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Abstract: Chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles (CCMNPs), modified with a biodegradable and eco-friendly biologic reagent, α-ketoglutaric acid (α-KA), was used as a magnetic nanoadsorbent to remove toxic Cu2+ ions from aqueous solution. The prepared magnetic nanoadsorbents were characterized by FTIR, TEM, VSM, XRD, and EDS. Factors influencing the adsorption of Cu2+, e.g., initial metal concentration, initial pH, contact time and adsorbent concentration were investigated. TEM images show that the dimension of multidispersed circular particles is about 30 nm and no marked aggregation occurs. VSM patterns indicate superparamagnetic properties of magnetic nanoadsorbents. EDS pictures confirm the presence of the Cu2+ on the surface of magnetic nanoadsorbents. Equilibrium studies show that Cu2+ adsorption data follow Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity () for Cu2+ ions was estimated to be 96.15 mg/g, which was higher than that of pure CCMNPs. The desorption data show no significant desorption hysteresis occurred. In addition, the high stability and recovery capacity of the chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles modified with α-ketoglutaric acid (α-KA-CCMNPs) suggest that these novel magnetic nanoadsorbents have potential applications for removing Cu2+ from wastewater. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As the most abundantly used phthalate derivative, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) leads to reproductive disorders, especially in males. Testicular injury can be triggered when the testis is exposed to DEHP during the immature stage. However, the potential mechanism is largely unclear. In the present study, Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 0, 250 and 500 mg/kg/day DEHP from postnatal day (PND) 20 to PND 30. The spermatogonia cell line GC-1 and spermatocyte cell line GC-2 were exposed to different doses of monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), a metabolite of DEHP. Testicular injury was observed. Oxidative stress was evaluated both in vivo and in vitro. Our results showed that after DEHP exposure, the testicular structure was damaged and spermatogenesis was disturbed. We also found that oxidative stress was increased, as indicated by the upregulation of the important factors in the antioxidant pathway. Furthermore, the expression of autophagy-related proteins was significantly downregulated. Autophagy inhibition led to activation of the pyroptosis pathway. Nucleotide-binding and oligomerisation (NOD) domain-like receptor (NLR) family pyrin domain (PYD)-containing 3 (NLRP3), Caspase-1 and cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were significantly upregulated. Additionally, an imbalance in self-renewal and differentiation was observed in germ cells after DEHP exposure, causing the cessation of germ cell development. In summary, these data suggest that DEHP exposure enhances oxidative stress, downregulates autophagy, induces NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequently triggers pyroptosis in vivo and in vitro, which provides novel insight into DEHP-related injury in immature testes in the context of pyroptosis. [Display omitted] • Exposure to DEHP could induce reproductive injury in immature testes. • The ROS/mTOR/NLRP3 signaling pathway participates in testicular injury induced by DEHP exposure. • DEHP exposure also increases the level of self-renewal and differentiation of GC-1 and GC-2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of significance for this society to develop and utilize sustainable energy and renewable resources. Photocatalytic the transformation of biomass exhibits a variety of seductive advantages, including cost-effectiveness, sustainability, mild reaction conditions and environment-benign properties. However, in order to obtain a relative high yield, most photocatalytic oxidation of HMF systems employ O 2 as sole oxidant or adopt high light density condition, which is much higher than the natural sunlight density. In this work, we employ microwave-assisted post-synthetic metal exchange (PSE) method to synthesize porous TiO 2 @UIO-67-Zr/Ti composite as photocatalyst for the oxidation of HMF to DFF under air condition at low temperature (4 oC). SEM and FT-IR characterizations confirm the successful cation exchange of Ti4+ with Zr4+, and the Raman spectra confirm the existence of strong interactions between TiO 2 and UIO-67-Zr/Ti. This catalyst exhibits enhanced photocatalytic performance, achieving 94% conversion with more than 70% selectivity for DFF. Moreover, this system also exhibits wide substrates compatibility. Photocatalytic the transformation of HMF to DFF exhibits a variety of seductive advantages including cost-effectiveness, sustainability, mild reaction conditions and environment-benign properties. However, in order to obtain a relative high yield, most of photocatalytic oxidation of HMF to DFF systems employ O 2 as oxidant or adopt high light density condition, which is much higher than the natural sun light density, thus hindering these systems to be applied in industrial fields.In this work, the TiO 2 @UIO-67-Zr/Ti has been constructed with microwave assisted PSE method. This catalyst exhibits excellent photocatalytic performance, achieving 94% conversion with more than 70% selectivity under air conditon at low temperature (4 oC). [Display omitted] • Porous TiO 2 @UIO-67-Zr/Ti was constructed by microwave-assisted PSE method. • Ti4+ is coordinated into the frameworks of UIO-67 materials with PSE method. • The combination of TiO 2 with UIO-67-Zr/Ti can widen the light absorption range. • The interactions between TiO 2 and UIO-67-Zr/Ti can be proved by Raman and FT-IR. • TiO 2 @UIO-67-Zr/Ti can oxidize HMF to DFF at low temperature under air condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic often coexists with metal sulfide minerals and occurs in different speciation and different toxicity in responding to Fe/S biooxidation. The differential inhibitive effects and fates of As(III) and As(V) during biooxidations of elemental sulfur (S0), ferrous ions (Fe2+) and pyrite (FeS 2) by Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans were studied. The results revealed that the arsenic species hardly changed for the biooxidation of S0, but dramatically changed for the biooxidation of Fe2+ and FeS 2. Different transformation degree between As(III) and As(V) occurred for biooxidation of FeS 2 in the presence of arsenic, where about 72% of As(III) was transformed to As(V) for the group with As(III) added, and 16% of As(V) was transformed to As(III) for that with As(V) added. Both formation and dissolution of amorphous ferric arsenate occurred during biooxidation of FeS 2 with the addition of As(III) or As(V) and for the group grown on Fe2+ with added As(V), which were controlled by the changes of Fe/As molar ratio and pH value in the solution. Jarosite was detected for the group grown on Fe2+ and could adsorb As(III) and As(V). The inhibitive effects of As(V) were higher than As(III) when the strain grew on FeS 2 , which was contrary to those when the strain grew on S0 and Fe2+. The above results signify that the fates and inhibitive effects of arsenic are much related to each other, and such a relationship is significantly affected by the utilization of Fe/S energy substrates by the sulfur- and ferrous-oxidizing microorganisms. [Display omitted] • S0, Fe2+, FeS 2 - biooxidation mediated arsenic fates and inhibitions were studied. • The inhibitive effects and fates of arsenic are much co-related each other. • Transformation between As(III) and As(V) occurred under bio-oxidation of FeS 2. • As(V) is more inhibitive than As(III) under mediation of bio-oxidation of FeS 2. • Fe/As molar ratio plays key role in mediating arsenic fates and inhibitive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a common inherited disorder worldwide including southern China. We developed and validated a reverse dot blot (RDB) assay for the rapid and simultaneous genotyping of six mutations (c.95A>G, c.871G>A, c.1004C>T, c.1024C>T, c.1376G>T and c.1388G>A), that were common mutations in the Chinese G6PD deficiency population, and one polymorphism (c.1311C>T). Reliable genotyping of wild-type and mutant genomic DNA samples was achieved by means of a test strip onto which allele-specific oligonucleotide probe lines are fixed in parallel. This method involves a multiplex PCR amplification of three fragments in the G6PD target sequence and a manual hybridization/detection protocol. The entire procedure starting from blood sampling to the identification of mutations requires less than 6 h. The diagnostic reliability of this reverse dot blot assay was evaluated on 207 pre-typed samples by using direct DNA sequence analysis in a blind study. The reverse dot blot typing was in complete concordance with the reference method. The reverse dot blot assay was proved to be a simple, rapid, highly accurate, and cost-effective method to identify common G6PD mutations in Chinese population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A dual fluorescence reporter plasmid expressing EGFP and DsRed-Monomer from separate promoters was constructed for quantitative flow cytometry analysis. Cloning the hepatitis B virus (HBV) X gene into the 3′ UTR region of DsRed-Monomer allowed quantifying the efficacy of ten siRNAs designed according to the accessibility of HBx mRNA measured in vitro. Using EGFP as an internal control, a justified calculation of the changed mean fluorescence intensity of DsRed-Monomer in each transfected cell yielded highly consistent results, and revealed all 10 siRNAs achieved over 50% inhibition among which a super effective siRNA achieved 88% inhibition at a very low concentration (0.33μg/ml). This provides a quantification method critical for therapeutic application of siRNA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To determine the importance of single-chain Fv (scFv) affinity on binding, uptake, and cytotoxicity of tumor-targeting nanoparticles, the affinity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) scFv antibody C10 was increased using molecular evolution and yeast display. A library containing scFv mutants was created by error-prone PCR, displayed on the surface of yeast, and higher affinity clones selected by fluorescence activated cell sorting. Ten mutant scFv were identified that had a 3–18-fold improvement in affinity (K D =15–88 nM) for EGFR-expressing A431 tumor cells compared to C10 scFv (K D =264 nM). By combining mutations, higher affinity scFv were generated with K D ranging from 0.9 nM to 10 nM. The highest affinity scFv had a 280-fold higher affinity compared to that of the parental C10 scFv. Immunoliposome nanoparticles (ILs) were prepared using EGFR scFv with a 280-fold range of affinities, and their binding and uptake into EGFR-expressing tumor cells was quantified. At scFv densities greater than 148 scFv/IL, there was no effect of scFv affinity on IL binding and uptake into tumor cells, or on cytotoxicity. At lower scFv densities, there was less uptake and binding for ILs constructed from the very low affinity C10 scFv. The results show the importance of antibody fragment density on nanoparticle uptake, and suggest that engineering ultrahigh affinity scFv may be unnecessary for optimal nanoparticle targeting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Here we reported a novel human secreted protein named as hZG16, with a Jacalin domain. Evolution analysis through comparing with the orthologs of other organisms suggested that ZG16 is a conserved gene under the purifying selection (d N/d s <1) in the evolution. Interestingly, Northern and dot blot analyses showed that hZG16 were highly expressed in adult liver, not in fetal liver, and moderately in gut, including jejunum, ileum, and colon, in which the tissue expression pattern of hZG16 was significantly dissimilar to that of mouse and rat orthologs that were uniquely expressed in spleen and pancreas, respectively. Unexpectedly, hZG16 was markedly down-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as indicated by RT-PCR, Northern blot analysis and immunohistochemistry staining. However, the tunicamicin treatment and pulse-chase experiments showed that hZG16 protein had a similar molecular function with rZG16 that take part in glycoproteins’ secretion in a bus mode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are highly potent toxins that inhibit neurotransmitter release from peripheral cholinergic synapses. BoNTs consist of a toxifying light chain (LC; 50kDa) and a binding-translocating heavy chain (HC; 100kDa) linked through a disulfide bond. The complete sequence of BoNT/A consists of 1296 amino acid residues. The β-trefoil domain for BoNT/A to which gangliosides bind starts at Ser 1092 and this fragment represents the C-half of the C-terminus of the heavy chain (C-quarter HC or HCQ). The recombinant HCQ DNA was successfully cloned into an expression vector (pET15b), which was used to transform Escherichia coli strain BL21-Star (DE3) for expression. Expression of HCQ was obtained by an extended post-induction time of 15h at 30°C. The recombinant histidine tagged HCQ protein was isolated and purified by nickel affinity gel column chromatography and its molecular weight was verified by gel electrophoresis. The HCQ was positively identified by antibodies raised against BoNT/A employing immunological dot-blot and Western blot assays. HCQ was shown to bind with synaptotagmin (a known BoNT/A receptor) and gangliosides, indicating that the expressed and purified HCQ protein retains a functionally active conformation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are highly potent toxins that inhibit neurotransmitter release from peripheral cholinergic synapses and associate with infant botulism. BoNT is a ∼150 kDa protein, consisting of a binding/translocating heavy chain (HC; 100 kDa) and a toxifying light chain (LC; 50 kDa) linked through a disulfide bond. C-terminal half of the heavy chain is binding domain, and N-terminal half of the heavy chain is translocation domain that includes transmembrane domain. A functional botulinum neurotoxin type B heavy chain transmembrane and binding domain (Ile 624–Glu 1291) has been cloned into a bacterial expression vector pET 15b and produced as an N-terminally six-histidine-tagged fusion protein (BoNT/B HC TBD). (His6)-BoNT/B HC TBD was highly expressed in Escherichia coli BL21-CodonPlus (DE3)-RIL and isolated from the E. coli inclusion bodies. After solubilizing the purified inclusion bodies with 6 M guanidine–HCl in the presence of 10 mM β-mercaptoethanol, the protein was purified and refolded in a single step on Ni2+ affinity column by removing β-mercaptoethanol first, followed by the removal of urea. The purified protein was determined to be 98% pure as assessed by SDS–polyacrylamide gel. (His6)-BoNT/B HC TBD retained binding to synaptotagmin II, the receptor of BoNT/B, which was confirmed by immunological dot blot assay, also to ganglioside, which was investigated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study focused on the effects of microwave-vacuum-assisted drying on the drying kinetics, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of whole cranberries subjected to different pretreatments, i.e. sonication, sonication combined with convective freezing, microwave-vacuum pretreatment, microwave-vacuum pretreatment combined with convective freezing, convective freezing and cryogenic freezing. Compared to hot air convective drying, microwave-vacuum-assisted drying shortened the drying time by 54%. The application of microwaves in the final stage of drying allowed to obtain drying rates 17 times higher than in the convective initial stage. Berries dried by microwave-vacuum-assisted drying were characterized by higher contents of polyphenols (from 22.14 ± 0.49 to 27.51 ± 0.56 mg GAE/g DM), flavonoids (from 2.65 ± 0.05 to 3.79 ± 0.11 mg CAE/g DM), anthocyanins (from 0.75 ± 0.10 to 2.22 ± 0.10 mg Cy-3G/g DM), antioxidant activity (from 33.03 ± 0.72 to 47.67 ± 0.39 mg TE/g DM) and a more desirable overall appearance than fruits after hot air convective drying. Among different initial treatments, freezing provided the best results in terms of drying time. Sonication gave the best results for the retention of bioactive components, antioxidant activity and the overall appearance of dried fruits. • MWVD instead of HACD in the final stage significantly shortened the drying time. • HACD + MWVD produced berries of high antioxidant activity. • HACD + MWVD produced berries of desired overall appearance. • Sonication improved the retention of bioactive compounds in dried cranberries. • Convective freezing gave the best results in terms of drying time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety, a common and devastating mental disorder, has raised widespread interests. The impacts of air pollution on physical health are well known, whereas few studies have explored the association of atmospheric pollution, especially short-term air pollution exposure, with the risk of anxiety disorders. In addition, there are increasing concerns in emerging evidence supporting a possible etiological link. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the relationship between short-term exposure to atmospheric pollutants and anxiety outpatient visits in Xi'an, a city of northwestern China and a metropolis with relatively heavy air pollution. We collected the data of both daily outpatient visits and daily air pollution (SO 2 , NO 2 , and PM 10) between January 1, 2010 and January 31, 2016 (2222 days). To clarify the association between short-term ambient atmospheric pollution exposure and anxiety outpatient visits, an over-dispersed Poisson generalized additive model was applied by adjusting the day of the week and weather conditions (including temperature, humidity, sunlight hours, and rainfalls). Positive association between gaseous air pollutants (SO 2 and NO 2) and anxiety daily outpatient visits was observed. Moreover, the largest estimated values of both SO 2 and NO 2 were evidence at lag 03 (4-day moving average lag), with 10 μg/m3 increase corresponded to the increase of outpatient anxiety visits at 4.11% (95% CI: 2.15%, 6.06%) for SO 2 and 3.97% (95% CI: 1.90%, 6.06%) for NO 2. However, there was no differences in susceptibility to air pollutants between different genders as well as different ages. Taken together, short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants, especially gaseous air pollutants (NO 2 and SO 2), can be related to higher risk of anxiety outpatient visits. • Short-term ambient air pollution was associated with outpatient anxiety visits. • Positive association was evidenced for SO 2 and NO 2. • No gender and age difference were found in this association. Short-term ambient air pollution and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wolfberry is very difficult to dry as its surface is covered by thin wax layer. Chemical dipping is frequently used to dissolve it and enhance drying. In current work, cold plasma (CP) was employed and its pretreatment effect (15, 30, 45, 60 s) on drying time, color, rehydration ratio, total phenolic content, total flavonoids content as well as micro-, and ultrastructure of wolfberry dried by hot air drying was explored and compared with that of unpretreated and the pretreated samples using sodium carbonate (SC) solution. Suitable CP processing time could shorten the drying time by 50%. CP pretreatment increased rehydration ratio of dried wolfberry by 7–16%. The L*, a *, and b * of dried wolfberry treated by CP were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than samples without pretreatment, and CP pretreatment decreased Δ E by 18–27%. Phytochemical contents of dried samples increased in the beginning and then decreased with the increase in CP treatment time. Microstructure and ultrastructure observations showed that the cell wall, cell membranes were disintegrated with increase of CP treatment time. Ultrastructure alteration probably facilitated the release and diffusion of moisture and phytochemical compounds entrapped in cells and by thus enhanced the drying and phytochemicals extraction. • Suitable cold plasma processing time could shorten the drying time by 50%. • Polyphenol content in dried berries increased then decreased with cold plasma duration. • Δ E decreased and rehydration rate increased for dried wolfberries pretreated by cold plasma. • Cold plasma etched micro-holes on the surface of wolfberries. • Alteration of cell ultrastructure changed drying behavior and polyphenol retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Antibody microarray found ten differential cytokines were associated with DFU healing. • Four of eleven (MDC, TARC, Clusterin, and Syndecan 4) were identified by ELISA. • MDC, TARC, Clusterin, and Syndecan 4 are decreased in DFU patients after treatment. • These four cytokines may have potential for prognostic evaluation of DFU healing. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) remain a serious public health problem. However, the current evaluation and confirmation of the efficacy of DFU is unclear. The present study aimed to measure the alterations of circulating proteins in patients after DFU healing for the exploration of the prognostic biomarkers. The serum cytokine profiles of DFU patients before and after treatment were analyzed by a human antibody microarray technology using diabetic patients and healthy population as control groups. The results showed that ten differential cytokines were associated with DFU healing. Among these ten cytokines, comparing to DFU group, nine ones (Jagged-1, CD14, Cathepsin S, Syndecan 4, MDC, TARC, Angiopoietin-4, Clusterin and HGFR) were significantly up-regulated in DFU-treated group and Follistatin-like 1 was significantly down-regulated, while their levels in DFU-treated group showed no significant differences from those in control groups. Furthermore, ELISA validation also showed that compares to DFU group four of ten (MDC, TARC, Clusterin, and Syndecan 4) were increased in DFU-treated group equal to the levels in control groups, consistent with the array results. Our finding shows that these four cytokines may have great potential for prognostic evaluation of DFU healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, we consider a two-phase model with magnetic field and a time periodic external force in a periodic domain in R N. The existence of the time-periodic solutions to the model is obtained by the topological degree theory and parabolic regularization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although human memories seem unique to each individual, they are shared to a great extent across individuals. Previous studies have examined, separately, subject-specific and cross-subject shared representations during memory encoding and retrieval, but how shared memories are formed from individually encoded representations is not clearly understood. Using a unique fMRI design involving memory encoding and retrieval, and representational similarity analysis to link representations from different individuals, brain regions, and processing stages, the current study revealed that distributed brain regions showed both subject-specific and shared neural representations during both memory encoding and retrieval. Furthermore, different brain regions showed stage-specific representational strength, with the visual cortex showing greater unique and shared representations during encoding, whereas the left angular gyrus showing greater unique and shared representations during retrieval. The neural representations during encoding were transformed during retrieval, as shown by smaller cross-subject encoding-retrieval similarity (ERS) than cross-subject similarity either during encoding or during retrieval. This cross-subject and cross-stage similarity was found both within and across regions, with strong pattern similarity between the encoded representation in VVC and the retrieved representation in the angular gyrus. Simulation analysis further suggested that these patterns could be achieved by incorporating stage-specific representational strength, and cross-region reinstatement from encoding to retrieval, but not by a common transformation from encoding to retrieval across subjects. Together, our results shed light on how memory representations are encoded and transformed to maintain individual characteristics and at the same time to create shared representations to facilitate interpersonal communication. • Distributed brain areas showed subject-specific and shared neural representations. • Visual cortex and angular gyrus showed stage-specific representational strength. • Memory representations were transformed systematically across regions and stages. • Cross-region reinstatement underlies shared memory transformation across subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most dehazing methods fail to estimate satisfactory transmission simultaneously in both normal and bright regions. To estimate more accurate transmission for these two kinds of regions, we propose a transmission fusion strategy based on automatic image matting for image dehazing. We first extract the mean and variance of a local patch around each pixel, and propose a binary classification method with the mean and variance of each patch to coarsely segment an input image into a binary map of normal and bright regions. Then we smooth and quantize the binary map to automatically generate a trimap of ternary values. Thus we can avoid the difficulty in manually labeling trimaps. Both the image and the trimap are input into a Bayesian matting method for soft segmentation of normal and bright regions to produce an alpha map. The dark channel prior (DCP) is adopted to extract a transmission map for normal regions, while an improved atmospheric veil correction (AVC) method is proposed to generate another transmission map for bright regions. Finally, we propose to use the alpha map to fuzzily fuse the two transmission maps for final image dehazing. Experimental results show that our method significantly outperforms existing methods. • Propose a classification method with image matting to softly segment normal and bright regions. • Present DCP and AVC to estimate transmission for normal and bright regions. • Adopt soft segmentation results to fuse transmission maps by DCP and AVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to its larger surface and free volume, hollow nanostructure and nanomaterials are one kind of highly desirable electrodes for efficiently enhancing sodium-ion battery performance, especially at high rate. Herein, we demonstrate a design of hierarchical semi-open hollow structure, assembling with molybdenum selenide (MoSe 2) nanosheets embedded on the nitrogen doped carbon matrix. The unique hollow structure can not only enable sufficient electrode/electrolyte interaction and fast electron transportation, but also suppress volume expansion during the insertion/extraction of sodium ion. As a direct outcome, the MoSe 2 /carbon anode exhibits excellent cycling and rate performance with a specific capacity of 431 mAh g−1 at 200 ​mA ​g−1, maintaining 87.7% capacity after 120 cycles. Notably, a discharge capacity of 199.1 mAh g−1 can be achieved even at an ultra-high current density of 20 ​A ​g−1, indicating quick Na+ storage ability. The results may open a new way to realize high-rate anode for ion battery applications. Herein, we demonstrate a design of hierarchical semi-open hollow structure, assembling with molybdenum selenide (MoSe 2) nanosheets embedded on the nitrogen doped carbon matrix. Thanks to its larger surface and free volume, hollow nanostructure and nanomaterials can not only enable sufficient electrode/electrolyte interaction and fast electron transportation, but also suppress volume expansion during the insertion/extraction of sodium ion. The MoSe 2 /carbon anode exhibits excellent cycling and rate performance with a specific capacity of 431 mAh g−1 at 200 ​mA ​g−1, maintaining 87.7% capacity after 120 cycles. Notably, a discharge capacity of 199.1 mAh g−1 can be achieved even at an ultra-high current density of 20 ​A ​g−1, indicating quick Na+ storage ability. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in the antioxidant activity of ferulic acid and its nine naturally occurring derivatives with the presence of different ester groups at the end of their carbon side chains were investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The thermodynamics parameters related to the double H+/e− free radical scavenging mechanisms were calculated in the gas, benzene and water phases. In the investigated phases, ferulic acid with the COOH group or COO− group and its different ester derivatives show similar antioxidant capacities. They preferentially undergo the first H+/e− reaction from the 4−OH group and then proceed to the second H+/e− reaction from the 3−H group, forming a benzodioxole. The energy cost of the second H+/e− reaction is considerably reduced. In the gas and benzene phases, ferulic acid and its derivatives have the highest probability of using the HAT mechanism in the first H+/e‒ reaction. In water, the most possible mechanism is SPLET. In the studied phases, HAT is the most likely second H+/e‒ reaction mechanism for ferulic acid and its ester derivatives trap free radicals. • Antioxidative mechanisms were analysed for ferulic acid and its ester derivatives. • The first H+/e− reaction involves the 4−OH group. • In the first H+/e− reaction, the favoured mechanism changes according to the environment. • In the second H+/e− reaction, the HAT mechanism is most probable. • The ester group does not greatly change the antioxidant capacity of ferulic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin is a highly complex phenolic polymer which is essential for plants, but also makes it difficult for industrial processing. Engineering lignin by introducing relatively labile linkages into the lignin backbone can render it more amenable to chemical depolymerization. It has been reported that introducing a feruloyl-coenzyme A monolignol transferase from Angelica sinensis (AsFMT) into poplar could incorporate monolignol ferulate conjugates (ML-FAs) into lignin polymers, suggesting a promising way to manipulate plants for readily deconstructing. FMT catalyzes a reaction between monolignols and feruloyl-CoA to produce ML-FAs and free CoA-SH. However, the mechanisms of substrate specificity and catalytic process of FMT remains poorly understood. Here we report the structure of AsFMT, which adopts a typical fold of BAHD acyltransferase family. Structural comparisons with other BAHD homologs reveal several unique structural features of AsFMT, different from those of the BAHD homologs. Further molecular docking studies showed that T375 in AsFMT may function as an oxyanion hole to stabilize the reaction intermediate and also proposed a role of H278 in the binding of the nucleophilic hydroxyl group of monolignols. Together, this study provides important structural insights into the reactions catalyzed by AsFMT and will shed light on its future application in lignin engineering. [Display omitted] • The structure of FMT from Angelica sinensis was solved at 2.43 Å resolution. • AsFMT exhibits a typical fold of the BAHD acyltransferase family with two domains. • Docking studies uncovered the important roles of H278 and T375 in AsFMT. • The study provided insights into substrate binding and catalytic mechanism of FMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spherical mesoporous Fe-N-C single-atom nanozyme with excellent peroxidase-like activity and photothermal property is developed via a soft-template method. Light irradiation can not only improve the catalytic activity of nanozyme via the increasement of reaction temperature, but also be used to kill bacteria via photothermal treatment. The synergistic effect can effectively accelerate the wound healing in vivo. [Display omitted] Nanozyme has been regarded as an efficient antibiotic to kill bacteria using the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by Fenton-like reaction. However, its activity is still unsatisfied and requires large amount of hydrogen peroxide with side effects toward normal tissues. Herein, spherical mesoporous Fe-N-C single-atom nanozyme (SAzyme) is designed for antibacterial therapy via photothermal treatment enhanced Fenton-like catalysis process. Due to the large pore size (4.0 nm), high specific surface area (413.9 m2 g−1) and uniform diameter (100 nm), the catalytic performance of Fe-N-C SAzyme is greatly improved. The Michaelis-Menten constant (K m) is 4.84 mmol L−1, which is similar with that of horseradish peroxidase (3.7 mmol L−1). Moreover, mesoporous Fe-N-C SAzyme shows high photothermal conversion efficiency (23.3 %) owing to the carbon framework. The catalytic activity can be enhanced under light irradiation due to the elevated reaction temperature. The bacteria can also be killed via physical heat effect. Due to the synergistic effect of nanozyme catalysis and photothermal treatment, the antibacterial performance is much higher than that using single antibacterial method. This work provides an alternative for combined antibacterial treatment via photothermal treatment assisted catalytic process using spherical mesoporous single-atom nanozyme as an antibiotic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • NiC/Mo 2 C/NF electrode heterostructure was in situ constructed. • NiC/Mo 2 C nanorods array exhibits excellent HER activity (31 mV at 10 mA cm−2, 264 mV at 500 mA cm−2). • NiC/Mo 2 C showed long term durability with negligible potential change for 200 h. • Balances the adsorption/desorption energy of the H-reaction intermediate, reduces the dissociation energy. The problem limiting the use of hydrogen evolution reactions in industry is the inability of electrocatalysts to operate stably at high current densities, so the development of stable and efficient electrocatalysts is important for hydrogen production by water splitting. By designing a rational interface engineering not only can the problem of limited number of catalytic sites in the catalyst be solved, but also can facilitate electron transfer, thus enhancing the efficiency of water splitting. Here, we designed a two-stage chemical vapour deposition method to construct NiC/Mo 2 C nanorod arrays on nickel foam to enhance the electrocatalytic ability of the catalysts, which exhibited efficient HER catalytic activity due to their special tentacle-like nanorod structure and abundant heterogeneous junction surfaces, which brought about abundant active sites as well as promoted electron transfer capability. The resulting catalysts provide current densities of 10, 100 and 500 mA cm−2 with overpotentials of 31, 153 and 264 mV, and exhibit excellent stability at current densities of 10 mA cm−2 for 200 h. This discovery provides a new idea for the rational design of catalysts with special morphologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapa functionalized carbon dots (Rapa-CDs) were target-oriented synthesized via free radical polymerization combination with hydrothermal carbonization technology. Rapa-CDs has a high synthetic yield of 63%. The solubility of Rapa-CDs with 9.41 g is improved 3.6×104 times higher than that of Rapa (2.6×10-4 g). Rapa-CDs show the ability to scavenge ROS, and suppress cell senescence via anti-oxidative stress and mTOR. [Display omitted] • Rapa-CDs with synthetic yield of 63% were target-oriented synthesized. • Rapa-CDs increase Rapa solubility by 3.6 × 104 times and show ROS scavenging ability. • Rapa-CDs suppress vascular cell senescence via anti-oxidative stress and mTOR. Suppression of vascular cell senescence is of great significance in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. The oxidative stress damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) can lead to cellular senescence. Rapamycin (Rapa) is well known to suppress cell senescence via mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. However, poor water solubility and lack of ROS scavenging ability limit the further development of Rapa. To improve the solubility of Rapa and endow with ROS scavenging ability, Rapa functionalized carbon dots (Rapa-CDs) are target-oriented synthesized via free radical polymerization combination with hydrothermal carbonization. Rapa-CDs improve the solubility of Rapa and show ROS scavenging abilities. The solubility of Rapa-CDs with 9.41 g is improved 3.6 × 104 times higher than that of Rapa (2.6 × 10-4 g). The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50) of Rapa-CDs toward hydroxyl radical (•OH) and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH•) are 0.18 and 0.17 mg/mL, respectively. Rapa-CDs show anti-oxidative stress effect in HEVECs (Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells) via reducing ROS levels by 87 %. Rapa-CDs alleviate HUVECs senescence by suppressing mTOR overactivation, attenuate the expression of P53, P21 and P16. The study demonstrates the target-oriented synthesis of drugs functionalized CDs with anti-senescence via dual-pathway of anti-oxidative stress and mTOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests constipation precedes motor dysfunction and is the most common gastrointestinal symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). 5-HT4 receptor (5-HT4R) agonist prucalopride has been approved to treat chronic constipation. Here, we reported intraperitoneal injection of prucalopride for 7 days increased dopamine and decreased dopamine turnover. Prucalopride administration improved motor deficits in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrathydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse models. Prucalopride treatment also ameliorated intestinal barrier impairment and increased IL-6 release in PD model mice. However, prucalopride treatment exerted no impact on JAK2/STAT3 pathway, suggesting that prucalopride may stimulate IL-6 via JAK2/STAT3-independent pathway. In conclusion, prucalopride exerted beneficial effects in MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mice by attenuating the loss of dopamine, improving motor dysfunction and intestinal barrier. • Prucalopride rescues striatal dopamine loss in PD mice. • Prucalopride improves motor dysfunction in MPTP-induced PD mice. • Prucalopride alleviates MPTP-induced intestinal barrier impairment. • Prucalopride increases colonic IL-6 expression via JAK2/STAT3-independent pathway in PD mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fish, interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a very important immune-regulatory cytokine that plays a polyfunctional role in inflammation, metabolism, regeneration, and neural processes. IL-6 signal transducer (IL-6ST) is a specific receptor for IL-6 and expressed mainly in immune cells and hepatocytes. In this study, the complete cDNA and genomic DNA sequences of mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) IL - 6 and IL - 6ST genes were identified and analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that IL-6 and IL-6ST were chiefly expressed in the immune organs. After challenge with infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), the expression levels of IL-6 were significantly up-regulated after 6 h and 24 h in the head kidney and spleen, respectively (p < 0.01), the peak value for both reached at 72 h, IL-6ST increased significantly after 120 h with a peak at 168 h in the head kidney (p < 0.01) and improved markedly at 168 h in the spleen (p < 0.01). Besides, IL-6 and IL-6ST have been identified 3 and 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), respectively. Statistical analysis showed that one SNP locus (1625C/T) in the coding region of IL - 6 was significantly related to the resistance of mandarin fish against ISKNV. The 1625C→T locus in the coding region of IL - 6 is a synonymous mutation; compared with the susceptible group, the frequency of allele T in the disease resistance group was significantly higher, which may be due to the rare codon produced by the mutation affecting translation. The involvement of IL-6 and IL-6ST in response to ISKNV infection in mandarin fish clearly indicate that the role of SNP markers in IL-6 was associated with the ISKNV resistance, which was demonstrated for the first time in our results. Thus, the current study may provide fundamental information for further breeding of mandarin fish with resistance to ISKNV infection. • Complete cDNAs and gDNA sequences of mandarin fish IL - 6 and IL - 6ST were cloned and characterized. • The IL - 6 and IL - 6ST were significantly up-regulated in the head kidney and spleen by ISKNV challenge. • The IL-6 and IL-6ST were identified 4 and 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), respectively. • One SNP locus (1625C/T) of the IL - 6 was significantly correlated with ISKNV resistance. • The SNPs of IL-6 and IL-6ST would provide potential molecular marker for selective breeding of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vast majority of patients with NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) have lung adenocarcinoma (LA), and the survival rate of LA varies from 5% to 75% depending on the severity of this adenocarcinoma. PYCR1 (abnormal pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1) gene and miR-328–3p have been found to be associated with cancer development. However, the underlying mechanism of interaction between miR-328–3p and PYCR1 in LA needs further investigation. The expressions of miR-328–3p and PYCR1 in samples with LA were identified by RT-qPCR. Next, we investigated the targeting relationship between these two biological factors using luciferase assay. CCK-8, BrdU, transwell-migration, and flow cytometry assays were performed to detect cell viability, cell proliferation, cell migration and cell apoptosis in LA cells. We noticed that miR-328–3p expression was downregulated in LA samples. MiR-328–3p mimic restricted cell proliferation and cell migration, while it enhanced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the overexpression of PYCR1 promoted the proliferation and migration of LA cells, but it repressed cell apoptosis. Moreover, PYCR1 directly interacted with miR-328–3p in the LA cells, and miR-328–3p restrained the expression of PYCR1, thus suppressing LA tumorigenesis. In summary, our study revealed that miR-328–3p targeting to PYCR1 suppressed the malignancy of LA cells by impeding cell proliferation and migration, while effectively promoting cell apoptosis. • PYCR1 and miR-328–3p were selected to be the study objects. • MiR-328–3p inhibited the malignancy of LA cells. • MiR-328–3p targeting PYCR1 inhibited the expression of PYCR1. • MiR-328–3p targeting PYCR1 repressed the progression of lung adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • OG c3 exhibits broad-spectrum anti-biofilm activity by concurrently targeting bacterial membrane lipids, DNA, and proteins. • OG c3 ′s unique alternating amphiphilic structure facilitates penetration into the dense extracellular biofilm matrix. • OG c3 effectively eliminates biofilms and exerts synergistic effects with Vancomycin. • The potent anti-biofilm capabilities of OG c3 against drug-resistant bacteria are validated through robust in vitro and in vivo evaluations. The development of effective antibacterial drugs to combat bacterial infections, particularly the biofilm-related infections, remains a challenge. There are two important features of bacterial biofilms, which are well-known critical factors causing biofilms hard-to-treat in clinical, including the dense and impermeable extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the metabolically repressed dormant and persistent bacterial population embedded. These characteristics largely increase the difficulty for regular antibiotic treatment due to insufficient penetration into EPS. In addition, the dormant bacteria are insensitive to the growth-inhibiting mechanism of traditional antibiotics. Herein, we explore the potential of a series of new oligopyridinium-based oligomers bearing a multi-biomacromolecule targeting function as the potent bacterial biofilm eradication agent. These oligomers were rationally designed to be "charge-on-backbone" that can offer a special alternating amphiphilicity. This novel and unique feature endows high affinity to bacterial membrane lipids, DNAs as well as proteins. Such a broad multi-targeting nature of molecules not only enables its penetration into EPS, but also plays vital roles in the bactericidal mechanism of action that is highly effective against dormant and persistent bacteria. Our in vitro , ex vivo , and in vivo studies demonstrated that OP c3 , one of the most effective derivatives, was able to offer excellent antibacterial potency against a variety of bacteria and effectively eliminate biofilms in zebrafish models and mouse wound biofilm infection models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalysts based on Z-scheme heterostructure have been extensively investigated for CO 2 reduction and hydrogen production, which solve the problem of high electron-hole pair complexation and low reduction and oxidation capacity in photocatalysts. Here, two-dimensional CuTiO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 (CTO/CN) photocatalysts with directly Z-scheme heterostructure are prepared by effective manipulation of different components of CuTiO 3 (CTO) nanoparticles on 2D (two-dimension) porous g-C 3 N 4 (CN) nanosheets via in-situ growing strategy. Benefited from the special electronic structure, it demonstrates that the 4.0 % CTO/CN sample has an excellent photocatalytic activity for the reduction of CO 2 to H 2 (at a speed of 19.56 μmol g−1 h−1) and CO (at a speed of 19.93 μmol g−1 h−1), which are upper than those of pure g-C 3 N 4 by 43.5 and 17.1 times, respectively. Furthermore, the 4.0 % CTO/CN sample exhibits utstanding performance in electrocatalytic hydrogen production. This synthetic strategy is useful for constructing a 2D Z-scheme heterostructure for applications in energy-related areas. Schematic diagram of electrochemical hydrogen precipitation and carbon dioxide reduction of CuTiO 3 /CN heterojunction composites prepared by in situ growth method. [Display omitted] • A series of CuTiO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets were prepared by applying in situ growth method. • CuTiO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 exhibits excellent performance for CO 2 reduction under visible light irradiation. • The 4.0 % CTO/CN had excellent electrochemical stability performance under neutral conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This numerical study aims to investigate the effect of inlet turbulence intensity T u (0.05 – 5.0%) on flow-induced vibration of an elastic cylinder with fixed ends placed next to a rigid cylinder of the same diameter and length in axial flow. Turbulent flow structure and fluid-structure interaction are captured using large eddy simulation and two-way coupling calculation, respectively. It is found that T u produces a pronounced effect on vibration characteristics of the elastic cylinder. Given a dimensionless velocity U̅ (i.e., 3.49, less than critical U̅ for onset of buckling), root-mean-square vibration amplitude A rms ⁎ increases rapidly with increasing T u from 0.7% to 5.0% for any given center-to-center cylinder spacing P⁎ (1.20 – ∞). This change in A rms * is attributed to the interactions between turbulent structures of different scales, where interactions between large-scale eddies result in the formation of small-scale eddies in the interstitial flow between the cylinders, thus enhancing greatly the flow instability and hence A rms *. Another interesting phenomenon takes place at U̅ = 7.62 (beyond the critical U̅ for onset of buckling) and P⁎ = 1.80, where the elastic cylinder buckles into a new dynamic equilibrium state. As T u increases from 0.3% to 1.5%, the flutter instability occurs merely along the y direction that is normal to the plane of two cylinders axes and also normal to main stream direction. It has been found that the high- T u flow triggers two vortices in this direction, giving rise to two regions of different pressures around the cylinder. The two regions reposition quasi-periodically themselves, thus producing lateral forces that account for this flutter instability in the y direction. Scaling analysis of the dependence of A rms ⁎ on T u and U̅ reveals that the relationship A rms ⁎ = g 1 (T u , U̅) may be reduced to A rms ⁎ = g 2 (U̅ eff); g 1 and g 2 are different functions and the scaling factor U̅ eff = U̅ TF , where TF is the turbulence factor that accounts for the effect of T u on A rms ⁎. The scaling law is discussed in detail, along with the physical meanings of U̅ eff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The 2H-MoS 2 /nitrogen-doped carbon (2H-MoS 2 /NC) composite is a promising anode material for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Various transition metal doping has been adopted to optimize the poor intrinsic electronic conductivity and lack of active sites in the intralayer of 2H-MoS 2. However, its optimization mechanisms have not been well probed. In this paper, using Cobalt (Co) as an example, we aim to investigate the influence of transition metal doping on the electronic and mechanical properties and electrochemical performance of 2H-MoS 2 /NC via first-principles calculation. Co doping is found to be effective in improving the electronic conductivity and the areas of active sites on different positions (C surface, interface, and MoS 2 surface) of 2H-MoS 2 /NC. The increased active sites can optimize K adsorption and diffusion capability/processes, where general smaller K adsorption energies and diffusion energy barriers are found after Co doping. This helps improve the rate performance. Especially, the pyridinic N (pyN), pyrrolic N (prN), and graphitic N (grN) are first unveiled to respectively work best in K kinetic adsorption, diffusion, and interfacial stability. These findings are instructive to experimental design of high rate 2H-MoS 2 /NC electrode materials. The roles of different N types provide new ideas for optimal design of other functional composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The tandem Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles/carbon nanofiber configuration was constructed by electrospinning. • The interfacial intergrown nanograins were endowed with more interfacial active regions and oxygen vacancies. • The obtained electrocatalytic NRR activity outperforms most-reported Fe-based NRR catalysts. • Fe@CNF-800 exhibited 90 h electrochemical stability and practical potential in NRR application. • In-situ XPS technique and DFT calculation proved the key role of oxygen vacancy. The oxygen vacancy modulation of interface-engineered Fe 3 O 4 nanograins over carbon nanofiber (Fe@CNF) was achieved to improve electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) activity and stability via facile electrospinning and tuning thermal procedure. The optimal catalyst calcined at 800 ℃ (Fe@CNF-800) was endowed with abundant nanograin boundaries and optimized oxygen vacancy (V o) concentration of iron oxides, thereby affording 37.1 μg h−1 mg cat. -1 (−0.2 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) NH 3 yield and rational Faraday efficiency (10.2%), with 13.6 times atomic activity enhancement compared to of that commercial Fe 3 O 4. The interfacial effect of assembled nanograins in particles correlated with the formation of V o and more intrinsic active sites, which is conducive to the trapping and activation of nitrogen (N 2). The in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement revealed the real consumption of adsorbed oxygen when introducing N 2 by the trapping effect of V o. Density-Functional-Theory (DFT) calculation validates the promotive hydrogenation effect and elimination of hydrogen intermediate (H*) interacted with N 2 transferring toward oxygen of the support. The optimal catalyst shows a lasting NRR activity at least 90 h, outperforming most reported Fe-based NRR catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoglycemia is a common adverse reaction to glucose-lowering treatment. Diabetes mellitus (DM) combined with recurrent nonsevere hypoglycemia (RH) can accelerate cognitive decline. Currently, the metabolic pattern changes in cognition-related brain regions caused by this combined effect of DM and RH (DR) remain unclear. In this study, we first characterized the metabolic profiles of the hippocampus in mice exposed to DR using non-targeted metabolomic platforms. Our results showed that DR induced a unique metabolic pattern in the hippocampus, and several significant differences in metabolite levels belonging to the histidine metabolism pathway were discovered. Based on these findings, in the follow-up experiment, we found that histidine treatment could attenuate the cognitive impairment and rescue the neuronal and synaptic damage induced by DR in the hippocampus, which are closely related to ameliorated mitochondrial injury. These findings provide new insights into the metabolic mechanisms of the hippocampus in the progression of DR, and l -histidine supplementation may be a potential metabolic therapy in the future. • Found novel metabolic changes of recurrent nonsevere hypoglycemia in diabetic mice. • New metabolic changes may have some impact on cognitive function in diabetic mice. • Histidine treatment may have neuroprotective effects in diabetic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of evidence indicates that treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists can be beneficial for patients with osteoporosis. However, the underlying mechanism by which GLP-1 receptor agonists improve osteoporosis remains unclear. In this study, we assessed the anti-osteoporosis effects of Exendin-4, a highly potent GLP-1 receptor agonist, using a rat senescent osteoblast model. We found that Exendin-4 improved proliferation of senescent osteoblasts, as indicated by MTT assay and ALP activity detection. RT-qPCR revealed that Exendin-4 up-regulated the expression of bone metabolism genes (OPG, RANKL, BGP) and down-regulated the expression of aging-related genes (p16, p21, p53). Meanwhile, we observed a sustained increase in IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) expression, and not GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) expression, in senescent osteoblasts treated with Exendin-4. Furthermore, intervention with Exendin-4 in senescent osteoblasts increased IGF-1, p-PI3K, and p-Akt protein levels, as shown by western blot analysis. Finally, downregulation of IGF-1 by RNAi inhibited the anti-osteoporosis effects of Exendin-4, which is associated with the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. In summary, these results indicate that the GLP-1 receptor agonist Exendin-4 promotes proliferation of senescent osteoblasts by up-regulating IGF-1R expression and activating the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, thereby preventing senile osteoporosis. • Exendin-4 treatment enhances proliferation in senescent rat osteoblasts. • Low-dose Exendin-4 activates the IGF-1/IGF-1R pathway in senescent rat osteoblasts. • Exedin-4 reduces expression of senescence genes in high passage rat osteoblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Hydrogen-bonding interaction is the main cause that induces the original IR spectra change of v s (C–D). • The hydrogen-bonds between water and TSILs are the closed shell interaction, electrostatic dominant and weak strength. • The excess spectra can help the deconvolution of the original infrared spectra. • A number of species in the TSILs–DMSO‑ d 6 mixtures were identified from the deconvolution results. Abstract In most practical applications, ionic liquids (ILs) are used in mixtures with molecular solvents to reduce the high viscosity of neat ILs, which greatly hinder the practical handling and various transport processes. Knowledge of the structure and interaction properties of ILs–co-solvent mixtures is necessary as they represent the basis for biological and chemical process. In this work, the structure and interaction properties of three task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) binary mixtures were studied by applying Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and density functional theory (DFT) methods. The C–D systematic stretching vibrational region of DMSO‑ d 6 was closely examined. DMSO‑ d 6 was found to form a relatively stable hydrogen-bonding complex in three binary mixtures. The weak strength hydrogen-bonds between DMSO‑ d 6 and TSILs are the closed shell and electrostatic dominant interactions. With the help of excess infrared spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, a number of species in three binary mixtures were identified, namely, ion cluster–DMSO‑ d 6 , ion pair–DMSO‑ d 6 , cation–DMSO‑ d 6 , and DMSO‑ d 6 self-association dimer. At x (DMSO‑ d 6) > 0.9, the three TSILs mainly exist in the form of individual cations and anions. At 0.8 > x (DMSO‑ d 6) > 0.7, the TSILs are mainly in the form of ionic pairs. When x (DMSO‑ d 6) < 0.6, the TSILs mainly exist in the form of ion clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The black seabream (Sparus macrocephlus) is an economically pivotal aquaculture species cultured in China and Southeast Asian countries. To understand the molecular immune mechanisms underlying the response to Vibrio parahaemolyticus , a comparative gene transcription analysis were performed with utilized fresh livers of V. parahaemolyticus -immunized Sparus macrocephlus with a control group through RNA-Seq technology. A total of 256663 contigs were obtained after excluded the low-quality sequences and assembly. The average length of contigs collected from this research is 1066.93 bp. Furthermore, blast analysis indicates 30747 contigs were annotated based on homology with matches in the NT, NR, gene, and string databases. A gene ontology analysis was employed to classify 21598 genes according to three major functional categories: molecular function, cellular component, and biological process. A total of 14470 genes were discovered in 303 KEGG pathways. RSEM and EdgeR were introduced to estimate 3841 genes significantly different expressed (False Discovery Rate<0.001) which includes 4072 up-regulated genes and 3771 down-regulated genes. A significant enrichment analysis of these differentially expressed genes and isogenes were conducted to reveal the major immune-related pathways which refer to the toll-like receptor, complement, coagulation cascades, and chemokine signaling pathways. In addition, 92175 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 121912 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected and identified sequencely in the Sparus macrocephlus liver transcriptome. This research characterized a gene expression pattern for normal and the V. parahaemolyticus -immunized Sparus macrocephlus for the first time and not only sheds new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the host- V. parahaemolyticus interaction but contribute to facilitate future studies on Sparus macrocephlus gene expression and functional genomics. Highlights • Transcriptome of Sparus macrocephlus liver in response to Vibrio parahaemolyticus were firstly surveyed by RNA-Seq. • 256663 contigs were obtained from two libraries through de novo assembly. • The 4072 and 3771 genes were up- and down-regulated between two libraries. • A total of 92175 SSRs and 121912 candidate SNP loci were identified in the liver transcriptome of Sparus macrocephlus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma cell mastitis (PCM) is a chronic mastitis with limited treatment options and common recurrence. A histopathological hallmark of PCM is the infiltration of numerous plasma cells surrounding the mammary duct. Our previous study showed that the activity of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway was elevated in patients with PCM. However, the etiology of PCM remains largely unclear. In this study, we sought to explore the effects of IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of PCM. Histological analysis showed that the mammary glands of mice that received human breast tissue homogenates, followed by an injection of IL-6, exhibited features of PCM similar to human PCM. The IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling activity was significantly elevated and Bcl-2 was highly expressed in CD138 + plasma cells in the mammary glands of mice with PCM. Furthermore, treatment with AG-490, an inhibitor of JAK family kinases, suppressed activation of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling cascade, in turn resulting in a decreased number of plasma cells in the mammary gland and reversing the pathogenesis of PCM. Taken together, our study indicated that a PCM mouse model was successfully established through activation of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway by injecting IL-6 into the mammary gland of mouse that had received homogenates of human breast tissue. Thus, the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway plays a critical role in orchestrating the pathogenesis of PCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an experimental study of the flow-induced vibration of a cantilevered circular cylinder in the wake of another cylinder, fix-supported at both ends. The diameter and spacing ratios, d/D and L/d are 0.24 – 1.0 and 1.0 – 5.5, respectively, where d and D are the diameters of the upstream and downstream cylinders, respectively, and L is the separation from the upstream cylinder center to the front stagnation point of the downstream cylinder. Measurements are performed over the reduced velocity U r = 3. 8 – 68.3 (based on D and freestream velocity), with the downstream cylinder vibration, vortex shedding frequency, surface pressure distribution and flow structures simultaneously captured. The downstream cylinder accompanied by a smaller d/D and/or L/d is more susceptible to galloping vibration and hysteresis in the galloping response. The mechanism behind initiation and sustenance of galloping is unveiled. It has been found that the effective mass and damping play a key role in initiating and sustaining the vibrations. The variation in the flow structure is discussed in detail in both streamwise and spanwise directions, along with the fluid–structure interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let A be a finite-dimensional gentle algebra over an algebraically closed field. We investigate the combinatorial properties of support τ -tilting graph of A. In particular, it is proved that the support τ -tilting graph of A is connected and has the so-called reachable-in-face property. This property was conjectured by Fomin and Zelevinsky for exchange graphs of cluster algebras which was recently confirmed by Cao and Li. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work can prove that the NiSb alloy embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon material (NiSb/C-2) which was prepared by citric acid as surfactant and carbon source exhibits good reaction stability and a high electron/ion transport rate. Due to NiSb/C-2 has a high carbon layer defect degree, specific surface area, and pseudo-capacitance contribution rate, and low charge transfer resistance, it displayed excellent electrochemical performance as the anode of lithium-ion batteries. This synthesis strategy can provide a new idea for the preparation of high-performance antimony-based anode materials. [Display omitted] Antimony anode has attracted much attention owing to its low lithium-embedded platform and high specific capacity. However, the dramatic volume expansion during the insertion and detachment of Li+ seriously affects its application in lithium-ion batteries. In this work, NiSb alloy embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon (NiSb/C) derived from a Ni-based framework was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction followed by annealing treatment. NiSb alloy nanoparticles could alleviate significant volume expansion during lithium/delithiation owing to the good buffering action of Ni. Nitrogen-doped carbon provides abundant active sites for Li+ and serves as a conductive network to accelerate electron transport. Moreover, the uniformly dispersed NiSb alloy particles and the nitrogen-doped carbon can effectively cooperate to retain the structural completeness of antimony, which promotes the cycling stability and high-rate performance of the NiSb/C anode. At a high density of 2 A g−1, the prepared NiSb/C anode exhibits a reversible specific capacity of 426 mAh g−1 after 450 cycles. It can also exhibit a superior rate capability of 387 mAh g−1 at 5.0 A g−1, which can provide a possibility for designing new anode materials for rechargeable batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Extreme high temperature (EHT) regimes diminished A. asychis fitness and demography. • Increasing EHT amplitude and/or frequency delayed parasitoid development. • Increases in EHT regimes reduced adult longevity, host feeding, and fecundity. • Negative impacts of EHT regimes on demography suggest reduced biocontrol efficacy. Extreme high temperatures (EHTs) are predicted to increase in both amplitude and frequency with future climate warming, and severely impact the fitness of beneficial species. However, little is known about the impact of shifts in the amplitude and frequency of EHTs on the fitness and demography of parasitoids. In this study, we constructed four EHT regimes simulating EHTs of two different amplitudes (34 or 38 °C peak temperature) and frequencies (one or five peak temperature days every ten days), and investigated how these EHT regimes affected the fitness and life table parameters of Aphelinus asychis Walker (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) when parasitizing and feeding on the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). When A. asychis experienced a large amplitude and/or high frequency of EHTs, its development time was significantly prolonged, and key life history traits (adult longevity, host feeding events, and fecundity) were negatively affected. Moreover, as the amplitude and frequency of EHTs increased, the parasitoid's intrinsic rate of increase (r) also decreased. Overall, our results suggest that increasing the amplitude and frequency of EHTs would diminish A. asychis fitness and hinder its population growth, with potentially detrimental effects on its efficiency as a biological control agent of aphid populations under future climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the relationships between τ -strongly Chebyshev, τ -approximative compactness, τ -strong proximinality, and proximinality, where τ stands for the norm topology or weak topology. We consider four examples which illustrate the differences, and a counterexample that shows the question regarding the approximative n -compact Chebyshev subset, raised by Bandyopadhyay et al. , is negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present a straightforward dual-readout immunoassay for sensitive and specific detection of zearalenone (ZEN) using the inner filter effect (IFE) and p-phenylenediamine (PPD). 2-aminoterephthalic acid (PTA-NH 2) is an organic compound that exhibits strong fluorescence at 420 nm. In the presence of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), PPD was oxidized to 2,5-diamino-N, N'-bis(p-aminophenyl)-1,4-benzoquinone di-imine (PPDox). The fluorescence of PTA-NH 2 was quenched due to the IFE effect, resulting from the effective overlap between the UV–vis absorption spectra of PPDox and the fluorescence spectra of PTA-NH 2. Furthermore, PPDox was completely oxidized to p-benzoquinone (PBQ) by sulfuric acid, exhibiting a strong absorption peak at 415 nm and a yellow color. Consequently, a dual-readout immunoassay based on IFE and PPD was developed for the detection of ZEN. The limits of detection for the fluorescent and colorimetric modes were 0.011 ng/mL and 0.019 ng/mL, respectively. The approach can be used to efficiently and accurately detect ZEN in real samples due to the high sensitivity, specificity, and consistency of the dual-readout modes. • A novel IFE and PPD-based dual-readout immunoassay was developed for zearalenone. • This strategy is simple, economical and reproducible. • The LOD of proposed immunoassay was 130-fold lower than that of conventional ELISA. • The immunoassay is simple and does not require any nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient receptor potential vanillic acid 2 (TRPV2) are well recognized for their contributions to neuronal development, cardiac function, immunity and cancer. However, the precise roles for this thermo TRPchannels in neurological disorder remain unknown. In this study, we employed the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate genetic mutations of TRPV2. Genetic mutation of TRPV2 resulted in autistic-like phenotypes in mice accompanied with the disordered electrical signals recorded by multi-channels in vivo. To determine possible molecular mechanisms, western blotting was further used to assess the possible involvement of several autism-related proteins. The significantly decreased expression of the R2 subunit of the GABA-B receptor in the hippocampus was observed. Together, our findings suggest that genetic mutation of TRPV2 induces autism-like behavior, results in decreased expression of the R2 subunit of the GABA-B receptor. • Genetic mutation of TRPV2 induces autism-like behavior in mice. • Genetic mutation of TRPV2 results in an abnormal EEG. • Genetic mutation of TRPV2 remarkably decreases expression of the R2 subunit of the GABA-B receptor in the hippocampus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effect of low-dose radiation on the expression of immune checkpoint molecules in lung cancer cells and its mechanism, as well as the antitumour effect of combined low-dose radiation and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Western blot analysis was used to assess the expression of the immune checkpoint molecules CD47, PD-L1, FGL-1 and CD155 in lung cancer cells after radiation. Western blotting was also used to explore changes in the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. CD8+ T lymphocyte infiltration in tumour tissues were assessed by immunohistochemistry in a mouse model. The inhibitory effect of low-dose radiation combined with PD-L1 or CD47 inhibitors on tumor growth was evaluated by measuring tumor volume. In response to low-dose irradiation, the expression of CD47 and PD-L1 in A549 and LLC cells was increased, the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 was also increased. AG490-mediated inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway before irradiation significantly reduced the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 in lung cancer cells, in the meantime, expression of CD47 and PD-L1 was also reduced. Conventional dose exposure exhibited the same trend. PD-L1 and CD47 protein levels increased after low-dose irradiation in an LLC tumour-bearing mouse model. Low-dose irradiation combined with PD-L1 or CD47 inhibitor treatment reduced levels of PD-L1 or CD47 in tumour tissues, increased the proportion of CD8+ T lymphocytes, and significantly inhibited tumour growth. Both low-dose and regular-dose irradiation upregulate expression of the immune checkpoint molecules CD47 and PD-L1 in lung cancer cells, and the mechanism may be related to the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Furthermore, low-dose irradiation combined with PD-L1 or CD47 inhibitors significantly inhibits tumour growth. • Low dose irradiation can cause the upregulation of PD-L1 and CD47. • Irradiation may regulate the expression of CD47 and PD-L1 through the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. • Irradiation combined with PD-L1/CD47 inhibitor increased the infiltration of CD8-positive T cells. • Low dose irradiation combined with PD-L1/CD47 inhibitor enhanced the inhibition of tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghrelin is an orexigenic gastric hormone that promotes feeding behaviors and regulates energy homeostasis in both humans and rodents. Studies have reported intriguing yet conflicting roles that ghrelin and its receptor growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) play in regulating multiple brain functions, such as learning and memory; however, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of ghrelin incubation and virus-mediated GHS-R1a overexpression on synaptic functions of primary cultured hippocampal neurons. Our results demonstrated that ghrelin pre-treatment for 24 h, with a concentration of either 4 nM or 200 nM, suppressed the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs), the frequency and the amplitude of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs). Similarly, GHS-R1a overexpression inhibited both the frequency and the amplitude of mEPSCs, and mIPSCs frequency. Moreover, our in vitro Ca2+-image study with Rhod-3AM reveals that ghrelin pre-treatment for either 3 h or 24 h suppressed glutamate-induced elevation of cytoplasmic [Ca2+]. Our findings thus suggest that GHS-R1a signaling inhibits synaptic function of hippocampal neurons, which may contribute to the blocking effect of ghrelin on memory formation. • Ghrelin-dependent GHS-R1a activity inhibited mEPSCs frequency and mIPSCs in cultured hippocampal neurons (DIV16). • Elevated GHS-R1a expression reduced mEPSCs and mIPSCs frequency in cultured pyramidal neurons (DIV16). • Glutamate-triggered intracellular [Ca2+] increase was suppressed in ghrelin-treated neurons (DIV16). • The effect of ghrelin on intracellular [Ca2+] elevation was blocked by GHS-R1a antagonist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghrelin is an orexigenic gastric hormone that promotes feeding behaviors and regulating energy homeostasis in both humans and rodents. Our previous studies have shown that ghrelin, when locally infused into the basolateral amygdala (BLA), blocks both acquisition and extinction of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) memory in rats. In this study, we further investigated the effect of virus-mediated overexpression of ghrelin receptor growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) in BLA pyramidal neurons on CTA memory processes. We found that upregulation of GHS-R1a expression in BLA pyramidal neurons repressed CTA extinction while it had no effect on CTA acquisition. In addition, we reported that local infusion of the endogenous GHS-R1a antagonist, liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2), in the BLA abolished the inhibitory effect of increased GHS-R1a on CTA memory extinction. Those findings provide new supportive evidence that ghrelin/GHS-R1a signaling in the BLA circuit shapes emotional memory processes. • GHS-R1a overexpression in BLA pyramidal neurons repressed CTA extinction. • GHS-R1a upregulation in BLA pyramidal neurons did not affect CTA acquisition. • LEAP2 treatment abolished the inhibition of high GHS-R1a on CTA extinction. • Ghrelin/GHS-R1a signaling in the BLA circuit shapes emotional memory processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) source is an important factor affecting biological wastewater treatment. Although the oxygen-based membrane biofilm showed excellent greywater treatment performance, how N source impacts the synchronous removal of organics and N is still unclear. In this work, how N species (urea, nitrate and ammonia) affect synchronous metabolic pathways of organics and N were evaluated during greywater treatment in the membrane biofilm. Urea and ammonia achieved efficient chemical oxygen demand (>97.5%) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS, >98.5%) removal, but nitrate enabled the maximum total N removal (80.8 ± 2.6%). The nitrate-added system had poor LAS removal ratio and high residual LAS, promoting the accumulation of effluent protein-like organics and fulvic acid matter. N source significantly induced bacterial community succession, and the increasing of corresponded functional flora can promote the transformation and utilization of microbial-mediated N. The nitrate system was more conducive to the accumulation of denitrification related microorganisms and enzymes, enabling the efficient N removal. Combining with high amount of ammonia monooxygenase that contributing to LAS and N co-metabolism, LAS mineralization related microbes and functional enzymes were generously accumulated in the urea and ammonia systems, which achieved the high efficiency of organics and LAS removal. [Display omitted] • Nitrogen source affects synchronous C and N metabolic pathways in a membrane biofilm. • High functional flora promotes the transformation and utilization of microbial-mediated N. • Urea and NH+ 4-N enable functional enzymes enrichment and efficient organics removal. • Nitrate achieves denitrifiers and related enzymes accumulation and highest N removal. • Ammonia monooxygenase enables the co-metabolism of LAS and N in the membrane biofilm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]