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The terrestrial ecosystem in China mitigates 21%-45% of the national contemporary fossil fuel CO 2 emissions every year. Maintaining and strengthening the land carbon sink is essential for reaching China's target of carbon neutrality. However, this sink is subject to large uncertainties due to the joint impacts of climate change, air pollution, and human activities. Here, we explore the potential of strengthening land carbon sink in China through anthropogenic interventions, including forestation, ozone reduction, and litter removal, taking advantage of a well-validated dynamic vegetation model and meteorological forcings from 16 climate models. Without anthropogenic interventions, considering Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) scenarios, the land sink is projected to be 0.26-0.56 Pg C a -1 at 2060, to which climate change contributes 0.06-0.13 Pg C a -1 and CO 2 fertilization contributes 0.08-0.44 Pg C a -1 with the stronger effects for higher emission scenarios. With anthropogenic interventions, under a close-to-neutral emission scenario (SSP1-2.6), the land sink becomes 0.47-0.57 Pg C a -1 at 2060, including the contributions of 0.12 Pg C a -1 by conservative forestation, 0.07 Pg C a -1 by ozone pollution control, and 0.06-0.16 Pg C a -1 by 20% litter removal over planted forest. This sink can mitigate 90%-110% of the residue anthropogenic carbon emissions in 2060, providing a solid foundation for the carbon neutrality in China., (Copyright © 2024 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) exhibit remarkable potential in the field of displays and solid-state lighting. However, blue PeLEDs, a key element for practical applications, still lag behind their green and red counterparts, due to a combination of strong nonradiative recombination losses and unoptimized device structures. In this report, we propose a buried interface modification strategy to address these challenges by focusing on the bottom-hole transport layer (HTL) of the PeLEDs. On the one hand, a multifunctional molecule, aminoacetic acid hydrochloride (AACl), is introduced to modify the HTL/perovskite interface to regulate the perovskite crystallization. Experimental investigations and theoretical calculations demonstrate that AACl can effectively reduce the nonradiative recombination losses in bulk perovskites by suppressing the growth of low-n perovskite phases and also the losses at the bottom interface by passivating interfacial defects. On the other hand, a self-assembly nanomesh structure is ingeniously developed within the HTLs. This nanomesh structure is meticulously crafted through the blending of poly-(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene-co-N-(4-butyl phenyl) diphenylamine) and poly (n-vinyl carbazole), significantly enhancing the light outcoupling efficiency in PeLEDs. As a result, our blue PeLEDs achieve remarkable external quantum efficiencies, 20.4% at 487 nm and 12.5% at 470 nm, which are among the highest reported values. Our results offer valuable insights and effective methods for achieving high-performance blue PeLEDs., (Copyright © 2024 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Recent studies indicate that heat stress pathophysiology is associated with intestinal barrier dysfunction, local and systemic inflammation, and gut dysbiosis. However, inconclusive results and a poor description of tissue-specific changes must be addressed to identify potential intervention targets against heat stress illness in growing calves. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate components of the intestinal barrier, pro- and anti-inflammatory signals, and microbiota community composition in Holstein bull calves exposed to heat stress. Animals (mean age = 12 wk old; mean body weight = 122 kg) penned individually in temperature-controlled rooms were assigned to (1) thermoneutral conditions (constant room temperature at 19.5°C) and restricted offer of feed (TNR, n = 8), or (2) heat stress conditions (cycles of room temperatures ranging from 20 to 37.8°C) along with ad libitum offer of feed (HS, n = 8) for 7 d. Upon treatment completion, sections of the jejunum, ileum, and colon were collected and snap-frozen immediately to evaluate gene and protein expression, cytokine concentrations, and myeloperoxidase activity. Digesta aliquots of the ileum, colon, and rectum were collected to assess bacterial communities. Plasma was harvested on d 2, 5, and 7 to determine cytokine concentrations. Overall, results showed a section-specific effect of HS on intestinal integrity. Jejunal mRNA expression of TJP1 was decreased by 70.9% in HS relative to TNR calves. In agreement, jejunal expression of heat shock transcription factor-1 protein, a known tight junction protein expression regulator, decreased by 48% in HS calves. Jejunal analyses showed that HS decreased concentrations of IL-1α by 36.6% and tended to decrease the concentration of IL-17A. Conversely, HS elicited a 3.5-fold increase in jejunal concentration of anti-inflammatory IL-36 receptor antagonist. Plasma analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokines showed that IL-6 decreased by 51% in HS relative to TNR calves. Heat stress alteration of the large intestine bacterial communities was characterized by increased genus Butyrivibrio_3 , a known butyrate-producing organism, and changes in bacteria metabolism of energy and AA. A strong positive correlation between the rectal temperature and pro-inflammatory Eggerthii spp. was detected in HS calves. In conclusion, this work indicates that HS impairs the intestinal barrier function of jejunum. The pro- and anti-inflammatory signal changes may be part of a broader response to restore intestinal homeostasis in jejunum. The changes in large intestine bacterial communities favoring butyrate-producing organisms (e.g., Butyrivibrio spp.) may be part of a successful response to maintain the integrity of the colonic mucosa of HS calves. The alteration of intestinal homeostasis should be the target for heat stress therapies to restore biological functions, and, thus highlights the relevance of this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TRIM71 is an RNA-binding protein with ubiquitin ligase activity. Numerous functions of mammalian TRIM71, including cell cycle regulation, embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal, and reprogramming of pluripotent stem cells, are related to its RNA-binding property. We previously reported that a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Trincr1 interacts with mouse TRIM71 (mTRIM71) to repress FGF/ERK pathway in mouse ESCs (mESCs). Herein, we identify an RNA motif specifically recognized by mTRIM71 from Trincr1 RNA, and solve the crystal structure of the NHL domain of mTRIM71 complexed with the RNA motif. Similar to the zebrafish TRIM71, mTRIM71 binds to a stem-loop structured RNA fragment of Trincr1, and an adenosine base at the loop region is crucial for the mTRIM71 interaction. We map similar hairpin RNAs preferably bound by TRIM71 in the mRNA UTRs of the cell-cycle related genes regulated by TRIM71. Furthermore, we identify key residues of mTRIM71, conserved among mammalian TRIM71 proteins, required for the RNA-binding property. Single-site mutations of these residues significantly impair the binding of TRIM71 to hairpin RNAs in vitro and to mRNAs of Cdkn1a/p21 and Rbl2/p130 in mESCs. Furthermore, congenital hydrocephalus (CH) specific mutation of mTRIM71 impair its binding to the RNA targets as well. These results reveal molecular mechanism behind the recognition of RNA by mammalian TRIM71 and provide insights into TRIM71 related diseases., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

The global emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to increasing breakthrough infections in vaccinated populations, calling for an urgent need to develop more effective and broad-spectrum vaccines to combat COVID-19. Here we report the preclinical development of RQ3013, an mRNA vaccine candidate intended to bring broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). RQ3013, which contains pseudouridine-modified mRNAs formulated in lipid nanoparticles, encodes the spike (S) protein harboring a combination of mutations responsible for immune evasion of VOCs. Here we characterized the expressed S immunogen and evaluated the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of RQ3013 in various animal models. RQ3013 elicited robust immune responses in mice, hamsters, and nonhuman primates (NHP). It can induce high titers of antibodies with broad cross-neutralizing ability against the wild-type, B.1.1.7, B.1.351, B.1.617.2, and the newly emerging Omicron variants. In mice and NHP, two doses of RQ3013 protected the upper and lower respiratory tract against infection by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Furthermore, our safety assessment of RQ3013 in NHP showed no observable adverse effects. These results provide strong support for the evaluation of RQ3013 in clinical trials and suggest that it may be a promising candidate for broad protection against COVID-19 and its variants., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest Jinzhong Lin is a co-founder of RNACure and serves on the advisory board of RNACure. Jing Lu is now an employee at RNACure. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) display poor prognosis because HCC involves a high rate of metastasis and regrowth. Herein, we present an effective strategy to treat HCC using magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT)-enhanced cancer immunotherapy combined with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). Uniform liquid metal microspheres (LM MSs) obtained by microfluidic technology with powerful eddy-thermal effects could be used as both MHT and TAE agents for effective cancer therapy. The eddy-thermal effect of LM MSs demonstrated effective MHT, whereas LM MS-induced MHT boosted the immune system, promoted immune cell infiltration, and further stimulated powerful immune responses to suppress the growth of distant tumors, together with immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Furthermore, LM MS-lipiodol dispersion displayed excellent efficacy of the combined MHT-TAE in the orthotopic rabbit liver cancer model. Our work not only highlighted that LM MSs could act as effective MHT agents to achieve MHT-enhanced immunotherapy but also presented the significant promise of combining MHT with TAE for the efficient treatment of large orthotopic liver tumors., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Metal halide perovskites films have attracted great interest because of their solution-proceed fabrication and potential applications for next-generation displays. However, their non-ideal photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) and stability still does not meet the requirements of displays. Here, we adopt lanthanum ion (La 3+ ) doping strategy to enhance its luminescence performance and the possibility of taking it to commercialization. In addition to the entry of lanthanum ions into the lattice to greatly improve the crystal quality, the excess La 3+ gives rise to the formation of newly developed formamidinium cesium lanthanum bromine, (FA, Cs) 2 LaBr 5 , which provides additional energy transport pathways, therefore concentrating more energy onto the perovskite host. Consequently, a near-unity PLQE of 99.5% is realized in standardized green-emission cesium (Cs)/formamidinium (FA) mixed FA 0.7 Cs 0.3 PbBr 3 perovskite films. The introduction of La 3+ can also lead to markedly stability with nearly 1000 days' shelf storage half-lifetime and 400 hours' light-irradiation T 90 lifetime as well as much-enhanced color purity. Moreover, the films with La 3+ doping enable full-visible spectral enhancement and high-performance white light emission and trichromatic luminescence with 98.9% coverage of the color gamut area required for the Rec. 2020 standard, which suggest that perovskite films have great application potential for backlights in liquid crystal display technologies., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Enhanced silicate weathering induced by the uplift of the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau (HTP) has been considered as the major cause of pCO 2 decline and Cenozoic cooling. However, this hypothesis remains to be validated, largely due to the lack of a reliable reconstruction of the HTP weathering flux. Here, we present a 37-million-year record of the difference in the seawater radiogenic neodymium isotopic composition (Δε Nd ) of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) sites and Fe-Mn crusts between the northern and central Indian Ocean, which indicates the contribution of regional weathering input from the South Asian continent to the Indian Ocean. The results show a long-term increase in Δε Nd and thus provide the first critical evidence of enhanced South Asian weathering input since the late Eocene. The evolution coincided well with major pulses of surface uplift in the HTP and global climatic transitions. Our foraminiferal ε Nd record suggests that tectonic uplift and silicate weathering in South Asia, especially in the Himalayas, might have played a significant role in the late Cenozoic cooling., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To explore the efficiency of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in the differential diagnosis of recurrence from radionecrosis in brain metastases (BM) and in high-grade gliomas (HGG).Materials and Methods: From September 2016 to November 2018, 56 patients with BM and 42 patients with HGG were included in this retrospective study. BM and HGG were assigned to the recurrence and radionecrosis groups according to their histopathology or follow-up results. The proportion of dark signal intensity (proDSI), which was defined as the area of dark signal on SWI or the enhancing area on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), was calculated for each patient. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's honestly significant difference test was used for the repeat multiple comparisons. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to validate the diagnostic performance.Results: For HGG, the proDSI in the recurrence group was significantly lower than that in the radionecrosis group (0.13 ± 0.05 versus 0.43 ± 0.11, p<0.001); however, for BM, no statistical difference was found between groups (0.49 ± 0.09 versus 0.46 ± 0.08, p=0.26). proDSI had the best diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76-0.98; sensitivity = 0.87; specificity = 0.88) for HGG, when a cut-off value of 0.21 was selected.Conclusions: Semi-quantitative analysis using SWI is feasible for the differential diagnosis between recurrence and radionecrosis in HGG, but is not feasible in BM. Semi-quantitative assessment based on SWI should interpreted with caution in BM after radiotherapy in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision sensing of vectorial forces has broad impact on both fundamental research and technological applications such as the examination of vacuum fluctuations and the detection of surface roughness of nanostructures. Recent years have witnessed much progress on sensing alternating electromagnetic forces for the rapidly advancing quantum technology-orders of magnitude improvement has been accomplished on the detection sensitivity with atomic sensors, whereas such high-precision measurements for static electromagnetic forces have rarely been demonstrated. Here, based on quantum atomic matter waves confined by a two-dimensional optical lattice, we perform precision measurement of static electromagnetic forces by imaging coherent wave mechanics in the reciprocal space. The lattice confinement causes a decoupling between real-space and reciprocal dynamics, and provides a rigid coordinate frame for calibrating the wavevector accumulation of the matter wave. With that we achieve a state-of-the-art sensitivity of 2.30(8)×10 -26 N/Hz. Long-term stabilities on the order of 10 -28 N are observed in the two spatial components of a force, which allows probing atomic Van der Waals forces at one millimeter distance. As a further illustrative application, we use our atomic sensor to calibrate the control precision of an alternating electromagnetic force applied in the experiment. Future developments of this method hold promise for delivering unprecedented atom-based quantum force sensing technologies., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of, and trends in, congenital anomalies in Central China from 1997 to 2019. This was a descriptive study. We collected data describing 4,134,098 births from 75 hospital monitoring sites in Henan Province, Central China, from 1997 to 2019. A joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the continuous changes. There were 4,134,098 births recorded from 1997 to 2019, of which 50,646 noted the presence of congenital anomalies (incidence: 122.5 per 10,000). The incidence of congenital anomalies was found to have increased over time (P- trend <0.05). Congenital anomaly incidence in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas (155.3 per 10,000 vs 100.7 per 10,000; P < 0.001). Moreover, incidence was higher in males than in females (129.1 per 10,000 vs 112.9 per 10,000; P < 0.001). The incidence of neural tube defects significantly reduced from 1997 to 2019 (39.3 per 10,000 in 1997 vs 0.92 per 10,000 in 2019, P- trend <0.001), whereas the incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD) increased (5.56 per 10,000 in 2010 to 136.46 per 10,000 in 2019), which meant that CHD was the most common congenital anomaly post-2013. In Henan province, the incidence of congenital anomalies increased by 115% from 1997 to 2019. Notably, the incidence of CHD is rising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incision of the Sanmen Gorge marks the birth of the modern Yellow River, but its timing varies from the late Miocene-early Pliocene to the late Pleistocene (∼0.15 Ma), and the suggested forcing mechanisms vary from the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau to global climate change. Here, we report sedimentologic, geochronologic, and provenance data from a drill core near the Sanmen Gorge, the last gorge along the main course of the Yellow River. Our results indicate that typical river channel deposits, with detritus from the Ordos Block in the upstream regions, started to accumulate in the Sanmen Gorge at ∼1.25 Ma. When integrated with river terrace evidence from the upstream and downstream regions, the results provide robust evidence that the final integration of the modern Yellow River occurred at ∼1.25 Ma, consistent with the beginning of the Mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT). We propose that the accelerated lowering of eustatic sea level during the MPT may play as important a role as tectonism in driving the birth and evolution of the modern Yellow River., (Copyright © 2022 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and long-term outcomes of free and pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flaps with perforation of the internal thoracic artery to repair facial scars. This retrospective review was of 37 patients who presented between June 2013 and June 2019 with various types of facial scar. Ten patients received a free expanded deltopectoral flap and 27 a pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flap. During the stage-one operation, the expander was implanted into the deltopectoral area and fully expanded by normal saline injection. In stage two, the facial lesions were incised, and the free or pedicled flap transferred to reconstruct the defect. Flap necrosis did not occur in the 10 patients treated with free flaps. Two patients need to have the pedicle trimmed three months after surgery because it had become bloated. Distal necrosis occurred in five of 27 patients who received a pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flap. Healing by conservative treatment was noted in two cases and healing after skin grafting was documented in the other three. All 37 patients achieved satisfactory results. A pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flap appears to be a reliable and safe option for the treatment of facial scars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are a group of common diseases with a high incidence that cause tremendous pressure on the healthcare system globally. Patrinia Herba (Bai Jiang Cao) has a long history of use in China. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Patrinia Herba for ARTIs. We searched the Chinese and English databases from their inception to March 2022 for clinical studies that tested single-herb preparations or formulae containing Patrinia Herba for ARTIs. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 and non-randomised studies as intervention tools for quality assessment. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021260330). Six trials (2 107 participants) were identified. Two trials were pooled. The results showed that, in adults and children with influenza, single Patrinia Herba granules or injections improved the participants' feelings of aversion to cold, general malaise, nasal obstruction, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, and dizziness after a two-day treatment. For adults and children with pneumonia, Patrinia Herba compound preparations plus antibiotics appeared better than antibiotics alone in relieving fever, cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain. The overall methodological quality of the included randomised controlled trials was rated as unclear, low, or moderate for controlled clinical trials. No severe adverse events were reported. Low- or moderate-quality evidence demonstrates that single herb or compound preparations of Patrinia Herba may be effective for ARTIs in terms of symptom remission. Further high-quality studies are needed to confirm their potential for treating ARTIs. • This systematic review reviewed the controlled clinical trials and the randomised controlled trials of the clinical effectiveness and safety of Patrinia Herba in acute respiratory tract infections. • One trial indicated that single Patrinia Herba granules or injection improved the influenza participants' feeling of fever, aversion to cold, general malaise, nasal obstruction, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, and dizziness. • Four trials showed herbal mixtures containing Patrinia Herba improved the feeling of fever and cough for patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia. • One trial showed that herbal mixtures containing Patrinia Herba treating children with Pneumonia improved their resolution time of fever and cough. • During the treatment of Patrinia Herba , the adverse events observed included gastrointestinal reactions, headache, dizziness, and skin itching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital-scale global climatic changes during the late Quaternary are dominated by high-latitude influenced ~100,000-year global ice-age cycles and monsoon influenced ~23,000-year low-latitude hydroclimate variations. However, the shortage of highly-resolved land temperature records remains a limiting factor for achieving a comprehensive understanding of long-term low-latitude terrestrial climatic changes. Here, we report paired mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and monsoon intensity proxy records over the past 88,000 years from Lake Tengchongqinghai in southwestern China. While summer monsoon intensity follows the ~23,000-year precession beat found also in previous studies, we identify previously unrecognized warm periods at 88,000-71,000 and 45,000-22,000 years ago, with 2-3 °C amplitudes that are close to our recorded full glacial-interglacial range. Using advanced transient climate simulations and comparing with forcing factors, we find that these warm periods in our MAAT record probably depends on local annual mean insolation, which is controlled by Earth's ~41,000-year obliquity cycles and is anti-phased to annual mean insolation at high latitudes. The coincidence of our identified warm periods and intervals of high-frequent dated archaeological evidence highlights the importance of temperature on anatomically modern humans in Asia during the last glacial stage., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The regulatory roles of mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways on the hypothalamic−pituitary−gonadal axis (HPG axis) of Wenchang chicks under heat stress (HS) were investigated. Additionally, the crosstalk between these signaling pathways was explored. Immunohistochemical experiments and Western blotting were employed to quantify extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), and p38MAPK (P38). In female chicks, hypothalamic ERKs were upregulated in Weeks 1 and 2 in the HS group compared with the control group (CK), while JNK and p38 were downregulated (P < 0.05). Pituitary MAPKs were all downregulated in the HS group compared with the CK group in Week 3, but p38 was upregulated in Week 4 (P < 0.01). In the HS group, ovarian MAPKs were all upregulated compared with the CK group during Week 5, whereas ERK was downregulated in Week 6 (P < 0.01). In contrast to the patterns of MAPK expression in female chicks in the HS and CK groups, ERK in male chicks showed a completely opposite pattern in Weeks 1, 2, and 5, while p38 and JNK were downregulated in both female and male chicks under HS duringWeeks 2 and 3. In the HS group, pituitary and testis MAPKs showed a pattern opposite to that observed in female chicks under HS inWeek 5; MAPKs were all downregulated (P < 0.05). Thus, there are gender differences in the MAPK signaling pathways in the HPG axis in chicks, and these pathways showed plasticity. Early HS can enhance chick growth and development as well as promote developing in the MAPK signaling pathways in the HPG axis. However, after heated brooding was discontinued in chicks, long-term HS obstructed chick development and caused tissue and function injury to the HPG axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physically effective fiber is needed by dairy cattle to prevent ruminal acidosis. This study aimed to examine the effects of different sources of physically effective fiber on the populations of fibrolytic bacteria and methanogens. Five ruminally cannulated Holstein cows were each fed five diets differing in physically effective fiber sources over 15 weeks (21 days/period) in a Latin Square design: (1) 44.1% corn silage, (2) 34.0% corn silage plus 11.5% alfalfa hay, (3) 34.0% corn silage plus 5.1% wheat straw, (4) 36.1% corn silage plus 10.1% wheat straw, and (5) 34.0% corn silage plus 5.5% corn stover. The impact of the physically effective fiber sources on total bacteria and archaea were examined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Specific real-time PCR assays were used to quantify total bacteria, total archaea, the genus Butyrivibrio, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens and three uncultured rumen bacteria that were identified from adhering ruminal fractions in a previous study. No significant differences were observed among the different sources of physical effective fiber with respect to the microbial populations quantified. Any of the physically effective fiber sources may be fed to dairy cattle without negative impact on the ruminal microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Phytochrome-dependent light signaling has been studied in several fungi. In Aspergillus nidulans light-stimulated phytochrome activates the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway and thereby controls the expression of a large number of genes, many of which are related to stress responses. In a genome-wide expression analysis in A. nidulans we found that phytochrome, fphA, is under strict expression control of the central regulator of the sulfur-starvation response, MetR. This transcriptional regulator is required for the expression of genes involved in inorganic sulfur assimilation. In the presence of organic sulfur, MetR is probably ubiquitinated and possibly degraded and the transcription of sulfur-assimilation genes, e.g., sulfate permease, is turned off. The expression analysis described here revealed, however, that MetR additionally controls the expression of hundreds of genes, many of which are required for secondary metabolite production. We also show that metR mutation phenocopies fphA deletion, and five other histidine-hybrid kinases are down-regulated in the metR1 mutant. Furthermore, we found that light and phytochrome regulate the expression of at least three carbon-sulfur hydrolases. This work is a further step towards understanding the interplay between light sensing and metabolic pathways., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest This authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Growing evidence suggests that stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is effective for oligometastatic disease. Currently, there is limited data to define dose-volume relationships between muscle and adipose tissues and neuromuscular toxicities. In this post hoc analysis, we evaluated these associations in patients enrolled in two phase II clinical trials (NCT03575611, NCT03599765) where bone oligometastases were ablated with SBRT. We reviewed three-fraction SBRT treatment plans for bone oligometastases where total dose ranged from 24-36 Gy. We contoured muscle and adjacent soft tissue receiving at least 10Gy based on anatomical function (e.g., hip flexors) and defined the largest-volume group as the most-affected functional muscle group (MFMG). Muscle and adipose tissues within MFMGs (MFMG-m and MFMG-a respectively) were further delineated by semi-automated contouring scripts using previously validated CT Hounsfield unit ranges for muscle (-29 to +150 HU) and adipose (-190 to -30 HU). Associations between neuromuscular adverse events (AE) (graded by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5) with dose to 2cc-30cc of contoured volumes (D2cc-D30cc) and clinical variables (BMI, ECOG, etc.) were assessed using two-sided Mann-Whitney U tests. Results were considered significant at P<0.0071 with Bonferroni correction. We evaluated 43 treatment plans for 37 patients with target lesions in the pelvic girdle (n=18), rib (n=15), femur (n=4), lumbar vertebra (n=2), scapula (n=2), and sternum (n=2). Three patients (8.1%) experienced grade 3 hip pain, 1 patient (2.7%) had grade 2 hip pain, and 2 patients (5.4%) had grade 1 hip or rib pain. There were no grade 4 or 5 AEs. Median time to AE was 2.3 months (range: 1.2–4.5 months). Patients with AEs had significantly higher MFMG D25cc (median = 28.4 vs 18.6Gy; p=0.004), MFMG-m D25cc (median = 27.7 vs 17.3Gy; p=0.006), and MFMG-a D5cc (median = 30.2 vs 18.9Gy; p=0.006) compared to pain-free patients. We identified a dose/volume threshold at MFMG D25cc > 25 Gy, where 5/11 (45.5%) treatment plans above and 1/32 (3.1%) below this threshold led to AEs, corresponding to an odds ratio of 25.8. There was no relationship between AEs and BMI, ECOG score, or demographics. No local tumor recurrences occurred with median follow-up of 15.5 months (range: 3.1–35.4 months). Two patients with grade 3 AEs after SBRT to pelvic girdle lesions had 3- and 5-month follow-up MRIs which identified soft tissue edema consistent with our findings. Preliminary results from two prospective trials suggests that SBRT for bone oligometastases can be conducted safely with excellent tumor control and minimal toxicity. We propose that MFMG D25cc be limited to 25 Gy to avoid symptomatic neuromuscular toxicity. Future studies are needed for dose criteria verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Large-scale phased cyclic loading of asphaltic railway tracks. • Investigation of asphalt railroad performance at a subgrade transition zone. • Asphaltic track shown to outperform ballast track in terms of settlement and subgrade pressure reduction. The use of structural asphalt layers inside ballasted railway tracks is attractive because it can increase track bending stiffness. Therefore, for the first time, this paper investigates the long-term settlement characteristics of asphaltic track in the presence of a subgrade stiffness transition zone. Phased load cyclic compression laboratory tests are performed on a large-scale hybrid asphalt-ballast track, supported by subgrade with varying stiffness. It is found that an asphaltic layer acts as a bridge to shield the subgrade from high stresses. It is also found that the asphalt reduces track settlement, and is particularly effective when subgrade stiffness is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The origin of one from two native vascular plants in Antarctic, the Antarctic hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctic É. Desv.) (Poaceae), remains unclear. Molecular genetic analyses have demonstrated low genetic heterogeneity among representatives of this species. The search for new marker nucleotide sequences of the Antarctic hairgrass is justified, which would be useful in clarifying the phylogeographic origin, heterogeneity and population dynamics of D. antarctica. Here we report the results of a comparative analysis of the introns of β-tubulin genes for several populations of the Antarctic hairgrass across the maritime Antarctic. We demonstrate that the first intron of the β-tubulin gene contain markers capable of discriminating D. antarctica subpopulations in the maritime Antarctic. The sequence of the first intron of the β-tubulin gene can therefore be used for more detailed population genetics studies of D. antarctica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Antiangiogenesis therapy plays an important role in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, treatment options for HCC recurrence after liver transplantation are currently limited. Apatinib is a small tyrosine kinase inhibitor molecule targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. Here, we report for the first time one case of a patient with advanced HCC who received apatinib after occurring lung metastasis 7 months after liver transplantation. He took 500 mg of apatinib daily for one month, which was decreased to 250 mg daily because of side effects. The patient was confirmed to have a partial response, according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, for 10 months, and the progression-free survival time was greater than 21 months. Our data and experience have indicated that apatinib may be a good choice for HCC recurrence after liver transplantation. Highlights • Targeted therapy serves as an important role in the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation. • In this report, we found that treatment with apatinib for HCC recurrence after liver transplantation showed excellent efficacy. • Apatinib might perform superiorly for metastases of advanced HCC after transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also interrupted the transmission of influenza. This is a descriptive epidemiological study. Data on changes in the number of reported influenza cases, number of influenza-like illness (ILI) visits, ILI percentage and influenza virus positivity were compared between the first 18 weeks of 2020 and the same period of 2019. The changes in the weekly average number of influenza cases were statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−4319 vs −525 per week; P < 0.05). The slopes of regression lines for the number of ILI visits were also statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−911 vs −98 per week; P < 0.05). This study found that the prevalence of influenza was substantially decreased when NPIs were implemented for the containment of COVID-19. • The prevalence of influenza was substantially decreased when non-pharmaceutical interventions were implemented for the containment of coronavirus disease 2019. • Changes in the weekly average number of influenza cases were statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−4319 vs −525 per week; P < 0.05). • Changes in the number of influenza-like illness visits were also statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−911 vs −98 per week; P < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]