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Nucleic acid modifications have attracted increasing attention in recent years since they have been found to be related to a number of diseases including cancer. Previous studies have shown that the early development of endometrial cancer (EC) is often accompanied by changes in methylation levels of related genes, and the expression of related proteins that regulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) shows significant differences in EC cells and tissues. However, it has not been reported whether nucleic acid modifications related to methylation or ROS can serve as biomarkers for EC. Accurate quantification of these nucleic acid modifications still has challenges because their amounts in urine are very low and the interferences in urine are complicated. In this study, a novel dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) method based on chitosan-carbon nanotube-Al2O3 (CS-CNT-Al2O3) has been established for the analysis of 5-hydroxymethyluracil (5 mU), 5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5-mdC), 5-hydroxymethyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5-hmdC), 5-formyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5-fdC), and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in EC patient urine samples coupled with UHPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS/MS and HPLC–UV. Firstly, the synthesis of the CS-CNT-Al2O3 nanocomposite was conducted by a sono-coprecipitation method and was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). Under the optimal extraction conditions of DSPE, we successfully quantified 5 mU, 5-mdC, 5-hmdC, 5-fdC, and 8-OHdG in urine samples from 37 EC patients and 39 healthy controls. The results showed that there were significant differences in the levels of 5-mdC, 5-hmdC, 5-fdC, and 8-OHdG in EC patients compared to the healthy control group. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was carried out to evaluate the potential of 5-mdC, 5-hmdC, 5-fdC, and 8-OHdG to distinguish EC patients from healthy volunteers. The area under the curve (AUC) for 5-mdC, 5-hmdC, 5-fdC, and 8-OHdG was 0.7412, 0.667, 0.8438, and 0.7981, respectively. It indicated that 5-mdC, 5-hmdC, 5-fdC, and 8-OHdG had certain potential in distinguishing between EC patients and healthy volunteers and they could act as potential non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis of EC. Moreover, the present study would stimulate investigations of the effects of nucleic acid modifications on the initiation and progression of EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon terror management theory, the present study aimed to examine how mortality salience influences youth materialism as well as to explore the mediating role of future orientation and the moderating role of awe in the focal relationship. Three sub-studies (N = 2568) were conducted to test our theoretically driven hypotheses. In a large representative Chinese sample (Study 1), a set of questionnaires were used to provide preliminary evidence for our moderated mediation model. A positive association was found between mortality salience and youth materialism via future orientation; this association was much weaker for youths higher in trait awe. In follow-up studies, two priming experiments were performed to further improve the robustness of our hypothesized model. Youths in the mortality salience condition reported lower future orientation and higher materialism than those in the control condition. Inductions of mortality salience increased materialism by decreasing future orientation and that this mediation was conditioned on the level of trait awe (Study 2) and priming awe (Study 3). The findings not only illuminate the role of future orientation in explaining why mortality salience makes youths more materialistic but also highlight the role of awe in buffering the link between mortality salience and youth materialism. Thus, this work offers a significant contribution to prevention and intervention programs that aim to protect youths from the negative impact of death-related information and to promote their positive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial cancer is known to be an estrogen-dependent cancer, and it is believed that exposure to estrogens increases the risk of developing endometrial cancer in the absence of progesterone. Estrogens and estrogen metabolites may help to predict the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (EH) with atypia. Estrogens and estrogen metabolites were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) in the first morning urine sample collected from 150 patients with EH and 50 healthy premenopausal women in the study. In healthy premenopausal women, the level of 16α-hydroxyestrone (16α-OHE1) in the overweight group was significantly higher than that in the lean group (p < 0.05). The levels of 4-hydroxyestradiol (4-OHE2) and 16α-OHE1 were elevated in the AEH group as compared to that in the control group (p < 0.05). Overweight is related to EH incidence as it causes an imbalance of estrogen metabolites. This study provides identifies potential biomarkers for estrogen-induced AEH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have become a favourable platform for target specificity in disease treatment, although their side effects and toxicity remain controversial. Plant polysaccharide nanoparticles are safe, natural biomaterials that have become candidate materials for nano-drug delivery systems due to their excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility. In addition to becoming candidate materials, plant polysaccharide nanoparticles show excellent pharmacokinetic and drug delivery characteristics as carrier materials to manipulate small drug molecules at the nanoscale, mainly improving medicine solubility, reducing medicine toxicity and side effects and enhancing biological targeting of medicines. Therefore, the application of plant polysaccharide nanoparticles in the field of drug delivery systems may become the focus of future studies. Here we review the carrier function of plant polysaccharide nanoparticles as a polymeric material in drug delivery. The limitations and challenges of applying plant polysaccharide nanoparticles in drug carrier systems are highlighted with the aim to provide a reference for their precise development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovery of target‐binding molecules, such as aptamers and peptides, is usually performed with the use of high‐throughput experimental screening methods. These methods typically generate large datasets of sequences of target‐binding molecules, which can be enriched with high affinity binders. However, the identification of the highest affinity binders from these large datasets often requires additional low‐throughput experiments or other approaches. Bioinformatics‐based analyses could be helpful to better understand these large datasets and identify the parts of the sequence space enriched with high affinity binders. BinderSpace is an open‐source Python package that performs motif analysis, sequence space visualization, clustering analyses, and sequence extraction from clusters of interest. The motif analysis, resulting in text‐based and visual output of motifs, can also provide heat maps of previously measured user‐defined functional properties for all the motif‐containing molecules. Users can also run principal component analysis (PCA) and t‐distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t‐SNE) analyses on whole datasets and on motif‐related subsets of the data. Functionally important sequences can also be highlighted in the resulting PCA and t‐SNE maps. If points (sequences) in two‐dimensional maps in PCA or t‐SNE space form clusters, users can perform clustering analyses on their data, and extract sequences from clusters of interest. We demonstrate the use of BinderSpace on a dataset of oligonucleotides binding to single‐wall carbon nanotubes in the presence and absence of a bioanalyte, and on a dataset of cyclic peptidomimetics binding to bovine carbonic anhydrase protein. BinderSpace is openly accessible to the public via the GitHub website: https://github.com/vukoviclab/BinderSpace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Psychological security is the outcome of interaction between individuals and society, and it is an important indicator reflecting adolescent mental health and self‐growth. Previous studies have paid more attention to external security, but less attention to individual's internal psychological security. In addition, few previous studies have examined the changes of psychological security over time and the influence of socio‐cultural environmental factors on psychological security. Methods: A cross‐temporal meta‐analysis was performed using papers that measured the psychological security level of Chinese adolescent college students between 2004 and 2020. Moreover, a time‐lag analysis was conducted to define whether the macro‐social indicators can explain the changes in Chinese adolescent college students' psychological security. Results: (1) A total of 85 papers was included in the final sample (included 48,817 Chinese adolescent college students); (2) the scores of psychological security and its two sub‐dimensions were significantly negatively correlated with the year, indicating that Chinese college students' psychological security declined significantly over time; (3) seven macro social indicators from the socioeconomic environmental, social connectedness and overall social threats can predict the changes in college students' psychological security; (4) the psychological security of male and female college students decreased over time, but the gender difference was insignificant. Conclusions: Evidently, social changes play an important role in predicting changes in Chinese college students' psychological security. The results can provide a research basis for the mental health education of adolescent college students, and also provide an explanation perspective for the increasingly serious "involution" phenomenon among Chinese college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "A new methodology to reveal potential nucleic acid modifications associated with the risk of endometrial cancer through dispersive solid-phase extraction coupled with UHPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS/MS and HPLC-UV." The correction addresses an error in Table 4 of the original article, where the order of literature numbers in column 8 was incorrect. The correct order should be "32, 33, 34, 35, 36" instead of "28, 29, 30, 31, 32." The correction has been made to the original article. The document also includes a note from the publisher stating their neutrality regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

At present, the research focus has been aimed at the pursuit of the design and synthesis of catalysts for effective photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater, and further exploration of novel materials of the photodegradation catalyst. In this paper, the Sol-gel route after thermal treatment was used to produce NiFe2O4 carbon aerogel (NiFe2O4-CA) nanocomposites with cotton linter cellulose as the precursor of aerogel, by co-precipitating iron and nickel salts onto its substrate. The structure and composition of these materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectra, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), high-resolution scanning electron microscope mapping (SEM-mapping), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET)'s surface area. The magnetic properties of the material were analyzed by a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM). Moreover, diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and photo-luminescence spectroscopy (PL) characterized the photoelectric properties of this cellulose-aerogels-based NiFe2O4-CA. Methylene blue (MB) acted as the simulated pollutant, and the photocatalytic activity of NiFe2O4-CA nanocomposites under visible light was evaluated by adjusting H2O2 content and the pH value. The results showed that the optical absorption range of nickel ferrite was broadened by doping cellulose-aerogels-based carbon, which exerted more positive effects on photocatalytic reactions. This is because the doping of this aerogel carbon promoted a more uniform distribution of NiFe2O4 particles. Given the Methylene blue (MB) degradation reaction conformed to the first-order kinetic equation, the NiFe2O4-CA nanocomposites conducted excellent catalytic activity by maintaining almost 99% of the removal of MB (60 mg/L) within 180 min and upheld excellent stability over four consecutive cycles. This study indicated that NiFe2O4-CA nanocomposites reserved the potential as a future effective treatment of dye wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scant research has investigated the potential influence of personal relative deprivation on moral disengagement, and little is known regarding the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Inspired by relative deprivation theory, this study proposed a moderated mediation model to explore the relationship between personal relative deprivation and moral disengagement by examining the mediating role of malicious envy and the moderating role of Honesty–Humility. Five hundred and eighty‐nine Chinese adults completed anonymous measures of personal relative deprivation, malicious envy, Honesty–Humility, and moral disengagement. Results revealed that personal relative deprivation was positively correlated with moral disengagement and that malicious envy fully mediated this relationship. Moderated mediation analysis indicated that Honesty–Humility moderated the relationship between personal relative deprivation and malicious envy and that between malicious envy and moral disengagement. Specifically, both relationships became weaker for adults with higher levels of Honesty–Humility. These findings not only highlight the importance of identifying the underlying mechanisms between personal relative deprivation and moral disengagement, but also provide valuable implications for the effective prevention and mitigation of moral disengagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies were conducted using a globally diverse safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Genebank collection for grain yield (YP), days to flowering (DF), plant height (PH), 500 seed weight (SW), seed oil content (OL), and crude protein content (PR) in four environments (sites) that differed in water availability. Phenotypic variation was observed for all traits. YP exhibited low overall genetic correlations (rGoverall) across sites, while SW and OL had high rGoverall and high pairwise genetic correlations (rGij) across all pairwise sites. In total, 92 marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified using three methods, single locus genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using a mixed linear model (MLM), the Bayesian multi-locus method (BayesR), and meta-GWAS. MTAs with large effects across all sites were detected for OL, SW, and PR, and MTAs specific for the different water stress sites were identified for all traits. Five MTAs were associated with multiple traits; 4 of 5 MTAs were variously associated with the three traits of SW, OL, and PR. This study provided insights into the phenotypic variability and genetic architecture of important safflower agronomic traits under different environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define the group measure matrix of the alternative scheme and the ideal scheme based on the relevant factor sequence and the system characteristic behavior sequence. Furthermore, the information distances of decision makers and decision criteria are defined, respectively. According to the information distance, we obtain each scheme's grey matrix incidence degree for the scheme ranking. Finally, we use an example to verify the rationality of the model and compare it with other classic methods, such as TOPSIS, VIKOR, MULTI-MOORA. Compared with previous grey incidence analysis model, the proposed model can make full use of information of the decision-maker dimension and the criteria dimension. The proposed model can avoid high-dimensional information loss. The results show that the proposed method has superiority in measuring decision-maker information and decision-making standard information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, cancer poses a significant health challenge in the medical community. Traditional chemotherapeutic agents are often accompanied by toxic side effects and limited therapeutic efficacy, restricting their application and advancement in cancer treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developing intelligent drug release systems. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have many advantages, such as a large specific surface area, substantial pore volume and size, adjustable mesoporous material pore size, excellent biocompatibility, and thermodynamic stability, making them ideal carriers for drug delivery and release. Additionally, they have been widely used to develop novel anticancer drug carriers. Recently, MSNs have been employed to design responsive systems that react to the tumor microenvironment and external stimuli for controlled release of anticancer drugs. This includes factors within the intratumor environment, such as pH, temperature, enzymes, and glutathione as well as external tumor stimuli, such as light, magnetic field, and ultrasound, among others. In this review, we discuss the research progress on environmental stimulus-responsive MSNs in anticancer drug delivery systems, including internal and external environment single stimulus-responsive release and combined stimulus-responsive release. We also summarize the current challenges associated with environmental stimulus-responsive MSNs and elucidate future directions, providing a reference for the functionalization modification and practical application of these MSNs. [Display omitted] ● Developing nanoparticle drug delivery systems with clinical applications. ● Mesoporous silica nanoparticles have high drug loading. ● Killing effect of environmental stimulus-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles on tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Landau-de Gennes theory and differential iteration method, in a cylindrical shell with degenerate planar anchoring at both interfaces, the double-twist director configuration caused by large saddle-splay elasticity is investigated. The combined effects of saddle-splay elasticity and the curvature on the spontaneous chiral structure are analysed. Between opposite-handed domains, we find two domain wall structures and a new 1/2 defect ring structure. The stabilities of these structures are analysed by an energy comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by conceptual analyses of awe as a self-transcendent emotion and the small-self hypothesis, we aim to explore the role of trait awe—one's chronic tendency to experience awe—in dampening individuals' violation of integrity through social dominance orientation. Four empirical studies (N = 4034) with cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental designs were performed. Study 1 (N = 1612) used a set of scales to initially investigate the relationships among trait awe, social dominance orientation, and integrity violation. Study 2 (N = 2027) used a novel contextualized scenario-based measure to capture integrity violation, thereby further testing hypotheses. Study 3 (N = 173) adopted a three-month, two-wave longitudinal design to retest whether trait awe was negatively associated with integrity violation via social dominance orientation. Study 4 (N = 222) employed a moderation-of-process design. Manipulating social dominance orientation showed that it causally mediated the relationship between trait awe and integrity violation. These studies converged to confirm that awe-prone individuals are less inclined to engage in integrity violation due to their lower levels of social dominance orientation. This work not only corroborates the significance of trait awe in dampening integrity violation but also illuminates the underlying mechanism by which trait awe influences integrity violation. • Four studies examined the dampening effect of trait awe on integrity violation. • People with higher trait awe are less likely to engage in integrity violation. • Social dominance orientation mediates the link between trait awe and integrity violation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polar 4H-SiC nano-resonators can host localized surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) with low optical loss and fully exploit light–matter interactions for promising nanophotonic applications such as surface-enhanced spectroscopies and thermal imaging. To expand the mid-infrared and infrared application spaces, a sound knowledge of temperature effect on infrared dielectric functions and SPhPs of 4H-SiC is required, yet it remains largely unexplored. Herein, we focus on exploiting the temperature influence on dielectric functions, hybridization of propagating and localized SPhPs, and tailed spectral radiation properties of 4H-SiC nanopillar arrays through spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements as well as multiscale simulations. The 4H-SiC crystal is grown using the physical vapor transport method, and SE experiments measure infrared dielectric functions at temperatures between 300 and 800 K. Finite-element electromagnetic simulations confirm the emerged Monopole and transverse dipoles (TD1 and TD2) resonance modes in 4H-SiC nano-resonators, which agrees with the literature experiment. At high temperatures with strong lattice vibration, the amplitudes of resonant optical absorption peaks gradually decrease and the linewidths broaden, accompanied by the weakened electric resonances. First-principles calculations show that the anharmonic phonon scattering strengthens and less optical phonons are coupled to incident photons as temperature increases. Moreover, the propagating and localized SPhPs' hybridization and spectral radiation properties of 4H-SiC nanopillar arrays can be largely tailed by modifying the morphology and incident angle of light. This work provides physical insights into the temperature-induced spectral tuning of 4H-SiC nano-resonators and helps exploit their applications in the high-temperature working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High-density Au nanoparticles deposited on PA were fabricated by a one-step process. • The morphology of the substrate can be easily tailored. • The substrate exhibited the lowest detectable concentration of 10−11 M R6G. • The substrate demonstrated outstanding reproducibility with an acceptable RSD. As a powerful analytical tool, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique has attracted extensive attention. Rapid and low-cost fabrication of the SERS-active substrates in terms of good uniformity and reproducibility remains a significant challenge. Here we showed one facile strategy to decorate polyamide with high-density gold nanoparticles as the SERS substrates via the chemical deposition technology. The size evolution of the gold nanoparticles on the substrates was systematically analyzed with the reaction time and the amount of HAuCl 4 in detail. The optimized substrate presented highly dense and uniform gold nanoparticles, which exhibited outstanding sensitivity with the lowest detectable concentration of 10−11 M rhodamine 6G (R 6G), as well as good reproducibility with the relative standard deviation value low to 9.6%. The SERS-based monitoring of malachite green with the lowest detectable concentration of 10−9 M was subsequently realized using the substrates, demonstrating their promising prospect in the sensitive detection of food and aquaculture. Besides, the finite-different time-domain (FDTD) simulations manifest that the Raman enhancement is mainly attributed to the strong local electrical field generated near the highly dense and uniform gold nanoparticles on the substrate. The simple method and prominent Raman enhancement property could facilitate the applications of the SERS substrates in chemical and biological detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the extensive applications of nanomaterials in drug delivery in recent years, nanocarriers with composite polymers, represented by liposomal gels, have been studied for drug delivery for numerous diseases. The drug is loaded inside the liposomal gel and is endowed with specific temperature, pH, enzyme, light, electric field and other stimulating materials; further, the release of the loaded drug is controlled by specific stimuli. Liposomal gels provide better stability for drug formulation and obtaining higher targeting and stimulus responsiveness compared to single nano-drug-loaded materials. Hence, the toxic side effects of drugs can be effectively reduced and the drug delivery efficiency, therapeutic efficacy and safety can be considerably improved. At present, research on liposome gels as drug delivery carriers is still under developing stage, and their advantages as drug carriers will be more useful in practice and become a powerful tool for human beings to cure diseases in the future. In the future studies, the synthesis and stimuli-responsive mechanism of liposomal gels can be further explored to expand their applications in the field of disease treatment and provide more innovative solutions for precision medicine and individualised therapy. This review explores the application of liposome gels with stimuli-responsiveness as drug carriers for treating diseases, the advantages of liposome gels as drug carriers, the methods and principles of their fabrication, the stimuli-responsiveness of liposome gels for targeted release against diseases and its current challenges and opportunities to suggest certain methods and ideas for the development of smarter precision-targeted hybrid nanosystems in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnetic fluorescent molecularly imprinted sensor was successfully prepared and implemented to determine catechol (CT). Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by the solvothermal technique and mesoporous Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2 imprinted carriers were prepared by coating nonporous and mesoporous SiO2 shells on the surface of the Fe3O4 subsequently. The magnetic surface molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensor was created after the magnetic mesoporous carriers were modified with γ-methacryloxyl propyl trimethoxy silane to introduce double bonds on the surface of the carries and the polymerization was carried out in the presence of CT and fluorescent monomers. The magnetic mesoporous carriers were modified with γ-methacryloxyl propyl trimethoxy silane and double bonds were introduced on the surface of the carriers. After CT binding with the molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), the fluorescent intensity of the molecularly imprinted polymers (Ex = 400 nm, Em = 523 nm) increased significantly. The fluorescent intensity ratio (F/F0) of the sensor demonstrated a favorable linear correlation with the concentration of CT between 5 and 50 μM with a detection limit of 0.025 μM. Furthermore, the sensor was successfully applied to determine CT in actual samples with recoveries of 96.4–105% and relative standard deviations were lower than 3.5%. The results indicated that the research of our present work provided an efficient approach for swiftly and accurately determining organic pollutant in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane separation technique has been widely used in recent years for oily wastewater treatment because of the advantages of simplicity of operation, lack of residual contamination and high separation efficiency. However, membrane fouling and pore plugging can cause serious problems, such as short membrane life and decreased flux. Therefore, in this paper, a self-cleaning polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite membrane with excellent oil–water emulsion separation properties was prepared. The PAN membrane modified with AgI/UiO-66-NH2 was first prepared using electrospinning. The zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (pSBMA) was then modified onto the prefabricated electrospinning membrane by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to prepare hydrophilic polymer brush grafted PAN/AgI/UiO-66-NH2 composite membranes after 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide (BiBB) was introduced to the composite membrane. The membrane possesses a self-cleaning capacity because AgI/UiO-66-NH2 has the ability of visible light driven catalytic degradation. The powerful hydration ability of the pSBMA and the surrounding water molecules enhance the wettability of the composite membrane. The existence of a photocatalyst and hydration of a zwitterionic polymer brush greatly improve the resistance of the membrane towards contamination. The as prepared membrane was used to treat oil/water emulsions and the results revealed that the membrane has high permeability to four kinds of different oil/water emulsions when driven by gravity. The mentioned membrane might have potential application prospects in oily water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yield and quality are two crucial breeding objects of wheat therein grain weight and grain protein content (GPC) are two key relevant factors correspondingly. Investigations of their genetic mechanisms represent special significance for breeding. In this study, 199 F2 plants and corresponding F2:3 families derived from Nongda3753 (ND3753) and its EMS-generated mutant 564 (M564) were used to investigate the genetic basis of larger grain and higher GPC of M564. QTL analysis identified a total of 33 environmentally stable QTLs related to thousand grain weight (TGW), grain area (GA), grain circle (GC), grain length (GL), grain width (GW), and GPC on chromosomes 1B, 2A, 2B, 4D, 6B, and 7D, respectively, among which QGw.cau-6B.1, QTgw.cau-6B.1, QGa.cau-6B.1, and QGc.cau-6B.1 shared overlap confidence interval on chromosome 6B. This interval contained the TaGW2 gene playing the same role as the QTLs, so TaGW2-6B was cloned and sequenced. Sequence alignment revealed two G/A SNPs between two parents, among which the SNP in the seventh exon led to a premature termination in M564. A KASP marker was developed based on the SNP, and single-marker analysis on biparental populations showed that the mutant allele could significantly increase GW and TGW, but had no effect on GPC. Distribution detection of the mutant allele through KASP marker genotyping and sequence alignment against databases ascertained that no materials harbored this allele within natural populations. This allele was subsequently introduced into three different varieties through molecular marker-assisted backcrossing, and it was revealed that the allele had a significant effect on simultaneously increasing GW, TGW, and even GPC in all of three backgrounds. Summing up the above, it could be concluded that a novel elite allele of TaGW2-6B was artificially created and might play an important role in wheat breeding for high yield and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capability of embryogenic callus induction is a prerequisite for in vitro plant regeneration. However, embryogenic callus induction is strongly genotype-dependent, thus hindering the development of in vitro plant genetic engineering technology. In this study, to examine the genetic variation in embryogenic callus induction rate (CIR) in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) at the seventh, eighth, and ninth subcultures (T7, T8, and T9, respectively), we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for CIR in a population of 353 peanut accessions. The coefficient of variation of CIR among the genotypes was high in the T7, T8, and T9 subcultures (33.06%, 34.18%, and 35.54%, respectively), and the average CIR ranged from 1.58 to 1.66. A total of 53 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected (based on the threshold value −log10(p) = 4.5). Among these SNPs, SNPB03-83801701 showed high phenotypic variance and neared a gene that encodes a peroxisomal ABC transporter 1. SNPA05-94095749, representing a nonsynonymous mutation, was located in the Arahy.MIX90M locus (encoding an auxin response factor 19 protein) at T8, which was associated with callus formation. These results provide guidance for future elucidation of the regulatory mechanism of embryogenic callus induction in peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SEMs) are the important part of economic society whose innovation activities are of great significance for building innovative country. In order to investigate how technological innovation (TI) and business model design (BMD) affect the business performance of SMEs, samples of 268 SMEs in the artificial intelligence industry and hierarchical regression models are used in the analysis. The results indicate that TI, BMD, and the matching of them have different effects on the innovation of SMEs of different sizes. These findings are helpful for enriching the theory of the fit between TI and BMD and providing theoretical guidance for the innovation activities in SEMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral cancer is associated with high risk of morbidity and mortality. However, effective treatment for oral cancer is urgently required in clinics. In this study, we aimed to determine whether F‐box/WD repeat‐containing protein 7 (FBXW7), an essential tumor suppressor gene, can regulate autophagy and improve the prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: mRNA levels of FBXW7 and myeloid cell leukemia 1 (MCL‐1) in OSCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were measured by qRT‐PCR. FBXW7 and MCL‐1 were overexpressed in OSCC cell line using lentivirus containing FBXW7 and MCL‐1, respectively. Protein expression was determined by Western blot. Results: The mRNA and protein levels of FBXW7 were decreased in patients with OSCC, whereas the mRNA and protein levels of MCL‐1 were increased. Moreover, the mRNA coding for autophagy proteins was reduced in patients with OSCC. Additionally, it was found that overexpression of FBXW7 significantly reduced MCL‐1 expression and upregulated autophagy‐related proteins, including Beclin1, autophagy related 7, and microtubule‐associated protein light chain 3. Conclusion: Our results suggest that FBXW7 affects autophagy through MCL1 in OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CO methanation reaction has been widely used in the fields of synthetic natural gas and ammonia (NH 3). This study improves the CO methanation performance using a two-dimensional NiAl-layered double oxide (2D NiAl-LDO) decorated by SiO 2 nanoparticles and reduced under hydrogen atmosphere. The as-obtained H–NiAl-LDO/SiO 2 exhibited a high specific surface area of 240.5 m2/g and high surface-adsorbed oxygen of 20.77%. Furthermore, it had an excellent CO conversion of 100% at 300 °C and 96.87% at 250 °C, which was much better than those of H–NiAl-LDO (84.03% at 300 °C and 0% at 250 °C). We believe that it provides an additional strategy to easily and effectively improve CO methanation performance and shows potential for the application of similar catalysts. • The H–NiAl-LDO/SiO 2 performs excellent low temperature CO methanation performance. • Additive SiO 2 increases the specific surface area of the catalyst. • The addition of SiO 2 is beneficial to the formation of surface adsorbed oxygen. • Si–O–Al and Si–O–Ni bonds promote H 2 and CO adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Macrosomia has increased rapidly worldwide in the past few decades, with a huge impact on health. However, the effect of PM2.5 and extreme high‐temperature (EHT) on macrosomia has been ignored. Objective: This study aimed to explore the association between maternal exposure to EHT, PM2.5 and macrosomia based on the Seventh Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in 14 countries of Africa. Methods: The study included detailed demographic information on 106 382 births and maternal. Satellite inversion models estimated monthly mean PM2.5 and mean surface temperature of 2 m (SMT2m). Macrosomia was defined as the birth weight ≥ 4000 g. We used a Cox proportional risk regression model to estimate the association between PM2.5, EHT and macrosomia. We further explored the susceptibility of exposure to EHT and PM2.5 at different pregnancy periods to macrosomia, and plotted the expose‐response curve between PM2.5 and macrosomia risk using a restricted cubic spline function. In addition, the Interplot model was used to investigate the interaction between EHT and PM2.5 on macrosomia. Finally, some potential confounding factors were analysed by stratification. Results: There was the positive association between EHT, PM2.5 and macrosomia, and the risk of macrosomia with the increase in concentrations of PM2.5 without clear threshold. Meanwhile, EHT and PM2.5 had a higher effect on macrosomia in middle/later and early/middle stages of pregnancy, respectively. There was a significant interaction between EHT and PM2.5 on macrosomia. Conclusions: Maternal exposure to EHT, PM2.5 during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of macrosomia in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wax is an acellular structural substance attached to the surface of plant tissues. It forms a protective barrier on the epidermis of plants and plays an important role in resisting abiotic and biotic stresses. In this paper, nonheading Chinese cabbage varieties with and without wax powder were observed using scanning electron microscopy, and the surface of waxy plants was covered with a layer of densely arranged waxy crystals, thus differentiating them from the surface of waxless plants. A genetic analysis showed that wax powder formation in nonheading Chinese cabbage was controlled by a pair of dominant genes. A preliminary bulked segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-seq) assay showed that one gene was located at the end of chromosome A09. Within this interval, we identified BraA09000626, encoding an AP2 transcription factor homologous to Arabidopsis AtSHINE3, and we named it BrSHINE3. By comparing the CDS of the gene in the two parental plants, a 35 bp deletion in the BrSHINE3 gene of waxless plants resulted in a frameshift mutation. Tissue analysis showed that BrSHINE3 was expressed at significantly higher levels in waxy plant rosette stage petioles and bolting stage stems than in the tissues of waxless plants. We speculate that this deletion in BrSHINE3 bases in the waxless material may inhibit wax synthesis. The overexpression of BrSHINE3 in Arabidopsis induced the accumulation of wax on the stem surface, indicating that BrSHINE3 is a key gene that regulates the formation of wax powder in nonheading Chinese cabbage. The analysis of the subcellular localization showed that BrSHINE3 is mainly located in the nucleus and chloroplast of tobacco leaves, suggesting that the gene may function as a transcription factor. Subsequent transcriptome analysis of the homology of BrSHINE3 downstream genes in nonheading Chinese cabbage showed that these genes were downregulated in waxless materials. These findings provide a basis for a better understanding of the nonheading Chinese cabbage epidermal wax synthesis pathway and provide important information for the molecular-assisted breeding of nonheading Chinese cabbage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel (Ni) is an essential trace element for plant growth and a component of the plant body that has many different functions in plants. Although it has been confirmed that nickel ions (Ni2+) havea certain regulatory effect on nitrogen (N) metabolism, there are not enough data to prove whether exogenous Ni2+ can increase the carbon (C) and N metabolism in the roots of tomato seedlingsunder low-nitrogen (LN) conditions. Therefore, through the present experiment, we revealed the key mechanism of Ni2+-mediated tomato root tolerance to LN levels. Tomato plants were cultured at two different N levels (7.66 and 0.383 mmol L−1) and two different Ni2+ levels (0 and 0.1 mg L−1 NiSO4 6H2O) under hydroponic conditions. After nine days, we collected roots for physiological, biochemical, and transcriptome sequencing analyses and found that the activities of N assimilation-related enzymes decreased at LN levels. In contrast, Ni2+ significantly increased the activities of N assimilation-related enzymes and increased the contents of nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+), and total amino acids. Through root transcriptomic analysis, 3738 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. DEGs related to C and N metabolism were downregulated after LN application. However, after Ni2+ treatment, PK, PDHB, GAPDH, NR, NiR, GS, GOGAT, and other DEGs related to C and N metabolism were significantly upregulated. In conclusion, our results suggest that Ni2+ can regulate the C and N metabolism pathways in tomato roots to alleviate the impact of LN levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO/CO2 hydrogenation has attracted much attention as a pathway to achieve carbon neutrality and production of synthetic natural gas (SNG). In this work, two-dimensional NiAl layered double oxide (2D NiAl-LDO) has been successfully decorated by SiO2 nanoparticles derived from SiCl4 and used as CO/CO2 methanation catalysts. The as-obtained H-SiO2-NiAl-LDO exhibited a large specific surface area of 201 m2/g as well as high ratio of metallic Ni0 species and surface adsorption oxygen that were beneficial for low-temperature methanation of CO/CO2. The conversion of CO methanation was 99% at 400 °C, and that of CO2 was 90% at 350 °C. At 250 °C, the CO methanation reached 85% whereas that of CO2 reached 23% at 200 °C. We believe that this provides a simple method to improve the methanation performance of CO and CO2 and a strategy for the modification of other similar catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intrinsic link of ferroptosis to neurodegeneration, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, has set promises to apply ferroptosis inhibitors for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Herein, we report that the natural small molecule hinokitiol (Hino) functions as a potent ferroptosis inhibitor to rescue neuronal damages in vitro and in vivo. The action mechanisms of Hino involve chelating irons and activating cytoprotective transcription factor Nrf2 to upregulate the antioxidant genes including solute carrier family 7 member 11, glutathione peroxidase 4 and Heme oxygenase-1. In vivo studies demonstrate that Hino rescues the deficits of locomotor activity and neurodevelopment in zebrafishes. In addition, Hino shows the efficient blood-brain barrier permeability in mice, supporting the application of Hino for brain disorders. Paclitaxel is one of the most widely used broad-spectrum antineoplastic agents. However, its neurotoxic side effect is a severe concern. We demonstrate that the neurotoxicity of paclitaxel is ferroptosis-related and Hino also alleviates the paclitaxel-induced neurotoxicity without compromising its cytotoxicity to cancer cells. Hino also salvages the neurobehavioral impairment by paclitaxel in zebrafishes. Collectively, the discovery of Hino as a novel ferroptosis inhibitor and disclosure of its action mechanisms establish a foundation for the further development of Hino as a neuroprotective agent. [Display omitted] • Hinokitiol significantly enhances cell viability of RSL3-or 6-OHDA-induced PC12 cells and is more potent than DFO. • Hinokitiol exerts neuroprotection through iron chelation and modulation of the Nrf2 pathway. • Hinokitiol rescues the deficits of locomotion and neurodevelopment in 6-OHDA-treated zebrafish model. • Hinokitiol alleviates the ferroptosis-related neurotoxicity induced by paclitaxel without affecting anti-tumor activity. • Hinokitiol shows the efficient blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidants and UV stabilizers have some endocrine disrupting effects and liver toxicity. Both types of additives are still widely used in food contact plastics to improve the durability of plastic products. However, efficient and rapid detection of antioxidants and UV stabilizers has been a challenge due to the complexity of the plastic matrix and the low content of antioxidants and UV stabilizers. In this study, a sodium alginate/MOF-derived magnetic multistage pore carbon material (MIL-101(Fe)/SA-CAs) was developed, having the merits of abundant multistage pore structure, large specific surface area, and good magnetic separation properties. Thus, this material was selected as the sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction combined with a dissolution-precipitation method for the extraction and purification of antioxidants and UV stabilizers from polylactic acid food contact plastics. The extraction parameters such as sorbent type, sorbent dosage, sample solution pH, ionic strength, sorption time, elution solution type, volume, and time were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, all the analytes determined by UPLC-MS/MS showed good linear range (r > 0.99), detection limit (0.023–3.105 ng g−1), accuracy (70.6–102.3 %), and reproducibility (RSD<9.8 %). Further, the developed method was applied to determine the antioxidants and UV stabilizers in polylactic acid lunch boxes and straws, showing excellent applicability. The results showed that the antioxidants and UV stabilizers were detected in some of the samples, with a maximum detection of antioxidant 1010 at 7297 ng g−1. This study provided a sensitive, efficient, and environmentally friendly method for antioxidants and UV stabilizers in polylactic acid food contact plastics. The ideas for the design of environmentally friendly metal-organic frameworks and biomass composite multifunctional materials would promise in the sample pretreatment field for the emerging contaminants. [Display omitted] • MIL-101(Fe)/SA-CAs adsorbent was simple in preparation. • Multi-stage pore structure of the composite accomplished rapid target adsorption. • The established method allowed precise extraction from complex plastic matrices. • The adsorption of the target was a multimolecular layer with multiple interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO-selective catalytic reduction (CO-SCR) can effectively remove NOx and CO in flue gas. In this study, a two-dimensional natural mineral vermiculite (VMT) was used as a carrier, and CuCeOx/VMT was prepared using a coprecipitation-assisted isometric impregnation method. The effects of different calcination environments on the performance of the CuCeOx/VMT powder catalyst CO-SCR were studied. Additionally, the reaction mechanism of N2O produced during the reaction of the CuCe/VMT(M) catalyst was discussed for denitrification and removal of nitrogen oxides at low temperatures, and a monolithic-shaped catalyst was prepared. The results showed that CuCe/VMT(M) had an excellent specific surface area of 110.57 m2 g−1, abundant oxygen vacancy, and low-temperature CO-SCR performance, which follows the E–R reaction mechanism. At 250 °C, the NO conversion rate could reach 94.5%. The corresponding monolithic-shaped catalyst had a load of 148.2 kg m−3. At 250 °C, the GHSV was 2666.6 h−1, and the NO conversion rate could reach 96.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Starch accounts for over 80% of the total dry weight in cereal endosperm and determines the kernel texture and nutritional quality. Amyloplasts, terminally differentiated plastids, are responsible for starch biosynthesis and storage. We screened a series of rice mutants with floury endosperm to clarify the mechanism underlying amyloplast development and starch synthesis. We identified the floury endosperm19 (flo19) mutant which shows opaque of the interior endosperm. Abnormal compound starch grains (SGs) were present in the endosperm cells of the mutant. Molecular cloning revealed that the FLO19 allele encodes a plastid‐localized pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E1 component subunit α1 (ptPDC‐E1‐α1) that is expressed in all rice tissues. In vivo enzyme assays demonstrated that the flo19 mutant showed decreased activity of the plastidic pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. In addition, the amounts of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) were much lower in the developing flo19 mutant endosperm, suggesting that FLO19 participates in fatty acid supply for galactolipid biosynthesis in amyloplasts. FLO19 overexpression significantly increased seed size and weight, but did not affect other important agronomic traits, such as panicle length, tiller number and seed setting rate. An analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism data from a panel of rice accessions identified that the pFLO19L haplotype was positively associated with grain length, implying a potential application in rice breeding. In summary, our study demonstrates that FLO19 is involved in galactolipid biosynthesis which is essential for amyloplast development and starch biosynthesis in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DNA/chromosome- and extracellular matrix (ECM)-associated activities are key events during SV40T lentivirus-induced immortalization. • Many other transcription factors play more important roles than pRB in the SV40T-induced immortalization of MEFs, such as STAT1. • Viral integration may promote immortalization by disturbing the transcription of genes involved in DNA/chromosome- and ECM-associated activities. Lentivirus containing simian virus 40 large T antigen (SV40T) is routinely used to induce cell immortalization. However, the roles of viral integration itself in this progress is still controversial. Here, we transformed primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with SV40T lentivirus and studied the roles of viral integration in the immortalization using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). During the immortalization, differentially expressed genes (DGEs) are enriched in viral infection and several diverse activities. However, DEGs between immortalized and aging cells are significantly enriched in DNA/chromosome- and extracellular matrix (ECM)-associated activities. Gene regulatory network (GRN) analysis shows that although p53 is a key regulatory factor, many other transcription factors also play critical roles in the process, like STAT1. Of these DEGs, 32 genes have viral integration in their coding and/or regulatory regions. Our findings suggest that viral integration may promote SV40T-mediated immortalization by disturbing the expression of DNA/chromosome- and ECM-associated genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas elimination of damaged mitochondria by mitophagy is proposed to be cardioprotective, the regulation of mitophagy at reperfusion and the underlying mechanism remain elusive. Since mitochondrial Zn2+ may control mitophagy by regulating mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), we hypothesized that the zinc transporter ZIP7 that controls Zn2+ levels within mitochondria would contribute to reperfusion injury by regulating mitophagy. Mouse hearts were subjected to ischemia/reperfusion in vivo. Mitophagy was evaluated by detecting mitoLC3II, mito-Keima, and mitoQC. ROS were measured with DHE and mitoB. Infarct size was measured with TTC staining. The cardiac-specific ZIP7 conditional knockout mice (ZIP7 cKO) were generated by adopting the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Human heart samples were obtained from donors and recipients of heart transplant surgeries. KO or cKO of ZIP7 increased mitophagy under physiological conditions. Mitophagy was not activated at the early stage of reperfusion in mouse hearts. ZIP7 is upregulated at reperfusion and ZIP7 cKO enhanced mitophagy upon reperfusion. cKO of ZIP7 led to mitochondrial depolarization by increasing mitochondrial Zn2+ and, accumulation of PINK1 and Parkin in mitochondria, suggesting that the decrease in mitochondrial Zn2+ in response to ZIP7 upregulation resulting in mitochondrial hyperpolarization may impede PINK1 and Parkin accumulation in mitochondria. Notably, ZIP7 is markedly upregulated in cardiac mitochondria from patients with heart failure (HF), whereas mitochondrial PINK1 accumulation and mitophagy were suppressed. Furthermore, ZIP7 cKO reduced mitochondrial ROS generation and myocardial infarction via a PINK1-dependet manner, whereas overexpression of ZIP7 exacerbated myocardial infarction. Our findings identify upregulation of ZIP7 leading to suppression of mitophagy as a critical feature of myocardial reperfusion injury. A timely suppression of cardiac ZIP7 upregulation or inactivation of ZIP7 is essential for the treatment of reperfusion injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This study aimed to determine the knowledge and current practices of ICU nurses regarding aerosol therapy for patients with invasive mechanical ventilation in China. Background: Aerosol therapy is a routine operation for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses; however, evidence of the knowledge and current practices of ICU nurses regarding aerosol therapy for patients with invasive mechanical ventilation is insufficient in China. Design: A total of 433 hospitals in 92 cities (including 31 capital cities) in 31 provinces in China participated in the study. Methods: A questionnaire was used to investigate the knowledge and current practices of ICU nurses regarding aerosol therapy for patients treated with invasive mechanical ventilation, including 42 questions covering five aspects: sociodemographic information, aerosolisation devices, atomised drugs, atomisation operation and atomisation‐related knowledge. Descriptive analyses of the distribution of the sample are reported as percentages and medians. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to detect the factors of the interviewee's atomisation knowledge and practices scores. A STROBE checklist was used to guide the reporting of the research. Results: Of the 1995 questionnaires that were returned, 1978 were analysed. Bronchodilators and glucocorticoids were the most frequently administered drugs. Seventy‐four per cent of the total respondents reported placing a filter on the expiratory limb during aerosol therapy, and 47% of these reported that the filter was changed once a day. Only 13% of the respondents reported always turning the heating humidifier off during aerosol therapy, and 48% never did. Knowledge about the optimal droplet size or atomisation yield was poor. Work experience in the ICU and frequency of atomisation training were the independent influencing factors for atomisation knowledge and practice scores (F = 279.653, p <.001; F = 120.556, p <.001, respectively). Conclusions: The knowledge of ICU nurses about the optimal implementation of aerosol therapy is poor, and the current scientific knowledge about optimal implementation seemed to be applied infrequently. Atomisation‐related training should be strengthened, especially for nurses with junior titles and with less work experience. Relevance to clinical practice: Improving the level of ICU nurses' atomisation practice ability is helpful to ensure patient safety. In clinical work, atomisation expert consensus can be used to carry out relevant training and standardise atomisation operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zinc transporters have been found to be associated with the pathogenesis of numerous human diseases including cancer. As the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, ovarian cancer is characterized by rapid progression and widespread metastases. However, the function and underlying mechanism of zinc transporters in ovarian cancer metastasis remain unclear. Methods: The relationship between zinc transporter gene expressions and clinical outcomes of ovarian cancer was assessed with the online database Kaplan-Meier plotter (http://kmplot.com/analysis/). Immunohistochemistry was performed to investigate the prognostic importance of ZIP13. The expression of ZIP13 in ovarian cancer cell lines was depleted to explore its effect on proliferation, adhesion, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo assays. RNA-Seq, quantitative RT-PCR, and western blot analysis were performed to explore ZIP13-regulated downstream target genes. Results: The expressions of several zinc transporters were highly associated the clinical outcomes of ovarian cancer patients. Among them, high ZIP13 expression was an independent prognostic factor for poor survival in patients with ovarian cancer. ZIP13 knockout suppressed the malignant phenotypes of ovarian cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Further investigation revealed that ZIP13 regulated intracellular zinc distribution and then affected the expressions of genes involved in extracellular matrix organization and cytokine-mediated signaling pathway. This led to the activation of Src/FAK pathway with increased expressions of pro-metastatic genes but decreased expressions of tumor suppressor genes. Conclusions: ZIP13 is shown to be a novel driver of metastatic progression by modulating the Src/FAK signaling pathway, which may serve as a promising biomarker for prognostic evaluation and targeted therapy in ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the CO‐SCR reaction, reducing by‐product N2O formation helps to convert more NO into clean N2, which has a great significance to environmental governance. In this study, the CuCe mixed metal oxides with different molar ratios of Cu to Ce were prepared, characterized and evaluated to study the effect on the products of NO reduction by CO. The experimental results showed that the CuCe‐1 : 3 catalyst showed superior NO conversion with over 90 % N2 selectivity in the operating temperature window, and there were no amounts of N2O by‐product at 50–200 °C. The higher oxygen vacancy concentration and appearance of (NO)2 dimer inhibited N2O formation at low temperature. Finally, the reaction paths for the CuCe catalysts generating different products (N2, N2O) were proposed in the CO‐SCR reaction based on in‐situ DRIFTS results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutamate stimuli and hyperactivation of its receptor are predominant determinants of ischemia-induced cytotoxic cerebral edema, which is closely associated with protein nanoparticle (PN)-induced increases in osmotic pressure. Herein, we investigated the electrochemical and mechanical mechanisms underlying the neuron swelling induced by PNs via the co-activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit (NMDAR) and excitatory metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). We observed that co-activation of ionic glutamate receptor NMDAR and Group I metabotropic mGluRs promoted alteration of PN-induced membrane potential and increased intracellular osmosis, which was closely associated with calcium and voltage-dependent ion channels. In addition, activation of NMDAR-induced calmodulin (CaM) and mGluR downstream diacylglycerol (DAG)/protein kinase C α (PKCα) were observed to play crucial roles in cytotoxic hyperosmosis. The crosstalk between CaM and PKCα could upregulate the sensitivity and sustained opening of sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1)-transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 4 (TRPM4) and transmembrane protein 16 A (TMEM16A) channels, respectively, maintaining the massive Na+/Cl- influx, and the resultant neuron hyperosmosis and swelling. Intracellular PNs and Na+/Cl- influx were found to be as potential targets for cerebral edema treatment, using the neurocyte osmosis system and a cerebral ischemic rat model. This study highlights PNs as a key factor in "electrochemistry-tension" signal transduction controlling Na+/Cl- ion channels and increased osmotic pressure in ischemia-induced cytotoxic edema. Moreover, enhanced sensitivity in both Na+ and Cl- ion channels also has a crucial role in cerebral edema. [Display omitted] • Co-activation of NMDAR and Group I mGluRs promotes PNs-induced neuronal hyperosmosis. • PNs exert electrophysiological effects and activate ion channels. • PKCα and CaM enhance sensitivity of SUR1-TRPM4 and TMEM16A channel currents. • PNs and Na+ /Cl- influx as potential targets for cerebral edema treatment. • Electrochemistry-tension signal transduction controls cytotoxic cerebral edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel mitochondria-targeted red-emitting fluorescent probe (VP) was synthesized. • The probe VP was used to detect viscosity with high selectivity and sensitivity. • The probe VP could visualize the mitochondrial viscosity change in living cells. • The probe VP was a potential tool for monitoring viscosity and phagocytosis. Mitochondrial viscosity is a critical factor affecting numerous physiological processes, including phagocytosis. Abnormal viscosity in mitochondria is related to some pathological activities and diseases. Evaluating and detecting the changes in mitochondrial viscosity in vivo is crucial. Thus, a mitochondria-targeted red-emitting fluorescent probe (VP) was prepared, and can be used to detect viscosity with high selectivity and sensitivity. The synthesis of probe VP was as simple as two steps and the cost was low. In addition, the fluorescence intensity (log I 615) exhibited an excellent relationship with viscosity (log η) in the range of 0.5 – 2.5 (R2 = 0.9985) in water/glycerol mixture. It is noteworthy that the probe VP displayed the highest signal-to-noise ratio (about 50-fold) for viscosity in water and glycerol system. The probe VP can visualize the mitochondrial viscosity change in living cells. More importantly, phagocytic test for BV2 cells further demonstrated that phagocytosis decreased with increased viscosity. Furthermore, VP was successfully used for monitoring the mitophagy process induced by starvation, and mitochondrial viscosity exhibited enhancement during mitophagy. The probe was a potential tool for studying viscosity and phagocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon nitride based materials have emerged as the promising candidates for high-power electronics and next-generation gate dielectrics. Herein, the crucial characteristics of electron mobility and lattice thermal conductivity of β -Si 3 N 4 are investigated from first-principles. The predicted electron mobility and averaged lattice thermal conductivity is 228.4 cm2/Vs and 325.06 W/m·K at 300 K, which demonstrates a good agreement with literature data. The electron mobility exhibits strong temperature-dependence at a low carrier concentration where the polar-optical phonon scattering dominates. For the heavy doping case, the ionized impurity scattering becomes dominant. A well-trained momentum tensor potential (MTP) with an accuracy comparable to density functional theory shows advantages in predicting thermal transport properties over a large-scale system containing thousands of atoms. The relaxation lifetimes for heat-carrying acoustic phonons are over tens of picoseconds which can explain the high thermal conductivity of β -Si 3 N 4 , but the nanoscale grain size crucially limits the thermal transport properties. • POP scattering primarily limits electron mobility at low doping concentrations. • Electron mobility is temperature-independent at heavily doping concentrations. • The MTP potential is trained with an accuracy comparable to DFT. • Long lifetimes for heat-carrying acoustic phonons are predicted. • The nanoscale grain size crucially limits thermal conductivity of β -Si 3 N 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Converting excessive CO 2 emissions from industrial operation into methane (CH 4) is critical for the remediation of global warming. However, this reaction requires a high temperature to overcome the high thermodynamic stability of CO 2. The development of efficient catalysts for the CO 2 methanation reaction at low temperature remains challenging. Here we report that when a TiO 2 photothermal catalyst is loaded with Ru nanoparticles, the CO 2 to CH 4 conversion efficiency is markedly enhanced under light illumination. In fact, the CO 2 performance was enhanced fourfold and twofold from those of the traditional thermal catalytic reaction at 200 °C and 250 °C, respectively. In-situ DRIFTS analysis revealed that light irradiation accelerates the transition of bicarbonate to formates via light-induced charge carriers. Moreover, theoretical calculations revealed that photo-induced electron transfer effectively promotes H 2 dissociation and CO 2 activation on the Ru atoms. This work provides new theoretical insights into CO 2 activation and methanation under light illumination. [Display omitted] • Ru/TiO 2 is 4 × (200 °C) and 2 × (250 °C) more catalytic after photo-induced heating. • Enhancing factors are prolonged charge lifetime and narrowed bandgap of Ru/TiO 2. • Ru active sites accept electrons from the photoexcited TiO 2 supports under light. • Electron-rich Ru promotes H 2 dissociation, CO 2 activation, conversion of intermediates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer cell invasion and metastasis are closely related to intracellular tension. The cell-polarity protein, Par3, is a mechanical transmitter that affects cytoskeletal forces and determines breast cancer aggressiveness. Increased Par3 tension caused by aPKC inactivation is involved in filopodia and lamellipodia formation. Blocking the connection between Par3 and aPKC increases breast cancer aggressiveness both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, aPKC-induced Par3 cytoplasmic translocation results in JAM-A phase separation and microfilament depolymerization, which is associated with increased intracellular protein nanoparticle-induced osmotic pressure. This study demonstrated the effects of aPKC on Par3 tension and osmotic pressure in breast cancer metastasis, and introduced Par3-associated mechanical mechanisms as potential targets for breast cancer treatment. [Display omitted] • Par3 mechanical signal is positive related to breast cancer migration. • aPKC-induced Par3 cytoplasmic translocation results in JAM-A phase separation and microfilament depolymerization. • Par3 cytoplasmic translocation increases osmotic pressure. • Par3 integrates inward cytoskeletal force and outward osmotic pressure to promote breast cancer mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity has caused a huge burden of disease. Few studies have explored individuals' environmental exposure level and the impact of multiple environmental exposures on obesity. The aim of this study was to explore individual air pollution exposure evaluation, and the association between and multiple environmental factors and obesity among adult residents in rural areas of China. In this study, 8400 residents of 14 districts and counties in eastern of China were selected by multistage stratified cluster sampling, and a total of 8377 residents were included in the final analysis. We adopted BMI (Body Mass Index) > 28 kg/m2 as the definition of obesity. First, an individual air pollution evaluation model was established based on the monitoring data of air pollution stations closest to residential address, different demographic characteristics of residents and daily living habits using generalized linear model and random forest model. Then, we used Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) and Quantile g-Computation (QgC) models to explore multiple environmental exposures on obesity. The results showed that six air pollutants were significantly positively associated with obesity, and green space had a significant protective effect on obesity. The BKMR model showed that the effects of different air pollutants on obesity were significantly enhanced by each other, while green space significantly reduced the positive effect of air pollution on obesity. The QgC model showed a significant positive association with obesity when all environmental factors were exposed as a whole, especially in males, higher household incomes and young people. It suggested that relevant authorities should improve regional air quality and green space to reduce the burden of disease caused by obesity. [Display omitted] • We evaluated individual air pollution exposure of residents in Anhui Province. • There was a positive association between air pollution and obesity. • Green space was negatively associated with obesity. • Green space could attenuate effect of air pollution on obesity. • Multiple environmental exposure was positively associated with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein biomarkers of intracranial aneurysm (IA) are essential for early detection and prediction of its rupture to facilitate the diagnosis and clinical management of the disease, monitor treatment response and detect recurrence. Here, we developed a comprehensive strategy for IA biomarker discovery by analyzing tissues from an animal model (n = 4) and serum from human patients (n = 60) using isobaric tandem mass tags-based quantitative proteomics. A total of 4811 and 562 proteins were identified from aneurysm tissue and serum samples, respectively. The 223 candidate protein biomarkers were further validated in an independent serum cohort (n = 30) by multiple reaction monitoring analysis. Combined with a logistic regression model, we built a diagnostic classifier P2 (FCN2 & RARRES2) to differentiate IA from healthy controls with accuracy of 93.3%, as well as a diagnostic classifier P7 (ADAM12, APOL3, F9, C3, CEACAM1, ICAM3, KLHDC7A) to classify ruptured IA from unruptured IA with accuracy of 95.0%. Taken together, our results suggest a valuable strategy for biomarker discovery and patient stratification in IA. [Display omitted] • A comprehensive strategy for serum biomarker discovery based on the current proteome study and reported results of IA. • Directly target disease-related secreted proteins in tissues or literature to achieve an effective serum biomarker discovery. • Proteomic panels show the power to distinguish IA patients from healthy controls, and to classify ruptured and unruptured IA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension (HTN) was a major preventable cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), contributing to a huge disease burden. Ambient temperature, air pollution and green space were important influencing factors of HTN, and few studies have assessed the effects and interactions of ambient temperature, air pollution and green space on HTN in rural areas. In this study, we selected 8400 individuals randomly in rural areas of Anhui Province by a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling. A total of 8383 individuals were included in the final analysis. We collected particulate pollutants and meteorological data from the local air quality monitoring stations and National Center for Meteorological Science from January 1 to December 31, 2020, respectively. The normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) of Anhui Province in 2020 was produced and processed by remote sensing inversion on the basis of medium resolution satellite images. The average annual mean exposure concentrations of air pollution, meteorological factors, and NDVI were calculated for each individual based on the geocoded residential address. HTN was defined according the Chinese Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of HTN. The effects and interactions of ambient temperature, air pollution and green space on HTN were evaluated by generalized linear model and interaction model, respectively. In this study, the prevalence of HTN was 24.14%. The adjusted odd ratio of HTN for each 1 μg/m3 increasing in PM 2.5 and PM 10 , 1 °C of ambient temperature, and 0.1 of NDVI were:1.276 (1.013, 1.043), 1.012 (1.006, 1.018), 0.862 (0.862, 0.981) and 0.669 (0.611, 0.733), respectively. The results showed that air pollutants were positively correlated with HTN, while ambient temperature and green space were negatively correlated with HTN. Meanwhile, the negative associations of green space on HTN could decrease with the increasing concentrations of air pollution, but increase with the rising of ambient temperature. • We focused on influencing factors of HTN in rural areas of Anhui Province. • There was a positive correlation between air pollution and HTN. • Ambient temperature and green space were negatively associated with HTN. • Air pollution could attenuate effect of green space on HTN. • Increasing of ambient temperature strengthened effect of green space on HTN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conifers dominate the world's forest ecosystems and are the most widely planted tree species. Their giant and complex genomes present great challenges for assembling a complete reference genome for evolutionary and genomic studies. We present a 25.4-Gb chromosome-level assembly of Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) and revealed that its genome size is mostly attributable to huge intergenic regions and long introns with high transposable element (TE) content. Large genes with long introns exhibited higher expressions levels. Despite a lack of recent whole-genome duplication, 91.2% of genes were duplicated through dispersed duplication, and expanded gene families are mainly related to stress responses, which may underpin conifers' adaptation, particularly in cold and/or arid conditions. The reproductive regulation network is distinct compared with angiosperms. Slow removal of TEs with high-level methylation may have contributed to genomic expansion. This study provides insights into conifer evolution and resources for advancing research on conifer adaptation and development. [Display omitted] • Chromosome-level assembly and methylome of the largest gymnosperm genome so far • Continuous expansion and slow removal of transposons cause conifer huge genome • Large genes with ultra-long introns tend to be expressed at higher levels • Distinctive reproductive evolutionary trajectory compared to angiosperms Assembly of the Chinese Pine giga-genome reveals insights into conifer evolution and provides a resource for studies on conifer adaptation and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]