Search

The biodiversity and activity of microorganisms are crucial for litter decomposition, but how litter traits at different stages of decomposition drive changes in microbial communities has yet to be thoroughly explored. In the typical alpine hilly area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, three types of litter at different decomposition stages were selected under a natural Picea crassifolia (Picea crassifolia Kom.) forest: undecomposed (A-1), partially decomposed (A-2), and fully decomposed (A-3). By measuring physicochemical indicators, microbial diversity, and the composition of the litter at different decomposition stages, this study investigates the community changes and responses of bacteria to litter characteristic changes at different decomposition levels. The results show that with the increase in decomposition level, bacterial diversity increases, community structure changes, and network complexity gradually increases, while the changes in fungal communities are insignificant. Structural equation modeling indicates that the first principal component (PC1) of litter properties is significantly negatively correlated with bacterial diversity and positively correlated with bacterial community composition. There is no significant correlation between fungal diversity and community composition, indicating a closer relationship between bacteria and litter characteristics than fungi. In summary, with an increase in litter decomposition level, the diversity and network complexity of bacterial and fungal communities will significantly increase, which is related to the changes in various litter characteristics. This study provides a scientific basis for the regulatory mechanism of litter decomposition and turnover in the alpine hilly area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, specifically in Picea crassifolia forests.

Background: Sodium fluctuation is independently associated with clinical deterioration. We developed and validated a prognostic index based on sodium fluctuation for risk stratification and in-hospital monitoring. Methods: This study included 33,323 adult patients hospitalized at a tertiary care hospital in 2014. The first 28,279 hospitalizations were analyzed to develop the model and then the validity of the model was tested using data from 5044 subsequent hospitalizations. We predict in-hospital mortality using age, comorbidity, range of sodium fluctuation, and duration of sodium fluctuation, abbreviated as CARDS. Results: In-hospital mortality was similar in the derivation (0.6%) and validation (0.4%) cohorts. In the derivation cohort, four independent risk factors for mortality were identified using logistic regression: age (66–75, 2 points; >75, 3 points); Charlson comorbidity index (>2, 5 points); range of sodium fluctuation (7–10, 4 points; >10, 10 points); and duration of fluctuation (≤3, 3 points). The AUC was 0.907 (95% CI: 0.885–0.928) in the derivation cohort and 0.932 (95% CI: 0.895–0.970) in the validation cohort. In the derivation cohort, in-hospital mortality was 0.106% in the low-risk group (0–7 points), 1.076% in the intermediate-risk group (8–14 points), and 8.463% in the high-risk group (15–21 points). In the validation cohort, in-hospital mortality was 0.049% in the low-risk group, 1.064% in the intermediate-risk group, and 8.403% in the high-risk group. Conclusions: These results suggest that patients at low, intermediate, and high risk for in-hospital mortality may be identified by CARDS mainly based on sodium fluctuation.

The gut microbiota was reported to play a significant role in the progression of the metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Our recent study suggested that gastrointestinal tract and liver were important targets mediating the anti-obesity effects of intragastric safflower yellow (SY). Therefore, our present study aims to investigate the effect of intragastric SY on MAFLD and possible mechanism. DIO mice were treated with 125 mg/kg/d SY for 12 weeks by gavage. We found intragastric SY significantly slowed weight gain of body, reduced the food intake and liver weight, improved hepatic steatosis, liver function and glucose metabolism in DIO mice. The comparison between OGTT and IPGTT illustrated OGTT produced a better improvement of glucose tolerance after SY treatment. We also found intragastric SY significantly increased the energy expenditure and locomotor activity of DIO mice. SY obviously decreased the expression of lipogenesis-associated and ERS-related genes in liver of DIO mice and PA-induced MAFLD hepatocyte model. Gut microbiota analysis demonstrated intragastric SY apparently changed the diversity and composition of gut microbiota of DIO mice. Further function prediction analysis indicated that gut microbiotas in SY-treated mice was positively related with energy metabolism, lipid metabolism and endocrine system. Intragastric SY has a significant therapeutic effect on MAFLD, which is mediated partly by modulating gut microbiota and improving liver ERS.

Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA-Na2) are inorganic salts classified as ‘Generally Recognized as Safe’ (GRAS) compounds with great advantages in controlling various pathogens of postharvest fruits and vegetables. Here, we determined the median effective concentration (EC50) of Na2SiO3 (0.06%, 0.05%, 0.07% and 0.08%) and EDTA-Na2 (0.11%, 0.08%, 0.5%, and 0.07%) against common pathogens affecting postharvest citrus fruit, including Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, Geotrichum citri-aurantii, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Na2SiO3 and EDTA-Na2 treatments at the EC50 decreased the spore germination rate, visibly disrupted the spore cell membrane integrity, and significantly increased the lipid droplets (LDs) of the four postharvest pathogens. Moreover, both treatments at EC50 significantly reduced the disease incidence of P. italicum (by 60% and 93.335, respectively) and G. citri-aurantii (by 50% and 76.67%, respectively) relative to the control. Furthermore, Na2SiO3 and EDTA-Na2 treatment resulted in dramatically lower disease severity of the four pathogens, while also demonstrating no significant change in citrus fruit quality compared with the control. Therefore, Na2SiO3 and EDTA-Na2 present a promising approach to control the postharvest diseases of citrus fruit.

(1) Background: Optical genome mapping (OGM) is a novel approach to identifying genomic structural variations with high accuracy and resolution. We report a proband with severe short stature caused by 46, XY, der (16) ins (16;15) (q23; q21.3q14) that was detected by OGM combined with other tests and review the clinical features of patients with duplication within 15q14q21.3; (2) Methods: OGM, whole exon sequencing (WES), copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq), and karyotyping were used; (3) Results: The proband was a 10.7-year-old boy with a complaint of severe short stature (−3.41SDS) and abnormal gait. He had growth hormone deficiency, lumbar lordosis, and epiphyseal dysplasia of both femurs. WES and CNV-seq showed a 17.27 Mb duplication of chromosome 15, and there was an insertion in chromosome 16 found by karyotyping. Furthermore, OGM revealed that duplication of 15q14q21.3 was inversely inserted into 16q23.1, resulting in two fusion genes. A total of fourteen patients carried the duplication of 15q14q21.3, with thirteen previously reported and one from our center, 42.9% of which were de novo. In addition, neurologic symptoms (71.4%,10/14) were the most common phenotypes; (4) Conclusions: OGM combined with other genetic methods can reveal the genetic etiology of patients with the clinical syndrome, presenting great potential for use in properly diagnosing in the genetic cause of the clinical syndrome.

Dietary shifts in populations undergoing rapid economic transitions have been proposed as partly contributing toward the rapid intergenerational rise in myopia prevalence; however, empirical evidence of the effect of dietary factors on myopia is limited. This study investigated the association between dietary factors and incident myopia in Chinese children aged 10–11 years. We evaluated dietary habits using a 72-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among 7423 children. Myopic status was assessed using the “General Personal Information Questionnaire”. Principal component analysis was used to extract dietary patterns and investigate their association with myopia. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants with the highest adherence to dietary pattern A (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66–0.92, p for trend = 0.007) and dietary pattern C (95% CI: 0.58–0.80, p for trend < 0.001) had a lower risk of myopia than participants with the least adherence. Both of these dietary patterns are characterized by high consumption of meats, aquatic product, dairy and its products, eggs, legumes, vegetables, fruits, grains, and potatoes. Our findings suggest that other environmental factors, such as those related to the dietary environment, may contribute to the development of myopia. These findings can serve as a reference for diet-related primary prevention of myopia.

The input of exogenous organic materials is an effective way to improve soil organic matter (SOM) content in cropland. The exploration of the impact of new organic materials such as woody peat on black soil fertility can provide an important reference for preventing the degradation of black soil in Northeast China. In this study, the effects of adding woody peat to SOM and the soil-integrated fertility of black cropland were studied by seven treatments (no organic matter addition, CK; crop straw returning, SR; decomposed straw addition, DS; organic manure addition, OM; 6 t/ha woody peat addition, LWP; 10.5 t/ha natural humus material addition, MWP; and 15 t/ha natural humus material addition, HWP). The results show that natural humus material additions (LWP, MWP, and HWP treatments) could significantly increase SOM (increased by 4.79~9.41 g/kg), labile SOM (increased by 2.49~4.52 g/kg), and recalcitrant SOM (increased by 2.13~6.39 g/kg) components, respectively. For comparison, traditional organic material inputs (SR, DS, and OM treatments) had no significant effect on SOM but induced an increase in the labile SOM component in the following year. This study also found that natural humus material additions could improve soil-integrated fertility in a year term, especially in promoting SOM accumulation. However, organic manure amendment showed both the advantage of increasing soil fertility slightly and the disadvantage of increasing soil salt sharply. In conclusion, compared with traditional exogenous organic materials, the natural humus material amendment technique can rapidly increase the total SOM quantity and its different stability components and has a great effect in improving the integrated fertility of black soil. Thus, it is of significance to further study the potential of natural humus material amendment in the fertility of black soil in future.

Postharvest soft rot of kiwifruit has resulted in substantial market losses, yet there were few antagonistic yeasts reported to control the disease. This study screened 1113 yeast strains for potential antagonistic yeast to control soft rot of kiwifruit caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea and Diaporthe actinidiae, and strain 37 was selected to evaluate the control efficacy and mechanisms, which was identified as Meyerozyma guilliermondii via molecular biological identification. Our results showed that M. guilliermondii 37 effectively reduced pathogen spore germination rate to 28.52% and decay incidence of inoculated kiwifruit to 42.11% maximumly, whereas cell-free supernatant lacked antifungal activity, implying that M. guilliermondii 37 didn’t produce direct antifungal compounds against the two pathogens. In addition, M. guilliermondii 37 adhered tenaciously to the pathogens’ mycelium and colonized rapidly in kiwifruit flesh. Moreover, yeast strain 37 induced kiwifruit resistance by elevating the defense-related enzyme activity, increasing the antioxidant substances content, and suppressing the cell wall-degrading enzyme activity. Gene expression was consistent with the corresponding enzyme activity. Further postharvest yeast immersion treatment significantly reduced natural decay to 35.69% while maintaining soft-ripe quality. These results indicated that M. guilliermondii 37 might serve as a biocontrol agent against postharvest soft rot in kiwifruit.

The nutritional status of rural Chinese children has improved in recent years, but their nutritional knowledge is still relatively lacking. School-based nutrition and health education was conducted for children in three counties of China from 2018 to 2020. The students in the intervention schools were given two-year nutrition and health education courses, while the control schools did not receive any intervention. Students’ nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, and dietary behaviors were collected using a questionnaire, and height and weight were measured uniformly. The nutrition knowledge score in the intervention group was increased by 1.01 and 0.64 points in the first and second years. A multilevel model was used to evaluate the intervention effects. Statistically significant interactions between groups and time were observed in nutrition knowledge, the frequency of eating breakfast, and dietary intake, including meat, eggs, milk, and vegetables (p < 0.05), but not in nutritional status. Therefore, the supplementation of school-based nutrition and health education had a positive impact on the nutrition knowledge and dietary intake of rural Chinese children.

(1) Background: Pituicytomas are rare gliomas located in the neurohypophysis or infundibulum. A misdiagnosis of pituicytoma as pituitary adenoma is common because of similar location and occasional endocrine disturbances. (2) Case presentation: We present two cases with the comorbidity of pituicytoma and Cushing’s disease (CD). Case 1 is that of a 51-year-old woman, the first reported case of the comorbidity of pituicytoma, CD, and central diabetes insipidus. She received a diagnosis of CD and central diabetes insipidus. After transsphenoidal surgery, histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of pituicytoma and adrenocorticotropin-secreting microadenoma; case 2 is that of a 29-year-old man who received a biochemical diagnosis of CD, but he received a histopathological confirmation of only pituicytoma. Both patients achieved a remission of hypercortisolism without relapse during the follow-up, but they developed hypopituitarism after surgery. We also reviewed all published 18 cases with the comorbidity of pituicytoma and any pituitary adenoma. (3) Conclusions: Pituicytoma might present pituitary hyperfunction disorders such as CD or acromegaly, with or without pathologically confirmed pituitary adenoma. CD is the most common hyperpituitarism occurring concurrently with pituicytomas. The remission rate and hypopituitarism after surgery seem similar or slightly lower in CD than in common pituitary adenomas, but the long-term prognosis is unexplored.

Diseases not only manifest as internal structural and functional abnormalities, but also have facial characteristics and appearance deformities. Specific facial phenotypes are potential diagnostic markers, especially for endocrine and metabolic syndromes, genetic disorders, facial neuromuscular diseases, etc. The technology of facial recognition (FR) has been developed for more than a half century, but research in automated identification applied in clinical medicine has exploded only in the last decade. Artificial-intelligence-based FR has been found to have superior performance in diagnosis of diseases. This interdisciplinary field is promising for the optimization of the screening and diagnosis process and assisting in clinical evaluation and decision-making. However, only a few instances have been translated to practical use, and there is need of an overview for integration and future perspectives. This review mainly focuses on the leading edge of technology and applications in varieties of disease, and discusses implications for further exploration.

Nuciferine (Nuci), the main aporphine alkaloid component in lotus leaf, was reported to reduce lipid accumulation in vitro. Herein we investigated whether Nuci prevents obesity in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice and the underlying mechanism in liver/HepG2 hepatocytes and epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) /adipocytes. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with HFD supplemented with Nuci (0.10%) for 12 weeks. We found that Nuci significantly reduced body weight and fat mass, improved glycolipid profiles, and enhanced energy expenditure in HFD-fed mice. Nuci also ameliorated hepatic steatosis and decreased the size of adipocytes. Furthermore, Nuci remarkably promoted the phosphorylation of AMPK, suppressed lipogenesis (SREBP1, FAS, ACC), promoted lipolysis (HSL, ATGL), and increased the expressions of adipokines (FGF21, ZAG) in liver and eWAT. Besides, fatty acid oxidation in liver and thermogenesis in eWAT were also activated by Nuci. Similar results were further observed at cellular level, and these beneficial effects of Nuci in cells were abolished by an effective AMPK inhibitor compound C. In conclusion, Nuci supplementation prevented HFD-induced obesity, attenuated hepatic steatosis, and reduced lipid accumulation in liver/hepatocytes and eWAT/adipocytes through regulating AMPK-mediated FAS/HSL pathway. Our findings provide novel insight into the clinical application of Nuci in treating obesity and related complications.

Exposure to radiation has been associated with increased risk of delivering small-for-gestational-age (SGA) newborns. There are no tools to predict SGA newborns in pregnant women exposed to radiation before pregnancy. Here, we aimed to develop an array of machine learning (ML) models to predict SGA newborns in women exposed to radiation before pregnancy. Patients’ data was obtained from the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project from 2010 to 2012. The data were randomly divided into a training dataset (n = 364) and a testing dataset (n = 91). Eight various ML models were compared for solving the binary classification of SGA prediction, followed by a post hoc explainability based on the SHAP model to identify and interpret the most important features that contribute to the prediction outcome. A total of 455 newborns were included, with the occurrence of 60 SGA births (13.2%). Overall, the model obtained by extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) achieved the highest area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) in the testing set (0.844, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.713–0.974). All models showed satisfied AUCs, except for the logistic regression model (AUC: 0.561, 95% CI: 0.355–0.768). After feature selection by recursive feature elimination (RFE), 15 features were included in the final prediction model using the XGBoost algorithm, with an AUC of 0.821 (95% CI: 0.650–0.993). ML algorithms can generate robust models to predict SGA newborns in pregnant women exposed to radiation before pregnancy, which may thus be used as a prediction tool for SGA newborns in high-risk pregnant women.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is widely applied in different medical fields, including the diagnosis of various diseases on the basis of facial phenotypes, but there is no evaluation or quantitative synthesis regarding the performance of artificial intelligence. Here, for the first time, we summarized and quantitatively analyzed studies on the diagnosis of heterogeneous diseases on the basis on facial features. In pooled data from 20 systematically identified studies involving 7 single diseases and 12,557 subjects, quantitative random-effects models revealed a pooled sensitivity of 89% (95% CI 82% to 93%) and a pooled specificity of 92% (95% CI 87% to 95%). A new index, the facial recognition intensity (FRI), was established to describe the complexity of the association of diseases with facial phenotypes. Meta-regression revealed the important contribution of FRI to heterogeneous diagnostic accuracy (p = 0.021), and a similar result was found in subgroup analyses (p = 0.003). An appropriate increase in the training size and the use of deep learning models helped to improve the diagnostic accuracy for diseases with low FRI, although no statistically significant association was found between accuracy and photographic resolution, training size, AI architecture, and number of diseases. In addition, a novel hypothesis is proposed for universal rules in AI performance, providing a new idea that could be explored in other AI applications.

Children in China’s poor rural areas often have insufficient protein and micronutrient intake. There is little research about the effect of milk and egg supplementation published on these children. A prospective randomized controlled trial was applied to evaluate the effect of milk and egg supplementation on the growth and fitness of poor rural primary school students in southwest China whose physical development was below national averages. A total of 955 healthy students aged 6–13 years old were recruited. The intervention group (538) received 200 g milk and 50 g braised egg at each school day, while the control group (417) kept their normal diet and received no extra supplementation. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A mixed linear model with repeated measures was performed to analyze the efficacy of the supplementation. Statistically significant interactions between groups and time were seen in weight in boys, but not in girls. Significant improvement in vitamin D levels, the broad jump, and the 8 × 50 m shuttle run were observed in both genders. Therefore, the supplementation of egg and milk for two years might have a positive effect on growth and physical fitness and decreasing vitamin D deficiency in poor rural Chinese children.

We investigate the magneto-optical transport properties and Landau levels of type-II nodal line semimetals. The tilted liner dispersion in type-II nodal line semimetals makes the conduction band and valence band asymmetric, and Landau levels are coupling in the presence of a magnetic field. We find the background of absorption peaks is curved. The oscillation peaks are tailless with the change of magnetic field. Through tuning tilt term, we find the absorption peaks of optical conductivity change from incomplete degenerate structure to splitting double peaks structure. We also find interband absorption peaks is no longer zero in the imaginary part of Hall conductivity. With the change of the tilt term, the contribution of the absorption peak has two forms, one is that the negative peak only appears at high frequencies, and the other is two adjacent peaks with opposite signs. In addition, the resistivity, circularly polarized light and magnetic oscillation of Hall conductivity are studied.

Objective: There is a remarkable growth in sugar-sweetened (SSB) production and obesity prevalence among school-aged children in China. This paper describes SSB consumption and its association with obesity among Chinese children aged 6–17 years in 2012. Methods: in total, 25,553 children aged 6~17 years enrolled in the China Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2010–2013 were included in this study. Data of SSB consumption frequency and quantity were obtained from a food frequency questionnaire, and the children’s nutritional status was assessed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between SSB consumption and obesity status. Results: SSB intake was estimated as 181.0 g/day, occurring 2.2 times/week. Older children, males, children from urban areas, and children with higher socioeconomic status were more likely to consume SSBs. Children who consumed SSBs 1~5 times/week (12.9%) were more likely to be overweight/obesity than those who consumed SSBs less than once/week. Conclusion: SSB consumption was common among Chinese school-aged children, especially among males, older children, and children from urban areas. High consumption of SSBs was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity. Actions and plans are required to reduce SSB consumption and control childhood obesity in China.

Adenine base editor containing TadA8e (ABE8e) has been reported in rice. However, the application of ABE8e in other plant species has not been described, and the comparison between ABE8e and ABE7.10, which is widely used in plants, has also been poorly studied. Here, we developed the ABE8e with the polycistronic tRNA-gRNA expression cassette (PTG-ABE8e) and PTG-ABE7.10 and compared their A-to-G editing efficiencies using both transient and stable transformation in the allotetraploid Nicotiana benthamiana. We found that the editing efficiency of PTG-ABE8e was significantly higher than that of PTG-ABE7.10, indicating that ABE8e was more efficient for A-to-G conversion in N. benthamiana. We further optimized the ABE8e editing efficiency by changing the sgRNA expression cassette and demonstrated that both PTG and single transcript unit (STU) enhanced ABE8e efficiency for A-to-G conversion in N. benthamiana. We also estimated the potential off-target effect of PTG-ABE8e at potential off-targeting sites predicted using an online tool in transgenic plants, and no off-target editing event was found for potential off-targeting sites selected, indicating that ABE8e could specifically facilitate A-to-G conversion. Our results showed that ABE8e with PTG structure was more suitable for A-to-G conversion in N. benthamiana and provided valuable clues for optimizing ABE tools in other plants.

An efficient, green and reusable catalyst for organic pollutant wastewater treatment has been a subject of intense research in recent decades due to the limitation of current technologies. Cellulose based aerogel composites are considered to be an especially promising candidate for next-generation catalytic material. This project was conducted in order to evaluate the behavior and ability of green and reusable sugarcane bagasse aerogels to remove P-Nitrophesnol from waste-water aqueous. Co-Zeolitic imidazolate framework@ sugarcane bagasse aerogels composite catalysts were successfully prepared via simple in situ synthesis. The structure of hybrid aerogels and their efficient catalyst in peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for the degradation of p-nitrophenol (PNP) was investigated. As a result, the hybrid aerogels/PMS system removed 98.5% of PNP (10 mg/L) within 60~70 min, while the traditional water treatment technology could not achieve this. In addition, through a free radical capture experiment and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), the degradation mechanism of PNP was investigated. Further research found that the hybrid aerogels can effectively activate PMS to produce sulfate (SO4• −) and hydroxyl (OH• ). Both of them contributed to the degradation of PNP, and SO4• − plays a crucial role in the degradative process. The most important feature of hybrid aerogels can be easily separated from the solution. The obtained results showed that the outer coating structure of cellulose can stabilize Co-ZIF and reduce the dissolution of cobalt ions under complex reaction conditions. Moreover, the prepared hybrid aerogels exhibit excellent reusability and are environmentally friendly with efficient catalytic efficiency. This work provides a new strategy for bagasse applications and material reusability.

Due to the limits of computational time and computer memory, topology optimization problems involving fluidic flow frequently use simplified 2D models. Extruded versions of the 2D optimized results typically comprise the 3D designs to be fabricated. In practice, the depth of the fabricated flow channels is finite; the limited flow depth together with the no-slip condition potentially make the fluidic performance of the 3D model very different from that of the simplified 2D model. This discrepancy significantly limits the usefulness of performing topology optimization involving fluidic flow in 2D—at least if special care is not taken. Inspired by the electric circuit analogy method, we limit the widths of the microchannels in the 2D optimization process. To reduce the difference of fluidic performance between the 2D model and its 3D counterpart, we propose an applicable 2D optimization model, and ensure the manufacturability of the obtained layout, combinations of several morphology-mimicking filters impose maximum or minimum length scales on the solid phase or the fluidic phase. Two typical Lab-on-chip functional units, Tesla valve and fluidic channel splitter, are used to illustrate the validity of the proposed application of length scale control.

Accurate measurement of leaf chlorophyll concentration (LChl) in the field using a portable chlorophyll meter (PCM) is crucial to support methodology development for mapping the spatiotemporal variability of crop nitrogen status using remote sensing. Several PCMs have been developed to measure LChl instantaneously and non-destructively in the field, however, their readings are relative quantities that need to be converted into actual LChl values using conversion functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between actual LChl and PCM readings obtained by three PCMs: SPAD-502, CCM-200, and Dualex-4. Field experiments were conducted in 2016 on four crops: corn (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.), spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and canola (Brassica napus L.), at the Central Experimental Farm of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. To evaluate the impact of other factors (leaf internal structure, leaf pigments other than chlorophyll, and the heterogeneity of LChl distribution) on the conversion function, a global sensitivity analysis was conducted using the PROSPECT-D model to simulate PCM readings under different conditions. Results showed that Dualex-4 had a better performance for actual LChl measurement than SPAD-502 and CCM-200, using a general conversion function for all four crops tested. For SPAD-502 and CCM-200, the error in the readings increases with increasing LChl. The sensitivity analysis reveals that deviations from the calibration functions are more induced by non-uniform LChl distribution than leaf architectures. The readings of Dualex-4 can have a better ability to restrict these influences than those of the other two PCMs.

Lignin, a byproduct from the chemical processing of lignocellulosic biomass, is a polyphenolic compound that has potential as a partial phenol substitute in phenolic adhesive formulations. In this study, HBr and HI were used as reagents to demethylate an alkali lignin (AL) to increase its hydroxyl content and thereby enhance its reactivity for the preparation of phenolic resins. Analyses by FT-IR, 1H-NMR and 2D-NMR(HSQC) demonstrated both a decrease in methoxyl groups and an increase in hydroxyl groups for each demethylated lignin (DL). In addition, the molar amounts of phenolic hydroxyls, determined by 1H-NMR, increased to 0.67 mmol/g for the HI-DL, and 0.64 mmol/g for the HBr-DL, from 0.52 mmol/g for the AL. These results showed that HI, a stronger nucleophilic reagent than HBr, provided a higher degree of AL demethylation. Lignin-containing resins, prepared by copolymerization, met the bonding strength standard for exterior plywood with DL used to replace as much as 50 wt.% of phenol. The increased hydroxyl contents resulting from the lignin demethylations also imparted faster cure times for the lignin-containing resins and lower formaldehyde emissions. Altogether, the stronger nucleophilicity of HI, compared to HBr, impacted the degree of lignin demethylation, and carried through to measurable differences the thermal properties and performance of the lignin-containing PF resins.

Solar cells made of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite (HOIP) materials have attracted ever-increasing attention due to their high efficiency and easy fabrication. However, issues regarding their poor stability remain a challenge for practical applications. Engineering the composition and structure of HOIP can effectively enhance the thermal stability and improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this work, mixed two-dimensional (2D) HOIPs are systematically investigated for solar-power harvesting using first-principles calculations. We find that their electronic properties depend strongly on the mixed atoms (Cs, Rb, Ge and Pb) and the formation energy is related to the HOIP’s composition, where the atoms are more easily mixed in SnI-2D-HOIPs due to low formation energy at the same composition ratio. We further show that optimal solar energy harvesting can be achieved on the solar cells composed of mixed SnI-2D-HOIPs because of reduced bandgaps, enhanced mobility and improved stability. Importantly, we find that the mixed atoms (Cs, Rb, Ge and Pb) with the appropriate composition ratios can effectively enhance the solar-to-power efficiency and show greatly improved resistance to moisture. The findings demonstrate that mixed 2D-HOIPs can replace the bulk HOIPs or pure 2D-HOIPs for applications into solar cells with high efficiency and stability.

The concept of National Forest Park (NFP) is mainly used in mainland China. Originating in 1982, NFP embodies a “top-down„ concept and associated program launched by the Chinese government. It is aimed at promoting forest-based tourism and economic development under the premise of protecting forest resources. After 30 years of development, NFPs have made great achievements in protecting specific forest resources, promoting forest-based tourists, promoting regional economic development, and they have gained popularity worldwide. However, due to the fast pace of NFP expansion, lack of predictable planning and innovative thinking, and ineffective governance, some problems like overexploitation, scenic pollution, monotonous development patterns, and ecological degradation associated with NFP constrain its sustainable development. In order to solve these problems effectively, a holistic review of the status of NFPs in China is needed. To help meet this need, the origin, evolution, and current status of NFPs in China were analyzed. The presented research also included retrospective analyses of challenges and opportunities for NFPs sustainable development in China. Results show that from 1982 to 2015, the number of NFPs grew dramatically, and this development occurred in four phases. In addition, NFP development has been unbalanced in regional distribution. When analyzing the evolution of NFPs, the main issues to date have included failure to implement Master Plans in practice, unclear supervisory responsibilities, ambiguous classification, unbalanced distribution, destruction of natural resource and ecosystems, insufficient cultural protection, weak awareness of nature education, lack of resource statistics, monotonous planning, and weak marketing. Study findings can contribute to promoting the sustainable future development of NFPs and support the forest-based tourism industry.

Unlike the optical information taken from a single in-focus image of general optical microscopy, through-focus scanning optical microscopy (TSOM) involves scanning a target through the focus and capturing of a series of images. These images can be used to conduct three-dimensional inspection and metrology with nanometer-scale lateral and vertical sensitivity. The sensitivity of TSOM strongly depends on many mechanical and optical factors. In this study, how illumination polarization and target structure affect the sensitivity of TSOM is analyzed. Firstly, the complete imaging procedure of the polarized light is investigated. Secondly, through-focus scanning results of different targets with two illumination polarizations are simulated using the finite-difference time-domain method. Thirdly, a few experiments are performed to verify the influence of illumination polarization and target structures on the sensitivity of TSOM. Both the results of the simulation and experiments illustrate an apparent influence of polarization on the sensitivity of inspecting the targets with center asymmetric structures. For enhanced sensitivity, illumination polarization should be perpendicular to the target texture. This conclusion is meaningful to adjust illumination polarization purposefully for different structure characteristics and improve the sensitivity of metrology.

Two quaternary metal chalcogenides, Ba2AlSbS5 and Ba2GaBiSe5, were successfully synthesized by solid-state reaction in sealed silica tubes. Both of them crystallize in the same orthorhombic space group Pnma, but they appear with obviously different construction features. For example, Ba2AlSbS5 exhibits [SbS3]3− units and zero-dimensional (0D) [AlSbS5]4− clusters, which is different from those ([BiSe6]3− units and 1D ∞[GaBiSe5]4− chains) of Ba2GaBiSe5. We also systematically investigated the entire series of Ba2MIIIMIII’Q5 (MIII = Al, Ga, In; MIII’ = As, Sb, Bi; Q = S, Se, Te) compounds, and the results showed that the interconnection of MIIIQ4 and MIII’Qn (n = 3, 5, 6) units can form three different structural types, including 0D [MIIIMIII’Q5] clusters, single [MIII’Q3] chains and isolated [MIIIQ4] units, or [MIIIQ3]n and [MIII’Q3]n double chains, which may be induced by the flexible coordination and on-link modes of MIII’ atoms. Spectral investigation shows that their bandgaps are about 2.57 eV for Ba2AlSbS5 and 2.14 eV for Ba2GaBiSe5. Theoretical calculation was also used to analyze their structure-property relationships, and the results indicate that the title compounds exhibit larger birefringences (Δn > 0.10), thus having potential as the IR birefringent materials.

We present a novel electroosmotic micromixer that consists of arrays of direct current (DC) asymmetric electrode and asymmetric lateral structures. By embedding asymmetric electrode arrays on the top and bottom walls of a rectangular microchannel appropriately, the flow perturbations and vortexes can be induced when a DC electric field is imposed. An efficient lateral structure is then sequentially combined with the rectangular microchannel, which enhances the mixing effect significantly. The effects of operational parameters such as the Reynolds number, the applied potential, and the Peclet number on the mixing performance are analyzed in detail by numerical simulations. The results indicate that an enhanced mixing performance can be achieved with low applied potential. The novel method proposed in this paper provides a simple solution for mixing in the field of micro-total-analysis systems.

Increasing evidence suggests that aberrant long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are significantly correlated with the pathogenesis, development and metastasis of cancers. RHPN1 antisense RNA 1 (RHPN1-AS1) is a 2030-bp transcript originating from human chromosome 8q24. However, the role of RHPN1-AS1 in uveal melanoma (UM) remains to be clarified. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the molecular function of RHPN1-AS1 in UM. The RNA levels of RHPN1-AS1 in UM cell lines were examined using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were designed to quench RHPN1-AS1 expression, and UM cells stably expressing short hairpin (sh) RHPN1-AS1 were established. Next, the cell proliferation and migration abilities were determined using a colony formation assay and a transwell migration/invasion assay. A tumor xenograft model in nude mice was established to confirm the function of RHPN1-AS1 in vivo. RHPN1-AS1 was significantly upregulated in a number of UM cell lines compared with the normal human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell line. RHPN1-AS1 knockdown significantly inhibited UM cell proliferation and migration in vitro and in vivo. Our data suggest that RHPN1-AS1 could be an oncoRNA in UM, which may serve as a candidate prognostic biomarker and target for new therapies in malignant UM.

Adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma, also known as Cushing disease (CD), is rare and causes metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis due to hypercortisolism. However, the molecular pathogenesis of CD is still unclear because of a lack of human cell lines and animal models. Here, we study 106 clinical characteristics and gene expression changes from 118 patients, the largest cohort of CD in a single-center. RNA deep sequencing is used to examine genotypic changes in nine paired female ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas and adjacent nontumorous pituitary tissues (ANPT). We develop a novel analysis linking disease clinical characteristics and whole transcriptomic changes, using Pearson Correlation Coefficient to discover a molecular network mechanism. We report that osteoporosis is distinguished from the phenotype and genotype analysis. A cluster of genes involved in osteoporosis is identified using Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. Most of the genes are reported in the bone related literature, confirming the feasibility of phenotype-genotype association analysis, which could be used in the analysis of almost all diseases. Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), collagen type I α 1 chain (COL1A1), 5′-nucleotidase ecto (NT5E), HtrA serine peptidase 1 (HTRA1) and angiopoietin 1 (ANGPT1) and their signalling pathways are shown to be involved in osteoporosis in CD patients. Our discoveries provide a molecular link for osteoporosis in CD patients, and may open new potential avenues for osteoporosis intervention and treatment.

The light homogenizing element is a crucial component of the illumination system of the lithography machine. Its primary purpose is to realize the uniform distribution of energy. However, it suffers from a common issue, which is angular spectrum discreteness, which significantly impacts light uniformity. To address this, we design and fabricate random micro-cylindrical lens arrays to obtain a small-angle Gaussian optical field, which can compensate for the angular spectrum discreteness. By adjusting the pitches and curvature radii of the micro-cylindrical lenses separately, we are able to manipulate the divergence angle of the emitted sub-beams, enabling precise angular spectrum modulation. By using mask-moving technology, the angular spectrum modulator is fabricated to generate a Gaussian illumination field. The surface profile is measured and determined with a structural roughness below 10 nm. Furthermore, optical test experiments on the modulator have been conducted, achieving an angle error of less than 0.02° and a balance better than 0.5%.

In this study, the effects of ambient temperature on the horizontal mechanical performance of isolated rubber bearings were investigated using high-speed reciprocating loading methods. A comprehensive series of 54 experimental trials are performed on the full-scale (900 mm-diameter) isolation rubber bearings, encompassing a range of temperatures (−20 °C, 0 °C, and 23 °C), shear pressures (50%, 100%, and 250%), and frequencies (0.20 Hz, 0.25 Hz, and 0.30 Hz). Because the compression-shear tests were conducted at high velocities and pressures (specifically, vertical compressive stress of 15 MPa), the equipment used in these tests was capable of generating substantial inertial and frictional forces. Appropriate correction methodologies for the precise determination of mechanical performance metrics for bearings are presented. Then, a comprehensive investigation of the effects of various loading conditions on the characteristic strength, post-yield stiffness, horizontal equivalent stiffness, and equivalent damping ratio of LRB900 (lead-core rubber bearings 900 mm-diameter) and LNR900 (linear natural rubber bearings 900 mm-diameter) is conducted. The empirical results show a discernible relationship between these characteristics and ambient temperature as the number of loading cycles increases, except for the equivalent damping ratio. Finally, empirical fitting formulations incorporating the influence of ambient temperature are presented for each performance indicator. These formulas are intended to assist designers in performing seismic design analyses by allowing them to take into consideration the effects of ambient temperature comprehensively.