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Urban neighborhoods with locations of environmental contamination, known as brownfields, impact entire neighborhoods, but corrective environmental remedial action on brownfields is often tracked on an individual property basis, neglecting the larger neighborhood-level impact. This study addresses this impact by examining spatial differences between brownfields with unmitigated environmental concerns (open site) and sites that are considered fully mitigated or closed in urban neighborhoods (closed site) on the US census tract scale in Wayne County, MI. Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s leaking underground storage tank (LUST) database provided brownfield information for Wayne County. Local indicators of spatial association (LISA) produced maps of spatial clustering and outliers. A McNemar’s test demonstrated significant discordances in LISA categories between LUST open and closed sites (p p

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are promising for gas sensing owing to the large surface area, abundant active sites, and their semiconducting nature. However, 2D COFs are usually produced in the form of insoluble micro-crystallites. Their poor contacts between grain boundaries severely suppress the conductivity, which are too low for chemresistive gas sensing. Here, we demonstrate that halide perovskites can be employed as electric glues to bond 2D COF crystallites to improve their conductivity by two orders of magnitude, activating them to detect NO2 with high selectivity and sensitivity. Resonant microcantilever, grand canonical Monte Carlo, density functional theory and sum-frequency generation analyses prove that 2D COFs can enrich and transfer electrons to NO2 molecules, leading to increased device conductivity. This work provides a facile approach for improving the conductivity of polycrystalline 2D COF films and may expand their applications in semiconductor devices, such as sensors, resistors, memristors and field-emission transistors.

The comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder and anxiety is common, but the underlying circuitry is poorly understood. Here, Tmem74-/- mice showed autism- and anxiety-like behaviors along with increased excitability of pyramidal neurons (PNs) in the prelimbic cortex (PL), which were reversed by Tmem74 re-expression and chemogenetic inhibition in PNs of the PL. To determine the underlying circuitry, we performed conditional deletion of Tmem74 in the PNs of PL of mice, and we found that alterations in the PL projections to fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs) in the dorsal striatum (dSTR) (PLPNs–dSTRFSIs) mediated the hyperexcitability of FSIs and autism-like behaviors and that alterations in the PL projections to the PNs of the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BLA) (PLPNs–BLAPNs) mediated the hyperexcitability of PNs and anxiety-like behaviors. However, the two populations of PNs in the PL had different spatial locations, optogenetic manipulations revealed that alterations in the activity in the PL–dSTR or PL–BLA circuits led to autism- or anxiety-like behaviors, respectively. Collectively, these findings highlight that the hyperactivity of the two populations of PNs in the PL mediates autism and anxiety comorbidity through the PL–dSTR and PL–BLA circuits, which may lead to the development of new therapeutics for the autism and anxiety comorbidity.

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) remains the first-line therapy for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC); however, inadequate treatment response (ITR) is common. The UK-PBC Consortium developed the modified UDCA Response Score (m-URS) to predict ITR (using alkaline phosphatase [ALP] > 1.67 times the upper limit of normal [*ULN]) at 12 months post-UDCA initiation). Using data from the US-based Fibrotic Liver Disease Consortium, we assessed the m-URS in our multi-racial cohort. We then used a dynamic modeling approach to improve prediction accuracy. Using data collected at the time of UDCA initiation, we assessed the m-URS using the original formula; then, by calibrating coefficients to our data, we also assessed whether it remained accurate when using Paris II criteria for ITR. Next, we developed and validated a dynamic risk prediction model that included post-UDCA initiation laboratory data. Among 1578 patients (13% men; 8% African American, 9% Asian American/American Indian/Pacific Islander; 25% Hispanic), the rate of ITR was 27% using ALP > 1.67*ULN and 45% using Paris II criteria. M-URS accuracy was “very good” (AUROC = 0.87, sensitivity = 0.62, and specificity = 0.82) for ALP > 1.67*ULN and “moderate” (AUROC = 0.74, sensitivity = 0.57, and specificity = 0.70) for Paris II. Our dynamic model significantly improved accuracy for both definitions of ITR (ALP > 1.67*ULN: AUROC = 0.91; Paris II: AUROC = 0.81); specificity approached 100%. Roughly 9% of patients in our cohort were at the highest risk of ITR. Early identification of patients who will not respond to UDCA treatment using a dynamic prediction model based on longitudinal, repeated risk factor measurements may facilitate earlier introduction of adjuvant treatment.

In a motor imagery-based brain–computer interface system, an effective classifier is required. However, the effectiveness of classifier is substantially influenced by the individual differences among electroencephalography (EEG) signals and artifacts. Therefore, in this study, we adopted an ensemble method by combining various classifiers, including a fuzzy classifier that can reduce the influence of artifacts, to improve the robustness and accuracy in classification across participants. Nine participants were recruited for the experiment and asked to perform a left- and right-hand motor imagery task. We calculated the classification rates obtained with the linear discriminant analysis (LDA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), Naive Bayes, support vector machine (SVM), and fuzzy twin SVM (FTSVM) classifiers based on the spectral features extracted by an autoregressive (AR) model and the spectral–temporal features extracted by the Morlet wavelet from overlapped 1.024-s EEG segments. The fivefold cross-validation accuracies of the ensemble method for the 1.024-s EEG were 71.39% and 73.06% with the AR- and wavelet-extracted features, respectively. In the comparison of individual classifiers, the Linear-FTSVM method outperformed other individual classifiers. In addition, the ensemble model with the inclusion of FTSVM classifiers performs superior to the ensemble models without using FTSVM classifiers.

Let $$G=(V,E)$$ be a graph. A complete subgraph of G is a subgraph of pairwise adjacent vertices of V of size at least 2. Let $$\Phi _C(G)$$ be the set of all complete subgraphs of G and $$\Phi \subseteq {\Phi }_C(G)$$ . In this paper, we consider the Complete-Subgraph-Transversal-Set on $$\Phi $$ problem and the L-Max Complete-Subgraph-Transversal-Set on $$\Phi $$ problem. We give polynomial time algorithms to these two problems on graphs of bounded treewidth. At last, we show the connections between these two problems with some other NP-complete problems, for example Clique-Transversal-Set problem on graphs and Vertex-Cover problem on hypergraphs.

The effect of high pressure processing (HPP, 600 MPa, 5 min) and thermal treatment (85 °C, 15 min) on aronia berry juice in a pilot scale was studied. The maximal shelf-life of treated samples at room temperature (RT, approximately 25 °C) or refrigerated storage (RS, 4 °C) was also investigated. Microbial counts, physicochemical properties, enzymes activities, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities of these juices were determined and compared. Results indicated that HPP treatment improved the microbial shelf-life of the aronia juice by at least 10-times at RT and 5-times at RS. Although thermal treatment was equally effective in extending the shelf-life, the high temperature resulted in a quicker degradation of polyphenols in aronia juice, which was decreased by 36.6% during RT storage (5 weeks) and 43.3% at RS storage (24 weeks). Therefore, HPP was more efficient in maintaining the safety and quality of aronia juice. The study also indicated HPP treated aronia juice could be stored at RT for at least one month that could be of benefit to the non-cold chain process which is targeting for a low-energy input while still retaining a minimal effect on the nutritional properties of food products.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent and complex neurodevelopmental disorder which has strong genetic basis. Despite the rapidly rising incidence of autism, little is known about its aetiology, risk factors, and disease progression. There are currently neither validated biomarkers for diagnostic screening nor specific medication for autism. Over the last two decades, there have been remarkable advances in genetics, with hundreds of genes identified and validated as being associated with a high risk for autism. The convergence of neuroscience methods is becoming more widely recognized for its significance in elucidating the pathological mechanisms of autism. Efforts have been devoted to exploring the behavioural functions, key pathological mechanisms and potential treatments of autism. Here, as we highlight in this review, emerging evidence shows that signal transduction molecular events are involved in pathological processes such as transcription, translation, synaptic transmission, epigenetics and immunoinflammatory responses. This involvement has important implications for the discovery of precise molecular targets for autism. Moreover, we review recent insights into the mechanisms and clinical implications of signal transduction in autism from molecular, cellular, neural circuit, and neurobehavioural aspects. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives are discussed with regard to novel strategies predicated on the biological features of autism.

The evolution of land plants during the Palaeozoic Era transformed Earth’s biosphere 1. Because the Earth's surface and interior are linked by tectonic processes, the linked evolution of the biosphere and sedimentary rocks should be recorded as a near-contemporary shift in the composition of the continental crust. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the isotopic signatures of zircon formed at subduction zones where marine sediments are transported into the mantle 2,3, thereby recording interactions between surface environments and the deep Earth. Using oxygen and lutetium-hafnium isotopes of magmatic zircon that respectively track surface weathering (time-independent) 4 and radiogenic decay (time-dependent) 5, we find a correlation in the composition of continental crust after 430 Myr ago, which is coeval with the onset of enhanced complexity and stability in sedimentary systems related to the evolution of vascular plants. The expansion of terrestrial vegetation brought channelled sand-bed and meandering rivers, muddy floodplains, and thicker soils, lengthening the duration of weathering before final marine deposition 6,7. Collectively, our results suggest that the evolution of vascular plants coupled the degree of weathering and timescales of sediment routing to depositional basins where they were subsequently subducted and melted. The late Palaeozoic isotopic shift of zircon indicates that the greening of the continents was recorded in the deep Earth.

Cerebellar ataxias are characterized by a progressive decline in motor coordination, but the specific output circuits and underlying pathological mechanism remain poorly understood. Through cell-type-specific manipulations, we discovered a novel GABAergic Purkinje cell (PC) circuit in the cerebellar IV/V lobe that projected to CaMKIIα+ neurons in the fastigial nucleus (FN), which regulated sensorimotor coordination. Furthermore, transcriptomics profiling analysis revealed various cerebellar neuronal identities, and we validated that biorientation defective 1 (BOD1) played an important role in the circuit of IV/V lobe to FN. BOD1 deficit in PCs of IV/V lobe attenuated the excitability and spine density of PCs, accompany with ataxia behaviors. Instead, BOD1 enrichment in PCs of IV/V lobe reversed the hyperexcitability of CaMKIIα+ neurons in the FN and ameliorated ataxia behaviors in L7-Cre; BOD1f/f mice. Together, these findings further suggest that specific regulation of the cerebellar IV/V lobePCs → FNCaMKIIα+ circuit might provide neuromodulatory targets for the treatment of ataxia behaviors.

The CONSTANS (CO) and CONSTANS-like (COL) genes have an important role in the regulation of flowering in photoperiod-sensitive plants. However, information on the molecular characterization of COL genes in Curcuma alismatifolia is very limited. The objective of this study was to identify and evaluate 8 COL homologs (CaCOLs) in the C. alismatifolia transcriptome. Their structures, phylogenetic relationships and expressing patterns under short-day (SD) and long-day (LD) contexts were investigated. Our results showed that CaCOLs were classified into three groups: CaCOL3 and CaCOL6 in group I were the most CO-like genes; CaCOL7 and CaCOL8 in group II contains only one B-box; CaCOL1 to 2 and CaCOL4 to 5 formed the group III. Phylogenetic analysis of the CaCOLs in Arabidopsis, Rice, Barley, Malaccensis and C. alismatifolia demonstrated that both the B-box and CCT domains were conserved in dicot and monocot plants, but different groups of COL genes evolved independently. Different patterns of mRNA accumulation in C. alismatifolia leaves in response to SD and LD treatments were observed. CaCOL1, CaCOL2, CaCOL4 and CaCOL7 showed significantly higher expressions in LD treatment than that of SD, indicating that they were potential flowering inducers, and are candidate genes for research in flowering regulation and circadian controlling in C. alismatifolia plants. Altogether, our study facilitates successful regulation of flowering in Curcuma species and provides insights for future molecular breeding programs.

Let $$r(K_{p,q},t)$$ be the maximum number of colors in an edge-coloring of the complete bipartite graph $$K_{p,q}$$ not having t edge-disjoint rainbow spanning trees. We prove that $$r(K_{p,p},1)=p^2-2p+2$$ for $$p\ge 4$$ and $$r(K_{p,q},1)=pq-2q+1$$ for $$p>q\ge 4$$ . Let $$t\ge 2$$ . We also show that $$r(K_{p,p},t)=p^2-2p+t+1$$ for $$p \ge 2t+\sqrt{3t-3}+4$$ and $$r(K_{p,q},t)=pq-2q+t$$ for $$p > q \ge 2t+\sqrt{3t-2}+4$$ .

Let H = (V, E) be an n-balanced k-partite k-graph with partition classes V1,…, Vk. Suppose for every legal (k − l)-tuple f contained in V V1 and for every legal (k − 1)-tuple g contained in V Vk. such that f ∪ g ∉ E(H), we have d(f) + d(g) ≥ n + 1. In this paper, we prove that under this condition {tiH} must have a perfect matching. Another result of this paper is about the perfect matching in 3-uniform hm-bipartite hypergraphs. Let G be a 3-uniform hm-bipartite hypergraph with one of whose sides V1 has the size n, the another side V2 has size 2n. If for all the legal 2-tuple f with |f ∩ V1| = 1 and for all the legal 2-tuple g with |g ∩ V1 = 0, we have d(f) ≥ n − 2 and $$d\left(g \right) > {n \over 2}$$ , then G has a perfect matching.

Background Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is a common pathogen that usually causes bacteraemia, osteomyelitis, as well as skin and soft tissue infections. However, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and necrotising pneumonia are rare in infants. Case presentation We report the case of a one-month-five-day-old girl who was hospitalised for DVT and necrotising pneumonia due to septicaemia associated with Staphylococcus aureus. She recovered after treatment with intravenous antibiotics and multiple anticoagulant therapy, but DVT persisted at the three-year follow-up. Collateral circulation around the DVT was well-formed. Post thrombotic syndrome was not observed. Conclusions Staphylococcus aureus complicated by DVT and necrotising pneumonia is rare and can be successfully treated.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP), the most frequent blistering dermatosis in the elderly, is associated with increased mortality. The severity of BP can be assessed by detecting the anti-BP180 immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration, but the lab test is not available in many community clinics. BP patients are usually in a hypercoagulable state with increased levels of D-dimer and fibrin degradation products (FDPs). We aimed to evaluate the use of D-dimer and FDPs in assessing BP severity. We compared the levels of plasma D-dimer, plasma FDPs, eosinophil counts, eosinophil cationic protein, and serum anti-BP180 IgG concentration between 48 typical BP patients and 33 Herpes zoster (HZ) patients (control group). Correlational analyses were conducted to determine the relationships between the lab values and common BP severity markers. The plasma D-dimer and FDP levels were higher in BP patients than in HZ controls (D-dimer: 3297 ± 2517 µg/L vs. 569.70 ± 412.40 µg/L; FDP: 9.74 ± 5.88 mg/L vs. 2.02 ± 1.69 mg/L, respectively,P r = 0.3928,P = 0.0058; FDP:r = 0.4379,P = 0.0019] and eosinophil counts [D-dimer:r = 0.3625,P = 0.0013; FDP:r = 0.2880,P = 0.0472]) in BP patients. We also found an association between FDP and urticaria/erythema lesions (r = 0.3016,P = 0.0372), but no other BPDAI components. In 19 BP patients with complete remission after systemic glucocorticoid treatment, D-dimer and FDP levels decreased post-therapy (D-dimer: 5559 ± 7492 µg/L vs. 1738 ± 1478 µg/L;P P = 0.0003), whereas they did not in BP patients with treatment resistant. Plasma D-dimer and FDP are convenient markers to evaluate BP severity assistant on BPDAI and eosinophil counts. FDP is also helpful for inflammatory lesions in BP patients.

We present a scheme to realize joint remote state preparation (JRSP) of an arbitrary two-qubit state via a seven-qubit Brown state which is subjected to the noisy environment. Two basic noise models, the amplitude-damping noise and the phase-damping noise, are considered. The noise only affects the transmitted qubits of the quantum channel in our protocol. We put forward the detailed processes of JRSP protocol with these two kinds of noise. It is found out that the fidelities for both kinds of noise depend on the decoherence noisy rate and the amplitude factor of the prepared state. Interesting, the effect of phase-damping noise is much stronger than that of the amplitude-damping noise. Our study will contribute to the research on the effect of quantum noise for JRSP.

A subgraph H of an edge-colored graph G is rainbow if all of its edges have different colors. The anti-Ramsey number is the maximum number of colors in an edge-coloring of G with no rainbow copy of H. Originally a complete graph was considered as G. In this paper, we consider a complete bipartite graph as the host graph and discuss some results for the graph H being hamiltonian cycle and perfect matching. Let $$c(K_{p,p},t)$$ and $$m(K_{p,p},t)$$ be the maximum number of colors in an edge-coloring of the complete bipartite graph $$K_{p,p}$$ not having t edge-disjoint rainbow hamiltonian cycles and perfect matchings, respectively. We prove that $$c(K_{p,p},t)=p^2-p+t$$ for $$t \ge 2$$ , $$p\ge 4t-1$$ and $$m(K_{p,p},t)=p^2-2p+t+1$$ for $$t \ge $$ 2, $$p\ge 2t+8$$ .

The expression of drought responsive genes were enhanced by N application and they contributed to drought acclimation. The interactive effects of water and nutrient are crucial for plants. The aim of this study was to elucidate how nitrogen (N) status influence drought acclimation of Populus. A two-factorial design consisting of two N levels (adequate-N and low-N) and two watering treatments (drought stress and well-watered) was used, and an integrative investigation was conducted at the anatomical, physiological and molecular levels. Adequate N supply alleviated the adverse effects of drought stress on root growth in poplars, which may increase water uptake under drought. Nitrogen enhanced leaf anatomical changes and stomata adjustment upon drought stress, lead to less water losses and better growth performance under drought stress. The expression levels of phytohormone signaling components and genes responsible for antioxidative systems and secondary metabolites such as phenylpropanoids were promoted by N application. The expression of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling components was induced by drought when soil N was adequate, which participated in stomata regulation and drought acclimation. The expression of indole acetic acid (IAA) signaling components also was enhanced by N application, which participated in anatomical changes of leaves under drought. These adaptive changes at molecular and anatomical levels contributed to drought acclimation in a synergistic way. Under adequate-N condition, nitrogen and carbon metabolism pathways are being recruited to combat drought, and the C-N interaction play a pivotal role in drought acclimation.

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders, but their pathogenic mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report that transmembrane protein 74 (TMEM74), which contains two putative transmembrane domains and exhibits high levels of mRNA in the brain, is closely associated with the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. TMEM74 was decreased in the serum of patients with anxiety and the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BLA) in chronic stress mice. Furthermore, genetic deletion of Tmem74 or selective knockdown of Tmem74 in BLA pyramidal neurons resulted in anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Whole-cell recordings in BLA pyramidal neurons revealed lower hyperpolarization-activated cation current (Ih) and greater input resistance and excitability in Tmem74-/- neurons than in wild-type neurons. Accordingly, surface expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated 1 (HCN1) channels was also lower in the BLA of Tmem74-/- mice. The Ih current blocker ZD7288 mimicked these effects in BLA pyramidal neurons in wild-type mice but not in Tmem74-/- mice. Consistent with the improvement in anxiety-like behaviors, Tmem74 overexpression restored HCN1 channel trafficking and pyramidal neuron excitability in the BLA of Tmem74-/- and chronic stress mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that interactions between Tmem74 and HCN1 are physiologically relevant and that transmembrane domain 1 (TM1) is essential for the cellular membrane localization of Tmem74 to enhance Ih. Together, our findings suggest that Tmem74 coupling with HCN1 acts as a critical component in the pathophysiology of anxiety and is a potential target for new treatments of anxiety disorders.

In this paper, an air pollutant assessment and monitoring system based on arm series-embedded system S3C44BOX module is proposed. On this basis, this paper analyzes the annual data of PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, SO2, O3, and other air pollutants of 17 monitoring stations in C City in the past year. The results show that the air pollutants have air permeability. At the same time, meteorological factors, temporal and spatial changes, and air pollution factors are discussed. At the same time, this paper uses literature and expert interviews to determine the performance factors of PPP projects. PPP mode realizes the participation of social capital in infrastructure construction. We identified 34 factors and used a structural equation model to analyze the path of 333 PPP project performance factors. One of the main performance factors is to apply the results of air pollution assessment based on an embedded system to the research of performance factors of PPP project, so that this paper could successfully promote the effective implementation of PPP project. Through the continuous research of embedded system and its application in air pollution evaluation and PPP project performance, it can effectively improve the air pollution evaluation and PPP project performance.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) is reactivated in a majority of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated with poor patient outcomes. Although increasing evidence has shown that AFP can regulate HCC cell growth, the precise functions of AFP in hepatocarcinogenesis and the associated underlying mechanism remain incompletely understood. In this study, we demostrated that depleting AFP significantly suppressed diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver tumor progression in an AFP gene-deficient mouse model. Similarly, knocking down AFP expression inhibited human HCC cell proliferation and tumor growth by inducing apoptosis. AFP expression level was inversely associated with the apoptotic rate in mouse and human HCC specimens. Investigation of potential cross-talk between AFP and apoptotic signaling revealed that AFP exerted its growth-promoting effect by suppressing the Fas/FADD-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Mechanistically, AFP bound to the RNA-binding protein HuR, increasing the accumulation of HuR in the cytoplasm and subsequent inhibition of Fas mRNA translation. In addition, we found that inhibiting AFP enhanced the cytotoxicity of therapeutics to AFP-positive HCC cells by activating HuR-mediated Fas/FADD apoptotic signaling. Conclusion: Our study defined the pro-oncogenic role of AFP in HCC progression and uncovered a novel antiapoptotic mechanism connecting AFP to HuR-mediated Fas translation. Our findings suggest that AFP is involved in the pathogenesis and chemosensitivity of HCC and that blockade of AFP may be a promising strategy to treat advanced HCC.

Let $$G=(V,E)$$ be a graph with no isolated vertex. A subset $$S\subseteq V(G)$$ is a total dominating set of graph G if every vertex in V(G) is adjacent to at least one vertex in S. A total dominating set S of graph G is a locating-total dominating set if for every pair of distinct vertices $$u_1$$ and $$u_2$$ in $$V(G)-S$$, $$N(u_1)\cap S\ne N(u_2)\cap S$$. The locating-total domination number of graph G, denoted by $$\gamma _t^L(G)$$, is the minimum cardinality of a locating-total dominating set of G. In this paper, we investigate the bounds of locating-total domination number of grid graphs.

Germline variants in tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) can result in RNA mis-splicing and predisposition to cancer. However, identification of variants that impact splicing remains a challenge, contributing to a substantial proportion of patients with suspected hereditary cancer syndromes remaining without a molecular diagnosis. To address this, we used capture RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to generate a splicing profile of 18 TSGs (APC, ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDH1, CHEK2, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH, NF1, PALB2, PMS2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, and TP53) in 345 whole-blood samples from healthy donors. We subsequently demonstrated that this approach can detect mis-splicing by comparing splicing profiles from the control dataset to profiles generated from whole blood of individuals previously identified with pathogenic germline splicing variants in these genes. To assess the utility of our TSG splicing profile to prospectively identify pathogenic splicing variants, we performed concurrent capture DNA and RNA-seq in a cohort of 1000 patients with suspected hereditary cancer syndromes. This approach improved the diagnostic yield in this cohort, resulting in a 9.1% relative increase in the detection of pathogenic variants, demonstrating the utility of performing simultaneous DNA and RNA genetic testing in a clinical context.

Define the zeroth-order Randic index $$R^0(G)=\sum _{x\in V(G)}\frac{1}{\sqrt{d_G(x)}}$$, where $$d_G(x)$$ denotes the degree of the vertex x. In this paper, we present two sufficient conditions for graphs and triangle-free graphs to be super-edge-connected in terms of the zeroth-order Randic index, respectively.

Let G be a connected graph with order n, minimum degree δ = δ(G) and edge-connectivity λ = λ(G). A graph G is maximally edge-connected if λ = δ, and super edge-connected if every minimum edgecut consists of edges incident with a vertex of minimum degree. Define the zeroth-order general Randic index $$R_\alpha ^0\left( G \right) = \sum\limits_{x \in V\left( G \right)} {d_G^\alpha \left( x \right)} $$ , where dG(x) denotes the degree of the vertex x. In this paper, we present two sufficient conditions for graphs and triangle-free graphs to be super edge-connected in terms of the zeroth-order general Randic index for −1 ≤ α < 0, respectively.

Let S1 and S2 be two (k − 1)-subsets in a k-uniform hypergraph H. We call S1 and S2 strongly or middle or weakly independent if H does not contain an edge e ∈ E(H) such that S1 ∩ e ≠ ∅ and S2 ∩ e ≠ ∅ or e ⊆ S1 ∪ S2 or e ⊇ S1 ∪ S2, respectively. In this paper, we obtain the following results concerning these three independence. (1) For any n ≥ 2k2 − k and k ≥ 3, there exists an n-vertex k-uniform hypergraph, which has degree sum of any two strongly independent (k − 1)-sets equal to 2n−4(k−1), contains no perfect matching; (2) Let d ≥ 1 be an integer and H be a k-uniform hypergraph of order n ≥ kd+(k−2)k. If the degree sum of any two middle independent (k−1)-subsets is larger than 2(d−1), then H contains a d-matching; (3) For all k ≥ 3 and sufficiently large n divisible by k, we completely determine the minimum degree sum of two weakly independent (k − 1)-subsets that ensures a perfect matching in a k-uniform hypergraph H of order n.

Nitrogen application mitigated the inhibiting effects of Cd stress on T. vernicifluum by increasing enzymatic antioxidants and phytohormone. To disclose the potential roles of nitrogen (N) availability in adaptive responses of Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley to Cd stress, a greenhouse experiment was conducted. A factorial design consisting of sufficient N and deficient N was combined with moderate Cd stress condition. Major growth traits and photosynthesis were significantly suppressed by Cd stress under deficient-N condition, whereas N application mitigated the inhibiting effects of Cd stress. The ABA inducement and stoma adjustment upon Cd stress were more significant under sufficient-N status, which contributed to the higher tolerance to Cd stress. IAA level was depressed by Cd stress when N nutrient is deficient, leading to the significant suppression on growth, whereas the depression on IAA was alleviated by N addition, which contributed to better growth performance under Cd stress. Enzymatic antioxidants play a vital role in response to Cd stress. The activities of SOD, APX and GR in leaves, and POD, APX, GR and CAT in roots all were significantly induced upon Cd stress under sufficient-N condition. Moreover, the expression of most genes encoding antioxidant enzymes was significantly induced upon Cd stress when N nutrient was adequate. In contrast, the activities of most antioxidant enzymes and the expression of most genes encoding these enzymes were not significantly induced upon Cd stress under deficient-N conditions. These results indicated that adequate N nutrient improves the tolerance of T. vernicifluum to Cd stress via promoting hormone signaling and antioxidant systems.

Neuritin is a member of the neurotrophic factor family, which is activated by neural activity and neurotrophins, and promotes neurite growth and branching. It has shown to play an important role in neuronal plasticity and regeneration. It is also involved in other biological processes such as angiogenesis, tumorigenesis and immunomodulation. Thus far, however, the primary mechanisms of neuritin, including whether or not it acts through a receptor or which downstream signals might be activated following binding, are not fully understood. Recent evidence suggests that neuritin may be a potential therapeutic target in several neurodegenerative diseases. This review focuses on the recent advances in studies regarding the newly identified functions of neuritin and the signaling pathways related to these functions. We also discuss current hot topics and difficulties in neuritin research.

Autophagy modulation has been considered a potential therapeutic strategy for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). A previous study confirmed that baicalein might possess significant anti-carcinogenic activity. However, whether baicalein induces autophagy and its role in cell death in OSCC are still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer activity and molecular targets of baicalein in OSCC in vitro. In this study, we found that baicalein induced significant apoptosis in OSCC cells Cal27. In addition to showing apoptosis induction, we also demonstrated baicalein-induced autophagic response in Cal27 cells. Moreover, pharmacologically or genetically blocking autophagy enhanced baicalein-induced apoptosis, indicating the cytoprotective role of autophagy in baicalein-treated Cal27 cells. Importantly, we found that baicalein triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in Cal27 cells. Furthermore, N-acetyl-cysteine, a ROS scavenger, abrogated the effects of baicalein on ROS-dependent autophagy. Therefore, we found that baicalein increased autophagy through the promotion of ROS signaling pathways in OSCC. These data also suggest that a strategy of blocking ROS-dependent autophagy to enhance the activity of baicalein warrants further attention for the treatment of OSCC.

Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common and serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA immunoglobulin G (IgG) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of LN. Currently, there are various therapies for patients with LN; however, most of them are associated with considerable side effects. We confirmed previously that ALW (ALWPPNLHAWVP), a 12-amino acid peptide, inhibited the binding of polyclonal anti-dsDNA antibodies to mesangial cells and isolated glomeruli in vitro. In this study, we further investigate whether the administration of ALW peptide decreases renal IgG deposition and relevant damage in MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice. Methods Forty female MRL/lpr mice were randomly divided into four groups. The mice were intravenously injected with D-form ALW peptide (ALW group), scrambled peptide (PLP group), and normal saline (NaCl group) or were not treated (blank group). The IgG deposition, the histopathologic changes, and the expressions of profibrotic factors were analyzed in the kidney of MRL/lpr mice. Results Compared with the other groups, glomerular deposition of IgG, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3 was decreased in the ALW group. Moreover, ALW administration attenuated renal histopathologic changes in MRL/lpr mice, including mesangial proliferation and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, the expressions of profibrotic cytokines, such as transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) and platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B), decreased in the serum and kidney tissue of ALW-treated mice. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that ALW peptide ameliorates the murine model of LN, possibly through inhibiting renal IgG deposition and relevant tissue inflammation and fibrosis.

Many in silico predictors of genetic variant pathogenicity have been previously developed, but there is currently no standard application of these algorithms for variant assessment. Using 4,094 ClinVar-curated missense variants in clinically actionable genes, we evaluated the accuracy and yield of benign and deleterious evidence in 5 in silico meta-predictors, as well as agreement of SIFT and PolyPhen2, and report the derived thresholds for the best performing predictor(s). REVEL and BayesDel outperformed all other meta-predictors (CADD, MetaSVM, Eigen), with higher positive predictive value, comparable negative predictive value, higher yield, and greater overall prediction performance. Agreement of SIFT and PolyPhen2 resulted in slightly higher yield but lower overall prediction performance than REVEL or BayesDel. Our results support the use of gene-level rather than generalized thresholds, when gene-level thresholds can be estimated. Our results also support the use of 2-sided thresholds, which allow for uncertainty, rather than a single, binary cut-point for assigning benign and deleterious evidence. The gene-level 2-sided thresholds we derived for REVEL or BayesDel can be used to assess in silico evidence for missense variants in accordance with current classification guidelines.

Background Gut microbiota has been suggested to play a role in stroke patients. Nevertheless, little is known about gut microbiota and the clinical indexes in stroke patients. Methods Total of 30 cerebral ischemic stroke (CI) patients and 30 healthy control were enrolled in this study and the fecal gut microbiota was profiled via Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA V1-V2. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were used to quantify stroke severity and modified Rankin scale (mRS) to assess outcome for CI patients. The correlations between the clinical indexes and microbiota were evaluated. Results Though the microbial α-diversity and structure is similar between CI patients and healthy controls, the gut microbiota of CI patients had more short chain fatty acids producer including Odoribacter, Akkermansia, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_005 and Victivallis. We also found that the special microbes were correlation with serum index, such as norank_O_ _Mollicutes_RF9, Enterobacter, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-002 were negative correlation with LDL (r = − 0.401, P