due to basic potential changes caused by non-specific adsorption of charged background compositions and the complex electrode preparation steps. To this end, our group successfully subtracted the background signal by integrating a self-calibrating channel in the sensing array and simplified the electrode preparation steps by preparing multi-functional PS-Au nanocomposites. However, the uniformity and gold content of PS-Au nanocomposites are difficult to control, so Au@PS nanocomposites are prepared as sensor materials in this paper to further reduce the differences between batches of electrodes. K+ Au@PS sensing array can be obtained by directly dropping Au@PS nanocomposites on the screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs), which shows a near Nernstian behavior in the range 1.0 × 10−3 M to 0.3 M and good reproducibility in real sample testing. The detection results by K+ Au@PS sensing array for K+ in human morning urine agreed well with that tested by ICP-AES, which make the K+-ASS-ISE suitable for home health monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fiber, polysaccharides and phenols are the representative functional components in wheat bran, which have important nutritional properties and pharmacological effects. However, the most functional components in wheat bran exist in bound form with low bioaccessibility. This paper reviews these functional components, analyzes modification methods, and focuses on novel solid-state fermentation (SSF) strategies in the release of functional components. Mining efficient microbial resources from traditional fermented foods, exploring the law of material exchange between cell populations, and building a stable self-regulation co-culture system are expected to strengthen the SSF process. In addition, emerging biotechnology such as synthetic biology and genome editing are used to transform the mixed fermentation system. Furthermore, combined with the emerging physical-field pretreatment coupled with SSF strategies applied to the modification of wheat bran, which provides a theoretical basis for the high-value utilization of wheat bran and the development of related functional foods and drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of the capability of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel coating in cell adhesion and detachment is critical to efficiently prepare cell sheets applied in cellular therapies and tissue engineering. To enhance cell response on the surface, the amine group-modified PNIPAAm (PNIPAAm-APTES) nanohydrogels were synthesized and deposited spontaneously on tannic acid (TA)-modified polyethylene (PE) plates. Subsequently, TA was introduced onto PNIPAAm-APTES nanohydrogels to fabricate coatings composed of TA-modified PNIPAAm-APTES (PNIPAAm-APTES-TA). Characterization techniques, including TEM, SEM, XPS, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, confirmed the effective deposition of hydrogels of PNIPAAm as well as the morphologies, content of chemical bonding-TA, and stability of various coatings. Importantly, the porous hydrogel coatings exhibited superhydrophilicity at 20 °C and thermo-responsive behavior. The fluorescence measurement demonstrated that the coating's stability effectively regulated protein behavior, influencing cell response. Notably, cell response tests revealed that even without precise control over the chain length/thickness of PNIPAAm during synthesis, the coatings enhanced cell adhesion and detachment, facilitating efficient cell culture. This work represented a novel and facile approach to preparing bioactive PNIPAAm for cell culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Ethanol and osmotic stresses are the major limiting factors for brewing strong beer with high‐gravity wort. Breeding of yeast strains with high osmotic and ethanol tolerance and studying very‐high‐gravity (VHG) brewing technology is of great significance for brewing strong beer. RESULTS: This study used an optimized microbial microdroplet culture (MMC) system for adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae YN81 to improve its tolerance to osmotic and ethanol stress. Meanwhile, we investigated the VHG and VHG with added ethanol (VHGAE) brewing processes for the evolved mutants in brewing strong beer. The results showed that three evolved mutants were obtained; among them, the growth performance of YN81mc‐8.3 under 300, 340, 380, 420 and 460 g L−1 sucrose stresses was greater than that of the other strains. The ethanol tolerance of YN81mc‐8.3 was 12%, which was 20% higher than that of YN81. During strong‐beer brewing in a 100 L cylindrical cone‐bottom tank, the sugar utilization and ethanol yield of YN81mc‐8.3 outperformed those of YN81 in both the VHG and VHGAE brewing processes. Measurement of the diacetyl concentration showed that YN81mc‐8.3 had a stronger diacetyl reduction ability; in particular, the real degree of fermentation of beers brewed by YN81mc‐8.3 in VHG and VHGAE brewing processes was 75.35% and 66.71%, respectively – higher than those of the two samples brewed by YN81. Meanwhile, the visual, olfactive and gustative properties of the strong beer produced by YN81mc‐8.3 were better than those of the other beers. CONCLUSION: In this study, the mutant YN81mc‐8.3 and the VHGAE brewing process were optimal and represented a better alternative strong‐beer brewing process. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a structural optimization method driven by tribo-dynamic mechanism is proposed for the staved water-lubricated bearings (SWLBs). To this end, a tribo-dynamic model considering mass conservation cavitation is established, and the accuracy of this model is verified by comparing it with the experimental and numerical results in published literature studies. The comparative studies emphasize the significant role of mass conservation cavitation on the tribo-dynamic responses of SWLBs under the mixed lubrication regime. Based on numerical simulations, the optimal stave structure for a specific working operation under heavy load condition is identified from the perspective of the tribo-dynamic mechanism. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the applicability of the proposed optimization method, the influences of key parameters, including the rotational speed, the radial clearance, and the surface roughness, on the optimization results are comparatively analyzed. The comparative results reveal that the optimal stave structure is highly dependent on the mentioned key parameters, and the optimal method is effective for a wide range of working conditions. Moreover, the effects of the stave parameters, including stave width and number, on tribo-dynamic characteristics of SWLBs are also investigated, suggesting a more comprehensive optimization scheme for SWLBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common genetic mutations are absent in neuroblastoma, one of the most common childhood tumours. As a demethylase of 5‐methylcytosine (m5C) modification, TET1 plays an important role in tumourigenesis and differentiation. However, the association between TET1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to neuroblastoma has not been reported. Three TET1 gene polymorphisms (rs16925541 A > G, rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C) in 402 Chinese patients with neuroblastoma and 473 cancer‐free controls were assessed using TaqMan. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between TET1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to neuroblastoma. The GTEx database was used to analyse the impact of these polymorphisms on peripheral gene expression. The relationship between gene expression and prognosis was analysed using Kaplan–Meier analysis with the R2 platform. We found that both rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C were significantly associated with increased neuroblastoma risk. Stratified analysis further showed that rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C significantly increased neuroblastoma risk in certain subgroups. In the combined risk genotype model, 1–3 risk genotypes significantly increased risk of neuroblastoma compared with the 0 risk genotype. rs3998860 G > A and rs12781492 A > C were significantly associated with increased STOX1 mRNA expression in adrenal and whole blood, and high expression of STOX1 mRNA in adrenal and whole blood was significantly associated with worse prognosis. In summary, TET1 gene polymorphisms are significantly associated with increased neuroblastoma risk; further research is required for the potential mechanism and therapeutic prospects in neuroblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to develop a mathematical model for investigating the nonlinear dynamic mixed friction behaviors, including hydrodynamic force, contact force, deformation, and displacements, of the novel coupled bearing lubricated with low-viscosity fluid. The model fully couples the five-degrees-of-freedom rotor dynamic model with the mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication model of the novel coupled bearing, considering the unbalance and exciting forces/comments caused by the propeller rotor. A comparative analysis is carried out to validate the effectiveness of the present model. Through the numerical simulation, the dynamic nonlinear mixed friction behaviors of the novel coupled bearing under low-viscosity lubricant are revealed. Based on the established mathematical model, a series of parametric studies are conducted to explore the effect of the structural parameters on the nonlinear mixed friction behavior of the novel coupled bearing. Numerical results demonstrate that the exciting moments increase the range of the journal orbit, thereby generating the edge asperity contact for both the journal and thrust bearings. The angular displacement along the y axis improves the transient mixed friction performances of the thrust bearing. Furthermore, numerical results reveal that the increasing length–diameter ratio of the journal bearing (the specific pressure remains constant) improves the nonlinear dynamic mixed friction behaviors of the thrust bearing. In addition, the nonlinear dynamic mixed friction performance of the journal bearing becomes better with the increase in the thrust bearing radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly effective phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms are significant for making full use of the potential phosphorus resources in the soil and alleviating the shortage of phosphorus resources. In this study, a phosphate-solubilizing fungus was isolated from wheat and cotton rhizosphere soils in the lower reaches of the Yellow River in China and was identified as Penicillium oxalicum by morphological and ITS sequencing analysis. In order to obtain a fungus with more efficient phosphorus solubilization ability, we tested three positive mutant strains (P1, P2, and P3) and three negative mutant strains (N1, N2, and N3) through low-energy nitrogen ion implantation mutagenesis. Compared with the parental strain, the phosphate-solubilizing capacity of P1, P2, and P3 was enhanced by 56.88%, 42.26%, and 32.15%, respectively, and that of N1, N2, and N3 was weakened by 47.53%, 35.27%, and 30.86%, respectively. Compared with the parental strain, the total amount of organic acids secreted significantly increased in the three positive mutant strains and decreased in the negative mutant strains; the pH of culture medium was significantly lower in the positive mutant strains and higher in the negative mutant strains. The capacity of phosphate-solubilizing fungus to secrete organic acids and reduce the growth-medium pH was closely related to its phosphate-solubilizing ability. The changes in the amount of organic acids secreted by mutants can alter their acidification and phosphate-solubilizing capacity. In conclusion, this study offers a theoretical basis and strain materials for the exploration and application of phosphate-solubilizing fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H19 polymorphisms are associated with increased susceptibility to several cancers; however, their role in hepatoblastoma remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between three H19 polymorphisms (rs2839698 G>A, rs3024270 C>G, rs217727 G>A) and hepatoblastoma susceptibility in 213 hepatoblastoma patients. The rs2839698 and rs3024270 polymorphisms were associated with significantly increased hepatoblastoma risk, with the GG genotype associated with a higher risk of hepatoblastoma than the CC genotype at the rs3024270 locus. The rs217727 polymorphism was associated with significantly decreased hepatoblastoma risk, with the AG genotype associated with a lower risk of hepatoblastoma than the GG genotype. These findings were confirmed by combined analysis, and stratification analysis revealed that age, gender and clinical stage were associated with increased hepatoblastoma susceptibility. The GGG and AGG haplotypes were significantly associated with increased hepatoblastoma risk compared with the GCA reference (rs2839698, rs3024270, rs217727). The rs2839698 and rs3024270 polymorphisms correlated with decreased MRPL23‐AS1 expression, whereas the rs217727 polymorphism was associated with increased MRPL23‐AS1 expression. Overall, the H19 rs2839698, rs3024270 and rs217727 polymorphisms were associated with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in a Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the tumorigenesis and proliferation of human cancer. Several polymorphisms of lncRNAs have been found to be involved in the risk of neuroblastoma (NB). However, studies on the relationship between polymorphisms in lncRNA exons and NB are infrequent. We evaluated the association between rs11752942 A > G polymorphism in lnc-RNA-uc003opf.1 exon and neuroblastoma susceptibility by performing a hospital-based study with 275 patients and 531 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) assessed by using logistic regression models were used to determine the strength of the association. We found that the rs11752942 G allele is significantly associated with decreased neuroblastoma risk (AG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.53–0.98, P = 0.038; and AG/GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55–0.99, P = 0.045) after adjusting for age and gender. This association was more prominent in females, subjects with tumor in the mediastinum or early-stage. Furthermore, the expression quantitative trait locus analysis indicated that rs11752942 G was associated with decreased expression of its neighboring gene LRFN2 mRNA. These results indicate that lncRNA-uc003opf.1 may be a novel potentially functional lncRNA that may be used as a predictive marker, for it might contribute to decreased neuroblastoma risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuroblastoma is one of the most common malignant tumors in childhood. Polymorphisms in proto‐oncogene MYC are implicated in many cancers, although their role in neuroblastoma remains unclear. In the present study, we attempted to investigate the association between MYC gene polymorphisms and neuroblastoma susceptibility in Chinese children. Methods: We included two MYC polymorphisms (rs4645943 and rs2070583) and assessed their effects on neuroblastoma risk in 505 cases and 1070 controls via the Taqman method. Results: In single and combined locus analysis, no significant association was found between the two selected polymorphisms and neuroblastoma susceptibility. In stratification analysis, the rs4645943 CT/TT genotypes were significantly associated with a decreased neuroblastoma risk in subjects with tumors originating from other sites [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.21–0.84, p = 0.013]. Meanwhile, the presence of one or two protective genotypes was significantly associated with a decreased neuroblastoma risk in subjects with tumors arising from other sites (adjusted OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.26–0.96, p = 0.036). Conclusions: The present study indicates that MYC gene polymorphisms may have a weak effect on the neuroblastoma risk, which neeeds to be verified further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retroperitoneal teratoma is uncommon and carries considerable surgical risks. Some preoperative clinical and radiographic features could be predictive of surgical complication risk. We aimed to identify surgical risk factors that predicted perioperative complications. Childhood retroperitoneal teratoma cases operated on at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic features; clinical, laboratory, radiographic, and intraoperative findings; perioperative complications; and pathology results were assessed. Between May 2000 and December 2017, 152 childhood retroperitoneal teratomas were resected from 102 female patients (median age 5.75 months). Sixty-three patients (41%) experienced perioperative complications (79 intraoperative and 5 postoperative), including kidney excision (4 patients) and adrenal gland excision (1 patient). Among 113 patients with preoperative computed tomography/magnetic resonance images, 112 (99%), 111 (98%), and 113 (100%) demonstrated artery, vein, and organ distortion, respectively, and 28 (25%) had vessels encased by tumors. Patients with perioperative complications had more veins and organs distorted by tumors. In multivariate analysis, the numbers of vessels encased and organs distorted by tumors were significantly associated with perioperative complications (odds ratio = 1.45 and 1.69, 95% confidence interval: 1.00–2.10 and 1.19–2.41, respectively). Retroperitoneal teratoma resection has a high perioperative complication rate. Teratomas encompassing the vasculature and distorting organs were associated with increased surgical risk. Additional studies aiming to better define the surgical approach to retroperitoneal teratoma are warranted. III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass species selection and regular mowing are essential for maintaining aesthetic and environmentally sound turfgrass systems. However, their impacts on the soil microbial community, the driving force for soil N cycle and thus the environmental fate of N, are largely unknown. Here, the high throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was used to evaluate how long-term defoliation management and grass growth habits (propagation types and photosynthetic pathways) modulated the soil microbial community. The investigation included three cool-season C3 grasses (creeping bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and tall fescue) and three warm-season C4 grasses (bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass). Creeping bentgrass and bermudagrass were managed as putting greens with a lower mowing height; tall fescue spread in a tussock manner via tiller production whereas other grasses propagated in a creeping manner via rhizomes and/or stolons. Ordination analysis showed that both bacterial and fungal communities were primarily separated between putting green and non-putting green systems; and so were N-cycle gene relative abundances, with the putting greens being greater in N mineralization but lower in nitrification. Compared to warm-season grasses, cool-season grasses slightly and yet significantly enhanced the relative abundances of Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia, and Glomeromycota. Tall fescue yielded significantly greater bacterial and fungal richness than non-tussock grasses. As the main explanatory soil property, pH only contributed to < 18% of community compositional variations among turfgrass systems. Our results indicate that defoliation management was the main factor in shaping the soil microbial community and grass growth habits was secondary in modulating microbial taxon distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common hepatic malignancy in children, accounting for approximately 80% of all childhood liver tumors. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have found that the LINC00673 rs11655237 C>T polymorphism is associated with the risk of several different adult cancers. However, the association between this polymorphism and HB susceptibility remains unclear. Methods: We analyzed the association between the LINC00673 rs11655237 C>T polymorphism and HB susceptibility in a hospital-based study of Chinese children. We enrolled 213 HB patients and 958 healthy controls with genotypes determined by TaqMan, and the strength of the association of interest was determined by calculating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Findings: We found a significant association between the LINC00673 rs11655237 C>T polymorphism and HB risk (CT/TT compared with CC: adjusted OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.04–1.88, p = 0.029). Furthermore, stratified analysis indicated that rs11655237 T allele carriers in the following subgroups were more likely to develop HB: children older than 17 months, males, and those with tumors of clinical stages III + IV. Interpretation: In conclusion, we confirmed that the LINC00673 rs11655237 C>T polymorphism may be associated with HB susceptibility. Prospective studies with larger sample sizes and patients of different ethnicities are needed to validate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the interaction between life history, demography and population genetics in threatened species is critical for the conservations of viable populations. In the context of habitat loss and fragmentation, identifying the factors that underpin the structuring of genetic variation within populations can allow conservationists to evaluate habitat quality and connectivity and help to design dispersal corridors effectively. In this study, we carried out a detailed, fine‐scale landscape genetic investigation of a giant panda population from the Qinling Mountains for the first time. With a large microsatellite data set and complementary analysis methods, we examined the role of isolation‐by‐barriers (IBB), isolation‐by‐distance (IBD) and isolation‐by‐resistance (IBR) in shaping the pattern of genetic variation in this giant panda population. We found that the Qinling population comprises one continuous genetic cluster, and among the landscape hypotheses tested, gene flow was found to be correlated with resistance gradients for two topographic factors, slope aspect and topographic complexity, rather than geographical distance or barriers. Gene flow was inferred to be facilitated by easterly slope aspect and to be constrained by topographically complex landscapes. These factors are related to benign microclimatic conditions for both the pandas and the food resources they rely on and more accessible topographic conditions for movement, respectively. We identified optimal corridors based on these results, aiming to promote gene flow between human‐induced habitat fragments. These findings provide insight into the permeability and affinities of giant panda habitats and offer important reference for the conservation of the giant panda and its habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen loss from fertilized turf has been a concern for decades, with most research focused on inorganic (NO 3 − ) leaching. The present work examined both inorganic and organic N species in leachate and soil N 2 O emissions from intact soil cores of a bermudagrass chronosequence (1, 15, 20, and 109 years old) collected in both winter and summer. Measurements of soil N 2 O emissions were made daily for 3 weeks, while leachate was sampled once a week. Four treatments were established to examine the impacts of fertilization and temperature: no N, low N at 30 kg N ha −1 , and high N at 60 kg N ha −1 , plus a combination of high N and temperature (13 °C in winter or 33 °C in summer compared to the standard 23 °C). Total reactive N loss generally showed a “cup” pattern of turf age, being lowest for the 20 years old. Averaged across all intact soil cores sampled in winter and summer, organic N leaching accounted for 51% of total reactive N loss, followed by inorganic N leaching at 41% and N 2 O-N efflux at 8%. Proportional loss among the fractions varied with grass age, season, and temperature and fertilization treatments. While high temperature enhanced total reactive N loss, it had little influence on the partitioning of loss among dissolved organic N, inorganic N and N 2 O-N when C availability was expected to be high in summer due to rhizodeposition and root turnover. This effect of temperature was perhaps due to higher microbial turnover in response to increased C availability in summer. However when C availability was low in winter, warming might mainly affect microbial growth efficiency and therefore partitioning of N. This work provides a new insight into the interactive controls of warming and substrate availability on dissolved organic N loss from turfgrass systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]