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Centralized coded caching schemes have been widely studied in wireless networks. Placement delivery array (PDA) can be used to generate a coded caching scheme with low subpacketization when all the requested files are different. However, all existing schemes based on PDA design treat the request of each user as an independent file, without leveraging the multicast opportunities when one file is requested by several users. In this letter, for any existing scheme based on PDA design, after its coded multicast messages generation, we proposed an approach to remove the redundant multicast messages.

Sauce-flavor Daqu is an important source of fermentation power in baijiu brewing. Revealing carbohydrate metabolism will help to explore the underlying reasons for the difference in fermentation performance of Daqu. In this study, metagenomic and metaproteomic technologies were performed to explore the carbohydrate metabolism network and its active functional microorganisms of Sauce-flavor Daqu. The sugar profile was analyzed using LC-MS to confirm the metabolic network. The results showed that 23 fungi and 5 bacteria were involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Starch metabolism, cellulose metabolism, and glucan metabolism were the main metabolic pathways, in which fungi especially Aspergillus were more involved than bacteria. Among these active microorganisms, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, Aspergillus oryzae, Monascus purpureus, Byssochlamys spectabilis, Lichtheimia ramosa, Thermomyces lanuginosus, and Thermoascus aurantiacus were significant functional microorganisms with the ability to produce multiple enzymes. Lichtheimia ramosa, Lichtheimia corymbifera and Kroppenstedtia eburnea were biomarkers of Daqu in the first round, granting it a better liquefaction ability. β-amylase derived from wheat also played an important role in starch degradation, and the synergistic effect with α-amylase endowed Daqu with higher liquefaction power in the first two rounds. The results of this study are of great significance for the analysis of the mechanism of Daqu fermentation and provide a reliable theoretical basis for strengthening the fermentation performance of Daqu.

NAFLD is a liver disease that is caused by liver damage or extreme lipid deposition but not alcohol. Nrf2 could mediate resistance to oxidative stress injury. Autophagy can degrade metabolic waste and accumulated toxic endogenous substances. Pterostilbene (PTE) is an active compound extracted from blueberry, and grape, that exhibits many biological effects, such as antiinflammation and antitumor.This study provides a mechanism of PTE affecting on oxidative stress and autophagy in NAFLD mice. Tyloxapol, oil acid (OA) and palmitic acid (PA) were used to induce lipid accumulation in mice and HepG2 cells.Western blotting, CRISPR/Cas 9 and other molecular biological approaches were applied to explore the mechanisms of PTE effected on NAFLD.PTE pretreatment effectively reduced the lipid accumulation in OA and PA induced HepG2 cells and tyloxapol induced mice, and significantly promoted the expression of nNrf2, PPAR-α and HO-1, and AMPK activity, but inhibited the expression of mTORC 1 and SREBP-1c. PTE activated phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and proteins in the autophagy-related gene (ATG) family, and promoted the transformation of LC3Ⅰ to LC3Ⅱ which indicated the activation of autophagy, however, these effects were abolished after Nrf2 knockout.PTE effectively alleviated oxidative stress damage induced by excessive lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, thus promoting the metabolism and decomposition of fatty acids to improve NAFLD.

Gastric cancer (GC)is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China and immunotherapy emerging as a revolutionary treatment for GC recently. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a predictive biomarker of immunotherapy in multiple cancers. However, the prognostic significance and subtype of TMB in GC is not fully understood.This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of TMB in Chinese GC and further classify TMB-high GC (GCGenomic profiling of 435 cancer-gene panel was performed using 206 GC samples from Chinese people. Actionable genetic alterations were compared across all the samples to generate actionable subtyping. The prognostic value of TMB in Chinese GC was evaluated. Mutational signatures were analyzed on TMB-H subtype to stratify the prognosis of TMB. Transcriptomic analysis was applied to compare the distributed immunocytes among different subtypes.88.3% (182/206) of GC samples had at least one mutation, while 45.1% (93/206) had at least one somatic copy number alteration (SCNA). 29.6% (61/206) of GC samples were TMB-H, including 13 MSI-H and 48 MSS tumors. According to distinct genetic alteration profiles of 69 actionable genes, we classified GC samples into eight molecular subtypes, including TMB-H, ERBB2 amplified, ATM mutated, BRCA2 mutated, CDKN2A/B deleted, PI3KCA mutated, KRAS mutated, and less-mutated subtype. TMB-H subtype presented a remarkable immune-activated phenotype as determined by transcriptomic analysis that was further validated in the TCGA GC cohort. GCThe Signature 1-high GC

Genkwa flos (yuanhua in Chinese), the dried flower buds of the plant Daphne genkwa SieboldZucc., as a traditional herb widely used for the treatment of inflammation-related symptoms and diseases, with the efficacies of diuretic, phlegm-resolving and cough suppressant.Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is presumed to be of immense potential against pathogens infection. Whereas, the potential efficacy and mechanisms of Genkwa flos against L. monocytogenes infection has not been extensively explored. The present study aimed to identify the bioactive ingredients of Genkwa flos against L. monocytogenes infection and to delineate the underlying mechanisms of action.Bioinformatics approach at protein network level was employed to investigate the therapeutic mechanisms of Genkwa flos against L. monocytogenes infection. And hemolysis inhibition assay, cytoprotection test, western blotting, oligomerization assay and molecular docking analysis were applied to substantiate the multiple efficacies of Genkwa flos and the bioactive ingredient genkwanin. Histopathological analysis and biochemistry detection were conducted to evaluate the in vivo protective effect of genkwanin.Network pharmacology and experimental validation revealed that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Genkwa flos exhibited anti-L. monocytogenes potency and was found to inhibit the hemolytic activity of LLO. Bioactive ingredient genkwanin interfered with the pore-forming activity of LLO by engaging the active residues Tyr414, Tyr98, Asn473, Val100, Tyr440 and Val438, and thereby attenuated LLO-mediated cytotoxicity. Consistent with the bioinformatics prediction, exposed to genkwanin could upregulate the Nrf2 level and promote the translocation of Nrf2. In vivo, genkwanin oral administration (80 mg/kg) significantly protected against systemic L. monocytogenes infection, as evidenced by reduced myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, increased mice survival rate by 30% and decreased pathogen colonization.Our study demonstrated that Genkwa flos is a potential anti-L. monocytogenes TCM, highlighted the therapeutic potential of Genkwa flos active ingredient genkwanin by targeting the pore-forming cytolysin LLO and acting as a promising antioxidative candidate against L. monocytogenes infection.

A KOH-promoted unusual deoxidative coupling reaction of β-sulfinyl esters with benzylic trimethylammonium salts to produce thioethers is discovered for the first time. If quaternary ammonium salts synthesized from enantiomerically enriched amines are adopted, highly enantiomerically enriched benzyl thioethers (>95-99% ee) with configurations opposite to those of the enantiomerically enriched amines are obtained.

Octanes in alkylation products obtained from industrial alkylation were studied by batch experiments. More than eight octane isomers were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Based on a classic carbenium ion mechanism, the carbocation transition states in concentrated sulfuric acid catalyzed alkylation were investigated using quantum-chemical simulations and predicted the concentration and octane isomerization products including trimethylpentane and dimethylhexane as well as the formation of heavier compounds that resulted from the oligomerization of octane and butene. The agreement between model calculations and experimental data was quite satisfactory. Calculation results indicated that composition and content of trimethylpentanes in the alkylation products were 2,2,4-trimethylpentane > 2,3,3-trimethylpentane > 2,3,4-trimethylpentane > 2,2,3-trimethylpentane whether the 2-butene or i-butene acts as olefin. Heavier compounds in the alkylate were primarily formed by the oligomerization of dimethylhexane with 1-butene. Hopefully, the carbocation transition state models developed in this work will be useful for understanding the product distributions of octane in alkylation products.

In this study, the impinging stream-rotating packed bed and precipitation method were used to continuously prepare Fe and Co co-doped Titanium Dioxide by in-situ modification. With TiOSO4 solution ...

Sulfinamides, especially enantiopure sulfinamides, are widely used in organic and medicinal synthesis. Syntheses and transformations of racemic and enantioenriched sulfinamides have achieved great progress. Especially sulfinamides demonstrate interesting and valuable reactivity, which deserves to be pertinent. This review summarizes the latest development in the synthesis and transformation of sulfinamides and will be helpful for future related research.1 Introduction2 Synthesis of Sulfinamides2.1 Synthesis of Racemic Sulfinamides2.2 Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure Sulfinamides2.3 Synthesis of Other Sulfinamides3 Transformations of Sulfinamides3.1 Condensation with Aldehydes and Ketones3.2 Reaction with Alkynes3.3 Reaction with Alkenes3.4 Reaction with Aryl and Alkyl Halides3.5 Reaction with Alcohols, Dibenzyl Ether, and Benzyl Mercaptan3.6 Synthesis of tert-Butyldisulfanyl-Substituted Hetarenes3.7 Synthesis of Asymmetric Sulfides3.8 Synthesis of N-Phosphino-sulfinamide Ligands3.9 Asymmetric Synthesis of γ-Amino Acids3.10 Sulfonylation of Heterocyclic Compounds4 Summary and Outlook

It is indicated that the solder joint of the metal fibrous materials is a critical factor impacting the heat conduction. To reveal the mechanism by which solder joint sizes, solder joint skips, solder flux materials, and filling media affect the thermal conductivity of fibres, pore-scale numerical simulation is employed to study the thermal transport in two-directional (2-D) random fibres. Satisfactory agreement with existing data validates the numerical model. The dimensionless effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of the porous fibres increases with the solder joint sizes. As the solder joint size (i.e., solder joint ratio) increases by 3.06%, the in-plane (ke-in) and out-of-plane (ke-out) dimensionless ETC increase by 9.0% and 437.2%, respectively. However, the solder joint skips will weaken the thermal conductivity of the fibres. For the same fibre, the ETC of the fibre increases as the thermal conductivity of solders increases. Further, when the dissimilarity in thermal conductivity between the filling medium and the fibre is reduced, the fibre is less affected by the solder joint skips. Finally, it should be supplemented that the in-plane and out-of-plane ETC (ke-in and ke-out) of the fibre without any solder joint are reduced by an average of 14.3% and 98.8%, respectively.

Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is among the most prevalent malignant tumours threatening human health. In the tumour microenvironment (TME), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) induce M2-polarized macrophages, which strongly regulate tumour progression. However, little is known about the association between CAFs and M2 macrophages. CD248 is a transmembrane glycoprotein found in several cancer cells, tumour stromal cells, and pericytes. Here, we isolated CAFs from tumour tissues of NSCLC patients to detect the relationship between CD248 expression and patient prognosis. We knocked down the expression of CD248 on CAFs to detect CXCL12 secretion and macrophage polarization. We then examined the effects of CD248-expressing CAF-induced M2 macrophage polarization to promote NSCLC progression in vitro and in vivo. We found that CD248 is expressed mainly in NSCLC-derived CAFs and that the expression of CD248 correlates with poor patient prognosis. Blocking CXCL12 receptor (CXCR4) drastically decreased M2 macrophage chemotaxis. CD248 promotes CAFs secreting CXCL12 to mediate M2-polarized macrophages to promote NSCLC progression both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our data suggest that CD248-positive CAFs induce NSCLC progression by mediating M2-polarized macrophages.

Ovarian cancer is associated with a high mortality rate. In this study, we established a new immune-related signature that can stratify ovarian cancer patients. First, we obtained immune-related genes through IMMUPORT, and DEGs (Differential Expression Genes) by analyzing the GSE26712 dataset. The APP (Antigen Processing and Presentation) and DEG signatures were established using univariate and multivariate Cox models. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed the signatures’ prognostic value in training and validation cohorts (HR: 0.379 VS. 0.450; 0.333 VS. 0.327). Nomogram analysis was used to assess the signatures’ ability to predict the 30-month prognosis, which was evaluated using the calibration curve and time-dependent ROC curve (30-month AUC: 0.665 VS. 0.743). Time-dependent ROC, Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) and Integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) was used to compare the new model to previously published gene signatures. 30-month AUC composite variable (0.736) was higher than 9-gene signature (0.657), and composite variable had a larger net benefit and a higher IDI (+2.436%) relative to the 9-gene signature. Tumor immune infiltration and tumor microenvironment scores of the 2 groups separated by APP signature were compared. GSEA was used to identify enriched KEGG pathways. Conclusively, the proposed signature can stratify ovarian cancer patients by risk-score and guide clinical decisions.

A series of highly active MnO2@REOx (RE = Gd, Sm, Ce, and La) catalysts were successfully synthesized via in situ growth on the surface of MnO2, wherein the rare earth oxides were planted on the defect sites left by hydrogen peroxide etching of the surface of MnO2. Their physicochemical performance was investigated by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen (H2-TPR), and temperature-programmed desorption of oxygen (O2-TPD). The catalytic properties are compared through the catalytic oxidation of chlorobenzene. Among all catalysts, MnO2@GdOx showed better mobility of surface lattice oxygen and higher molar ratios of Mn4+/Mn3+ (1.10) and Oads/Olatt (0.45), which promoted the superior low-temperature catalytic activity for chlorobenzene oxidation. The long-term chlorobenzene oxidation test (18 h) at different temperatures and the experiments with a mixture of VOCs showed that the as-prepared catalyst not only possessed a high stability but also was suitable for the efficient and simultaneous removal of multicomponent VOCs (toluene, benzene, acetone, and chlorobenzene). This work also provided an idea for the further development of high-efficiency catalysts for the purification of VOCs from complex atmosphere environment.

Coded caching scheme provides us an effective framework to realize additional coded multicasting gain by exploiting coding into multiple transmitted signals. The goal of coded caching design is to jointly optimize the placement and delivery scheme so as to minimize the amount of transmitted coded signals. However, few research efforts consider multiple-round coded caching design problem, in which fixed and mobile users may coexist in one network different number of active users present in successive rounds. Obviously, such dynamic network configurations may lead to undesired frequent placement caching content updating at user sides, if we assume coded caching scheme for each round separately. Thus how to tailor the coded caching design, such that the frequent caching content updating in the placement phase can be avoided, and simultaneously retaining full caching gain in delivery phase in multiple rounds will become highly desirable. In this paper, by carefully examining the bipartite graph representation of the coded caching scheme, a dynamic centralized coded caching design is proposed on the basis of the concatenating-based placement and the saturating matching based delivery scheme. Our analysis unveils that, the proposed dynamic coded caching scheme can realize the flexible coded multicast, and is order optimal., Comment: 15 pages

Sauce-flavor Daqu determines the quality of Baijiu because its core functional community (CFC) can produce abundant enzymes and aroma. However, complex environmental factors make it difficult to accurately control the fermentation quality of Daqu. In this study, we constructed a functional gene database to identify CFC based on multi-omics technology and explore controllable environmental factors of CFC to improve the quality of Daqu. The results showed that the CFC is mainly composed of 7 bacterial and 4 fungal genera, including Kroppenstedtia, Thermoactinomyces, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Brevibacterium, Saccharopolyspora, Ochrobactrum, Aspergillus, Byssochlamys, Thermoascus, and Thermomyces. Most of them are thermostable microorganisms that can provide the power of fermentation and saccharification (α-amylase, glucoamylase, and protease). In CFC, Acinetobacter and Saccharopolyspora were strongly positively correlated with typical flavor substances, while fungi were negatively correlated, particularly with furans. Therefore, the bacterial genera contributed more to the significant flavors. The CFC was significantly influenced by high temperature and total titrate acid based on RDA. In addition, high-temperature conditions were also strongly positively correlated with flavors that can be quickly produced at high temperatures, such as 2-Furancarboxaldehyde, 2-Furanmethanol, and Tetramethylpyrazine. As a controllable factor, the temperature can be adjusted to improve the quality of Daqu directionally, which will provide theoretical guidance for the production of high-quality Daqu.

ObjectivesApproximately 20~30% of all traffic accidents are caused by fatigue driving. However, limited practicability remains a barrier for the real application of available techniques to detect driving fatigue. Use of pupillary light reflex (PLR) may be potentially effective for driving fatigue detection.MethodsA 90 min monotonous simulated driving task was utilized to induce driving fatigue. During the task, PLR measurements were performed at baseline and at an interval of 30 min. Subjective rating scales, heart rate variability (HRV) were monitored simultaneously.ResultsThirty-two healthy volunteers in China participated in our study. Based on the results of subjective evaluation and behavioral performances, driving fatigue was verified to be successfully induced by a simulated driving task. Significant variations of PLR and HRV parameters were observed, which also showed significant relevance with the change in Karolinska Sleepiness Scale at several timepoints (|r| = 0.55 ~ 0.72, P < 0.001). Furthermore, PLR variations had excellent ability to detect driving fatigue with high sensitivity and specificity, of which maximum constriction velocity variations achieved a sensitivity of 85.00% and specificity of 72.34% for driving fatigue detection, vs. 82.50 and 78.72% with a combination of HRV variations, a nonsignificant difference (AUC = 0.835, 0.872, P > 0.05).ConclusionsPupillary light reflex variation may be a potential indicator in the detection of driving fatigue, achieving a comparative performance compared with the combination with heart rate variability. Further work may be involved in developing a commercialized driving fatigue detection system based on pupillary parameters.

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a highly sensitive technique that provides complete information on chemical compositions. The IR spectra of proteins or peptides give rise to nine characteristic IR absorption bands. The amide I bands are the most prominent and sensitive vibrational bands and widely used to predict protein secondary structures. The interference of H

MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of target genes. Previous research has demonstrated that microRNA-200a regulates cell apoptosis, tumor progression, and autoimmune disease. Preliminary studies found that microRNA-200a was differently expressed in the skin of Cashmere goats of various coat colors. However, the role of microRNA-200a in skin pigmentation remained poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the effect of microRNA-200a on pigmentation in Cashmere goats. The expression of target genes was detected by real-time quantitative PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry staining both in vivo and in vitro. Luciferase reporter assays were used to demonstrate the relationship between microRNA-200a and its target genes Wnt family member 5A and frizzled class receptor 4 (WNT5A and FZD4) in HEK293T cells. BALB/c mice were injected with antagomiR-200a to detect melanin content and the expression of microRNA-200a and its target genes. The results demonstrated that the expression of microRNA-200a was significantly higher in brown tissue. Luciferase reporter assays confirmed that microRNA-200a targeted WNT5A and FZD4. The expression of WNT5A and FZD4 in the skin of brown Cashmere goats was significantly lower than that in white Cashmere goats by the detection of mRNA and protein levels. Overexpression/inhibition of microRNA-200a in keratinocytes decreased/increased the mRNA and protein expression of WNT5A and FZD4, respectively. In addition, the expression of WNT5A and FZD4 increased in the skin of BALB/c mice injected with antagomiR-200a, but the melanin content decreased. In summary, this study indicated that microRNA-200a regulates skin pigmentation by targeting WNT5A and FZD4 in Cashmere goats.

With the development of miRNAs identification technology, more and more miRNAs have been discovered, and the role of miRNAs in the development of animal hair follicles has become a focus of research on hair-producing animals. In the previous experiment, compare the microRNA (miRNA) trancriptomes of goats and sheep skin using Solexa sequencing and differentially expressed miR-125b was screened. However, the mechanism of miR-125b regulating hair follicle development is not clear. Therefore, in the present study, the expression of miR-125b, MXD4 and FGFR2 in skin tissue of Fine-wool Sheep and Cashmere goats and HEK-293T cells was examined by qPCR and Western blot. Furthermore, the correlation between miR-125b and the predicted target gene (MXD4, FGFR2) was verified using the Dual-luciferase Reporter assay. We demonstrated that the expression of MXD4 and FGFR2 in Cashmere goats was significantly higher than that of Fine-wool Sheep, and the expression was opposite to that of miR-125b. miR-125b can down-regulate the levels of MXD4 and FGFR2. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that miR-125b could bind to the 3'-UTR region of target genes FGFR2 and MXD4, suggesting that MXD4 and FGFR2 were target genes of miR-125b. This study has shown that the growth and development of hair follicles in skin tissue of Fine-wool Sheep and Cashmere goats from the new regulatory levels of miRNAs, and clarified the mechanism of miR-125b and its target genes in the development of hair follicles in the skin.

Genomic instability (GI), which leads to the accumulation of DNA loss, gain, and rearrangement, is a hallmark of many cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer. However, the clinical significance of GI has not been systematically studied in the meningeal metastasis (MM) of solid tumors. Here, we collected both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples from 56 solid tumor MM patients and isolated cell-free ctDNA to investigate the GI status using a next-generation sequencing-based comprehensive genomic profiling of 543 cancer-related genes. According to the unfiltered heterozygous mutation data-derived GI score, we found that 37 (66.1%) cases of CSF and 3 cases (6%) of plasma had a high GI status, which was further validated by low-depth whole-genome sequencing analysis. It is demonstrated that a high GI status in CSF was associated with poor prognosis, high intracranial pressure, and low Karnofsky performance status scores. More notably, a high GI status was an independent poor prognostic factor of poor MM-free survival and overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma MM patients. Furthermore, high occurrences of the co-mutation of TP53/EGFR, TP53/RB1, TP53/ERBB2, and TP53/KMT2C were found in MM patients with a high GI status. In summary, the GI status in CSF ctDNA might be a valuable prognostic indicator in solid tumor patients with MM.

Background Macrosomia is closely associated with poor maternal and fetal outcome. But there is short of studies on the risk of macrosomia in early pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to establish a nomogram for predicting macrosomia in the first trimester. Methods A case-control study involving 1549 pregnant women was performed. According to the birth weight of newborn, the subjects were divided into macrosomia group and non-macrosomia group. The risk factors for macrosomia in early pregnancy were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. A nomogram was used to predict the risk of macrosomia. Results The prevalence of macrosomia was 6.13% (95/1549) in our hospital. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that prepregnancy overweight (OR: 2.13 95% CI: 1.18–3.83)/obesity (OR: 3.54, 95% CI: 1.56–8.04), multiparity (OR:1.88, 95% CI: 1.16–3.04), the history of macrosomia (OR: 36.97, 95% CI: 19.90–68.67), the history of GDM/DM (OR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.31–3.98), the high levels of HbA1c (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.00–3.10) and TC (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.00–1.84) in the first trimester were the risk factors of macrosomia. The area under ROC (the receiver operating characteristic) curve of the nomogram model was 0.807 (95% CI: 0.755–0.859). The sensitivity and specificity of the model were 0.716 and 0.777, respectively. Conclusion The nomogram model provides an effective mothed for clinicians to predict macrosomia in the first trimester.

The g-C3N4/ZIF-67 composite has been prepared by encapsulation of ZIF-67 with g-C3N4. The composition of the material and the internal atomic or molecular structure were characterized by XRD and FT-IR. The morphology of the samples was observed by TEM and SEM. In addition, the samples were characterized by UV–vis DRS, PL and N2 adsorption-desorption. Compared with bulk g-C3N4, ethanol production has increased about 3 times. The yield of ethanol decreases by about 6% after 5 cycles, which displayed cycling stability. The enhanced photocatalytic activity towards CO2 reduction was attributed to the synergistic effect of g-C3N4 and ZIF-67, which increases the separation of electrons and holes.

Stearic-acid-modified TiO2 (STA-TiO2) particles were prepared via the impregnation approach and used as a precursor for preparing TiO2 Janus particles. The morphology, structure, and properties of the TiO2 Janus particles were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, fluorescence microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, contact angle analysis, dynamic light scattering, biological microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The results show that TiO2 Janus particles can be successfully prepared via toposelective surface modification. STA grafted on the surface of TiO2 enhances its hydrophobicity, promotes charge separation, and improves its adsorption capacity for organic compounds. The TiO2 Janus particles strongly adsorb on an oil-water interface to form a stable Pickering emulsion. The degradation rates of high-concentration kerosene and nitrobenzene wastewaters when the photocatalyst is pure TiO2, STA-TiO2, or TiO2 Janus particles are discussed and compared. The degradation rates were determined using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. It was found that the Pickering emulsion stabilized by the TiO2 Janus particles exhibited the best photocatalytic performance; these Janus particles show promising potential for catalytic application.

Fe and N functionalized hollow carbon spheres (Fe/N-HCS) with hierarchically porous structure are constructed. Remarkably, it is discovered that the pyrolysis temperature effects the chemical composition intensively. At 800 °C, only graphitic-N and oxidized-N are formed for all as-prepared samples. The surface area and pores can be precisely tuned, the surface area of all Fe/N-HCS samples is more than 500 m2 g−1 benefiting from the porous hollow structure. Thus, the optimized Fe/N-HCS exhibits excellent oxygen reduction reaction performance in term of onset potential (1.00 V vs. RHE), half-wave potential (0.87 V vs. RHE), good stability as well as methanol tolerance for oxygen reduction reaction, even surpassing the Pt in alkaline condition and more competitive in acidic condition; Furthermore, the optimized Fe/N-HCS displays better hydrogen evolution reaction activity in acidic condition with onset overpotential of 40 mV and overpotential to deliver 10 mA cm−2 at 170 mV, indicating better active. It is found that Fe/N-HCS improve the hydrogen evolution reaction activity after electrodeposition trace quantity of Pt, which shows 170 mV of overpotential to deliver 100 mA cm−2. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy result indicates the loading of Pt is roughly 0.11 at%, thus, the improved performance is basically due to the synergistic effect between Pt and Fe/N-HCS.

Morin (MO), a natural bioflavinoid, exists in many herbs. Previous studies have acclaimed MO's anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antifibrotic, anticancer, and antihyperglycemic biological effects. This study aimed to assess the molecular mechanism of MO involved in the oleic acid (OA)-induced inflammatory damage and lipid accumulation in HepG2 cell and tyloxapol (Ty)-induced hyperlipidemia in mice. We found that MO can efficaciously mitigate reactive tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level and triglyceride (TG) accumulation in OA-induced HepG2 cell and in tyloxapol-induced mice. Next, the study testified that MO apparently suppressed OA-excited nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathways in HepG2 cell. In addition, MO distinctly upregulated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and decreased the expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) in OA-induced HepG2 cell and in tyloxapol-induced mice, both of which are dependent upon the phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and protein kinase B (AKT). In conclusion, these results suggest that MO has protective potential against hyperlipidemia and steatosis, and the potential mechanism may have a close relation with activation of PPARα and inhibition of SREBP-1c.

Black rot is a cruciferous disease caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) and results in significant economic losses worldwide; therefore, elucidation of the mechanism of Xcc pathogenesis is urgently required. In this study, we aimed to select optimized reference genes to verify the relative quantification of virulent genes in Xcc. Xcc strains were cultured in three different media [basic medium (MMX), hrp-inducing medium (MMXC) and rich medium (NYG)] and the expression stability of five candidate genes [thymidylate synthase (thyA), DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB), DNA-directed RNA polymerase subunit beta, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA)] was evaluated using BestKeeper, GeNorm, and NormFinder software programs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis confirmed that two Xcc effector genes were hrpX/hrpG-regulated in MMXC using selected genes as controls. Finally, gyrB and thyA were validated as the optimized reference genes of Xcc cultured in MMXC, and qRT-PCR analysis was demonstrated to be an efficient alternative to Gus-activity detection for the analysis of Xcc expression. This information will be useful in the future studies of Xcc, especially those seeking new functional genes.

Since 2010, continual outbreaks of highly virulent variants of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) belonging to genotype GII have led to serious economic losses for the Chinese swine industry. To better understand the biological characteristics and pathogenicity of the current prevalent Chinese PEDV field strains, in this study, a highly virulent Chinese genotype GIIa PEDV strain, CH/HBXT/2018, was isolated and serially propagated using Vero cells. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that strain CH/HBXT/2018 contained novel insertion and deletion mutations in the S gene region relative to the classical strain and belonged to the genotype GIIa, similar to other recently isolated PEDV strains from China and the United States. Pig infection studies indicated that the CH/HBXT/2018 strain was highly virulent in suckling piglets, and the median pig diarrhea dose (PDD50) was 8.63 log10PDD50/3 mL at 7 days postinfection (DPI). The results of the present study are important for future PEDV challenge studies and the development of new PEDV vaccines based on prevalent field strains for the prevention and control of PED in China.

Rosmarinic acid (RA) has antioxidation, anticancer, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and various biological functions. In our study, we aim to evaluate effects of RA on acute liver injury caused by LPS and d-galactosamine (d-GalN) and its underlying molecular mechanism in mice. Our findings showed that RA could protect C57BL/6 mice from LPS/d-GalN-induced acute liver injury, which not only reflected on declining aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of the serum, but also restrained the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) and p38 protein expression and the content of tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) elevation. Moreover, RA could enhance the level of glutathione-dependent peroxidase (GSH-PX). Furthermore, RA promoted that nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) transported into nucleus, and then up-regulated heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic (GCLC), glutamate cysteine ligase modifier (GCLM) and quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1). These results indicated that RA could protect the mice from acute liver injury induced by LPS/d-GalN.

Melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor (MC1R) has been known as a regulator of eumelanin and phaeomelanin production in the melanocytes, and MC1R mutations causing coat color changes are known in many vertebrates; however, there are no research reports about the differentially expression of MC1R gene and its coding protein in Cashmere goats with different coat color. We examined the presence of MC1R distribution and MC1R protein and gene expression in the white Cashmere goats and black Cashmere goats, respectively; q-PCR, Western blot and immunhistochemical analysis showed that the expression of the MC1R gene in the black Cashmere goats was 3.39 fold more than the white ones (p

The majority of studies on the development of theory of mind (ToM) have focused on the preschool years. The current study examined the impact of conversation-based ToM training and whether a battery of executive function (EF) performance can predict the improvement in Chinese elementary students’ ToM from training. A conversation-based training program was implemented for one month and evaluated with pre- and posttest measures of ToM. Ninety-six children were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 49) and control groups (n = 47). Findings indicate that the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater gains in ToM than the control group and that individual differences in a battery of EF performance can predict the improvement of ToM. These results are consistent with the beliefs that conversations about the mind foster improvements in theory of mind in school-aged children, and executive functioning skills can assist school-age children in constructing ToM by facilitating the ability to learn from relevant experience.

Highlights • A Chinese virulent genotype GIIb PEDV strain, CH/HNPJ/2017, was successfully separated and serially propagated in Vero cells. • The biological characteristics and pathogenicity of PEDV strain CH/HNPJ/2017 were determined. • The median pig diarrhea dose (PDD50) of Chinese PEDV strain was first determined. • The immune protective effect of PEDV strain CH/HNPJ/2017 as vaccine candidates was also be evaluated., Since October 2010, severe porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) outbreaks caused by highly virulent PED virus (PEDV) strains have occurred continuously in the Chinese pig population and caused considerable economic losses. Although PEDV vaccines based on classical PEDV strains have been widely used in China in recent years, the morbidity and mortality in piglets remain high. Therefore, virulent genotype GII PEDV strains that are prevalent in the field should be isolated and used to develop next-generation vaccines. In the present study, a Chinese virulent genotype GIIb PEDV strain, CH/HNPJ/2017, was serially propagated in Vero cells for up to 90 passages. The S genes contained typical insertions and deletions that were also found in other recently isolated highly virulent PEDV strains from China and other countries and had two neighboring unique insertion mutations, which resulted in four amino acid changes in the S1 region of passages P10 and P60. Pig infection studies revealed that the CH/HNPJ/2017 strain was highly virulent in piglets, and the median pig diarrhea dose (PDD50) was 7.68 log10PDD50/3 mL. Furthermore, the cell-adapted CH/HNPJ/2017 strain elicited potent serum IgG and neutralizing antibody responses in immunized pigs when it was used as an inactivated vaccine candidate. In addition, the pigs that received the experimental inactivated vaccines were partially protected (3/5) against subsequent viral challenge. In brief, these data indicate that the CH/HNPJ/2017 strain is a promising candidate for developing a safe and effective PEDV vaccine in the future.

In this study, we examined the effects of different salt stress application methods on the Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LIP-1 freeze-drying survival rate. The application of salt stress during the stationary phase significantly improved Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LIP-1 freeze-drying survival rates (P 0.05). The indirect application of salt stress via phosphate-buffered saline containing 0.4 mol/L NaCl (NB group) led to significantly higher freeze-drying survival rates compared to when salt stress was directly applied (NA group: the concentration of NaCl is 0.4 mol/L) (P 0.05). Following exposure to salt stress, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LIP-1 cells exuded excessive Na

Magnetic fluorescent nanoparticles (MFNPs)-based protein immobilization systems were successfully synthesized via a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly approach in an impinging stream-rotating packed bed, which adopted chitosan containing carbon dots (CDs)@Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) as a precursor, chitosan (CS) or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) involving CDs as shells. To reveal the relationship between structure and efficiency of systems, the effect of self-assembly mode and layer number\was investigated to provide us insight into how to improve the design of MFNPs-based supports. Finally, an MFNPs-based protein immobilization system with excellent fluorescence and magnetic response, expanded specific surface area, and enhanced immobilization and release performance were obtained. Immobilization mechanism and kinetic studies were also conducted to reveal the rate-controlling step and the template affinity. Taken together, this study provides an effective strategy to synthesize bifunctional MFNPs and to adjust the performance, which aims for facilitating new possibilities for biomass-based nanomaterials used for protein immobilization.

A combination of experimental studies and numerical simulations is employed to probe into the transient heat transfer phenomenon during rapid depressurization of supercritical fluid in a cylindrical vessel connected to atmosphere via a sudden valve on the top. The effects of initial conditions on heat transfer characteristics are studied, and the morphological characteristics of supercritical fluid are analyzed. Results show: (i) there is a strong re-circulation inside the supercritical fluid with a sudden pressure drop. The heat transfer process is divided into four stages: the initial depressurization stage, the rapid evaporation stage, the nucleate boiling stage and the surface evaporation stage; (ii) under the subcritical state, a higher temperature contributes to a faster temperature drop rate and a shorter fast evaporation time. Moreover, a higher initial pressure leads to a lower equilibrium temperature and a shorter time it takes to reach the equilibrium temperature; (iii) differences are presented in terms of the effect of initial pressure in subcritical and supercritical zones on temperature drop rate with a turn near the critical point. A higher initial pressure gives rise to a higher equilibrium temperature, a slower temperature drop rate and the gradual increasing fast evaporation time; (iv) the experimental data are in good agreement with the calculated results, with a maximum error of 10%.

Iodine is an essential trace element for humans and the main raw material for thyroid hormone synthesis. However, the association between iodine nutritional status and adverse pregnancy outcomes in different regions remains controversial. This single-center cohort study was focused on the association between iodine nutritional status and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Beijing, China. We enrolled 726 pregnant women who were registered at the Peking University International Hospital between February 2017 and December 2019. To analyze the association between iodine nutritional status variations and adverse pregnancy outcomes, this study cohort included 390 (53.72%) participants with iodine deficiency, 206 (28.37%) with an adequate iodine level, 103 (14.19%) with a more than adequate iodine level, and 27 (3.72%) with iodine excess, according to the urinary iodine (UI) status of pregnant women. After adjusting for age, body mass index, parity, and history of spontaneous abortion, we identified iodine deficiency as a risk factor for anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) positivity [odds ratio (OR), 3.646; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.658–8.017], anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) positivity (OR, 3.109; 95% CI, 1.465–6.599), and thyroid autoimmunity (OR, 2.885; 95% CI, 1.539–5.407). There was a non-linear relationship between UI and the concentrations of TPOAb and TGAb (Pnon-linear

PTEN is one of the most frequently mutated genes in malignancies and acts as a powerful tumor suppressor. Tumorigenesis is involved in multiple and complex processes including initiation, invasion, and metastasis. The complexity of PTEN function is partially attributed to PTEN family members such as PTENα and PTENβ. Here, we report the identification of PTENε (also named as PTEN5), a novel N‐terminal‐extended PTEN isoform that suppresses tumor invasion and metastasis. We show that the translation of PTENε/PTEN5 is initiated from the CUG816 codon within the 5′UTR region of PTEN mRNA. PTENε/PTEN5 mainly localizes in the cell membrane and physically associates with and dephosphorylates VASP and ACTR2, which govern filopodia formation and cell motility. We found that endogenous depletion of PTENε/PTEN5 promotes filopodia formation and enhances the metastasis capacity of tumor cells. Overall, we identify a new isoform of PTEN with distinct subcellular localization and molecular function compared to the known members of the PTEN family. These findings advance our current understanding of the importance and diversity of PTEN functions., A novel isoform of PTEN is regulated by eIF2A and has a unique function in controlling tumor cell motility.

A series of highly active MnO

The inhomogeneous distribution of parallel pipe flow leads to difficulty in the efficient and reliable operation of fluid power equipment. In view of this, a new type of rectifier nozzle has been proposed in parallel pipelines. Numerical simulation and experimental studies were used to reveal the influence of the rectification nozzle on the flow distribution characteristics. The hydraulic characteristics of the parallel pipelines with and without rectifier nozzles were compared and analyzed. The effects of the temperature and inlet flow on the flow uniformity were studied. The results showed that the initial temperature had little effect on the flow distribution of parallel pipelines, and the flow rates of the branches were not much different. The inlet flow had great influence on the distribution characteristics of the parallel pipelines, but the rectifier nozzles changed the local resistance structure and pressure distribution at the shunt, thereby improving the non-uniformity of the flow distribution of the parallel pipelines, and the maximum difference between the two pipes was optimized from 28.89 t/h (20.3%) to 2.2 t/h (1.5%). The rectifying nozzle could distort the flow field of each branch during the split, making the distribution of flow rate and flow state more uniform and stable. At high inlet fluid temperatures, cavitation could occur under the pressure drop of the nozzle, and partial cavitation had little effect on the flow distribution.

We introduce new manifold-based splines that are able to exactly reproduce B-splines on unstructured surface meshes. Such splines can be used in isogeometric analysis (IGA) to represent smooth surfaces of arbitrary topology. Since prevalent computer-aided design (CAD) models are composed of tensor-product B-spline patches, any IGA suitable construction should be able to reproduce B-splines. To achieve this goal, we focus on univariate manifold-based constructions that can reproduce B-splines. The manifold-based splines are constructed by smoothly blending together polynomial interpolants defined on overlapping charts. The proposed constructions automatically reproduce B-splines in regular parts of the mesh, with no extraordinary vertices, and polynomial basis functions in the remaining parts of the mesh. We study and compare analytically and numerically the finite element convergence of several univariate constructions. The obtained results directly carry over to the tensor-product case.