Search

The central nervous system (CNS) comprises a diverse range of brain cell types with distinct functions and gene expression profiles. Although single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides new insights into the brain cell atlases, integrating large-scale CNS scRNA-seq data still encounters challenges due to the complexity and heterogeneity among CNS cell types/subtypes. In this study, we introduce a self-supervised contrastive learning method, called scCM, for integrating large-scale CNS scRNA-seq data. scCM brings functionally related cells close together while simultaneously pushing apart dissimilar cells by comparing the variations of gene expression, effectively revealing the heterogeneous relationships within the CNS cell types/subtypes. The effectiveness of scCM is evaluated on 20 CNS datasets covering 4 species and 10 CNS diseases. Leveraging these strengths, we successfully integrate the collected human CNS datasets into a large-scale reference to annotate cell types and subtypes in neural tissues. Results demonstrate that scCM provides an accurate annotation, along with rich spatial information of cell state. In summary, scCM is a robust and promising method for integrating large-scale CNS scRNA-seq data, enabling researchers to gain insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying CNS functions and diseases. scCM, a self-supervised contrastive learning method, effectively integrates large-scale CNS scRNA-seq data by clustering functionally related cells and separating dissimilar ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigenetic modifier (EM) genes play important roles in the occurrence and progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the prognostic significance of EM mutations in ALL has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This retrospective study included 205 adult patients with ALL engaged in a pediatric-type regimen. Based on targeted next-generation sequencing, they were divided into EM mutation group (EM-mut, n = 75) and EM wild-type group (EM-wt, n = 130). The EM-mut group showed a higher positive rate of minimal residual disease (MRD) on treatment day24 and before consolidation therapy (P = 0.026, 0.020). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that EM-mut was an independent adverse factor for overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) (HR = 2.123, 1.742; P = 0.009, 0.007). Survival analysis revealed that the OS and EFS rates were significantly lower in the EM-mut group than in the EM-wt group (3-year OS rate, 45.8% vs. 65.0%, P = 0.0041; 3-year EFS rate, 36.7% vs. 53.2%, P = 0.011). In conclusion, EM was frequently mutated in adult ALL and was characterized by poor response to induction therapy and inferior clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) has been used in the range of organic pollutants adsorption and degradation. It's important to improve the performance of GO in the treatment of organic pollutants. Here, we found that the organic pollutants were more efficiently removed in the catalytic degradation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) after being pre-adsorbed with GO. The performance of GO in degrading organic pollutants firstly enhanced and then weakened as the treated temperature increases in the air. The adsorption ability of GO for organic pollutants and catalytic activity of H2O2 were highest at 500 ℃, which can be ascribed to the highest oxygen-containing functional groups and the lowest defects on GO after 500 ℃ treatment in the air. This finding will improve the understanding and application of GO in organic pollutants treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advancement of laparoscopic technology has broadened the application of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) for treating pancreatic head and ampullary tumors. Despite its benefits, postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) and postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) remain significant complications. Ligamentum teres hepatis wrapping around the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) stump show limitations in reducing POPF and PPH. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed patients undergoing LPD from January 2016 to October 2023, We compared the effectiveness of the two-parts wrapping (the ligamentum teres hepatis wrapping of the gastroduodenal artery stump and the omentum flap wrapping of the pancreatojejunal anastomosis) and ligamentum teres hepatis wrapping around the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) in reducing postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) and postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH), using propensity score matching for the analysis. Results: A total of 172 patients were analyzed, showing that the two-parts wrapping group significantly reduced the rates of overall and severe complications, POPF, and PPH compared to ligamentum teres hepatis wrapping around the GDA group. Specifically, the study found lower rates of grade B/C POPF and no instances of PPH in the two-parts wrapping group, alongside shorter postoperative hospital stays and drainage removal times. These benefits were particularly notable in patients with soft pancreatic textures and pancreatic duct diameters of < 3 mm. Conclusion: The two-parts wrapping technique significantly reduce the risks of POPF and PPH in LPD, offering a promising approach for patients with soft pancreas and pancreatic duct diameter of < 3 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the disadvantage of poor degradation effect of Fe2+/peroxydisulfate (PDS) system, a co-catalyst was introduced in this study to construct a molybdenum (Mo)/Fe2+/PDS system for the degradation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7), and the degradation rate could reach 95.67%. The effects of different parameters (initial pH, Fe2+ concentration, etc.) on the degradation effect of AO7 in this system were investigated, and the optimal degradation conditions were obtained by combining cost analysis. Cycling experiments showed that Mo had good stability. The co-catalytic mechanism of Mo powder was determined using X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscope, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The effects of different inorganic anions on AO7 were discussed: Cl− and NO3− had little effect on degradation, while SO42− and HCO3− both inhibited the removal of AO7 from the system to different degrees, with HCO3− showing a greater inhibition than SO42−. The main active radicals were identified as sulfate radical (SO4·−) and hydroxyl radical (·OH). In addition, intermediates were identified, and the attack sites were determined by combining the highest occupied molecular orbital/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels and the Fukui index to hypothesize the degradation pathways. Toxicity indicators such as the mutagenicity of AO7 and intermediates were evaluated, and the overall trend of toxicity was decreasing. This study is expected to provide an efficient treatment process for dye wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video anomaly detection is a very challenging task in the field of computer vision. In this paper, we propose a multidimensional two-stage memory-guided network based on future frame prediction. Firstly, based on the understanding of the temporal correlation information between continuous video frames, we use an implicit computational approach to extract the temporal mobility features between continuous video frames effectively. Then, unify the representation of spatial and temporal features through a feature dimensional expansion strategy. However, we noted that the mobility features changed morphology and presented different feature distributions at two key stages before and after the entire extraction process, both with the ability to represent normal behavior. In this way, we can obtain a more standardized representation of features in the temporal dimension and increase the reconstruction error of abnormal events to improve the detection effect. We conduct a wide range of experiments on three publicly available datasets and obtain good results to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence has demonstrated notable advancements in the realm of visual inspection and defect detection in substations. Nevertheless, practical application presents challenges, with issues arising from the dynamic shooting environment and limited dataset resulting in suboptimal defect identification accuracy and instability. To address these concerns, a pioneering approach based on hybrid pruning YOLOv5 and multiscale data augmentation is proposed for enhancing defect detection in substations. Initially, an enhanced multiscale data augmentation method is proposed. The improved multiscale data augmentation mitigates the impact of the time-varying shooting environment on recognition accuracy and enhances defect detection precision. Subsequently, YOLOv5 is employed for training and detecting defects within multi-scale image data. To alleviate the potential destabilizing effects of YOLOv5's large-scale parameters on model stability, a new model pruning method is implemented. This method strategically prunes parameters to bolster the model's defect identification accuracy. The efficacy of the proposed methodology is evaluated through testing on substation defect images, confirming its effectiveness in enhancing defect detection capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Graphene-based nanomaterial was widely used in gas sensors, detection, and separation. However, weak adsorption and low selectivity of the pristine graphene used for gas sensors are major problems. Here, using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we reported the significant increase of four gas molecules (N2, CO2, C2H2, and C2H4) adsorption on the transition metal ion (Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+)–modified graphene complex (Fe3+/Co2+/Ni2+-G) comparing to be absorbed on the pristine graphene (G). Moreover, the Co2+-G is suitable for the selective separation of C2H4/C2H2 due to the larger adsorption energy difference (8.5 kcal/mol) between them. The addition of transition metal ions also decreased the HOMO–LUMO gap of the systems, which benefits the enhancement of electrical conductivity. This suggests that the transition metal ion–modified graphene can be used to distinguish the different gas molecule's adsorption, facilitating the design of graphene-based gas sensors and selective separation. Methods: All the density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed by B3LYP with the GD3 dispersion method using Gaussian 16 software. The basis set 6-31G(d) was used for C, H, O, and N atoms, and Lanl2DZ was used for transition metal ions (Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+). The DOS analysis and energy decomposition analysis were performed using the Multiwfn program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the popularity of surveillance video, people's increased security awareness and demand for risk warning, video anomaly detection is gradually gaining widespread attention. Since the amount of data in the background is larger than that of the foreground object, the background information of video frames is more easily noticed by the model, while the abnormal behaviors that cannot be easily detected mostly occur in the foreground. At the same time, if the background information is processed separately from the foreground information, it will inevitably increase the complexity of the model. In this paper, we propose a novel video anomaly detection based on scene object. In the training phase, we put foreground objects on the canvas for training and the memory module remembers various normal patterns of the foreground objects, so that the model can be more sensitive to the anomalies in the foreground objects during detection. Our method is able to achieve AUC 74.01% and 30 FPS on ShanghaiTech dataset. At the same time, several advanced video anomaly detection algorithms are compared, which all demonstrate the superiority of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a significant research hotspot in the field of computer vision, video anomaly detection plays an essential role in ensuring public safety. Anomaly detection remains a challenging task given the complex situation in public areas and the large random distribution of crowds. The density of people in the same scene varies greatly due to the instability of the pedestrian volume. Specifically, the characteristics of crowd distribution mainly include low density, small aggregation and dispersion, or large aggregation and severe occlusion. Considering the large difference between high-density and low-density crowd characteristics, we propose an anomaly detection algorithm based on scene classification in order to obtain better anomaly detection result. Firstly, we propose a novel scene classification method, which uses pre-trained YoloV4 model to detect the number of people in the video frames and generate heatmaps, and extracts pixel features through the Double-Canny algorithm to represent the occlusion degree of the crowd. Furthermore, K-Means clustering is used to adaptively divide the scene into sparse and dense. Secondly, the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) based on prediction and reconstruction is introduced to detect anomalies respectively, and the final accuracy is achieved by combining the detection accuracy of both networks. Finally, experiments on three benchmark datasets demonstrate the competitive performance of our method with the state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most common skin malignancies. Patients with metastatic cSCC (mcSCC) tended to have unfavorable prognosis. However, there is no available models to evaluate the survival outcomes for these patients. This study retrospectively collected mcSCC cases identified from The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2000 to 2018. All patients were randomly divided into the training and validation cohorts. The independent factors which predicted the cancer-specific survival (CSS) were identified by Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, and were used to build nomogram. he discrimination ability of nomograms was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the corresponding area under the curve (AUC) at 1, 3, and 5 years were calculated to estimate the predictive accuracy. The performance of this nomogram was evaluated by the calibration curves. The decision curve analyses (DCAs) were conducted to assess the clinical usefulness of the models. Based on the novel nomograms, all patients were classified into low- and high-risk groups. Kaplan–Meier curves were plotted to compare the survival outcomes of two groups. All analyses were conducted by R software (Version 4.1.3). A total of 916 patients were included. Age, marital status, location of the primary sites, number of metastases, T stage, N stage, surgical resection of the primary sites, radiotherapy of the primary sites, and chemotherapy were significantly associated with CSS. A nomogram predicting CSS was built based on these parameters. C-index and ROC curves of nomogram showed promising discriminating and predicting ability for CSS. Survival analysis showed that patients in the low-risk group had significant superior CSS time than those in the high-risk group (median CSS time: 15.0 vs. 5.0 months, p < 0.001). In conclusion, we developed and validated a novel nomogram predicting the CSS in metastatic cSCC patients. This nomogram could be used to assess the prognosis of metastatic cSCC patients, and help clinicians evaluating optimal treatment options for individual patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic responses of both underground structures and their surrounding geoformations induced by tamped spherical detonation have been recognised as one of the key topics in both defence engineering and civil engineering. Proper understanding and evaluation of tamped detonation-induced particle movement, spherical stress wave propagation/attenuation, and dynamic crack propagation in geoformations require effective experimental methods and numerical tools. To capture the main characteristics of the spherical shock waves, including the wave propagation and attenuation, a systematic tamped spherical detonation test technique on PMMA has been designed in this study. A mini-explosive sphere with a diameter of 4 mm is generated to produce a small-scale explosion within the PMMA specimen. To monitor the movement of particles during explosion, an electronic measurement system consisting of embedded particle velocity sensors and high-intensity magnetic field generators, has been developed. For the modelling of tamped spherical detonation, a modified multibody failure criterion, equation of state (EOS), and Johnson–Holmquist–Beissel (JHB) model have been implemented in a four-dimensional lattice spring model, thus forming an improved JHB-4DLSM model (M-JHB-4DLSM). It is capable of reproducing the effects of large Poisson's ratios, the strain rate and the high ratio of uniaxial compressive strength to the uniaxial tensile strength values (UCS/T). The developed M-JHB-4DLSM model has been validated through modelling the dynamic responses of both granite and PMMA. Results indicate that the dynamic process and fracturing patterns reproduced by M-JHB-4DLSM are consistent with experimental observations. M-JHB-4DLSM model is then applied to investigate the impact effects of tunnels subjected to close-in buried blasting. Highlights: A systematic experimental technique has been developed for the tamped spherical denotation test. A M-JHB-4DLSM model has been proposed for more realistic modelling of brittle materials subjected to blasting load. The proposed model has been validated through modelling the dynamic responses of both PMMA and granite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the popularity of surveillance equipment and the rise of intelligent surveillance, video anomaly detection has gradually become a research hotspot. Among them, for video processing, the three-channel video frame data can be directly used as the input of model, or some motion information can be extracted from the video frame, such as calculating optical flow, and then motion information and video frame can be input into the model together for anomaly detection. However, since the amount of background information in the overall situation is far greater than that of object information, abnormal objects are not concerned. In addition, there ia a phenomenon that objects close to the camera are more likely to be judged as anomalous due to the difference in viewpoint resulting in different sizes of objects captured in the scene. This paper proposes a multi-memory video anomaly detection algorithm based on scene object distribution. Firstly, add local anomaly branch to the model, and use memory modules to explicitly model the multiple normal modes of the global frame and the local object; secondly, scale the object to the same measurement standard according to the scene object distribution, which alleviates the impact of the view difference; finally, considering the difficulty of anomaly positioning, a new anomaly location method that combines global anomalies and local anomalies is proposed. The experimental results on the UCSD Ped2, CUHK Avenue and ShanghaiTech datasets have obtained AUC values of 96.75%, 84.34% and 77.08% respectively, which shows that the proposed method attains competitive detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the digital age, digital asset is becoming increasingly important and digital rights management system can provide protection for digital content. However, the existing distributed digital rights managements are unable to fully detect plagiarized and illegally sensitive digital content, which greatly affects the benefit of content owner and reduces the confidence of users. A distributed management system for digital rights based on redactable blockchain and perceptual hash is proposed in the paper. The perceptual hash is adopted to detect similarities and judge whether or not it is the original piece. In addition, an incentive scheme based on redactable blockchain is proposed to ensure that plagiarized and illegally sensitive digital content can be removed in a timely manner when uploaded to the blockchain. Evidence of rights confirmation is provided by use of hidden watermarks in copyright dispute. At the same time on-chain detection and off-chain storage are applied to effectively reduce the storage burden of the blockchain. Smart contracts are established to ensure fairness in content transactions. Finally, the correctness and efficiency of the scheme is proven by simulation experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tight sandstone gas reservoir is thin, highly heterogeneous, and its spatial distribution is very complex. Its development is faced with the problems of low gas reservoir drilling rate and poor fracturing effect. In order to overcome the difficulties in the development of horizontal wells in tight gas reservoirs, the real-time steering technology of seismic geological integration horizontal wells based on 3D seismic data of "two wide and one high" is proposed in this paper. The pilot test of 12 horizontal wells has been completed using the proposed technology. The average horizontal section length is 1755 meters, the sandstone length is 1506 meters, the sandstone drilling rate is 85.7%, the effective reservoir length is 1290 meters, the effective reservoir drilling rate is 74.5%, the coincidence rate of seismic prediction is 91.7%, the success rate of one shot is 100%, and the structural prediction error is 0.45 ‰. This technology can effectively improve the drilling rate and fracturing effect of horizontal wells in tight sandstone gas reservoirs, and has guiding significance for the development of horizontal wells in tight sandstone gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACH2-related immunodeficiency and autoimmunity (BRIDA) is an inborn error of immunity, newly reported in 2017, presenting with symptoms of immunoglobulin deficiency and ongoing colitis. Studies using a mouse model have demonstrated that BACH2 deficiency predisposes individuals to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, no BACH2 deficiency has been reported in SLE patients. Here we describe a patient with BRIDA presenting with early-onset SLE, juvenile dermatomyositis, and IgA deficiency. Whole exome sequencing analysis of the patient and her parents revealed a novel heterozygous point mutation in BACH2, c.G1727T, resulting in substitution of a highly conserved arginine with leucine (R576L), which is predicted to be deleterious, in the patient and her father. Reduced BACH2 expression and deficient transcriptional repression of the BACH2 target, BLIMP1, were detected in PBMCs or lymphoblastoid cell lines of our patient. Notably, extreme reduction of memory B cells was detected in the patient's father, although he had no obvious symptoms. SLE symptoms and recurrent fever were relieved by treatment with prednisone combined with tofacitinib. Thus, we present the second report of BRIDA and demonstrate that BACH2 may be a monogenic cause of SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dedicator of cytokinesis 2(DOCK2) protein, an atypical guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEFs), is a member of the DOCKA protein subfamily. DOCK2 protein deficiency is characterized by early-onset lymphopenia, recurrent infections, and lymphocyte dysfunction, which was classified as combined immune deficiency with neutrophil abnormalities as well. The only cure is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Here, we report two patients harboring four novel DOCK2 mutations associated with recurrent infections including live attenuated vaccine-related infections. The patient's condition was partially alleviated by symptomatic treatment or intravenous immunoglobulin. We also confirmed defects in thymic T cell output and T cell proliferation, as well as aberrant skewing of T/B cell subset TCR-Vβ repertoires. In addition, we noted neutrophil defects, the weakening of actin polymerization, and BCR internalization under TCR/BCR activation. Finally, we found that the DOCK2 protein affected antibody affinity although with normal total serum immunoglobulin. The results reported herein expand the clinical phenotype, the pathogenic DOCK2 mutation database, and the immune characteristics of DOCK2-deficient patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorinated binders have currently received extensive attention in the research of binders due to their unique chemical properties. In this study, poly 2-(2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluorobutoxymethyl) oxirane, i.e., poly(HFEE) was synthesized by a one-step substitution and cationic ring-opening polymerization using epichlorohydrin and 2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluoro-1-butanol as raw materials. The corresponding characterization, such as FT-IR and NMR, of HFEE confirmed its successful synthesis. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test shows that poly(HFEE) had a low glass transition temperature (Tg) of − 64.7 °C, indicating that it developed the better stability performance. At the same time, the thermal and mechanical properties of HFEE cured by polymethylene polyphenyl polyisocyanate (PAPI) were studied. The effects of curing temperature and PAPI content were investigated, and the corresponding rules were summarized. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA-DTG) was utilized to evaluate the thermal stability of poly(HFEE) and the result showed that the sharp weight loss was at the temperature of 377 °C. This new strategy is devised for the utility of poly(HFEE) enabling it extension to be potential fluorinated binder for solid propellants. A new linear heptafluoro glycidyl ether poly 2-(2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluorobutoxymethyl) oxirane (HFEE) was synthesized, characterized, and cured by polymethylene polyphenyl polyisocyanate (PAPI). The effects of curing temperature and PAPI content were investigated, and the corresponding rules were summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, nanomaterials have attracted the research intervention of experts in the fields of catalysis, energy, biomedical testing, and biomedicine with their unrivaled optical, chemical, and biological properties. From basic metal and oxide nanoparticles to complex quantum dots and MOFs, the stable preparation of various nanomaterials has always been a struggle for researchers. Microfluidics, as a paradigm of microscale control, is a remarkable platform for online stable synthesis of nanomaterials with efficient mass and heat transfer in microreactors, flexible blending of reactants, and precise control of reaction conditions. We describe the process of microfluidic preparation of nanoparticles in the last 5 years in terms of microfluidic techniques and the methods of microfluidic manipulation of fluids. Then, the ability of microfluidics to prepare different nanomaterials, such as metals, oxides, quantum dots, and biopolymer nanoparticles, is presented. The effective synthesis of some nanomaterials with complex structures and the cases of nanomaterials prepared by microfluidics under extreme conditions (high temperature and pressure), the compatibility of microfluidics as a superior platform for the preparation of nanoparticles is demonstrated. Microfluidics has a potent integration capability to combine nanoparticle synthesis with real-time monitoring and online detection, which significantly improves the quality and production efficiency of nanoparticles, and also provides a high-quality ultra-clean platform for some bioassays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing usage of an important heavy metal chromium for industrial purposes, such as metallurgy, electroplating, leather tanning, and other fields, has contributed to an augmented level of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in watercourses negatively impacting the ecosystems and significantly making Cr(VI) pollution a serious environmental issue. In this regard, iron nanoparticles exhibited great reactivity in remediation of Cr(VI)-polluted waters and soils, but, the persistence and dispersion of the raw iron should be improved. Herein, this article utilized an environment-friendly celite as a modifying reagent and described the preparation of a novel composites namaly celite decorated iron nanoparticles (C-Fe0) and evaluation of C-Fe0 for the sequestration performance of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The results indicated that initial Cr(VI) concentration, adsorbent dosage, and especially solution pH are all critical factors to control C-Fe0 performance in Cr(VI) sequestration. We demonstrated that C-Fe0 could achieve a high Cr(VI) sequestration efficiency with an optimized adsorbent dosage. Fitness of the pseudo-second-order kinetics model with data indicated that adsorption was the rate-controlling step and chemical interaction controlled Cr(VI) sequestration on C-Fe0. The adsorption isotherm of Cr(VI) could be the best depicted by Langmuir model with a monolayer adsorption. The underlying sequestration path of Cr(VI) by C-Fe0 was then put forward, and the combined effect of adsorption and reduction implied the potentials of C-Fe0 in Cr(VI) removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two kinds of novel anion exchange membranes based on chitosan backbone are obtained. N-4-Methylpiperidinechitosan (NMPCS) and quaternized N-[(2-hydroxyl-3-piperidine)propyl]chitosan (QNHPPCS) are synthesized by the reaction of chitosan with 1-methyl-4-piperidone and 2,3-epoxypropylpiperidineammonium chloride, respectively, and the piperidinium groups of NMPCS and QNHPPCS are grafted to chitosan backbone by non-N and N site, respectively. 1H NMR and FT-IR tests prove that 1-methyl-4-piperidone and 2,3-epoxypropylpiperidineammonium chloride successfully react with chitosan. 3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (KH560) is used for cross-linking, after cross-linking, the tensile strength of cross-linked quaternized N-4-methylpiperidinechitosan (CQNMPCS) and cross-linked quaternized N-[(2-hydroxyl-3-piperidine)propyl]chitosan (CQNHPPCS) can both reach 8 MPa, and the membranes are not excessive swelling in water. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of CQNMPCS and CQNHPPCS can reach up to 2.28 mmol·g−1 and 1.36 mmol·g−1, respectively. XRD and DSC tests evaluate aggregate structure change of chitosan modification; the graft modification destroys the semi-crystalline structure of chitosan and results in low mechanical strength. The ion conductivity of CQNMPCS and CQNHPPCS can reach up to 30.6 mS·cm−1 and 25.5 mS·cm−1, respectively. After being immersed in 8 mol·L−1 KOH solution, the ion conductivity retention of CQNMPCS and CQNHPPCS can both reach 90%, and the CQNMPCS is more alkaline resistant. These results indicate that the prepared chitosan-based anion exchange membranes are promising materials for fuel cell application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect alone is not enough for nanoparticles to reach the target. Combination of active and passive targeting may be an effective drug delivery route. Hollow ferric-tannic acid complex nanocapsules (HFe-TA) may effectively degrade and release Fe2+ ions, and Fe2+ ions induce the production of ·OH, however, the fenton reaction needs amount of H2O2 to enhance chemodynamic therapy. Due to their deficiencies, such nanoparticles cannot realize intravenous drug delivery. Here, the mesothelin-targeted membrane (MTM) was constructed to realize accurate delivery nano-system, and mesothelin antibody was expressed on the 293T cell membrane to prepare a MTM. Lactate oxidase (Lox) was loaded on HFe-TA to obtain Lox@HFe-TA. Lox@HFe-TA was coated with MTM to develop the MTM nanosystem. Tirapazamine (TPZ) therapy also requires hypoxia circumstance. The MTM nanosystem combined with TPZ can significantly kill tumour cells and inhibit metastasis in vivo and in vitro. We also tested the biological safety of the treatment. In this study, we overcame the EPR defects via the MTM nanosystem, which can realize acute targeted delivery to the tumour site, lactate depletion, promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction, and enhanced the effect of TPZ, demonstrating a potential synergistic combination of cancer therapy with better efficacy and biosafety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential to participate in diverse renewable energy conversion and storage processes, while most OER electrocatalysts present satisfactory catalytic performance in only alkaline or acidic medium, limiting their practical applications in many aspects. Herein, we have designed and prepared Ir-CeO2-C nanofibers (NFs) via an electrospinning and a relatively low-temperature calcination strategy for OER application in both alkaline and acidic conditions. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations demonstrate the high catalytic active sites of Ir atoms for OER, and that the formation of Ir—O bonds at the interface between Ir and CeO2 can modulate the electron density of the relevant Ir atoms to promote the OER activity. In addition, the unique nanofibrous heterostructure increases the exposed active sites and promotes the electrical conductivity. Therefore, the prepared Ir-CeO2-C nanofibrous catalyst delivers an excellent OER property in both alkaline and acidic solutions. Impressively, the overpotentials to reach 10 mA·cm−2 are only 279 and 283 mV in the alkaline and acidic electrolyte, respectively, with favorable long-term stabilities. In addition, the two-electrode overall water splitting set-ups equipped with Ir-CeO2-C NFs as anode and commercial Pt/C as cathode provide a cell voltage of 1.54 and 1.53 V to drive 10 mA·cm−2 in the alkaline and acidic electrolyte, respectively, which are much lower than Pt/C||IrO2 and lots of transition metal oxides-based electrolyzers. This research presents an efficient means to design OER catalysts with superior properties in both alkaline and acidic solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video anomaly detection is a recent focus of computer vision research thanks to the rarity and uncertainty of anomalous events. However, most existing research works are limited to learning the apparent and motion information of specific objects, ignoring the effect of temporal information. In this paper, multi-path attentional temporal method is proposed to detect whether videos contain anomalies. Specifically, the activity of adjacent units is regulated by a novel intra-layer Recurrent Residual Convolution Unit (RRCU) with temporal function, and different time steps are set to enhance the model's ability to integrate contextual information. Furthermore, considering the information loss caused by image compression in the encoding stage, Skip Attention Gates (SAG) are used to focus on specific objects of different shapes and sizes and aggregate information from multiple feature scales. As an end-to-end learning framework, the proposed model can extract more discriminative spatio-temporal features, and the experimental results on three datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and generalization of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revealed the enhancement role of graphene oxide (GO) in reductive sequestration of UO22+, ReO4−, SeO42− and SeO32− on zero-valent iron (ZVI) using batch, column and X-ray spectroscopic experiments. First, we decorated nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) on GO to obtain NZVI-GO, and the kinetics for adsorption of these radionuclides on NZVI-GO could be well described by the pseudo-second-order model, indicating a chemical interaction process. The isotherms for UO22+ adsorption on NZVI-GO could be fitted better by Freundlich model than that by Langmuir model. Besides, the presence of co-existing dissolved humic acid could significantly promoted the adsorption. In column experiments, the combination of GO to pack with ZVI and sand as reactive medium for removal of these radionuclides prolong the reaction longevity of the column packed with ZVI and sand as reactive medium. It might be the first report from XPS that the GO decoration facilitated NZVI reduced Re(VII), Se(VI) and Se(IV) into Re0 and Se(-II) with lower oxidation state, which could be not observed in bare NZVI system. So, due to the excellent electron mediation ability and adsorption capacity, GO demonstrated an important role in enhancing reductive sequestration of redox-sensitive radionuclides in a wide range of natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative detection of different types of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is vital for understanding the crucial roles of them in biological processes. However, few researches achieved the detection of multiple types of ROS with one probe until now. Given this, we designed and prepared fluorescent gold nanoclusters capped by dual ligand bovine serum albumin and lysozyme (BSA-LYS-AuNCs), which could detect 3 specific types of ROS based on its different fluorescent responses to H2O2, •OH and ClO−, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of H2O2, •OH, and ClO− was as low as 0.82 μM, 0.45 μM, and 0.62 μM. Moreover, as an important ROS type, ClO− was detected with high sensitivity and low LOD by BSA-LYS-AuNCs. It was also proved that the crosslinking of protein mainly contributed to the unique fluorescent characteristics of the probe exposing to ClO−. Furthermore, the fluorescent probe achieved the smart detection of hROS (including •OH and ClO−) and wROS (the form of H2O2) in the real sample, which could also been applied specifically to the detection of antioxidants, e.g. ascorbic acid. The gold nanoclusters developed have high potential for the smart detection of multiple ROS in the body fluid of organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 2 (RAC2) acts as a molecular switch and has crucial roles in cell signaling and actin dynamics. A broad spectrum of genetic RAC2 mutations can cause various types of primary immunodeficiency, with complete penetrance. Here, we report a novel heterozygous missense mutation in RAC2 with incomplete penetrance, and the associated phenotypes, in a Chinese family. Methods: Immunological phenotype was detected by flow cytometry. T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and K-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) were assessed by real-time quantitative PCR. Gene mutations were detected by whole-exome sequencing (WES) and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Results: The proband was an 11-year-old girl who presented with recurrent respiratory infections, bronchiectasis, persistent Epstein-Barr virus viremia, infectious mononucleosis, encephalitis, and cutaneous human papillomavirus infections. Laboratory analyses revealed increased serum IgG and decreased IgM levels, reduced naïve CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, an inverted CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and low TREC and KREC numbers. The mutation resulted in increased production of reactive oxygen species, while impaired actin polarization in neutrophils; diminished proliferative responses, increased cytokine production and a dysregulated phenotype in T lymphocytes; as well as accelerated apoptosis and hyperactivity of AKT in HL-60 human leukemia cells. WES identified a c.44G > A mutation in RAC2 resulting in a p.G15D substitution. Despite sharing the same mutation as the proband, her father suffered from recurrent respiratory infections and bronchiectasis, and had similar immunological defects, whereas her sister was apparently healthy, other than cutaneous human papillomavirus infections, and only mild immunological defects were detected preliminarily. Conclusions: Our findings broaden the clinical and genetic spectra of RAC2 mutations and underline the importance of RAC2 gain-of-function mutations with complete or incomplete penetrance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic granulomatosis disease (CGD) is a rare inborn error of immunity, characterized by phagocytic respiratory outbreak dysfunction. Mutations causing CGD occur in CYBB on the X chromosome and in the autosomal genes CYBA, NCF1, NCF2, NCF4, RAC2, and CYBC1. Nevertheless, some patients are clinically diagnosed with CGD, due to abnormal respiratory outbursts, while the pathogenic gene mutation is unidentified. Here, we report a patient with CGD who first presented with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin disease and had recurrent pneumonia. He was diagnosed with CGD by nitro blue tetrazolium and respiratory burst tests. Detailed assessment of neutrophil activity revealed that patient neutrophils were almost entirely nonfunctional. Sanger sequencing detected a 6-kb insertion of a LINE-1 transposable element in the third intron of CYBB, leading to abnormal splicing and pseudoexon insertion, as well as introduction of a premature termination codon, resulting in predicted protein truncation. Clonal analysis demonstrated that the patient had somatic mosaicism, and the phagocytes were almost all variant CYBB, while the mosaicism rate of PBMC was about 65%. Finally, deep RNA sequencing and gp91phox expression analysis confirmed the pathogenicity of the mutation. In conclusion, we demonstrate that insertion of a LINE-1 transposon in a CYBB intron was responsible for CGD in our patient. Intron LINE-1 transposon element insertion should be examined in CGD patients without any known disease-causing gene mutation, in addition to identification of new genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate inference and prediction of gene regulatory network are very important for understanding dynamic cellular processes. The large-scale time series genomics data are helpful to reveal the molecular dynamics and dynamic biological processes of complex biological systems. Firstly, we collected the time series data of the rat pineal gland tissue in the natural state according to a fixed sampling rate, and performed whole-genome sequencing. The large-scale time-series sequencing data set of rat pineal gland was constructed, which includes 480 time points, the time interval between adjacent time points is 3 min, and the sampling period is 24 h. Then, we proposed a new method of constructing gene expression regulatory network, named the gene regulatory network based on time series data and entropy transfer (GRNTSTE) method. The method is based on transfer entropy and large-scale time-series gene expression data to infer the causal regulatory relationship between genes in a data-driven mode. The comparative experiments prove that GRNTSTE has better performance than dynamical gene network inference with ensemble of trees (dynGENIE3) and SCRIBE, and has similar performance to TENET. Meanwhile, we proved that the performance of GRNTSTE is slightly lower than that of SINCERITIES method and better than other gene regulatory network construction methods in BEELINE framework, which is based on the BEELINE data set. Finally, the rat pineal rhythm gene expression regulatory network was constructed by us based on the GRNTSTE method, which provides an important reference for the study of the pineal rhythm mechanism, and is of great significance to the study of the pineal rhythm mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mutations in signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) cause a broad spectrum of disease phenotypes. Heterozygous STAT1 loss-of-function (LOF) mutations cause Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases (MSMD) infection, which is attributable to impaired IFN-γ signaling. The identification of novel mutations may extend the phenotypes associated with autosomal dominant (AD) STAT1 deficiency. Methods: Five patients with heterozygous STAT1 variations were recruited and their clinical and immunologic phenotypes were analyzed, with particular reference to JAK-STAT1 signaling pathways. Results: Four, heterozygous STAT1 deficiency mutations were identified, three of which were novel mutations. Two of the mutations were previously unreported mRNA splicing mutations in AD STAT1-deficient patients. Patients with heterozygous STAT1 deficiency suffered not only mycobacterial infection, but also intracellular non-mycobacterial bacterial infection and congenital multiple malformations. AD-LOF mutation impaired IFN-γ-mediated STAT1 phosphorylation, gamma-activated sequence (GAS), and IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) transcription activity and IFN-induced gene expression to different extents, which might account for the diverse clinical manifestations observed in these patients. Conclusion: The infectious disease susceptibility and phenotypic spectrum of patients with AD STAT1-LOF are broader than simply MSMD. The susceptibility to infections and immunological deficiency phenotypes, observed in AD-LOF patients, confirms the importance of STAT1 in host–pathogen interaction and immunity. However, variability in the nature and extent of these phenotypes suggests that functional analysis is required to identify accurately novel, heterozygous STAT1 mutations, associated with pathogenicity. Aberrant splice of STAT1 RNA could result in AD-LOF for STAT1 signaling which need more cases for confirmation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zero-refractive-index (ZRI) phononic crystals (PhCs), in which acoustic waves can be transmitted without phase variations, have considerable potential for engineering wavefronts and thus are applicable to invisibility cloaking. However, the creation of the transmissive cloaking achieved by ZRI-PhCs is challenging under an oblique incidence, which substantially hinders their practical applications. Here, we experimentally demonstrate acoustic transmissive cloaking with the adjustable capacity to the incident direction. Acoustic transmissive cloaking of arbitrarily shaped obstacles can be obtained through a hybrid acoustic structure consisting of one outer layer of a programmable phase-engineered metasurface (PPEM) and one inner layer of a double zero-refractive-index (DZRI)-PhC. The DZRI-PhC is functionally the same as an equiphase area and can guide acoustic waves around the obstacle, a process known as acoustic tunneling. The PPEM perpendicularly transfers the incident acoustic waves to the DZRI-PhC and allows the emergent waves from the DZRI-PhC to transmit along the original incident direction. The DZRI-PhC is made of an array of iron squares in the air. The reciprocal of the effective bulk modulus and the effective mass density is approximately zero at a frequency of 3015 Hz (0.5187 v0/a) originating from the zeroth-order Fabry–Pérot (FP) resonance that possesses infinite phase velocities. Each meta-atom of the outer metasurface consists of a line channel and four shunted Helmholtz resonators, which have effective masses that are engineered by a mechanics system. The amplitude and phase of the sound waves propagating through each meta-atom can be controlled continuously and dynamically, enabling the metasurface to obtain versatile wavefront manipulation functions. Acoustic cloaking is visually demonstrated by experimentally scanning the acoustic field over the hybrid structure at a frequency of 3000 Hz (0.5160 v0/a). Our work may provide applications with great potential, including underwater ultrasound, airborne sound, acoustic communication, imaging, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-cracks are often generated on the concrete structures of long-distance water conveyance projects. Without early detection and timely maintenance, micro-cracks may expand and deteriorate continuously, leading to major structural failure and disastrous results. However, due to the complexity of the underwater environment, many vision-based methods for concrete crack detection cannot be directly applied to the interior surface of water conveyance structures. In view of this, this paper proposes a three-step method to automatically detect concrete micro-cracks of underwater structures during the operation period. First, underwater optical images were preprocessed by a series of algorithms such as global illumination balance, image color correction, and detail enhancement. Second, the preprocessed images were sliced to image patches, which are sent to a convolutional neural network for crack recognition and crack boundary localization. Finally, the image patches containing cracks were segmented by the Otsu algorithm to localize the cracks precisely. The proposed method can overcome issues such as uneven illumination, color distortion, and detail blurring, and can effectively detect and localize cracks in underwater optical images with low illumination, low signal-to-noise ratio and low contrast. The experimental results show that this method can achieve a true positive rate of 93.9% for crack classification, and the identification accuracy of the crack width can reach 0.2 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anticancer drugs, such as camptothecin (CPT), trap topoisomerase I (TOP1) on DNA and form TOP1 cleavage complexes (TOP1cc). Alternative repair pathways have been suggested in the repair of TOP1cc. However, how these pathways work with TDP1, a key repair enzyme that specifically hydrolyze the covalent bond between TOP1 catalytic tyrosine and the 3'-end of DNA and contribute to the repair of TOP1cc is poorly understood. Here, using unbiased whole-genome CRISPR screens and generation of co-deficient cells with TDP1 and other genes, we demonstrate that MUS81 is an important factor that mediates the generation of excess double-strand breaks (DSBs) in TDP1 KO cells. APEX1/2 are synthetic lethal with TDP1. However, deficiency of APEX1/2 does not reduce DSB formation in TDP1 KO cells. Together, our data suggest that TOP1cc can be either resolved directly by TDP1 or be converted into DSBs and repaired further by the Homologous Recombination (HR) pathway. Here the authors find that MUS81 mediates excess DNA double strand break (DSB) generation in TDP1 KO cells after camptothecin treatment. They show that TOP1 cleavage complexes can be either resolved directly by TDP1 or be converted into DSBs and repaired further by the Homologous Recombination pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by cognitive disability, coarse facial features, hypertrichosis, and somatic dysmorphic features. It is caused by mutations in the BAF-complex or SOX gene. Here, a Chinese woman presenting with neurodevelopmental delay, mild intellectual disability, speech delay, dysmorphic features, obesity, scoliosis, hypotonia, seizures, skin problems, hypokalemia, and endocrine dysfunction is described. Whole exome sequencing (WES) identified a heterozygous missense variant, c.2074G > C (p. Ala692Pro), in the SMARCC2 gene of the proband. Affecting chromatin structure, SMARCC2 plays an essential role in modulating cortical neurogenesis, and controlling cortical size and thickness. Moreover, it is associated with tumor suppression, and SMARCC2 mutations have been observed with high frequency in human cancers. While this is the second report of SMARCC2 mutations in patients with detailed phenotypes, this is the first describing the observation of electrolyte disturbances and endocrinopathy. These findings expanded the genetic and clinical spectrum of SMARCC2-related Coffin-Siris syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional platforms generate considerable interests due to diverse application. We report a "turn-on" fluorescent nanoprobe for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) detection. It is based on cobalt oxyhydroxide nanosheets (CoOOH NSs). Fluorescein amidite (abbreviated as FAM)-labeled aptamer probe (abbreviated as FAM-aptamer) has been adsorbed onto the nanosheets. Energy transfer between substrate and optical species has induced the quenching of FAM-aptamer emission. The strong affinity of FAM-aptamer to the target PSA causes the formation of a rigid aptamer structure. The integration between FAM-aptamer and CoOOH NSs has been drastically affected. The release of the aptamer probe from the nanosheet surface has been realized. The green luminescence has been recovered. The dynamic nanosensor exhibits highly sensitive performance toward PSA with a linear detection range from 0.1 to 5 ng/mL. Its detection limit is measured to be 56.1 pg/mL. Therefore, a simple and efficient sensing platform for the detection of prostate cancer can be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ syndrome (APDS) is a primary immunodeficiency first described in 2013, which is caused by gain-of-function mutations in PIK3CD or PIK3R1, and characterized by recurrent respiratory tract infections, lymphoproliferation, herpesvirus infection, autoimmunity, and enteropathy. We sought to review the clinical phenotypes, immunological characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of APDS in a large genetically defined Chinese pediatric cohort. Methods: Clinical records, radiology examinations, and laboratory investigations of 40 APDS patients were reviewed. Patients were contacted via phone call to follow up their current situation. Results: Sinopulmonary infections and lymphoproliferation were the most common complications in this cohort. Three (10.3%) and five (12.5%) patients suffered localized BCG-induced granulomatous inflammation and tuberculosis infection, respectively. Twenty-seven patients (67.5%) were affected by autoimmunity, while malignancy (7.5%) was relatively rare to be seen. Most patients in our cohort took a combined treatment of anti-infection prophylaxis, immunoglobulin replacement, and immunosuppressive therapy such as glucocorticoid or rapamycin administration. Twelve patients underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and had a satisfying prognosis. Conclusion: Clinical spectrum of APDS is heterogeneous. This cohort's high incidence of localized BCG-induced granulomatous inflammation and tuberculosis indicates Mycobacterial susceptibility in APDS patients. Rapamycin is effective in improving lymphoproliferation and cytopenia. HSCT is an option for those who have severe complications and poor response to other treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the post-manufacturing heat treatment (PMHT) on the pitting resistance of the directed energy deposition (DED) 316L stainless steel was evaluated. In an as-manufactured DED 316L, a fully austenitic microstructure with typical cellular structure and large columnar grains was observed. The cellular structure was retained after the PMHT of 850 °C/2 h but fully removed by the PMHT of 1150 °C/1 h, while large columnar grains survived in both cases. Both PHMTs significantly improved the pitting resistance of the DED 316L. Especially, the pitting potential of the DED 316L after the PMHT of 1150 °C/1 h was comparable to that of 2205 duplex stainless steel. The excellent pitting resistance of DED 316L after the PMHT of 1150 °C/1 h was caused by the reduction of residual stress, elimination of cellular structure, and presence of large columnar grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor, Acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) is a malfunctioning of the gastrointestinal tract in critically ill patients due to their acute illness, which could lead to organ dysfunction, delayed enteral nutrition, and increased mortality [[1]]. T8 the 8th thoracic vertebra, TM trapezius muscle, ESM erector spinae muscle, TP transverse process Among 100 patients enrolled, 49 in the ESP block group and 44 in the control group completed the study (supplementary Fig. [Extracted from the article]

Metformin, the most prescribed antidiabetic medicine, has shown other benefits such as anti-ageing and anticancer effects1–4. For clinical doses of metformin, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has a major role in its mechanism of action4,5; however, the direct molecular target of metformin remains unknown. Here we show that clinically relevant concentrations of metformin inhibit the lysosomal proton pump v-ATPase, which is a central node for AMPK activation following glucose starvation6. We synthesize a photoactive metformin probe and identify PEN2, a subunit of γ-secretase7, as a binding partner of metformin with a dissociation constant at micromolar levels. Metformin-bound PEN2 forms a complex with ATP6AP1, a subunit of the v-ATPase8, which leads to the inhibition of v-ATPase and the activation of AMPK without effects on cellular AMP levels. Knockout of PEN2 or re-introduction of a PEN2 mutant that does not bind ATP6AP1 blunts AMPK activation. In vivo, liver-specific knockout of Pen2 abolishes metformin-mediated reduction of hepatic fat content, whereas intestine-specific knockout of Pen2 impairs its glucose-lowering effects. Furthermore, knockdown of pen-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans abrogates metformin-induced extension of lifespan. Together, these findings reveal that metformin binds PEN2 and initiates a signalling route that intersects, through ATP6AP1, the lysosomal glucose-sensing pathway for AMPK activation. This ensures that metformin exerts its therapeutic benefits in patients without substantial adverse effects.The molecular target of the antidiabetic medicine metformin is identified as PEN2, a subunit of γ-secretases, and the PEN2–ATP6AP1 axis offers potential targets for screening for metformin substitutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary of background: Pseudoaneurysms of the lumbar arteries following transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) are rare postoperative complications that usually occur around the transverse process. However, there are few detailed descriptions of the transverse branch and other branches of the dorsal branches at the L1–L4 disks. Study design: Ten adult embalmed cadavers were anatomically studied. Objectives: The purposes of the study were to describe the vascular distribution of the dorsal branches, especially the transverse branches, at the L1–L4 levels and provide information useful for TLIF. Methods: Ten embalmed cadavers studied after their arterial systems were injected with red latex. The quantity, origin, pathway, distribution range and diameter of the branches were recorded and photographed. Results: The transverse branch appeared in all 80 intervertebral foramina. The transverse branch was divided into 2 types: In type 1, the arteries divided into superior branches and inferior branches; the arteries in type 2 divided into 3 branches (superior, intermedius and inferior branches). Conclusions: The transverse branches of the dorsal arteries are common structures from L1 to L4, and 2 types of transverse branches were found. A thorough understanding of the dorsal branches, especially the transverse branches of the lumbar artery, may be very important for reducing both intraoperative bleeding during the surgery and the occurrence of pseudoaneurysms after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing high-quality NIR-II fluorophores (emission in 1000–1700 nm) for in vivo imaging is of great significance. Benzothiadiazole-core fluorophores are an important class of NIR-II dyes, yet ongoing limitations such as aggregation-caused quenching in aqueous milieu and non-activatable response are still major obstacles for their biological applications. Here, we devise an activatable nanoprobe to address these limitations. A molecular probe named BTPE-NO2 is synthesized by linking a benzothiadiazole core with two tetraphenylene groups serving as hydrophobic molecular rotors, followed by incorporating two nitrophenyloxoacetamide units at both ends of the core as recognition moieties and fluorescence quenchers. An FDA-approved amphiphilic polymer Pluronic F127 is then employed to encapsulate the molecular BTPE-NO2 to render the nanoprobe BTPE-NO2@F127. The pathological levels of H2O2 in the disease sites cleave the nitrophenyloxoacetamide groups and activate the probe, thereby generating strong fluorescent emission (950~1200 nm) and ultrasound signal for multi-mode imaging of inflammatory diseases. The nanoprobe can therefore function as a robust tool for detecting and imaging the disease sites with NIR-II fluorescent and multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) imaging. Moreover, the three-dimensional MSOT images can be obtained for visualizing and locating the disease foci. Fluorescent imaging in the second biological window has advantages for in vivo applications. Here, the authors synthesise a molecular nanoprobe which activates upon binding H2O2, generating both strong fluorescent NIR-II emission and ultrasound signal for multi-mode imaging of inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas barrier in polymers is able to be effectively enhanced by adding air-impervious nano-fillers. It is inevitable that there are some defects or caves on the surface of nano-fillers, which can have a certain effect on the gas barrier. The effect of defects and caves in nano-fillers was investigated using the finite element model in order to better understand the diffusion process in a polymer nanocomposite film with staggered array nano-fillers by varying the microstructural features such as volume fraction, aspect ratio, gaps between fillers, and so on. The results showed that the effect of defects and caves on relative diffusivity arises from the following two aspects: the first is the effect of cave volume which dominates, and the second is the induced effect from defects and caves. A theoretical model for predicting relative diffusivity was developed based on the volume effect, and then was generalized into three dimensions. In order to estimate the value range of the model, the upper and lower boundaries of the model have been derived. Comparisons were then made between the estimated and simulated values, and the results showed that the upper and lower boundaries are basically correct, and especially the upper boundary is on the same order of magnitude as the real value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main chain of polyolefin was synthesized by copolymerization of 4 — vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) and acrylonitrile (AN), and trimethylamine is used for quaternization to prepare heterogeneous benzyl trimethyl-ammonium anion exchange membranes (Heter-X) and homogeneous benzyl trimethyl-ammonium anion exchange membrane (Homo-X). The results of Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed that VBC and AN were successfully copolymerized to form a polymer with a certain molecular weight, and trimethylamine was successfully quaternized. The prepared membranes exhibited good thermal stability and mechanical properties. The theoretical ion exchange capacity (IEC) values of Homo-3 and Heter-3 are the same, but the conductivity at 80 °C were 0.0572 S cm−1 and 0.0505 S cm−1. The results showed that the homogeneous method has a higher degree of quaternization and a more uniform distribution of quaternary ammonium groups, forming a more obvious microphase separation structure, which can also be seen in the atomic force microscopy (AFM) diagram. After being soaked in 1 M KOH solution for 480 h, the ionic conductivity of Homo-6 and Heter-6 can still remain 91.4% and 85.5%, and the IEC loss rates were 17.21% and 24.34%. These results indicate that the prepared membranes are promising materials for application in fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), repair proteins are recruited to the damaged sites. Ubiquitin signaling plays a critical role in coordinating protein recruitment during the DNA damage response. Here, we find that the microRNA biogenesis factor DGCR8 promotes tumor resistance to X-ray radiation independently of its Drosha-binding ability. Upon radiation, the kinase ATM and the deubiquitinase USP51 mediate the activation and stabilization of DGCR8 through phosphorylation and deubiquitination. Specifically, radiation-induced ATM-dependent phosphorylation of DGCR8 at serine 677 facilitates USP51 to bind, deubiquitinate, and stabilize DGCR8, which leads to the recruitment of DGCR8 and DGCR8's binding partner RNF168 to MDC1 and RNF8 at DSBs. This, in turn, promotes ubiquitination of histone H2A, repair of DSBs, and radioresistance. Altogether, these findings reveal the non-canonical function of DGCR8 in DSB repair and suggest that radiation treatment may result in therapy-induced tumor radioresistance through ATM- and USP51-mediated activation and upregulation of DGCR8. The molecular mechanisms underlying cancer cell radioresistance need to be elucidated. In this study, the authors show that the microRNA biogenesis factor DGCR8 is stabilized by USP51 and ATM upon irradiation and by consequence it promotes the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and radioresistance by recruiting RNF168 to sites of damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Nucleus cuneiformis (NC), a reticular nucleus of the midbrain, is a part of the descending pain modulatory system and therefore has an important role in pain perception. Objectives: Considering the abundance of GABAA and cannabinoid receptors in the NC and also the bidirectional roles for GABA in controlling nociception, the present study examined the effects of bilateral intra-NC microinjection of different doses of the GABAA receptor agonist, muscimol, and the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline, on pain modulation using formalin test. We also assessed interaction between canabinergic and GABAergic systems in the NC during this test. Methods: Rats were exposed to intra-NC microinjection of bicuculline (50,100, and 200 ng/side) or muscimol (60, 120, and 240 ng/side) and then subjected to the formalin test. In another set of experiments, the effects of muscimol (60 ng/side) or bicuculline (50 ng/side) administration 5 min before a cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 (5, 10, and 20 μg/side) microinjection into NC on the formalin test were evaluated. Results: Microinjection of bicuculline and muscimol into the NC decreased and increased pain responses, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner during both phases of the test. Microinjection of WIN 55,212-2 into the NC significantly reduced pain responses in a dose-dependent manner. Microinjection of bicuculline or muscimol in combination with WIN 55,212-2 into the NC respectively potentiated and attenuated WIN 55,212-2–induced antinociception in the formalin test. Conclusions: This study shows that GABA in the NC is involved in pain modulation and suggests the existence of a GABAA-mediated inhibitory system in the NC on pain control. Furthermore, it seems that the antinociceptive effect of WIN 55,212-2 in the formalin test is mediated partly by the activity of local GABAA receptors in the NC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MOFs are confined to solid supports to overcome their inherent disadvantages of lightweight and submicron size, which pose challenges to the adsorption operation. ZIF-8 nanoparticles can be loaded onto bacterial cellulose (BC) in a simple manner, and subsequently carbonized at 700 °C to obtain a larger specific surface area (expressed as BC@ZIF-8 carbon aerogels (BZCA). SEM indicates that ZIF-8 was successfully self-assembled on bacterial cellulose. Various characterization techniques (SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, BET, and XPS) indicated that BZCA had been successfully prepared, with a large specific surface area (220.45 m2/g) and sufficient functional groups (-NH-, -OH, Zn–O, N–O, and C = N-). The relationship of the adsorption of BZCA to UO22+ with both contact time and initial concentration was then studied. Results showed that the adsorption of UO22+ followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.999). After calculation, the maximum adsorption capacity of BZCA was 535 mg/g, which was comparable to or better than that of other adsorbents. The kinetic analysis disclosed that 70 min was enough for BZCA to reach the adsorption equilibrium. The adsorption mechanism of the prepared adsorbent on UO22+ was studied by FTIR and XPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]