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Chemical pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is a critical step in the conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels and biochemical. The main drawback of this pretreatment process is the formation of inhibitors which exhibit combined toxicity to microorganisms and result to low product concentrations and yields. In this study, the selection of microbial consortia by enrichment on hydrolysate of H2SO4-pretreated corn stover (pre-CS) without detoxification has been investigated as an efficient way to develop new strategies for lignocellulose utilization. The analysis of cattle stomach-dervied microbial consortia domesticated to degrade hydrolysate of pre-CS to produce lactic acid (LA) at different temperatures was investigated. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analyses indicated that the three microbial consortia were taxonomically distinct and Enterococcus became dominant at high temperature. The highest glucose consumption rate was observed at 45 °C, while the three microbial consortia showed similar consumption rates of xylose and arabinose. The selected microbial consortia DUT37, DUT45 and DUT47 showed preferable resistances to inhibitors in hydrolysate of pre-CS and abilities of xylose utilization. A batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process was developed by microbial consortium DUT47 at 47 °C to produce LA from pre-CS under non-detoxified and non-sterile conditions. The LA concentration and yield were 43.73 g/L and 0.50 g/g-corn stover (CS), respectively. Microbial consortium DUT47 has been shown to be suitable for LA production from H2SO4-pretreated corn stover without detoxification due to its thermophilic growth characteristics, robust tolerance of inhibitors, and the simultaneous utilization of glucose and xylose.

Objectives Air pollution can lead to many cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, but the impact of air pollution on pulmonary embolism is still uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between air pollution and pulmonary embolism. Content We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochran Library for citations on air pollutants (carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter) and pulmonary embolism. A total of nine citations met the inclusion criteria. There is no evidence of bias. CO, SO2, PM10 and PM2.5 had no significant effect on the occurrence of pulmonary embolism. NO2 and O3 can increase the risk of pulmonary embolism to a small extent. Summary This meta-analysis suggests that some air pollutants are associated with an increased risk of pulmonary embolism. Outlook Reducing air pollution and improving air quality can effectively reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism.

In this study, we established a mouse model of epilepsy and analysed abnormal neuronal damage and inflammation in the hippocampus of mice with kainic acid (KA)-induced epilepsy to provide the basis for the pathogenesis of epilepsy. C57 mice, aged 4 weeks, were injected intraperitoneally in the KA group with 20 mg/kg of KA and in the sham experimental group with normal saline. The whole brain and hippocampus of mice in the sham experimental group and KA epilepsy model group were collected on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after injection. The difference in the protein expression in the hippocampus was detected using fluorescence immunohistochemistry. The hippocampal tissue was also collected and frozen to detect protein expression by western blot. The results of the haematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Nissl staining showed that the mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy could be established by intraperitoneal injection of KA, and the success rate of the model was 53.8%. The expression of DCX-, β-catenin-, GFAP- and Iba-1-labelled glial cells in the KA-induced epilepsy model group were higher than those in the sham group. The results of western blotting showed that the expression of DCX and β-catenin in the KA-induced epilepsy model group was higher than that in the sham experimental group, while the expression of N-cadherin and Iba-1 on days 14 and 28 was significantly (P < .05) higher than that in the sham experimental group. In KA-induced epilepsy model group, the expression of Bcl-2 was decreased, while the expression of Bad and PUMA was increased.

Transparent ceramics are at the heart of modern magneto-optical materials providing promising opportunities for Faraday isolators. 1.0 at% RE:Tb3Ga5O12 (rare earth (RE) = Pr, Tm, Dy) transparent ceramics were successfully prepared by air sintering and sequential HIP technique using the coprecipitated powders as the raw material. All the powders have shown to be a pure cubic terbium gallium garnet (TGG) phase and exhibit good dispersion. Additionally, a change could not be observed in particle shape with the different doped ions. After the two-step sintering, all the obtained ceramics have good optical quality, and the in-line transmittances at 1070 nm are higher than 80%. Moreover, no secondary phase can be detected from the microstructures. However, the pores which remain entrapped in the ceramics can be noted. The Verdet constant of ceramic samples is optimized by RE doping, and the Verdet constant at 632.8 nm is about −143 rad·T−1·m−1, which is about 5% higher than that of TGG ceramics. Finally, the thermo-optical properties of 1.0 at% RE:TGG transparent ceramics are compared. The annealed TGG ceramic showed the best thermo-optical properties, and the thermally induced depolarization of 1.0 at% Ce:TGG and 1.0 at% Tm:TGG was inferior to that of annealed TGG ceramic.

Background Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in plant abiotic stress responses, and ABA INSENSITIVE 4 (ABI4) is a pivotal transcription factor in the ABA signaling pathway. In Arabidopsis, ABI4 negatively regulates salt tolerance; however, the mechanism through which ABI4 regulates plant salt tolerance is poorly understood. Our previous study showed that ABI4 directly binds to the promoter of the VITAMIN C DEFECTIVE 2 (VTC2) gene, inhibiting the transcription of VTC2 and ascorbic acid (AsA) biosynthesis. Results In the present study, we found that treatment with exogenous AsA could alleviate salt stress sensitivity of ABI4-overexpressing transgenic plants. The decreased AsA content and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in ABI4-overexpressing seedlings under salt treatment indicated that AsA-promoted ROS scavenging was related to ABI4-mediated salt tolerance. Gene expression analysis showed that ABI4 was induced at the early stage of salt stress, giving rise to reduced VTC2 expression. Accordingly, the abundance of the VTC2 protein decreased under the same salt stress conditions, and was absent in the ABI4 loss-of-function mutants, suggesting that the transcriptional inhibition of ABI4 on VTC2 resulted in the attenuation of VTC2 function. In addition, other encoding genes in the AsA biosynthesis and recycling pathways showed different responses to salt stress, demonstrating that AsA homeostasis is complicated under salinity stress. Conclusions This study elucidates the negative modulation of ABI4 in salt stress tolerance through the regulation of AsA biosynthesis and ROS accumulation in plants.

Ho2O3 transparent ceramics were fabricated by vacuum pre-sintering combined with hot isostatic pressing (HIP) post-treatment at relatively low temperature from high-purity Ho2O3 powder calcined at 1000 °C for 4 h. The optimal Ho2O3 ceramic sample prepared by vacuum pre-sintering at 1250 °C and HIP post-treating at 1450 °C has a dense microstructure with average grain size of 0.77 μm, and the in-line transmittances reach 80.7 % at 1550 nm and 76.7 % at 1064 nm. The effect of air annealing on the optical quality of Ho2O3 ceramics was studied, and the existence of compressed pores in the HIP-ed Ho2O3 ceramics was confirmed. The Verdet constants of Ho2O3 ceramics were measured to be -47.4 rad/(T m at 1064 nm and -15.4 rad/(T m at 1561 nm. High transmittance and large Verdet constant in the wavelength regions 1–1.07 μm, 1.3–1.5 μm make Ho2O3 transparent ceramics promising for magneto-optical devices for lasers based on Yb-, Nd-doped materials and telecom lasers. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd 19-52-53014; Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS: QYZDB-SSW-JSC022; Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 18-13-00355; National Key Research and Development Program of China, NKRDPC: 2017YFB0310500 This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFB0310500 ), the Special Exchange Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Plan B) , the key research project of the frontier science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. QYZDB-SSW-JSC022 ), partially by the Research Project of the Russian Science Foundation (No. 18-13-00355 ) and Verdet constant measurements was done under NSFC-RFBR Cooperative Research Projects Grant 19-52-53014.

Background Panax ginseng, as one of the most widely used herbal medicines worldwide, has been studied comprehensively in terms of the chemical components and pharmacology. The proteins from ginseng are also of great importance for both nutrition value and the mechanism of secondary metabolites. However, the proteomic studies are less reported in the absence of the genome information. With the completion of ginseng genome sequencing, the proteome profiling has become available for the functional study of ginseng protein components. Methods We optimized the protein extraction process systematically by using SDS-PAGE and one-dimensional liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The extracted proteins were then analyzed by two-dimensional chromatography separation and cutting-edge mass spectrometry technique. Results A total of 2,732 and 3,608 proteins were identified from ginseng root and cauline leaf, respectively, which was the largest data set reported so far. Only around 50% protein overlapped between the cauline leaf and root tissue parts because of the function assignment for plant growing. Further gene ontology and KEGG pathway revealed the distinguish difference between ginseng root and leaf, which accounts for the photosynthesis and metabolic process. With in-deep analysis of functional proteins related to ginsenoside synthesis, we interestingly found the cytochrome P450 and UDP-glycosyltransferase expression extensively in cauline leaf but not in the root, indicating that the post glucoside synthesis of ginsenosides might be carried out when growing and then transported to the root at withering. Conclusion The systematically proteome analysis of Panax ginseng will provide us comprehensive understanding of ginsenoside synthesis and guidance for artificial cultivation.

Objective: The goal of the present study was to determine the expression of yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) in renal tissues of mice with lupus nephritis (LN) and elucidate its role in the progression of renal fibrosis. Methods: C57BL/6 mice and MRL/lpr mice were selected for experimental comparison. Mouse kidney tissues were removed and sectioned for hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson’s trichome staining, Sirius staining, and immunohistochemistry. The mRNA and protein levels of YAP1 in mouse kidney tissues were detected, and the correlation between YAP1 and fibronectin (FN) mRNA levels was analyzed. Mouse renal epithelial cells were used for in vitro experiments. After transfection and stimulation, the cells were divided into 4 groups, namely the C57BL/6 serum group (group 1), the MRL/lpr serum group (group 2), the MRL/lpr serum + siRNA-negative control group (group 3), and the MRL/lpr serum + siRNA-YAP1 group (group 4). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in each group were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and urinary protein levels were detected and assessed for their correlation with YAP1 mRNA levels by Spearman’s analysis. Results: Compared to C57BL/6 mice, MRL/lpr mice exhibited obvious changes in fibrosis in renal tissues. In addition, YAP1 expression was significantly higher in the renal tissues of MRL/lpr mice than in those of C57BL/6 mice, and YAP1 mRNA levels were positively correlated with those of FN. YAP1 silencing in lupus serum-stimulated cells could effectively relieve serum-induced EMT. Finally, we observed that YAP1 mRNA levels in mouse kidney tissue were significantly and positively correlated with the degree of renal function injury. Conclusion: YAP1 expression in the kidney tissues of LN mice was higher than that observed in normal mice, indicating that YAP1 may play an important role in the occurrence and development of LN.

Background and aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by accumulation of excessive triglycerides (TGs) in hepatocytes. Obesity is a major risk factor for developing fatty liver, although the intracellular molecular basis remains largely unclear. N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) RNA methylation is the most common internal modification in eukaryotic mRNA. Approach and results In the present study, by m6 A sequencing and RNA sequencing, we found that both m6 A enrichment and mRNA expression of lipogenic genes were significantly increased in leptin-receptor-deficient db/db mice. Importantly, our results showed that YT521-B homology domain-containing 2 (Ythdc2), an m6 A reader, was markedly down-regulated in livers of obese mice and NAFLD patients. Suppression of Ythdc2 in livers of lean mice led to TG accumulation, whereas ectopic overexpression of Ythdc2 in livers of obese mice improved liver steatosis and insulin resistance. Mechanistically, we found that Ythdc2 could bind to mRNA of lipogenic genes, including sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, fatty acid synthase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, to decrease their mRNA stability and inhibit gene expression. Conclusions Our findings describe an important role of the m6 A reader, Ythdc2, for regulation of hepatic lipogenesis and TG homeostasis, which might provide a potential target for treating obesity-related NAFLD.

Supercapacitors have attracted much attention as energy storage device for its long cycle life and high power density. Graphene materials are competitive candidates as electrodes of supercapacitors for their high specific surface area, electrical conductivity and stability. Either heteroatoms doping or incorporation with metal/metal oxides have been reported effective in further improving the capacitive performance of graphene-based electrode. Here, an active-screen plasma (ASP) technique was applied on graphene oxide (GO) as a low temperature, environmentally friendly and one-step multi-purpose treatment. Characterization of ASP-treated GO revealed reduction in GO, nitrogen doping mainly in graphitic N configuration, and incorporation of multiple metal element (Fe, Mn, and Cr). Both electrical and electrochemical properties were improved considerably, with sheet resistance decreased to ~ 1.1 × 106 Ω sq−1, only a fifth of that of GO, and a specific capacitance increased to ~ 20 F g−1, four times that of GO. These results suggest advanced ASP technique a simple and facile way for a simultaneous reduction and nitrogen doping of GO, with incorporation of metal/metal oxides nanoparticles towards energy storage applications.

The time-dependent experiment was performed to investigate the corrosion behavior of low-temperature liquid nitrocarburized (LNC) 304 austenitic stainless steel in wet H2S environments. Characteristics of H2S corrosion products, as well as localized corrosion behavior, were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical profilometry. The results revealed that the untreated steels, of which the H2S corrosion product layer on the untreated surface thickened but displayed a layered defect structure as the corrosion proceeded, had a higher weight loss than the LNC. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) served to reveal the relationship between corrosion behavior and the content of sulfur, chromium, and other elements, and the valences of these elements were illustrated by XPS. The surface morphology after removing corrosion products showed that the presence of nitrocarburized S phase could prevent general corrosion and inhibit pit propagation.

MHC class II (MHC-II) molecules play a crucial role in cellular and humoral immunity by forming peptide–MHC-II (pMHC-II) complexes. The three-dimensional structures of pMHC-II complexes have been well resolved in humans and mice. However, there is no structural information for pMHC-II complexes in nonmammals. In chickens, there are two closely related and highly polymorphic β-chains and one monomorphic α-chain, and the mechanism by which one monomorphic α-chain combines with two polymorphic β-chains to form a functional heterodimer remains unknown. In this study, we report the crystal structure of a chicken pMHC-II complex (pBL2*019:01) at 1.9-Å resolution as the first nonmammalian structure of a pMHC-II complex. The structure reveals an increase in hydrogen bonding between the α and β main chains at the central interface that is introduced by the insertion of four residues in the α-chain. The residues in the β-chain that form hydrogen bonds with the α-chain are conserved among all β alleles. These structural characteristics explain the phenomenon of only one BLA allele without sequence variation pairing with highly diverse BLB alleles from two loci in the genome. Additionally, the characteristics of the peptide in the peptide-binding groove were confirmed. These results provide a new understanding of the pairing mechanism of the α- and β-chains in a pMHC-II complex and establish a structural principle to design epitope-related vaccines for the prevention of chicken diseases.

Titanium oxide layers were produced via a novel catalytic ceramic conversion treatment (CCCT, C3T) on Ti-6Al-4V. This CCCT process is carried out by applying thin catalytic films of silver and palladium onto the substrate before an already established traditional ceramic conversion treatment (CCT, C2T) is carried out. The layers were characterised using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, surface micro-hardness and reciprocating tribological performance was assessed, antibacterial performance was also assessed with S. aureus. This CCCT has been shown to increase the oxide thickness from ~5 to ~100 µm, with the production of an aluminium rich layer and agglomerates of silver and palladium oxide surrounded by vanadium oxide at the surface. The wear factor was significantly reduced from ~393 to ~5 m3/N·m, and a significant reduction in the number of colony-forming units per ml of Staphylococcus aureus on the CCCT surfaces was observed. The potential of the novel C3T treatment has been demonstrated by comparing the performance of C3T treated and untreated Ti6Al4V fixation pins through inserting into simulated bone materials.

In this work, different amounts of CNFs were added into a complex formulation to coat the CFs surfaces via sizing in order to enhance the bonding between the fibre and the resin in the CF-reinforced polymer composites. The sized CFs bundles were characterised by SEM and Raman. The nanomechanical properties of the composite materials produced were assessed by the nanoindentation test. The interfacial properties of the fibre and resin were evaluated by a push-out method developed on nanoindentation. The average interfacial shear strength of the fibre/matrix interface could be calculated by the critical load, sheet thickness and fibre diameter. The contact angle measurements and resin spreadability were performed prior to nanoindentation to investigate the wetting properties of the fibre. After the push-out tests, the characterisation via optical microscopy/SEM was carried out to ratify the results. It was found the CFs sizing with CNFs (1 to 10 wt%) could generally increase the interfacial shear strength but it was more cost-effective with a small amount of evenly distributed CNFs on CFs.

The overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequent oxidative stress contribute to the pathogenesis of acute and chronic liver diseases. It is now acknowledged that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized as a redox-centered disease due to the role of ROS in hepatic metabolism. However, the underlying mechanisms accounting for these alternations are not completely understood. Several nuclear receptors (NRs) are dysregulated in NAFLD, and have a direct influence on the expression of a set of genes relating to the progress of hepatic lipid homeostasis and ROS generation. Meanwhile, the NRs act as redox sensors in response to metabolic stress. Therefore, targeting NRs may represent a promising strategy for improving oxidation damage and treating NAFLD. This review summarizes the link between impaired lipid metabolism and oxidative stress and highlights some NRs involved in regulating oxidant/antioxidant turnover in the context of NAFLD, shedding light on potential therapies based on NR-mediated modulation of ROS generation and lipid accumulation.

Background Lignocellulosic feedstocks have attracted much attention as a potential carbon source for lactic acid (LA) production because of their ready availability, sustainability, and renewability. However, there are at least two major technical challenges to producing LA from lignocellulose. Inhibitors derived from lignocellulose pretreatment have a negative impact on the growth of cells producing LA. Furthermore, pentose sugars produced from the pretreatment are difficultly utilized by most LA producers, which is known as the carbon catabolite repression (CCR) effect. This complex feedstock can be utilized by a robust microbial consortium with high bioconversion efficiency. Results In this study, a thermophilic consortium DUT50 producing LA was enriched and employed to improve corn stover (CS) utilization. Enterococcus was the dominant family in the consortium DUT50, accounting for 93.66% of the total abundance, with Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Lactococcus, and Trichococcus accounted for the remaining 2.68%. This consortium could be resistant to inhibitors concentration up to 9.74 g/L (2.88 g/L acetic acid, 2.46 g/L furfural, 2.20 g/L 5-HMF, and 2.20 g/L vanillin derived from pretreatment of CS), and simultaneously metabolizes hexose and pentose without CCR effect. Based on the promising consortium features, an efficient process of simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) was developed to produce LA from acid pretreated corn stover, in which solid–liquid separation and detoxification were avoided. The key influencing factors were investigated and optimized, including dry biomass and cellulase loading, corn steep liquor powder concentration, and the pre-hydrolysis time. The highest LA titer of 71.04 g/L with a yield of 0.49 g/g-CS was achieved at a dry biomass loading of 20% (w/v), which is the highest LA production from non-detoxified acid pretreated corn stover via the SSCF process without wastewater generation reported to date. The simultaneous metabolism of hexose and pentose revealed collaboration between Enterococcus in the consortium, whereas xylose may be efficiently metabolized by Lactobacillus and Bacillus with low abundance via the pentose phosphate pathway. Conclusions The experimental results demonstrated the potential advantage of symbiosis in microbial consortia used for LA production from lignocellulosic biomass.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Granulation of biochar-based fertilizer is one potential method to reduce transportation costs, provide for enhanced handling, and decrease the loss of fertilizer during soil application. This study aimed to synthesize binder-free biogas residue biochar-based fertilizer (RBF) pellets and investigate their physical properties and slow-release potential. Results showed that the physical properties and forming quality of the pellets reached the best when the moisture content was 7.84%, the diameter was 7 mm, the compression speed was 49.54 mm/min, and the molding pressure was 7.5 MPa. Sustained-release kinetic analysis and characterization results identified that the RBF had excellent nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) sustained release properties. The sustained release of nutrients gradually increased with the drying temperature, and the sustained-release effect of P was the best, followed by that of N and K. Therefore, RBF pellets may be applied as a green slow-release fertilizer in agricultural production. Physical, chemical, and slow-release properties could be improved by optimizing the drying and granulation process parameters, thus providing a new idea for the combination of kitchen waste recycling and sustainable agricultural development.

Time-dependent experiments were carried out to study the corrosion behavior of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel before and after low-temperature oxy-nitriding in HCl solution. The weight loss of the untreated sample was higher than that of the nitrided sample after HCl corrosion. When immersed for a short time, the nitrided sample remained relatively intact, while when immersed for a long time, the nitrogen-rich layer was damaged. XPS analysis showed that the passive film of the low-temperature oxy-nitrided sample was complete. The structure of passive film on the LTON sample was characterized by Mott–Schottky test, and the effect of nitrogen on the corrosion resistance of the material was discussed. The wear test results show that the oxy-nitrided samples after HCl immersion corrosion still maintained high wear resistance.

A monolithic macroporous silica (MMS) was prepared by using a pillared epoxy resin macroporous polymer as template. Polydopamine (PDA) as a spacer-arm polymer was modified on the surface of MMS for immobilization of Candida rugosa lipase (CRL), aiming to improve the performance of CRL and overcome the limitations of the immobilized enzymes on mesoporous materials and fine particles. The immobilization conditions and the properties of the immobilized CRL were investigated. The as-prepared monolithic macroporous materials were characterized by SEM, TEM, MIP, BET, FT-IR and TG-DTA. The results revealed that MMS possessed two sets of well-defined and uniform continuous macroporous channels (pore size of 300–500 nm), high mechanical strength, large pore volume and specific surface area, and that the PDA/MMS macroporous composite was constructed by PDA/SiO2/PDA nano-film with a thickness of about 50 nm. Because of its surface chemical properties and unique macropore structure, the PDA/MMS composite provided a simple, cost-effective way to enhance the catalytic activity of directly immobilized enzyme. The activity recovery of CRL–PDA/MMS was 201%, and the stability of the immobilized lipase was remarkably improved. Moreover, this biocatalyst can be easily recovered from the reaction system without centrifugation or filtration.

Background Berberine (BBR), a natural compound extracted from Chinese herb, has been shown to effectively attenuate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in clinic. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of BBR is not fully understood. Stearyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) mediates lipid metabolism in liver. Therefore, we hypothesized that SCD1 mediated the beneficial effect of BBR on NAFLD. Methods The expression of SCD1 was measured in the liver of NAFLD patients and ob/ob mice. The effect of BBR on NAFLD was evaluated in C57BL/6 J mice on high fat diet (HFD). The effect of BBR was also investigated in HepG2 and AML12 cells exposed to high glucose and palmitic acid. Oil red O staining was performed to detect triglyceride (TG) level. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to detect the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression of target genes. The activity of SCD1 promoter was measured by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results The expression of SCD1 was increased in the liver of NAFLD patients and ob/ob mice. BBR reduced hepatic TG accumulation and decreased the expressions of hepatic SCD1 and other TG synthesis related genes both in vivo and in vitro. Knockdown of SCD1 expression mimicked the effect of BBR decreasing TG level in steatotic hepatocytes, whereas overexpression of SCD1 attenuated the effect of BBR. Mechanistically, BBR promoted the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) in HepG2 cells and the liver of HFD-fed mice. Activation of the AMPK-SREBP-1c pathway and sterol regulatory element (SRE) motif in SCD1 promoter (-920/-550) was responsible for the BBR-induced suppression of SCD1. Conclusion BBR reduces liver TG synthesis and attenuates hepatic steatosis through the activation of AMPK-SREBP-1c-SCD1 pathway.

The presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in typical oilfield environments promotes hydrogen absorption and subsequent failure of high-strength steels by sulfide stress cracking (SSC). Plasma nitriding is as a potential method to increase the resistance of the 17-4 PH to SSC, although further investigation is required to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the modified layer when it is exposed to H2S-containing environments. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the 17-4 PH in typical oilfield environment. Samples were plasma nitrided at low (420°C) and high (500°C) temperatures and immersed in produced water with mixed H2S and CO2. The electrochemical data and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed that there were no detrimental effects on the corrosion resistance when plasma nitriding was performed at low temperature (420°C), whereas the integrity of the modified layer was compromised when an elevated temperature (500°C) was applied. The enhanced resistance to localized corrosion of the nitride case obtained after the low-temperature surface modification was attributed to the formation of a compound layer of mixed M4N/M2-3N, the inner section being more corrosion resistant than the outer part, as revealed by SEM micrographs.

Crystallized Gd2(OH)4SO4·nH2O precursor was synthesized in hot water bath using oxide powders and concentrated sulfuric acid as raw materials. Calcining the precursor in air produced the intermediate product Gd2O2SO4 and Gd2O2S powders with high phase purity was obtained by hydrogen reduction. The Gd2O2S powders showed layered structure and severe agglomeration with SBET = 6.321 m2/g. Using this powders, a two-step sintering method comprised of pre-sintering in vacuum and hot isostatic pressing post-treatment was introduced for the fabrication of Gd2O2S:Tb ceramics. The relative density increased from 95.7% in pre-sintered body to 99.2% in final ceramics. Densification processes and chemical homogeneity of the ceramics were discussed. Photoluminescence and X-ray excited luminescence of the final ceramics demonstrated a bright green emission centered at 545 nm due to the 5D4 -7F5 transition of Tb3+.

Since the discovery of exosomes, their potential diagnostic value has been the focus of considerable research. However, the lack of a rapid and simple technique for the quantitative analysis of exosomes greatly limits the application of exosomes in clinical research. In this study, we describe a newly developed one-step chemiluminescence immunoassay for the rapid quantitative analysis of exosomes from biofluids. Our new technique, named ExoNANO, adopts a double-antibody sandwich strategy using anti-CD63 antibody-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SIOPs) and acridinium ester (ACE)-labeled anti-CD9 antibodies. SIOPs have narrow size distribution and high magnetic susceptibility, and ACE has excellent chemiluminescent properties such as low background signal and no need for a catalyst. We demonstrated that ExoNANO allows the quantitative analysis of exosomes in the range of 2.92 ×105 to 2.80×108 particles/μL, with a limit of detection of 2.63×105 particles/μL. Using ExoNANO, we quantified exosomes in cell culture medium and clinical biofluids such as serum, saliva, ascitic fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid. We believe that ExoNANO might pave the way for the rapid isolation and quantitative analysis of exosomes for routine clinical applications.

Yttrium (Y2O3) nanopowders were synthesized via the precipitation method using ammonium hydrogen carbonate (AHC) as the precipitant. The influences of calcination temperature on the composition and morphology of the powders were investigated. Fine Y2O3 powders with low-agglomeration were obtained by calcining the precursor at 1100 °C for 4 h. The primary crystallites were calculated to be ∼47 nm in size and weakly agglomerated to particles with size of ∼79 nm. Using the synthesized powders as the starting materials, Y2O3 ceramics were fabricated by vacuum sintering at different temperatures combined with HIP post-treatment. The densification and micro-structure evolution of the Y2O3 ceramics were systematically investigated. The ceramic sample vacuum sintered at 1500 °C for 2 h and post-HIPed at 1550 °C for 3 h exhibited a uniform and fine microstructure with the average grain of about 1.0 μm. The in-line transmittance of the ceramic sample reached 80.1% at 1100 nm.

A novel active screen (AS) plasma process is developed for the in situ growth of one-dimensional Ag wires and the deposition of reinforced composite coating thereof. Silver wires embedded in the matrix were deposited with Ag nanoparticles, stainless steel nanoparticles and carbon during the AS plasma sputtering process in the ambient of methane and hydrogen. This provided a relatively low-temperature processing route for one-step synthesis of abrasion resistant coating on metallic substrate. Microstructure evolution during sliding with ductile materials proven the ultra-low friction deriving from the molecular ordering of carbon and the high-strength structural holding by the Ag wires.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are a class of targeted agents for the treatment of solid tumors. Concurrent PARP inhibition in Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene (BRCA)-mutated or homologous recombination-deficient tumor cells can induce "synthetic lethality", which targets two DNA repair pathways and induces serious cytotoxicity to tumor cells without damaging normal cells. Currently, PARP inhibitors such as olaparib, rucaparib and niraparib, which improve progression-free survival, particularly in patients harboring BRCA mutations, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicine Agency (EMA) for the treatment of ovarian cancers. Based on the results of different clinical trials, the indications for these drugs are slightly different. PARP inhibitors have been studied both as single agents and in combination with chemotherapy, antiangiogenic agents, and ionizing radiation. This review summarizes the critical clinical trials of PARP inhibitors that have been completed, provides an overview of the ongoing trials, presents the confirmed conclusions and notes the issues that need to be addressed in future studies.

Rap1 and N-cadherin regulate glia-independent translocation of cortical neurons. It remains unclear how Rap1 regulates N-cadherin-mediated neuronal migration. Here, we overexpressed Rap1gap in mouse brains (embryonic day 16) to inactivate Rap1, and observed that neurons did not migrate to the outer layer. We confirmed that Rap1 was involved in the regulation of late neurons in vivo. Rap1gap overexpression and Rap1 suppression in CHO cells decreased the expression of cytoskeletal proteins such as tubulin. Changes in the expression of cell morphology regulators, such as N-cadherin and β-catenin, were also observed. Inhibition of N-cadherin in mouse brains prevented neuronal migration to the outer layer. The morphology of CHO cells was changed after overexpression of Rap1gap. We propose that Rap1 regulates the expression of N-cadherin during embryonic development, which affects β-catenin expression. Beta-catenin in turn regulates cytoskeletal protein expression, ultimately affecting neuronal morphology and migration.

The nano-scale studies in the literature have revealed the excellent anti-friction properties of graphene and its great potential as a nano solid lubricant. However, for macro-scale applications the integrity and durability are main problems for most graphene-based surface coatings. One way to mediate the durability issue while exploiting the tribology of graphene is graphene-based composites. In this work, nickel-graphene oxide (GO) composite coatings were fabricated on steel by electro-brush plating. The effects of GO on the tribological properties were investigated. The results show that the composite coatings possess much lower friction than GO-free nickel coating (up to 47% less against a bearing steel ball, and 30% less against an alumina ball). As the GO load increases from 0 to 4 mg/ml, the wear rate of the resulting composite can be reduced significantly by approximately 90%. Detailed post-test studies of the wear tracks and the counterpart were conducted using SEM, EDS, Raman and FIB/SEM. The improved tribological properties can be attributed to the strengthening effect, the retention of oxide tribo-films and the formation of GO rolls during sliding. The tribological behaviour of the Ni-GO nano-composite coating and a Ni-graphite composite coating was compared, and their different wear mechanisms have been discussed.

Possibility of improving the resistance of AISI H13 steel to molten aluminum corrosion by liquid nitrocarburizing (LNC) was explored. The effects of the LNC parameters in terms of temperatures (703/723/743 K) and soaking time (4/8/12 h) on phase transformation, microstructure, and resistance to molten aluminum were fully studied. The surface phase compositions and the cross-sectional phase distribution of the LNC treated specimens were studied by implementable X-ray diffraction analysis. Microstructure, element distribution, microhardness, and the kinetics of the nitrocarburized case formation were fully researched. Immersion test of corrosion resistance to molten aluminum was carried out at 1023 K for 30min. It is observed that an oxide layer can be produced on the top of the nitrocarburized case during LNC treatment, which cannot be regularly produced by other nitriding methods. The nitrocarburized case consists of a compound layer, a diffusion layer, and a transition layer. The growth of the nitrocarburized case is proportional to the squared treatment time and follows the Arrhenius law for the treatment temperature. The activation energy is estimated to be 195.4 kJ mol−1. While the nitrocarburized case provided limited resistance to molten aluminum, the oxide layer formed on the top of the nitrocarburized case conferred significantly improved molten aluminum corrosion resistance, especially a duplex oxide layer produced at 743 K.

Terbium gallium garnet (TGG) precursor was synthesized by the co-precipitation method from the mixed solution of terbium and gallium nitrates using ammonium hydrogen carbonate (AHC) as the precipitant. Fine and low-agglomerated TGG powders with the average particle size of 158 nm were obtained by calcining the precursor at 1100 °C for 4 h. Then, TGG transparent ceramics were successfully fabricated by a new two-step sintering method. The TGG ceramics pre-sintered at 1500 °C for 3 h in air and then HIP post-treated at 1550 °C for 3 h under 150 MPa argon gas showed the best optical quality and the in-line transmittance was 80.3% at 1064 nm. The Verdet constant of the TGG ceramic at 633 nm was about 136.8 rad T−1 m−1, which was rather close to that of the commercial TGG single crystal. High transparency and high Verdet constant make it an attractive alternative for the high-power Faraday isolators.

This study investigated the effects of temperature and cooling mode on hemolymph indicators, including total protein, hemocyanin, urea nitrogen, ammonia, uric acid, carbon dioxide (CO2) and pH levels, of swimming crabs, Portunus trituberculatus, under air-exposure stress at different times. The swimming crabs were exposed to air at temperatures ranging from 0 °C to 25 °C to determine the optimal temperature. Results showed that the crabs exhibited the highest survival rate at 10 °C. After exposure to air-exposure stress at 10 °C, the gill lamella moisture content and surface humidity of the swimming crabs decreased as the air-exposure time increased. With prolonged air-exposure time, the hemolymph urea, ammonia and CO2 of the swimming crabs under air-exposure stress increased, and the hemolymph pH value of the swimming crabs slightly decreased. These results indicated that the swimming crabs had the highest survival rate under air exposure at 10 °C.

Poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have provided great clinical benefits to ovarian cancer patients. To date, three PARP inhibitors, namely, olaparib, rucaparib and niraparib have been approved for the treatment of ovarian cancer in the United States. Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) and platinum sensitivity are prospective biomarkers for predicting the response to PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancers. Preclinical data have focused on identifying the gene aberrations that might generate HRD and induce sensitivity to PARP inhibitors in vitro in cancer cell lines or in vivo in patient‐derived xenografts. Clinical trials have focused on genomic scar analysis to identify biomarkers for predicting the response to PARP inhibitors. Additionally, researchers have aimed to investigate mechanisms of resistance to PARP inhibitors and strategies to overcome this resistance. Combining PARP inhibitors with HR pathway inhibitors to extend the utility of PARP inhibitors to BRCA‐proficient tumours is increasingly foreseeable. Identifying the population of patients with the greatest potential benefit from PARP inhibitor therapy and the circumstances under which patients are no longer suited for PARP inhibitor therapy are important. Further studies are required in order to propose better strategies for overcoming resistance to PARP inhibitor therapy in ovarian cancers.

The solubility of a solid in a given solvent is decided jointly by its thermodynamic stability and the solute-solvent intermolecular forces. The melting point and enthalpy of melting of 1,9‑Nonanedioic acid as well as its heat capacities at solid and melt state were determined by DSC. The solubilities of 1,9‑Nonanedioic acid in ethanol, acetone, acetic acid and ethylene glycol were measured at temperatures from 276 to 337 K. The solubilities in the four solvents at constant temperature are in the order of ethanol > acetic acid > acetone > ethylene glycol while the temperature dependence is in the opposite order. The experimental solubility data were correlated with the van't Hoff, Wilson and the λh equations with the measured melting properties. The three models with optimized parameters are all able to reproduce the experimental data well, among which the λh equations has lowest average standard deviation and seems to be more consistent with the experimental data. Thermodynamic analysis of the obtained model parameters shows that the dissolution of 1,9‑Nonanedioic acid in the four solvents are all endothermic and mainly driven by the enthalpy change of the solution. The positive excess enthalpy of mixing the 1,9‑Nonanedioic acid melt and the solvent indicates the solute-solvent intermolecular interactions are dominated by repulsive forces.

Mesotrione, a triketone herbicide, has been widely used in corn fields in recent years. The present study evaluated the toxicity of mesotrione to earthworms after exposing for 28 d at 0, 0.1, 1.0 and 2.5 mg/kg in a soil mixture (10% sphagnum peat, 20% kaolinite clay, and 70% sand by weight). The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), antioxidant enzyme [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (POD)], lipid peroxidation and DNA damage in earthworms were determined. The ROS levels in mesotrione-exposed groups were higher than the control during the whole experiment, however, the SOD activities exhibited a downward trend. The MDA content, GST, CAT and POD activities were elevated at 7th day, but returned to control level after 28 d. The damage of DNA was increased greatly with increasing doses and time, which showed the relationship between dose-effect and time-effect. The results suggested herbicide mesotrione can cause ecological damage to soils as attested by oxidative stress and DNA damage in earthworms.