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[Display omitted] • Cu-FeTCPP MOF was first used as a co-catalyst hybridized with ZnTi-LDH for photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. • The photocatalytic CO 2 reduction activity of the composites in aqueous system is significantly higher than that of ZnTi-LDH and Cu-FeTCPP MOF. • The successful construction of a novel 2D/2D Z-scheme heterojunction ZnTi-LDH/Cu-FeTCPP MOF is the key factor to improve the photocatalytic activity. • The Z-scheme heterojunction accelerates the directional migration and separation of photogenerated carriers. • DFT calculations and experiments verify that different porphyrin metal centers of MOFs affect photocatalytic performance. The artificial photocatalysis to convert CO 2 into renewable fuels has been of great significance in solving climate crisis and depletion of fossil fuels. The development of Z-scheme photocatalyst is crucial to achieve efficient photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. Herein, a 2D/2D Z-scheme ZnTi-LDH/Cu-FeTCPP MOF heterojunction is designed for photocatalytic CO 2 reduction without photosensitizer and organic sacrificial agent. The optimized ZnTi-LDH/Cu-FeTCPP MOF photocatalyst exhibits attractive activity with a CO yield of 37.80 μmol•g−1, which is 28 and 26 times higher than those of ZnTi-LDH and Cu-FeTCPP MOF respectively. The increased photocatalytic activity is attributed to the contact of Cu-FeTCPP MOF and ZnTi-LDH, which enhances the CO 2 adsorption and light utilization. More importantly, the internal electric field created at the contact interface is capable of establishing a direct Z-scheme heterojunction in the ZnTi-LDH/Cu-FeTCPP MOF hybrid to separate photogenerated carriers and boost the redox reactions. Additionally, cycling tests confirm its favorable stability. This study strategies designing effective LDHs/MOFs Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts toward CO 2 photocatalytic reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prenatal phthalate exposure decreased sex steroid hormones in the F1 generation. • Prenatal phthalate exposure increased gonadotropin hormones in the F1 generation. • Phthalate exposure decreased percentage of antral follicles in the F2 generation. • Prenatal phthalate exposure caused irregular cyclicity in the F3 generation. • Prenatal phthalate exposure altered follicle numbers in the F3 generation. Phthalates are known endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are found in many consumer products. Our laboratory previously developed a relevant phthalate mixture consisting of six phthalates and found that it disrupted female fertility in mice. However, it is unknown if prenatal exposure to phthalate mixtures can accelerate reproductive aging and if this occurs in multiple generations. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to a mixture of phthalates accelerates biomarkers of reproductive aging in multiple generations of female mice. Pregnant CD-1 mice were orally dosed with vehicle control or a phthalate mixture (20 μg/kg/day-500 mg/kg/day) daily from gestational day 10 to birth. Adult F1 females born to these dams were used to create the F2 and F3 generations by mating them with unexposed males. At 13 months, estrous cyclicity was monitored and ovaries and sera were collected for analysis. In the F1 generation, the mixture decreased testosterone and inhibin B levels, but increased follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels compared to control. In the F2 generation, the phthalate mixture decreased the percent of antral follicles and testosterone hormone levels compared to control. In the F3 generation, prenatal exposure to the phthalate mixture increased ovarian weight, increased the time in metestrus/diestrus, altered follicle numbers, and decreased the levels of luteinizing hormone compared to control. Collectively, these data suggest that prenatal exposure to a phthalate mixture may accelerate several biomarkers of reproductive aging in a multi- and transgenerational manner in female mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed method achieves robust diagnosis of bearings based on acoustic signals. • MOMEDA is employed to extract periodic impulses and compensate the transmission path. • A sparsity operation is designed for denoising and acoustic feature enhancement. • The bearing mixed fault diagnosis being received limited attention is investigated. • Quantitative comparison results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method. Rolling element bearings are of great importance and widely used in rotating machineries, whose fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) are essential for insuring reliability of the entire mechanical system. Therefore, extracting fault-related transient features from noisy signals to reveal bearing weak fault is a crucial prerequisite for long term condition monitoring. However, in complex working conditions, the measured acoustic signals are typically multi-component, submerged by strong interference noise and affected by unknown transmission path, resulting in the indistinctive fault-induced features and unsatisfactory diagnosis accuracy. To tackle this problem, a sparsity-oriented Multipoint Optimal Minimum Entropy Deconvolution Adjusted (MOMEDA) method is proposed for bearing fault feature enhancement and diagnosis based on acoustic signals. As a non-iterative blind deconvolution approach, MOMEDA has been proven to be an effective tool to extract fault-related impulses from the noisy signal and compensate the complex unknown transmission path, enabling target propositioning and fault indication of bearings at an earlier termination condition. Furthermore, a sparsity operation which is originally designed for acoustic signal analysis, based upon the Laplace distribution characteristics of the fault-induced outliers, can further suppress the noise component and enhance the periodic fault impulses. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed sparsity-oriented MOMEDA method is validated by both simulated and experimental data. It is worth mentioning that bearing cage fault diagnosis and bearing mixed fault diagnosis, usually receiving limited attention before, are also investigated by the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the presented method gets preferable performance than existing methods, and it can achieve robust FDD of rolling bearings based on acoustic signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A is a known endocrine disrupting chemical and reproductive toxicant. Previous studies indicate that in utero BPA exposure increases the percentage of germ cells in nests and decreases the percentage of primordial follicles. However, the mechanism by which BPA affects germ cell nest breakdown is unknown. Thus, we hypothesized that BPA inhibits germ cell nest breakdown by interfering with oxidative stress and apoptosis pathways. To test our hypothesis, ovaries from newborn mice were collected and cultured with vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO) or different doses of BPA (0.1, 1, 5, and 10 μg/mL). Ovaries then were subjected to histological evaluation of germ cell nests and primordial follicles or to measurements of factors that regulate oxidative stress and apoptosis. Our results indicate that in vitro BPA exposure significantly inhibits germ cell nest breakdown by altering the expression of key ovarian apoptotic genes, but not by interfering with the oxidative stress pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Phthalate mixture caused decreased progesterone and Hand2 expression levels in F2. • 200 mg/kg/day group increased luminal epithelial cell proliferation in F2. • Higher incidence of multilayered luminal epithelium in all generations. • Higher incidence of large, dilated glands in all generations. • Higher incidence of fibrotic response in all generations. Phthalates are commonly used plasticizers and additives that are found in plastic containers, children's toys and medical equipment. Phthalates are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals and exposure to phthalates has been associated with several human health risks including reproductive defects. Most studies focus on a single phthalate; however, humans are exposed to a mixture of phthalates daily. We hypothesized that prenatal exposure to an environmentally relevant phthalate mixture would lead to changes in uterine morphology and function in mice in a multi-generational manner. To test this hypothesis, pregnant CD-1 dams were orally dosed with vehicle or a phthalate mixture (20 μg/kg/day, 200 μg/kg/day, 200 mg/kg/day, and 500 mg/kg/day) from gestational day 10.5 to parturition. The mixture contained 35 % diethyl phthalate, 21 % di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, 15 % dibutyl phthalate, 15 % diisononyl phthalate, 8% diisobutyl phthalate, and 5% benzylbutyl phthalate. The F1 pups were maintained and mated to produce two more generations (F2 and F3). At the age of 13 months, all females were euthanized and tissue samples were collected in diestrus. Our results showed that exposure to a phthalate mixture caused a decrease in progesterone levels in the treated groups in the F2 generation. The 200 mg/kg/day treatment group showed a decreased and increased luminal epithelial cell proliferation in the F1 and F2 generations respectively. In addition, these mice in the F2 generation had reduced Hand2 expression in the sub-epithelial stroma compared to the controls. A higher incidence of multilayered luminal epithelium and large dilated endometrial glands were observed in the phthalate mixture exposed groups in all generations. The mixture also caused a higher incidence of smooth muscle actin expression and collagen deposition in the endometrium compared to controls. Collectively, our results demonstrate that prenatal exposure to an environmentally relevant phthalate mixture can have adverse effects on female reproductive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the growing energy demand and environmental issues associated with fossil fuels, growing energy crops on marginal lands offers a sustainable solution to increase bioresources for bioenergy production while avoiding the conflict of food and fuel. Giant reed (Arundo donax L.), a non-food energy crop, is recognized for its substantial yield and adaptability to marginal lands, making it a promising candidate for bioenergy production and carbon sequestration. Despite its potential, the optimal supply chain configuration for giant reed (GR) based bioenergy production on China's marginal lands has not been established and evaluated. This study aims to fill this gap by developing and evaluating an integrated framework that includes the identification of available marginal lands, a region-specific growth model for GR biomass, and a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model for optimal design of spatial supply chain configuration. The growth model indicates an average yield potential of 24.5 t DM/ha annually. The optimization model provides multiple cost-effective solutions for the configurations of biomass production regions, storage depots, biorefineries, while considering transportation logistics across diverse geographic landscapes. Results at various replacement ratio of national energy consumption, demonstrate that large-scale GR plantation and utilization significantly increase the total cost but also contribute to substantial carbon sequestration, ranging from 23 Mt CO 2 eq at a 1% replacement ratio to 620 Mt CO 2 eq at 28% annually. This study not only provides a foundational framework for future research on the potential of GR in China's bioenergy development, but also highlights the feasibility of incorporating GR into China's bioenergy landscape. [Display omitted] • Giant reed (GR) emerges as a promising non-food energy crop for biofuel production in China. • Novel integrated framework for GR biomass supply chain simulation and optimization. • An APSIM-based model tailored for regional predictions of GR biomass yield. • Large scale MILP optimization addresses non-uniform biomass distribution across China's marginal lands. • Optimal GR supply chains demonstrate significant Carbon sink potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) has been identified to be a critical mediator of severe sepsis. Ketamine has been shown to reduce sepsis-induced pathological complications. These effects are because of the reduced expression and release of several inflammatory mediators. However, whether ketamine affects the expression and release of HMGB1 is not known. We investigated the effect of ketamine on HMGB1 release in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages in vitro and in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic rats in vivo, and determined its molecular mechanism of action. RAW264.7 cells or primary macrophages were incubated with or without LPS (500 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of ketamine, a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) inhibitor (SB203580), a nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) inhibitor (pyrimidine dithiocarbamate), or small interfering RNA. The protein and expression levels of inflammatory mediators, such as HMGB1, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The effect of ketamine on NF-κB and p38 MAPK activation was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blot analysis, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Western blotting was used to observe changes in translocation of HMGB1 from the nucleus to cytoplasm. In addition, CLP-induced septic rats were treated with ketamine (0.5, 5, 10 mg/kg) or saline (10 mL/kg) 3 h after sepsis, and the levels of HMGB1 and functional parameters of multiple organs were determined using several detection kits. Seven-day survival was also assessed. Ketamine inhibited HMGB1 release in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells and CLP-induced septic rats. Translocation of HMGB1 from the nucleus to cytosol and expression of HMGB1 mRNA were inhibited significantly by ketamine. Ketamine inhibited the translocation of NF-κB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. Rats treated with ketamine improved survival in rats and significantly reduced CLP-induced dysfunction/injury of organs. Ketamine suppresses LPS-induced HMGB1 release in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells and a CLP-induced model of sepsis in rats by partially inhibiting NF-κB/p38 MAPK pathways. Ketamine increased survival time induced by CLP and reduced organ dysfunction in septic peritonitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A is used in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Previous studies show that in utero BPA exposure inhibits germ cell nest breakdown in the F1 generation of mice, but its effects on germ cell nest breakdown and on the ovary in the F2–F3 generations were unknown. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that BPA has transgenerational effects on the ovary. Mice were exposed to BPA in utero (BPA 0.5, 20, or 50 μg/kg/day), and ovaries were collected at postnatal days (PND) 4 and 21 from the F1–F3 generations and subjected to histological evaluation and gene expression analyses. In utero BPA exposure did not have transgenerational effects on germ cell nest breakdown and gene expression on PND 4, but it caused transgenerational changes in expression in multiple genes on PND 21. Collectively, these data indicate that in utero BPA exposure has some transgenerational effects in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]