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At present, the visible light (Vis) catalytic oxidation, as a wastewater treatment approach without secondary pollution, has captured the interest of many researchers. However, the efficiency of visible photocatalysis still needs to be continuously improved. In this study, a piezoelectric photocatalyst Bi2WO6 (BWO) responding to both Vis and ultrasound (US) was prepared, characterized, and employed to treat Rhodamine B (RhB) in water. The removal efficiencies of RhB under different systems (Vis/BWO, US/BWO, (Vis + US)/BWO) were investigated and the reuse capacity of BWO were examined. Moreover, the piezoelectric photocatalytic mechanism of (Vis + US)/BWO system on RhB removal was analyzed. The results exhibited that the prepared Bi2WO6 possessed excellent photoresponsive and piezoresponsive properties, and the removal and mineralization of RhB could reach 100% and 77.2% within 60 min, respectively. Under the combined effect of photocatalysis and piezoelectricity, the superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and photogenerated holes produced, which were responsible for the degradation of RhB in (Vis + US)/BWO system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) reportedly play significant roles in the progression of various cancers and hold huge potential as both diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets. Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the precise functions of several miRNAs in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), this research undertakes a comprehensive analysis of CCA data sourced from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. The present study identified a novel miRNA, specifically miR-26b-3p, which exhibited prognostic value for individuals with CCA. Notably, miR-26b-3p was upregulated within CCA samples, with an inverse correlation established with patient prognosis (Hazard Ratio = 8.19, p = 0.018). Through a combination of functional enrichment analysis, analysis of the LncRNA-miR-26b-3p-mRNA interaction network, and validation by qRT PCR and western blotting, this study uncovered the potential of miR-26b-3p in potentiating the malignant progression of CCA via regulation of essential genes (including PSMD14, XAB2, SLC4A4) implicated in processes such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and responses to misfolded proteins. Our findings introduce novel and valuable insights that position miR-26b-3p-associated genes as promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of CCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older livers are more prone to hepatic ischaemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI), which severely limits their utilization in liver transplantation. The potential mechanism remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate older livers exhibit increased ferroptosis during HIRI. Inhibiting ferroptosis significantly attenuates older HIRI phenotypes. Mass spectrometry reveals that fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) expression is downregulated in older livers, especially during HIRI. Overexpressing FTO improves older HIRI phenotypes by inhibiting ferroptosis. Mechanistically, acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family 4 (ACSL4) and transferrin receptor protein 1 (TFRC), two key positive contributors to ferroptosis, are FTO targets. For ameliorative effect, FTO requires the inhibition of Acsl4 and Tfrc mRNA stability in a m6A-dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrate nicotinamide mononucleotide can upregulate FTO demethylase activity, suppressing ferroptosis and decreasing older HIRI. Collectively, these findings reveal an FTO-ACSL4/TFRC regulatory pathway that contributes to the pathogenesis of older HIRI, providing insight into the clinical translation of strategies related to the demethylase activity of FTO to improve graft function after older donor liver transplantation. Transplanted older livers are prone to injury through unclear mechanisms, precluding effective treatment development. Here, the authors show that decreased FTO expression in older livers inhibits Acsl4 and Tfrc mRNA stability in an m6A-dependent manner, increasing cell death in older donor livers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia–methane (NH3–CH4) mixtures have potentials to serve as low-carbon fuels for gas turbines. Recent studies demonstrated that secondary air injection was an effective strategy to reduce NOx emissions from the combustion of NH3–CH4–air mixtures. However, the effects of secondary air injection on the performance of thermoacoustic instability of NH3–CH4–air flames remain unknown. To this end, this study experimentally investigated the thermoacoustic instability performance of a premixed, swirl-stabilized NH3–CH4–FF air combustor without and with secondary air injection. Without secondary air injection, thermoacoustic instabilities were widely detected at NH3 ratios below 50% (by volume). It was discovered that such instabilities were significantly suppressed by secondary air injection over a wider range of operating conditions. In conjunction with the analysis of the flame and flow dynamics, it was revealed that the secondary air injection suppressed the large amplitude axial oscillations of the flame and the flow field. Combined with the experimental results, it was inferred that the introduction of secondary air changed the velocity and pressure distribution downstream of the primary combustion zone, which in turn affected the formation and evolution of the vortex structures, thereby mitigating thermoacoustic coupling. Finally, emission measurements were discussed and the results indicated that the secondary air injection strategy reduced unburnt NH3 and CO emissions to a certain extent as well as decreased NOx emissions at specific equivalence ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional explosive welding is performed in the atmosphere. In addition to causing many hazardous effects (air shock wave, vibration, and noise), air medium also affects the welding quality. To study the influence of the vacuum environment on the above problems, this study conducted CP-Ti/Q235 explosive welding in the vacuum (0.1 atm), and set another experiment in the atmospheric environment as a reference. The results showed that the vacuum environment significantly reduced the hazardous effects. Compared with the atmospheric environment, the low density of the gas medium attenuated the shock wave (69.27%) during the explosive welding, resulting in reduced levels of vibration (74.46%) and noise (45.31%). Microstructure analysis found that in both environments, the wavelength and amplitude of the waveform interface were remarkably different at the end portion, and the overall waveform obtained in the vacuum was more uniform than that in the atmosphere. Through the two-step simulation, the pressures of the interstitial gas shock wave were respectively 15.4 and 1.66 MPa under the atmospheric and vacuum environments. Therefore, the interstitial gas shock wave affected the movement of the flyer plate, causing welding instability, especially in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the participation of the gas during the wave formation led to the appearance of the pores and microcracks. In contrast, the vacuum environment effectively decreased the micro-defects of the bonding interface, improving the welding quality. This study revealed the detailed advantages of the vacuum environment and provided a reference for explosive welding in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect fracturing in the roof of broken soft coal seams has been demonstrated to be a feasible technology. In this work, the No. 5 coal seam in the Hancheng block was taken as the research object. Based on the findings of true triaxial hydraulic fracturing experiments and field pilot under this technology and the cohesive element method, a 3D numerical model of indirect fracturing in the roof of broken soft coal seams was established, the fracture morphology propagation and evolution law under different conditions was investigated, and analysis of main controlling factors of fracture parameters was conducted with the combination weight method, which was based on grey incidence, analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method. The results show that "士"-shaped fractures, T-shaped fractures, cross fractures, H-shaped fractures, and "干"-shaped fractures dominated by horizontal fractures were formed. Different parameter combinations can form different fracture morphologies. When the coal seam permeability is lower and the minimum horizontal principal stress difference between layers and fracturing fluid injection rate are both larger, it tends to form "士"-shaped fractures. When the coal seam permeability and minimum horizontal principal stress between layers and perforation position are moderate, cross fractures are easily generated. Different fracture parameters have different main controlling factors. Engineering factors of perforation location, fracturing fluid injection rate and viscosity are the dominant factors of hydraulic fracture shape parameters. This study can provide a reference for the design of indirect fracturing in the roof of broken soft coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean whey and soybean hydrolyzate can be used for the biotechnological production of high-value products. Herein, we isolate soybean whey (SW)-and soybean hydrolyzate (SH)-derived bacterial cellulose (BC, produced by kombucha) and characterize it by a range of instrumental techniques to reveal differences in micromorphology, crystallinity, and themal behavior. Studies have shown that the amounts of wet state BC produced from HS, SW and SH was 181 g/L, 47 g/L and 83 g/L, respectively. The instrumental analysis of BC, included SEM, AFM, FT-IR, XRD and TGA. It is shown that the FT-IR spectra of BC have a similar character, but we found differences in the micromorphology,crystallinity and thermal temperature of BC. The minimum average widths of the fibers produced from SH medium was 100 ± 29 nm. The CrI values of BC produced from SH medium was 61.8%. The maximum thermal degradation rate temperature of BC produced from SW medium was 355.73 °C. The combined results demonstrate that soybean industrial waste can be used as a cost-effective raw material for BC production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of big data, many sparse linear discriminant analysis methods have been proposed for classification and variable selection of the high-dimensional data. In order to solve the multiclass sparse discriminant problem for high-dimensional data under the Gaussian graphical model, this paper proposes a multiclass sparse discrimination analysis method by incorporating the graphical structure among predictors, which is named as IG-MSDA method. Our proposed IG-MSDA method can be used to estimate the vectors of all discriminant directions simultaneously. Under certain regularity conditions, it is shown that the proposed IG-MSDA method can consistently estimate all discriminant directions and the Bayes rule. Further, we establish the convergence rates of the estimators for the discriminant directions and the conditional misclassification rates. Finally, simulation studies and a real data analysis demonstrate the good performance of our proposed IG-MSDA method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most widely planted forage, which have higer economically valuable and better ecological benefits in the world. However, it's sensitive to high root-zone temperature in tropical and subtropical areas. In order to explore the changes of metabolites in alfalfa under heat stress, the study applied the unique alfalfa landrace 'Deqin' to explored the mechanisms on the basis of pseudotargeted metabolomics. The results showed that the phenotype of leaves and roots were changed remarkly, leaf chlorophyll content, electrolyte leakage, H2O2 content and soluble sugar also changed at different treatments. Meanwhile, heat stress may stimulate the germination of new alfalfa roots in response to adverse environment. Metabonomics analysis showed that a total of 809 and 749 metabolites were detected in leaves and roots respectively, which treated with four different ways. Of these, 343 and 383 were identified as differential metabolites in the leaves and roots, respectively; they mainly belongs to phenylpropanoids, polyketides, organic acids and derivatives, organic acids and derivatives. Among them, the differential metabolites were mainly enriched in glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, citrate cycle, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Meanwhile, some metabolites such as phenylpropanoids, polyketides, organic acids and derivatives may play an important role in response to heat stress in M. sativa 'Deqin'. Overall, this study reports the differential metabolites and pathways in the roots and leaves of 'Deqin' in response to high root-zone temperature, which provides new insights into the heat stress mechanisms of alfalfa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron overload often occurs during blood transfusion and iron supplementation, resulting in the presence of non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) in host plasma and damage to multiple organs, but effects on the intestine have rarely been reported. In this study, an iron overload mouse model with plasma NTBI was established by intraperitoneal injection of iron dextran. We found that plasma NTBI damaged intestinal morphology, caused intestinal oxidative stress injury and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and induced intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis. In addition, plasma NTBI increased the relative abundance of Ileibacterium and Desulfovibrio in the cecum, while the relative abundance of Faecalibaculum and Romboutsia was reduced. Ileibacterium may be a potential microbial biomarker of plasma NTBI. Based on the function prediction analysis, plasma NTBI led to the weakening of intestinal microbiota function, significantly reducing the function of the extracellular structure. Further investigation into the mechanism of injury showed that iron absorption in the small intestine significantly increased in the iron group. Caco-2 cell monolayers were used as a model of the intestinal epithelium to study the mechanism of iron transport. By adding ferric ammonium citrate (FAC, plasma NTBI in physiological form) to the basolateral side, the apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) values from the basolateral to the apical side were greater than 3×10−6 cm s−1. Intracellular ferritin level and apical iron concentration significantly increased, and SLC39A8 (ZIP8) and SLC39A14 (ZIP14) were highly expressed in the FAC group. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was used to knock down ZIP8 and ZIP14 in Caco-2 cells. Transfection with ZIP14-specific shRNA decreased intracellular ferritin level and inhibited iron uptake. These results revealed that plasma NTBI may cause intestinal injury and intestinal flora dysbiosis due to the uptake of plasma NTBI from the basolateral side into the small intestine, which is probably mediated by ZIP14. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting effective corrosion inhibitors from the vast chemical space is not a trivial task, as it is essentially infinite. Fortunately, machine learning techniques have shown great potential in generating shortlists of inhibitor candidates prior to large-scale experimental testing. In this work, we used the corrosion responses of 58 small organic molecules on the magnesium alloy AZ91 and utilized molecular descriptors derived from their geometry and density functional theory calculations to encode their molecular information. Statistical methods were applied to select the most relevant features to the target property for support vector regression and kernel ridge regression models, respectively, to predict the behavior of untested compounds. The performance of the two supervised learning approaches were compared and the robustness of the data-driven models were assessed by experimental blind testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimates show that carbonate reservoirs contribute to 60% of the world's total oil and gas production, where fractured reservoir bodies are the most widely and commonly distributed. Among all materials for plugging fractured reservoir bodies, gel plugging agent is very suitable, for which can solve the problems of rapid increase of water cut and rapid production reduction of wells. However, the plugging mechanism of gel plugging agent in fractured carbonate oil reservoir is still unclear. In this paper, AM/AMPS phenolic gel was prepared. Besides, a microscopic visualization research system of fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs was designed and established independently, and the fractured core model was self-made. Through the core flow test and microscopic visualization experiment, the plugging performance and mechanism of gel plugging agent in fractured carbonate oil reservoir were thorughly studied. The results demonstrated that AM/AMPS phenolic gel has selective plugging performance in fractures. After the system is gelled, it mainly plugs the water-bearing layer, with a water plugging rate as high as 99.82 %, and basically does not plug the oil-bearing layer, with an oil plugging rate of only 11.7%. It can be known that gel plugging agent has a plugging mechanism of mainly "inhibiting high-permeability reservoirs and unclogging low-permeability reservoirs", and it is characterized by "plugging without stopping". As a result, it can slowly migrate through high-permeability reservoirs and form a re-plugging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum–copper composites were developed as heat sink materials. In order to reduce the amount of molybdenum used in the composite material, the explosive welding of molybdenum foil to copper plate was studied. Through the analysis of microstructure and elements, ideas for the processing of molybdenum–copper heat sink materials were proposed. The embrittlement of the molybdenum foil could be reduced by using salt as protective layer. The thickness increase in explosive in the weldability window results in more molybdenum melting, which reduces the generation of microcracks in return. The welding strength in the wave waist is lower than that in the wave front, and the thermal stress exceeding the strength limit of the molybdenum foil may be the important reason for the formation of microcracks. Delamination cracks in the isotherm direction and interface cracks in the joint direction can be observed. Methods of reducing temperature gradients such as thermal explosive welding can reduce the occurrence of microcracks. From outside the vortex to the center of the vortex, the copper content gradually decreases, while the molybdenum content gradually increases. The formation of the vortex is mainly dependent on the movement of copper. The molybdenum element in the transition layer is mainly introduced by diffusion process. The melting of molybdenum particles will lead to uneven quality distribution of molybdenum in the vortex. Compared with the copper side, the molybdenum side at the same distance from interface has a higher work hardening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is a major complication of pregnancy and is the second leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The etiology of IUGR is multifactorial and the maternal factors are easily identifiable and modifiable. The present study aimed to perform a meta-analysis to identify the association between various maternal factors and IUGR. Eight electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, CIHNAL Plus, CNKI, VIP database, CBM, and WanFang database) were searched from their inception until July 2020. Eligibility screening, data extraction, and quality assessment of the retrieved articles were conducted independently by two reviewers. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Form and the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool were used to evaluate the quality of included studies. The outcomes of study were calculated by OR with 95%CI. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (No. CRD42020210615). A total of 15 studies were included, with a sample size range from 152 to 9372. The quality of included studies ranged from moderate to high. The pooled results identified seven factors: smoking (OR = 1.62, 95%CI 1.38–1.90), primiparity (OR = 1.64, 95%CI 1.20–2.24), and prepregnancy. BMI < 18.5 (OR = 1.98, 95%CI 1.29–3.03), anemia (OR = 2.01, 95%CI 1.44–2.82), hypoproteinemia (OR = 2.91, 95%CI 1.94–4.36), pregnancy-induced hypertension (OR = 3.45, 95%CI 1.80–6.58), and maternal gestational weight gain (OR = 2.51, 95%CI 1.88–3.35). The present study identified several maternal factors for IUGR: smoking, primiparity, prepregnancy BMI < 18.5, poor gestational weight gain, PIH, anemia, and hypoproteinemia. The result could serve to generate risk factors prediction models, improve the management and education for child-bearing or early pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and splenectomy with periesophagogastric devascularization (SPD) are widely used to treat cirrhotic portal hypertension (PH) and prevent variceal rebleeding. However, direct comparisons between these two approaches are rare. This study was designed to compare the long-term outcomes of TIPS and SPD in patients with cirrhotic PH and variceal rebleeding. Methods: The study included cirrhotic PH patients with a history of gastroesophageal variceal bleeding between 18 and 80 years of age who were admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2012 to January 2022. Patients were enrolled into two groups according to TIPS or SPD was performed. Baseline characteristics were matched using propensity score matching (PSM). Results: A total of 230 patients underwent TIPS, while 184 underwent SPD. PSM was carried out to balance available covariates, resulting in a total of 83 patients in the TIPS group and 83 patients in the SPD group. Patients in SPD group had better liver function during 60 months follow-up. Five-year overall survival rates in SPD group and TIPS group were 72 and 27%, respectively, at 2 years were 88 and 86%, respectively. The 2- and 5-year freedom from variceal rebleeding rates were 95 and 80% in SPD group and 80 and 54% in TIPS group. Conclusions: SPD is clearly superior to TIPS in terms of OS and freedom from variceal rebleeding in patients with cirrhotic PH. In addition, SPD improved liver function in patients with cirrhotic PH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the need for multiple representations of historically underrepresented voices in children's literature, this research study explored critical depictions of agency of Latinx youth within the Pura Belpré awarded texts from 1996 to 2021. The findings report a critical multicultural analysis of depictions of age, sex, socio-economic status, ethnicities, and geographic regions of these awarded texts. Using a secondary analysis of opportunities for agency, we examine how focal subjects (Vaughn et al., 2021; Crisp, 2015) exert their agency in their respective contexts. Our aim in doing so is to highlight the notion of agency in these texts of Latinx children and youth, specifically understanding who exerts agency, how, and for what purposes. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary lipid sources on growth performance, lipid metabolism, and physiological stress responses including oxidative stress (OS) and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) of juvenile Acanthopagrus schlegelii (initial weight 0.88 ± 0.01 g) fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic experimental diets containing different lipid sources were formulated: fish oil (FO), palm oil (PO), linseed oil (LO), and soybean oil (SO), respectively. Results indicated that fish fed HFD supplemented with FO significantly improved growth than SO treatment. The high concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine transaminase were found in HFD supplemented with SO. Fish fed dietary LO supplementation showed significantly lower serum cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein contents than those in SO group. Likewise, hepatic paraffin section analysis indicated that HFD with PO or SO supplementation increased fat drop. The expression levels of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor alpha (pparα) and silent regulator 1 (sirt1) were significantly elevated by HFD with FO or LO supplementation. Additionally, the key marker of OS malonaldehyde was significantly increased in FO and SO groups. ERS-related genes were activated in dietary PO or SO supplementation and, hence, triggering inflammation and apoptosis by promoting the expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B (nf-κb) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (jnk). Overall, the present study reveals that lipid metabolic disorders and physiological stress caused by a HFD have significant lipid source-dependent effects, which have important guiding significance for the use of HFD in marine fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four fluorimetric probes had been developed to rapidly detect 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP). They were designed and synthesized on the basis of 1,3,4-thiadiazole framework combining calculation with experiment. Among them, SK-1 displayed strong blue emission with fluorescence quantum yield as high as 63.6% in solution. Further evaluation demonstrated that SK-1 displays good selectivity and high sensitivity for rapid and visual detection of TNP. It brought significant changes in both colour and fluorescence emission spectrum. The detection limit was as low as 38 nM. Quenching mechanism was confirmed as photo-induced electron transfer (PET) by nuclear magnetic titration and DFT calculations. What's more, application in real water samples and solid phase paper tests illustrated the practical significance of detection of TNP in both vapor and solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer is a common cancer affecting women with high morbidity and mortality globally. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found play vital roles in multifarious cancers, including OC. This study aims to explore the biological role and underlying mechanism of circ_0072995 in OC progression. Circ_0072995 was upregulated in OC tissues and cells in a stable structure. Functional experiments indicated that circ_0072995 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and accelerated cell apoptosis of OC cells. Mechanistically, miR-122-5p was a direct target of circ_0072995, and its knockdown reversed the effects of circ_0072995 silence on inhibition of OC cell progression. Meanwhile, SLC1A5 was a downstream target gene of miR-122-5p, and miR-122-5p overexpression inhibited the progression of OC cells by targeting SLC1A5. Moreover, circ_0072995 positively regulated SLC1A5 expression via sponging miR-122-5p. Circ_0072995 could play oncogenic role in tumorigenesis and malignant development of OC by regulating miR-122-5p/SLC1A5 axis, providing a novel approach for OC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) has been widely used to improve the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as triterpenoid saponins in medicinal plants. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Differing from roots that accumulate protopanaxatriol-type saponins, Panax notoginseng leaves with a lower biomass mainly contain protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type saponins. Therefore, it is interesting to explore whether MeJA can activate the biosynthesis of PPD-type saponins in P. notoginseng leaves. In this study, we found MeJA could effectively induce the accumulation of PPD-type saponins, including ginsenoside Rb1, Rc, Rb2, Rb3 and notoginsenoside Fa, Fe in P. notoginseng leaves based on a newly established high-performance liquid chromatography method. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by MeJA were mainly enriched in "terpenoid backbone biosynthesis", "biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids", "sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis", "fatty acid metabolism", and "phenylpropanoid biosynthesis". Furthermore, the expression profile and quantitative real-time PCR analysis of DEGs showed that MeJA could positively induce the molecular response of endogenous jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway, and increased PPD-type saponins mediated by MeJA in P. notoginseng leaves may be related to the high expression of FPS, SS, SE, DS and UGTs, and the low expression of CYP716A53v2 and β-AS. The results provide a molecular understanding for MeJA-elicited biosynthesis of triterpenoid saponins and facilitate the further characterization of the genes responsible for biosynthesis of PPD-type saponins in P. notoginseng leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Multiple circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to be dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, their functions and modes of action are still largely unclear. Identifying key circRNAs and revealing their potential functions and molecular mechanisms is considered important for improving the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. Methods: Dysregulated circRNAs in HCC were identified through integration of three human HCC circRNAs microarray datasets (GSE94508, GSE97332 and GSE 78520), followed by qRT-PCR validation in primary HCC tissues and cell lines. circRNA characteristics were verified through Sanger sequencing, RNase R treatment, northern blotting and intracellular localization analyses. In addition, circRNA functions in HCC development were assessed using CCK8, colony formation, EDU incorporation, flow cytometry, transwell and scratch wound healing assays in vitro and tumor xenograft assays in vivo. Next, underlying molecular mechanisms in HCC were assessed using dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation and western blotting assays. Results: We found that a novel circular RNA, circ-102,166, was down-regulated in HCC and that its expression level was significantly associated with multiple clinicopathologic characteristics, as well as the clinical prognosis of HCC patients. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that circ-102,166 overexpression significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, migration and tumorigenicity of HCC cells. Furthermore, we found that circ-102,166 can bind to miR-182 and miR-184 to regulate the expression of several of their downstream targets (FOXO3a, MTSS1, SOX7, p-RB and c-MYC). Conclusion: Our data revealed a tumor-suppressing role of circ-102,166 in HCC. Down-regulation of circ-102,166 enhanced the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells by releasing the oncomiRs miR-182 and miR-184. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel resonant pressure sensor is developed based on electrostatic excitation and piezoresistive detection. The measured pressure applied to the diaphragm will cause the resonant frequency shift of the resonator. The working mode stress–frequency theory of a double-ended tuning fork with an enhanced coupling beam is proposed, which is compatible with the simulation and experiment. A unique piezoresistive detection method based on small axially deformed beams with a resonant status is proposed, and other adjacent mode outputs are easily shielded. According to the structure design, high-vacuum wafer-level packaging with different doping in the anodic bonding interface is fabricated to ensure the high quality of the resonator. The pressure sensor chip is fabricated by dry/wet etching, high-temperature silicon bonding, ion implantation, and wafer-level anodic bonding. The results show that the fabricated sensor has a measuring sensitivity of ~19 Hz/kPa and a nonlinearity of 0.02% full scale in the pressure range of 0–200 kPa at a full temperature range of −40 to 80 °C. The sensor also shows a good quality factor >25,000, which demonstrates the good vacuum performance. Thus, the feasibility of the design is a commendable solution for high-accuracy pressure measurements. Pressure sensor: Piezoresistive detection The operating principle and experimental realization of a new piezoresistive resonant pressure sensor are shown. Resonant pressure sensors rely on changes in applied pressure to a diaphragm to cause the resonant frequency of the resonator to change. This enables high stability and signal-to-noise ratios, combined with a quasi-digital output; resultantly, resonant pressure sensors are often used in critical applications such as aerospace and for instrument calibration. Here, a team led by Zhuangde Jiang from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, report a piezoresistive detection-based resonant pressure sensor. They establish the theory for their device operation, verified by both simulations and experiments. Their device shows an accuracy better than 0.02% FS and a resonant quality factor greater than 25,000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanocrystalline was prepared by using citric acid as an additive and co-precipitation method. The Fe3O4–WO3–carbon quantum dot (CQD) metal oxide porous structure was constructed, characterized and analyzed. When the amount of citric acid added was 22.7 wt%, the specific saturation magnetization of Fe3O4 nanocrystals was 52.567 emu/g, and the Fe3O4–WO3 composite structure was agglomerated into spheroids having a diameter of about 200 nm. The constructed Fe3O4–WO3–CQD metal oxide porous structure has a specific surface area of 166.78 m2/g. In the experiment of adsorption and degradation of rhodamine B solution (20 mg/L), the decolorization rate of the dye by Fe3O4–WO3–CQD system was 54.42% after 60 min of dark treatment. After 240 min of photocatalysis, the dye decolorization rate increased by 14.17% to 65.56%. This shows that the photocatalytic performance of the sample was improved after the compounding process. The results provided that Fe3O4–WO3–CQD composite structure has great application potential in the field of photo-catalytic degradation of organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 90% of the cancer-associated mortality is attributed to its metastasis. Numerous studies demonstrated that natural steroidal saponins from plants had the capacity to inhibit lung cancer metastasis. Dioscin-6'-O-acetate (DA) was a novel steroidal saponin first obtained from the rhizomes of Dioscorea althaeoides R. Knuth. Our previous study indicated that it suppressed lung cancer cell proliferation via inducing cell-cycle arrest and enhancing caspase-dependent apoptosis. Until now, there were still no reports on its anti-migration activity. In the present study, we further verified the anti-proliferation and apoptosis-inducing effects and investigated the anti-migration effects of DA on human NSCLC (NCI-H460, NCI-H1299, NCI-H520) and SCLC (NCI-H446) cells for the first time. To clarify the possible mechanisms, western blot and/or RT-PCR analysis were used. The results revealed that DA treatment increased the levels of caspase 3, 8, 9, and Bax and markedly decreased the expression of bcl-2, PCNA, MMP-2, MMP-9, and NF-κB. Docking study indicated that DA presented strong affinity with the key metastasis-related proteins, such as MMP-2, MMP-9, and NF-κB. We proposed that DA might suppress lung cancer proliferation by downregulating PCNA, induce lung cancer apoptosis via activation of caspase-dependent apoptosis pathways, and inhibit lung cancer migration possibly by targeting MMP-2/9 through NF-κB signaling suppression. The findings would provide the foundation for the clinical use of DA in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As flow boiling in mini/micro-channel, slug flow was corresponding to the optimal heat transfer ability owing to the evaporation of thin liquid film. Based on the heat transfer mechanism of liquid film evaporation, a simplified heat transfer model of slug flow was proposed. Li-Wu heat transfer correlation (Int J Heat Mass Transf 53(9): 1778-1787, 2010) was revised by introducing evaporation parameter, C . With the evaporation parameter, C , the revised correlation predicted the slug flow database with MAE (Mean Absolute Error) 25.14%, which improved the prediction accuracy remarkably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion power battery has become one of the main power sources for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles because of superior performance compared with other power sources. In order to ensure the safety and improve the performance, the maximum operating temperature and local temperature difference of batteries must be maintained in an appropriate range. The effect of temperature on the capacity fade and aging are simply investigated. The electrode structure, including electrode thickness, particle size and porosity, are analyzed. It is found that all of them have significant influences on the heat generation of battery. Details of various thermal management technologies, namely air based, phase change material based, heat pipe based and liquid based, are discussed and compared from the perspective of improving the external heat dissipation. The selection of different battery thermal management (BTM) technologies should be based on the cooling demand and applications, and liquid cooling is suggested being the most suitable method for large-scale battery pack charged/discharged at higher C-rate and in high-temperature environment. The thermal safety in the respect of propagation and suppression of thermal runaway is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disorder. In pathogenesis, NMO-immunoglobulin G (NMO-IgG) selectively binds to aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and resulted in neuritis, myelitis, and brain lesion. Fc receptor-like 3 ( FCRL3) gene encodes a member of the immunoglobulin receptor superfamily, which plays an important part in regulating immune activities. This study aimed at investigating the association between FCRL3 polymorphisms and NMO susceptibility and, hopefully, to contribute to the development of novel methods for diagnosis and treatment of NMO. We selected 150 NMO patients and 300 healthy controls from the Chinese population. Tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified with reference to CBI-dbSNP and HapMap databases. DNA were extracted and amplified. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was applied to determine the polymorphisms. χ, odds ratio (OR), and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) were presented to evaluate genotype distribution and association between SNPs and NMO susceptibility. Six out of 15 SNPs were selected according to the filter. No significant altered genotype distribution was observed concerning -11G>C, -166C>T, -219G>C, and -1629C>G polymorphisms. The G allele of -1901A>G variation was demonstrated to be more frequent in patients compared with controls ( P < 0.001). The T allele of -658C>T polymorphism was significantly more prevalent in NMO patients than controls ( P = 0.009). In summary, the study revealed that the G allele in -1901A>G polymorphism and T allele in -658C>T polymorphism are genetic risk factors for NMO in the Chinese population. Further research is needed to account for different ethnicities and clarify the mechanisms behind, which might contribute to the elucidation of novel diagnosis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reports an experimental evaluation of heat transfer characteristic of R134a flow boiling in micro-channel heat sink. The heat sink is composed of 30 parallel rectangular micro-channels with cross-sectional dimensions of 500μm width and depth, as well as total length 30mm. Experiments were conducted with heat flux up to 80.212 W/cm, mass velocity ranging from 373.33 to 1244.44 kg/ms, vapor quality ranging from 0.06 to 0.9. The wall temperature of heat sink heated could be controlled at around 50°C. Heat transfer coefficient could be up to 180 kW/mK. Two dominating flow patterns were observed by analyzing boiling curves. The heat transfer characteristics of nucleate boiling and convective boiling were presented in the study. Revised correlations of R134a flow boiling in micro-channel heat sink were carried out with the consideration of nucleate boiling and convective boiling mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the relationship between the clinical outcome and the GSTM1 null/present, GSTT1 null/present, and GSTP1 IIe105Val polymorphisms in breast cancer patients with chemotherapy. A total of 420 consecutive breast cancer patients diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2011 were eligible for inclusion in our retrospective study. The designs of the assay and SNP genotyping of GSTM1 null/present, GSTT1 null/present, and GSTP1 IIe105Val were performed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. In the univariate analysis, patients who carried TT genotype and CT + TT genotype of GSTP1 IIe105Val showed a significant poorer tumor response to chemotherapy when compared with CC genotype (for TT genotype, adjusted OR = 0.44, 95 % CI = 0.22-0.89; for CT + TT genotype, adjusted OR = 0.59, 95 % CI = 0.39-0.92). By Cox multivariate analysis, TT genotype and CT + TT genotype were associated with increased risk of death from breast cancer, and the relationship was more obvious after being adjusted by potential confounding factors (for TT genotype, adjusted OR = 4.23, 95 % CI = 2.33-8.76; for CT + TT genotype, adjusted OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.60-4.03). Polymorphism of GSTP1 IIe105Val might affect the clinical outcome in breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amino terminus of RNA polymerase A (PA-N) of influenza virus is an important target for the design of new antiviral agents. In this study, molecular docking was used to screen for compounds that specifically target the deep cleft at the endonuclease active site in N-terminus of the RNA polymerase. Four potential compounds (NCI100226, NCI122653, NCI625583, and NCI403587) with high binding affinity for the active site were identified. Structural analysis of the binding conformation of each of these compound-PA-N complexes revealed that hydrophobic interaction and manganese ion chelation comprised the main interaction between the compounds and enzyme. The binding configuration stability and the number of hydrogen and ionic bonds were investigated by molecular dynamic simulations. The results indicated that NCI403587 could be a promising PA-N inhibitor, and may represent a potential new agent for the treatment of influenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dually responsive fluorescent probe for determination of U(IV) and mercury(II) ions was synthesized. The probe consists of a cytosine-rich hairpin DNA loaded with silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs). The fluorescence of the AgNCs is found to be quenched by UO2(II) at pH 5.0 and Hg(II) at pH 7.0 due to combined static and dynamic quenching. Under the optimal conditions, the green fluorescence of the DNA-AgNCs, best measured at excitation/emission wavelengths of 420/525 nm, decreases in the 4.0 to 75 pM UO2(II) concentration range, and in the 0.3 to 8.0 nM Hg(II) concentration range. The respective detection limits are as low as 1.8 pM and 0.1 nM. The method was successfully applied to the determination of UO2(II) and Hg(II) in (spiked) pond and taps waters and in soil extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional nanocarriers for targeted bioimaging and drug delivery have attracted much attention in early diagnosis and therapy of cancer. In this work, we develop a novel aptamer-guided nanocarrier based on the mesoporous metal-organic framework (MOF) shell and up-conversion luminescent NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanoparticles (UCNPs) core for the first time to achieve these goals. These UCNPs, chosen as optical labels in biological assays and medical imaging, could emit strong green emission under 980 nm laser. The MOF structure based on iron (III) carboxylate materials [MIL-100 (Fe)] possesses high porosity and non-toxicity, which is of great value as nanocarriers for drug storage/delivery. As a unique nanoplatform, the hybrid inorganic-organic drug delivery vehicles show great promising for simultaneous targeted labeling and therapy of cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]