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We demonstrate the high-power continuous-wave (CW) operation of a Pr: YLF laser at 679 nm by suppressing the higher gain transitions near 640 nm, 670 nm and 698 nm. For 679 nm, the maximum output power is 3.5 W. The absorbed pumping power is 22 W in σ polarization. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is quite high, reaching 15.9%, and the output power stability in 2 h is better than 0.5%. Moreover, intracavity second harmonic generation had been achieved output power of 620 mW at 339.5 nm by using a LBO nonlinear crystal. To the best of our knowledge, laser diode-pumped laser action at 679/339.5 nm was demonstrated for what is believed to be the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and synthesis of semiconductor photocatalysts by morphology control is a key step to improve photocatalytic performance. Herein, a series of NiO/ZnO composites with core–shell nanostructures were synthesized by in-situ growth of 2D NiO nanosheets onto 1D ZnO nanorods. The chemical composition, morphology, and optical properties of the synthesized composites were characterized and discussed in detail. The obtained NiO/ZnO composite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance with 94.3% degradation efficiency for tetracycline (TC) within 20 min illumination, which was mainly attributed to the heterostructure formed by the excellent interface contact of the nanostructure, thereby inhibiting the recombination of photogenerated charges. Additionally, the as-synthesized photocatalyst shown satisfactory photocatalytic activity and TOC removal efficiency in cyclic experiments. The present work provides a novel insight for the design of heterojunction photocatalysts with multidimensional nanostructures and environmentally friendly applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compensation and intracellular storage of PD-L1 may compromise the efficacy of antibody drugs targeting the conformational blockade of PD1/PD-L1 on the cell surface. Alternative therapies aiming to reduce the overall cellular abundance of PD-L1 thus might overcome resistance to conventional immune checkpoint blockade. Here we show by bioinformatics analysis that colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) presents the most promising potential for this therapeutic intervention, and that overall PD-L1 abundance could be controlled via HSC70-mediated lysosomal degradation. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses of mice COAD with MSI-H in situ unveil a prominent acidic tumor microenvironment. To harness these properties, an artificial protein, IgP β, is engineered using pH-responsive peptidic foldamers. This features customized peptide patterns and designed molecular function to facilitate interaction between neoplastic PD-L1 and HSC70. IgP β effectively reduces neoplastic PD-L1 levels via HSC70-mediated lysosomal degradation, thereby persistently revitalizing the action of tumor-infiltrating CD8 + T cells. Notably, the anti-tumor effect of lysosomal-degradation-based therapy surpasses that of antibody-based immune checkpoint blockade for MSI-H COAD in multiple mouse models. The presented strategy expands the use of peptidic foldamers in discovering artificial protein drugs for targeted cancer immunotherapy. The efficiency of antibody-based immune checkpoint blockades could be compromised by the intracellular accumulation of checkpoint proteins. Here authors show that a pH-responsive artificial protein that targets PD-L1 to lysosomal degradation could achieve superior therapeutic effect compared to anti-PD-L1 treatment in mouse models of high microsatellite instability colon adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Major QTL for grain number per spike were identified on chromosomes 2B and 2D. Haplotypes and candidate genes of QGns.cib-2B.1were analyzed. Grain number per spike (GNS) is one of the main components of wheat yield. Genetic dissection of their regulatory factors is essential to improve the yield potential. In present study, a recombinant inbred line population comprising 180 lines developed from the cross between a high GNS line W7268 and a cultivar Chuanyu12 was employed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with GNS across six environments. Two major QTL, QGns.cib-2B.1 and QGns.cib-2D.1, were detected in at least four environments with the phenotypic variations of 12.99–27.07% and 8.50–13.79%, respectively. And significant interactions were observed between the two major QTL. In addition, QGns.cib-2B.1 is a QTL cluster for GNS, grain number per spikelet and fertile tiller number, and they were validated in different genetic backgrounds using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers. QGns.cib-2B.1 showed pleotropic effects on other yield-related traits including plant height, spike length, and spikelet number per spike, but did not significantly affect thousand grain weight which suggested that it might be potentially applicable in breeding program. Comparison analysis suggested that QGns.cib-2B.1 might be a novel QTL. Furthermore, haplotype analysis of QGns.cib-2B.1 indicated that it is a hot spot of artificial selection during wheat improvement. Based on the expression patterns, gene annotation, orthologs analysis and sequence variations, the candidate genes of QGns.cib-2B.1 were predicted. Collectively, the major QTL and KASP markers reported here provided a wealth of information for the genetic basis of GNS and grain yield improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-temperature stress poses a significant environmental challenge for aquatic organisms, including tsinling lenok trout (Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis). This study aimed to investigate the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in inducing liver inflammation in tsinling lenok trout under high-temperature stress. Tsinling lenok trout were exposed to high-temperature conditions (24 °C) for 8 h, and liver samples were collected for analysis. Through small RNA sequencing, we identified differentially expressed miRNAs in the liver of high-temperature-stressed tsinling lenok trout compared to the control group (maintained at 16 °C). Several miRNAs, including novel-m0105-5p and miR-8159-x, showed significant changes in expression levels. Additionally, we conducted bioinformatics analysis to explore the potential target genes of these differentially expressed miRNAs. Our findings revealed that these miRNA target genes are involved in inflammatory response pathways, such as NFKB1 and MAP3K5. The downregulation of novel-m0105-5p and miR-8159-x in the liver of high-temperature-stressed tsinling lenok trout suggests their role in regulating liver inflammatory responses. To validate this, we performed a dual-luciferase reporter assay to confirm the regulatory relationship between miRNAs and target genes. Our results demonstrated that novel-m0105-5p and miR-8159-x enhance the inflammatory response of hepatocytes by promoting the expression of NFKB1 and MAP3K5, respectively. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that high-temperature stress induces liver inflammation in tsinling lenok trout through dysregulation of miRNAs. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response in tsinling lenok trout under high-temperature stress is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of environmental stressors on fish health and aquaculture production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the treatment patterns and survival status of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) in China in the past two decades, and objectively evaluate the impact of standardized Chinese medicine (CM) treatment on the survival of AGC patients. Methods: This multicenter registry designed and propensity score analysis study described the diagnosis characteristics, treatment-pattern development and survival status of AGC from 10 hospitals in China between January 1, 2000 and July 31, 2021. Overall survival (OS) was evaluated between non-CM cohort (standard medical treatment) and CM cohort (integrated standard CM treatment ≥3 months). Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to adjust any difference in average outcomes for bias. Results: A total of 2,001 patients histologically confirmed locally advanced and/or metastasis stomach and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Among them, 1,607 received systemic chemotherapy, 215 (10.74%) accepted molecular targeted therapy, 44 (2.2%) received checkpoint inhibitor therapy, and 769 (38.43%) received CM. Two-drug regimen was the main choice for first-line treatment, with fluoropyrimidine plus platinum as the most common regimen (530 cases, 60.09%). While 45.71% (16 cases) of patients with HER2 amplification received trastuzumab in first-line. The application of apatinib increased (33.33%) in third-line. The application of checkpoint inhibitors has increased since 2020. COX analysis showed that Lauren mixed type (P=0.017), cycles of first-line treatment >6 (P=0.000), CM (P=0.000), palliative gastrectomy (P=0.000), trastuzumab (P=0.011), and apatinib (P=0.008) were independent prognostic factors for the OS of AGC. After PSM and IPTW, the median OS of CM cohort and non-CM cohort was 18.17 and 12.45 months, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusions: In real-world practice for AGC in China, therapy choices consisted with guidelines. Two-drug regimen was the main first-line choice. Standardized CM treatment was an independent prognostic factor and could prolong the OS of Chinese patients with AGC. (Registration No. NCT02781285) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is to understand and analyze the development history, research hotspots, and research trends in the study of microbial diseases of cultural heritage through bibliometric analyses in order to fill the current gap of no literature review in this research field and to make certain contributions to the research in this field and the protection of cultural heritage. Bibliometric and visual analyses of the literature on cultural heritage microbial diseases in the Web of Science (WoS) core collection were carried out using VOSviewer and R-bibliometrix, choosing the two main literature types of papers and reviews. The emphasis was placed on analyzing and summarizing core research strengths, hotspots, and trends. Six hundred sixty-seven documents (573 articles and 94 reviews) were retrieved. αIn the WoS core collection, the first literature on cultural heritage microbial disease research was published in January 2000, and the annual number of publications from 2000 to 2009 did not exceed one; the annual number of publications from 2010 onwards increased rapidly, and after 2018, the number of publications per year exceeded 60, reaching 94 in 2020, which indicates that cultural heritage microbial disease research is booming. Our research showed that Italy, the USA, and China were the leading research countries, and Univ Milan was the institution with the most publications. International Biodeterioration &Biodegradation was the most published and co-cited journal, and Gu JD was the most prolific author. The research hotspots in the study of microbial diseases of cultural heritage mainly include biological degradation of cultural heritage; identification of diseased microorganisms and disease mechanisms; cultural heritage microbial disease prevention and control methods; monitoring, prevention, and control of diseased microorganisms in indoor air; antibacterial agents, especially essential oils, nanoparticles, and other safe and efficient antibacterial products research and development; and exploration of the mechanisms of biofilm protection of cultural heritage on cultural heritage surfaces. Monitoring and identifying cultural heritage microbial communities, identifying disease mechanisms, and researching safe and efficient bacteriostatic products such as essential oils and nanoparticles will be the main research directions in the field of cultural heritage microbial disease prevention and control in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the key topics and emerging trends in the field of cardiorenal syndrome type 4 (CRS-4) by bibliometrics and visual analysis. Methods: Citespace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix package were used to analyze the collected data from the Web of Science Core Collection, including publication trends, leading countries, active authors and institutions, co-cited references, journals, and keyword analysis. Results: Finally, 2267 articles were obtained. From 2004 to 2022, the number of publications was increasing year by year. A total of 735 authors from 543 institutions in 94 countries/regions participated in the publication of CRS-4 field, which were mostly from North America and Europe. Most of the co-cited references were reviews or guidelines from kidney/heart specialist journals or top journals. The journals concerning nephrology had a higher academic influence in this field. Oxidative stress and inflammation remained hot topics in CRS-4 research, as well as uremic toxins. Fibroblast growth factor 23 and klotho were emerging trends in recent years. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors were the latest frontier hot spots. Future research advances may pay more attention to the prevention and prognosis assessment of CRS-4. Conclusion: Our study provides some key information for scholars to determine the direction of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the effect of perceived overqualification on radical creativity. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examined the mediating role of job crafting and the moderating role of supervisor-subordinate guanxi. Through the two-wave pre-test of 312 employees, we found that the scale reliability and validity of all variables in this study were good. According to the pre-test results, we modified the expressions of some items to obtain a more concise and effective questionnaire for the formal survey, so as to ensure the conclusions more reliable. And using two-wave survey data from 1007 employees among Chinese local organizations in the formal test to examine the hypotheses. The results indicated that perceived overqualification negatively affects radical creativity, and job crafting mediates the relationship. In addition, supervisor-subordinate guanxi reduces the effect of perceived overqualification on job crafting and the indirect effect of perceived overqualification on radical creativity via job crafting. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tsinling lenok trout (Brachymystax Lenok tsinlingensis) is a typical land-locked cold salmon. In this study, through the acute high temperature stress (16, 24, and 26°C), samples were taken at multiple temperature points to analyze the dynamic changes of serum non-specific immune indexes and histopathological changes of tissues of tsinling lenok trout. The histopathological investigation of different studied tissues revealed an increase of histological lesions' frequency and severity with increasing water temperature. The activity of T-SOD, GSH-Px, CAT, ACP, and LZM and MDA concentration are all impacted by high temperature stress. The activities of T-SOD, GSH-Px, and ACP are significantly lower in temperatures higher than 16°C (P<0.05). However, with the increase of water temperature, MDA content increased significantly. The activities of CAT and LZM were the highest at 24°C, which were significantly higher than those at 26°C (P<0.05). The above results indicate that 24°C is a "critical high temperature point" for tsinling lenok trout under heat stress, and this temperature point may be the critical point for tsinling lenok trout to enter "damaged" from adaptive adjustment. Our results can provide a theoretical basis for the development of genetic breeding, improvement, and control measures of heat stress in tsinling lenok trout in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: C1 transpedicular screw (C1TS) placement provided satisfactory pullout resistance and 3D stability, but its application might be limited in patients with basilar invagination (BI) due to the high incidences of the atlas anomaly and vertebral artery (VA) variation. However, no study has explored the classifications of C1 posterior arch variations and investigated their indications and ideal insertion trajectories for C1TS in BI. Purpose: To investigate the bony and surrounding arterial characteristics of the atlas, classify posterior arch variations, identify indications for C1TS, evaluate ideal insertion trajectories for C1TS in BI patients without atlas occipitalization (AO), and compare them with those without BI and AO as control. Methods: A total of 130 non-AO patients with and without BI (52 patients and 78 patients, respectively) from two medical centers were included at a 1:1.5 ratio. The posterior arch variations were assessed using a modified C1 morphological classification. Comparisons regarding the bony and surrounding arterial characteristics, morphological classification distributions, and ideal insertion trajectories between BI and control groups were performed. The subgroup analyses based on different morphological classifications were also conducted. In addition, the factors possibly affecting the insertion parameters were investigated using multiple linear regression analyses. Results: The BI group was associated with significantly smaller lateral mass height and width, sagittal length of posterior arch, pedicle height, vertical height of posterior arch, and distance between VA and VA groove (VAG) than control group. Four types of posterior arch variations with indications for different screw placement techniques were classified; Classifications I and II were suitable for C1TS. The BI cohort showed a significantly lower rate of Classification I than the control cohort. In the BI group, the subgroup of Classification I had significantly larger distance between the insertion point (IP) and inferior aspect of the posterior arch. In addition, it had the narrowest width along ideal screw trajectory, but a significantly more lateral ideal mediolateral angle than the subgroup of Classification II. Multiple linear regression indicated that the cephalad angle was significantly associated with the diagnosis of BI (B = 3.708, P < 0.001) and sagittal diameter of C1 (B = 3.417, P = 0.027); the ideal mediolateral angle was significantly associated with BMI (B = 0.264, P = 0.031), sagittal diameter of C1 (B = − 4.559, P = 0.002), and pedicle height (B = − 2.317, P < 0.001); the distance between the IP and inferior aspects of posterior arch was significantly associated with age (B = − 0.002, P = 0.035), BMI (B = − 0.007, P = 0.028), sagittal length of posterior arch (B = − 0.187, P = 0.032), pedicle height (B = − 0.392, P < 0.001), and middle and lower parts of posterior arch (B = 0.862, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The incidence of posterior arch variation in BI patients without AO was remarkably higher than that in control patients. The insertion parameters of posterior screws were different between the morphological classification types in BI and control groups. The distance between VA V3 segments and VAG in BI cohort was substantially smaller than that in control cohort. Preoperative individual 3D computed tomography (CT), CT angiography and intraoperative navigation are recommended for BI patients receiving posterior screw placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: This review summarizes the anti-stress effects of flavonoids in plants and highlights its role in the regulation of polar auxin transport and free radical scavenging mechanism. As secondary metabolites widely present in plants, flavonoids play a vital function in plant growth, but also in resistance to stresses. This review introduces the classification, structure and synthetic pathways of flavonoids. The effects of flavonoids in plant stress resistance were enumerated, and the mechanism of flavonoids in plant stress resistance was discussed in detail. It is clarified that plants under stress accumulate flavonoids by regulating the expression of flavonoid synthase genes. It was also determined that the synthesized flavonoids are transported in plants through three pathways: membrane transport proteins, vesicles, and bound to glutathione S-transferase (GST). At the same time, the paper explores that flavonoids regulate polar auxin transport (PAT) by acting on the auxin export carrier PIN-FORMED (PIN) in the form of ATP-binding cassette subfamily B/P-glycoprotein (ABCB/PGP) transporter, which can help plants to respond in a more dominant form to stress. We have demonstrated that the number and location of hydroxyl groups in the structure of flavonoids can determine their free radical scavenging ability and also elucidated the mechanism by which flavonoids exert free radical removal in cells. We also identified flavonoids as signaling molecules to promote rhizobial nodulation and colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to enhance plant–microbial symbiosis in defense to stresses. Given all this knowledge, we can foresee that the in-depth study of flavonoids will be an essential way to reveal plant tolerance and enhance plant stress resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) are considered an emerging contaminant in recent years, and their harmful effects on plants pose new concerns, especially in coexistence with soil microorganisms. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as mutualistic fungi with most terrestrial plants, may contribute to alleviating nanotoxicity in plants. Herein, AgNP toxicity of different concentrations (1, 5, 10, 50, 100 mg/kg) on reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steudel) as influenced by mycorrhizal inoculation with Funneliformis mosseae was investigated. The results revealed that concentration is the main factor influencing the AgNP phytotoxicity; AgNP dose had biphasic effects on AMF colonization, plant biomass, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Thereinto, different antioxidant enzymes had different tolerances to AgNP stress, and the turning point of their activities was respectively the following: POD—5 mg/kg < SOD—10 mg/kg < CAT—50 mg/kg. The growth configuration (root:shoot ratio) of Phragmites australis increased firstly and then decreased to cope with the increasing AgNP concentration. Additionally, the Ag accumulation and translocation of AgNP-exposed plants were relatively lower than that of equivalent Ag+-exposed plants. However, AMF inoculation improved plant antioxidant capability and biomass growth in response to AgNP-induced toxicity. Meanwhile, AMF effectively regulated the root:shoot ratio to accommodate AgNP stress. The linear model fittings and heat maps showed that the mycorrhizal plants exhibited a higher Ag accumulative rate and root partitioning (Ag organ distribution: root > stem > leaf) than the non-inoculated plants. Overall, our results demonstrated that AMF could diminish the negative effects induced by AgNPs and promote Ag immobilization in plant roots so as to alleviate AgNP-posed environmental risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astaxanthin (Ast) has been shown to be beneficial for the antioxidant capacity, immune system, and stress tolerance of fish. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of Ast on the antioxidant capacity and intestinal microbiota of tsinling lenok trout. We formulated four diets with 0 (CT), 50 (A50), 100 (A100), and 150 (A150) mg/kg Ast. The results showed that Ast increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), lysozyme (LZM), and catalase (CAT) activities. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was lower in A150 and A100 than in CT (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the activities of acid phosphatase (ACP) were higher in A100 and A150 than in CT (P < 0.05). We harvested the midgut and applied next-generation sequencing of 16S rDNA. Compared to the control group, the Ast group had a greater abundance of Halomonas. Functional analysis showed that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation was significantly higher with Ast, while novobiocin biosynthesis and C5-branched dibasic acid metabolism were significantly lower with Ast. In conclusion, Ast could enhance the antioxidant capacity, non-specific immunity, and intestinal health of tsinling lenok trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between the dietary inflammatory index and lifetime kidney stone prevalence. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study utilizing the 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Data were available on 2192 participants aged > 20 years with a complete kidney stone history and 24 h dietary intake interview. Weighted multivariable linear regression, subgroup analyses, and interaction terms were employed. Covariates including age, race, sex, energy and protein intake, total serum calcium, serum iron, PIR, phosphorus, serum/urine creatinine, HDL, glucose, diastolic and systolic pressure, education level, eGFR, BMI, albuminuria, diabetes, smoking status, and marital status were hierarchically adjusted in three different models. Results: The average dietary inflammatory index for 2192 participants was − 0.11 ± 1.73, ranging from − 4.52 to 4.28. In the fully adjusted model, participants in the highest dietary inflammatory index tertile (the most proinflammatory) had 72% higher odds of the lifetime prevalence of kidney stones than those in tertile 1 (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.88, P = 0.0367). Subgroup analysis showed that the association between the dietary inflammatory index and kidney stone history was only statistically significant in the younger age (age ≥ 60), female, Mexican American groups, married people or people without diabetes, hypertension, low eGFR, and albuminuria. Conclusions: There is a positive association between the dietary inflammatory index and self-reported kidney stones in US adults, which indicates that dietary patterns could greatly impact kidney stone prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indole, as a typical N-heterocyclic aromatic pollutant, poses risks to living things; however, indole-biotransformation mechanisms remain under-discussed, especially those related to its downstream biotransformation. Here, we systematically investigated the characteristics of indole degradation by strain Cupriavidus sp. IDO. We found that Cupriavidus sp. IDO could utilize 25 to 150 mg/L indole within 40 h and identified three intermediates (2-oxindole, indigo, and isatin). Additionally, integrated genomics and proteomics analysis of the indole biotransformation mechanism in strain IDO revealed 317 proteins showing significant changes (262 upregulated and 55 downregulated) in the presence of indole. Among these, three clusters containing indole oxidoreductase, CoA-thioester ligase, and gentisate 1,2-oxidoreductase were identified as potentially responsible for upstream and downstream indole metabolism. Moreover, HPLC-MS and -omics analysis offered insight into the indole-degradation pathway in strain IDO. Furthermore, the indole oxidoreductase IndAB, which initiates indole degradation, was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Optimization by the response surface methodology resulted in a maximal production of 135.0 mg/L indigo by the recombination strains in tryptophan medium. This work enriches our understanding of the indole-biodegradation process and provides new insights into multiple indole-degradation pathways in natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are highly conserved proteins whose expression can be induced by high temperature and play an important role in a variety of biological processes. However, systematic identification of the Hsp60/10 and small Hsp (sHsp) gene family in rainbow trout has not yet been reported, and there is little available information about its roles in evolution in rainbow trout, a typical economical cold-water fish. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the rainbow trout Hsp60/10 and sHsp gene family and to investigate their expression profiles. A total of one Hsp60 gene, one Hsp10 gene, and ten sHsp genes were identified. According to RNA-seq analysis of rainbow trout liver and head kidney under heat stress, a total of six out of ten sHsp genes were significantly upregulated in liver and head kidney. Real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to quantitatively analyze the expression levels of these genes in different tissues of rainbow trout. Results showed that the expression of hspe1 and hspd1 was lowest in liver and gill, respectively, and highest in brain. In sHsp gene family, all genes are highly expressed in the liver and head kidney, but relatively low in the heart, spleen, brain, gills, and muscles. This systematic analysis provided valuable information about the diverse roles of Hsp60/10 and sHsp in the evolution of teleost fish, which will contribute to the functional characterization of Hsp60/10 and sHsp genes in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previously, we published that 4′-azid-2′-deoxy-2′-fluorarabinoside (FNC), a novel cytosine nucleoside analog, has good anti-viral and anti-tumor activity. Objective: This study aimed to further explore the role and molecular mechanism of FNC in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: FNC was tested in the NSCLC H460 cell line, the Lewis mouse model, and the H460 cell xenograft model. The effects of FNC were assessed by cell viability, transwell migration, and wound scratch analyses of cell migration and invasion. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Proteins expression was assessed by western blot and immunohistochemistry staining (IHC). Results: FNC inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of H460 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. FNC treatment showed efficacy and low toxicity in the Lewis mouse lung cancer model as well as in the H460 cell xenograft model. Further, FNC induced H460 cell apoptosis through the activation of the mitochondrial pathway. Notably, FNC inhibited invasion by increasing E-cadherin protein and reducing the protein expression of VEGF, MMP-2, MMP-9, and CD31. Conclusion: FNC inhibits NSCLC by activating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and regulating the expressions of multiple proteins related to cell adhesion and invasion, highlighting its potential as an NSCLC therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulation is used to explore the changes in melting point of Fe nanomaterials under different initial configurations. What reveals in this simulation is that an S-curve with different curvature appears in the diagram owing to the hindering of total energy supply in larger damping coefficient by changing the temperature-damping coefficient (T-damp). In addition, the change in simulated theoretical melting points are found by comparing the initial configurations of different particles under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transversal double-bud sugarcane planting with seed pre-cutting is an advanced method with great development prospect. This technique ensures a high bud ratio, strong tillering capability and reduced seed consumption. Moreover, it obtains a long ratoon period, a high yield and Pol property. The transversal sugarcane planter must satisfy the agronomic requirements of precise planting with deep furrowing, orderly and uniform transversal seeding and consistent fertilization. Here, a novel transversal double-bud sugarcane planter was designed with the following main components: furrow openers, seeding units, fertilizers, seed compensators and soil cover units. The effects of rotary tillage speed, sprocket speed, chain inclination, seed cane box inclination, forward speed and cam's speed and repose angle were studied in the laboratory to determine the best structure and working parameters of the units. Furrowing, seeding and fertilization performances were evaluated in a field test. Experimental results showed that the furrow depth stability was above 89% at 540 r/min output speed of the tractor. The seeding depth of 20.8–21.8 cm was less than the furrowing depth of 30 cm. The qualified rate of seeding was 91%, and the seeding interval was within the range of 330–495 mm. The fertilization interval was stable at 113.5–117.1 mm when cam's repose angle was 38°, and the forward speed was I–III low gear. This planter only required approximately 4.4 t/ha seed canes, which was 51–75% lower than that for the traditional method. Its performance parameters indicated acceptable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new designed silicon-containing nitrogen and phosphorus flame-retardant system containing ammonium polyphosphate, modified molecular sieve and methylcellulose was used to prepare the flame-retardant corrugated cardboards (FRCCB). The samples before and after treatment were tested for combustion and thermal stability using vertical burning test (VBT), limiting oxygen index (LOI), cone calorimetric test (CCT) and thermogravimetry (TG). To further analyze the flame-retardant properties of the flame-retardant system, the microstructure, surface elements and functional groups of the materials were characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The mechanical properties of the samples were tested to analyze the effect of flame-retardant treatment on the strength. The VBT and LOI tests showed that the samples after the flame-retardant treatment were able to self-extinguish after ignition, achieving the flame-retardant B-1 grade. The CCT tests showed that the total heat release of treated samples was reduced by 49.90%, and the total smoke production was decreased by 27.64%. TG tests showed that the thermal decomposition temperature of FRCCB decreased but the residual carbon content increased largely. FTIR tests showed that the functional group changed at different temperatures. After flame-retardant treatment, a dense carbon layer was formed on the surface of the treated sample, including N, P, Si and Cu, measured by SEM and EDS. Combining with various characterization methods, the flame-retardant system can retard flame by releasing nonflammable gases, forming covers and catalyzing char formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrode fouling is a problem that commonly occurs during electro-oxidation water purification. This study focused on identifying the fouling behavior of Pt electrode associated with the formation of polymeric layer during electro-oxidation of phenol. The in situ electrochemical measurements and non-destructive observation of the electrode morphology were reported. The results demonstrated that the electrode fouling was highly dependent on thermodynamic process of electrode that was controlled by anode potential. At anode potential lower than 1.0 V vs SHE, the direct electro-oxidation caused the electrode fouling by the formation of polymeric film. The fouling layer decreased the electrochemically active surface area from 8.38 cm2 to 1.57 cm2, indicated by the formation of polymeric film with thickness of 2.3 µm, increase in mass growing at a rate of 3.26 µg/cm/min. The degree to which the anode was fouled was independent of anion in the electrolyte. In comparison, at anode potential higher than 2.7 V vs SHE, the anions (e.g., chloride) could exert a major influence to the behavior of electrode fouling. The presence of chloride was shown to mitigate the fouling of electrode significantly through preventing the formation of polymeric film by active chlorine (e.g., Cl• and Cl2) produced from anodic oxidation of chloride. Since chloride is the most abundant anionic species existing in both natural and engineered water system, this study not only offers a deep insight into the mechanism of electrode fouling, but also suggests strategies for anti-fouling in the presence of chloride in electro-oxidation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Characteristics and evaluation of C1 posterior arch variation for transpedicular screw placement between patients with and without basilar invagination" published in the European Spine Journal. The correction addresses an error in the original publication, specifically in the introduction section. The corrected paragraph provides information on the use of C1 transpedicular screw (C1TS) in cervical spinal fixation and the anatomical characteristics necessary for its safe and accurate placement. The correction notice does not provide any additional information beyond the correction itself. [Extracted from the article]

Regionalization exerts an important guiding role for sound environmental management, regional development, and schemes toward regionalizing ecological function, involving multiple levels. This paper formulated a framework for a detailed regionalization approach using the Ashi River watershed, China, as case study. Human activities, especially agriculture non-point source pollution (ANPS) and social factors, were identified as main factors. The results indicated that (1) the export coefficient model (ECM) can be used to determine ANPS loads in the watershed as well as total nitrogen and total phosphorus loads. (2) The minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR) showed that the middle and lower reaches had high risk for ANPS occurrence. (3) Based on the identified key factors, the watershed was divided into level IV and combined with existing level III using cluster analysis. Corresponding management countermeasures were proposed. This provides a scientific basis for pollution control planning and for management measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stocking and structural composition of a deciduous broad-leaved forest were determined to predict coarse woody debris quantity by quantifying the empirical relationships between these two attributes. The most ecologically significant families by stem density were Salicaceae, Betulaceae, Fagaceae, and Aceraceae. Populus davidiana was the most dominant species followed by Betula dahurica, Quercus mongolica, and Acer mono. The four species accounted for 69.5% of total stems. Numerous small-diameter species characterized the coarse woody debris showing a reversed J-shaped distribution. The coarse debris of P. davidiana, B. dahurica, and Q. mongolica mainly comprised the 10–20 cm size class, whereas A. mono debris was mainly in the 5–10 cm size class. The spatial patterns of different size classes of coarse woody debris were analyzed using the g-function to determine the size of the tree at its death. The results indicate that the spatial patterns at the 0–50 m scale shifted gradually from an aggregated to a random pattern. For some species, the larger coarse debris might change from an aggregated to a random distribution more easily. Given the importance of coarse woody debris in forest ecosystems, its composition and patterns can improve understanding of community structure and dynamics. The aggregation pattern might be due to density dependence and self-thinning effects, as well as by succession and mortality. The four dominant species across the different size classes showed distinct aggregated distribution features at different spatial scales. This suggests a correlation between the dominant species population, size class, and aggregated distribution of coarse woody debris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiping chicken is indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), which was one of China's excellent poultry species, is an excellent chicken in Gansu Province. As the problems caused by the overuse of antibiotics become more and more severe, people begin to look for ways to replace them. Among them, probiotics and fructo-oligosaccharides are the research hotspot to replace antibiotics. Probiotics and fructo-oligosaccharides can promote the absorption of nutrients, improve the ability to resist and prevent diseases, and improve the intestinal tissue morphology. In this study, we used RNA-Seq analysis to study the gene expression in ileum tissue after Taiping chicken was given probiotics and fructo-oligosaccharides. In total, 67 genes were differentially expressed in the ileum. Ten of the differently expressed genes were further validated by RT-qPCR. In addition, these differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched to tyrosine metabolism, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, phenylalanine metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. The results which this study provides contribute to our understanding application of probiotics and fructo-oligosaccharides in indigenous chickens production and provide a theoretical basis for the genetic development of indigenous chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver cancer is known as a high morbidity and low survival disease all around the world. This cancer is the most traumatic disease because it affects the major organs of the body. Valproate is a branched-chain fatty acid, which has been widely used as an antiepileptic in liver cancer therapy. However, this drug can induce fulminant liver failure in patients treated with it. Herein, we prepared the desired ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO nanostructures via a simple and efficient method and characterized them with XRD and FESEM. Then, we investigated cytotoxicity potential of ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles on a well-known human liver cell (HepG2) via trypan-blue dye exclusion assay with 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The performed experiments show that the prepared ZnO nanoparticles have a significant concentration (20 g/ml) and time-dependent cytotoxicity on the examined cell lines after 24 h and proved damage of the cancer cells in this time interval. Moreover, Ag-doped ZnO also exhibits better cytotoxicity potential compared to bare ZnO. Therefore, ZnO and 0.5% Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles may have less cytotoxic effects on the liver and can be applied as suitable candidates parallel with the existing valproate drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeking high-performance computing methods to solve the problem of a large amount of calculation, low calculation efficiency, and small simulation scale on the traditional single central processing unit (CPU) platform is of great value to the simulation study of micro-structure. In this study, based on the three-dimensional multi-phase-field model of KKSO coupling phase-field and solute field, the open computing language (OpenCL) + graphics processing unit (GPU) heterogeneous parallel computing technology is used to simulate the eutectoid growth of Fe-C alloy and the end growth process of pearlite under pure diffusion. The effects of initial supercooling and different diffusion coefficients on the growth morphology of lamellar pearlite were investigated. The results show that ferrite and cementite are perpendicular to the front of the solid-solid interface and are coupled and coordinated to grow, and there is no leading phase under the initial supercooling degree of 20 K. With the continuous increase of the initial supercooling degree (19 K–22 K), the morphology changes of the eutectoid layer are as follows: cementite stops growing → slice amplitude increases → regular symmetric growth → oblique growth → layer merge. With the increase of the diffusion coefficient from 3×10−13 m2·s−1 to 15×10−13 m2·s−1, the growth rate of the microstructure of the lamellar pearlite increases linearly, and there is no obvious change in the frontal appearance of the pearlite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the watershed scale, weather types show variability and heterogeneity throughout a basin; as a result, unified weather conditions are not realistic for analyzing the underlying surface response. The Ashi River watershed was selected as a case in the present study, and weather types were redefined. Statistics on the spatial and temporal changes of meteorological factors from 1989 to 2015 and path analysis were used to identify the relationship between meteorological factors and runoff. Results showed that (1) statistical weather analysis revealed multidimensional heterogeneity of season types. The weather was clearly diverse in the sub-basins. The redivided times for the seasons were 61 days for spring, 55 days for summer, 48 days for autumn, 201 days for winter, and a frozen period (spring, summer, autumn) and non-frozen period (winter). (2) Temperature decreased by 0.35 °C over the past 27 years, and it increased gradually from the southeast to the northwest. Precipitation and runoff increased from 1989 to 2015. Mutations in precipitation and runoff occurred in 1994 and 1998. Temperature, precipitation, and runoff varied across frozen and non-frozen periods. (3) In different typical hydrologic years, meteorological factors affected runoff in different ways, and the direct effect of temperature on runoff was larger and positive. Precipitation in the flood year had a significant and direct impact on runoff in the non-frozen period, while evaporation had a significant and indirect impact on runoff in the dry year. The barometric pressure also had different impacts on runoff in the dry and median years. The purpose of this study was to provide scientific guidance for local agricultural production and water distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiping chicken is indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), which was one of China’s excellent poultry species. As the problems caused by the overuse of antibiotics become more and more concern, people begin to look for ways to replace them. Among them, probiotics and their preparations are the research hotspot to replace antibiotics. Probiotics can promote the absorption of nutrients, improve the ratio of meat to meat, resist and prevent diseases, and improve the intestinal tissue morphology. Here, we performed transcriptome profiling of Taiping chicken ileum which was given probiotics by using the Hiseq™ 2500 sequencing platform. A total of 18 genes were differentially expressed in the ileum under control group and probiotics group. Thirteen genes were upregulated with a range of fold change from 1.02 to 8.61, and 5 were downregulated with a range of fold change from − 1.06 to − 2.29. Ten of the differently expressed genes were further validated by qRT-PCR. In addition, Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed that these differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched to bile secretion, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, ether lipid metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. This study will help us to understand the role of probiotics in indigenous chicken production and provide theoretical basis for the genetic development of indigenous chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low yield as bottleneck problem limits the application of microbial flocculant in water treatment. However, genetic information of microbial flocculant-producing strains can guide the regulation of microbial flocculant production, but it remains unknown. Agrobacterium tumefaciens F2 produced polysaccharide-based microbial flocculants in the fermentation medium but none in Luria Bertani medium; hence, the transcriptome was used to analyze the potentially associated genes with the production of microbial flocculants. Glucose, mannose, rhamnose, and galactose are the main sugar monomers, and genes (manA, glmM, manC, rfb genes, exo genes, etc.) with changed expression levels related to sugar monomers metabolism potentially participated in the biosynthesis of polysaccharide-based microbial flocculants. exoC, exoP, and manC were confirmed to participate in the biosynthesis via constructing the mutants F2-dexoC, F2-dexoP, and F2-dmanC. An exoF2 gene cluster was annotated due to the high percentage of matches between the genome sequences of strains F2 and C58, and exo genes in their genome sequences showed the similarity of 86~92%. The hypothetical pathway for the biosynthesis of polysaccharide-based microbial flocculants in strain F2 was proposed, laying the basis for the production yield regulation. Key points: • An exoF2gene cluster in the polysaccharide biosynthesis was annotated. • exoC, exoP, and manC genes participated in the polysaccharide biosynthesis. • A hypothetical biosynthesis pathway of polysaccharide in flocculant was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vismodegib displays unique pharmacokinetic characteristics including saturable plasma protein binding to alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AAG) and apparent time-dependent bioavailability leading to non-linear PK with dose and time, significantly faster time to steady-state and lower than predicted accumulation. Given these unique characteristics, a PBPK model was developed to explore mechanistic insights into saturable protein binding and complex oral absorption processes and de-convolute the impact of these independent non-linear processes on vismodegib exposure. Simcyp V18 was used for model development; oral absorption was characterized using the multi-layer gut wall (M-ADAM) model and mechanistic permeability model, incorporating transport across an unstirred boundary layer (UBL) between the luminal fluid and enterocyte in each segment of the gastrointestinal tract. PBPK simulations were compared with observed PK data from clinical trials in oncology patients and healthy subjects. Saturation of vismodegib protein binding to AAG led to substantially lower total drug accumulation, time to steady-state, and Csstotal. For free exposure, Cssfree and accumulation were unchanged, but time to steady-state was substantially reduced. Vismodegib oral absorption declined with both dose and dosing frequency; the concentration gradient driving vismodegib oral absorption declined with multiple doses, leading to a 32% decrease in vismodegib fa from first dose to steady-state. Fed simulations suggested that increased solubility and dissolution are partially offset by reduced permeability across the UBL due to slower diffusion of micelle-bound drug. This work demonstrates the value of PBPK modeling to simultaneously capture and de-convolute multi-faceted absorption and disposition processes and provide mechanistic insights for compounds with complex pharmacokinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfamethazine (SM2) is one of the sulfonamide antibiotics that is frequently detected in aquatic environment. Given the complex structure of SM2 and its potential threat to the environment, it is necessary to determine the degradation behavior of high-concentration SM2. The mechanisms of community structure and diversity of activated sludge were analyzed. A novel SM2-degrading strain YL1 was isolated which can degrade SM2 with high concentration of 100 mg L−1. Strain YL1 was identified as Paenarthrobacter ureafaciens and there was also a significant increase in the genus during acclimation. Additional SM2 metabolic mechanisms and genomic information of YL1 were analyzed for further research. The succession of the community structure also investigated the effect of SM2 on the activated sludge. This result not only advances the current understanding of microbial ecology in activated sludge, but also has practical implications for the design and operation of the environmental bioprocesses for treatment of antimicrobial-bearing waste streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe lethal activity of bone tissue and cartilage as denote to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Polyphenols are extensively used as a curative agent for many diseases due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulant properties in many inflammatory chronic conditions. The selective delivery of polyphenol to the affected joints side achieves a better treatment strategy. Nanogels are promising medication conveyance frameworks and are made out of cross-connected different polymeric networks. The present investigation focusing on the potential uses of folic acid (FA) conjugated polymeric nanogel system is made by the interconnection between chitosan (CS) and poly(2-ethyl-oxazoline) (CS-POX) used to encapsulate chlorogenic acid (CA) to deduce the inflammatory effects in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). The different dose of CA (1, 5, and 10 mg/mL) encapsulated CS-POX nanogel assists to clinical evaluation of diverse biological parameters including arthritis index (AI), hind paw volume, histological analysis, vital organ weight percentage and quantitative measurement of cytokines including, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and prostaglandin enzyme 2 (PGE2). The results proved the oral administrated polymeric nanogel effectively deduces the joint space narrowing, AI score, the hind paw and minimizes the weight of vital organs in CIA rats. The increased level of inflammatory-related immune components such as (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, TNF-α, PGE2 and anti-CII antibody in blood serum and joint tissue samples were subsequently reduced in the CIA rats after the treated with FA conjugated CS-POX-CA nanogel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid economic development and significant expansion of urban agglomerations in China have resulted in issues associated with haze and photochemical smog. Central China, a transitional zone connecting the eastern coast and western interior, suffers from increasing atmospheric pollution. This study performed a spatio-temporal analysis of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in Changsha, a provincial capital located in central China. Samples of PM2.5 were collected at five different functional areas from September 2013 to August 2014. The PM2.5 concentration at the five sampling sites was the highest in winter and the lowest in summer, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 105.2 ± 11.0 μg/m3. On average, residential sites had the highest concentrations of PM2.5 while suburban sites had the lowest. We found that inorganic ionic species were dominant (~48%), organic species occupied approximately 25%, whereas EC (~3.7%) contributed insignificantly to the total PM2.5 mass. Ion balance calculations show that the PM2.5 samples at all sites were acidic, with increased acidity in spring and summer compared with autumn and winter. Air quality in Changsha is controlled by four major air masses: (1) Wuhan and the surrounding urban clusters, (2) the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration and the surrounding cities, and (3) southern and (4) eastern directions. The north–south transport channel is the most significant air mass trajectory in Changsha and has a significant impact on PM2.5 pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstruction of Quaternary environments, late Cenozoic geodynamics and evaluation of volcanic hazards, all depend on the precise delineation of eruptive stages. In recent years, laser 40Ar/39Ar dating methods have been widely used for dating young volcanic rocks, given their stable automated testing process, very low background level and high sensitivity, which meet the requirements for precise dating of young samples. This paper applied high-precision laser 40Ar/39Ar dating to the main volcanic units in the Tengchong area and obtained ages in the range of 0.025–5.1 Ma using conventional data processing methods. However, conventional dating highlighted issues related to very low radiogenic 40Ar content, accidental errors and poor data stability, which led to huge age deviations. Moreover, lacking a unified timescale, conventional methods were unable to strictly define the stages of the Tengchong volcanic eruptions, leading to ongoing controversy. In this study, we applied a Gaussian mathematical model to deal with all 378 original ages from 13 samples. An apparent age-probability diagram, consisting of three independent waveforms, have been obtained. The corresponding isochron ages of these three waveforms suggest there were three volcanic eruptive stages, namely during the Pliocene (3.78±0.04 Ma), early Middle Pleistocene (0.63 ±0.03 Ma) and late Middle Pleistocene to early Late Pleistocene (0.139±0.005 Ma). These results accurately define eruptive stages in the Tengchong area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is still unclear about the superiority of the nanoscale Fe3O4-assisted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) compared to traditional EPS and its application feasibility in sulfonamide-contaminated aqueous system. This study reported eco-friendly and reusable EPS/Fe3O4 was applied in the sulfonamide-contaminated water treatment, including sulfamethoxazole (SMX), sulfamerazine (SM1), sulfamethazine (SM2) and sulfadiazine (SDZ), respectively. EPS/Fe3O4 exhibited the adsorption performance of 77.93%, 74.13%, 65.62%, and 56.64% for SMX, SM1, SM2 and SDZ, respectively, increased by 7.93%, 19.02%, 13.78% and 9.93% compared to traditional EPS. The initial pH value tuned adsorption performance via varying existing species of each sulfonamides. The adsorption process could be well fitted by Freundlich and pseudo-second-order kinetics models. Moreover, the multiple evidences from SEM, FTIR, zeta potential and XRD explained the adsorption mechanisms (i.e., chemisorption, ion exchange, hydroxyl group and hydrophobicity). Desorption and recycle adsorption experiments demonstrated the well regeneration ability of EPS/Fe3O4 as biosorbent (67.12% adsorption performance for SMX after five adsorption–desorption cycles), suggesting EPS/Fe3O4 was considered as a superior choice for sulfonamide-contaminated water treatment compared to the unrecyclable EPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an important part of non-specific immunity and play a key role in the cellular host defense against pathogens and tissue injury infections. We investigated the effects of AMP supplementation on the antioxidant capacity, non-specific immunity, and gut microbiota of tsinling lenok trout. 240 fish were fed diets (CT, A120, A240 and A480) containing different amounts of AMP peptides (0, 120 mg kg−1, 240 mg kg−1, 480 mg kg−1) for 8 weeks. Our results showed that the activity of total antioxidant capacity (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), lysozyme (LZM), catalase (CAT) and acid phosphatase (ACP) in the A240 and A480 group were higher than that in the CT group (P < 0.05). The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in AMP group was significantly lower than that in CT group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we harvested the mid-gut and applied next-generation sequencing of 16S rDNA. The results showed that the abundance of Halomonas in AMP group was significantly lower than that in CT group. Functional analysis showed that the abundance of chloroalkane and chloroalkene degradation pathway increased significantly in AMP group. In conclusion, AMP enhanced the antioxidant capacity, non-specific immunity, and intestinal health of tsinling lenok trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansin (EXP) plays an important role in plant root formation. The EXP genes associated with chrysanthemum roots have not yet been reported. Here we isolated a root-specific EXP gene in chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium), namely CmEXPA4. Bioinformatics analysis showed that CmEXPA4-encoded protein has a conserved DPPB (Double-Psi Beta-Barrel) domain in the N-terminal with a series of Cys residues, an HFD (His-Phe-Asp) motif in the central region, and a pollen allergen domain in the C-terminal. The protein also has a specific α-insertion of WCNP (Trp-Cys-Asn-Pro), which suggests that it belongs to the A-subgroup of the EXP family. In the present study, we cloned the 1,129 bp promoter region upstream of CmEXPA4, and the analysis revealed an abundance of cis-acting elements associated with hormones, light and stress-related responses, and some root-specific regulatory elements in particular. Subcellular localization results indicated that CmEXPA4 locates in the cell wall. Exogenous indole butyric acid induced the up-regulation of CmEXPA4 expression, whereas exogenous abscisic acid inhibited its expression. Tissue expression analysis showed that CmEXPA4 was preferentially expressed in the roots and was synchronized with the rapid emergence of the root. These results suggested that CmEXPA4 may act on the growth and development of chrysanthemum roots. The function of CmEXPA4 was further tested by virus-induced gene silencing, and the results showed that CmEXPA4 silencing inhibited the normal development of the chrysanthemum root system. The roots appeared thinner and shorter, and several important root parameters, including total length, average diameter, surface area, total volume, and root tip number, decreased significantly. The cortical cells of the transgenic plant roots were significantly smaller and shorter than those of the control. Collectively, our results demonstrated that CmEXPA4 gene plays a key role in the growth and development of chrysanthemum roots and affects the root system by acting on the individual cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A trial-based assessment was completed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of ceritinib as a first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with rearrangement of anaplastic lymphoma kinase.Methods: Based on the disease situation of advanced NSCLC, a Markov model was constructed to estimate the costs and benefits of ceritinib and platinum-based chemotherapy. The cost information and health utilities were obtained from published literature. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated. The stability of the model was verified by sensitivity analyses.Results: The base case analysis results indicated that compared with platinum-based chemotherapy, ceritinib therapy would increase benefits in a 5-, 10- and 15-year time horizon, with extra costs of $230,661.61, $149,321.52 and $136,414.43 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, respectively. The most sensitive parameter in the model analysis was the cost of ceritinib. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggested that at the current price of ceritinib, the chance of ceritinib being cost-effective was 0 at the willingness-to-pay threshold of $27,142.85 per quality-adjusted life-year (three times the per capita gross domestic product of China).Conclusion: As a first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC with rearrangement of anaplastic lymphoma kinase, ceritinib is unlikely to be cost-effective at the current price from the Chinese healthcare perspective. To meet the treatment demands of patients, it may be a better option to reduce the price or provide appropriate drug assistance policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intertidal zone is an important buffer and a nitrogen sink between land and sea. Ammonia oxidation is the rate-limiting step of nitrification, conducted by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). However, it remains a debatable issue regarding dominant ammonia oxidizers in this region, and environmental factors driving their spatiotemporal niche differentiation have yet to be identified. In this study, intertidal and subtidal zones of Zhoushan Islands were selected for seasonal sampling. Ammonia-oxidizing activity, quantitative PCR, and 454 high-throughput sequencing were performed to study the nitrification potential, abundance, and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria. AOA and AOB amoA abundance (107–108amoA gene copies/g dry weight sediment) varied spatiotemporally independently of environmental factors. AOA surpassed AOB in most samples, driven by sediment temperature, moisture, and total nitrogen. The diversity of both AOA and AOB differed spatiotemporally. The Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosospira clusters accounted for an absolutely dominant percentage of AOA (> 99%) and AOB (> 99%) respectively, indicating a negligible contribution of other clusters to ammonia oxidation. However, there was no significant correlation between nitrification potential and the abundance of AOA or AOB. Overall, the present study showed that AOA dominated over AOB spatiotemporally in the intertidal zone of Zhoushan Islands due to fluctuations in environmental factors, and the Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosospira clusters ecologically succeeded in the intertidal zone of Zhoushan Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long polar fimbria (LPF) is one of the few fimbrial adhesins of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 associated with colonization on host intestine, and both two types of LPF (including LPF1 and LPF2) play essential roles during the bacterial infection process. Though the fimbriae had been well studied in intestinal pathogenic E. coli strains, new evidences from our research revealed that it might be the key virulence for bovine mastitis pathogenic E. coli (MPEC) as well. This article summarizes the current knowledge on the LPF in E. coli, focusing on its genetic characteristics, prevalence, expression regulation, and adherence mechanism in different pathotypes of E. coli strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the research of animal microRNAs (miRNAs) has attracted wide attention for its regulatory effect in the development process and the response to abiotic stresses. Rainbow trout is a commercially and cold water fish species, and usually encounters heat stress, which affects its growth and leads to a huge economic loss. But there were few investigations about the roles of miRNAs in heat stress in rainbow trout. In this study, miRNAs of rainbow trout which were involved in heat stress were identified by high-throughput sequencing of six small RNA libraries from head kidney tissues under control (18 °C) and heat-treated (24 °C) conditions. A total of 392 conserved miRNAs and 989 novel miRNAs were identified, of which 78 miRNAs were expressed in different response to heat stress. Ten of these miRNAs were further validated by quantitative real–time PCR. In addition to, including 393 negative correlation miRNA-target gene pairs, several important regulatory pathways were involved in heat stress of the potential target genes, including protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and phagosome. Our data significantly advance understanding of heat stress regulatory mechanism of miRNA in the head kidney of rainbow trout, which provide a useful resource for the cultivation of rainbow trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first application of a novel electro-Fenton (EF) for coking wastewater (CW) treatment at the original pH (6.80) by using tripolyphosphate (TPP) ligand was proposed. Total organic carbon (TOC) decay of CW followed a pseudo-first kinetic rate constant with an apparent rate constant (kapp) of 1.07 × 10−2 min−1 for the EF in the presence of TPP (EF/TPP), which was 2.10 times higher than that of conventional EF (kapp = 5.10 × 10−3 min−1) working at pH 3. The high efficiency of EF/TPP at neutral pH was mainly attributed to the newly formed Fe-O-P coordination in the iron-ligand compound (Fe2+-TPP) supported by UV-absorption spectra results, activating oxygen to produce •OH and hence enhancing the oxidation capacity. Key operating parameters of CW mineralization by EF/TPP including Fe2+ concentration and pH value were systematically investigated. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectra technique was used to assess the variance of dissolved organic matters during the EF/TPP process. Results showed an 81% mineralization of CW after 3 h electrolysis coupled with a low energy consumption (0.129 kWh g−1 TOC) which were obtained by the EF/TPP process. Microtox toxicity demonstrated that TPP could reduce the toxicity of raw CW and importantly, it showed that EF/TPP was effective for detoxification. Mechanism study via simulated matrix with similar components as CW revealed that •OH produced both from Fenton and Fe2+-TPP activation together with the generated active chlorine was responsible for CW mineralization. In summary, the TPP-assisted EF process was presented as a promising technique for extending coking wastewater treatment at near-neutral pH with a high mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Wetlands are the largest natural sources of atmospheric methane (CH4) and are often susceptible to plant invasion and hydrological fluctuations. However, the effect of plant invasion on wetland CH4 emissions is still controversial, and little is known about the variation of invasion-induced CH4 emissions under heterogeneous conditions.Materials and methods: A pairwise experimental design between Spartina alterniflora (invasive plant) and Phragmites australis (native plant) stands in high elevation sites (H-sites) and S. alterniflora and Scirpus mariqueter (native plant) stands in low elevation sites (L-sites) of the Yangtze River estuary was used to investigate how plant invasions affect CH4 emissions and whether CH4 emission changes significantly differ between the H- and L-sites with heterogeneous conditions. A static closed chamber method was used to conduct gas sampling measurements at both H- and L-sites. In addition, plant biomass and soil properties were investigated in both invasive and native plant stands.Results and discussion: CH4 emissions from the S. alterniflora stands were all significantly higher than those from the native plant stands at both H- and L-sites. Furthermore, the difference in CH4 emissions between S. alterniflora and P. australis stands in the H-sites was significantly lower than that between S. alterniflora and S. mariqueter stands in the L-sites. Plant biomass, soil organic carbon, and microbial biomass in S. alterniflora stands were all significantly higher than those in the native plant stands in both H-sites and L-sites. The soil properties also changed. Our results indicate that the S. alterniflora invasion significantly enhanced CH4 emissions from wetlands in the Yangtze River estuary. The invasion-related CH4 emissions were highly spatially variable; this variability may have been driven by the soil's anaerobic environments, induced by hydrological dynamics.Conclusions: These results can have important implications for improving our ability to predict invasion-induced changes in CH4 emissions from wetlands in the context of global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: In the soybean cultivar Suweon 97, BCMV-resistance gene was fine-mapped to a 58.1-kb region co-localizing with the Soybean mosaic virus (SMV)-resistance gene, Rsv1-h raising a possibility that the same gene is utilized against both viral pathogens.Abstract: Certain soybean cultivars exhibit resistance against soybean mosaic virus (SMV) or bean common mosaic virus (BCMV). Although several SMV-resistance loci have been reported, the understanding of the mechanism underlying BCMV resistance in soybean is limited. Here, by crossing a resistant cultivar Suweon 97 with a susceptible cultivar Williams 82 and inoculating 220 F2 individuals with a BCMV strain (HZZB011), we observed a 3:1 (resistant/susceptible) segregation ratio, suggesting that Suweon 97 possesses a single dominant resistance gene against BCMV. By performing bulked segregant analysis with 186 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers across the genome, the resistance gene was determined to be linked with marker BARSOYSSR_13_1109. Examining the genotypes of nearby SSR markers on all 220 F2 individuals then narrowed down the gene between markers BARSOYSSR_13_1109 and BARSOYSSR_13_1122. Furthermore, 14 previously established F2:3 lines showing crossovers between the two markers were assayed for their phenotypes upon BCMV inoculation. By developing six more SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers, the resistance gene was finally delimited to a 58.1-kb interval flanked by BARSOYSSR_13_1114 and SNP-49. Five genes were annotated in this interval of the Williams 82 genome, including a characteristic coiled-coil nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (CC-NBS-LRR, CNL)-type of resistance gene, Glyma13g184800. Coincidentally, the SMV-resistance allele Rsv1-h was previously mapped to almost the same region, thereby suggesting that soybean Suweon 97 likely relies on the same CNL-type R gene to resist both viral pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, cellulose nanoparticles regenerated by water, methanol, ethanol and n-propanol as the anti-solvents from ionic liquid solution were studied systematically. Crystallinity and enthalpy in cellulose degradation of the regenerated cellulose decreased in the order water > methanol > ethanol > n-propanol. Nevertheless, the thermal stability of the regenerated cellulose showed an opposite trend. In addition, morphology of regenerated cellulose changed sharply with the variation of anti-solvents. Moreover, we introduced Kamlet-Taft parameters of anti-solvents to analyze the crystallinity, enthalpy in cellulose degradation and thermal stability variation of regenerated cellulose. Hydrogen bond acidity and basicity of anti-solvent definitely drove the property variation of regenerated cellulose nanoparticles to opposite directions. Furtherly, we proposed two competitive cellulose regeneration routes, providing a reasonable explanation to the crystallinity, enthalpy in cellulose degradation and thermal stability variation of regenerated cellulose nanoparticles. Our work successfully demonstrate that H-bond acidity/basicity of anti-solvent could tune the property of regenerated cellulose nanoparticles, unveiling the competitive routes of cellulose regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-strength domestic wastewater (LSDW) treatment with low chemical oxygen demand (COD) has drawn extensive attention for the poor total nitrogen (TN) removal performance. In the present study, an enhanced multistage anoxic/oxic (A/O) biofilm reactor was designed to improve the TN removal performance of the LSDW treatment. Efficient nitrifying and denitrifying biofilm carriers were cultivated and then filled into the enhanced biofilm reactor as the sole microbial source. Step-feed strategy and internal recycle were adopted to optimize the substrate distribution and the organics utilization. Key operational parameters were optimized to obtain the best nitrogen and organics removal efficiencies. A hydraulic retention time of 8 h, an influent distribution ratio of 2:1 and an internal recycle ratio of 200% were tested as the optimum parameters. The ammonium, TN and COD removal efficiencies under the optimal operational parameters separately achieved 99.75 ± 0.21, 59.51 ± 1.95 and 85.06 ± 0.79% with an organic loading rate at around 0.36 kg COD/m3 d. The high-throughput sequencing technology confirmed that nitrifying and denitrifying biofilm could maintain functional bacteria in the system during long-period operation. Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in all the nitrifying and denitrifying biofilm samples. Nitrosomonadaceae_uncultured and Nitrospira sp. stably existed in nitrifying biofilm as the main nitrifiers, while several heterotrophic genera, such as Thauera sp. and Flavobacterium sp., acted as potential genera responsible for TN removal in denitrifying biofilm. These findings suggested that the enhanced biofilm reactor could be a promising route for the treatment of LSDW with a low COD level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play an important role in plant tolerance of heavy metal contamination. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to illustrate the effects of the two AM fungi species Funneliformis mosseae (Fm) and Rhizophagus irregularis (Ri) on plant growth of Oryza sativa L. either with or without ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA) addition and during exposure to five Cd concentrations (in the range of 0-5 mg kg−1). The results showed that Fm inoculation achieved greater mycorrhizal colonization and mycorrhizal dependency indexes than Ri inoculation. In addition, the effects of AM fungi on Cd biosorption and translocation in rice were also investigated in the presence of EDTA. Despite cooperative adsorption, the Freundlich isotherm could describe the biosorption effects of Cd on rice roots regardless of AM fungi inoculation or EDTA addition. Cd concentrations in mycorrhizal roots increased but decreased in mycorrhizal shoots in contrast to the control treatment. Although EDTA addition negatively inhibited the uptake of Cd to mycorrhizal shoots, lower translocation factor (TF) and bioconcentration factor (BCF) were still observed in treatments with EDTA compared to control treatment. Our findings suggest that Ri and Fm inoculation enhanced Cd immobilization in the roots, thus preventing Cd entry into the food chain during exposure to low and high Cd stress, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]