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As a green sustainable material, lignin-derived porous carbon (LPC) exhibits great application potential when used as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but the applications are limited by the heterogeneity of the lignin precursor. Therefore, it is crucial to reveal the relationship among lignin properties, porous carbon structure and the kinetics of lithium-ion storage. Herein, LPCs from fractionated lignin have been prepared by an eco-friendly and recyclable activator. The structure of the LPCs was regulated by adjusting the molecular weight, linkage abundance and glass transition temperature (T

Summary Oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling reactions between two (hetero)arenes through 2-fold C-H activation offer rapid assembly of diverse bi(hetero)aryls. Herein, a Pd-catalyzed asymmetric oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling reaction of ferrocenes with indolizines was disclosed. A palladium(II)/monoprotected amino acid (MPAA) catalytic system exhibited excellent reactivity, regioselectivity, and enantioselectivity for the coupling reaction. This approach marks the first example of direct arylation of indolizines in an enantioselective oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling process and offers a powerful strategy for the synthesis of highly enantioenriched planar chiral ferrocenes.

For enhancing the photoelectric performance of the GaAs photovoltaic cell, the non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) is employed to solve the multi-objective optimization problem, which consists of the thicknesses of active layer (GaAs) and three anti-reflection (AR) films (TiO2-HfO2-SiO2). Through maximizing (minimizing) the light absorption of photons with energies higher (lower) than the bandgap in the active layer directly and reducing the cost at the same time, the Pareto optimal solution is obtained. An increment in the absorptance, short circuit current and photoelectric conversion efficiency by 50%, 43.4% and 44.9% is achieved by the optimal GaAs solar cell due to excellent AR properties obtained by NSGA-II optimization. We systematically investigate the effects of carrier lifetime, surface recombination velocity, carrier mobility as well as doping concentration on the photovoltaic parameters, and acquire the limitations of these parameters. The strong robustness of the optimal GaAs solar cell enables it to be adapted to wide-angle sunlight incident, and the probability to achieve an absorptance of 0.963 is 97% even if there is a 20% machining error.

Based on the demand for ideal selective solar absorbers to harvest a full solar spectrum, we present an auspicious method, the multi-island genetic algorithm (MIGA), to optimize the configuration of a universal selective solar absorber, which can avoid the premature phenomenon and superior to traditional genetic algorithm. The selective solar absorber equipped with the set of optimal geometric parameters exhibits the solar absorptance greater than 0.932 with 96% probability and mid-infrared emittance lower than 0.058 at the same time considering unavoidable 20% fabrication uncertainties in the design variables. In addition, the absorber is a combination of great characteristics, such as polarization independence and angle insensitivity. The hybrid resonance modes of Wood’s anomaly, surface plasmon polariton and magnetic polariton are responsible for the high absorption performance. The MIGA method presented is proved to be an effective and robust tool in the optimization of micro-nano structures with manufacturability for thermal and energy applications.

Saline area is an important reserve resource of arable land, however, the effects of soil microorganisms on the soil fertility in saline coastal ecosystems remain poorly understood. The salinity effects on soil microorganisms, nutrient availabilities and their relationships were studied in soils along a salinity gradient. A total of 80 soil samples were collected from 16 sites at four salinity levels (non-saline soil, salt content4 g kg−1). The results showed that the salinity increased soil pH and exchangeable Na percent, but decreased soil organic matter, soil exchangeable K, and soil microbial biomass. Both the abundance and community composition of soil bacteria and fungi were significantly different between the non-saline and the saline soils. The predominant genera of soil bacteria (Planctomyces and Archangium, positive for carbon fixation) and fungi (Hydropisphaera, efficient in lignin degradation) changed with the increasing soil salinity and the decreasing soil organic matter. In summary, soil salinity changed the abundances of soil bacterial, fungal, and arbuscular mycorrhizal communities and, subsequently, affected their function in saline coastal ecosystems.

Premorbid functional status is an important factor in acute stroke treatment decision making. Determining the modified Rankin Score (mRS) accurately may be difficult due to deficits from stroke and lack of collateral information in the acute setting. Data on the reliability of the premorbid mRS in "real-world" practice outside of clinical trial or registry settings are limited.A retrospective study at a high volume academic primary stroke center. For patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with alteplase between July 2012 and July 2016, hospital electronic records were reviewed for detailed inpatient occupational therapist (OT) assessment of premorbid functional status to determine mRS (OT-mRS). This was compared with premorbid mRS determined at acute emergency department assessment (Acute-mRS). Kappa statistic and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was used to calculate agreement between Acute-mRS and OT-mRS.Among stroke patients treated with alteplase over the 4 years period, OT-mRS was available for 312 patients (79.0%), the mean age was 75.5 years (male 51.9%). 82.4%, 11.9%, and 5.8% of patients had Acute-mRS of 0-1, 2, and ≥3; while 84.9%, 8.0%, and 6.7% had OT-mRS of 0-1, 2, and ≥3, respectively. The agreement between Acute-mRS and OT-mRS was 83.3%, with κ = .64 and correlation coefficient r = .87 (95% CI .841-.896, P.05).There was at least moderate agreement between Acute-mRS prior to thrombolysis and OT-mRS obtained by detailed assessment later. The number of patients with premorbid disability was small and may have positively influenced the agreement between the 2 scores.

We extend Dykhne–Davis–Pechukas (DDP) approximation which describes the nonadiabatic transition probability of a two-state atom system to a three-waveguide coupler. We optimize the traditional Gaussian tunneling rate distributions of optical waveguides based on the parallel adiabatic passage (PLAP) technique which originates from the DDP scheme. The tunneling efficiency can be further improved. We explore the robustness and the tunneling transfer error of the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in optical waveguides. The results show that the DDP-optimized scheme can keep the robustness against variations in the shift of propagation constant and hence the width of the channels.

cAMP (Cyclic Adenosine monophosphate), one of the most highly studied second messengers, is regulated by a family of adenylyl cyclase (AC) enzymes. Type 3 adenylyl cyclase (abbreviated as AC3), a subtype of adenylyl cyclase, is reported to be expressed in cilia in the olfactory and central nervous system and plays an important role in many physiological functions such as olfaction, development. However, expression of AC3 in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is not reported. In the present study, using immunohistochemical method, we discovered that AC3 immunoreactivity (IR) is predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of small to medium sized DRG neurons. Double labelling revealed that the majority of AC3 IR are colocalized with CGRP (a peptidergic nociceptor marker), rarely with NF200 (a myelinated neuronal marker) or IB4 (a nonpeptidergic nociceptor marker). Furthermore, dense AC3 IR exists in the superficial dorsal horn, especially in laminaⅠand dorsal part of lamina II, where CGRP-positive DRG neurons terminate. The expression pattern of AC3 is similar between C57/BL6 J mouse and Sprague Dawley rat. For instance, AC3 is primarily expressed in the cell bodies of small to medium sized DRG neurons and the majority of AC3 IR is also in CGRP-containing neurons in rat. Taken together, our data suggest that AC3 is primarily expressed in the small to medium sized cell bodies and central terminals of CGRP-positive DRG neurons, implying AC3 enzyme might potentially function in nociception.

The epigenetic treatment by 3-Deazaneplanocin A (DZNep), a histone methyltransferase inhibitor, shows great potential to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the variant sensitivity and incomplete response to DZNep are very common in different AML cell lines as well as primary leukemia cells from AML patients. Here, we reveal that vitamin C (Vc) dramatically promotes DZNep response in leukemia cells from different AML cell lines and primary AML patient. Vc enhances apoptosis and differentiation induced by DZNep in different AML cell lines in vitro and reduces leukemia progression in vivo. At the molecular level, Vc promotes downregulation of D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), an enzyme for serine synthesis, and other anti-apoptotic genes, such as BCL2. Over-expression of PHGDH reverses the enhancing effect of Vc on the anti-leukemia effect of DZNep in AML cells. Together, our findings provide an effective approach to reduce the epigenetic treatment resistance by Vc and would be valuable in potential applications. Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81700149), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (No. 2020A1515010199), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 20ykpy30). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests. Ethics Approval Statement: All samples were collected after obtaining informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the ethics committees of the Institutional Review Boards. All animal experiments were performed according to protocols approved by the institutional animal care and use committee.

Estimation of space-dependent thermal conductivity and absorption coefficient in a one-dimensional participating medium was investigated in this study. For the forward problem, discrete ordinate method was used to solve the radiative transfer equation. The conduction-radiation energy equation was decoupled by the radiative source term and solved by the finite difference method. Lie-group shooting method (LGSM) was introduced to retrieve the space-dependent thermal conductivity and absorption coefficient from the coupled optical (radiative intensity profile) and thermal (temperature profile) information. LGSM was employed to solve the inverse problem of combined conduction-radiation heat transfer for the first time. This method does not require priori information about the functional form of thermal properties and initial guesses can be selected randomly. Numerical examples of the thermal conductivity and absorption coefficient under different distributions were examined to show that the new approach is highly accurate and efficient, even for identifying highly discontinuous and oscillatory parameters. The estimation was conducted in the presence of the random measurement noise. However, the estimated results still showed high accuracy, robustness and low susceptibility to the shape of property distributions.

Porcine subcutaneous fat is a common raw material used in meat processing. In this study, the effects of stewing times (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 min) on the fatty acid composition, texture, and microstructure of porcine subcutaneous fat from various anatomical locations (hind legs, shoulders, back, belly, and head) were investigated. The results showed that the fat contents of the samples from the hind legs, shoulders, and back increased by approximately 40 % after stewing for 200 min. Long-term stewing reduced the proportion of SFA but increased the relative content of PUFA such as C18:1n9c and C18:2n6c, especially in the back, head, and shoulders. Besides, the hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness were significantly lower in subcutaneous fat from the hind legs and back, which could be caused by the melting and gelation of the connective tissue as shown by the result of scanning electron microscopy. Overall, porcine subcutaneous fat from the hind legs and back was suitable for long-term stewing according to the changes in the fat content, fatty acid profile, and texture.

A combined lock-in thermography (LIT) technique with sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm is proposed for simultaneous reconstruction of the optical and thermal property distributions in a 2D semitransparent medium. The LIT technique is applied to identify the positions of inclusions in media, in which the discrete correlation method is employed to extract the amplitude and phase angle of thermal wave signals. The SQP algorithm is employed as the main optimization method to simultaneously reconstruct the absorption coefficient, scattering coefficient, and thermal conductivity distributions in the medium. The LIT-SQP technique combines the advantages of rapid identification of inclusion position of the LIT technique and accurate reconstruction of inclusion properties of the SQP algorithm. The inclusions of various positions, shapes, numbers, and sizes are investigated. All the inclusions can be accurately reconstructed by the proposed LIT-SQP technique, which is proved to be more efficient and accurate than the LIT technique and the SQP algorithm alone.

A 3D coordination polymer [CdK6(μ2-H2O)2(BODSDC)2(H2O)]n (1) based on the novel benzophenone-3,3′-disulfonyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate (BODSDC4−) ligand was synthesized and structurally characterized. The carboxylate and sulfonate groups of the organic ligands as well as the bridging water molecules connect the Cd2+ and K+ ions to produce a 2D layer, which is linked by the benzophenone moieties to give a 3D pillared framework. Compound 1 crystallizes in an acentric space group of Cc and has a large second-harmonic-generation (SHG) response of 1.3 times that of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) in the particle size of 25–210 μm. Further SHG measurements revealed that the material is type-I phase-matchable. The observed SHG efficiency is associated with the unsymmetrical geometry of the organic ligand and the distorted coordination polyhedrons of metal centers.

WC-Fe-Ni-Co cemented carbides with a constant Co content were successfully prepared through low pressure sintering, and the effects of Fe/Ni ratio on the microstructure and properties of the cemented carbides were studied in detail. The X-ray diffractometer and transmission electron microscopy results show that the Fe/Ni ratio is a critical factor that affects the structure of the Fe-Ni-Co binder in the alloys, as it gradually changes from fcc γ-(Fe,Ni) to bcc α-(Fe,Ni) with an increase in the Fe/Ni ratio. Furthermore, the WC grains have a finer and more rounded shape and are more uniformly distributed in the matrix as the Fe/Ni ratio increases. Additionally, both the magnetic saturation (CoM) and coercive force (Hc) increase as the Fe/Ni ratio increases. The relative density of all alloys is greater than 99.93% except for the alloy with the Fe/Ni ratio of 1.67 (99.01%). Ignoring the effect of the lower relative density (Fe/Ni = 1.67), increasing the Fe/Ni ratio can enhance the hardness, transverse rupture strength and wear resistance of the alloys but can reduce the fracture toughness and corrosion resistance at the same time.

The roles of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt and polyamine (PA) degradation pathway on GABA accumulation were investigated in fresh tea leaves under anaerobic and aerobic sequential incubations. The GABA accumulation was mainly completed in the first anaerobic incubation through the interaction of the GABA shunt with the PA degradation pathway. When treated with aminoguanidine, the diamine oxidase and polyamine oxidase activities were almost completely inhibited, and the GABA contents decreased by 40.7%, 46.4%, 41.0% and 37.5% in the tea leaves of the four cultivars 'Fuyun No. 6', 'Fudingdabai', 'Longjing No. 43' and 'Pingyangtezao', respectively. The glutamate decarboxylase activity decreased significantly, and the accumulation of GABA may increase or decrease because of varietal differences, which occurred mainly relying on the PA degradation pathway during the second anaerobic incubation. Thus, approximately 37%-47% of the GABA formed in fresh tea leaves under hypoxia was supplied by the PA pathway.

Septic tank effluent from rural areas was an ideal medium for cultivating oleaginous microalgae. However, the characteristics of septic tank effluents varied greatly due to the different incoming wastewater, and bring uncertain risks for algal growth. In this study, an oleaginous microalgae was cultivated in septic effluents from different mixed wastewater. The results showed that the effluent from pure toilet wastewater was the best medium to achieve the highest biomass yield (1.68 g·L-1) and productivity (154.6 mg·L-1·d-1). In contrast, the discharge of kitchen or laundry wastewater reduced the biomass production by 50.5–79.1%. That caused much lower lipids production in effluents from mixed wastewater regardless of its high lipids content and saturation degree. The results suggest that the discharge of kitchen or laundry wastewater bring risks for biomass and lipids production, and should be separated from the toilet wastewater before entering into septic tank.

Ethnopharmacological relevance The Dang-Gui-Si-Ni (DGSN) decoction as a classic prescription has been widely used for thousands of years in the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Especially in recent years, the potential efficacy of TCM for the treatment of Raynaud's syndrome has attracted great attention as there are still no specific remedies for this disease. However, the active constituents and underlying mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic benefits are not well understood, which makes it difficult to ensure quality control or to design research and drug development strategies. To identify the potential pharmacodynamic ingredients (PPIs) of TCM will help to achieve suitable process control procedures for industrial production and large-scale manufacturing. Aim of the study In the present study, we propose a multi-dimensional qualitative analysis method combining water-decoction spectra, in-vitro intestinal absorption spectra, in-vivo plasma spectra, and molecular docking of components to quickly identify the PPIs for the DGSN decoction of TCM. Materials and methods Water-based decoctions of DGSN were prepared in accordance with the clinical use registered in ancient books. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS) coupled with computerized modelling activity screening was used to quickly identify the PPIs of the DGSN decoction. Bioactive compounds absorbed in vitro were identified using the everted intestinal sac model from rats and compounds absorbed in vivo were confirmed in portal vein blood samples obtained following oral administration in rats. Molecular docking validation experiments were adopted to predict the binding activity to coagulation factors I, II, VII, X, and IX. The active components were further confirmed by pharmacodynamics analysis. The anticoagulant activity of the DGSN decoction was verified using rat models. Results Thirty-one compounds were identified in the DGSN decoction. According to the in vivo experiments, 22 compounds that could be absorbed in vivo were detected by the everted intestinal sac model in rats. This model greatly reduces the scope of PPIs and is easy to perform. Ten compounds were detected in the portal vein blood in rats. The compounds detected in plasma provide stronger evidence supporting the PPIs. Molecular docking in vitro experiments indicated that 7 compounds exhibited better binding activity with coagulation factors I, II, VII, X, and IX. The animal experiments confirmed that the DGSN decoction could improve the microcirculation, providing indirect proof of anticoagulant activity suggested by the molecular docking studies. Finally, based on the multi-dimensional methods, 9 potential compounds present in the DGSN decoction were identified as PPIs (i.e., ferulic acid, paeoniflorin, albiflorin, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, liquiritin, liquiritin apioside, cinnamaldehyde and glycyrrhizic acid). Conclusion Overall, this study combined the water-decoction spectra, intestinal absorption spectra in vitro, plasma spectra in vivo, and molecular docking studies to establish a multi-dimensional qualitative analysis method of the DGSN decoction. Meanwhile, 9 compounds in DGSN decoction were identified as PPIs using this method, and are proposed for application as quality standards for complex TCM prescriptions.

An iridium-catalyzed enantioselective alkynylation of methylene C H bonds γ to the amide group is developed. The reaction proceeds through alkene isomerization followed by regioselective hydroalkynylation. This method provides rapid access to a wide range of stereodefined alkynylated compounds in good yields and good enantioselectivities.

The effect of frozen storage periods (0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 wk) of raw chicken meat on its flavor upon stewing was investigated by analyzing the changes of free amino acids (FAAs), 5′-nucleotides, minerals and volatile compounds and by evaluating the taste and aroma profiles using an E-nose and a human panel. Results showed that the storage time of raw material improved its taste and aroma profiles upon stewing. The total free amino acid contents and the equivalent umami concentration (EUC) increased from 159.90 mg/100 g and 3156.58 mg/100 g to 292.81 mg/100 g and 4360.72 mg/100 g, respectively, although the 5′-nucleotide concentrations decreased upon stewing. With increased frozen storage durations of raw material, the contents of the mineral elements and total volatile compound increased firstly, then deceased. Results from the electronic nose and sensory evaluation indicated a progressive difference in the overall flavor profiles among samples. The meaty, umami and salty traits of stewed meat reached the maximum scores as frozen chicken meat was stored for 6 wk, which should be related to the enhanced migration of taste-active substances and retention of aldehydes. Overall, a limited frozen storage duration of raw meat can enhance its flavor upon stewing.

Using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, we decomposed factors affecting the national carbon intensity (NCI) in China at a multi-regional level. A comparative analysis of regional contributions in different Five-Year Plan (5YP) periods revealed that the energy structure had inhibitory effects on NCI during the 9th and 10th 5YP periods, but had promoting effects during the 11th and start of the 12th 5YP periods. The energy structure had a strong inhibitory impact in eastern, north-eastern, and northern regions of China, but only a slight impact in central, northern, south-western, and north-western regions. Energy intensity is a major factor and had a strong inhibitory effect on NCI except during the 10th 5YP period. Energy intensity had a strong inhibitory effect in eastern and northern regions, but only a slight impact in north-western and southern regions, especially in Hainan, Ningxia, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces. Overall, proportional output in China had a promoting effect on NCI, which indicates regional economic development was not coordinated. The combined effects of regional carbon intensity (RCI) and proportional output determined changes in NCI, and RCI had a strong effect on NCI. Regions with high proportional output and large carbon emissions had a great impact on NCI. The total effect in developed areas such as eastern, northern, and north-eastern regions was strongly inhibitory, while the impact was slight in relatively less developed areas such as northwestern and southern regions. Some policy implications arising from our study results are discussed.

In this work, the effects of NbC additions on microstructure and properties of non-uniform structure WC-7Co cemented carbides were investigated X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), mechanical properties tester and electrochemical workstation, respectively. The results show that WC phase can be partially dissolved into the NbC to form a (Nb,W)C solid solution. According to EPMA analysis, the amount of W atoms, dissolving into the NbC grains, increases with the NbC addition. Moreover, when the content of NbC is beyond 1%, the WC-Co cemented carbides with non-uniform structure are formed with significant reduction of average grain size of WC. With NbC addition increasing from 0 wt% to 2 wt%, the hardness is increased from 1475 MPa to 1570 MPa while the fracture toughness decreased from 12.1 MPa m1/2 to 10.3 MPa m1/2. However, with the further addition of NbC, the hardness slightly decreased. With NbC addition between 0 and 1 wt%, the TRS is gradually decreased from 2982 MPa to 2745 MPa, while, as the NbC content exceeds 1 wt%, the TRS leveled off. Because of the decrease of grain size and the (Nb,W)C phase formation, caused by NbC addition, the crack defection was weakened, which led to the decrease of fracture toughness. Meanwhile, the corrosion resistance of non-uniform structure WC-Co cemented carbides can be significantly improved by adding NbC to the material due to increased α-Co in binder phase.

Using the structural decomposition analysis (SDA) method, we decomposed the factors affecting the increments in CO2 emissions in China's Jiangsu Province. A comparative analysis of these factors at the holistic, sectoral, and sub-sectoral levels revealed that the effects related to the province's economic growth; in particular, the transfers-out and investment effects greatly increased Jiangsu's CO2 emissions. Overall, the import and export effects increased the emissions, reflecting the deteriorating foreign trade structure from the perspective of the emissions reduction. The energy intensity reduced Jiangsu's CO2 emissions greatly, whereas the energy structure had only a slight effect, which shows the high energy efficiency and inappropriate energy structure. The technology effect had a relatively slight reducing impact on the CO2 emissions compared with the other effects, so the input and output efficiency in Jiangsu had not yet been significantly improved. On the whole, the transfers-out, investment, and export effects increased the CO2 emissions in all sectors and subsectors, whereas the other effects on the increments in Jiangsu's CO2 emissions in the sectors and industrial subsectors differed greatly. Some policy implications arising from our study results are discussed.

Carbon policies differentiated according to regional disparities have been recognized and recommended. However, the air quality co-benefits of differentiated policies remain unclear. Here we combine a multi-regional dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and an extend response surface model (ERSM) to investigate the impact of nationally uniform and subnationally differentiated carbon pricing policies on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in China. All policies examined lead to the same accumulated national CO2 emissions (2020–2050), with the 2030 emissions attaining China's national abatement target. We find that, when subnational policies differentiated according to provincial PM2.5 concentrations are implemented, the higher-than-average carbon price over more polluted provinces results in twice as much reduction in CO2 and air pollutant emissions in 2050 as the national policy. As a result, the subnational policies cause larger PM2.5 concentration reductions in these provinces (9%–18%) than the national policy (7%–11%). Also, the subnational policies eliminate high PM2.5 exposure of over 45 μg/m3 which 12% people suffer from under the national policy. The subnational policies substantially reduce regional disparity in PM2.5 pollution and hence improve environmental equity. The results suggest that subnationally differentiated carbon policies are a promising instrument to mitigate severe pollution and promote environmental equity.

Two novel silver-based metal − organic frameworks (MOFs) have been successfully designed and synthesized by coordination assembly of tri(pyridin-4-yl)amine (TPA) and Ag(I) salts with different anions (SiF62− vs. CH3SO3−). Both MOFs show excellent physicochemical stability and superior electrochemical activity. It is the first time to implement Ag(I)-MOFs to fabricate high-efficient aptasensors to detect ultra-trace penicillin by electrochemical method. Remarkably, the Ag2SiF6-MOF-based biosensor shows ultra-high selectivity toward penicillin in the presence of other antibiotic interferences, which also exhibits the lowest detection limit of 0.849 pg mL−1 among all reported sensing materials, in the concentration range from 0.001 to 0.5 ng mL−1. Moreover, the fabricated aptasensor with good repeatability and high stability can effectively monitor penicillin in real milk sample. Interestingly, the isostructrual nature of two MOFs firstly illustrates the critical role of anion in constructing MOFs-based aptasensors. This work establishes a promising approach to design and modulate MOFs-based aptasensors for rapid and convenient detection of ultra-trace targets.

Using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, we decomposed the factors that affect carbon emissions at a multi-regional level. Based on a comparative analysis of the regional contributions to carbon emissions in China from 1995 to 2012, we found that economic growth is a major factor that increases carbon emissions. Excluding Hainan, Guangxi, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, the energy intensity effects of other provinces and municipalities inhibited carbon emissions clearly. The energy structure effect in Beijing and Shanghai inhibited carbon emissions most obviously, whereas the energy structure effect in Xinjiang promoted carbon emissions to the greatest extent. The energy structure effect in most regions had little influence on carbon emissions. The output proportion effect enhances carbon emissions on the whole, which indicates China's regional economic development is not coordinated from the perspective of carbon emission reductions. Overall, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei made the biggest contributions to national carbon emissions. Policy implications in terms of our study results are discussed.

We numerically simulate Schrodinger-like paraxial wave equation of a four-waveguide system. The coherent tunneling by adiabatic passage in a four-waveguide optical coupler is analyzed by borrowing the dressed state theory of coherent atom system. We discuss the optical coupling mechanism and coupling efficiency of light energy in both intuitive and counterintuitive tunneling schemes and analyze the threshold condition from adiabatic to non-adiabatic regimes in intuitive scheme. The results show that this coupler can be used as power splitter under certain conditions.

Carbon policies are important not only for mitigating global climate change, but also for controlling local and regional air pollution. The large regional disparities in economic development and air pollution across China calls for regionally differentiated policies. Previous studies have not systematically investigated the environmental impacts of regional carbon policies in China covering different spatial scales. This study constructs a multi-regional dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model covering 30 provinces of China to assess the impacts of national and subnational carbon polices on CO2 emissions and co-emitted air pollutants from 2020 to 2050. We consider one national carbon policy which aims to achieve China's 2030 national CO2 abatement target, as well as three regional policies with the same policy stringency as the national one but only applied to eastern China (EP), the Jiangsu-Shanghai-Zhejiang area (JSZP), and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area (BTHP), respectively. We find that regional policies (EP, JSZP, and BTHP) are as effective in reducing CO2 emissions in their targeted regions as the national policy. However, they lead to an increase in CO2 emissions in untargeted regions (the so-called "emissions leakage"). The CO2 leakage rates, which depend on the policy spatial coverage, are 4%, 13%, and 65% for EP, JSZP, and BTHP, respectively, in 2050. Compared with CO2, changes in air pollutant emissions, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), exhibit a similar pattern under all policy scenarios, but the magnitude of change is significantly smaller. Transportation, thermal power, and some energy intensive industries are the three largest contributors to CO2 and air pollutant emission reductions. Our results suggest that regional carbon policy is effective in reducing CO2 and air pollutant emissions in the targeted regions, and extending the spatial coverage or increasing policy stringency can largely inhibit emissions leakage.

Anaerobically digested waste sludge contains very high concentrations of ammonium and phosphate that are difficult to be purified using traditional processes. Mixotrophic culture of microalgae is a potential way to achieve ammonium and phosphate removal, while harvesting considerable biomass for biodiesel production. In this study, four typical volatile organic acids that could be potentially produced from sludge fermentation were tested for algal mixotrophic culture in anaerobically digested waste sludge. The results showed that the addition of propionate and isovaleric acid had no significant improvement on biomass production, and even inhibited algal growth at low concentration. Fortunately, the addition of acetic and n-butyric acid (initial C/N = 10) increased biomass production by1.9–2.4 times compared to the blank culture. Higher biomass production increased ammonium and orthophosphate removal to 88.3–97.1% and 80.4–93.0%, respectively. Moreover, the optimal addition of volatile organic acids enhanced lipids production by 3.9–6.3 times, while achieving higher saturation degree in biodiesels. The results suggest that adding these optimal volatile organic acids is suitable to enhance nutrients recycling and algal biodiesel production from anaerobically digested waste sludge.

Summary: The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) is implicated in pain regulation. However, the synaptic mechanisms by which IL-17 regulates pain transmission are unknown. Here, we report that glia-produced IL-17 suppresses inhibitory synaptic transmission in the spinal cord pain circuit and drives chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain. We find that IL-17 not only enhances excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) but also suppresses inhibitory postsynaptic synaptic currents (IPSCs) and GABA-induced currents in lamina IIo somatostatin-expressing neurons in mouse spinal cord slices. IL-17 mainly expresses in spinal cord astrocytes, and its receptor IL-17R is detected in somatostatin-expressing neurons. Selective knockdown of IL-17R in spinal somatostatin-expressing interneurons reduces paclitaxel-induced hypersensitivity. Overexpression of IL-17 in spinal astrocytes is sufficient to induce mechanical allodynia in naive animals. In dorsal root ganglia, IL-17R expression in nociceptive sensory neurons is sufficient and required for inducing neuronal hyperexcitability after paclitaxel. Together, our data show that IL-17/IL-17R mediate neuron-glial interactions and neuronal hyperexcitability in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. : Luo et al. find that glia-produced IL-17 regulates synaptic transmission and excitability of spinal SOM+ neurons and DRG small neurons by IL-17R in the DRG and spinal pain circuit. These results suggest that IL-17/IL-17R mediate neuron-glial interactions and drives chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain. Keywords: interleukin-17, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), inhibitory postsynaptic synaptic currents (IPSCs), somatostatin-expressing neurons, Cre-recombinase-dependent adeno-associated virus (AAV), astrocytes, allodynia, spinal cord, neuron-glial interaction

Background Cyclosporine (CsA), a potent immunosuppressive agent used to prevent rejection, is characterized by large individual variability. The purpose of this study was to explore the pharmacokinetic characteristics of CsA and establish a CsA population pharmacokinetic model that could be used for personalized therapy in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) patients. Methods Clinical data were obtained from 117 allo-HSCT patients. The data analysis was performed using NONMEM software. A first-order conditional estimation with interaction (FOCE-I) method within NONMEM was used to estimate the parameters. The covariates, including demographics, hematological indices, biochemical levels, concurrent drugs, and genetic polymorphisms of CYP3A4 , CYP3A5 , and ABCB1 , were evaluated quantitatively. The stability of the final model was validated by a nonparametric bootstrap procedure. Results A total of 1,571 observed concentrations were collected. A 1-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination adequately described the pharmacokinetics of CsA. The typical values for clearance (CL), volume of distribution (V), and bioavailability were 29.6 L/hr, 605 L, and 0.619, respectively. The interindividual variability of these parameters was 20.4, 66.1, and 30.4%, respectively. The residual error was 31.4% and 23.7 ng/mL. The duration of CsA therapy, hematocrit, antifungal agent administration, triglycerides, and weight were identified as the main covariates that influenced CL, and hematocrit had a significant effect on V. The internal validation showed that the final model was stable and accurate. Conclusions This study established a population pharmacokinetic model of CsA in allo-HSCT patients that could provide the foundation for personalized use of CsA in the clinic.

Painful peripheral neuropathy is a dose-limiting side effect of paclitaxel therapy, which hampers the optimal clinical management of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Currently the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we showed that the clinically relevant dose of paclitaxel (3×8mg/kg, cumulative dose 24mg/kg) induced significant upregulation of the chemokine CX3CL1 in the A-fiber primary sensory neurons in vivo and in vitro and infiltration of macrophages into the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in rats. Paclitaxel treatment also increased cleaved caspase-3 expression, induced the loss of primary afferent terminal fibers and decreased sciatic-evoked A-fiber responses in the spinal dorsal horn, indicating DRG neuronal apoptosis induced by paclitaxel. In addition, the paclitaxel-induced DRG neuronal apoptosis occurred exclusively in the presence of macrophage in vitro study. Intrathecal or systemic injection of CX3CL1 neutralizing antibody blocked paclitaxel-induced macrophage recruitment and neuronal apoptosis in the DRG, and also attenuated paclitaxel-induced allodynia. Furthermore, depletion of macrophage by systemic administration of clodronate inhibited paclitaxel-induced allodynia. Blocking CX3CL1 decreased activation of p38 MAPK in the macrophage, and inhibition of p38 MAPK activity blocked the neuronal apoptosis and development of mechanical allodynia induced by paclitaxel. These findings provide novel evidence that CX3CL1-recruited macrophage contributed to paclitaxel-induced DRG neuronal apoptosis and painful peripheral neuropathy.

Monitoring of unstable intermediates is very important for clarifying complex electrochemical reaction pathways. A combination of thin-layer spectral and electrophoretic electrochemistry, both based on fast thin-layer electrolysis, has been developed to monitor the intermediates of electro-oxidation of clioquinol in acidic, physiological and alkaline buffer media. Two thin-layer electrochemical cells were fabricated and coupled with a UV-vis spectrometer and an electrophoresis apparatus, respectively. Double-potential thin-layer UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry, double-wavelength thin-layer cyclic voltabsorptometry and thin-layer electrophoretic electrochemistry provided mutually-supporting information on the redox pathway of clioquinol. Two intermediates, a disproportionatable semiquinone anion radical and a labile quinone derivative, were detected. The chemical activity of the semiquinone anion radical is highly pH-dependent. The final soluble products of clioquinol are pH-dependent but irrelevant to whether the oxidation reaction is electrochemical or chemical in nature. A complex reaction pathway is proposed for the oxidation of clioquinol, which may help to better understand the metabolism mechanism and chemical toxicity of this anti-neurodegeneration drug.

Bidirectional causality between energy use and carbon emissions has widely been explored, but the results in the existing research are still controversial. Focusing on China, we reveal the bidirectional causality between energy use and carbon emissions, and then take carbon emissions as a factor influencing energy use into decomposition analysis by the Logarithmic Mean Index (LMDI) approach. The study span 1953–2017 is divided into two main developing stages based on multiple breakpoint tests, stage one: 1953–2001, before entering World Trade Organization (WTO); and stage two: 2001–2017, after entering WTO. The results show that emission effect and per capita emission effect indeed promoted energy use and even surpassed output effect at the beginning of stage two (2001–2005). The changes in energy use followed those in output effect at stage one, emission effect and per capita emission effect at the beginning of stage two, and energy intensity effect at the latter period of stage two. It indicates that energy efficiency has gradually been becoming a dominate role in energy use changes. The impact of energy mix effect was comparatively small.

Many studies have been performed to evaluate the effects of sink demand on photosynthesis using artificial defruiting experiments. However, information is scarce regarding photosynthesis changes in field citrus trees with naturally varying sink demands. In this study, we compared photosynthesis in three types of shoots of ‘Newhall’ navel oranges ( Citrus sinensis Osbeck), including no fruit bearing shoots, one-fruit bearing shoots and two-fruit bearing shoots, in field conditions. The results showed that the highest sink demand of shoots corresponded to the lowest net photosynthetic rate ( P n). The determination of stomatal conductance ( G s), substomatal CO 2 concentration ( C i) and transpiration rate ( E ) suggested that the G s and E were not significantly different between these three types of shoots, while the C i increased as the sink demand increased. Further analysis of leaf morphology features and nutrient status showed that the higher fruit load shoots had smaller leaf area, length, width, thickness and dry weight, and also lower concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. The quality comparison of fruits on one-fruit bearing shoots and two-fruit bearing shoots suggested that there was no difference in internal quality such as total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) and the TSS/TA ratio except for some external features. Overall, our data indicated that the reduction of P n with sink demand increasing was mainly caused by limited development and a lower nutritional supply in source leaves. This limitation may be derived from competition between fruit and adjacent leaves under a high fruit load. This finding provides new insights into sink demand effects on photosynthesis in field conditions and useful guidance for citrus orchard management practices.

To better understand the effect of salinity on denitrification communities, soils along a salinity gradient (ranging from 7.32 to 1.70 mS cm−1) in a wetland along the Yellow Sea coastline in Jiangsu Province, China, were studied using both culture-dependent and -independent methods. Culture efforts yielded 82 isolates in total, 81.7% of which were close relatives of Bacillus sp. based on partial sequences of their 16S rRNA genes. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences suggested possible existence of bacterial community succession along the salinity gradient. Clone library analysis based on nosZ gene sequences (coding nitrous oxide reductase) showed that operational taxonomic units (OTUs) associated with α-proteobacteria dominated in all three soils, whereas those associated with β-and γ-subdivisions showed a clear succession. In the high salinity soil, only the OTUs associated with a-subdivision were found. In the medium salinity soil, small proportions of β-(6.5%) and γ-associated (19.6%) OTUs were found. In the low salinity soil, the proportions were further increased to 33% and 25% for β- and γ-Proteobacteria, respectively. Statistic analysis using Unifrac P test showed that nosZ-communities in different saline soils were significantly different from each other. It could be concluded that α-subdivision of nosZ-community tended to be sustained in high salinity environments whereas β- and γ-subdivisions, especially the former, tended to be sustained in low salinity environments. Salinity was the key determinant of nosZ-community composition in the environment.

By adopting the concept of fidelity, we investigated efficiency of quantum state transfer with the XX chain as the quantum channel. Different from the previous works, we concentrated on effects of spin and magnetic impurity on fidelity of quantum state transfer. Our results revealed that the spin impurity cannot prevent one from implementing perfect transfer of an arbitrary one-qubit pure state across the spin channel, however, the presence of magnetic impurity or both spin and magnetic impurities may destroy the otherwise perfect spin channels., Comment: 5 pags

The Grb10-Interacting GYF Protein-2 gene (GIGYF2), located in the chromosomal region 2q36-q37, has been reported as a PARK11 gene with a causal role in familial Parkinson's disease (PD) in Italian and French populations. However, there is no comprehensive study of GIGYF2 gene conducted in Chinese patients with PD from mainland China. The 27 coding exons and intron/exon boundaries of the GIGYF2 gene were sequenced in 300 sporadic patients with Parkinson's disease. Eight heterozygous and one homozygous novel missense variants were identified in nine patients with PD, and not in 300 controls. p.Leu580Phe locates in the GYF domain and might interrupt the potentially function of GIGYF2 protein. Another variant Gln979stop encodes a truncated protein. In conclusion, we identified nine novel variants in GIGYF2 gene, which might be associated with PD in the Chinese population.