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A new, efficient, and practical radical cyclization of olefinic amides with ketones through α-C(sp3)–H functionalization in the presence of tert-butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB) is described for the first time. This protocol assembles a wide range of pivotal and useful benzoxazines in good to excellent yields under mild, catalyst-free, ligand-free, and base-free conditions with wide functional group tolerance. Moreover, the mechanistic study indicates that the α-carbonyl radical is involved in this transformation.

Studies have found that molecular targets that regulate tissue development are also involved in regulating tissue regeneration. Erythropoietin-producing hepatocyte A4 (EphA4) not only plays a guiding role in neurite outgrowth during the development of the central nervous system (CNS) but also induces injured axon retraction and inhibits axon regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). EphA4 targets several ephrin ligands (including ephrin-A and ephrin-B) and is involved in cortical cell migration, axon guidance, synapse formation and astrocyte function. However, how EphA4 affects axon regeneration after SCI remains unclear. This study focuses on the effect and mechanism of EphA4-regulated astrocyte function in neuronal regeneration after SCI. Our research found that EphA4 expression increased significantly after SCI and peaked at 3 days post-injury; accordingly, we identified the cellular localization of EphA4 and ephrin-B ligands in neurons and astrocytes after SCI. EphA4 was mainly expressed on the surface of neurons, ephrin-B1 and ephrin-B3 were mainly localized on astrocytes, and ephrin-B2 was distributed on both neurons and astrocytes. To further elucidate the effect of EphA4 on astrocyte function after SCI, we detected the related cytokines secreted by astrocytes in vivo. We found that the levels of neurotrophic factors including nerve growth factor (NGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) increased significantly after SCI (NGF peaked at 3 days and bFGF peaked at 7 days); the expression of laminin and fibronectin increased gradually after SCI; the expression of inflammatory factors [interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6] increased significantly from 4 h to 7 days after SCI; and the levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of astrocyte activation, and chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan (CSPG), the main component of glial scars, both peaked at 7 days after SCI. Using a damaged astrocyte model in vitro, we similarly found that the levels of related cytokines increased after injury. Consequently, we observed the effect of damaged astrocytes on neurite outgrowth and regeneration, and the results showed that damaged astrocytes hindered neurite outgrowth and regeneration; however, the inhibitory effect of injured astrocytes on neurite regeneration was reduced following ephrin-B receptor knockdown or inflammatory inhibition at 24 h after astrocyte injury. Our results showed that EphA4 regulates the secretion of neurotrophic factors, adhesion molecules, inflammatory factors and glial scar formation by binding with the ligand ephrin-B located on the surface of astrocytes. EphA4 affects neurite outgrowth and regeneration after SCI by regulating astrocyte function.

This investigation was aimed at determining the concentration levels of five toxic heavy metals (lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, and mercury) in dried Porphyra and Laminaria samples from coastal city of China. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for determination of lead, cadmium and total arsenic. Atomic fluorescence spectrometry was used for mercury, and liquid chromatography coupled with ICP-MS was used for arsenic speciation. The mean concentrations of lead, cadmium, chromium, total arsenic, and mercury were 0.96 ± 0.03 mg/kg, 2.62 ± 0.07 mg/kg, 1.64 ± 0.08 mg/kg, 36.67 ± 0.53 mg/kg, and 7.56 ± 0.42 μg/kg for Porphyra samples and 0.61 ± 0.03 mg/kg, 0.48 ± 0.02 mg/kg, 3.78 ± 0.56 mg/kg, 43.85 ± 1.42 mg/kg, and 46.61 ± 2.02 μg/kg for Laminaria samples. The results were comparable with previous similar research. The potential health risk assessment was conducted by comparing the calculated weekly intakes of toxic metals from Porphyra and Laminaria with provisional tolerable weekly intake. Consumption of these seaweeds does not seem to pose a risk for the consumers' health regarding their content of heavy metals. However, the potential health risk of cadmium should not be overlooked for consumers with high intake of Porphyra.

An efficient procedure for the selective preparation of hydroxy-, carbonyl- and acetal-containing 2-pyrrolidinones has been developed through radical cyclization of 1,6-dienes initiated by α-C(sp3)–H functionalization of alcohols. This protocol could be conducted at catalyst-free conditions at relatively low temperature (80 °C) by employing commercially available tert-butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB) as the oxidant.

A green and efficient procedure for the preparation of valuable 2,3-dihydrofurans and benzoxazines has been achieved through halocyclization of olefinic 1,3-dicarbonyls or olefinic amides. This protocol could be conducted under catalyst-, base-, and oxidant-free conditions in aqueous media open to the air at room temperature with good to excellent yields. Notably, the practicality of this method is further highlighted by gram-scale reactions in good yields.

Morchella angusticeps Peck, one of the most popular edible mushrooms, has attracted great attention due to its delicious taste and healthy properties. However, both its biological effects and the possible mechanism of action have not yet been known. We investigated the anti-proliferative activity of the phenolic extract derived from Morchella angusticeps Peck (MPE) against HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Results showed that MPE at non-cytotoxicity doses significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner with inhibitory rates ranging from 18 to 90% (P

Without using any additives, a practical and eco-friendly methodology has been realized for the tandem double cyclization of 1,6-dienes with easily accessible azobis(alkylcarbonitriles) on water. This chemistry has mild reaction conditions, employing water as the sole solvent, with high regioselectivity and ease of scale-up. Moreover, this is the first example of 1,n-diene cyclization using azobis(alkylcarbonitriles) as a two-carbon unit for the construction of polycyclic skeletons.

A concise and eco-friendly acylation/cyclization of 1,6-dienes with linear ethers under catalyst- and base-free conditions has been developed. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP)-promoted tandem cleavage of C(sp3)–H and C(sp3)–O bonds of linear ethers is the key in this process, which provides a straightforward and efficient method to realize acylation reaction. The significant advantages of this method include catalyst- and base-free, mild reaction conditions, high scalability, operational simplicity, ease of scale-up, dual roles of ethers and controllable synthesis.

Isotactic poly (1-butene) (iPB) has excellent properties which are recognized as a green and energy saving product. However, the most stable and valuable crystal form I had a spontaneous transformation that took as long as seven days to complete. As a special solid waste, the herb residue (HR) is rich in cellulose which has great potential to accelerate the crystal transformation of the iPB. However, the polarity of HR results in the interface compatibility with non-polar iPB. In this study, the HR was modified by silane coupling agent (KH570) to obtain KHR and the iPB/HR composite was prepared. The FTIR spectrum was indicated that the organic functional groups of KH570 successfully graft onto the surface of HR and the water contact angle test was indicated that the hydrophilicity of the KHR was greatly decreased. The complete crystal transformation time is 7 days for iPB, 6 days for iPB+5% HR but only 3 days for iPB+5% KHR. The addition of the HR and KHR improve the thermal stability of the composite and this beneficial effect is more obvious for KHR. After annealing for 5 days, the physical properties value include tensile strength, flexural strength, and HDT of iPB+5% HR reach that of pure iPB after annealing for 7 days, but only 3 days for iPB+5% KHR. The TG analysis and SEM photographs give clear evidence that the beneficial effect of KH570 modified HR on improving the interface compatibility with iPB.

A simple grating system based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) (poly(NIPAM-co-AAm)) hydrogel for sensitive and rapid detection of ethanol concentration is developed. The hydrogel gratin...

Leaf rolling and discoloration are two chilling-injury symptoms that are widely used as indicators for the evaluation of cold tolerance at the seedling stage in rice. However, the difference in cold-response mechanisms underlying these two traits remains unknown. In the present study, a cold-tolerant rice cultivar, Lijiangxintuanheigu, and a cold-sensitive cultivar, Sanhuangzhan-2, were subjected to low-temperature treatments and physiological and genome-wide gene expression analyses were conducted. Leaf rolling occurred at temperatures lower than 11 °C, whereas discoloration appeared at moderately low temperatures such as 13 °C. Chlorophyll contents in both cultivars were significantly decreased at 13 °C, but not altered at 11 °C. In contrast, the relative water content and relative electrolyte leakage of both cultivars decreased significantly at 11 °C, but did not change at 13 °C. Expression of genes associated with calcium signaling and abscisic acid (ABA) degradation was significantly altered at 11 °C in comparison with 25 °C and 13 °C. Numerous genes in the DREB, MYB, bZIP, NAC, Zinc finger, bHLH, and WRKY gene families were differentially expressed. Many aquaporin genes and the key genes in trehalose and starch synthesis were down regulated at 11 °C in comparison with 25 °C and 13 °C. These results suggest that the two chilling injury symptoms are temperature-specific and are controlled by different mechanisms. Cold-induced leaf rolling is associated with calcium and ABA signaling pathways and is regulated by multiple transcriptional regulators. The suppression of aquaporin genes and reduced accumulation of soluble sugars under cold stress results in a reduction in cellular water potential and consequently leaf rolling. Keywords: Rice (Oryza sativa L.), Cold-induced leaf yellowing, Cold-induced leaf rolling, Physiological analysis, Genome-wide expression profiling

Eleven grape cultivars were analysed to explore the variety differences of fresh grape phenolic profiles. The results showed that free phenolics were predominant in grape skins and pulps, and showed the higher antioxidant activities than bound. In 11 cultivars, Muscat Kyoho extracts had the highest total phenolic content in skins (10.525 mg GAE g−1 FW) and pulps (1.134 mg GAE g−1 FW), and exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavening capacity (EC50=11.7 μg mL−1) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value (190.57 μmol TE g−1 FW) of free phenolic in skin. In addition, the most abundant phenolics in grape skins were found to be flavonoids such as kaempferol in Kyoho skin (541.2 μg g−1 FW), rutin, catechin and epicatechin in Muscat Kyoho skin (262.3, 86.3 and 70.0 μg g−1 FW, respectively). Furthermore, the principal component analysis showed a strong difference of phenolic profiles with the cultivars, existing forms and distributions. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis showed a significant linear correlation between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (P

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are a new class of persistent organic pollutants and have aroused great concern of many environmental scientists, due to their ubiquity in various environmental media and biotas. Given their relative low levels in environmental samples, CPs need to be enriched and cleaned up before instrumental analysis. CPs consist of thousands of congeners and isomers, thus posing grand challenges to eliminate the mass interference by homologues and other organohalogen compounds during instrumental examination. Fortunately, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) owns the powerful ability to solve this key problem owing to its high mass resolution. This review introduces the methods of pretreatment and instrumental analysis of CPs-containing samples in the environment, mainly illustrating the application of gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled with HRMS (i.e. GC-HRMS and LC-HRMS). The existing issues and prospects of future study are also discussed.

Preclinical studies indicate that (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK) is a putative fast-acting antidepressant candidate. Although inhibition of NMDA-type glutamate receptors (NMDARs) is one mechanism proposed to underlie ketamine’s antidepressant and adverse effects, the potency of (2R,6R)-HNK to inhibit NMDARs has not been established. We used a multidisciplinary approach to determine the effects of (2R,6R)-HNK on NMDAR function. Antidepressant-relevant behavioral responses and (2R,6R)-HNK levels in the extracellular compartment of the hippocampus were measured following systemic (2R,6R)-HNK administration in mice. The effects of ketamine, (2R,6R)-HNK, and, in some cases, the (2S,6S)-HNK stereoisomer were evaluated on the following: (i) NMDA-induced lethality in mice, (ii) NMDAR-mediated field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in the CA1 field of mouse hippocampal slices, (iii) NMDAR-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) and NMDA-evoked currents in CA1 pyramidal neurons of rat hippocampal slices, and (iv) recombinant NMDARs expressed in Xenopus oocytes. While a single i.p. injection of 10 mg/kg (2R,6R)-HNK exerted antidepressant-related behavioral and cellular responses in mice, the ED50 of (2R,6R)-HNK to prevent NMDA-induced lethality was found to be 228 mg/kg, compared with 6.4 mg/kg for ketamine. The 10 mg/kg (2R,6R)-HNK dose generated maximal hippocampal extracellular concentrations of ∼8 µM, which were well below concentrations required to inhibit synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDARs in vitro. (2S,6S)-HNK was more potent than (2R,6R)-HNK, but less potent than ketamine at inhibiting NMDARs. These data demonstrate the stereoselectivity of NMDAR inhibition by (2R,6R;2S,6S)-HNK and support the conclusion that direct NMDAR inhibition does not contribute to antidepressant-relevant effects of (2R,6R)-HNK.

A series of aliphatic chain modified [12]aneN3 cationic lipids, 1a-1f, were synthesized and fully characterized with 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The liposomes formed from 1a-1f and dioleoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine could effectively retard DNA migration, and condense DNA into spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 130–220 nm. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of these liposomes assayed by MTT indicated their good biocompatibility in A549 and HepG2 cells. Results from cell transfection experiments proved that 1c and 1f exhibited higher transfection efficiency in A549 cells, which were higher than commercially reagent lipofectamine 2000. In order to study the interaction between 1c, 1f and DNA, ionic strength effects and DNA release experiments were carried out，indicating that the DNA condensation induced by 1c and 1f was reversible, and electrostatic interaction played important roles. These results suggested that 1c and 1f have great potential to be efficient non-viral gene vectors.

Tin sulfide (SnS) has analogous structural features to tin selenide (SnSe), but contains more abundant resources as compared with SnSe. SnS has elicited attention as a potential eco-friendly thermoelectric (TE) material. However, the intrinsic carrier concentration of SnS is very low, thereby hindering the performance improvement of the material. This study proposes that the TE properties of polycrystalline Na-doped SnS (synthesized through an improved chemical co-precipitation) can be significantly enhanced. The maximum power factor (PF) of 362 μW m−1 K−2 at 873 K was achieved, presenting a state-of-the-art value for the polycrystalline SnS. Considering the merits of the improved electrical properties and lower thermal conductivity of SnS, the highest ZT was up to 0.52 at 873 K even without intentional chemical doping. This study offers an effective approach for improving the PF to achieve high ZT in SnS. Hence, we expect that this new perspective can be extended to other dopants and broaden the scope of synthesis technology.

Fe-based metal-organic frameworks(Fe(III)-MOFs)were synthesized by Fe2(SO4)3 and trimesic acid using microwave-assisted ball milling method. The structure of the Fe(III)-MOFs was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The thermostability of the MOFs was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Fe(III)-MOFs were added in aqueous solutions to remove organic dyes. The removal efficiencies of Orange II, CR and MB reached 95.9%, 98.7%, 95.7% respectively at 10℃ and reached 97.7%, 99.7%, 97.5% respectively at 35℃ in 300 min.

Background Seed dormancy directly affects the phenotype of pre-harvest sprouting, and ultimately affects the quality and yield of rice seeds. Although many genes controlling seed dormancy have been cloned from cereals, the regulatory mechanisms controlling this process are complex, and much remains unknown. The MAPK cascade is involved in many signal transduction pathways. Recently, MKK3 has been reported to be involved in the regulation of seed dormancy, but its mechanism of action is unclear. Results We found that MKKK62-overexpressing rice lines (OE) lost seed dormancy. Further analyses showed that the abscisic acid (ABA) sensitivity of OE lines was decreased. In yeast two-hybrid experiments, MKKK62 interacted with MKK3, and MKK3 interacted with MAPK7 and MAPK14. Knock-out experiments confirmed that MKK3, MAPK7, and MAPK14 were involved in the regulation of seed dormancy. The OE lines showed decreased transcript levels of OsMFT, a homolog of a gene that controls seed dormancy in wheat. The up-regulation of OsMFT in MKK3-knockout lines (OE/mkk3) and MAPK7/14-knockout lines (OE/mapk7/mapk14) indicated that the MKKK62-MKK3-MAPK7/MAPK14 system controlled seed dormancy by regulating the transcription of OsMFT. Conclusion Our results showed that MKKK62 negatively controls seed dormancy in rice, and that during the germination stage and the late stage of seed maturation, ABA sensitivity and OsMFT transcription are negatively controlled by MKKK62. Our results have clarified the entire MAPK cascade controlling seed dormancy in rice. Together, these results indicate that protein modification by phosphorylation plays a key role in controlling seed dormancy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12284-018-0260-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The immune synapse, a specialized interface formed between T lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) after antigen recognition, is essential for T cell activation and the adaptive immune response. It has been shown that this interface shares similarities with the primary cilium, a sensory organelle in eukaryotic cells, although roles of ciliary proteins on the immune synapse remain elusive. In this study, we find that inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase E (INPP5E), a cilium-enriched protein responsible for regulating phosphoinositide localization, accumulated at the immune synapse during antigen-specific conjugation or antibody capping, and formed a complex with CD3ζ, ZAP-70, and Lck. Silencing INPP5E in T-cells impaired polarized distribution of CD3ζ at the immune synapse, and correlated with a failure of PI(4,5)P2 clearance at the center of the synapse. Moreover, INPP5E silencing decreased proximal TCR signaling, including phosphorylation of CD3ζ and ZAP-70, and finally, attenuated IL-2 secretion. Our results suggest that INPP5E is a new player in phosphoinositide manipulation at the synapse, controlling the TCR signaling cascade.

Shales are widely developed in the strata of the Carboniferous-Permian coal measures in the Qinshui Basin, and these shales have great potential for shale gas exploration. In this paper, the shales of the Taiyuan Formation in the eastern Qinshui Basin are studied. The shales of the Taiyuan Formation in the study area are investigated through field investigation, organic geochemical testing, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high pressure mercury injection, low temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption and PetroMod simulation and through other tests to study the reservoir characteristics, such as organic geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, pore permeability, and gas burial history. The results show that the shales of the Taiyuan Formation are well developed over the whole area with a thickness of more than 60 m. The average organic matter content is 2.95%, and the kerogen type is type III. The shale maturity (average value is 2.45%) corresponds to the stage of high maturity evolution, indicating that a large amount of shale gas has been generated in this area. A high content of quartz and clay minerals indicates a high fracturability. The nanopores in the shale reservoir are well developed at pore sizes between 2˜10 nm and greater than 1000 nm; however, the pores at the other pore sizes are poorly developed, resulting in weak pore connectivity in the reservoir. According to the results of the PetroMod simulation, the shale of the Taiyuan Formation has undergone two subsidence and two uplift processes. The Yanshanian magmatic intrusion is the key factor for the rapid increase in gas production. In addition, the geological structure of the area is relatively simple, and the burial history and caprock thickness are also the main controlling factors of gas generation and preservation. The shale-sandstone-shale combination and shale-coal-shale combination are the main models of shale gas preservation. This comprehensive study suggests that the shale gas of the Taiyuan Formation in the eastern Qinshui Bain has good potential for exploration and development.

The application of ultrasound and microbubbles (USMB-) mediated microRNA (miR) is a promising approach of gene delivery for cancer treatment. We aimed to discuss the effects of USMB-miR-505 on cervical cancer (CC) development. miR-505 mediated by USMB was prepared. The effect of miR-505 on its transfection efficiency and the effect of miR-505 on HeLa cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were studied. The target gene of miR-505 was predicted, and its expression in CC was detected. The effect of the target gene on HeLa cells was further verified. USMB-miR-505 showed a higher transfection efficiency than miR-505 alone. The inhibitory effect of miR-505 mediated by USMB on HeLa cells was better than miR-505. miR-505 targeted AKT2, which was upregulated in CC. Overexpression of AKT2 reversed the inhibitory effect of USMB-miR-505 on HeLa cell malignant behaviors. Overall, we highlighted that USMB-miR-505 inhibited HeLa cell malignant behaviors by targeting AKT2.

Guided bone regeneration (GBR) membrane has been used to improve functional outcomes for periodontal regeneration. However, few studies have focused on the biomimetic membrane mimicking the vascularization of the periodontal membrane. This study aimed to fabricate waterborne polyurethane (WPU) fibrous membranes loaded fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) via emulsion electrospinning, which can promote regeneration of periodontal tissue via the vascularization of the biomimetic GBR membrane. A biodegradable WPU was synthesized by using lysine and dimethylpropionic acid as chain extenders according to the rule of green chemical synthesis technology. The WPU fibers with FGF-2 was fabricated via emulsion electrospinning. The results confirmed that controlled properties of the fibrous membrane had been achieved with controlled degradation, suitable mechanical properties and sustained release of the factor. The immunohistochemical expression of angiogenic-related factors was positive, meaning that FGF-2 loaded in fibers can significantly promote cell vascularization. The fiber scaffold loaded FGF-2 has the potential to be used as a functional GBR membrane to promote the formation of extraosseous blood vessels during periodontal repairing.

Nitrogen is essential for the synthesis of key cellular compounds such as proteins and nucleic acids in all organisms, and it is one of the limiting elements in most terrestrial ecosystems. During past decades, terrestrial ecosystems nutrients availability have altered with nitrogen deposition increases rapidly so that under the soil microbial metabolism activities terrestrial ecosystem biogeochemical cycles are strongly affected. Therefore, maintaining the stability of soil carbon pools, especially microbial carbon pools has great importance for studying global carbon cycle and global climate change processes. Depending on whether soil microbial has already adapted to the environment nitrogen concentration, there exists different results, such as promotion, inhibition, and no impact. To date, how nitrogen will affect soil microbial respiration still has controversy. To determine the effects, we performed a 59 weeks incubation with the soil which has already treated with Urea for 9 years. The soil has been treated with four N addition levels in a semi-arid grassland where located in North-west part of China. We measured CO2 effluxion under different treatments within the same temperature. Our results showed that during the first 8 weeks, soil microbial had strong responses about N addition and N9.2 showed greatest influence with soil microbial respiration. With the time passing, in the time of 9-59 weeks, N0 had highest soil microbial respiration rate while N2.3 was the lowest, this illustrated N2.3 had highest N use efficient (NUE), in order to meet soil microbial stoichiometry, microbial growth became strong C-limitation under the N2.3 treatment. What’s more, comparing with other studies which we shared same study area, we also found that the time of nitrogen application also had strong effect on soil microbial respiration. These results highlight the importance of microbial respiration and may also help us to have a better understand about how N deposition controls terrestrial C flows.

Isotactic polybutylene-1 (iPB) has lots of advantages and is best used as hot water pipe. However, to transform into stable crystal form I, the iPB needs as long as 7 days. In this process, the irreversible damage brings great difficulties to the use of the iPB. The method which convert it directly into crystal I has shortcomings such as being requiring complex operation and being expensive. In this study, an innovative idea was put forward, not paying attention to the crystal transformation of iPB but only focusing on reducing the time it can be applied. In this study, bamboo powder was modified by the silane coupling agent KH570 (KBP) to prepare iPB/KBP composite. The infiltration test and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed that the hydrophilicity of KBP is greatly reduced, which can greatly improve the compatibility of the iPB and KBP. The tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of the composites storage for 3 days is equal to the pure iPB with storage 7 days with the KBP additions of 3%, 3%, 7%, and 5%, respectively. The heat deformation temperature (HDT) of the composite with 3% KBP after 1-day storage reached the value of pure iPB storage for 7 days. This provides more space and possibilities for the industrialization of the iPB. The crystallization behavior of iPB/KBP composites proves that the addition of KBP accelerates the crystallization rate of iPB, but the crystallinity of the iPB/KBP composites is not changed. The SEM photograph of iPB/KBP composites showed that when the KBP addition was low the compatibility between KBP and iPB was good. When the KBP addition was increased the agglomeration of KBP in the iPB was very obvious, which leads to the poor mechanical properties of the composite.

Protein products of the regenerating islet-derived (REG) gene family are important regulators of many cellular processes. Here we functionally characterise a non-protein coding product of the family, the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) REG1CP that is transcribed from a DNA fragment at the family locus previously thought to be a pseudogene. REG1CP forms an RNA–DNA triplex with a homopurine stretch at the distal promoter of the REG3A gene, through which the DNA helicase FANCJ is tethered to the core promoter of REG3A where it unwinds double stranded DNA and facilitates a permissive state for glucocorticoid receptor α (GRα)-mediated REG3A transcription. As such, REG1CP promotes cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenicity and its upregulation is associated with poor outcome of patients. REG1CP is also transcriptionally inducible by GRα, indicative of feedforward regulation. These results reveal the function and regulation of REG1CP and suggest that REG1CP may constitute a target for cancer treatment., The regenerating islet-derived (REG) protein family suppresses cell death and promotes cell proliferation. Here the authors report that the lncRNA REG1CP forms an RNA–DNA triplex at the promoter of REG3A gene to increase its expression.

Copper sulfide has received wide attention as a potential thermoelectric material with high performance and abundant resource. While the liquid-like Cu ions play an important role for the low κL and high ZT values, grain-boundary engineering is needed to further enhance the phonon scattering and the thermal stability of Cu2-xS. Here, we introduced the 3D graphene heterointerface into the Cu2-xS matrix by a facile technique combining mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). A significant ZT enhancement was realized with the highest ZT up to 1.56 and a high power factor of 1197 μW m−1 K−2 at 873 K in the sample with 0.75 wt% graphene. Additionally, the composite showed excellent reproducibility of PF after five cycles testing from room temperature to 873 K, which confirmed the practical application potentiality of this composite.

Seed storability is an important trait for crop breeding, however, the mechanism underlying seed storability remains largely unknown. Here, a mass spectrometry-based comparative metabolomic study was performed for rice seeds before and after 24-month natural storage between two hybrid rice cultivars, IIYou 998 (IIY) with low storability and BoYou 998 (BY) with relative high storability. A total of 48 metabolites among 90 metabolite peaks detected were conclusively identified, and most of them are involved in the primary metabolism. During the 24-month storage, 19 metabolites with significant changes in abundance were found in the storage-sensitive IIY seeds, but only 8 in the BY seeds, most of which are free amino acids and soluble sugars. The observed changes of the metabolites in IIY seeds that are consistent with our protoemics results are likely to be involved in its sensitivity to storage. Levels of all identified 18 amino acid-related metabolites and most sugar-related metabolites were significantly higher in IIY seeds both before and after storage. However the level of raffinose was lower in IIY seeds before and after storage, and did not change significantly throughout the storage period in both two cultivars, suggesting its potential role in seed storability. Taken together, these results may help to improve our understanding of seed storability.

Cu12Sb4S13 tetrahedrite has received great attention as an earth-abundant and environmental-friendly thermoelectric material. This work aims to uncover the thermoelectric performance-enhancing effect and the mechanism of nickel doping on tetrahedrite. A series of Cu12− x Ni x Sb4S13− δ ( x = 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0) compounds were synthesized by mechanical alloying combined with spark plasma sintering. It is found that the thermal conductivity sharply reduces with increasing Ni content over the entire temperature range, accompanied with an enhanced thermoelectric power factor. The model predicted that the reduced lattice thermal conductivity is attributed to mid-frequency phonon scattering, caused by precipitates and dislocations resulting from Ni doping. Consequently, a high ZT value up to 0.95 at 723 K was achieved for Cu11NiSb4S13− δ , corresponding to a ~46% increase over non-doped Cu12Sb4S13− δ . Furthermore, the cyclic measurement showed that the Ni-doped tetrahedrites displayed high chemical stability.

Four previously undescribed glutamic acid derivatives, verticillamines A-D (1–4), together with six known compounds (5–10) were isolated from the bulbs of Fritillaria verticillate Willd. The structures of (1−10) were established on the basis of UV, IR, MS, 1D and 2D NMR, and the absolute configurations of compounds (1–4) were determined by calculated ECD methods. Among them, compounds (1–3) were rare 2-methyl-γ-lactam alkaloid derivatives. Moreover, both γ-lactam alkaloids (1–5) and pyrrolidine alkaloids (6–7) were discovered in Fritillaria for the first time. Compound 8 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against A2780 and HepG 2 cells, with IC50 values of 11.7 ± 5.2 μM and 25.6 ± 2.8 μM.

Last two decades have witnessed significant progress in thermoelectric research, to which materials processing has crucial contributions. Compared with traditional zone-melting method used for fabricating bismuth telluride alloys, new powder-based processes have more freedom for manipulating nanostructures and nanocomposites. Thermoelectric performance enhancement is realized in most thermoelectric materials by introducing fine-grained and nano-composite structures with accurately controlled compositions. This review gives a comprehensive summary on the processing aspects of thermoelectric materials with three focuses on the powder synthesis, advanced sintering process and the formation of nanostructures in bulk materials.

Baclofen was illegally used in veterinary clinical medicine as a growth-promoting agent. To date, few methods have been developed for the monitoring of baclofen in animal tissues. In this study, a sensitive and efficient liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to identify and quantify baclofen in the muscle, liver, kidney, and fat of swine was developed and validated. Baclofen was extracted from tissues with ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5.2) and isolated with isopropyl-ethyl acetate (4:6, v/v). Then, a solid phase extraction using MCX cartridge was used to clean up the extracts. The elution was evaporated to dryness and reconstituted with water/methanol (90:10 v/v). All samples were determined by LC-MS/MS system through positive ionization in a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The proposed method was validated by evaluation of specificity, linearity, recovery, accuracy, precision, LOD, and LOQ values according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Estimated limit of quantification for baclofen in the muscle, liver, kidney, and fat of this method was 1.00 μg/kg, respectively. The mean intra- and inter-day assay accuracies fell within a range 88.5–93.9% and 86.2–93.2%, respectively. The mean intra- and inter-day precisions were 1.78 and 4.95% (RSD

The stimuli-responsive polymeric nanocarriers have been studied extensively, and their structural changes in cells are important for the controlled intracellular drug release. The present work reported RGD-dextran/purpurin 18 conjugates with pH-responsive phenylboronate as spacer for monitoring the structural change of nanovehicles through ratiometric photoacoustic (PA) signal. Phenylboronic acid modified purpurin 18 (NPBA-P18) could attach onto the RGD-decorated dextran (RGD-Dex), and the resulting RGD-Dex/NPBA-P18 (RDNP) conjugates with different molar ratios of RGD-Dex and NPBA-P18 were prepared. When the moles of NPBA-P18 were equivalent to more than triple of RGD-Dex, the single-stranded RDNP conjugates could self-assemble into nanoparticles in aqueous solution due to the fairly strong hydrophobicity of NPBA-P18. The pH-responsive aggregations of NPBA-P18 were investigated by UV-vis, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectra, as well as transmission electron microscope. Based on distinct PA signals between monomeric and aggregated state, ratiometric PA signal of I750/I710 could be presented to trace the structural change progress. Compared with RDNP single chains, the nanoparticles exhibited effective cellular internalization through endocytosis pathway. Furthermore, the nanoparticles could form well-ordered aggregates responding to intracellular acidic environment, and the resulting structural change was also monitored by ratiometric PA signal. Therefore, the noninvasive PA approach could provide a deep insight into monitoring the intracellular structural change process of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers.

Studies have shown that the addition of biochar to agricultural soils has the potential to mitigate climate change by decreasing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions resulting from denitrification. Rice paddy field soils have been known to have strong denitrifying activity, but the response of microbes to biochar for weakening denitrification in rice paddy field soils is not well known. In this work, compared with the chemical fertilizer alone, the chemical fertilizer + 20 t hm−2 biochar fertilizer slightly decreased denitrifying the nitrite reductase activity (S-NiR) and N2O emission without statistic difference, whereas the chemical fertilizer + 40 t hm−2 biochar significantly boosted them. The abundance of nir-denitrifiers contributed to S-NiR and N2O emission, especially nirS-denitrifiers, rather than the variation of community structure. Pearson correlation analysis showed that NO2−-N was a key factor for controlling the abundance of nir-denitrifiers, S-NiR and N2O emission. The biochar addition fertilization treatments strongly shaped the community structure of nirK-denitrifiers, while the community structure of nirS-denitrifiers remained relatively stable. In addition, Paracoccus and Sinorhizobium were revealed to be as the predominant lineage of nirS- and nirK-containing denitrifiers, respectively. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) showed that changes in the nir-denitrifier community structure were significantly related to soil organic carbon, NO3−-N, and total phosphorus. Our findings suggest that, although the nirS- and nirK-denitrifiers are both controlling nitrite reductase, their responses to biochar addition fertilization treatments showed significant discrepancies of diversity, abundance, and contribution to N2O and S-NiR in a paddy soil.

Lead-free manganese telluride has been considered to be a promising candidate for mid-temperature thermoelectric materials. In this work, we report point defect scattering-induced reduction of thermal conductivity in MnTe with Se alloying, fabricated by a facile method combining mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering. A low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.56 W/mK was obtained for MnTe0.92Se0.08, which is quite close to the amorphous limits. A detailed Debye model analysis reveals the underlying mechanism of phonon scattering and well predicts the thermal conductivity with different contents of Se. Meanwhile, a slight increase of carrier concentration was also observed after Se alloying, accompanied by a variation of energy gap that may be associated with the competition among anions in trapping charges. Further Na doping leads to enhanced electrical transport properties, achieving a maximum ZT value of 1.03 at 873 K. An average ZT of 0.52 and a calculated efficiency of more than 9% also suggest ...

Isotactic polypropylene (iPP) is a commonly used thermoplastic polymer with many excellent properties. But high brittleness, especially at low temperatures, limits the use of iPP. The presence of transcrystallization of iPP makes it possible for fiber-reinforced iPP composites with higher strength. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a kind of cellulose with great potential to be used as a new filler to reinforce iPP due to its high crystallinity, biodegradability and efficient mechanical properties. In this study, the iPP/BC hamburger composite was prepared by a simple hot press and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used to improve the interface compatibility of iPP and BC. The polarizing microscope (POM) photograph shows that BC successfully induces the transcrystallization of iPP. The differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) date proves that the addition of BC could improve the thermal properties and crystallization rate of the composite. Especially, this change is more obvious of the iPP/MAPP/BC. The mechanical properties of the iPP/BC composites were greatly increased. This DSC date is higher than BC, we used BC particles to enhance the iPP in our previous research. The scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis intuitively shows that the interface of the iPP/MAPP/BC is more smooth and flat than the iPP/BC. The fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis of the iPP/BC hamburger composites was shown that a new C=O group vibration appeared at 1743 cm&minus, 1, which indicated that the hydrogen bond structure of BC molecules was weakened and some hydroxyl groups were substituted after modification which can increase the lipophilicity of BC. These results indicated that the BC fiber can easily induce the transcrystallization of iPP, which has excellent mechanical properties. Moreover, the addition of MAPP contributes greatly to the interface compatibility of iPP and BC.

In cancer treatment, the unsatisfactory solid-tumor penetration of nanomaterials limits their therapeutic efficacy. We employed an in vivo self-assembly strategy and designed polymer-peptide conjugates (PPCs) that underwent an acid-induced hydrophobicity increase with a narrow pH-response range (from 7.4 to 6.5). In situ self-assembly in the tumor microenvironment at appropriate molecular concentrations (around the IC50 values of PPCs) enabled drug delivery deeper into the tumor. A cytotoxic peptide KLAK, decorated with the pH-sensitive moiety cis-aconitic anhydride (CAA), and a cell-penetrating peptide TAT were conjugated onto poly(β-thioester) backbones to produce PT-K-CAA, which can penetrate deeply into solid tumors owing to its small size as a single chain. During penetration in vivo, CAA responds to the weak acid, leading to the self-assembly of PPCs and the recovery of therapeutic activity. Therefore, a deep-penetration ability for enhanced cancer therapy is provided by this in vivo assembly strategy.

Carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (Cf/SiC) composite was fabricated by infiltrating liquid silicon (Si) into the carbon preform, which was built by selective laser sintering (SLS) additive manufacturing process from the phenolic resin coated carbon fiber powder with addition of submicron Si. The effect of Si addition on the microstructures of the laser-sintered green part, carbon preform and derived Cf/SiC composite was investigated. The results show that the introduced submicron Si plays an important role in reducing porosity and average pore size of the carbon preform, and contributes to improving the microstructure homogeneity of Cf/SiC composite by reducing the size of continuous bulk carbon in the preforms. The maximum density, flexural strength and fracture toughness of the Cf/SiC composite are 2.89 ± 0.01 g/cm3, 237 ± 9.6 MPa and 3.56 ± 0.24 MPa m1/2, respectively. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the Cf/SiC composite is approximately 5.5 × 10−6/K from 25 to 900 °C, and the thermal conductivity is in the range of 74–84 W/m·K at room temperature, while decreases to 35–40 W/m·K at 900 °C. Accepted version

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a new kind of cellulose with great potential in enhancing preparation of isotactic Polypropylene (iPP) composites, which have been found with excellent performance. However, the interface compatibility between BC and iPP is poor. In this study, iPP/BC composites were prepared by solution mixing. Esterification modified BC (CO) and Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) added as a compatibilizer was both used to improve the interfacial compatibility of the iPP/BC composites. The rheology and isothermal crystallization behavior of the composites was tested and discussed. The result shows that the complex viscosity and storage modulus of the composite significantly increase in the rule iPP, iPP/BC2, iPP/CO2, and M-iPP/BC3, which indicates that the compatibility of the composite increases as this rule. According to the isothermal crystallization kinetics result, the crystal growth mode of iPP was not affected by the addition of BC and the interfacial compatibility. The spherulite growth rate of the iPP/BC composite increases with increasing crystallization temperature. Especially, the value decreases as the same rule with the complex viscosity and storage modulus of the composite at the same isothermal crystallization temperature. These results suggest that the interface compatibility of iPP/BC composites is greatly improved and the interface compatibility of the M-iPP/BC3 is better than the iPP/CO2.

Objectives Mitophagy is an important mitochondrial quality control mechanism. In this study, we investigated the mitochondrial damage and mitophagy occurred in inflammatory human dental pulp and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated preodontoblasts. Materials and methods In dental pulp tissues and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated preodontoblasts, immunofluorescences and Western blot were performed to detect the expression of mitochondrial and mitophagy-related proteins, and autophagy markers were also examined. Reactive oxygen species generated by mitochondria were examined by MitoSOX. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to examine the morphology of mitochondria in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated preodontoblasts. Results The active fission activity of mitochondria and mitophagy in inflammatory dental pulp was observed. In lipopolysaccharide-treated preodontoblasts, mitophagy-related proteins were also upregulated. Moreover, increased reactive oxygen species in the inflamed preodontoblasts were observed. Additionally, single-membrane autolysosomes containing partially degraded mitochondria with swollen inner membranes in lipopolysaccharide-treated preodontoblasts were observed by TEM. Conclusions These results indicate that mitochondria were damaged and mitophagy might be activated to degrade impaired mitochondria in inflamed odontoblasts.