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High mortality of patients with cervical cancer (CC) stresses the imperative of prognostic biomarkers for CC patients. Additionally, the vital status of post‐translational modifications (PTMs) in the progression of cancers has been reported by numerous researches. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to dig a prognostic signature correlated with PTMs for CC. We built a five‐mRNA (GALNTL6, ARSE, DPAGT1, GANAB and FURIN) prognostic signature associated with PTMs to predict both disease‐free survival (DFS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.967, 95% CI = 1.985‐7.927; P

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most malignant tumor types worldwide. Our objective was to identify a genetic signature that could predict the prognosis of patients with LUAD. We extracted gene data sets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and obtained differentially expressed genes that were highly expressed at every stage. These genes were analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis to obtain four biological processes associated with LUAD. Subsequently, Cox univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to generate four optimized models (G2M checkpoint, E2F targets, mitotic spindle, and glycolysis). We identified a mitotic spindle-related signature (KIF15, BUB1, CCNB2, CDK1, KIF4A, DLGAP5, ECT2, and ANLN), which could be an independent prognostic indicator, to predict the prognosis of patients with LUAD. This new discovery should offer opportunities to explore the pathogenesis of LUAD and prove clinically useful in predicting LUAD patient prognosis.

BACKGROUND Region-growing-based phase unwrapping methods have the potential for lossless phase aliasing removal, but generally suffer from unwrapping error propagation associated with discontinuous phase and/or long calculation times. The tradeoff point between robustness and efficiency of phase unwrapping methods in the region-growing category requires improvement. PURPOSE To demonstrate an accurate, robust, and efficient region-growing phase unwrapping method for MR phase imaging applications. STUDY TYPE Prospective. SUBJECTS, PHANTOM: normal human subjects (10) / brain surgery patients (2) / water phantoms / computer simulation. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3 T/gradient echo sequences (2D and 3D). ASSESSMENT A seed prioritized unwrapping (SPUN) method was developed based on single-region growing, prioritizing only a portion (eg, 100 seeds or 1% seeds) of available seed voxels based on continuity quality during each region-growing iteration. Computer simulation, phantom, and in vivo brain and pelvis scans were performed. The error rates, seed percentages, and calculation times were recorded and reported. SPUN unwrapped phase images were visually evaluated and compared with Laplacian unwrapped results. STATISTICAL TESTS Monte Carlo simulation was performed on a 3D dipole phase model with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 1-9 dB, to obtain the mean and standard deviation of calculation error rates and calculation times. RESULTS Simulation revealed a very robust unwrapping performance of SPUN, reaching an error rate of

In article number 1903252, Congxin Xia, Yufang Liu, Jingbo Li, Zhongming Wei, and co‐workers describe a reversible diode based on 2D InSe/GeSe van der Waals heterostructure. In the image, yellow lines decorated on the substrate, which are apparently severed but actually connected, implies the near‐broken band alignment of this diode. The diode can be effectively reversed by gate‐bias (control box) through the modulation of band alignment from staggered type to broken type. As shown in the cover image, the unique characteristics of this device are expected to be the core of a motor controller with the speed and direction modulation. [Image: see text]

BACKGROUND: Biological control is a potential strategy to reduce post-harvest decay in several fruits. Little research has been carried out on the effects of endophytic bacterium on post-harvest blight caused by Phytophthora nicotianae in papaya. In this work, the biocontrol activity of Pseudomonas putida MGP1 on this disease and its possible mechanisms, including changes of defensive enzyme activities, total phenolic content and mRNA levels of two important genes, were investigated. RESULTS: Fruits treated with MGP1 showed a significant lower disease index and demonstrated increases in chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and catalase activities and total phenolic content. In addition, the expression levels of pathogenesis related protein 1 gene (PR1) and non-expressor of PR1 gene (NPR1) in papaya fruits were elevated by MGP1 treatment. CONCLUSION The results indicated that papaya fruits were responsive to the endophytic bacterium Ps. putida, which could activate defensive enzymes and genes and thereby induce host disease resistance. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

MYC2, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, is a key regulator in the activation of jasmonate (JA) response. However, the molecular details of MYC2 involving in methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-induced chilling tolerance of fruit remain largely unclear. In the present work, two MYC2 genes, MaMYC2a and MaMYC2b, and one homolog of the inducer of the C-repeat-binding factor (CBF) gene, MaICE1 were isolated and characterized from banana fruit. MaMYC2s and MaICE1 were found to be all localized in the nucleus. In addition, the proline-rich domain (PRD) and the acidic domain (AD) in the N-terminus were important for the transcriptional activation of MaMYC2 in yeast cells. Unlike MaICE1's constitutive expression, MaMYC2a and MaMYC2b were induced rapidly following MeJA treatment during cold storage. Moreover, protein-protein interaction analysis confirmed that MaMYC2s interacted with MaICE1. The expression of ICE-CBF cold-responsive pathway genes including MaCBF1, MaCBF2, MaCOR1, MaKIN2, MaRD2 and MaRD5 was also significantly induced by MeJA. Taken together, our work provides strong evidence that MaMYC2 is involved in MeJA-induced chilling tolerance in banana fruit through physically interacting and likely functionally coordinating with MaICE1, revealing a novel mechanism for ICE1 in response to cold stress as well as during development of induced chilling tolerance.

BACKGROUND: Little attention has been paid to characterising the ethylene-signalling pathway genes in relation to abnormal ripening of harvested banana fruit during storage at high temperature. The aim of the present study was to investigate banana fruit abnormal ripening and the expression of ten genes associated with the ethylene-signalling pathway, namely MaACS1, MaACO1, MaERS1–4 and MaEIL1–4, at high temperature. Changes in these parameters of banana fruit at high temperature in response to 1-MCP pretreatment were also investigated. RESULTS: High temperature accelerated the decline in fruit firmness, increased ethylene production and inhibited degreening in banana fruit, resulting in fruit abnormal ripening. In addition, the expression of MaACS1, MaACO1, MaERS2, MaERS3, MaERS4, MaEIL1, MaEIL3 and MaEIL4 was enhanced in banana fruit stored at high temperature. However, application of 1-MCP prior to high temperature storage delayed fruit abnormal ripening and simultaneously suppressed the expression of MaACS1, MaERS2, MaERS3, MaEIL1, MaEIL3 and MaEIL4. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggested that the expression of genes associated with the ethylene-signalling pathway might be involved in banana fruit abnormal ripening at high temperature. Application of 1-MCP suppressed the expression of genes associated with the ethylene-signalling pathway, which may be attributed at least partially to 1-MCP delaying fruit abnormal ripening at high temperature. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

The photodegradation reaction rate of CHCl3, in TiO2 particulate suspension was improved significantly by HCl-treatment. The effect of HCl-treatment on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 was studied in a PEC cell by using Intensity-Modulated Photocurrent Spectroscopy (IMPS). The magnitude of photocurrent response and the characteristic frequencies of the upper and lower semicircles in the complex plane of IMPS response were analyzed, and the cathodic and anodic reaction processes of photogenerated holes and electrons were discussed. The increases in the cathodic and anodic photocurrent response and in the time constants of both cathodic and anodic reaction processes indicate that HCl-treatment leads to the improvement of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 and a change of the photocatalytic kinetic mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Traditional approaches to the control of diseases of papaya fruit rely on the use of synthetic chemicals, which can cause serious human health and environmental problems. Endophytes might be used as an alternative to chemicals to effectively control diseases of harvested papaya fruit. RESULTS: MGP1 was one of the biological control agents that was selected from the pericarp of papaya and identified as Pseudomonas putida biovar A. The bacterium was able to colonise in the lamina, leafstalk, pericarp and pulp of papaya and strongly inhibit ten kinds of phytopathogen. Positive control effects were achieved when fruits were challenged with Phytophthora nicotianae at 24 and 48 h after MGP1 treatment. The control effect of MGP1 on anthracnose of harvested papaya fruit reached 54%. The application of MGP1 at five preharvest stages of papaya significantly reduced the disease index of anthracnose, with the best control effect reaching 63% after application at the florescence stage. However, the rate of latent infection of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was significantly reduced only after application at the florescence stage. CONCLUSION: The results indicated the powerful ability of MGP1 as a biological agent. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry

The influence of notches on the fracture of single crystal silicon thin films was investigated. The tests were conducted on notched and smooth tensile specimens micromachined on a silicon wafer. The specimen geometry was 100 μm long, 50 μm wide and 5 μm thick. For the notched specimen, a V-shaped sub-micrometer notch was introduced on one edge of it by using a focused ion beam (FIB) process. The notch lengths ranged from 0.07 to 1.3 μm. Four types of specimens with different surfaces and tensile orientations were tested. The smooth specimens showed scattered fracture strengths and 'collapsed' fractures. For the restrictive-shaped notches, the critical length was 0.5 μm. The short-notched ( 0.5 μm) specimens, the notch was equivalent to a crack in the Griffith model and the crack mainly propagated on {111} cleaved planes.

2-Methyl-4-propoxypyridine, a new pyridine derivative, has been synthesized and used as an additive in the liquid electrolyte of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Compared with 2-methylpyridne and 4-tertpyridine, they were employed to study the influence of the pyridine derivative additives on the rate of recombination at the electrode/dye/electrolyte interfaces and band edge shift of TiO2, which were measured by time-resolved mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky analysis, respectively. It was found that the rate of interfacial charge recombination was enhanced when the pyridine derivative additives were present in the electrolyte. Meanwhile, the additives caused a negative shift of the band edge. However, the net effect of pyridine derivative addition was to improve the open-circuit photovoltage according to the photoelectrochernical measurement, indicating that negative shift of conduction band of TiO2 was a predominant factor in improving the open-circuit photovoltage. Also, the result was strongly supported by the dark current measurement. Therefore, it provides a microscopic account for the function of the pyridine derivative additives on the open-circuit photovoltage enhancement of the DSSCs. Furthermore, the decrease of the short-circuit photocurrent of the cells was also attributed to the slower dye regeneration due to the addition of additives from the results of cyclic voltammetry measurement. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The fracture toughness of single-crystal silicon thin films oriented to (100) and (110) was investigated by tensile testing under both 〈100〉 and 〈110〉 loading conditions. The specimen was fabricated from a p-type Czochralski (CZ)-grown wafer and passed through a thermal process during the fabrication of the test device. The measured fracture toughness is dependent on the loading direction in the tensile test and independent of the specimen surface orientation. The test results were 1.94 MPa√m in the 〈100〉 direction and 1.17 MPa√m in the 〈110〉. In these tests, no longitudinal size effect on the fracture stress or fracture toughness was observed. The SEM photographs obtained from the fracture specimens after the tensile test show that the crack initiated from the notch tip and propagated straight in the across-the-width direction on the (110) or (111) cleavage plane.

A novel quaternary ammonium salt, polysiloxane containing quaternary ammonium groups, was designed and synthesized. Thermogravimetric results showed that the polymer maintained stable below 250°C. Ambient conductivities higher than 10−4 S cm−1 could be observed when appropriate amounts of suitable plasticizers were incorporated into the present quaternary ammonium salt. A dye-sensitized solar cell fabricated using a plasticized electrolyte showed a fill factor of 0.50 and an energy conversion efficiency of 7.7%. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The stability of platinized catalytic electrodes prepared by thermal decomposition of hexachloroplatinic acid was investigated. The platinum on the electrode did not dissolve in the presence of the electrolyte containing an iodide/triiodide redox couple, even under anodic bias. The electrocatalytic activity of platinized catalytic electrodes sealed in a cell with oxygen-free electrolyte did not decrease within 23 weeks. However, the charge transfer resistance value of platinized catalytic electrodes increased tenfold when the electrodes were heated at 150° for 15 min in air during the sealing process and doubled when the electrodes were reused. The XPS analysis results showed that part of the platinum catalyst on the surface of the electrode was transformed to Pt[II] and Pt[IV] during the thermal sealing process, which led to the decrease of catalytic activity of the platinized catalytic electrodes for the reduction of triiodide. A large amount of inactive iodine absorbed on the surface of the reused electrode, which was confirmed by XPS, also decreased the electrocatalytic activity of the electrodes. The electrocatalytic activity of reused electrodes can be recovered by heating again at 390 °C or removing the platinum oxide and inactive iodine by the electrochemical method.