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Written words demonstrated specific effects on biochemical measures and cell growth in cultured mammalian cells in previous study. We examined the protection and reparative effects of Chinese texts with positive meaning and the word "Buddha" on oxidative-damaged cells, with the goal of exploring the therapeutic effect of such characters.The human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293T was utilized, with the oxidative- damaged cell model produced by hydrogen peroxide (HCompared with the control group, mitochondrial functions were enhanced as evidenced by increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, accompanied by the significant improvement in cell growth rate for the groups treated by positive texts and the word "Buddha". Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were decreased significantly in positive texts treatment, which suggested that the antioxidant capacity of cells was also improved.This study revealed that certain texts can potentially offer protection and accelerate the cellular repair for oxidative-damaged cells.

In this work, natural biopolymer stemming from lignocellulosic peanut hull biomass was used as a green and low-cost adsorbent to eliminate anionic Congo red (CR) and Cr(VI) ions from aqueous sample. In order to enhance the removal performance, the lignocellulosic biopolymer was subjected to amino-modification by the graft copolymerization of (3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride and N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide. The property of the prepared amino-functionalized biopolymer (AFB) was examined through FTIR, TG, SEM, particle size analysis, zeta potential determination and XPS. The adsorption efficacy of AFB for CR and Cr(VI) was tested at different pH, contact time and initial concentration. The kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamics investigations revealed that the uptakes of CR and Cr(VI) were the combination processes of chemical and physical interactions, and both endothermic in nature. The AFB exhibited good reusability without significant loss in adsorption capacity after five consecutive cycles. Mechanistic analysis indicated that the quaternary ammonium groups in AFB contributed a lot to the binding of anionic compounds through electrostatic attraction. In addition, n-π and hydrogen bonding while reduction and coordination were also responsible for the removal of CR and Cr(VI), respectively. The present study provides a favorable strategy for the removal of anionic contaminates in water by using green and sustainable lignocellulosic wastes.

Meng Mei Li,1 Wen Cheng Shen,2 Yu Jin Li,1 Jun Teng1 1Qingdao Central Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Emergency, Qingdao Municipal Hospital (Group), Qingdao, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jun Teng, Email owen-145@163.comBackground: Linezolid is classed as oxazolidinone antibiotics which can be used to treat severe infections caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus, complicated skin, and uncomplicated skin structure infections (SSSIs) caused by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes, and community-acquired pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, many studies have suggested it can also cause thrombocytopenia and pancytopenia.Patients and Methods: We report on three patients with linezolid-pancytopenia. Patients in cases 1 and 2 were diagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and were both administered with dapagliflozin, one of the sodium-dependent glucose transporters 2 inhibitors (SHLT-2i).Results: Two patients were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, pneumonia, and hyponatremia. Severe myelosuppression occurred in both patients, with a severe decrease in leukocytes and platelets and a moderate decrease in hemoglobin, who eventually passed away despite the discontinuation of linezolid and adopting appropriate treatment measures. The patient in case 3 was diagnosed with pneumonia, type 2 diabetes, and sequelae of cerebral thrombosis. After twelve days of treatment, the patient developed moderate thrombocytopenia and anemia. She recovered without any additional treatment after the discontinuation of linezolid.Conclusion: In this case series, two patients with irreversible myelosuppression were treated with both linezolid and SGLT-2i, and one diabetic patient with single linezolid use presented with reversible pancytopenia, suggesting that SGLT-2i may exacerbate myelosuppression of linezolid. Linezolid should be used with caution in infectious patients with a history of SGLT-2i. We will conduct relevant animal experiments to clarify the interaction between the two drugs.Keywords: linezolid, pancytopenia, SGLT-2 inhibitor, HFpEF

Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd, a leguminous plant, is included in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and is mainly used to treat eczema, mouth ulcers, diarrhea, bruising, and traumatic hemorrhage. However, there are imported and domestic Acacia catechu samples available in China, and their quality and price are very different, which seriously affects the safety and stability of their clinical application. Importantly, there is no simple and effective method for identifying or classifying grades of Acacia catechu. In this study, 47 batches of commercial Acacia catechu were used for identifying or classifying grades of Acacia catechu using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with chemometric analysis. Firstly, gradient elution was adopted with 0.05% phosphoric acid water (A)-methanol (B) as the mobile phase to establish chromatographic conditions. The HPLC chromatograms of 47 batches of Acacia catechu samples were analyzed by the “Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM” software (version 2012A). The common peaks of Acacia catechu were identified to evaluate the similarity. Based on the determination results of fingerprint chromatographic peak area, the quality of the collected Acacia catechu was evaluated by chemometric methods such as CA, PCA, and OPLS-DA. The results showed that the collected Acacia catechu samples were significantly divided into three categories. The first-class samples were all imported Acacia catechu except S9 sample, which was domestic Acacia catechu; the second-class samples were partly domestic Acacia catechu and partly imported Acacia catechu; and the third-class samples were all domestic Acacia catechu. Moreover, OPLS-DA of 47 batches of samples showed that the contents of catechin and the total contents of catechin and epicatechin could be used as key indicators for assessing the quality of Acacia catechu. The developed HPLC fingerprint and quantitative analysis method of multi-indicator components can be used for classification and quality evaluation of market Acacia catechu, which has a significant reference value for developing Acacia catechu grade quality standards.

Natural biomass materials are endowed with good potential for pollutant remediation due to low cost, environment friendliness and easy accessibility. In this work, an efficient biomass-based adsorbent named g-PS was fabricated by free radical graft copolymerization of peanut shell with methacrylic acid and N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide). The structural and morphological properties of g-PS were characterized and analyzed. The effectiveness of g-PS as adsorbent to remove cationic dye and heavy metal pollutants (i.e. methylene blue (MB), basic red 46 (BR) and Cd(II)) from water was evaluated. The batch adsorption tests indicated that g-PS showed rapid removal rates for MB, BR and Cd(II), with the adsorption equilibriums achieved within 30 min. The adsorption processes of three compounds were more suitable to be described by Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models. The maximum adsorption capacities were 538.34 mg/g for MB, 687.52 mg/g for BR and 62.01 mg/g for Cd(II) at 298 K. The coadsorption experiments in the mixed system indicated that g-PS was still effective for simultaneous removal of both BR and Cd(II). Additionally, g-PS exhibited satisfactory removal performance even after seven repeated uses. The as-prepared g-PS can be used as a promising adsorbent candidate to dispose wastewater containing cationic dyes and heavy metals.

Figure S1: Leave-one-out analyses to evaluate whether any single instrumental variable was driving the causal effect on uric acid versus myofascial pain; Figure S2: Leave-one-out analyses to evaluate whether any single instrumental variable was driving the causal effect on glutathione S-transferase versus dentoalveolar pain; Figure S3: Leave-one-out analyses to evaluate whether any single instrumental variable was driving the causal effect on uric acid mediated by SLC2A9 gene and myofascial pain in IVW-MR analysis; Figure S4: Leave-one-out analyses to evaluate whether any single instrumental variable was driving the causal effect on glutathione S-transferase mediated by GSTA2 gene and dentoalveolar pain in IVW-MR analysis. Table S1: Detailed information regarding studies and datasets used in the present study; Table S2: Information of genetic instrumental variants selected for oxidative stress biomarkers; Table S3: IVW-MR causal effect oxidative stress biomarkers on chronic orofacial pain; Table S4: GO/KEGG-based pathway analyses of the genes associated with both uric acid and TMD muscular pain linked with fibromyalgia; Table S5: GO/KEGG-based pathway analyses of the genes associated with both glutathione S-transferase and mouth/teeth dental problems: painful gums; Table S6: Information of genetic instrumental variants associated with uric acid located within 100 kb windows from gene SLC2A9; Table S7: Information of genetic instrumental variants associated with glutathione S-transferase located within 100 kb windows from gene GSTA1, GSTA2, and GSTA5; Table S8: IVW-MR causal effect of potential druggable genes of oxidative stress biomarkers on chronic orofacial pain.

Background: Glutathione S-transferase kappa 1 (GSTK1) is critical in sarcoma and breast cancer (BRCA) development. However, the clinical significance of GSTK1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) remains unclear. This study is the first investigation into the role of GSTK1 in HNSC.Methods: All original data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and verified by R Base Package 4.2.0. The expression of GSTK1 in various cancers was explored with TIMER and TCGA databases. Prognostic value of GSTK1 was analyzed via survival module of Kaplan-Meier plotter and Human Protein Atlas database and Cox regression analysis. The association between GSTK1 and clinical features was evaluated by Wilcoxon signed-rank test and logistic regression analysis. The relationship between GSTK1 and immune infiltration and methylation level was further explored. The expression of GSTK1 and its correlation with immune cell infiltration was verified by Immunohistochemical staining (IHC).Results: GSTK1 was lower in HNSC, BRCA, Lung squamous cell carcinoma, and Thyroid carcinoma than in para-carcinoma. Low GSTK1 expression was associated with worse overall survival in Bladder urothelial carcinoma, Kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, BRCA, and HNSC. However, only in BRCA and HNSC, GSTK1 expression in tumors was lower than that in normal tissues. Cox regression analyses confirmed that GSKT1 was an independent prognostic factor of overall survival in HNSC patients. The decrease in GSTK1 expression in HNSC was significantly correlated with high T stage and smoker history. IHC showed that the expression level of GSTK1 in HNSC was lower than that in para-carcinoma. In addition, GSEA showed that three pathways related to immune infiltration were positively correlated, while two pathways related to DNA methylation were negatively correlated with expression of GSTK1. Further analysis showed that GSTK1 was moderately positively correlated with the infiltration level of T cells and Cytotoxic cells, which was further confirmed by IHC. The methylation level of GSTK1 was associated with prognosis in patients with HNSC.Conclusion: Low GSTK1 expression may be a potential molecular marker for poor prognosis in HNSC and provide new insight for the development of diagnostic marker or therapeutic target.

The synergistic effect of photothermal conversion and heat energy storage of Fenton catalysts can not only effectively improve solar energy utilization, but also enhance the removal efficiency of pollutants in environmental governance.

BACKGROUND Acute myocarditis is an acute myocardium injury that manifests as arrhythmia, dyspnea, and elevated cardiac enzymes. Acute myocarditis is usually caused by a viral infection but can sometimes be caused by autoimmunity. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease that is a rare etiology of acute myocarditis. Accelerated junctional rhythm is also a rare manifestation of acute myocarditis in adults. CASE SUMMARY A rare case of new-onset Graves’ disease combined with acute myocarditis and thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is reported. The patient was a 25-year-old young man who suddenly became paralyzed and felt palpitations and dyspnea. He was then sent to our emergency department (ED). Upon arrival, electrocardiography revealed an accelerated junctional rhythm and ST-segment depression in all leads, and laboratory findings showed extreme hypokalemia and elevated troponin I, with the troponin I level being 0.32 ng/mL (reference range, 0-0.06 ng/mL). Coronary computer tomography angiography was performed, and there were no abnormal findings in the coronary arteries. Subsequently, the patient was admitted to the ED ward, where further testing revealed Graves’ disease, along with continued elevated cardiac enzyme levels and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels. The troponin I level was 0.24 ng/mL after admission. All of the echocardiography results were normal: Left atrium 35 mm, left ventricle 48 mm, end-diastolic volume 102 mL, right atrium 39 mm × 47 mm, right ventricle 25 mm, and ejection fraction 60%. Cardiac magnetic resonance was performed on the fifth day of admission, revealing myocardial edema in the lateral wall and intramyocardial and subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement in the lateral apex, anterior lateral, and inferior lateral segments of the ventricle. The patient refused to undergo an endomyocardial biopsy. After 6 d, the patient’s cardiac enzymes, BNP, potassium, and electrocardiography returned to normal. After the patient’s symptoms were relieved, he was discharged from the hospital. During a 6-mo follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and subjected to thyroid function, liver function, kidney function, troponin I, and electrocardiograph routine tests for medicine adjustments. The hyperthyroid state was controlled. CONCLUSION Acute myocarditis is a rare manifestation of Graves’ disease. Accelerated junctional rhythm is also a rare manifestation of acute myocarditis in adults. When the reason for hypokalemia and elevated cardiac enzymes in patients is unknown, cardiologists should consider Graves’ disease and also pay attention to accelerated junctional rhythm.

BACKGROUND Colchicine has been widely used as an anti-gout medication over the past decades. However, it is less commonly used due to its narrow therapeutic range, meaning that its lethal dose is close to its therapeutic dose. The lethal dose of colchicine is considered to be 0.8 mg/kg. As chronic colchicine poisoning has multiple manifestations, it poses a challenge in the clinician’s differential diagnosis. Historically, the drug was important in treating gout; however, clinical studies are currently underway regarding the use of colchicine in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 as well as its use in coronary artery disease, making this drug more important in clinical practice. CASE SUMMARY A 61-year-old male with a history of gout and chronic colchicine intake was admitted to our Emergency Department due to numbness and weakness of the lower limbs. The patient reported a history of colchicine intake for 23 years. After thorough examination, he was diagnosed with colchicine poisoning, manifesting as neuromyopathy, multiple gastric ulcers and myelosuppression. We advised him to stop taking colchicine and drinking alcohol. We also provided a prescription of lansoprazole and mecobalamin, and then asked him to return to the clinic for re-examination. The patient was followed up for 3-mo during which time his gout symptoms were controlled to the point where he was asymptomatic. CONCLUSION Colchicine overdose can mimic the clinical manifestations of several conditions. Physicians easily pay attention to the disease while ignoring the cause of the disease. Thus, the patient’s medication history should never be ignored.

During the anaerobic digestion of restaurant food waste, the sludge obtained as the sediment from the liquid digestate (LDS) is a high–yield solid waste. However, its valorization has not attracted sufficient attention. This study systematically detected the physicochemical properties of this sludge, proposed and evaluated thermal strategies of pyrolysis and combustion. Pyrolysis was a mild endothermic process with considerable H2O, CO2, and hydrocarbon releasing, and the LDS-derived biochar had pore structures and abundant functional groups. Combustion was exothermic in a broad temperature interval of 140 °C–580 °C with emissions of H2O, CO2, and NH3, but the process was mild and slow, revealing the poor combustibility of LDS, in addition, the ash had a medium deposition tendency. According to the results obtained in this study, pyrolysis was suggested as a more appropriate method for the reduction and reutilization of LDS. This work will be useful and helpful for LDS valorization, thereby, facilitating the spread and popularization of anaerobic digestion of food waste.

Zymomonas mobilis is a promising microorganism for industrial bioethanol production. However, ethanol produced during fermentation is toxic to Z. mobilis and affects its growth and bioethanol production. Although several reports demonstrated that the RNA-binding protein Hfq in Z. mobilis contributes to the tolerance against multiple lignocellulosic hydrolysate inhibitors, the role of Hfq on ethanol tolerance has not been investigated. In this study, hfq in Z. mobilis was either deleted or overexpressed and their effects on cell growth and ethanol tolerance were examined. Our results demonstrated that hfq overexpression improved ethanol tolerance of Z. mobilis, which is probably due to energy saving by downregulating flagellar biosynthesis and heat stress response proteins, as well as reducing the reactive oxygen species induced by ethanol stress via upregulating the sulfate assimilation and cysteine biosynthesis. To explore proteins potentially interacted with Hfq, the TEV protease mediated Yeast Endoplasmic Reticulum Sequestration Screening system (YESS) was established in Z. mobilis. YESS results suggested that Hfq may modulate the cytoplasmic heat shock response by interacting with the heat shock proteins DnaK and DnaJ to deal with the ethanol inhibition. This study thus not only revealed the underlying mechanism of enhanced ethanol tolerance by hfq overexpression, but also provided an alternative approach to investigate protein-protein interactions in Z. mobilis.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a non-coding molecule produced through alternative splicing of one or more exons of a gene in the presence of an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). Its formation depends on complementary intron sequences on both sides of the circularized sequence. CircRNA functions as a sponge for miRNA, playing the role of the transcriptional regulator or potential biomarker. It has an impact on fetal growth and on synaptic facilitation in the brain. In this review, we illustrate biogenesis mechanisms, characteristics, and functions of cirRNAs. We also summarize methods using sequence feature and RNA next-generation sequencing data for circRNA prediction. Finally, we discuss the state of the research on circRNA in diseases, which will bring new contributions to future disease treatments.

The moistening process of Rehmanniae Radix was characterized quantitatively by moisture phase, texture properties, and component content based on water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics. Non-linear fitting of water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics in the moistening process of Rehmanniae Radix was carried out. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and imaging(LF-NMR/MRI) technology was used to investigate the phase state and distribution changes of water during the moistening process. The Texture Analyzer was used for the determination of texture properties. The correlations between water absorption rate, expansion rate, water phase state, hardness, and compression cycle work of Rehmanniae Radix at different moistening time were analyzed. The results showed that the water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics of Rehmanniae Radix were in accordance with the first-order kinetics. Moreover, the water absorption rate and expansion rate increased with the increase in temperature but decreased with the increase in the size of the medicinal materials.In the moistening process, the moisture was transferred from the outside to the inside, and the proportion of the moisture phase changed significantly.Within 16 hours, free water increased from 0.825% to 97.7%,while bound water decreased from 99.2% to 2.33%.Within 28 hours, the texture properties, such as hardness and compression cycle work, decreased gradually with the prolongation in moistening time.At 32 hours, water was evenly distributed throughout the whole medicinal material, and the texture properties also tended to be stable.Pearson correlation bivariate analysis showed that moistening time, water absorption rate, expansion rate, the relative content of free water and bound water, hardness, and compression cycle work were significantly correlated, suggesting that water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics, LF-NMR/MRI,and Texture Analyzer could directly and quantitatively characterize the moistening process.This study is expected to provide a scientific basis for clarifying the scientific connotation of the moistening process of Rehmanniae Radix.

Background. This study is aimed at determining the predictive value of the gray-matter–white-matter ratio (GWR) on brain computed tomography for delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning (DEACMP). Methods. This retrospective cohort study reviewed 352 patients with acute CO poisoning and who underwent the brain computed tomography test. These patients were admitted to Cangzhou Central Hospital from May 2010 to May 2020. The patients were divided into the DEACMP ( n = 16 ) and non-DEACMP ( n = 336 ) groups. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed for correlation analysis. The predictive value of GWR for DEACMP was evaluated by using logistic regression analysis and receiver operator characteristic curves. Results. The morbidity of DEACMP was 4.5% (16/352). The GWR-basal ganglia, GWR-cerebrum, and GWR-average in the DEACMP group were lower than those in the non-DEACMP group. Correlation analysis indicated that GWR-basal ganglia ( r = 0.276 ; P < 0.001 ), GWR-cerebrum ( r = 0.163 ; P = 0.002 ), and GWR-average ( r = 0.20 0; P < 0.001 ) were correlated with DEACMP. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that reduced GWR-basal ganglia, GWR-cerebrum, and GWR-average were independent risk factors ( P < 0.001 ; P = 0.008 ; P = 0.001 ; respectively). Compared with GWR-cerebrum and GWR-average, GWR-basal ganglia had a higher area under the curve of 0.881 (95% confidence interval: 0.783–0.983) with sensitivity and specificity of 93.8% and 68.7%, respectively. The cut-off value of GWR-basal ganglia was 1.055. Conclusion. GWR, especially GWR-basal ganglia, is an early useful predictor for DEACMP.

Introduction Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride (Qing Pi in Chinese) is a clinically effective Chinese herb, which contains biologically valuable flavonoids. Qing Pi is divided into two commodity specifications, Si Hua Qing Pi (SHQP) and Ge Qing Pi (GQP), based on the harvesting time. The flavonoid contents in Qing Pi from different origins and commodity specifications may vary significantly, which will affect their therapeutic functions. Thus, it is crucial to set up a reliable and comprehensive quality evaluation method for flavonoid analysis in Qing Pi. Objectives We aimed to establish a rapid and sensitive ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with diode-array detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-HRMS) for identification and quantification of ten flavonoids in Qing Pi. Chemometric methods were further applied to distinguish Qing Pi of different origins and specifications. Methodology An UPLC-DAD-HRMS method was developed for the simultaneous separation and quantification of ten flavonoids in 46 batches of Qing Pi samples from different sources in China. Chemometric approaches were applied to discriminate Qing Pi from different origins and commodity specifications. Results The chemometric procedures (i.e., hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis) were employed to identify the differences of Qing Pi samples with different origins and commodity specifications. The results showed that the contents of ten flavonoids in Qing Pi samples of different origins were significantly different, and the same results were found out between SHQP and GQP. Conclusions This study provides a chemical basis for quality control of Qing Pi.

Starlight polarization serves one of the powerful tools to study magnetic fields in the Galactic interstellar medium. Heiles catalogue contains polarization information for 9286 stars, and is by far the biggest. This catalogue has been extensively used to study the magnetic fields. However, the distance parameters of the stars in this catalogue are from photometric observations, and very uncertain. We cross match Heiles catalogue with Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2), and identify 7613 stars using both angular separation and magnitude as constraints. We then obtain precise distances from Gaia DR2 for these stars. For more than 90% of the stars, the relative errors of the new distances are within 20%. Based on the new catalogue, we demonstrate how starlight polarization can probe Galactic magnetic fields.

Non-reciprocal reflections of optical signals are unusual yet fascinating to achieve the imminent applications of non-reciprocal photonic devices and circuits. The complete non-reciprocal reflection (unidirectional reflection) was recently found to be achievable in a homogeneous medium, if the real and imaginary parts of the probe susceptibility satisfy the spatial Kramers-Kronig (KK) relation. We propose a coherent four-level tripod model for realizing dynamically tunable two-color non-reciprocal reflections by applying two control fields with linearly modulated intensities. We found that, the unidirectional reflection can be obtained if the non-reciprocal frequency regions are located in the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) windows. This mechanism is to break the spatial symmetry by the spatial modulation of susceptibility to induce unidirectional reflections, the real and imaginary parts of the probe susceptibility are no longer required to satisfy the spatial KK relation.

Since the first reports of the Covid-19 virus in December 2019, the tourism industry has struggled to find solutions to this unprecedented crisis. During crises, organizational learning can develop crisis management and communication skills while enhancing organizational resilience in coping with crises. This research examines whether organizational learning for communicating during crises occurred in the Swiss hotel industry in the past 2 years. By tracking and visualizing the messages communicated by Swiss hotels on their websites, this study analyzes the communication strategies employed by hoteliers over the past 20 months through thematic analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and Situational Crisis Communication (SCCT) strategies. The results of this study identified the evolution of communication strategies over time. Specifically, ingratiation, corrective action, transferring, victimization, and justification are the five key strategies. This study also visualizes the crisis responses in concept maps in three snapshots (June 2020, June 2021, and February 2022). The concepts and colors of the visualization provide a different perspective on the evolution of crisis communication over the past 2 years. This study contributes to academia and practitioners by demonstrating the evolution of crisis communication messages through both the granular analysis of SCCT strategies and the bird’s-eye view of themes and concepts.

In this work, two new metal(II) complexes with ligand based on pyridine thiazolone group, [Zn(L)2(TsO)2]2DMF (1), {[Cd(L)(NO3)2H2O)]DMF}n (2) (where L = 4-(pyridin-4-yl)-2-(2-(pyridin-2- ylmethylene)hydrazinyl)thiazole), were prepared and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. In addition, the structure of the complexes (1 and 2) was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Complex 1 has a discrete monomeric structure where L acts as a bidentate agent coordinating the zinc(II) atom through pyridine nitrogen and thiazole nitrogen, while complex 2 consists of polymeric {[Cd(L)(NO3)2H2O)]DMF}n chains in which cadmium(II) atoms are linked by the bridging ligand. The in vitro antimicrobial and antitumor activities of the ligand and complexes (1 and 2) were evaluated against seven pathogenic bacterial strains and four human cancer cell lines, and the results showed that some compounds had absolute specificity for certain bacterial strains or cancer cell lines, which thus implied a good application prospect in pharmaceutical use.

For improving the utilization efficiency of pesticides, we developed a novel pesticide delivery particle (YINCP@EC) with a core–shell structure based on yeast biochar, imidacloprid (IMI), ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3), calcium alginate (CA), and ethyl cellulose (EC). Therein, yeast biochar, IMI and NH4HCO3 were absorbed in the network-structured of CA to obtain YINCP through hydrogen bonds. The resulting composite was granulated using an ion gelation technique and then coated with EC to form YINCP@EC. In this platform, yeast biochar serving as a photothermal agent can efficiently convert sunlight energy into thermal energy, thereby triggering NH4HCO3 decomposition into CO2 and NH3 that can break through the EC coating and facilitate IMI release. In addition, the influence of yeast biochar content, pH, and coexisting ions was systematically studied to evaluate the release behavior of IMI from YINCP@EC. Moreover, the hydrophobic EC shell endowed YINCP@EC with high stability in aqueous solution for at least 60 days. Consequently, this novel composite with simple preparation, low cost and remarkable photothermal-responsive properties has a huge application potential in agriculture.

Phenotypic evaluation and molecular biotechnology are both important in the identification and utilization of crop germplasm resources. In this study, the phenotypic variation and genetic diversity of 149 main potato cultivars in China were investigated with 12 phenotypic traits and 24 SSR markers. The coefficient of variation of 12 phenotypic traits ranged from 12.11% to 156.93%. The results of SSR markers exhibited a relatively high level of genetic variation (Na =5.458 ± 1.499, Ne =3.300 ± 1.087, I =1.397 ± 0.298, Ho =0.797 ± 0.178, He = 0.660 ± 0.117, and PIC=0.702 ± 0.087). Population structure and phylogenetic tree analysis divided the varieties into three subgroups. The results indicated that ninety percent of the molecular variance was attributed to within-group differences, and the remaining 10% was attributed to variation among groups. Consistent with previous report, alleles of the STI032 marker were significantly associated with tuber starch content and growth period traits in the population. The results of this study could facilitate the utilization of potato germplasm resources, molecular genetic breeding and improvement.

Shipyard hoisting process is a project type manufacturing process which entails more sophisticated elements and relationships than other kinds of processes, this feature brings particular challenges when constructing a structured description of the process, called enterprise model, to introduce various Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) technologies. However, most of the modelling methods devised so far do not consider the individual demand of project type manufacturing process. Therefore, we envisage the necessity to expand, extend, and refactor current methodologies in order to exploit this remaining dimension. In this line, we present a dedicated method aiming at appropriately modelling the project type manufacturing process, it employs seven collaborative views and task-centric idea to emphasize work flow abstraction without sticking to the material flow abstraction as current methods do, which is the key factor to successfully achieve horizontal functions/organizations integration and vertical management hierarchies integration for this special process. The proposed method adopts semi-formal meta model to interpret its framework, building blocks and constraints graphically and rigorously. All these works are performed taking shipyard hoisting process as example. According to the modelling method, a two-stage Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) method is also initiated to demonstrate how the process model can serve as the bridge to converge manufacturing technology and information technology. Furthermore, a CAPP prototype is developed to carry out case study with an actual shipyard hoisting process. The study reveals promising contributions to not only enhancing the industrial competitiveness but also enriching the enterprise modelling research on project type manufacturing process.

(1) Background: Using neuroscience to understand and influence consumer behavior often leads to ethical controversy. Thus, it is necessary to demystify the use of neuroscience for marketing purposes; the present paper, by accessing the worldwide academic performance in this domain, fulfills this objective. (2) Methods: All extant literature on neuromarketing indexed to the Scopus database—318 articles—was subjected to a bibliometric analysis through a mixed-method approach. (3) Results: The results show that Spain leads the ranks of the most productive countries, while Italian researchers clearly dominate in terms of collaboration. Regarding the most prominent topics, the connection between “Neuroscience” and “Advertising” is highlighted. The findings provide a better understanding of the state-of-the-art in neuromarketing studies, research gaps, and emerging research topics, and additionally provide a new methodological contribution by including SciVal topic prominence in the bibliometric analysis. (4) Conclusions: As practical implications, this study provides useful insights for neuromarketing researchers seeking funding opportunities, which are normally associated with topics within the top prominence percentile or emerging topics. In terms of originality, this study is the first to apply SciVal topic prominence to a bibliometric analysis of neuromarketing, and provides a new bibliometric indicator for neuromarketing research.

Swiss tourism relies heavily on international clientele to book rooms and purchase goods and services. However, from March to June 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel and subsequent bookings slowed and, in some cases, stopped altogether. Based predominantly on Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), this paper investigates Swiss hotels’ messages on their official Facebook pages and the SCCT strategies they employed during this crisis. The findings from 48 independent four- and five-star hotels show that the Victimage strategy was the most often employed when communicating about the COVID-19 pandemic in general. Further, most hotels published positive messages during this period (68%) and strongly emphasized their roles as victims at this time. Only 5% of the messages posted were negative messages. Hotels ‘blamed’ the government and the sanitary measures for their closing or reduced services. The findings presented here contribute to the literature by offering a pattern of crisis responses from Swiss hotels in the early period of the pandemic. These results are currently being updated with the messages communicated in the 12 months since the beginning of this study. The findings of this crisis communication during an early stage of the pandemic will be used to make concrete recommendations for the strategies that should be implemented in the future if the COVID-19 crisis continues or when faced with other crises.

Psychological therapies are important for comprehensive chronic orofacial pain (COFP) treatment. This study is to validate the effects of psychological factors on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among COFP patients in China. Pain catastrophizing, which is a subjective cognitive emotion used to manage the psychological aspects of pain among COFP patients, was examined in relation to COFP severity and OHRQoL. All 479 participants were recruited in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients (0.868–0.960), composite reliability scores (0.924–0.969), and average variance extracted from each construct (0.555–0.753) all indicated a good model fit. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that age and education status have a positive correlation with COFP severity, pain catastrophizing, and anxiety. COFP severity was related to anxiety, depression, and COFP-OHRQoL. Pain catastrophizing was related to employment status. Anxiety and depression symptoms indirectly mediated the correlation between COFP severity and COFP-OHRQoL. As a second-stage moderator, pain catastrophizing moderated the mediating effects of anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms. Our findings suggest that anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing should be evaluated jointly to improve COFP-OHRQoL among COFP patients. This evidence will help therapists to comprehensively treat patients for the best treatment effect.

For the first time, a convenient, online couplable, sensitive and environmentally friendly sample pretreatment method, namely, magnetism-reinforced in-tube solid phase microextraction (MR/IT-SPME) was proposed to effectively enrich heavy metal ions (HMIs). Monolithic capillary microextraction column embedded modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MCEN) was conveniently synthesized and employed as the microextraction column of MR/IT-SPME. Subsequently, the MCEN was put into a magnetic coil which was utilized to exert variable magnetic field during extraction procedure. Three HMIs, including Cu(II), Co(II) and Hg(II), were selected as studied ions and reacted with chelating agent sodium diethyldithiocarbamatetrihydrate to form metallic coordination compounds. The complexes were infused to the MCEN to perform the MR/IT-SPME extraction and then online determined by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). A series of key parameters affecting the extraction performance were investigated in detail. Results revealed that the exertion of magnetic field in adsorption and desorption steps favored the adsorption and release of the coordination compounds, with the extraction efficiencies enhanced from 47-65% to 67-89%. Finally, the developed online MR/IT-SPME-HPLC-DAD approach was successfully applied to determine studied HMIs in environmental water and seafood samples. The confirmatory experiments further evidenced the reliability and feasibility of the introduced approach for the analysis of trace HMIs in complex samples.

Background MAP2K1/2 genes are mutated in approximately 8% of melanoma patients; however, the impact of MAP2K1/2 gene alterations on the efficiency of immunotherapy has not been clarified. This study focused on the correlation between MAP2K1/2 gene mutations and the treatment response. Methods Six metastatic melanoma clinical cohorts treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors [anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) or anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)] were recruited in this study. RNA expression profiling results from each of these six cohorts and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) melanoma cohort were analysed to explore the mechanism related to immune activation. Results Compared to patients with wild-type MAP2K1/2, those with MAP2K1/2 mutations in an independent anti-CTLA-4-treated cohort had higher objective response rates, longer progression-free survival, and longer overall survival (OS). These findings were further validated in a pooled anti-CTLA-4-treated cohort in terms of the OS. However, there was no correlation between MAP2K1/2 mutations and OS in the anti-PD-1-treated cohort. Subgroup Cox regression analysis suggested that patients with MAP2K1/2 mutations received fewer benefits from anti-PD-1 monotherapy than from anti-CTLA-4 treatment. Furthermore, transcriptome profiling analysis revealed that melanoma tumours with MAP2K mutation was enriched in CD8+ T cells, B cells, and neutrophil cells, also expressed high levels of CD33 and IL10, implying a potential mechanism underlying the benefit of melanoma patients with MAP2K1/2 mutations from anti-CTLA-4 treatment. Conclusions MAP2K1/2 mutations were identified as an independent predictive factor for anti-CTLA-4 therapy in melanoma patients. Anti-CTLA-4 treatment might be more effective than anti-PD-1 therapy for patients with MAP2K1/2-mutated melanoma.