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Secure multi-party computation of Chebyshev distance represents a crucial method for confidential distance measurement, holding significant theoretical and practical implications. Especially within electronic archival management systems, secure computation of Chebyshev distance is employed for similarity measurement, classification, and clustering of sensitive archival information, thereby enhancing the security of sensitive archival queries and sharing. This paper proposes a secure protocol for computing Chebyshev distance under a semi-honest model, leveraging the additive homomorphic properties of the NTRU cryptosystem and a vector encoding method. This protocol transforms the confidential computation of Chebyshev distance into the inner product of confidential computation vectors, as demonstrated through the model paradigm validating its security under the semi-honest model. Addressing potential malicious participant scenarios, a secure protocol for computing Chebyshev distance under a malicious model is introduced, utilizing cryptographic tools such as digital commitments and mutual decryption methods. The security of this protocol under the malicious model is affirmed using the real/ideal model paradigm. Theoretical analysis and experimental simulations demonstrate the efficiency and practical applicability of the proposed schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the global burden of pancreatic cancer (PC) from 1990 to 2019, evaluate independent effects of age, period, and cohort on the incidence of PC, and predict the incidence of PC in the next decade. Methods: Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. We calculated the age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALY) rate, age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), and age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of PC. Joinpoint Poisson regression analysis was performed to identify the temporal trends in the incidence of PC. Then, a two-factor model was constructed using the Poisson log-linear model, and a three-factor model was constructed using the intrinsic estimator (IE) method to estimate the independent effects of age, period, and cohort on the incidence of PC. Finally, the Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model was also used to predict the age-standardized global incidence rate of PC and age-standardized new PC cases from 2020 to 2030. Results: Overall, the DALY rate, ASMR, ASIR, and ASPR all increased from 1990 to 2019. The ASIR in males increased from 6 per 100,000 in 1990 to 7.5 per 100,000 in 2019 and was predicted to rise to 8.2 per 100,000 by 2030. Meanwhile, the ASIR in females rose from 4.5 per 100,000 in 1990 to 5.7 per 100,000 in 2019 and was predicted to rise to 6.3 per 100,000 by 2030. The age effect on the incidence of PC showed sharp increasing trends from 40 to 79 years. The period effect continuously increased with advancing periods, but the cohort effect showed substantial decreasing trends. Conclusions: The age and period effect on the incidence of PC presented increasing trends, while the cohort effect showed decreasing trends. All indicators of the global burden of PC are increasing in both males and females, and the ASIR is predicted to rise at an alarming rate by 2030. Thus, timely screening and intervention are recommended, especially for earlier birth cohorts at high risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jujubae Fructus, the fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill has been used as one of the medicine food homology species for thousands of years in China. Studies have shown that the active ingredients of Jujubae Fructus have a variety of biological effects, but its role in the aging process still lacks knowledge. Here, we investigated the effect of Jujubae Fructus extract (JE) on Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan and its potential mechanism. The lifespan of C. elegans treated with JE was signifificantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, JE treatment prolonged the reproductive period and increased normal activity during aging in C. elegans. Similarly, JE supplementation also enhanced the resistance to heat and oxidative stress in C. elegans. Furthermore, the mutant worms' lifespan assays demonstrated that JE requires daf-16 to prolong lifespan. DAF-16::GFP analysis of TJ356 showed that JE treatment translocates DAF-16::GFP to nucleus in transgenic worms. By analyzing the downstream of daf-16, we identify that JE may regulate sod3 downstream of daf-16. Mutant worms' lifespan and transgenic reporter gene expression assays revealed that increasing SOD-3 expression was critical for extending longevity in C. elegans with JE therapy. Collectively, these data indicate that JE may have an important role in C. elegans longevity that is dependent on DAF-16 and SOD-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, green finance is incorporated into the theoretical framework of technological progress bias to investigate the internal mechanism of green finance influencing environmental technological progress bias and the cleaning of industrial structure. Quantitative analysis is carried out by parameter calibration and numerical simulation. The results show that the environmental technology progress bias has obvious path-dependent characteristics. By means of financing scale and financing cost, green finance influences the relative profit, R&D behavior choice and environmental technology progress preference of the two types of R&D firms and then influences the cleaning of industrial structure through direct productivity effect, indirect price effect and market size effect. Only when the proportion of financing scale of clean R&D departments or the interest rate subsidy exceeds a certain critical value, can green finance successfully induce the occurrence of clean technological progress and promote the cleanliness of industrial structure. However, when the proportion of financing scale or interest rate subsidy of clean R&D departments is lower than a certain critical value, the improvement effect of green finance on the output value of clean industry is offset by the effect of polluting technological progress, which is not conducive to the clean industrial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac microtissues provide a promising platform for disease modeling and developmental studies, which require the close monitoring of the multimodal excitation-contraction dynamics. However, no existing assessing tool can track these multimodal dynamics across the live tissue. We develop a tissue-like mesh bioelectronic system to track these multimodal dynamics. The mesh system has tissue-level softness and cell-level dimensions to enable stable embedment in the tissue. It is integrated with an array of graphene sensors, which uniquely converges both bioelectrical and biomechanical sensing functionalities in one device. The system achieves stable tracking of the excitation-contraction dynamics across the tissue and throughout the developmental process, offering comprehensive assessments for tissue maturation, drug effects, and disease modeling. It holds the promise to provide more accurate quantification of the functional, developmental, and pathophysiological states in cardiac tissues, creating an instrumental tool for improving tissue engineering and studies.Tracking electrical and mechanical activity in in-vitro cardiac microtissues is challenging. Here, authors develop tissue-like electronics that can ‘grow’ with the cardiac microtissues and realize the simultaneous tracking of both signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rho GTPase activating protein 18 (ARHGAP18), a member of the RhoGAP gene family that increases GTP hydrolysis and inhibits RhoGTPase, was recently discovered to play a role in the development of breast cancer. However, its exact biological role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In our present study, we comprehensively assessed ARHGAP18 expression and its correlation with the prognostic value of cancer patients in databases. Cell proliferation and colony formation assays were employed to monitor cell growth. Luciferase reporter assay, Chromatin immunoprecipitation qPCR (ChIP-qPCR), immunofluorescence were performed for mechanism research. The expression of genes and proteins was detected by real-time PCR and western blotting. According to the findings of this research, ARHGAP18 protein levels are increased in HCC tissues compared to adjacent nontumor tissues, and ARHGAP18 overexpression is associated with poor survival. The results of a gain- and loss-of-function experiment with HCC cells in vitro demonstrated that ARHGAP18 stimulated cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, we found that the transcription factor GATA binding protein 1 (GATA1) could bind to the ARHGAP18 promoter and facilitate ARHGAP18 expression. Further studies revealed that the effects of ARHGAP18 silencing on HCCLM3 and Bel-7402 cells were blocked by GATA1 overexpression. In conclusion, GATA1-mediated ARHGAP18 up-regulation plays an important role in HCC tumorigenesis and might be a potential therapeutic target for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the role of methotrexate-related gene polymorphisms in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) therapy and to explore their effects on serum metabolites before and after HD-MTX treatment. The MTHFR 677C>T, MTHFR 1298A>C, ABCB1 3435C>T, and GSTP1 313A>G genotypes of 189 children with ALL who received chemotherapy with the CCCG-ALL-2020 regimen from January 2020 to April 2023 were analyzed, and toxic effects were reported according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE, version 5.0). Fasting peripheral blood serum samples were collected from 27 children before and after HD-MTX treatment, and plasma metabolites were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that MTHFR 677C>T and ABCB1 3435 C>T gene polymorphisms were associated with the delayed MTX clearance (P < 0.05) and lower platelet count after treatment in children with MTHFR 677 mutation compared with wild-type ones (P < 0.05), and pure mutations in ABCB1 3435 were associated with higher serum creatinine levels (P < 0.05). No significant association was identified between MTHFR 677C>T, MTHFR 1298A>C, ABCB1 3435 C>T, and GSTP1 313A>G genes and hepatotoxicity or nephrotoxicity (P > 0.05). However, the serum metabolomic analysis indicated that the presence of the MTHFR 677C > T gene polymorphism could potentially contribute to delayed MTX clearance by influencing L-phenylalanine metabolism, leading to the occurrence of related toxic side effects. Conclusion: MTHFR 677C>T and ABCB1 3435 C>T predicted the risk of delayed MTX clearance during HD-MTX treatment in children with ALL. Serum L-phenylalanine levels were significantly elevated after HD-MTX treatment in children with the MTHFR 677C>T mutation gene. Trial registration: This study was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration number: ChiCTR2000035264; registration: 2020/08/05; https://www.chictr.org.cn/). What is Known: • MTX-related genes play an important role in MTX pharmacokinetics and toxicity, but results from different studies are inconsistent and the mechanisms involved are not clear. What is New: • Characteristics, prognosis, polymorphisms of MTX-related genes, and metabolite changes were comprehensively evaluated in children treated with HD-MTX chemotherapy. • Analysis revealed that both heterozygous and pure mutations in MTHFR 677C>T resulted in a significantly increased risk of delayed MTX clearance, and that L-phenylalanine has the potential to serve as a predictive marker for the metabolic effects of the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With global warming, extreme weather frequently and severely appears globally. Extreme precipitation is one of the extreme weather events that can cause many natural disasters, such as floods and waterlogging. In this study, Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) daily precipitation data were used to investigate extreme precipitation and its contribution to annual precipitation in different global climate regions and typical river basins. The climate types included equatorial climates (EC), arid climates (AC), warm temperate climates (WTC), snowy climates (SC) and polar climates (PC). R99p, Rx5day, CWD and R20 was selected as extreme precipitation indices in this study; extreme precipitation days were defined by CWD and R20. The results showed that EC and WTC had higher extreme precipitation level; SC and PC had lower extreme precipitation amounts and days than AC. R99p, Rx5day and CWD monitored higher extreme precipitation contribution degrees in AC; however, R20 monitored higher contribution degrees in EC and WTC. R99p, Rx5day and CWD showed higher extreme precipitation contribution degrees in North Africa, the Middle East, Australia and northwestern China; R20 showed higher contribution degrees in South America, the southeastern United States and South Asia. Based on historical observational data, Heilongjiang Basin (HB), Yellow River Basin (YERB), Yangtze River Basin (YARB), Ganges River Basin (GRB), Danube River Basin (DRB) and Mekong River Basin (MERB) had high-frequency extreme precipitation in summer. The research results are helpful for understanding the characteristics of extreme precipitation and provide a reference for flood control and disaster reduction in different climatic regions and main river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing volatile organic compound (VOC) emission will cause air pollution and further threaten human health. Activated carbon is widely applied to treatment of VOCs in virtue of lower cost and excellent adsorption ability. In this work, the adsorption capacity of polarity VOCs on activated carbon is improved by oxalic acid (H2C2O4) hydrothermal modification. After 2 M H2C2O4 modification, the adsorption capacity of 2-butanone rose from 312.60 to 345.98 mg/g, and the time reaching saturation adsorption became shorter. BET results showed that both the specific surface area and total pore volume of 2 M H2C2O4-modified activated carbon increased by 3.32% and 3.9%, respectively. Both FTIR and XPS characterization confirmed variation of the surface oxygen–containing functional groups (SOFGs), while quantitative analysis via Boehm titration showed the significant increase of total acidity (61.36%), particularly the carboxyl content increased by 96.28%. The results indicated modification process can not only change the pore structure but also the SOFGs of activated carbons. The dynamic adsorption curves conform to the Bangham kinetics model, indicating that the adsorption of 2-butanone on both activated carbon is controlled by the diffusion in the pore channel. The adsorption data was also modeled by the internal particle diffusion model, and the internal diffusion adsorption stage is the rate-controlling step. The stability before and after adsorption and the cycling performance were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered lithium transition metal oxide (LTMO) cathode materials have attracted much attention for lithium-ion batteries and are shining in the current market. Establishing a clear structure–performance relationship is necessary for the performance improvement of LTMO cathode materials. The combination of synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) with high intensity and XRD Rietveld refinement is powerful for revealing the structural characteristics of LTMO cathode materials. This review summarizes the application of high energy XRD and Rietveld refinement in LTMO cathode materials, including the brief introduction of synchrotron XRD and Rietveld refinement and their applications in understanding the structural evolution related to the synthetic, thermal runaway, cycling, and high-rate charge/discharge process of LTMO cathode materials. Synchrotron XRD can provide insights into the intermediates and reaction paths in the synthesis process, the origin of thermal runaway, the mechanism of structural decay during cycles, and the structural evolution during high-rate charging/discharging. Future works should focus on the development of higher intensity X-rays to gain more in-depth insights into the intrinsic relationship between their structural characteristics and properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We investigated the efficacy of intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in reducing stroke recurrence for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and compared subgroups of patients. Methods: We enrolled patients with AIS whose time of onset to medication was ≤ 72 h, and the baseline scores of NIHSS (bNIHSS) were 0–10. The patients received intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel (study group) or rosuvastatin plus single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT, control group). The primary outcomes were recurrence of ischemic stroke, bleeding, statin-induced liver injury, and statin-associated myopathy (SAM) within 90 days. We also performed a subgroup analysis to assess the heterogeneity of the two therapy regimens in reducing recurrent stroke. Results: Recurrent stroke occurred in 10 patients in the study group and 42 patients in the control group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.373, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.178–0.780; P = 0.009). Bleeding events occurred in 9 patients in the study group and 14 patients in the control group (HR, 1.019; 95%CI, 0.441–2.353; P = 0.966). Statin-induced liver injury and SAM were not recorded. Intensive rosuvastatin plus 7-day DAPT was generally effective in reducing the risk of recurrent stroke, except in the subgroup with bNIHSS ≤ 2. The therapy was particularly efficient in the elderly, male, high-bNIHSS, and hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia subgroups, with P < 0.02. Conclusions: Without increasing bleeding and statin-associated adverse events, intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day DAPT significantly reduced the risk of recurrent stroke, especially for subgroups with high-risk factors. Clinical trial registration. China Clinical Trial Registration Center (ChiCTR1800017809). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proportions of the various muscle fiber types are important in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism, as well as animal meat production. Four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 3 (FHL3) is highly expressed in fast glycolytic muscle fibers and differentially regulates the expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms at the cellular level. Whether FHL3 regulates the transformation of muscle fiber types in vivo and the regulatory mechanism is unclear. In this study, muscle-specific FHL3 transgenic mice were generated by random integration, and lentivirus-mediated gene knockdown or overexpression in muscles of mice or pigs was conducted. Functional analysis showed that overexpression of FHL3 in muscles significantly increased the proportion of fast-twitch myofibers and muscle mass but decreased muscle succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and whole-body oxygen consumption. Lentivirus-mediated FHL3 knockdown in muscles significantly decreased muscle mass and the proportion of fast-twitch myofibers. Mechanistically, FHL3 directly interacted with the Yin yang 1 (YY1) DNA-binding domain, repressed the binding of YY1 to the fast glycolytic MyHC2b gene regulatory region, and thereby promoted MyHC2b expression. FHL3 also competed with EZH2 to bind the repression domain of YY1 and reduced H3K27me3 enrichment in the MyHC2b regulatory region. Moreover, FHL3 overexpression reduced glucose tolerance by affecting muscle glycolytic metabolism, and its mRNA expression in muscle was positively associated with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, FHL3 is a novel potential target gene for the treatment of muscle metabolism-related diseases and improvement of animal meat production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green technology innovation is the basic driving force of green economic development. The compatibility of the composite system composed of green technology innovation, green finance, and environmental regulation is the decisive factor of whether regional economy can achieve sustainable development. Based on the data of regional green technology innovation in China from 2012 to 2020, this paper discusses the coupling coordination mechanism and coupling coordination level among green technology innovation, green finance, and environmental regulation based on entropy method. It is found that the coupling and coordinated development of regional green technology innovation-green finance-environmental regulation system in China is above medium level. However, there is a big gap in the coupling coordination level among different regions. The coupling coordination level in eastern China is relatively high, and the coupling coordination level in other regions is deviated. Most regions of China have a great potential for improvement. On this basis, this paper puts forward policy suggestions for improving the overall coupling and coordination level of the system to promote national green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing renewable materials for fabricating clean energy harvesting devices can further improve sustainability. Microorganisms can be mass produced with renewable feedstocks. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to engineer microbial biofilms as a cohesive, flexible material for long-term continuous electricity production from evaporating water. Single biofilm sheet (~40 µm thick) serving as the functional component in an electronic device continuously produces power density (~1 μW/cm2) higher than that achieved with thicker engineered materials. The energy output is comparable to that achieved with similar sized biofilms catalyzing current production in microbial fuel cells, without the need for an organic feedstock or maintaining cell viability. The biofilm can be sandwiched between a pair of mesh electrodes for scalable device integration and current production. The devices maintain the energy production in ionic solutions and can be used as skin-patch devices to harvest electricity from sweat and moisture on skin to continuously power wearable devices. Biofilms made from different microbial species show generic current production from water evaporation. These results suggest that we can harness the ubiquity of biofilms in nature as additional sources of biomaterial for evaporation-based electricity generation in diverse aqueous environments. Though water evaporation-driven electricity generation is an attractive sustainable energy production strategy, existing electronic devices suffer from poor performance or is costly. Here, the authors report sustainable biofilms for efficient, low-cost evaporation-based electricity production [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV-1 must counteract various host restrictions to establish productive infection. SERINC5 is a potent restriction factor that blocks HIV-1 entry from virions, but its activity is counteracted by Nef. The SERINC5 and Nef activities are both initiated from the plasma membrane, where SERINC5 is packaged into virions for viral inhibition or downregulated by Nef via lysosomal degradation. However, it is still unclear how SERINC5 is localized to and how its expression is regulated on the plasma membrane. We now report that Cullin 3-KLHL20, a trans-Golgi network (TGN)-localized E3 ubiquitin ligase, polyubiquitinates SERINC5 at lysine 130 via K33/K48-linked ubiquitination. The K33-linked polyubiquitination determines SERINC5 expression on the plasma membrane, and the K48-linked polyubiquitination contributes to SERINC5 downregulation from the cell surface. Our study reveals an important role of K130 polyubiquitination and K33/K48-linked ubiquitin chains in HIV-1 infection by regulating SERINC5 post-Golgi trafficking and degradation. SERINC5 is a host-restriction factor preventing HIV progeny entry, which is counteracted by interactions with HIV Nef. Here, Li et al. show that E3 ubiquitin ligase Cullin 3 polyubiquitinates SERINC5 at Lys 130 via K48- and K33-linked ubiquitin chains and provide evidence that this modification is not only required for its membrane localization and anti-viral activity but also relevant for Nef counteractive activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microglia are important immune cells, which can be induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into M1 phenotype that express pro-inflammatory cytokines. Some studies have shown that microRNAs play critical roles in microglial activation. Objective: This study was designed to investigate the role of miR-200c-3p in regulating inflammatory responses of LPS-treated BV2 cells. Methods: The expression of miR-200c-3p in BV2 cells was detected by real-time PCR. Receptor-interacting protein 2 (RIP2) was predicted as a target gene of miR-200c-3p. Their relationship was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The function of miR-200c-3p and RIP2 in microglial polarization and NF-κB signaling was further evaluated. Results: LPS treatment reduced miR-200c-3p expression in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner in BV2 cells. LPS treatment increased the expression of M1 phenotype markers inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and major histocompatibility complex class (MHC)-II, promoted the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and enhanced the nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65. Reversely, miR-200c-3p mimics down-regulated the levels of these inflammatory factors. Furthermore, RIP2 was identified to be a direct target of miR-200c-3p. RIP2 knockdown had a similar effect to miR-200c-3p mimics. Overexpression of RIP2 eliminated the inhibitory effect of miR-200c-3p on LPS-induced M1 polarization and NF-κB activation in BV2 cells. Conclusions: MiR-200c-3p mimics suppressed LPS-induced microglial M1 polarization and NF-κB activation by targeting RIP2. MiR-200c-3p/RIP2 might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neuroinflammation-associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Terpene trilactones (TTLs) are one of the main active ingredients of Ginkgo biloba. Owing to TTL's unique chemical structure, it is difficult to increase TTL content through chemical and biological methods. Studying its regulatory mechanism is important in the G. biloba industry. Results: The effect of exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the physiological and molecular mechanism of TTL biosynthesis was studied. These results showed that MeJA treatment could improve the TTL contents, soluble sugar, starch, soluble protein, endogenous hormones (ZT, GA3, IAA, and ABA), antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), and the efficiency of photosynthesis in G. biloba leaves. A total of 100 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the control group and MeJA treatment through RNA-seq analysis. The results indicated that exogenous MeJA treatment upregulated the expression levels of the following genes: BMY (beta-amylase) in the starch and sucrose metabolic pathway; PEX7 (peroxin-7) in the peroxisome pathway; psbA (photosystem II reaction center D1 protein), psbC (photosystem II CP43 chlorophyll apoprotein), psaA (photosystem I P700 chlorophyll a apoprotein A1), and petF (photosynthetic electron transport ferredoxin) in the photosynthesis pathway; and CYP450 (Gb-16765) (cytochromeP450). Conclusions: Exogenous MeJA treatment can promote physiological indexes (photosynthetic efficiency, starch, sucrose, antioxidant enzyme activities, etc.) and then regulating differential genes, thus controlling the synthesis of TTLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two strains HN-1T and 39 were isolated from rhizospheres of different plants grown in different regions of PR China. The two strains exhibited high nitrogenase activities and possessed almost identical 16S rRNA gene sequences. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between the two strains were 99.9 and 99.8%, respectively, suggesting that they belong to one species. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strains HN-1T and 39 are the members of the genus Paenibacillus and both strains exhibited 99.5% similarity to Paenibacillus stellifer DSM 14472T and the both strains represented a separate lineage from all other Paenibacillus species. However, the ANI of type strain HN-1T with P. stellifer DSM 14472T was 90.69, which was below the recommended threshold value (< 95–96% ANI). The dDDH showed 42.1% relatedness between strain HN-1T and P. stellifer DSM 14472T, which was lower than the recommended threshold value (dDDH < 70%). The strain HN-1T contain anteiso-C15:0 as major fatty acids and MK-7 as predominant isoprenoid quinone. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, four aminophospholipids and an unidentified glycolipid. Unlike the most closely related P. stellifer DSM 14472T, strain HN-1T or 39 was positive for catalase reaction. Distinct phenotypic and genomic characterisations from previously described taxa support the classification of strains HN-1T or 39 as representatives of a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus sinensis is proposed, with type strains HN-1T (=CGMCC 1.18902, JCM 34,620), and reference strain 39 (=CGMCC 1.18879, JCM 34,616), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of superconductivity and correlated insulators in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) has raised the intriguing possibility that its pairing mechanism is distinct from that of conventional superconductors1–4, as described by the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory. However, recent studies have shown that superconductivity persists even when Coulomb interactions are partially screened5,6. This suggests that pairing in MATBG might be conventional in nature and a consequence of the large density of states of its flat bands. Here we combine tunnelling and Andreev reflection spectroscopy with a scanning tunnelling microscope to observe several key experimental signatures of unconventional superconductivity in MATBG. We show that the tunnelling spectra below the transition temperature Tc are inconsistent with those of a conventional s-wave superconductor, but rather resemble those of a nodal superconductor with an anisotropic pairing mechanism. We observe a large discrepancy between the tunnelling gap ΔT, which far exceeds the mean-field BCS ratio (with 2ΔT/kBTc ~ 25), and the gap ΔAR extracted from Andreev reflection spectroscopy (2ΔAR/kBTc ~ 6). The tunnelling gap persists even when superconductivity is suppressed, indicating its emergence from a pseudogap phase. Moreover, the pseudogap and superconductivity are both absent when MATBG is aligned with hexagonal boron nitride. These findings and other observations reported here provide a preponderance of evidence for a non-BCS mechanism for superconductivity in MATBG.A study combining tunnelling and Andreev reflection spectroscopy with a scanning tunnelling microscope provides evidence for unconventional superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global demand for digital storage capacity grows, storage technologies based on synthetic DNA have emerged as a dense and durable alternative to traditional media. Existing approaches leverage robust error correcting codes and precise molecular mechanisms to reliably retrieve specific files from large databases. Typically, files are retrieved using a pre-specified key, analogous to a filename. However, these approaches lack the ability to perform more complex computations over the stored data, such as similarity search: e.g., finding images that look similar to an image of interest without prior knowledge of their file names. Here we demonstrate a technique for executing similarity search over a DNA-based database of 1.6 million images. Queries are implemented as hybridization probes, and a key step in our approach was to learn an image-to-sequence encoding ensuring that queries preferentially bind to targets representing visually similar images. Experimental results show that our molecular implementation performs comparably to state-of-the-art in silico algorithms for similarity search. Storage technology based on DNA is emerging as an information dense and durable medium. Here the authors use machine learning-based encoding and hybridization probes to execute similarity searches in a DNA database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient groundwater resources are one of the important factors restricting urban development. The management of groundwater sources is related to many factors such as society, economy, hydrology, and geology. In the process of management, relevant personnel need to collect preliminary data and then process the data and information, which is a lot of work and troublesome operation. Therefore, this is a complex and difficult task. In this regard, in order to fully understand the current situation of urban groundwater resource management and improve the management level of urban groundwater resources, this article recommends the use of high-level GIS (Geographic Information System) technology to improve the utilization rate of groundwater resources and introduce GIS into the daily management system. With the rapid development of science and technology, many types of water environment monitoring equipment have been developed and applied, and the work of monitoring personnel has become very easy from the difficulties in the past. This paper designs a wireless groundwater quality monitoring system based on ZigBee communication technology, which can not only meet the requirements of users for daily groundwater management, but also provide an excellent platform and design concept for the field of water quality safety monitoring. At the same time, state-owned assets are an important foundation for socialist construction, and the construction of a state-owned asset management system is an important part of institutional reform. Therefore, in accordance with the requirements of the 18th CPC Central Committee's Third Conference, exploring the establishment of a state-owned asset management model under market economy conditions is the key to deepening system reform and solving the current dilemma of state-owned asset management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saccharopolyspora spinosa is a well-known actinomycete for producing the secondary metabolites, spinosad, which is a potent insecticides possessing both efficiency and safety. In the previous researches, great efforts, including physical mutagenesis, fermentation optimization, genetic manipulation and other methods, have been employed to increase the yield of spinosad to hundreds of folds from the low-yield strain. However, the metabolic network in S. spinosa still remained un-revealed. In this study, two S. spinosa strains with different spinosad production capability were fermented and sampled at three fermentation periods. Then the total RNA of these samples was isolated and sequenced to construct the transcriptome libraries. Through transcriptomic analysis, large numbers of differentially expressed genes were identified and classified according to their different functions. According to the results, spnI and spnP were suggested as the bottleneck during spinosad biosynthesis. Primary metabolic pathways such as carbon metabolic pathways exhibited close relationship with spinosad formation, as pyruvate and phosphoenolpyruvic acid were suggested to accumulate in spinosad high-yield strain during fermentation. The addition of soybean oil in the fermentation medium activated the lipid metabolism pathway, enhancing spinosad production. Glutamic acid and aspartic acid were suggested to be the most important amino acids and might participate in spinosad biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating neuromorphic electronics in bioelectronic interfaces can provide intelligent responsiveness to environments. However, the signal mismatch between the environmental stimuli and driving amplitude in neuromorphic devices has limited the functional versatility and energy sustainability. Here we demonstrate multifunctional, self-sustained neuromorphic interfaces by achieving signal matching at the biological level. The advances rely on the unique properties of microbially produced protein nanowires, which enable both bio-amplitude (e.g., <100 mV) signal processing and energy harvesting from ambient humidity. Integrating protein nanowire-based sensors, energy devices and memristors of bio-amplitude functions yields flexible, self-powered neuromorphic interfaces that can intelligently interpret biologically relevant stimuli for smart responses. These features, coupled with the fact that protein nanowires are a green biomaterial of potential diverse functionalities, take the interfaces a step closer to biological integration. For bio-inspired neuromorphic interfaces to emulate biological signal processing and self-sustainability, the mismatch between sensing and computing signals must be addressed. Here, the authors report sensor-driven, integrated neuromorphic systems with signal matching at the biological level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moiré superlattices created by the twisted stacking of two-dimensional crystals can host electronic bands with flat energy dispersion in which enhanced interactions promote correlated electron states. The twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG), where two Bernal bilayer graphene are stacked with a twist angle, is such a moiré system with tunable flat bands. Here, we use gate-tuned scanning tunneling spectroscopy to directly demonstrate the tunability of the band structure of TDBG with an electric field and to show spectroscopic signatures of electronic correlations and topology for its flat band. Our spectroscopic experiments are in agreement with a continuum model of TDBG band structure and reveal signatures of a correlated insulator gap at partial filling of its isolated flat band. The topological properties of this flat band are probed with the application of a magnetic field, which leads to valley polarization and the splitting of Chern bands with a large effective g-factor. Twisted double bilayer graphene hosts flat bands that can be tuned with an electric field. Here, by using gate-tuned scanning tunneling spectroscopy, the authors demonstrate the tunability of the flat band and reveal spectral signatures of correlated electron states and the topological nature of the flat band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the energy bandwidth of electrons in a lattice below the long-range Coulomb interaction energy promotes correlation effects. Moiré superlattices—which are created by stacking van der Waals heterostructures with a controlled twist angle1–3—enable the engineering of electron band structure. Exotic quantum phases can emerge in an engineered moiré flat band. The recent discovery of correlated insulator states, superconductivity and the quantum anomalous Hall effect in the flat band of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene4–8 has sparked the exploration of correlated electron states in other moiré systems9–11. The electronic properties of van der Waals moiré superlattices can further be tuned by adjusting the interlayer coupling6 or the band structure of constituent layers9. Here, using van der Waals heterostructures of twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG), we demonstrate a flat electron band that is tunable by perpendicular electric fields in a range of twist angles. Similarly to magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, TDBG shows energy gaps at the half- and quarter-filled flat bands, indicating the emergence of correlated insulator states. We find that the gaps of these insulator states increase with in-plane magnetic field, suggesting a ferromagnetic order. On doping the half-filled insulator, a sudden drop in resistivity is observed with decreasing temperature. This critical behaviour is confined to a small area in the density–electric-field plane, and is attributed to a phase transition from a normal metal to a spin-polarized correlated state. The discovery of spin-polarized correlated states in electric-field-tunable TDBG provides a new route to engineering interaction-driven quantum phases. Twisted double bilayer graphene devices show tunable spin-polarized correlated states that are sensitive to electric and magnetic fields, providing further insights into correlated states in two-dimensional moiré materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic sensors based on biomaterials can lead to novel green technologies that are low cost, renewable, and eco-friendly. Here we demonstrate bioelectronic ammonia sensors made from protein nanowires harvested from the microorganism Geobacter sulfurreducens. The nanowire sensor responds to a broad range of ammonia concentrations (10 to 106 ppb), which covers the range relevant for industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. The sensor also demonstrates high selectivity to ammonia compared to moisture and other common gases found in human breath. These results provide a proof-of-concept demonstration for developing protein nanowire based gas sensors for applications in industry, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memristive devices are promising candidates to emulate biological computing. However, the typical switching voltages (0.2-2 V) in previously described devices are much higher than the amplitude in biological counterparts. Here we demonstrate a type of diffusive memristor, fabricated from the protein nanowires harvested from the bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, that functions at the biological voltages of 40-100 mV. Memristive function at biological voltages is possible because the protein nanowires catalyze metallization. Artificial neurons built from these memristors not only function at biological action potentials (e.g., 100 mV, 1 ms) but also exhibit temporal integration close to that in biological neurons. The potential of using the memristor to directly process biosensing signals is also demonstrated. Designing energy efficient systems capable to directly process signals at biological voltages remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose a bio-compatible memristor device based on protein-nanowire dielectric, harvested from the bacterium Geobactor sulfurreducens, working at biological voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harvesting energy from the environment offers the promise of clean power for self-sustained systems1,2. Known technologies—such as solar cells, thermoelectric devices and mechanical generators—have specific environmental requirements that restrict where they can be deployed and limit their potential for continuous energy production3–5. The ubiquity of atmospheric moisture offers an alternative. However, existing moisture-based energy-harvesting technologies can produce only intermittent, brief (shorter than 50 seconds) bursts of power in the ambient environment, owing to the lack of a sustained conversion mechanism6–12. Here we show that thin-film devices made from nanometre-scale protein wires harvested from the microbe Geobacter sulfurreducens can generate continuous electric power in the ambient environment. The devices produce a sustained voltage of around 0.5 volts across a 7-micrometre-thick film, with a current density of around 17 microamperes per square centimetre. We find the driving force behind this energy generation to be a self-maintained moisture gradient that forms within the film when the film is exposed to the humidity that is naturally present in air. Connecting several devices linearly scales up the voltage and current to power electronics. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a continuous energy-harvesting strategy that is less restricted by location or environmental conditions than other sustainable approaches. A new type of energy-harvesting device, based on protein nanowires from the microbe Geobacter sulforreducens, can generate a sustained power output by producing a moisture gradient across the nanowire film using natural humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic DNA is gaining momentum as a potential storage medium for archival data storage. In this process, digital information is translated into sequences of nucleotides and the resulting synthetic DNA strands are then stored for later retrieval. Here, we demonstrate reliable file recovery with PCR-based random access when as few as ten copies per sequence are stored, on average. This results in density of about 17 exabytes/gram, nearly two orders of magnitude greater than prior work has shown. We successfully retrieve the same data in a complex pool of over 1010 unique sequences per microliter with no evidence that we have begun to approach complexity limits. Finally, we also investigate the effects of file size and sequencing coverage on successful file retrieval and look for systematic DNA strand drop out. These findings substantiate the robustness and high data density of the process examined here. The physical limits and reliability of PCR-based random access of DNA encoded data is unknown. Here the authors demonstrate reliable file recovery from as few as ten copies per sequence, providing a data density limit of 17 exabytes per gram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species are not only harmful for rhizobia but also required for the establishment of symbiotic interactions between rhizobia and their legume hosts. In this work, we first investigated the preliminary role of the bacterioferritin comigratory protein (BCP), a member of the peroxiredoxin family, in the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Azorhizobium caulinodans. Our data revealed that the bcp-deficient strain of A. caulinodans displayed an increased sensitivity to inorganic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) but not to two organic peroxides in a growth-phase-dependent manner. Meanwhile, BCP was found to be involved in catalase activity under relatively low H2O2 conditions. Furthermore, nodulation and N2 fixation were significantly impaired by mutation of the bcp gene in A. caulinodans. Our work initially documented the importance of BCP in the bacterial defence against H2O2 in the free-living stage of rhizobia and during their symbiotic interactions with legumes. Molecular signalling in vivo is required to decipher the holistic functions of BCP in A. caulinodans as well as in other rhizobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of superconducting and insulating states in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG)1,2 has ignited considerable interest in understanding the nature of electronic interactions in this chemically pristine material. The transport properties of MATBG as a function of doping are similar to those of high-transition-temperature copper oxides and other unconventional superconductors1–3, which suggests that MATBG may be a highly interacting system. However, to our knowledge, there is no direct experimental evidence of strong many-body correlations in MATBG. Here we present high-resolution spectroscopic measurements, obtained using a scanning tunnelling microscope, that provide such evidence as a function of carrier density. MATBG displays unusual spectroscopic characteristics that can be attributed to electron–electron interactions over a wide range of doping levels, including those at which superconductivity emerges in this system. We show that our measurements cannot be explained with a mean-field approach for modelling electron–electron interactions in MATBG. The breakdown of a mean-field approach when applied to other correlated superconductors, such as copper oxides, has long inspired the study of the highly correlated Hubbard model3. We show that a phenomenological extended-Hubbard-model cluster calculation, which is motivated by the nearly localized nature of the relevant electronic states of MATBG, produces spectroscopic features that are similar to those that we observed experimentally. Our findings demonstrate the critical role of many-body correlations in understanding the properties of MATBG. Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and extended-Hubbard-model cluster calculations reveal that magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene is a strongly correlated electron system, similar to other unconventional superconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The efficacy, toxicity, and patterns of failure of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with selective lymph node (SLN) conventional fraction radiotherapy (CFRT) and S-1 plus cisplatin (CDDP) were evaluated. Patients and Methods: 67 Patients with clinical stage II–IVa ESCC were enrolled. The total dose of SLN CFRT was 60 Gy in 30 fractions over 6 weeks. The first course of radiation covered the primary and metastatic regional tumors and high-risk lymph nodal regions, given at 2 Gy/fraction for a dose of 40 Gy. In the second course, CFRT was delivered to the boost volume for an additional 20 Gy in 10 days, using 2 Gy/fraction. Two cycles of chemotherapy were given at the beginning of radiotherapy. CDDP at 25 mg/m2/day was given on days 1–3 and days 22–24, and S-1 at 80 mg/m2/day on days 1–14 and days 22–35. Patients achieving objective response after concurrent chemoradiotherapy underwent two additional cycles of chemotherapy. Results: The objective response rate (ORR) was 82.5%. Grade 3 or 4 toxicities included leukopenia (23.8%), neutropenia (14.3%), thrombocytopenia (14.3%), hemoglobin (4.8%), gastrointestinal (12.7%), skin (1.6%), and esophagus fistula (1.6%). One patient died of severe pneumonia, and two died of late toxicity because of esophagus fistula. With median follow-up of 32 months, the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) at 1 year and 2 years were 81.0% and 73.0%, and 63.5% and 49.2%, respectively. Conclusions: SLN RT concurrent with S-1 plus CDDP may represent a better strategy for treatment of ESCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Analysis of terpenoids content, transcriptome from Chamaemelum nobile showed that the content of the terpenoids in the roots was the highest and key genes involved in the terpenoids synthesis pathway were identified.Abstract: Chamaemelum nobile is a widely used herbaceous medicinal plant rich in volatile oils, mainly composed of terpenoids. It is widely used in food, cosmetics, medicine, and other fields. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome and the content and chemical composition of the terpenoids in different organs of C. nobile. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the total content of the terpenoids among C. nobile organs was highest in the roots, followed by the flowers. Illumina HiSeq 2500 high-throughput sequencing technology was used to sequence the transcripts of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of C. nobile. We obtained 139,757 unigenes using the Trinity software assembly. A total of 887 unigenes were annotated to secondary metabolism. In total, 55,711 differentially expressed genes were screened among different organs of C. nobile. We identified 16 candidate genes that may be involved in the terpenoid biosynthesis from C. nobile and analyzed their expression patterns using real-time PCR. Results showed that the expression pattern of these genes was tissue-specific and had significant differential expression levels in different organs of C. nobile. Among these genes, 13 were expressed in roots with the highest levels. Furthermore, the transcript levels of these 13 genes were positively correlated with the content of α-pinene, β-phellandrene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-terpineol, carvacrol, (E,E)-farnesol and chamazulene, suggesting that these 13 genes may be involved in the regulation of the synthesis of the volatile terpenoids. These results laid the foundation for the subsequent improvement of C. nobile quality through genetic engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vitro refolding assays can be used to investigate the affinity and stability of the binding of epitope peptides to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, which are key factors in the presentation of peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). The recognition of peptide epitopes by CTLs is crucial for protection against influenza A virus (IAV) infection. The peptide-binding motif of the swine SLA-3*hs0202 molecule has been previously reported and partly overlaps with the binding motif of the most abundant human MHC allele, HLA-A*0201. In this study, we screened all the protein sequences of the swine-origin epidemic IAV strain A/Beijing/01/2009 (H1N1), and a total of 73 9-mer epitope peptides were predicted to fit the consensus motif of the swine SLA-3*hs0202 or HLA-A*0201 molecule. Then, 14 peptides were selected, and their affinities to SLA-3*hs0202 were tested by a modified in vitro refolding assay. Our results show that ten epitopes could tolerate gel filtration, indicating that these epitopes formed stable or partly stable complexes with SLA-3*hs0202. Eight out of the ten epitopes have been previously reported as HLA-A2-restricted epitopes, which implied cross-reactivity between swine and human MHC I specificities. Furthermore, the modified mini-system refolding method could be applied for the screening of peptides because the refolding efficiency remained almost unchanged with the positive peptide (HA-KMN9) subjected to size-exclusion chromatography and Resource Q anion-exchange chromatography. The results presented here provide new insight into the development of epitope-based vaccines to control IAV and increase our understanding of swine molecular immunology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data are data too big to be handled and analyzed by traditional software tools, big data can be characterized by five V’s features: volume, velocity, variety, value and veracity. However, in the real world, some big data have another feature, i.e., class imbalanced, such as e-health big data, credit card fraud detection big data and extreme weather forecast big data are all class imbalanced. In order to deal with the problem of classifying binary imbalanced big data, based on MapReduce, non-iterative learning, ensemble learning and oversampling, this paper proposed an promising algorithm which includes three stages. Firstly, for each positive instance, its enemy nearest neighbor is found with MapReduce, and p positive instances are randomly generated with uniform distribution in its enemy nearest neighbor hypersphere, i.e., oversampling p positive instances within the hypersphere. Secondly, l balanced data subsets are constructed and l classifiers are trained on the constructed data subsets with an non-iterative learning approach. Finally, the trained classifiers are integrated by fuzzy integral to classify unseen instances. We experimentally compared the proposed algorithm with three related algorithms: SMOTE, SMOTE+RF-BigData and MR-V-ELM, and conducted a statistical analysis on the experimental results. The experimental results and the statistical analysis demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other three methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: This is the first report to clone and functionally characterize a flowering time gene GbCO in perennial gymnosperm Ginkgo biloba. GbCO complements the co mutant of Arabidopsis, restoring normal early flowering. Abstract: CONSTANS ( CO) is a central regulator of photoperiod pathway, which channels inputs from light, day length, and circadian clock to promote the floral transition. In order to understand the role of CO in gymnosperm Ginkgo biloba, which has a long juvenile phase (15-20 years), a CO homolog ( GbCO) was isolated and characterized from G. biloba. GbCO encodes a 1741-bp gene with a predicted protein of 400 amino acids with two zinc finger domains (B-box I and B-box II) and a CCT domain. Phylogenic analysis classified GbCO into the group 1a clade of CO families in accordance with the grouping scheme for Arabidopsis CO ( AtCO). Southern blot analysis indicated that GbCO belongs to a multigene family in G. biloba. Real-time PCR analysis showed that GbCO was expressed in aerial parts of Ginkgo, with the highest transcript level of GbCO being observed in shoot apexes. GbCO transcript level exhibited a strong diurnal rhythm under flowering-inductive long days and peaked during early morning, suggesting that GbCO is tightly coupled to the floral inductive long-day signal. In addition, an increasing trend of GbCO transcript level was observed both in shoot tips and leaves as the shoot growth under long-day condition, whereas GbCO transcript level decreased in both tissues under short-day condition prior to growth cessation of shoot in G. biloba. GbCO complemented the Arabidopsis co- 2 mutant, restoring normal early flowering. All the evidence being taken together, our findings suggested that GbCO served as a potential inducer of flowering in G. biloba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite advances in DNA methylome analyses of cells and tissues, current techniques for genome-scale profiling of DNA methylation in circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) remain limited. Here we describe a methylated CpG tandems amplification and sequencing (MCTA-Seq) method that can detect thousands of hypermethylated CpG islands simultaneously in ccfDNA. This highly sensitive technique can work with genomic DNA as little as 7.5 pg, which is equivalent to 2.5 copies of the haploid genome. We have analyzed a cohort of tissue and plasma samples (n = 151) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and control subjects, identifying dozens of high-performance markers in blood for detecting small HCC (≤ 3 cm). Among these markers, 4 (RGS10, ST8SIA6, RUNX2 and VIM) are mostly specific for cancer detection, while the other 15, classified as a novel set, are already hypermethylated in the normal liver tissues. Two corresponding classifiers have been established, combination of which achieves a sensitivity of 94% with a specificity of 89% for the plasma samples from HCC patients (n = 36) and control subjects including cirrhosis patients (n = 17) and normal individuals (n = 38). Notably, all 15 alpha-fetoprotein-negative HCC patients were successfully identified. Comparison between matched plasma and tissue samples indicates that both the cancer and noncancerous tissues contribute to elevation of the methylation markers in plasma. MCTA-Seq will facilitate the development of ccfDNA methylation biomarkers and contribute to the improvement of cancer detection in a clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the transcription and translation and nitrogenase activity of the nine N2-fixing-gene ( nif) operon (nifBHDKENXhesAnifX) of Paenibacillus sp. WLY78 under the control of the T7 promoter in Escherichia coli BL21 under different conditions. Results: The Paenibacillus nif operon under the control of the T7 promoter is significantly transcribed and effectively translated in E. coli BL21 when grown in medium containing organic N compounds (yeast extract and Tryptone) or NH4+ by using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Transcription and translation of foreign nif genes in E. coli are not inhibited by environmental organic or inorganic N compounds or O. However, contrary to transcription and translation, nitrogenase activity is 4 % lower in the recombinant E. coli 78-32 compared to the native Paenibacillus sp. WLY78. Conclusion: The Paenibacillus nif operon under the control of T7 promoter enables E. coli BL21 to synthesize active nitrogenase. This study shows how the nif gene operon can be transferred to non-N-fixing bacteria or to eukaryotic organelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mammals, white adipose tissue (WAT) store energy, whereas brown adipose tissue (BAT) burns energy. As a thermogenic organ, BAT can help maintain body temperature during cold exposure. Owing to its important roles in energy metabolism and regulating triacylglycerol levels, BAT has received great attention in treating obesity and its related diseases. Recent studies have suggested that BAT may secrete factor(s)-batokines-to regulate whole-body energy metabolism. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the formation and function of BAT, as well as molecules that regulate the activity of BAT and beige fat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phased Array Feed (PAF) is a small two-dimensional phased array antenna, playing a role as the multi-beam feed for the reflector antenna. The prominent capability of large continuous Field-of-View (FoV) coverage and fast survey speed makes PAF the promising feed for radio telescopes. In this paper, the effect of feed array of PAF on the gain fluctuations over FoV is analyzed on a simplified model of the Five-hundred-meter Spherical Aperture radio Telescope (FAST), including illumination pattern edge taper, element spacing, element arrangement and element amount. And the differences between rectangular and hexagonal array arrangements are compared. The relationship between the FoV and array configuration are concluded at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Brown adipose tissue transplantation improves whole-body energy metabolism" by Xiaomeng Liu and colleagues in a 2013 issue of the periodical.

In the investigation and evaluation of geological hazards such as those caused by co-seismic displacement, displacement due to underground mining, landslides, volcanic eruptions, it is important to retrieve the complete three-dimensional ground displacement components. However, both conventional D-InSAR (differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry) and MT-InSAR (multi-temporal InSAR) can only measure the displacement component along the radar LOS (line of sight) direction, which greatly limits the application of InSAR technique. Over the past decades, great endeavors have been made to overcome its limitation of the one-dimensional LOS measurements, and several methods have been proposed to retrieve complete three-dimensional displacement components from InSAR measurements. On the whole, the commonality of the existing methods is characterized by using both ascending and descending SAR data. In this paper, we put forward an approach for retrieving complete three-dimensional ground displacement components from two parallel-track InSAR measurements and present the analytical expressions for the vertical, the North–South, the East–West displacement components. It reveals that the vertical displacement component is just a function of the two parallel-track InSAR LOS displacements, i.e., the vertical displacement component can be retrieved from the two parallel-track InSAR LOS displacements, while the North–South or the East–West displacement component is a function of both the two parallel-track InSAR LOS displacements and the azimuthal displacement. What is more, the proposed approach can effectively improve the accuracy of the azimuthal measurement by using a redundant measurement. As a result, the accuracies of the derived North–South and East–West displacement components are improved as well, which can provide more reliable results for characterizing ground movement associated with geological hazards. In terms of their geographic coverage, there is a strong complementary relationship between the proposed approach and the existing methods. Thus, they can be integratedly utilized in the practical applications. Finally, the approach is illustrated through the retrieval of the complete three-dimensional co-seismic displacement components in an area to the west of Bam, Iran, where a strong earthquake occurred in 2003. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two graphene monolayers twisted by a small magic angle exhibit nearly flat bands, leading to correlated electronic states. Here we study a related but different system with reduced symmetry - twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG), consisting of two Bernal stacked bilayer graphenes, twisted with respect to one another. Unlike the monolayer case, we show that isolated flat bands only appear on application of a vertical displacement field. We construct a phase diagram as a function of twist angle and displacement field, incorporating interactions via a Hartree-Fock approximation. At half-filling, ferromagnetic insulators are stabilized with valley Chern number C v = ± 2 . Upon doping, ferromagnetic fluctuations are argued to lead to spin-triplet superconductivity from pairing between opposite valleys. We highlight a novel orbital effect arising from in-plane fields plays an important role in interpreting experiments. Combined with recent experimental findings, our results establish TDBG as a tunable platform to realize rare phases in conventional solids. Twisted bilayer graphene exhibits correlated electronic phases and superconductivity, but its precise nature is under debate. Here, Lee and Khalaf et al. study a twisted double bilayer graphene, where ferromagnetic insulator and spin triplet superconducting phases can be stabilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]