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Utilizing renewable electricity for the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into alcohols represents a promising avenue for generating value‐added fuels and achieving carbon neutrality. Recently, there has been growing scientific interest in achieving high‐efficiency conversion of CO2 to alcohols, with significant advancements made in mechanism understanding, reactor design, catalyst development, and more. Herein, a thorough examination of the latest advances in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to alcohols is provided. General mechanisms and pathways of electrocatalytic conversion of CO2‐to‐alcohols are systematically illustrated. Subsequently, electrolyzer configurations, electrolytes, and electrocatalysts employed in CO2RR are summarized. After that, critical operating parameters (e.g., reaction pressure, temperature, and pH) that would significantly influence the CO2RR process are also analyzed. Finally, the review addresses challenges and offers perspectives in this field to guide future studies aimed at advancing CO2‐to‐alcohols conversion technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium (Ti) is widely used in dental implantation. However, their lack of biological activity causes significant clinical risks associated with immediate loading and early osteointegration failure. Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) is reported to be a precursor of bone mineralization. Dopamine (dopa) is well known to possess strong adhesive force in natural mussels. Combining the bio‐related advantages of these materials, a dopa‐polyacrylic acid (PAA)‐ACP hybrid material on the surface of the Ti plate is judiciously fabricated. The biological adhesiveness of dopa to graft it together with PAA onto the surface of Ti is utilized. Then, the dopa‐PAA layer serves as a matrix to grow ACP species. The modified interface allows for regulations of bioactivities. MC3T3‐E1 osteoblast (MC3T3) cells indeed show improved cell proliferation and adhesion abilities on the Ti with dopa‐PAA‐ACP coatings compared to those on bare Ti or Ti with only dopa‐PAA coating. The osteogenic potential of MC3T3 cells is also considerably upregulated on dopa‐PAA‐ACP coatings. Moreover, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on dopa‐PAA‐ACP coatings show higher levels of angiogenic markers. This report proves that dopa‐PAA‐ACP composite is a new and simple bioactive titanium coating to facilitate osteogenesis and angiogenesis for dental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handedness is an essential attribute of chiral nanocrystals, having a major influence on their properties. During chemical growth, the handedness of nanocrystals is usually tuned by selecting the corresponding enantiomer of chiral molecules involved in asymmetric growth, often known as chiral inducers. We report that, even using the same chiral inducer enantiomer, the handedness of chiral gold nanocrystals can be reversed by using Au nanorod seeds with either single crystalline or pentatwinned structure. This effect holds for chiral growth induced both by amino acids and by chiral micelles. Although it was challenging to discern the morphological handedness for L‐cystine‐directed particles, even using electron tomography, both cases showed circular dichroism bands of opposite sign, with nearly mirrored chiroptical signatures for chiral micelle‐directed growth, along with quasi‐helical wrinkles of inverted handedness. These results expand the chiral growth toolbox with an effect that might be exploited to yield a host of interesting morphologies with tunable optical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Rhus chinensis Mill., an economically valuable Anacardiaceae species, is parasitized by the galling aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis, resulting in the formation of the Chinese gallnut (CG). Here, we report a chromosomal‐level genome assembly of R. chinensis, with a total size of 389.40 Mb and scaffold N50 of 23.02 Mb. Comparative genomic and transcriptome analysis revealed that the enhanced structure of CG and nutritional metabolism contribute to improving the adaptability of R. chinensis to S. chinensis by supporting CG and galling aphid growth. CG was observed to be abundant in hydrolysable tannins (HT), particularly gallotannin and its isomers. Tandem repeat clusters of dehydroquinate dehydratase/shikimate dehydrogenase (DQD/SDH) and serine carboxypeptidase‐like (SCPL) and their homologs involved in HT production were determined as specific to HT‐rich species. The functional differentiation of DQD/SDH tandem duplicate genes and the significant contraction in the phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase (PAL) gene family contributed to the accumulation of gallic acid and HT while minimizing the production of shikimic acid, flavonoids, and condensed tannins in CG. Furthermore, we identified one UDP glucosyltransferase (UGT84A), three carboxylesterase (CXE), and six SCPL genes from conserved tandem repeat clusters that are involved in gallotannin biosynthesis and hydrolysis in CG. We then constructed a regulatory network of these genes based on co‐expression and transcription factor motif analysis. Our findings provide a genomic resource for the exploration of the underlying mechanisms of plant‐galling insect interaction and highlight the importance of the functional divergence of tandem duplicate genes in the accumulation of secondary metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Out of the total cases of cervical cancer, brain metastases (BMs) are relatively rare, with an estimated incidence rate of 0.63% (range: 0.1%–2.2%). Additionally, BMs prognosis remains poor, and the average patient survival time following a BM diagnosis is 3 to 5 months. Few studies have addressed the effect of programmed cell death‐1 inhibitors against BMs in cervical cancer, although they are an established option for recurrent/metastatic disease. Hence, we report a case involving a 54‐year‐old post‐surgery patient with cervical cancer with a body mass index of 19.5 kg/m2 and Eastern Collaborative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 3; the disease recurred with BMs 1 year later. Intensity‐modulated radiation therapy concurrent with temozolomide and bevacizumab was initiated, following which zimberelimab immunotherapy combined with anlotinib was administered to extend tumor control. The patient had a progression‐free survival duration of 10 months, the tumor response was assessed as a partial response based on the evaluation criteria for solid tumors (RECIST1.1), and the ECOG status improved to 1 after therapy. These findings suggest that immunotherapy‐based combination therapy following radiotherapy may be a good choice for patients with cervical cancer and BMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which defective T cells, immune complex deposition and other immune system alterations contribute to pathological changes of multiple organ systems. The vitamin D metabolite c is a critical immunomodulator playing pivotal roles in the immune system. Epidemiological evidence indicates that vitamin D deficiency is correlated with the severity of SLE. Our aim is to investigate the effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 (VitD3) on the activation of myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) by autologous DNA‐containing immune complex (DNA‐ICs), and the effects of VitD3 on immune system balance during SLE. We purified DNA‐ICs from the serum of SLE patients and isolated mDCs from normal subjects. In vitro studies showed that DNA‐ICs were internalized and consumed by mDCs. VitD3 blocked the effects of DNA‐ICs on RelB, IL‐10 and TNF‐α in mDCs. Further analysis indicated that DNA‐ICs stimulated histone acetylation in the RelB promoter region, which was inhibited by VitD3. Knockdown of the histone deacetylase 3 gene (HDAC3) blocked these VitD3‐mediated effects. Co‐culture of mDCs and CD4+ T cells showed that VitD3 inhibited multiple processes mediated by DNA‐ICs, including proliferation, downregulation of IL‐10, TGF‐β and upregulation of TNF‐α. Moreover, VitD3 could also reverse the effects of DNA‐IC‐induced imbalance of CD4+ CD127− Foxp3+ T cells and CD4+ IL17+ T cells. Taken together, our results indicated that autologous DNA‐ICs stimulate the activation of mDCs in the pathogenesis of SLE, and VitD3 inhibits this stimulatory effects of DNA‐ICs by negative transcriptional regulation of RelB gene and maintaining the Treg/Th17 immune cell balance. These results suggest that vitamin D may have therapeutic value for the treatment of SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Emerging engineering strategies of colloidal metal‐semiconductor nanorod hybrid nanostructures spanning from type, size, dimension, and location of both metal nanoparticles and semiconductors, co‐catalyst, band gap structure, surface ligand to hole scavenger are elaborated symmetrically to rationalize the design of this type of intriguing materials for efficient photocatalytic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents development of an innovative CuO/nitrogen‐doped carbon composite (CuO−C) that may be effectively applied for the modification of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and creation of a non‐enzymatic sensor for glucose detection. The structure of the CuO−C nanostructured material was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The prepared electroactive material, based on CuO including carbon structures derived from chitosan, showed excellent performance in terms of electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose. Under optimal conditions, the modified electrode displays high sensitivity (1546 μA mM−1 cm−2), a low detection limit (1.95 μM) and short response time (4 s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal crystals are arguably one of the most promising candidates when it comes to the fabrication of nanostructured metamaterials. Especially mesocrystals show exciting new properties that emerge from their inherent directional oriented assembly. With this work, the electrical conductivity of well‐defined micrometer‐sized platinum nanocube‐based mesocrystals is demonstrated and tuned through the variation of different capping agents. Herein, a method is presented to reproducibly quantify the intrinsic resistance of individual mesocrystals through electrical nanoprobing and focused ion beam deposition contacting. A thermally activated tunneling mechanism is identified as the main effect for electron propagation. In addition, the mesocrystals are altered through organically linking and mineral bridging the individual nanoparticles. This results in an increase in mesocrystal rigidity and, more importantly, conductivity by seven orders of magnitude while retaining shape, structure, and composition. In addition, these observations are transferred onto multicomponent superstructures in the form of binary mesocrystals. There, it is demonstrated that the electrical properties could be tuned through the ratio of nanoparticles incorporated into a mesocrystalline host system while simultaneously maintaining potential catalytic or superparamagnetic features of the guest particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of crystalline nanoparticles (NPs) generally involves three processes: nucleation, growth, and shape evolution. Among them, the shape evolution is less understood, despite the importance of morphology for NP properties. Here, we propose a symmetry‐based kinematic theory (SBKT) based on classical growth theories to illustrate the process. Based on the crystal lattice, nucleus (or seed) symmetry, and the preferential growth directions under the experimental conditions, the SBKT can illustrate the growth trajectories. The theory accommodates the conventional criteria of the major existing theories for crystal growth and provides tools to better understand the symmetry‐breaking process during the growth of anisotropic structures. Furthermore, complex dendritic growth is theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. Thus, it provides a framework to explain the shape evolution, and extends the morphogenesis prediction to cases, which cannot be treated by other theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Das Wachstum von kristallinen Nanopartikeln (NP) umfasst im Allgemeinen drei Prozesse: Keimbildung, Wachstum und die Entwicklung der Form. Von diesen Prozessen ist die Formentwicklung trotz der Bedeutung der Morphologie für die Eigenschaften der NP am wenigsten verstanden. Hier beschreiben wir eine symmetriebasierte kinematische Theorie (SBKT) die auf klassischen Wachstumstheorien basiert, um den Prozess zu veranschaulichen. Auf Grundlage des Kristallgitters, der Keim‐ (oder Kern‐) Symmetrie und der bevorzugten Wachstumsrichtungen unter den experimentellen Bedingungen kann die SBKT die Wachstumstrajektorien veranschaulichen. Die Theorie erfüllt die konventionellen Kriterien der wichtigsten bestehenden Theorien für das Kristallwachstum und bietet Werkzeuge zum besseren Verständnis des Symmetriebrechens während des Wachstums anisotroper Strukturen. Darüber hinaus wird das komplexe dendritische Wachstum sowohl theoretisch als auch experimentell nachgewiesen. Damit bietet sie einen Ansatz zur Erklärung der Formentwicklung und erweitert die Vorhersage der Morphogenese auf Fälle, die von anderen Theorien nicht erfasst werden können. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrous oxide (N2O) was previously deemed as a potent greenhouse gas but is actually an untapped energy source, which can accumulate during the microbial denitrification of nitric oxide (NO). Compared with the organic electron donor required in heterotrophic denitrification, elemental sulfur (S0) is a promising electron donor alternative due to its cheap cost and low biomass yield in sulfur‐driven autotrophic denitrification. However, no effort has been made to test N2O recovery from sulfur‐driven denitrification of NO so far. Therefore, in this study, batch and continuous experiments were carried out to investigate the NO removal performance and N2O recovery potential via sulfur‐driven NO‐based denitrification under various Fe(II)EDTA‐NO concentrations. Efficient energy recovery was achieved, as up to 35.5%–40.9% of NO was converted to N2O under various NO concentrations. N2O recovery from Fe(II)EDTA‐NO could be enhanced by the low bioavailability of sulfur and the acid environment caused by sulfur oxidation. The NO reductase (NOR) and N2O reductase (N2OR) were inhibited distinctively at relatively low NO levels, leading to efficient N2O accumulation, but were suppressed irreversibly at NO level beyond 15 mM in continuous experiments. Such results indicated that the regulation of NO at a relatively low level would benefit the system stability and NO removal capacity during long‐term system operation. The continuous operation of the sulfur‐driven Fe(II)EDTA‐NO‐based denitrification reduced the overall microbial diversity but enriched several key microbial community. Thauera, Thermomonas, and Arenimonas that are able to carry out sulfur‐driven autotrophic denitrification became the dominant organisms with their relative abundance increased from 25.8% to 68.3%, collectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, ultrafine CL‐20 was prepared by wet grinding procedure. The morphology, particle size, sample composition, and crystal structure of CL‐20 before and after grinding were detected by scanning electron microscope, laser granulometer, infrared Raman Spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction instrument. The thermal decomposition, mechanical sensitivity, shock wave sensitivity, flame sensitivity, bulk density, and rheological property of CL‐20 based explosives were tested. The results indicated that the crystal form of CL‐20 was retained as ϵ‐form after wet grinding. The ground CL‐20 was superior in physical properties to the raw CL‐20, such as smaller particle size, smooth surface, less mechanical sensitiveness, and lower flame sensitivity. However, the thermal stability was slightly decreased. Moreover, the bulk density of ground CL‐20 was higher, which leading to an increase in density of shaped charge column. The viscosity of the CL‐20 based cast explosive formulation was effectively reduced, that can improve the process of explosive formulation and the process adaptability. In addition, under high strain rate loading, the impact safety of the explosive prepared with ground CL‐20 is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypotrichs are a highly differentiated and very diverse group of ciliated protists. Their systematics and taxonomy are challenging and call for detailed investigations on their general morphology, ultrastructure, ontogenesis, and molecular phylogeny. Here, a comprehensive study is conducted on a brackish water population of Parabistichella variabilis using light and electron microscopy and phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence data. Its morphology, including the infraciliature, pellicle, nuclei, buccal seal, and extrusomes, is documented. The present findings indicate that in P. variabilis: (i) the cortical granules are extrusomes, which differ from those of other hypotrichs; (ii) the buccal seal is bounded by the plasma membrane and contains a single layer of longitudinal microtubules; (iii) two contractile vacuoles might be present rather than one; and (iv) the pharyngeal disks are bounded by a single membrane. Early‐to‐middle stages of ontogenesis are described for the first time, enabling the complete characterization of this process. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that Parabistichella variabilis is closely related to several species from different genera, such as Orthoamphisiella breviseries, Uroleptoides magnigranulosus, and Tachysoma pellionellum. However, ultrastructural and gene sequence data for more taxa are needed in order to resolve the systematics of Parabistichella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global atmospheric CO2 concentration reached 147% of pre‐industrial levels in 2019, and is still increasing with an accelerated rate. A series of methods have been developed to convert CO2 to other non‐greenhouse molecules. Elelctrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is one of the promising methods, since it could support renewable energy. Optimizing the CO2RR system requires finding highly efficient catalysts, as well as electrolysis systems. In this essay, the development of promising heterogeneous catalysts with well‐defined active metal sites is discussed. These catalysts could be prepared by immobilizing metal cations onto chemically well‐defined substrates, such as metal‐organic frameworks, covalent‐organic frameworks, polyoxometalates, or immobilizing well‐defined molecular catalysts on conducting substrates. A clear perspective on the catalyst's structures contributes to the understanding of structure‐reactivity correlations, which could, in turn, shed light on designing better catalysts. Some methods to assist the electrocatalysis process, such as coupling with solar or heat energy, are also briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability of autotrophic granular system performing partial nitritation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) for complete nitrogen removal is impaired by the production of nitrous oxide (N2O). A systematic analysis of the pathways and affecting parameters is, therefore, required for developing N 2O mitigation strategies. To this end, a mathematical model capable of describing different N 2O production pathways was defined in this study by synthesizing relevant mechanisms of ammonium‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria (HB), and anammox bacteria. With the model validity reliably tested and verified using two independent sets of experimental data from two different autotrophic nitrogen removal biofilm/granular systems, the defined model was applied to reveal the underlying mechanisms of N 2O production in the granular structure as well as the impacts of operating conditions on N 2O production. The results show that: (a) in the aerobic zone close to the granule surface where AOB contribute to N 2O production through both the AOB denitrification pathway and the NH 2OH pathway, the co‐occurring HB consume N 2O produced by AOB but indirectly enhance the N 2O production by providing NO from NO 2− reduction for the NH 2OH pathway, (b) the inner anoxic zone of granules with the dominance of anammox bacteria acts as a sink for NO 2− diffusing from the outer aerobic zone and, therefore, reduces N 2O production from the AOB denitrification pathway, (c) operating parameters including bulk DO, influent NH 4+, and granule size affect the N 2O production in the granules mainly by regulating the NH 2OH pathway of AOB, accounting for 34–58% of N 2O turnover, and (d) the competition between the NH 2OH pathway and heterotrophic denitrification for nitric oxide leads to the positive role of HB in reducing N 2O production in the autotrophic nitrogen removal granules, which could be further enhanced in the presence of a proper level of influent organics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a large class of noncoding RNAs that have potential regulatory roles in disease pathogenesis and progression. Recently, circRNAs have been found to be expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and involved in the development and metastasis of HCC. However, the significance of circRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCC patients remains unclear. In this study, RNA sequencing analysis was performed to identify circRNAs from four HCC patients and three healthy controls to determine the expression pattern of circRNAs in the PBMCs and the circRNAs' molecular regulatory networks in HCC pathogenesis. A total of 58 circRNAs were found to be significantly changed (≥2 or ≤0.5‐fold) in the PBMCs of HCC patients compared with those of the healthy cases. Six random representative circRNAs (three up‐ and three down‐regulated) were further validated by real‐time RT‐PCR in 72 samples of PBMCs from HCC patients and 30 control subjects. Chi‐square test indicated that one of the up‐regulated circRNA candidates—circ_0000798—was correlated with clinical variables. Highly expressed circ_0000798 was associated with poor overall survival of HCC patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis further revealed that circ_0000798 was discriminating HCC patients from healthy controls. Finally, the predicted competing endogenous RNA network of circ_0000798 showed that it might act as a "sponge" of target microRNAs, that would subsequently regulate the expression of target genes in PBMCs. In summary, this is the first study to comprehensively identify dysregulated circRNAs in PBMCs of HCC patients, and its findings suggest that dysregulated circ_0000798 in PBMCs has potential as a convenient biomarker for diagnosing or prognosticating HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cr(VI) is being increasingly used in a variety of fields, including electroplating, metallurgy, pigment synthesis and leather tanning. The possible application of a microbial extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) from Klebsiella sp. J1 with abundant functional groups in remediating Cr(VI) pollution in water system was demonstrated. RESULTS: The maximum biosorption capacity of EPS for Cr(VI) was found to be 53.3 mg g−1 at an EPS dose of 1.5 g L−1, which was better than the majority of reported biosorbents. The adsorption of EPS for Cr(VI) was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The removal mechanism of Cr(VI) in aquatic environments was explored qualitatively and quantitatively by Zeta‐potential meter, X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) as well as Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The superior Cr(VI) removal performance was attributed mainly to Cr(VI) adsorption on EPS via chelation and ion‐exchange sorption, and the efficient reduction (82.3%) of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by benzenoid amine (–NH–) on EPS, followed by generated Cr(III) immobilization on the surface of EPS via surface physical sorption and chelation, which might control the reaction rate of Cr(VI) removal process. CONCLUSION: The removal of Cr(VI) by EPS from Klebsiella sp. J1 was attributed mainly to simultaneous sorption and reduction of Cr(VI) by EPS. The results demonstrated that EPS from Klebsiella sp. J1 has great potential in treating Cr(VI)‐contaminated water. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: MOFs are a type of ideal crystalline material with rigid reticular structures whereas microcapsules are usually prepared from soft mater, such as polymers or supramolecules. The synthesis of MOF‐based microcapsules with novel nanostructures at the molecular scale remains a great challenge. Herein, we develop a competitive coordination strategy to synthesize MOF‐based microcapsules with novel bowl‐like structures. During the competitive coordination process, the infinite structures of MOFs are partially broken by the competitive reagents, thus flexibility is introduced into the rigid skeletons and results in the formation of bowl‐like microcapsules. Owing to the unique structure and composition of these nano‐structures, the microcapsules exhibit excellent performance and stability in adsorbing and removing iodine for both vapor and solution. This work describes new opportunities in designing MOF‐based microcapsules with novel structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The photosystem II (PSII) in green plants exhibits marvelous oxygen production in neutral environments. However, artificially developed oxygen evolution catalysts (OECs) show much less activity, and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is now becoming a bottleneck in many energy‐related issues. Here, the PSII is mimicked to design an efficient OER system in neutral environments by introducing an oleylamine (OAm) organic layer to cap the Co3O4 OEC, and employing buffers as proton shuttles in the system. Consequently, the activity is largely enhanced. The current density can reach 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential (η) of 390 mV in the best case in neutral environment. The turnover frequency is 0.0117 at η of 400 mV, almost the same as that in 1 m KOH solutions. The surface chemistry of the Co3O4 OEC indicates that the OAm can promote the activity. The reason that buffers as proton shuttles can greatly facilitate the reaction is ascribed to the proton‐coupled electron transfer process in the OER mechanism. These results may stimulate new perspectives on mimicking natural systems as well as new insights in electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The photosystem II (PSII) in green plants exhibits marvelous oxygen production in neutral environments. However, artificially developed oxygen evolution catalysts (OECs) show much less activity, and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is now becoming a bottleneck in many energy‐related issues. Here, the PSII is mimicked to design an efficient OER system in neutral environments by introducing an oleylamine (OAm) organic layer to cap the Co3O4 OEC, and employing buffers as proton shuttles in the system. Consequently, the activity is largely enhanced. The current density can reach 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential (η) of 390 mV in the best case in neutral environment. The turnover frequency is 0.0117 at η of 400 mV, almost the same as that in 1 m KOH solutions. The surface chemistry of the Co3O4 OEC indicates that the OAm can promote the activity. The reason that buffers as proton shuttles can greatly facilitate the reaction is ascribed to the proton‐coupled electron transfer process in the OER mechanism. These results may stimulate new perspectives on mimicking natural systems as well as new insights in electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hydrogenotrophic denitrification is a novel and sustainable process for nitrogen removal, which utilizes hydrogen as electron donor, and carbon dioxide as carbon source. Recent studies have shown that nitrous oxide (N2O), a highly undesirable intermediate and potent greenhouse gas, can accumulate during this process. In this work, a new mathematical model is developed to describe nitrogen oxides dynamics, especially N2O, during hydrogenotrophic denitrification for the first time. The model describes electron competition among the four steps of hydrogenotrophic denitrification through decoupling hydrogen oxidation and nitrogen reduction processes using electron carriers, in contrast to the existing models that couple these two processes and also do not consider N2O accumulation. The developed model satisfactorily describes experimental data on nitrogen oxides dynamics obtained from two independent hydrogenotrophic denitrifying cultures under various hydrogen and nitrogen oxides supplying conditions, suggesting the validity and applicability of the model. The results indicated that N2O accumulation would not be intensified under hydrogen limiting conditions, due to the higher electron competition capacity of N2O reduction in comparison to nitrate and nitrite reduction during hydrogenotrophic denitrification. The model is expected to enhance our understanding of the process during hydrogenotrophic denitrification and the ability to predict N2O accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Single atoms immobilized on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with unique nanostructures have drawn tremendous attention in the application of catalysis but remain a great challenge. Various single noble‐metal atoms have now been successfully anchored on the well‐defined anchoring sites of the zirconium porphyrin MOF hollow nanotubes, which are probed by aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron‐radiation‐based X‐ray absorption fine‐structure spectroscopy. Owing to the hollow structure and excellent photoelectrochemical performance, the HNTM‐Ir/Pt exhibits outstanding catalytic activity in the visible‐light photocatalytic H2 evolution via water splitting. The single atom immobilized on MOFs with hollow structures are expected to pave the way to expand the potential applications of MOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia in vivo induces oligozoospermia, azoospermia, and degeneration of the germinal epithelium, but the underlying molecular mechanism of this induction is not fully clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the death receptor pathway and the mitochondrial pathway in hypoxia-induced apoptosis of mouse GC-2spd (GC-2) cells and the relationship between HIF-1α and apoptosis of GC-2 cells induced by hypoxia. GC-2 cells were subjected to 1% oxygen for 48 hr. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, LDH, caspase-3/8/9 in the absence and presence of HIF-1α siRNA. The protein levels of apoptosis-related markers were determined by Western blot in the presence and absence of HIF-1α siRNA. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential change was observed by in situ JC-1 staining. Cell viability was assessed upon treatment of caspase-8 and 9 inhibitors. The results indicated that hypoxia at 1% oxygen for 48 hr induced apoptosis of GC-2 cells. A prolonged exposure of GC-2 cells to hypoxic conditions caused downregulation of c-FLIP, DcR2 and Bcl-2 and upregulation of DR5, TRAIL, Fas, p53, and Bax, with an overproduction of caspase-3/8/9. Moreover, hypoxia at this level had an effect on mitochondrial depolarization. In addition, specific inhibitors of caspase-8/9 partially suppressed hypoxia-induced GC-2 cell apoptosis, and the anti-apoptotic effects of the caspase inhibitors were additive. Of note, HIF-1α knockdown attenuated hypoxia and induced apoptosis of GC-2 cells. In conclusion, our data suggest that the death receptor pathway and mitochondrial pathway, which are likely mediated by HIF-1α, contribute to hypoxia-induced GC-2 cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main challenges to the direct methanol fuel cells are the activity and durability of electrocatalysts. To alleviate such issues, a recently proposed strategy introduces an exotic element to form Pt-based alloy nanostructures. This study reports a green route to prepare porous flowerlike Pt72Ru28 nanoalloys assembled with sub-4.0 nm particles. The peak current density and mass activity on these as-synthesized porous flowerlike Pt72Ru28 nanoalloys can be increased to 10.98 mA cm−2 and 1.70 A mg−1 Pt for methanol oxidation in acidic medium. They are respectively 4.19/3.54, 4.27/5.0, and 5.74/1.73 times those on the commercial Pt black, Pt50Ru50 black, and Ru50Pt50/C. These porous flowerlike Pt72Ru28 nanoalloys have a much higher long-term durability than commercial Pt black, Pt50Ru50 black, and Ru50Pt50/C. More significantly, the porous Pt72Ru28 bimetallic nanoalloys have long-term solvent durability after immersion in water for 16 months. The peak current density and mass activity on porous Pt72Ru28 nanoalloys are still 7.76 mA cm−2 and 1.2 A mg−1 Pt. These experimental results show an effective approach to the development of PtRu nanoalloys as electrocatalysts with substantially enhanced activity and durability for direct methanol fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theranostic nanoparticles that possess multiple diagnostic modalities and allow spatiotemporally controlled therapies can significantly improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce adverse effects. Here, an intelligent and biocompatible theranostic formulation is developed based on dendritic platinum-copper alloy nanoparticles (DPCN) for cancer therapy. DPCN have excellent photothermal effect, and can load anticancer drugs such as doxorubicin in their porous structure and release the loaded drugs in response to near infrared light or moderate acidic stimulus. They also inherently have multimodal imaging modalities. Upon the guidance of photoacoustic imaging, DPCN-mediated photothermal treatment efficiently inhibits tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, doxorubicin-loaded DPCN completely suppress the tumor growth even under a low treatment temperature, which avoids hypothermia-induced damage to normal tissues. Our study develops an excellent theranostic nanoparticle with inherent multimodal imaging and therapeutic modalities for chemophotothermal cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is great potential to understand the functional diversity of microorganisms that are involved in waste water treatment through metagenomic analyses. This study presents the first metagenomic comparison of taxonomic and functional profiles of the microbial communities occurring in different aggregates from anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bioreactors. The anammox bacterial communities in both biofilm and granule sludge samples showed relatively high abundance and diversity compared with floccular sludge. Four of the five known genera of anammox bacteria were detected in the three cultures except Candidatus Jettenia, which was absent in the granules. C andidatus Kuenenia comprised the major population of anammox bacteria in these three sludges, independent of their growth morphologies. The genome assembled for the C andidatus Kuenenia in the granule was very similar to the published reference genome of C andidatus K. stuttgartiensis. Genes involved in the metabolism of the anammox process were highly detected in the biofilm and granule sludges. In particular, the abundance of hydrazine synthase gene ( hzs) in the biofilm was around 486 times more pronounced than that in the granules. The knowledge gained in this study highlights an important role of sludge aggregate in affecting community structure and metabolic potential of anammox systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The discovery of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) processes enables the complete nitrogen removal from wastewater by utilizing the methane produced on site from anaerobic digesters. This model-based study investigated the mechanisms and operational window for efficient nitrogen removal by coupling nitritation-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) and methane-dependent denitrification in membrane biofilm reactors (MBfRs). A mathematical model was applied to describe the microbial interactions among Anammox bacteria, DAMO archaea, and DAMO bacteria. The model sufficiently described the batch experimental data from an MBfR containing an Anammox-DAMO biofilm with different feeding nitrogen compositions, which confirmed the validity of the model. The effects of process parameters on the system performance and microbial community structure could therefore be reliably evaluated. The impacts of nitritation produced NO2−/NH4+ ratio, methane supply, biofilm thickness and total nitrogen (TN) surface loading were comprehensively investigated with the model. Results showed that the optimum NO2−/NH4+ ratio produced from nitritation for the Anammox-DAMO biofilm system was around 1.0 in order to achieve the maximum TN removal (over 99.0%), independent on TN surface loading. The corresponding optimal methane supply increased while the associated methane utilization efficiency decreased with the increase of TN surface loading. The cooperation between DAMO organisms and Anammox bacteria played the key role in the TN removal. Based on these results, the proof-of-concept feasibility of a single-stage MBfR coupling nitritation-Anammox-DAMO for complete nitrogen removal was also tested through integrating the model with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) processes whilst controlling the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the simulated system. The maximum TN removal was found to be achieved at the bulk DO concentration of around 0.17 g m−3 under the simulation conditions, with the AOB, Anammox bacteria and DAMO organisms coexisting in the biofilm. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1035-1045. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through positive selection, double-positive cells in the thymus differentiate into CD4+ or CD8+ T single-positive cells that subsequently develop into different types of effective T cells, such as T-helper and cytotoxic T lymphocyte cells, that play distinctive roles in the immune system. Development, differentiation, and function of thymocytes and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are controlled by a multitude of secreted and intracellular factors, ranging from cytokine signaling modules to transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers. Members of the E26 transformation specific (Ets) family of transcription factors, in particular, are potent regulators of these CD4+ or CD8+ T-cell processes. In this review, we summarize and discuss the functions and underlying mechanisms of the Ets family members that have been characterized as involved in these processes. Ongoing research of these factors is expected to identify practical applications for the Ets family members as novel therapeutic targets for inflammation-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuage is an electron-dense cytoplasmic structure in germ cells that contains ribonucleoproteins and participates in pi RNA biosynthesis. Despite the observation that clustered mitochondria are associated with a specific type of nuage called intermitochondrial cement (pi-body), the importance of mitochondrial functions in nuage formation and spermatogenesis is yet to be determined. We show that a germ cell-specific protein GASZ contains a functional mitochondrial targeting signal and is largely localized at mitochondria both endogenously in germ cells and in somatic cells when ectopically expressed. In addition, GASZ interacts with itself at the outer membrane of mitochondria and promotes mitofusion in a mitofusin/ MFN-dependent manner. In mice, deletion of the mitochondrial targeting signal reveals that mitochondrial localization of GASZ is essential for nuage formation, mitochondrial clustering, transposon repression, and spermatogenesis. MFN1 deficiency also leads to defects in mitochondrial activity and male infertility. Our data thus reveal a requirement for GASZ and MFN-mediated mitofusion during spermatogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) promptly initiate cytokine responses to pathogen exposure in the mucosa and mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues. ILCs were recently categorized as being of the lymphoid lineage and have been classified into three groups. ILCs play important roles in immunity against pathogens, and an anti-tumor immune-related function was recently demonstrated. In this review we discuss whether and how ILCs involve in the tumorigenesis, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying the particular functions of ILCs as well as the potential targets for tumor intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem In our previous study on adult male mice, we had identified one immunodominant epitope in hEppin and three epitopes in hFSHR that caused fertility inhibition. But it only demonstrated a moderate inhibitory effect on fertility, and the antifertility effect was unsatisfactory. Method of study Based on the protein prime-peptide boost inoculation modalities, we further investigated whether the antifertility capacity could be enhanced by a combined immunization with the two antigens. Results The results displayed a enhanced suppressed fertility (F2 EP2C 6.67%) in male mice similar to that seen after four separate administrations of the two proteins (F12E-4 5%). The most likely mechanism by which this antifertility efficacy was achieved was probably through the production of antibodies that led not only to impairment of spermatogenesis but also to inhibition of sperm motility. Moreover, this treatment also induced high concentrations of neutralizing antibodies which were secreted into the lumen of the epididymis. Conclusion Thus, a combination immunization with hFSHR and hEppin enhanced the contraceptive effects and may provide a better means of immunocontraception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]