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Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) regulates retinal water homeostasis and participates in retinal oedema pathophysiology. β-dystroglycan (β-DG) is responsible for AQP4 polarization and can be cleaved by matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9). Retinal oedema induced by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is an early complication. Bumetanide (BU) has potential efficacy against cytotoxic oedema. Our study investigated the effects of β-DG cleavage on AQP4 and the roles of BU in a rat retinal I/R injury model. The model was induced by applying 110 mm Hg intraocular pressure to the anterior eye chamber. BU and U0126 (a selective ERK inhibitor) were intraperitoneally administered 15 and 30 min, respectively, before I/R induction. Rhodamine isothiocyanate extravasation detection, quantitative real-time PCR, transmission electron microscopy, hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunofluorescence staining, western blotting, and TUNEL staining were performed. AQP4 lost its polarization in the retinal perivascular domain as a result of β-DG cleavage. BU rescued AQP4 depolarization, suppressed AQP4 protein expression, attenuated retinal cytotoxic oedema, and downregulated β-DG and AQP4 mRNA expression. BU suppressed glial responses and mitochondria-mediated apoptotic protein expression, including that of Caspase-3 and Cyto C, raised the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, and lowered the number of apoptotic cells in the retina. Both BU and U0126 downregulated p-ERK and MMP9 expression. Thus, BU treatment suppressed β-DG cleavage, recovered AQP4 polarization partially via inhibiting ERK/MMP9 signaling pathway, and possess potential neuroprotective efficacy in the rat retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury model.

To develop a digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT)-based radiomics nomogram for preoperative evaluation of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) status in patients with invasive breast cancer (IBC).A total of 135 patients with pathologically confirmed IBC who underwent preoperative DBT from July 2018 to May 2020 were retrospectively enrolled and randomized into the training and validation sets. Radiomics feature extraction was performed on the volume of interest (VOI) manually outlined. A four-step algorithmic was applied to screen the features with the highest predictive power in the training set for constructing the radiomics signature and calculating the correspondent radiomics score (Rad-score). Logistic regression analyses were utilized to develop a combined radiomics model that incorporated the DBT-reported clinicoradiological semantic features and Rad-score, which was visualized as a radiomics nomogram.The percentage of LVI-positive patients was 60.2% and 59.5% in the training and validation sets, respectively. The radiomics signature was constructed based on nine features selected from the 1218 radiomics features extracted. Higher Rad-score, maximum tumor diameter, and spiculate margin were independent risk factors for LVI. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the radiomics nomogram were 0.905, 72.7%, and 94.6% in the training set, and 0.835, 80.0%, and 76.5% in the validation set, respectively; this data was higher than models incorporating clinicoradiological semantic features alone or the radiomics signature in both sets.Preoperative DBT-based combined radiomic nomogram could be a potential biomarker for LVI in patients with IBC.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a serious public health burden around the world. So far there is no effective vaccine against this virus. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses to the epitopes within HCV E1 and E2 proteins are related to the resolution of hepatitis C infection. E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) has been described as potent immunity adjuvants. In this study, we constructed recombinant pET vectors: pET-R9-Bp (B cell polyepitopes) expressing 7 epitopes from HCV E1 and E2 proteins including R9 (E2

The Hessian fly (HF, Mayetiola destructor) is one of the destructive pests of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Resistant cultivars can effectively minimize wheat damage due to this insect pest. To identify new quantitative trait loci (QTL) for HF resistance, a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed from a cross between the HF-resistant wheat cultivar ‘Chokwang’ and susceptible wheat ‘Ning 7840’, and phenotyped for responses to HF attack. A linkage map was constructed using 1147 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). One major QTL, QHf.hwwg-6BS, for HF-resistance was identified on chromosome arm 6BS, which explained up to 84.0% of the phenotypic variation and was contributed by Chokwang. Two RILs showed recombination in the candidate interval of QHf.hwwg-6BS, which delimited QHf.hwwg-6BS to a 4.75 Mb physical interval between 6,028,601 bp and 10,779,424 bp on chromosome arm 6BS of IWGSC Chinese Spring reference genome RefSeq v2.0. Seven GBS-SNPs in the candidate interval were converted into Kompetitive allele specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) markers. Two of them, KASP-6B112698 and KASP-6B7901215, were validated in a U.S. winter wheat panel. KASP-6B112698 was nearly diagnostic, thus can be used to screen QHf.hwwg-6BS and pyramid it with other resistance genes in breeding programs.

In the inflammatory peri-implant microenvironment, excessive polarization of macrophages to the proinflammatory M1 phenotype can trigger the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, which promote bone resorption and impede osteogenesis around implants. The direct consequence of this process is the failure of prosthetic implants due to aseptic loosening. To reverse the inflammatory microenvironment and prevent prosthesis loosening, a mussel adhesion-inspired surface strategy was used for bioengineering of titanium implants with integrin-binding ability. In our design, a mussel-inspired catecholic peptide with tetravalent 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (DOPA) and Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequences was synthesized. The peptide can easily anchor to the surface of medical titanium materials through a mussel adhesive mechanism. We found that peptide-decorated titanium implants could effectively inhibit peri-implant inflammation in a wear particle model and could promote the polarization of macrophages to a pro-healing M2 phenotype by interfering with integrin-α2β1 and integrin-αvβ3. Moreover, the peptide coating increased the adherence of osteoblasts and promoted osteogenesis on titanium implants even under inflammatory conditions. This work suggested that this biomimetic catecholic integrin-binding peptide can provide facile tactics for surface bioengineering of medical prostheses with improved interfacial osteogenesis under inflammatory conditions, which might contribute greatly to the prevention of prosthesis loosening and the improvement of clinical outcomes.

Wheat leaf rust is a prevalent foliar disease in wheat worldwide. Growing resistant cultivars is an effective strategy to minimize the impact of leaf rust on yield and grain quality. Lr42 is a leaf rust resistance gene identified from Aegilops tauschii and is still effective against current predominant leaf rust races in the United States and many other countries. In this study, we developed diagnostic DNA markers for Lr42 using the sequence polymorphisms of a differentially expressed gene (TaRPM1) encoding a putative NB-ARC protein in the Lr42 candidate region identified by RNA-sequencing of two near-isogenic lines contrasting in Lr42 alleles. Markers were designed based on a deletion mutation and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the gene. Haplotype analyses of the newly developed markers in the three diversity panels demonstrated that they are diagnostic for Lr42, and superior to previously used markers in selection accuracy. These markers have the advantages of low cost and easy assay, and they are suitable for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs with either high- or low-throughput marker screening facilities.

Metabolic reprogramming is emerging as a key pathological contributor to the progression of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), but the molecular mechanisms underlying dysregulated cellular metabolism remain elusive. Here we report that amino acid biosynthesis is reprogrammed in Pkd2-knockout mouse kidneys via a defective PERK-eIF2ɑ-ATF4 pathway. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the amino acid biosynthesis pathways such as serine, arginine and cysteine were impaired, and associated critical enzymes were downregulated in Pkd2-knockout mouse kidneys. ATF4 and CHOP, transcription factors downstream of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor PERK, were identified as master regulators of these enzymes' expression. PKD2 deficiency impaired the expression of ATF4 and amino acid synthesis enzymes in RCTEC cells under ER stress. Mechanistically, as an ER-resident protein, PKD2 interacts with TBL2, which functions as an adaptor bridging eIF2ɑ to PERK. PKD2 depletion impaired the recruitment of eIF2ɑ to TBL2, thus impeding activation of the PERK-eIF2ɑ-ATF4 pathway and downstream amino acid biosynthesis. These findings illuminate a molecular mechanism linking the PKD2-mediated PERK-eIF2ɑ-ATF4 pathway and amino acid metabolic reprogramming in ADPKD.

Regulation of glucose metabolism by NAD-dependent ADP-ribosyltransferase is well investigated in different populations. Genetic variations NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase has been shown to alter the activity of the enzyme and associated with susceptibility to diabetes. However, reports on neonatal diabetes are minimal. We, therefore, in the present report aimed to investigate the involvement of NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase variants as a possible risk factor for predisposition to neonatal diabetes mellitus in Chinese patients. Neonatal subjects diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and healthy infants from a similar geographical area were enrolled at China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, China. The involvement of NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase with neonatal diabetes mellitus was investigated in DNA samples of all participants by PCR methods. One hundred Twenty neonatal diabetes mellitus cases and a matched number of healthy neonates were enrolled in the present study. GG and G SNPs of NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase were mainly involved in developing neonatal diabetes mellitus and the individuals with GA SNPs protect responsible for protecting from neonatal diabetes mellitus. Thus, NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase involved in neonatal diabetes mellitus and risk of developing is approx. 2 times higher compared to healthy subjects. Our finding showed that polymorphism in NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase gene is associated with the predisposition to neonatal diabetes mellitus in Chinese. The present study also suggested that NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase is a promising target for the treatment of neonatal diabetes mellitus and an effective care of patients. Our study results encourage conducting further investigation in the multi-centric clinical genetic study including larger samples to assesses the role of NAD + ADP-ribosyltransferase polymorphism in neonatal diabetes mellitus. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Type-2, Genetic variations, Polymorphism

High glucose- induced endothelial dysregulation has been recognized as an initiation of vascular complications in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Anagliptin is a novel licensed dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor for the treatment of T2DM. The effects of anagliptin in high glucose- induced endothelial dysfunction are less reported. In the current study, we found that treatment with anagliptin prevented high glucose- induced reduction of cell viability and increase in LDH release in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Our results indicate that anagliptin- reduced high glucose- induced increase in mitochondrial ROS and NOX-4 expression. Additionally, anagliptin treatment inhibited high glucose- induced expressions of TXNIP in HUVECs. Importantly, anagliptin treatment downregulated high glucose- induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation, as evidenced by reducing the expressions of NLRP3, ASC, and cleaved caspase-1 (P10). Also, ELISA results demonstrate that anagliptin treatment significantly abolished high glucose- induced maturation of IL-1β and IL-18. Mechanistically, we found that anagliptin treatment restored high glucose- induced reduction of SIRT1 expression. Silencing of SIRT1 by transfection with SIRT1 siRNA abolished the inhibitory effects of anagliptin in NLRP3 inflammasome activation. These results display that anagliptin may confer protection against high glucose- induced endothelial injury via SIRT1-dependent inhibition of NLRP3 infammasome activation.

For figuring out the relationships between chemical structure and extraction properties of the soft non-heterocyclic N-donor ligand nitrilotriacetamide (NTAamide), eight representative ligands with different substituent groups based on NTAamide were synthesized on purpose. Their extraction behaviors toward Am3+ and Eu3+ were investigated. In the examined HNO3 concentration ranging from 0.01 to 0.50 mol/L, the distribution ratios (D) of Am3+ and Eu3+ increased with increasing the extractant concentration or decreasing the aqueous phase acidity. The highest separation factor (SFAm/Eu) of 12 with DAm = 5.8 and DEu = 0.49 could be obtained in the case of the extraction by 0.10 mol/L N,N,N',N',N“,N”-hexadecylnitrilotriacetamide (NTAamide(n-Dec)) in MIBK as diluent from 0.10 mol/L HNO3 solution. The extractability of eight ligands decreased in the order of NTAamide(n-Dodec) > NTAamide(n-Dec) > NTAamide(n-Oct) > NTAamide(n-Bu) > NTAamide(i-Bu) > NTAamide(Et-p-MePh) > NTAamide(Et-Ph) > NTAamide(2-EtHex). The aliphatic substituent groups with longer straight chain are advantageous to the extraction, while the aromatic ones with larger steric hindrance and electron-withdrawing property are disadvantageous. The log β values between NTAamides and Eu3+ were obtained by fluorescence titration for the first time. Moreover, HRMS indicated the formation of 1:1 complexes of NTAamides with Eu3+, which was in good accordance with the extraction results obtained from slope analysis.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains the most challenging breast cancer subtype. In the presented work, we have combined several emerging technologies to build up a nanoplatform for TNBC treatment: photothermal therapy, prodrug design and tumor cell camouflage formulation. First, we synthesized a paclitaxel (PTX) based prodrug PTX-SS, and then conjugated it to the surface of gold nanorod (Au NR) @ mesoporous silica (MSN) core-shell nanoparticles (Au@MSN-NH2 NPs). Subsequently, doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into the Au@PTXSS-MSN NPs and further coated with cell membranes isolated from MDA-MB-231 cells to form cell camouflaged Au@PTXSS-MSN/DOX@CM NPs. The Au@PTXSS-MSN/DOX@CM NPs exhibited very good DOX loading capacity and the prodrug strategy enabled the precise adjustability of PTX-SS loading to achieve the optimized ratio between PTX and DOX to maximize the synergistic effect of these two drugs, as well as enabled GSH-responsive intracellular drug release. More interestingly, the cell membrane coating not only protected the drug from premature release, but also significantly improved the targeting ability of NPs to breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. The NPs also showed good photothermal responsiveness with clear improvement in inhibiting MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation under laser irradiation. The in vivo studies further confirmed the effectiveness of Au@PTXSS-MSN/DOX@CM NPs on TNBC tumor inhibition in 4T1 cell grafted tumor mice model.

Global warming has necessitated the quest for CO2 mitigation globally. Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is a market-oriented strategy which may be effective for CO2 mitigation. This study establishes a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to analyze the impact of different ETS quota allocation scheme on the electricity industry and determine the best choice of quota allocation scheme for the electricity industry in China. The research on China's carbon trading market may provide an important case for the global carbon trading market. The results show that different quota allocation schemes have impacts on electricity price, and there are some spillover effects to other industries. Higher Annual Decline Factor (ADF) will reduce carbon rights than lower ones. Changes in the quota allocation schemes of a single industry (electricity) can hardly affect aggregate GDP and CO2 emissions. Moreover, ETS quota allocation scheme in the electricity sector based on historical emission intensity could have better performance in commodity price, electricity supply, ETS price, GDP and social welfare. Thus, this paper suggests that the best choice of ETS quota allocation scheme in the electricity sector is the scheme that is based on historical emission intensity which ADF is 0.

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), as a membrane protein involved in the formation of caveolae, binds steroid receptors and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, limiting its translocation and activation. In the present study, we investigated the role of Cav-1 in the progression of hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in murine animals. Therefore, the wild type (WT) and Cav-1-knockout (Cav-1-/-) mice were used in our study and subjected to CCl4. The results indicated that CCl4 induced the decrease of Cav-1 expression in liver tissue samples. And Cav-1-/- intensified CCl4-triggered hepatic injury, evidenced by the stronger hepatic histological alterations, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and liver terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells. CCl4 led to oxidative stress, supported by the reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) levels, as well as enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA) and O2- levels in liver samples. And the process was intensified by Cav-1-/-. Additionally, CCl4-caused hepatic inflammation was aggregated by Cav-1-/- via further increasing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, CCl4-caused fibrosis was strengthened by Cav-1-/-, which was evidenced by the up-regulation of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen alpha 1 type 1 (Col1A1), lysyl oxidase (Lox) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in liver tissues. Similar results were observed in TGF-β1-stimulated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and LX-2 cells without Cav-1 expressions that in vitro, suppressing Cav-1 further accelerated TGF-β1-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis development. In conclusion, our results indicated that Cav-1 played an important role in CCl4-induced hepatic injury, which may be used as potential therapeutic target for hepatic fibrosis treatment.

Chloride ion penetration resistance (CPR) of concrete containing fly ash (FA)/silica fume (SF) against combined freezing-thawing and chloride attack was studied. The total charge passed, immersed in tap water and sodium chloride solution, subjected to 50 freezing-thawing cycles was evaluated. It was found that immersed in tap water, SF had more evident improvement on concrete’s resistance to combined effects than FA. Sodium chloride solution immersion for 41d prior to test was more aggressive than tap water. After 50 freezing-thawing cycles, CPR of concrete with FA increased, while that with SF decreased. Interaction between freezing-thawing and chloride attack accelerated concrete deterioration. The authors would like to acknowledge the National Natural Science Foundation of China (through the grant 51368049 and 51668001), Ningxia First Class Discipline Project (Water Conservancy Engineering) (through the grant NXYLXK2017A03) and Ningxia University Subject Development Project for sponsoring this research. The first author would also like to acknowledge the China Scholarship Council for sponsoring his one-year visit to Brunel University London where this paper was completed.

Purpose To estimate the incremental cost-utility ratio of oral semaglutide (14 mg once daily) vs other glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist treatments among adults with type 2 diabetes that was inadequately controlled with 1 to 2 oral antidiabetic drugs from a US payer perspective. Methods A state-transition model with a competing risk approach was developed for diabetic complications and risk of cardiovascular events based on the UK Prospective Diabetes Study Outcomes Model 1 equations. Baseline population characteristics reflect the PIONEER 4 trial (Efficacy and Safety of Oral Semaglutide Versus Liraglutide and Versus Placebo in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) of oral semaglutide. Model comparators included subcutaneous semaglutide, dulaglutide, and liraglutide. Treatment effects (change in glycosylated hemoglobin, weight, and systolic blood pressure) were estimated by network meta-analysis. Drug, management, and event costs (in 2019 US dollars), survival after nonfatal events, and utilities were obtained from the literature. Costs and quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) outcomes were discounted at 3% annually over a lifetime horizon. Probabilistic and 1-way sensitivity analyses were performed. Findings Total estimated costs and QALYs were $144,065 and 12.98 for oral semaglutide, $145,721 and 12.96 for dulaglutide, $145,833 and 12.99 for SC semaglutide, and $149,428 and 12.97 for liraglutide, respectively. Oral semaglutide was less costly and more effective than dulaglutide and liraglutide but less costly than subcutaneous semaglutide with similar effectiveness. Oral semaglutide was favored versus subcutaneous semaglutide in 52.10% of model replications at a willingness-to-pay of $150,000 per QALY. Implications Oral semaglutide is predicted to offer health benefits similar to subcutaneous semaglutide and ahead of dulaglutide and liraglutide. Oral semaglutide is a cost-effective glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist treatment option.

Emerging evidence indicates that NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-induced inflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Celastrol (Cel) is a quinone-methylated triterpenoid extracted from Tripterygium wilfordii that is used to treat RA. However, researchers have not determined whether Cel exerts anti-RA effects by regulating the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. In the present study, complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)- induced rats and human mononuclear macrophages (THP-1 cells) were used to explore the anti-RA effects of Cel and its underlying mechanism. Joint swelling, the arthritis index score, inflammatory cell infiltration, and synovial hyperplasia in CFA-induced rats were correspondingly reduced after Cel treatment. The secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 in the serum of CFA-induced rats and supernatants of THP-1 cells exposed to Cel was significantly decreased. These inhibitory effects occurred because Cel blocked the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, Cel inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). We speculated that Cel relieves RA symptoms and inhibits inflammation by inhibiting the ROS-NF-κB-NLRP3 axis.

The boundary between quantum capacitance and pseudocapacitance is blurred due to their similarity in electronic populations. Here we propose the rules to classify the contributions of quantum capacitance and pseudocapacitance and their effects on the intrinsic ion transport kinetics based on the applied voltages and electronic structures. Systems including graphite, LiFePO4, LiTiS2, LiCoO2, and Ti3C2Tx MXene are employed to illustrate their different intrinsic kinetics according to the classifications based on the density functional theory calculations and the reported experimental measurements. These results can facilitate the step to screen the electrode materials with different kinetics through calculations.

Objective To assess the effects of fertiloscopy procedure on the outcomes of subsequent in vitro fertilization cycles in patients with repeated implantation failure (RIF). Methods A retrospective study was performed on 50 patients underwent fertiloscopy and 41 controls with RIF. Pelvic and intrauterine pathologies related to infertility, clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR) of subsequent IVF cycles were assessed. Results Twenty-six out of 50 patients (52%) had abnormal fertiloscopic findings. The women who underwent fertiloscopy exhibited significantly increased CPRs (46.8% vs. 24.4%) and OPRs (36.2% vs. 12.2%) compared with the control subjects who did not undergo fertiloscopy. Conclusion The incidence of pathologic findings on fertiloscopy is high among patients with RIF. Fertiloscopy is valuable in subsequent cycles among patients with RIF.

The distribution of annual plant species greatly expands with degradation and desertification of natural grass-lands caused by climate change and overgrazing. However, limited understanding of how their life history traits respond to climate change limits our ability to predict their adaptive strategies in the future. Here we explored effects of warming on phenological sequences and seed production of annual Koenigia islandica using an open top chamber on the Tibetan plateau from 2014 to 2016. Our results indicate that warming significantly delayed first budding-set and complete leaf coloring, and prolonged the durations of leaf coloring and the total activity period in the alpine region. Warming significantly reduced ratio of reproductive and vegetative phases relative to no warming in 2016. Warming significantly increased plant height at first flowering, seed number and mass, but had no significant effect on seed size in 2016. There was a positive correlation between seed germination time and seed number, and there were negative correlations between seed size and first fruiting-set and flowering duration. Soil temperatures and soil moisture in May and June had positive and negative correlations with seed number and mass per plant, respectively. Our results suggest that the annual plant primarily promotes its fitness through an increase in seed number and mass per plant due to an increase in plant height, rather than by altering phenophases or prolong duration of reproductive phase under future warming in the alpine meadow.

A novel water-soluble ligand of N,N,N‴,N‴-tetraethyl-N′,N″-ethidene bisdiglycolamide (TEE-BisDGA) was synthesized and used as a masking agent for selective extraction of Am(III) over Eu(III) from HNO3 solution by N,N,N′,N′,N″,N″-hexaoctylnitrilotriacetamide (NTAamide(C8)) in kerosene. Influences of acidity, concentration of water-soluble ligands and extractant as well as nitrate ions on the distribution ratios (D) and separation factors (SF) of Am(III) and Eu(III) were investigated. In the range of examined acidity from 0.001 to 0.2 mol/L, DAm and DEu decreased with the increase of HNO3 concentration. Using 0.1 mol/L NTAamide(C8) as an extractant, the maximum SFAm/Eu of 26 can be obtained in the presence of 0.01 mol/L TEE-BisDGA in aqueous phase with pH of 3.0, which was significantly higher than that case with no TEE-BisDGA. Job's method and mole ratio method were employed for extraction mechanism research. It has been shown that Am(III) and Eu(III) formed di-solvated species with TEE-BisDGA and mono-solvated species with NTAamide(C8), respectively. Moreover, the stability constants logβ values were obtained from UV–vis adsorption spectroscopic titration for Nd(III) complexes with TEE-BisDGA and N,N,N′,N′-tetraethyldiglycolamide (TEDGA), which indicated that TEDGA had a stronger complex ability than TEE-BisDGA.

Widespread bacterial infection and the spread of antibiotic resistance exhibit increasing threat to the public and thus require new antibacterial strategies. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have been extensively investigated to play fluorescent, catalytic roles and even potential biomedical functions containing sterilization. However, synthetic understanding of the interaction of CQDs and bacteria, the exhibition of antibacterial ability, and the risk of resistance evolution remain lacking. Herein, a simple one-pot method was fabricated to prepare positively charged CQDs (PC-CQDs) as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent. PC-CQDs possessed effective antibacterial activity against all tested Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and drug-resistant bacteria. Investigation of the antibacterial mechanism of PC-CQDs indicated that small-sized PC-CQDs functionalized with -NH2 and -NH induced strong adherence behavior on the bacterial cell membrane. Moreover, the entry of PC-CQDs caused conformational changes in the genes and generation of reactive oxygen species in the bacteria. Safety evaluation illustrated that PC-CQDs did not trigger detectable drug resistance or hemolysis. Furthermore, PC-CQDs effectively promoted the antibacterial treatment of mixed Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli infected wound in rats with low in vivo toxicity. These results suggested that PC-CQDs are a potential antibacterial candidate for real wound healing applications in complex bacterial infections and even resistant bacteria-caused infections.

Gene disruption and replacement in Corynebacterium glutamicum is dependent upon a high transformation efficiency. The cglIR-cgIIR restriction system is a major barrier to introduction of foreign DNA into Corynebacterium glutamicum cells. To improve the transformation efficiency of C. glutamicum, the cglIM gene encoding methyltransferase in the cglIR-cglIIR-cglIM restriction-modification system of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 was chromosomally integrated and expressed in Escherichia coli, resulting in an engineered strain E. coli AU1. The electro-transformation experiments of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 with the E. coli-C. glutamicum shuttle plasmid pAU4 showed that the transformation efficiency of C. glutamicum with pAU4 DNA extracted from E. coli TG1/pAU4 was 1.80±0.21×102cfu/μg plasmid DNA, while using pAU4 DNA extracted from E. coli AU1/pAU4, the transformation efficiency reached up to 5.22±0.33×106cfu/μg plasmid DNA. The results demonstrated that E. coli AU1 is able to confer the cglIM-specific DNA methylation pattern to its resident plasmid, which makes the plasmid resistant to the cglIR-cglIIR restriction and efficiently transferred into C. glutamicum. E. coli AU1 is a useful intermediate host for efficient transformation of C. glutamicum.

QT interval prolongation, a potential risk for arrhythmias, may result from gene polymorphisms relevant to cardiomyocyte repolarization. Another noted cause of QT interval prolongation is the administration of chemical compounds such as anesthetics, which may affect a specific type of cardiac K+ channel encoded by the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG). hERG K+ current was recorded using whole-cell patch clamp in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells expressing wild type (WT) or mutated hERG channels. Expression of hERG K+ channel proteins was evaluated using western blot and confirmed by fluorescent staining and imaging. Computational modeling was adopted to identify the possible binding site(s) of propofol with hERG K+ channels. Propofol had a significant inhibitory effect on WT hERG K+ currents in a concentration-dependent manner, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 60.9±6.4μM. Mutations in drug-binding sites (Y652A or F656C) of the hERG channel were found to attenuate hERG current blockage by propofol. However, propofol did not inhibit the trafficking of hERG protein to the cell membrane. Meanwhile, for the three selective hERG K+ channel mutant heterozygotes WT/Q738X-hERG, WT/A422T-hERG, and WT/H562P-hERG, the IC50 of propofol was calculated as 14.2±2.8μM, 3.3±1.2μM, and 5.9±1.9μM, respectively, which were much lower than that for the wild type. These findings indicate that propofol may potentially increase QT interval prolongation risk in patients via direct inhibition of the hERG K+ channel, especially in those with other concurrent triggering factors such as hERG gene mutations.

Changes in soil bacterial and fungal composition and their diversity with degradation degrees (i.e. non-degraded (ND), moderately degraded (MD) and severely degraded (SD) meadows) were investigated in a Tibetan alpine meadow using the Illumina MiSeq. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria were predominant bacteria in the studied meadow soils, regardless of degradation. ND and MD exhibited no significant differences in bacterial species composition and diversity, while SD significantly altered bacterial composition and increased their diversity compared with ND and MD. Sordariomycetes was predominant fungal class in ND, however, a shift in the fungal class from it to Dothideomycetes was found with increasing degradation level. Moreover, SD apparently increased the relative abundance of pathogenic fungi compared with ND. Degradation significantly shifted fungal species composition and increased their diversity. Soil nutrient conditions could explain 33.8 and 35.6% of the variance in bacterial and fungal composition, respectively. In addition, 25.3 and 21.7% of the variance in bacterial and fungal composition, respectively, were explained by plant properties. However, neither bacterial nor fungal diversity paralleled plant diversity with degradation. Soil silt to sand ratio was the best predictor of shifts in bacterial α-diversity with degradation degrees (R2 > 0.46), while fungal α-diversity was most closely associated with changes in soil available potassium (R2 > 0.66). Together, these results suggest that changes of microbial diversity and plant diversity was decoupled under degradation process, and degradation could increase the potential risk of plant diseases and decrease health of the alpine ecosystem.

Due to thermal superconductivity and great isothermality, high temperature alkali metal heat pipes have a wide range of applications in aerospace, residual heat removal systems of nuclear reactors, et al. In order to investigate the effect of inclination angle and input power on the startup performance of high temperature alkali heat pipes, systematical experiments were conducted with a high temperature wick-type potassium heat pipe heated with constant heat flux. Some distinctive experimental phenomena were observed and explained, based on which, a diagram was given to illustrate the regime category and provide a reference range for heat pipe startup. According to the experimental data and theoretical analysis, it is demonstrated that the startup performance of a high temperature wick-type heat pipe under uniform and constant heat flux is mainly influenced by capillary and viscosity heat transfer limit. In terms of startup performance, horizontal heat pipes have the highest input power capability. Comparatively, the input power capability of inclined heat pipes is obviously limited by the lack of working fluid backflow caused by over-evaporation. Additionally, the startup failure of negative inclined heat pipe is due to the negative effects of gravity. This research may provide valid experimental data for modeling heat pipe startup as well as references for heat pipe industrial applications.

In natural grasslands, effects of warming on net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) may interact with grazing. Yet, the effects of these two main drivers of terrestrial carbon cycling are typically studied in isolation, limiting our understanding of how NEE would be affected under different global change scenarios. Here, we report results of a warming experiment using infrared heaters combined with summer and winter grazing for 7-years in a Tibetan alpine grassland. We found that regardless of warming summer grazing decreased soil carbon sink (i.e., increased annual mean net biome productivity (NBP) indicated by a negative value of NBP), and warming also reduced soil carbon sink under no-grazing only during 3-years of summer grazing. However, warming and grazing did not change soil carbon sink during 4-years of winter grazing. Interactive effects between warming and grazing on annual NBP varied with year and grazing season. Overall, both warming and grazing did not alter annual mean NBP under 7-years of the rotational grazing system in summer and winter grasslands because of offsetting effects on annual mean gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration. Annual mean soil temperature explained 58% of the variation of annual mean NBP during summer grazing, whereas seasonal mean soil moisture explained 48 and 44% of its variation during winter grazing and the two season grazing system, respectively. Together, our results suggest that rotational grazing between summer and winter alpine grasslands would result in net neutral climate feedback based on the response of annual NBP under future warming. The two season grazing system not only supports animal production but also realizes balance in the soil carbon budget under future warming.

A natural biomaterial has been discovered with bactericidal activities, which is mainly attributed to its nanopatterned surface structure. The surface of Clanger cicada (Psaltoda claripennis) wings has been identified as a natural bactericidal material, which has lead to the emergence of research on the development of novel antibacterial surfaces. From the interactions between bacterial biofilms and nanopatterned surface structures, a new mechanical model is proposed that investigates the rupture of bacterial cells within the framework of the "stretching" theory. The effect of surface nanoroughness on the survival of bacterial cells is evaluated by determining the stretching ability of their cell walls. The results, calculated using Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as examples, show a correlation between the stretching of the cell wall and the geometric parameters of the surface structures. The theoretical results indicate that for a given cell rigidity, the bactericidal nature of the surface is determined by the geometric parameters of the surface structures.

A series of novel lanthanide coordination polymers (Ln-CPs) have been constructed by 2-(pyridin-2-yl-N-oxide)-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylate (H3POIDC) ligand, which derived from the partial oxidation of 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylate (H3PIDC) in situ reaction. Compounds 1–3 with the infinite left- and right-hand helices show 3D supramolecular structure constructing from 1D chains connecting each other through strong hydrogen-bond interactions. Compounds 4–7 show 2D layered structure with sql topology which are built from 4-connected nodes. Moreover, compounds 1–6 show strong luminescence emission in solid state, especially compound 1 exhibits obvious luminescence quenching for Hg2+ ion.

The dual functional phase transfer catalyst [(CH3)3N(C16H33)]3[PW12O40] was used in the hydrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) wastes and exhibited outstanding catalytic activity. In this work, the kinetic study about this reaction was carried out. The quantification of ethylene glycol (EG) formed in the hydrolysis was used to describe the reaction rate, which could result in more feasible and accurate kinetic analysis than terephthalic acid (TPA) formation or PET consumption used in traditional method. The results of kinetic analysis showed that the depolymerization reaction rate was first order to PET and catalyst concentration. This indicated that the ester linkages on the surface of the PET sequentially reacted with water to produce products. A mechanism for the reaction occurring on the polymer chain end section was proposed. Also the activation energy value was derived. Kinetic correlations provided a reliable mathematical reaction model for this recycling process, which is in agreement with the principles of sustainable development.

The ubiquitous algogenic extracellular organic matters (EOMs) could enhance solar photodegradation of antibiotics such as Chlortetracycline (CTC), however, the role of chemical constituents and structure in their photosensitizing process was not clear. In this paper, EOMs were extracted from chlorella vulgaris (CV-EOMs), scenedesmus meyen (SM-EOMs) and microcystis aeruginosa (MA-EOMs) to explore their photosensitive efficiencies and mechanisms. All of the EOMs showed higher photosensitive efficiencies than natural organic matter (NOM). The quenching assays and competitive kinetics experiments confirmed the dominant role of 3EOMs* in accelerating CTC photodegradation. The quantum yield coefficients of 3EOMs* (fTMP) of CV-EOMs, SM-EOMs, MA-EOMs, NOM were 139.89 ± 5.46, 125.35 ± 4.69, 91.76 ± 3.53, and 72.84 ± 4.45 L/(mol-photon), respectively. Specific chemical constituents and structure of EOMs were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-CIR-MS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed the positive linear correlation of fTMP with content of carbonyl groups in EOMs. In addition, reduction of carbonyl groups in EOMs by NaBH4 significantly decreased CTC photodegradation rate. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation suggested the susceptible excitation of carbonyl groups in EOMs under solar light was ascribed to the lowest required energy of electronic transition from HOMO to LUMO (assigned as n-π* transition). The energy of triplet excited-states benzophenone, p-methoxy acetophenone and acetophenone (the EOMs model compounds) was calculated to be 284.92, 288.85 and 265.50 kJ/mol, which were higher than that of CTC (i.e., 217.46 kJ/mol), indicating the energy transfer from excited triplet state to excited triplet state CTC was possible. This study provided mechanism insights into photosensitization effects of allogenic EOMs on photochemical fate of pollutants in aqueous environment.

Two new indium MOFs based on rigid 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate (1,4-NDC) ligand have been successfully prepared under different solvothermal conditions and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, TGA, elemental analyses and luminescence spectrum. In these two compounds, In(OH)(1,4-NDC)·2H2O (1) and HIn(1,4-NDC)2·2H2O·1.5DMF (2), (DMF = N, N′-dimethylformamide), 1,4-NDC exhibits two different coordination modes, constructing disparate architectures by bridging the different building units. Compound 1 exhibits a 3D framework with two kinds of square shape channels that built up from the infinite chains of corner-sharing In(OH)2O4 octahedra with 1,4-NDC ligands. Compound 2 possesses a 3D anion framework with twofold interpenetrating diamond topology which is accomplished by connecting four linear 1,4-NDC ligands to the four-connected In(III) nodes. Moreover, compounds 1 and 2 exhibit strong solid-state luminescence emissions at room temperature.