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Inspecting in high-altitude windy environments requires maintaining a stable attitude to avoid significant oscillations, which is a crucial factor in advancing the use of hybrid power transmission line inspection robots (PTLIRs) in real-world scenarios for the electrical power and energy industry. We developed and optimized a novel walking device to improve the safety of hybrid PTLIRs operating in strong wind conditions. First, we investigate the operational conditions of transmission line inspection and design a walking device capable of transporting a flight device to be suspended under the line for inspection purposes. Second, a force equilibrium analysis is performed to explore the relationship between the key structural parameters of the walking device and the wind-induced deflection of the robot. A multiobjective optimization model is formulated to minimize the maximum deflection angle of the robot along three axes under wind loads. Finally, an optimization algorithm, using an improved non-dominated sorting particle swarm optimization (NSPSO) approach, is proposed to solve the model with good global search ability and fast convergence speed. A test platform is constructed to collect the wind deflection angle of a self-developed hybrid PTLIR under the transmission line. The test results demonstrate that the walking device can carry 30 kg to move along the transmission line. The average deflection angle of the robot around the Z axis is the highest under the influence of wind force level 7 (wind speed of 15.5 m/s) perpendicular to the windward surface of the robot. After optimization, the maximum deflection angle is limited to 10.38°, aligning within safety thresholds. The optimization algorithm effectively reduces the maximum deflection angles around the X, Z, and Y axes by 33.19 %, 39.21 %, and 13.23 %, with minimal average errors of 2.40 %, 3.87 %, and 2.13 %, respectively. The research in this paper can solve the bottleneck problem of robot practicality, which has important theoretical significance and practical application value for the safety, stability, and intelligent operation and maintenance management of power transmission lines.

Theanine (N-ethyl-γ-glutamine), as a unique non-protein amino acid, plays vital roles in abiotic stress resistance, while its roles in biotic stress resistance are still unclear. Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is a major disease in strawberries. Effects of theanine on the development of gray mold, cell-wall and phenylpropanoid metabolisms in strawberries were investigated in this study. Results showed that 5 mmol L−1 theanine treatment reduced disease incidence and severity of gray mold in strawberries with antifungal activity in vitro. Meanwhile, theanine treatment enhanced the accumulation of phenolic compounds and lignin, especially ellagic acid, cyanidin, and quercetin, which was associated with increased phenylpropanoid pathway related enzyme activities. Moreover, theanine induced callose deposition and suppressed cell- wall disassembling enzymes, accompanied by higher levels of water insoluble pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Therefore, theanine treatment could alleviate decay of B. cinerea-inoculated strawberries by regulating phenylpropanoid and cell-wall metabolisms, maintaining higher levels of phenolic compounds and cell-wall components, thereby contributing to disease resistance and cell-wall structure integrity.

Background: Epidermal growth factor-like repeats and discoidin I-like domains 3 (EDIL3) is a secreted extracellular matrix protein implicated in diverse physiological and pathological processes including embryonic development, angiogenesis, and anti-inflammatory responses. Recent reports have indicated that EDIL3 play critical roles in carcinogenesis and progression of many cancers. Herein, we performed a pan-cancer investigation to study the potential functions of EDIL3 in various cancers and experimentally validate its function in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: We analysed EDIL3 expression profiles in different tumours using The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The Kaplan–Meier Plotter was used to investigate the prognostic value of EDIL3, while receiver operating characteristic curve was performed to analyze its diagnostic efficacy. Several bioinformatics tools were used to study the association between EDIL3 and promoter methylation, gene enrichment analysis, immune infiltration, immune-related genes, and drug sensitivity. Molecular biology experiments were conducted to validate the tumorigenic effects of EDIL3. Results: EDIL3 is variably expressed in different cancers and is closely associated with clinical outcomes. An inverse correlation between EDIL3 and DNA methylation has been observed in 13 cancers. Enrichment analysis indicated that EDIL3 is correlated with many cellular pathways such as extracellular matrix receptor interactions and focal adhesion. EDIL3 was tightly associated with immune infiltration and immune checkpoints. EDIL3 knockdown can promote GC calls apoptosis while preventing proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Conclusion: EDIL3 is a promising prognostic, diagnostic, and immunological biomarker in various cancers, which could be applied as a new target for cancer therapy.

Summary: Zeolite-encaged metal nanoparticles (NPs) catalysts are emerging as a new frontier owing to their superior ability to stabilize the structure and catalytic performance in the thermal and environmental catalytic reaction. However, the pore size below 2 nm of the conventional zeolites usually limits the accessibility of metal active sites. Herein, Co-Cu NPs of about 2.5–3.5 nm were uniformly encapsulated in the intracrystalline mesoporous Silicalite-1 (S-1) through alkali-treatment ligand-assisted strategy. The obtained sample (termed CoxCu1-x@HS-1) exhibited efficient activity and stability in the ammonia borane hydrolysis with the highest TOF value of 21.46 molH2·molMe−1·min−1. UV–vis DRS spectra indicated that intracrystalline mesopores have greatly improved the openness and accessibility of the active sites, thus improving their catalytic performance. The introduction of Cu regulates the electronic properties of Co, further increasing hydrogen production activity. This research creates new prospects to design other high-performance hierarchical porous zeolite-confined metal/metal oxide catalysts.

This study investigates the utilization of polyethylene fiber (PEF) and microsilica for the production of high-strength and high-toughness geopolymer concrete (HSHTGC). The influence of the PEF factor or microsilica content on fracture parameters and strength is evaluated, while acoustic emission (AE) response and crack morphologies are employed to validate the fracture performance results. By combing PEF with microsilica, this study successfully prepared HSHTGC with compressive strength exceeding 90 MPa, significant multi-cracking characteristics, as well as high toughness and ductility. The optimal microsilica content and fiber volume fraction are determined to be 32 wt% and 1.5 vol%, respectively. It is observed that when the fiber factor exceeds 800, there is a decline in compressive strength, initiation, and unstable fracture toughness, however, the fracture energy and ductility index consistently increase monotonically. These findings indicate that fiber toughening has a more pronounced effect than fiber strengthening. Moreover, microsilica plays a crucial role in filling voids and improving bonding between fibers and matrix under both tensile and compressive loads throughout the entire process. HSHTGCs with high fiber factors and increased microsilica contents exhibit a multi-cracking mode along with elevated RA values but reduced AF values during failure process, which correspondingly reflect their enhanced toughness.

Summary: Splenectomy often accompanies distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer. However, debates persist on splenic function loss impact. Prior studies in mice revealed splenectomy promotes pancreatic cancer growth by altering CD4/Foxp3 and CD8/Foxp3 ratios. The effect on other immune cells remains unclear. Clinical observations indicate splenectomy induces immunosuppression, heightening recurrence and metastasis risk. Here, we established an orthotopic pancreatic cancer model with splenectomy and observed a significant increase in tumor burden. Flow cytometry revealed elevated MDSCs, CD8+PD-1high+ T cells, and reduced CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and natural killer cells in tumors. Bulk sequencing identified increased MicroRNA (miRNA) hsa-7b-5p post-splenectomy, correlating with staging and immunosuppression. Similar results were obtained in vivo by constructing a KPC-miRNA hsa-7b-5p-sh cell line. These findings suggest that splenectomy enhances the expression of miRNA hsa-7b-5p, inhibits the tumor immune microenvironment, and promotes pancreatic cancer growth.

This work provides a facile route to synthesize the homogeneous hierarchical nanosheets of nickel phyllosilicate (HN-NiPS), which are imparted into epoxy resin (EP) to yield the composites. Various measurements are adopted to examine the structure and compositions of HN-NiPS and the structure-property relationships of EP composites. Results show that HN-NiPS is composed of multi-scaled nanosheets, of which the tiny nanopetals of nickel phyllosilicate grow in situ perpendicularly to a relatively large metal-organic-framework-derived plane. Adequate HN-NiPS disperses well in the EP matrix, not only moderately elevating the tensile strength and elastic modulus, but also improving the tribological properties significantly under starved lubrication. The lowest wear rate of 1.94 × 10−5 mm3/Nm is achieved with 3% HN-NiPS and ca. 72.1% lower than pure EP. The introduced HN-NiPS suppresses the weight loss rate and changes the reaction order insignificantly based on Carrasco whereas activation energies decline gradually with increased filler content. This study contributes robust, thermal stable and wear-resistant polymeric composites strengthened involving the homogeneous hierarchical nanosheets.

Accurately calculating the magnetic acceleration noise is essential to designing the space inertial sensor and constructing its evaluation system. In view of the shortcomings of the magnetic acceleration noise calculation model, which considers the test mass (TM) as an ideal magnetic dipole rather than an entity, the Maxwell stress tensor method (MSTM) and virtual work principle method (VWPM), which consider the influence of the shape and size of the TM into account are adopted in this study. Through comparison, it is concluded that the non-uniformities of the internal magnetic field and magnetization intensity of the TM are the reasons for the calculation error of the model, and when the magnetic susceptibility is

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder influenced by a complex interplay of environmental, epigenetic, and genetic factors. DNA methylation (5mC) and hydroxymethylation (5hmC) are DNA modifications that serve as tissue-specific and temporal regulators of gene expression. TET family enzymes dynamically regulate these epigenetic modifications in response to environmental conditions, connecting environmental factors with gene expression. Previous epigenetic studies have identified 5mC and 5hmC changes associated with AD. In this study, we performed targeted resequencing of TET1 on a cohort of early-onset AD (EOAD) and control samples. Through gene-wise burden analysis, we observed significant enrichment of rare TET1 variants associated with AD (p = 0.04). We also profiled 5hmC in human postmortem brain tissues from AD and control groups. Our analysis identified differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs) in key genes responsible for regulating the methylome: TET3, DNMT3L, DNMT3A, and MECP2. To further investigate the role of Tet1 in AD pathogenesis, we used the 5xFAD mouse model with a Tet1 KO allele to examine how Tet1 loss influences AD pathogenesis. We observed significant changes in neuropathology, 5hmC, and RNA expression associated with Tet1 loss, while the behavioral alterations were not significant. The loss of Tet1 significantly increased amyloid plaque burden in the 5xFAD mouse (p = 0.044) and lead to a non-significant trend towards exacerbated AD-associated stress response in 5xFAD mice. At the molecular level, we found significant DhMRs enriched in genes involved in pathways responsible for neuronal projection organization, dendritic spine development and organization, and myelin assembly. RNA-Seq analysis revealed a significant increase in the expression of AD-associated genes such as Mpeg1, Ctsd, and Trem2. In conclusion, our results suggest that TET enzymes, particularly TET1, which regulate the methylome, may contribute to AD pathogenesis, as the loss of TET function increases AD-associated pathology.

Extended range electric vehicles (EREVs) are an effective solution to solve the lack of driving range of pure electric vehicles. Reducing the fuel consumption of EREVs and prolonging the service lifetime of battery play a positive role in solving environmental pollution and energy crisis. In this paper, hybrid energy storage system (HESS) is introduced into EREVs, and two energy management strategies based on HESS are proposed to reduce fuel consumption and prolonging the service life of battery. This paper proposes two energy management strategies for EREVs based on a HESS to reduce fuel consumption and the amount of energy flowing through the battery. HESS adopts the rule-based energy management strategy, whereas Auxiliary power unit (APU) adopts the equivalent fuel consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) or the rule-based energy management strategy as its first and second hierarchical energy management strategies respectively, both of which are embedded into the charge depleting/charge sustaining (CD/CS) control strategy. A simulation model for an EREV is built in AVL Cruise to verify the effectiveness of these strategies. The battery charge and discharge C-rate and the energy consumption of EREVs without HESS under the ECMS and rule-based energy management strategy are then compared. Results show that under the first hierarchical energy management strategy, the average discharge C-rate and cumulative ampere hours of the battery are the lowest, thereby reducing its operating load and extending its service lifetime. Meanwhile, for those EREVs without HESS, using the rule-based energy management strategy can reduce fuel consumption by 11.33%, whereas using ECMS increases fuel consumption by no more than 1.61%. Therefore, the first hierarchical energy management strategy proposed in this study can effectively extend the service lifetime of the battery and reduce the fuel economy of EREVs.

Objective: The postoperative survival rates of patients with gastric cancer at different stages treated at the National Cancer Center (NCC) of China have not been reported. Therefore, we evaluated the survival of patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgery at the NCC from 2011 to 2018 to provide baseline information for further studies. Methods: We identified 7,301 patients with primary gastric carcinoma who underwent surgery at the NCC between January 2011 and May 2018; among these, 5,008 patients were enrolled in this study. Follow up was completed on April 30, 2020. We analyzed the 5-year survival according to the stage, sex, age, and other clinicopathological features. Results: Five-year survival rates of patients with pTNM stages IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, and IV treated at the NCC were 94.9%, 91.8%, 86.5%, 76.1%, 61.1%, 44.2%, 29.7%, and 8.1%, respectively, which were similar to those reported in Japan during the same period. Five-year survival rates of patients with ypTNM stages I, II, III, and IV were 93.1%, 63.2%, 27.2%, and 0.0%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, age, signet ring cell carcinoma, adjuvant chemotherapy, and degree of differentiation were revealed as important prognostic factors. Conclusion: The survival rates of patients with gastric cancer treated at the NCC have been significantly improved, reaching the levels of Japan in the same period.

This work focuses on the epitaxial growth process and kinetics of silicon-based Ir/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) bilayer films prepared by PLD and magnetron sputtering, including the sequential growth of a YSZ film, an Ir seed layer, and an Ir film on a silicon substrate. The results show that for growing YSZ films by PLD at the target-to-substrate distance of 60 mm, the higher the laser energy density and the oxygen pressure, the lower the laser frequency, the higher the epitaxy quality. In addition, for the preparation of the Ir-seed layer by PLD, background gas decelerates the plasma and suppresses self-sputtering and implantation, which is beneficial to obtaining a high-quality seed layer. In particular, introducing a small amount of oxygen is able to improve the epitaxial quality of the films during the growth of Ir-seed and Ir films, and the mechanism of oxygen is proposed. For the growth of Ir films by magnetron sputtering, the growth rate and the energy of argon ions increased with the increase of RF power, while the epitaxial quality is the opposite. The kinetic theory and simulation results demonstrate that this trend is mainly caused by the increase in the number of particles reaching the substrate without significantly increasing the distribution of high-energy particles. Finally, high-quality Ir (100) films on the YSZ (100) with a fresh surface are prepared. It is shown that increasing the epitaxy quality of the YSZ (100) film and the growth temperature of the Ir film can improve the quality of Ir film. Based on our results, the growth of Ir films on YSZ films with fresh surfaces resulting from in-situ argon plasma cleaning provides a new idea for preparing Ir (100)/YSZ (100) bilayer epitaxial film.

Background: Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs in a very short time, the biological consequence of a TBI, such as Alzheimer’s disease, may last a lifetime. To date, effective interventions are not available to improve recovery from a TBI. Herein we aimed to ascertain whether recovery of neurosurgical high-frequency irreversible electroporation (HFIRE) injury in brain tissues can be accelerated by 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF). Methods: The HFIRE injury was induced in the right parietal cortex of 8 adult healthy and neurologically intact male dogs. Two weeks before HFIRE injury, each dog was administered orally with or without 7,8-DHF (30 mg/kg) once daily for consecutive 2 weeks (n = 4 for each group). The values of blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, brain edema, and cerebral infarction volumes were measured. The concentrations of beta-amyloid, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in the cerebrospinal fluid were measured biochemically. Results: The BBB disruption, brain edema, infarction volumes, and maximal cross-section area caused by HFIRE injury in canine brain were significantly attenuated by 7,8-DHF therapy (P

The co-chaperone DnaJ plays an important role in protein folding and regulation of various physiological activities, and participates in several pathological processes. DnaJ has been extensively studied in many species including humans, drosophila, mushrooms, tomatoes, and Arabidopsis. However, few studies have examined the role of DnaJ in wheat (Triticum aestivum), and the interaction mechanism between TaDnaJs and plant viruses. Here, we identified 236 TaDnaJs and performed a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of conserved domains, gene structure and protein motifs, chromosomal positions and duplication relationships, and cis-acting elements. We grouped these TaDnaJs according to their domains, and randomly selected six genes from the groups for tissue-specific analysis, and expression profiles analysis under hormone stress, and 17 genes for plant virus infection stress. In qRT-PCR, we found that among the 17 TaDnaJ genes tested, 16 genes were up-regulated after wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) infection, indicating that the TaDnaJ family is involved in plant defense response. Subsequent yeast two-hybrid assays verified the WYMV NIa, NIb and 7KD proteins interacted with TaDJC (TraesCS7A02G506000), which had the most significant changes in gene expression levels after WYMV infection. Insights into the molecular mechanisms of TaDnaJ-mediated stress tolerance and sensitivity could inform different strategies designed to improve crop resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. This study provides a basis for future investigation of the TaDnaJ family and plant defense mechanisms.

Objectives: We evaluated the contribution of lung lesion quantification on chest CT using a clinical Artificial Intelligence (AI) software in predicting death and intensive care units (ICU) admission for COVID-19 patients. Methods: For 349 patients with positive COVID-19-PCR test that underwent a chest CT scan at admittance or during hospitalization, we applied the AI for lung and lung lesion segmentation to obtain lesion volume (LV), and LV/Total Lung Volume (TLV) ratio. ROC analysis was used to extract the best CT criterion in predicting death and ICU admission. Two prognostic models using multivariate logistic regressions were constructed to predict each outcome and were compared using AUC values. The first model (“Clinical”) was based on patients’ characteristics and clinical symptoms only. The second model (“Clinical+LV/TLV”) included also the best CT criterion. Results: LV/TLV ratio demonstrated best performance for both outcomes; AUC of 67.8% (95% CI: 59.5 - 76.1) and 81.1% (95% CI: 75.7 - 86.5) respectively. Regarding death prediction, AUC values were 76.2% (95% CI: 69.9 - 82.6) and 79.9% (95%IC: 74.4 - 85.5) for the “Clinical” and the “Clinical+LV/TLV” models respectively, showing significant performance increase (+ 3.7%; p-value

The mechanism of melatonin (MT) induced chilling tolerance in harvested cucumber fruit was investigated at commercial maturity. In this study, cucumber fruits were treated with 100 µmol L–1 MT at 4°C and 90% relative humidity for 15 d of storage. In comparison with the control, cucumber treatment with MT resulted in reduced chilling injury (CI), decreased electrolyte leakage and enhanced firmness. The fruits treated with MT showed higher chlorophyll contents in storage conditions with suppressed chlorophyllase enzyme activity. MT treatment increased arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) enzyme activities. Moreover, enhanced expression of the Cucumis sativus ADC (CsADC) and C. sativus ODC (CsODC) genes resulted in the accumulation of polyamine contents. Similarly, proline levels exhibited higher levels among treated fruits. Meanwhile, the proline synthesizing enzymes △1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate syntheses (P5CS) and ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) were significantly increased, while a catabolic enzyme of proline dehydrogenase (PDH) activity was inhibited by treatment. In addition, MT induced expression of C. sativus OAT (CsOAT) and C. sativus P5CS (CsP5CS) genes. Cucumber fruits treated with MT also exhibited higher γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content by enhanced GABA transaminase (GABA-T) and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) enzyme activities and a higher C. sativus GAD (CsGAD) gene expression. To sum up, the results show that MT treatment enhanced chilling tolerance, which was associated with the regulation of polyamines, as well as proline and γ-aminobutyric acid.

Optical deep learning based on diffractive optical elements offers unique advantages for parallel processing, computational speed, and power efficiency. One landmark method is the diffractive deep neural network (D2NN) based on three-dimensional printing technology operated in the terahertz spectral range. Since the terahertz bandwidth involves limited interparticle coupling and material losses, this paper extends D2NN to visible wavelengths. A general theory including a revised formula is proposed to solve any contradictions between wavelength, neuron size, and fabrication limitations. A novel visible light D2NN classifier is used to recognize unchanged targets (handwritten digits ranging from 0 to 9) and targets that have been changed (i.e., targets that have been covered or altered) at a visible wavelength of 632.8 nm. The obtained experimental classification accuracy (84%) and numerical classification accuracy (91.57%) quantify the match between the theoretical design and fabricated system performance. The presented framework can be used to apply a D2NN to various practical applications and design other new applications.

State of charge (SOC) of ultracapacitor plays an important role in the energy management optimization of hybrid energy storage system for electric vehicles. In addition to the perfection of the model and the SOC estimation algorithm, the parameter identification method and temperature factor should also be considered. In this paper, an ultracapacitor test platform is established, the characteristic parameters of ultracapacitor at full temperature range are obtained. This paper uses the forgetting factor recursive least squares algorithm (FFRLS) to identify the parameters of the second-order equivalent circuit model of ultracapacitor online. The extended Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm is used to estimate the SOC of ultracapacitor cell. The results show that: (1) FFRLS algorithm can identify R0, R1, R2, C1, and C2 values of ultracapacitor at full temperature range. Under the hybrid pulse power characterization working condition, the average mean absolute error between the estimated voltage and the actual voltage is about 0.0132 V. (2) EKF algorithm has a good adaptability to estimate SOC of ultracapacitor under different temperatures and working conditions. The SOC estimation error under different working conditions is low. From the perspective of mean square error, the estimation error at −20°C is the lowest. (3) FFRLS and EKF joint estimation algorithm with good robustness and reliability can be used to estimate the SOC of ultracapacitor under different temperatures and working conditions. This study can provide a useful guidance for the parameter identification and SOC estimation of ultracapacitor for electric vehicle at different temperatures.

Non-equilibrium solidification and experienced thermal conditions of deposited 2219 aluminium alloy during wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) result in the grain boundary segregation, which makes it difficult to avoid the appearance of columnar grain. In this work, columnar crystal defects and grain boundary segregation were eliminated by adding TiC nanoparticles (TiCnps) to WAAM-deposited 2219 aluminium alloy. The effects of TiCnps addition on the solidification dynamics, particles distribution, grain boundary structure, solute redistribution, and mechanical properties were investigated. The solidification dynamics of the droplet induced by mesoscopic TiC particles was assessed and the result showed that the addition of c. 80 nm TiCnps could reduce the solid–liquid growth rate (R), besides, the critical movement rate (Rc) of 80 nm TiCnps was much lower than that of R, i.e. TiCnps were inclined to be distributed inside the grains as effective nucleation particles. Micro-pools with multi-site nucleation inhibited grain boundary segregation and increased Cu concentration in Al-matrix. Such a variation in Cu atom concentration promoted the precipitation of the fine spot-like θ′-CuAl2 phase with a diameter of c. 500 nm, besides, the dendritic θ-CuAl2 phase along the grain boundary was all transformed into α-Al+θ-CuAl2 phases with a semi-coherent state. The fine spot-like phase and TiCnps possessed a strong interfacial bonding with the Al-matrix, thereby the mechanical properties of the deposited 2219 aluminium alloy were strengthened. Eventually, the deposited 2219 aluminium alloy with the addition of TiCnps exhibited excellent mechanical properties, i.e. the tensile strength of the samples were around 380 MPa, and the elongation could be up to 21.4%.

A reliable and accurate battery model is the basis of accurate prediction of battery voltage and state of power (SOP). Based on the electrochemical model of a battery, an improved novel polarization voltage (NPV) model based on current and time is developed in this study. The parameters of the NPV model can be identified with only small-batch primary data, and the accurate prediction of voltage and SOP at t-second (t > 0) under constant current (I ≠ 0) can be easily realized. The simulation results show that when 3C is used to charge the battery directly from state of charge = 0 to the cut-off voltage, the errors of terminal voltage and polarization voltage at the cut-off voltage are only 1.4% and 4.9%, respectively, and the average errors of them in the whole process are only 1.14% and 4%, respectively. The SOP prediction at t-second = 10 s with an overall error of around 5% can be realized by the NPV model. The NPV model is simple in structure and it is easy to identify model parameters. It is also very suitable for voltage simulation and SOP prediction, which can provide reliable support for charge and discharge safety control and energy management.

The dysregulation of alternative splicing (AS) has emerged as a mechanism of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the prognostic impact of AS events remains under-explored in AML. Here we report the prognostic value of AS events and associated splicing factors based on three datasets of AML patients. We defined the landscape of AS events in AML and identified 7033 AS events associated with the survival of AML patients. Based on these events, we further developed a composite 15 AS event-based prognostic signature, which was independent of the cytogenetic risk stratification and patient age, and showed a better performance than known gene expression signatures. More importantly, our new signature markedly improved the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) risk classification, indicating a broad applicability in the clinical management of AML. Furthermore, the splicing-regulatory network established the correlations between prognostic AS events and associated splicing factors. The finding was validated by CRISPR-based data, which indicated that the increased expression of RBM39 contributed to the higher exon inclusion of SETD5 and conferred a poor outcome. Together, AS events may serve as a novel assortment of prognosticators for AML and could refine the ELN risk stratification. The splicing regulatory network provides clues regarding the splicing factor-mediated mechanisms of AML.

The effects of deposition time of Ir buffer layer on MgO(100) support layer were investigated during the fabrication of the Ir/MgO compliant substrates with the use of the magnetron sputtering technique. It was observed that the XRD FWHM of Ir(200) decreases rapidly at first and then slowly with increasing deposition time, and the XRD FWHM data versus the deposition time can be fitted into the Logistic curve. For the surface roughness Ra of the Ir buffer layer, it increases firstly and then declines with increasing deposition time; the experimental data of Ra versus the deposition time can be fitted to the Lorentz curve. And the fitting functions corresponding to the two curves can be used for the determination of the deposition time of desired Ir buffer layer quality easily and conveniently, which provides a solid foundation for subsequent heteroepitaxy of high-quality diamond films on the Ir/MgO compliant substrate.

The wetting behaviour of Al alloys (i.e., 6061 Al and 4043 Al alloys) on the surface of pure titanium was studied by sessile drop method at temperatures of 873–973 K under high vacuum with ˜10−4 Pa. All wetting processes were divided into two stages: in the nonlinear stage, the formation of a compact intermetallic layer (Ti7Al5Si12) blocked the mass transfer at solid/liquid (S/L) interface and deteriorated wetting, while the formation of loose phase (Al3Ti) at triple line region can removed the oxide film and improved wettability. The wetting activation energy (56 kJ/mol for a 6061Al/Ti system, and 71 kJ/mol for a 4043Al/Ti system) corresponded to the sum of the difference in surface energy per molar area between α-Ti and TiO2 (27.2 kJ/mol), and the Gibbs energy of formation for Al3Ti (30 kJ/mol) or the decomposition energy for Ti7Al5Si12 (48 kJ/mol). In the near-linear stage, the droplet spread on the surface of intermetallic compound (IMC). The spreading dynamics for 6061 alloy satisfied the Jiang’s empirical equation, and for 4043 alloy satisfied the viscous dissipation-limited model. The interfacial reaction had little effected on a droplet spreading, while the viscous friction drove the spread of 4043 alloy on precursor film in the near-linear stage. Keywords: Interfacial mass transfer, Reactive wettability, Activation energy, Al-Ti

Background: Burdock (Arctium lappa L.) is a fructan-rich plant with prebiotic potential. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient enzymatic route to prepare fructooligosaccharides (FOS)-rich and highly antioxidative syrup using burdock root as a raw material. Results: Endo-inulinase significantly improved the yield of FOS 2.4-fold while tannase pretreatment further increased the yield of FOS 2.8-fold. Other enzymes, including endo-polygalacturonase, endo-glucanase and endo-xylanase, were able to increase the yield of total soluble sugar by 11.1% (w/w). By this process, a new enzymatic process for burdock syrup was developed and the yield of burdock syrup increased by 25% (w/w), whereas with FOS, total soluble sugars, total soluble protein and total soluble polyphenols were enhanced to 28.8%, 53.3%, 8.9% and 3.3% (w/w), respectively. Additionally, the scavenging abilities of DPPH and hydroxyl radicals, and total antioxidant capacity of the syrup were increased by 23.7%, 51.8% and 35.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Our results could be applied to the development of efficient extraction of valuable products from agricultural materials using enzyme-mediated methods.How to cite: Tian K, Wang J, Zhang Z, et al. Expression and purification of a transcription factor StMsn2 from Setosphaeria turcica in Escherichia coli. Electron J Biotechnol 2019;40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2019.04.009 Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Arctium, Burdock, Endo-inulinase, Enzymatic process, Fructooligosaccharides, Functional food, Fungitetraose, Hydroxyl radical, Polygalacturonase, Polyphenols, Tannase

Summary: Transcriptional silencing of the FMR1 gene in fragile X syndrome (FXS) leads to the loss of the RNA-binding protein FMRP. In addition to regulating mRNA translation and protein synthesis, emerging evidence suggests that FMRP acts to coordinate proliferation and differentiation during early neural development. However, whether loss of FMRP-mediated translational control is related to impaired cell fate specification in the developing human brain remains unknown. Here, we use human patient induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural progenitor cells and organoids to model neurogenesis in FXS. We developed a high-throughput, in vitro assay that allows for the simultaneous quantification of protein synthesis and proliferation within defined neural subpopulations. We demonstrate that abnormal protein synthesis in FXS is coupled to altered cellular decisions to favor proliferative over neurogenic cell fates during early development. Furthermore, pharmacologic inhibition of elevated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling corrects both excess protein synthesis and cell proliferation in a subset of patient neural cells.

In this work, congruent LiTaO3 crystals are irradiated by heavy ions Fe, Xe, and Bi respectively at fluence range of 1 × 1012 ~ 2 × 1015 cm−2. The effects of heavy ions irradiation are studied by using optical transmission spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction.Heavy ion irradiation presents a unique effect in transmission spectra which is quite opposite to the previous reported results of light ions irradiation. The latter could often cause a significant optical absorption in visible light region. The former, however, not only induce no optical absorption, but can enhance transmittance over a broad spectral range (340–2500 nm). It is found that the discrepancy may originate from different damage process during ions irradiation. Light ion irradiation can create numerous of simple defects (like oxygen vacancies) serving as color centers which can cause an optical absorption. However, direct amorphization dominates the damage process induced by heavy ions, during which it hardly produces simple defects. Moreover, due to direct heavy ions bombardment, special textures are formed on the surfaces of the samples which serve as antireflection structures and enhance optical transmissions.

Fragile X associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of CGG repeats in the 5’ UTR of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. Using the well-established FXTAS Drosophila model, we performed a high-throughput chemical screen using 3200 small molecules. NSC363998 was identified to suppress the neurodegeneration caused by riboCGG (rCGG) repeats. Three predicted targets of a NSC363998 derivative are isopeptidases in the neddylation pathway and could modulate the neurotoxicity caused by the rCGG repeats. Decreasing levels of neddylation resulted in enhancing neurodegeneration phenotypes, while up-regulation could rescue the phenotypes. Furthermore, known neddylation substrates, Cul3 and Vhl, and their downstream target, Sima, were found to modulate rCGG90-dependent neurotoxicity. Our results suggest that altered neddylation activity can modulate the rCGG repeat-mediated toxicity by regulating Sima protein levels, which could serve as a potential therapeutic target for FXTAS.

The pure tungsten was implanted with 500 keV helium (He) ions to a fluence of 1.0 × 1017 ions/cm2 at RT and 800 °C. After the implantation, cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM) and nano-indentation measurements were used to investigate the He bubbles and hardness profiles induced by He implantation. Visible He bubbles were observed only in the damage peak region at RT but in the whole damage region at 800 °C. The size of He bubbles at 800 °C increased with increasing depths. With increasing the implantation temperature from RT to 800 °C, the size of He bubbles in the damage peak regions increased. The nano-indentation tests indicated that hardening was induced by He implantation at RT and 800 °C. The implantation induced peak hardness values were the same at both temperatures, but the hardness peaks moved to the surface with increasing temperatures. The formation of He bubbles and the contributions of their distribution and sizes to the hardness were discussed.

(−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major catechin in green tea, is a potent antioxidant with numerous reported health benefits, such as anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects. We combined thermally modified β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) with EGCG to form stable co-assembled nanoparticles (Eβ-NPs). The Eβ-NPs inhibited the proliferation of human malignant melanoma cells A375 and human eosophageal carcinoma cells TE-1 with 69.0% and 63.7% greater activity than EGCG, respectively. Cancer cells treated with Eβ-NPs showed increased apoptosis, suppressed proliferation and appreciable cell cycle inhibition. A plausible mechanism of Eβ-NPs-induced apoptosis was proposed, in which Eβ-NPs were more effective than native EGCG for Akt-mediated phosphorylation, which altered several pro/anti-apoptotic proteins including Bcl-2 family members and caspases. Thus, Eβ-NPs have the potential to improve the chemopreventive effect of EGCG in functional foods.

Environmental stress is among the most important contributors to increased susceptibility to develop psychiatric disorders. While it is well known that acute environmental stress alters gene expression, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain largely unknown. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is a novel environmentally sensitive epigenetic modification that is highly enriched in neurons and is associated with active neuronal transcription. Recently, we reported a genome-wide disruption of hippocampal 5hmC in male mice following acute stress that was correlated to altered transcript levels of genes in known stress related pathways. Since sex-specific endocrine mechanisms respond to environmental stimulus by altering the neuronal epigenome, we examined the genome-wide profile of hippocampal 5hmC in female mice following exposure to acute stress and identified 363 differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs) linked to known (e.g., Nr3c1 and Ntrk2) and potentially novel genes associated with stress response and psychiatric disorders. Integration of hippocampal expression data from the same female mice found stress-related hydroxymethylation correlated to altered transcript levels. Finally, characterization of stress-induced sex-specific 5hmC profiles in the hippocampus revealed 778 sex-specific acute stress-induced DhMRs some of which were correlated to altered transcript levels that produce sex-specific isoforms in response to stress. Together, the alterations in 5hmC presented here provide a possible molecular mechanism for the adaptive sex-specific response to stress that may augment the design of novel therapeutic agents that will have optimal effectiveness in each sex.

Ultrasonic vibration can change the dynamic behavior of the bubble and improve the process stability in underwater wet welding (UWW); thus, it has been attempted to profitably control metal transfer process. Arc signals about welding current and arc voltage together with the high-speed imaging detected in conventional UWW and ultrasonic-wave-assisted UWW (U-UWW) were used as information source for determining the droplet transfer mode. The results show that the change in the characteristics of bubble motion affects the droplet transfer process in U-UWW. During the short-circuiting transfer process in small arc voltage, the frequency of arc extinction and the peak of short-circuiting current are both decreased. During the droplet repelled transfer process in middle arc voltage, the droplet repulsive phenomenon is weakened, and the transfer frequency is increased from 7.9 Hz to 10.5 Hz at 34 V. Meanwhile, the droplet diameter is reduced and its transfer stability is improved. During the droplet repelled transfer process in high arc voltage, the frequency and duration time of arc extinction are both reduced. The underlying difference of droplet transfer process between conventional UWW and U-UWW was investigated by the two aspects including ultrasonic wave effect and dynamic bubble effect. Keywords: Ultrasonic vibration, Underwater wet welding, FCAW, Metal transfer, Arc signals, Bubble-acoustic interaction

Microtubule-associated protein Tau (MAPT) and GGGGCC (G4C2) repeat expansion in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72) are the major known genetic causes of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Although expanded G4C2 repeats and Tau traditionally are associated with different clinical presentations, pathological and genetic studies have suggested a strong association between them. Here we demonstrate a strong genetic interaction between expanded G4C2 repeats and Tau. We found that co-expression of expanded G4C2 repeats and Tau could produce a synergistic deterioration of rough eyes, motor function, life span and neuromuscular junction morphological abnormalities in Drosophila. Mechanistically, compared with the normal allele containing (G4C2)3 repeats, the (G4C2)30 allele increased Tau phosphorylation levels and promoted Tau R406W aggregation. These results together suggest a potential crosstalk between expanded G4C2 repeats and Tau in modulating neurodegeneration.

Summary: As a Ca2+-activated lipid scramblase and ion channel that mediates Ca2+ influx, TMEM16F relies on both functions to facilitate extracellular vesicle generation, blood coagulation, and bone formation. How a bona fide ion channel scrambles lipids remains elusive. Our structural analyses revealed the coexistence of an intact channel pore and PIP2-dependent protein conformation changes leading to membrane distortion. Correlated to the extent of membrane distortion, many tightly bound lipids are slanted. Structure-based mutagenesis studies further reveal that neutralization of some lipid-binding residues or those near membrane distortion specifically alters the onset of lipid scrambling, but not Ca2+ influx, thus identifying features outside of channel pore that are important for lipid scrambling. Together, our studies demonstrate that membrane distortion does not require open hydrophilic grooves facing the membrane interior and provide further evidence to suggest separate pathways for lipid scrambling and ion permeation. : TMEM16F is a calcium-activated ion channel and lipid scramblase linked to the bleeding disorder Scott syndrome. Feng et al. examine cryo-EM structures of TMEM16F with or without Ca2+ ions and PIP2 nanodisc supplementation and identify structural features for lipid binding and membrane distortion critical for lipid scrambling activity. Keywords: TMEM16F, cryo-EM, membrane distortion, lipid scramblase, ion channel, calcium, PIP2 modulation

The wetting behaviour of pure copper on the surface of TC4 titanium alloy and 304 stainless steel plates was studied by the sessile drop method at temperatures of 1273–1433 K under high vacuum. The FeO oxide film limited the solid/liquid interfacial mass transfer in a Cu/304ss system, but the TiO oxide film was not a limiting factor in a Cu/TC4 system. The potential spreading model was judged by the Rn-t relationship, in which n was close to 4 in a Cu/TC4 system, which confirmed the presence of diffusion-limited wetting. For Cu/304ss, 4 ≤ n ≤ 10: this indicated behaviour between that of the diffusion-limited reactive control model and the hydrodynamic model. At the Cu/304ss joining side, the wetting activation energy (55.1 kJ/mol) corresponded to the sum of the diffusion activation energy for Fe in liquid Cu (10 kJ/mol) and the difference in surface energy per molar area between Fe and FeO (44.9 kJ/mol). At the Cu/TC4 joining side, the wetting activation energy (23.6 kJ/mol) corresponded to the diffusion activation energy for Ti in liquid Cu (21 kJ/mol). The diffusion of Ti and Fe in molten Cu caused variations in capillary force, which were attributed to changes in the micro-grooves. Keywords: Wetting behaviour, Diffusion, Activation energy, Ti-Cu-steel

Summary: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is enriched in brain and has been recognized as an important DNA modification. However, the roles of 5hmC and its writers, ten-eleven translocation (Tet) proteins, in stress-induced response have yet to be elucidated. Here, we show that chronic restraint stress (CRS) induced depression-like behavior in mice and resulted in a 5hmC reduction in prefrontal cortex (PFC). We found that loss of Tet1 (Tet1 KO) led to resistance to CRS, whereas loss of Tet2 (Tet2 KO) increased the susceptibility of mice to CRS. Genome-wide 5hmC profiling identified the phenotype-associated stress-induced dynamically hydroxymethylated loci (PA-SI-DhMLs), which are strongly enriched with hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) binding motifs. We demonstrated the physical interaction between TET1 and HIF1α induced by CRS and revealed that the increased HIF1α binding under CRS is associated with SI-DhMLs. These results suggest that TET1 could regulate stress-induced response by interacting with HIF1α. : The roles of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and its writers, Tet proteins, in stress-induced response remain unclear. Cheng et al. show that Tet1 knockout mice exhibit resistance, whereas Tet2 knockout mice have increased susceptibility to stress. Biochemical and genome-wide analyses suggest that Tet1 could regulate stress-induced response by interacting with Hif1α. Keywords: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, depression, prefrontal cortex, stress, Tet protein

The effect of hot air (HA, 45°C, 3.5 h) treatment on reducing gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in strawberry fruit and the possible mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that HA treatment significantly reduced lesion diameter and enhanced activities of chitinase (CHI), β-1,3-glucanase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in strawberry fruit. Total phenolic contents were also increased by HA treatment. The activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were higher in HA treated strawberry fruit than those in control. Expression of three defense related genes such as CAT, CCR-1 allele and PLA6 was greatly induced in HA treated strawberry fruit with or without inoculation by B. cinerea. In addition, the in vitro experiment showed that HA treatment inhibited spore germination and tube growth of B. cinerea. These results suggested that HA treatment directly activated disease resistance against B. cinerea in strawberry fruit without priming response and directly inhibiting growth of B. cinerea.

Self-limiting oxidation of nanowires has been previously described as a reaction- or diffusion-controlled process. In this letter, the concept of finite reactive region is introduced into a diffusion-controlled model, based upon which a two-dimensional cylindrical kinetics model is developed for the oxidation of silicon nanowires and is extended for tungsten. In the model, diffusivity is affected by the expansive oxidation reaction induced stress. The dependency of the oxidation upon curvature and temperature is modeled. Good agreement between the model predictions and available experimental data is obtained. The developed model serves to quantify the oxidation in two-dimensional nanostructures and is expected to facilitate their fabrication via thermal oxidation techniques.

Environmental stress is among the most important contributors to increased susceptibility to develop psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. While even acute stress alters gene expression, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain largely unknown. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is a novel environmentally sensitive DNA modification that is highly enriched in post-mitotic neurons and is associated with active transcription of neuronal genes. Recently, we found a hippocampal increase of 5hmC in the glucocorticoid receptor gene (Nr3c1) following acute stress, warranting a deeper investigation of stress-related 5hmC levels. Here we used an established chemical labeling and affinity purification method coupled with high-throughput sequencing technology to generate the first genome-wide profile of hippocampal 5hmC following exposure to acute restraint stress and a one-hour recovery. This approach found a genome-wide disruption in 5hmC associated with acute stress response, primarily in genic regions, and identified known and potentially novel stress-related targets that have a significant enrichment for neuronal ontological functions. Integration of these data with hippocampal gene expression data from these same mice found stress-related hydroxymethylation correlated to altered transcript levels and sequence motif predictions indicated that 5hmC may function by mediating transcription factor binding to these transcripts. Together, these data reveal an environmental impact on this newly discovered epigenetic mark in the brain and represent a critical step toward understanding stress-related epigenetic mechanisms that alter gene expression and can lead to the development of psychiatric disorders.

TET1/2/3 are methylcytosine dioxygenases that regulate cytosine hydroxymethylation. Tet1/2 are abundantly expressed in HSC/HPCs and are implicated in hematological malignancies. Tet2 deletion in mice causes myeloid malignancies, while Tet1-null mice develop B cell lymphoma after an extended period of latency. Interestingly, TET1/2 are often concomitantly downregulated in acute B-lymphocytic leukemia. Here, we investigated the overlapping and non-redundant functions of Tet1/2 using Tet1/2 double-knockout (DKO) mice. DKO and Tet2−/− HSC/HPCs show overlapping and unique 5hmC and 5mC profiles. DKO mice exhibit strikingly decreased incidence and delayed onset of myeloid malignancies in comparison to Tet2−/− mice and in contrast develop lethal B cell malignancies. Transcriptome analysis of DKO tumors reveals expression changes in many genes dysregulated in human B cell malignancies, including LMO2, BCL6, and MYC. These results highlight the critical roles of TET1/2 individually and together in the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies.

Somatic cell reprogramming toward induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) holds great promise in future regenerative medicine. However, the reprogramming process mediated by the traditional defined factors (OSMK) is slow and extremely inefficient. Here, we develop a combination of modified reprogramming factors (OySyNyK) in which the transactivation domain of the Yes-associated protein is fused to defined factors and establish a highly efficient and rapid reprogramming system. We show that the efficiency of OySyNyK-induced iPSCs is up to 100-fold higher than the OSNK and the reprogramming by OySyNyK is very rapid and is initiated in 24 hr. We find that OySyNyK factors significantly increase Tet1 expression at the early stage and interact with Tet1/2 to promote reprogramming. Our studies not only establish a rapid and highly efficient iPSC reprogramming system but also uncover a mechanism by which engineered factors coordinate with TETs to regulate 5hmC-mediated epigenetic control.