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Previous studies on brain MRI image segmentation, such as threshold method, boundary detection method, and region method did not achieve good performance in complex scenes. Based on the deep learning segmentation technology, this study constructed a neural network model by using the algorithm of atrous convolution combined with conditional random field (CRF) to segment the thalamus, caudate nucleus, and lenticular nucleus in brain MRI, which laid a good foundation for MRI diagnosis of brain diseases.A total of 1 200 MRI-Flair images of the brain were randomly selected, and 3 anatomical structures of thalamus, caudate nucleus, and lenticular nucleus were manually labeled, of which 1 000 were used as training data sets and 200 were used as test data sets. The neural network model was established by using deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) combined with CRF algorithm. The training data set was input into the model, and the parameterized neural network model was obtained after iteration for 30 000 times. The test data set was used to evaluate, test, and output the predicted image.The model optimization results showed that the new brain MRI segmentation model DeepXAG had the highest accuracy. Therefore, DeepXAG was selected as the segmentation algorithm. The mean intersection over union (mIOU) of the DeepXAG model was 72.3%, which was significantly higher than other classical segmentation algorithms (CRF-RNN1, FCN-8s2, DPN3, RefineNet4, and PSPNet5).The DeepXAG algorithm has good accuracy and robustness in segmenting the anatomical structure of brain MRI images.

In this paper, we designed and synthesized a new type of cyclic carbonates, allenylethylene carbonates (AECs). With AECs as reactive precursors, we developed palladium-catalyzed (3+3) annulation of AECs with nitrile oxides. Various AECs worked well in this reaction under mild reaction conditions. A variety of 5,6-dihydro-1,4,2-dioxazine derivatives with allenyl quaternary stereocenters can be accessed in a facile manner in high yields (≤98%).

An unprecedented C═C double bond cleavage of cyclopropenone and dioxygen activation by multiyne cascade coupling has been developed. This chemistry provides a novel, simple, and efficient approach to synthesize fully substituted conjugate benzofuran derivatives from simple substrates under mild conditions. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the unique homolytic cleavages of cyclopropenone and molecular oxygen are crucial to the success of this reaction.

Lamellar liquid crystals have amazing lubricating and drug-solubilizing properties. Hence, the combination of drug molecules with lamellar liquid crystals is expected to be used in joint lubrication and treatment. In this study, the partial phase diagram of the Tween 85/Tween 80/H

Objective Patients with chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) have a higher incidence to develop depression. However, its pathogenesis has not yet been fully elucidated. Here we aimed to investigate the role of inflammatory cytokines in CNP-related anhedonia, which is a core symptom of depression, and to explore the effects of ketamine and parecoxib on pain and anhedonia. Methods A rat model of spared nerve injury (SNI) was constructed to mimic CNP. Hierarchical cluster analysis of sucrose preference test (SPT) was applied to classify the SNI rats into anhedonia susceptible and unsusceptible. Inflammatory cytokines in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of brain, serum and L2-5 spinal cord were measured. Moreover, effects of ketamine or parecoxib on mechanical withdrawal test (MWT) and SPT in anhedonia susceptible rats were detected. Results Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α was increased in mPFC, serum and and spinal cord of anhedonia susceptible rats. Furthermore, anhedonia susceptible and unsusceptible rats both increased the interleukin (IL)-1β level in mPFC, serum and spinal cord. IL-6 was altered in serum and spinal cord, but not in mPFC. IL-10 was significantly altered in mPFC and serum, but not in spinal cord. Additionally, ketamine treatment significantly attenuated the decreased results of MWT and SPT in anhedonia susceptible rats, and that parecoxib significantly improved the MWT score, but failed to alter the result of SPT. Conclusion These findings suggest that abnormalities in inflammatory cytokines confer susceptible to anhedonia in a rat model of SNI. Ketamine, a fast-acting antidepressant, has pharmacological benefits to alleviate pain and anhedonia symptoms.

Methyl and phenyl esters of 2',3'-PhABA and iso-2',3'-PhABA were prepared for the biological investigation and development of practical applications. These esters exhibited excellent activity in most plant growth inhibitory assays. And, three esters were more efficient than ABA in stomatal closure. The 2',3'-PhABA analogs and their methyl esters have good stability in hydrolysis assay, and the different lipid solubility and permeability of different esters may be one of the origins of their active selectivity for different plants and physiological processes. Furthermore, in the study of drought tolerance, all four esters had comparable activity to ABA. These results suggest that these esters were potent plant growth regulator (PGR) candidates for anti-drought. The finding that different esters have different selective bioactivity and biophysical properties indicates that these esters not only function as ABA-like PGRs but also have the possibility as potential selective pro-hormone. 2',3'-BenzoABA esters as PGR candidates with prolonged and selective bioactivity.

The transition of apical progenitors (APs) to basal progenitors (BPs) is an important neurogenic process during cortical expansion. Presenilin enhancer 2 (Pen-2, also named as Psenen) is a key subunit of γ-secretase and has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disease. However, it remains unknown how Pen-2 may regulate the maintenance of APs. To address this question, we generated a conditional KO (cKO) mouse in which Pen-2 is specifically inactivated in neural progenitor cells in the telencephalon. Both male and female embryos were used. We show thatPen-2cKO cortices display remarkable depletion of Aps, but transient increase on BPs, compared with controls. We demonstrate that the proliferation rate of APs or BPs is not changed, but the switch of APs to BPs is dramatically accelerated inPen-2cKO cortices. Molecular analyses reveal decreased levels of Hes1 and Hes5 but increased levels of Ngn2 and NeuroD1 inPen-2KO cells. We report that expression of Notch1 intracellular domain inPen-2cKO cortices restores the population of APs and BPs. In summary, these findings highlight a central role of the Notch signaling in Pen-2-dependent maintenance of neural stem cells in the developing neocortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTPresenilin enhancer 2 (Pen-2) has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disease. However, mechanisms by which Pen-2 regulates cortical development are not understood. In this study, we generated neural progenitor cell-specificPen-2conditional KO mice. We observe depletion of apical progenitors and transiently increased the number of basal progenitors in the developing neocortex of Pen-2 mutant mice. Mechanistic analyses reveal decreased levels of Hes1 and Hes5, but increased levels of neurogenic transcription factors in Pen-2 mutant cortices, compared with controls. We demonstrate that reintroduction of Notch intracellular domain into mutant mice restores the population of apical progenitors to basal progenitors. The above findings strongly suggest that the Pen-2-Notch pathway plays an essential role in the maintenance of neural stem cells during cortical development.

A highly efficient HDDA-Wittig coupling strategy for the synthesis of fully functionalized benzenes, such as ethyl 2-methylbenzoates and o-tolylethanones, is reported. The formation of four new C–C bonds via a one-pot, multicomponent cascade proceeded through the formation of a benzyne intermediate by self-cyclization, which then reacted with a phosphorus ylide. The target bicyclic aromatic compounds were prepared by the reaction of tetraynes with (acetylmethylene)triphenylphosphorane/(carbomethoxymethylene)triphenylphosphorane, and trace water allowed direct methylation and played a pivotal role in the construction of the natural carbonylated 2,3-dihydro-1H-indene cores, which were highly substituted. This report describes a robust method for the production of fused polyfunctional aromatic hydrocarbons.

Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen in foodstuffs, and an effective detection assay is therefore essential for ensuring food safety. In this study, we established a label-free loop-mediated isothermal amplification integrated G-quadruplex molecular beacon (LAMP-GMB) chemiluminescence method for S. aureus detection based on its nuc gene that encodes a thermostable nuclease. Target DNA was amplified using the LAMP technique; the result LAMP products were specially recognized by GMB detection probe, subsequently induced the release of G-rich sequence, and formed a complex spatial structure G-quadruplex. The structure can bind with hemin and catalyze the H2O2-mediated oxidation of luminol reagent to produce the chemiluminescence signal for chemiluminescent detection. Under the optimized conditions, the developed method showed a good linear relationship (R2 = 0.9882) in the range of 101-105 fg μL−1 and was able to detect as low as 10 fg μL−1 genomic DNA from S. aureus. Using spiked milk samples, the method exhibited a linear relationship (R2 = 0.9893) ranging from 5 × 101 to 5 × 107 CFU mL−1 with the limit of detection of 50 CFU mL−1. Importantly, the detection assay did not require the preparation and use of labeled primers for the LAMP reaction, increasing the reliability and efficiency of the assay. Therefore, the developed LAMP-GMB method has the potential to be widely applied to S. aureus monitoring work in food field.

A mild Rh-catalyzed method for synthesis of cyclic unprotected N-Me and N-H 2,3-aminoethers using an olefin aziridination-aziridine ring-opening domino reaction has been developed. The method is readily applicable to the stereocontrolled synthesis of a variety of 2,3-disubstituted aminoether O-heterocyclic scaffolds, including tetrahydrofurans, tetrahydropyrans and chromanes.

PDK1 (3-Phosphoinositide dependent protein kinase-1) is a member in the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase) pathway and is implicated in neurodevelopmental disease with microcephaly. Although the role of PDK1 in neurogenesis has been broadly studied, it remains unknown how PDK1 may regulate oligogenesis in the central nervous system (CNS). To address this question, we generated oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage cells specific PDK1 conditional knockout (cKO) mice. We find that PDK1 cKOs display abnormal white matter (WM), massive loss of mature OLs and severe defect in myelination in the CNS. In contrast, these mutants exhibit normal neuronal development and unchanged apoptosis in the CNS. We demonstrate that deletion of PDK1 severely impairs OL differentiation. We show that genetic or pharmacological inhibition of PDK1 causes deficit in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTor) signaling and down-regulation of Sox10. Together, these results highlight a critical role of PDK1 in OL differentiation during postnatal CNS development.

Celtis sinensis Pers. is a popular garden landscape tree in riparian areas and a valuable resistant tree in many extreme environments. Here, we determined the first complete chloroplast genome of C. sinensis using high-throughput sequencing technology. Our results showed the chloroplast genome of C.sinensis was 159,092 bp long and displayed a typical quadripartite structure consisting of a pair of inverted repeats with a length of 26,895 bp and separating by two single-copy regions (LSC, 86,085 bp and SSC, 19,217 bp). Besides, the chloroplast genome of C. sinensis totally contained 131 genes, including 87 protein coding genes, 36 transfer RNAs and eight ribosomal RNAs. Additionally, a maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on the 19 chloroplast genomes demonstrated the monophyly of Cannabaceae and C. sinensis formed a sister clade to Celtis biondii.

A method for the intermolecular annulation of benzynes with allenes is disclosed. This protocol utilized allenes as an unconventional diene component for the selective synthesis of phenanthrenes and dihydrophenanthrenes under the control of different benzyne precursors, featuring high atom-economy and good functional group compatibility. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that different migratory routes of the aromatic C-H bond are crucial for the observed selectivity.

Clinical evidence shows that chronic pain and depression often accompany each other, but the underlying pathogenesis of comorbid chronic pain and depression remains mostly undetermined. Biotechnology is gradually revealing the phenotype and function of microglia, with great progress regarding microglia's role in neurodegeneration, depression, chronic pain, and other conditions. This article summarizes the role of microglia in chronic pain, depression, and comorbidities, which is conducive to finding new targets to treat chronic pain and depression.

The rise of multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative (GN) pathogens and the decline of available antibiotics that can effectively treat these severe infections are a major threat to modern medicine. Developing novel antibiotics against MDR GN pathogens is particularly difficult as compounds have to permeate the GN double membrane, which has very different physicochemical properties, and have to circumvent a plethora of resistance mechanisms such as multiple efflux pumps and target modifications. The bacterial type II topoisomerases DNA gyrase (GyrA

Optimizing the induction therapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may improve the remission rate and reduce the risk of relapse, thereby extend survival. Cyclophosphamide (CTX) shows benefit in treating relapsed and refractory AML patients, but it has not been reported in first-line induction regimens. To assess the efficacy and safety of CTX and moderate-dosage cytarabine (Ara-C) as induction chemotherapy in newly diagnosed adult AML, 40 patients were enrolled to receive CTX (20 mg/kg/d) for 4 consecutive days and Ara-C for 3 (1 g/m

Herein we describe the first organocatalytic asymmetric C(sp

Telencephalic radial glial progenitors (RGPs) are retained in the ventricular zone (VZ), the niche for neural stem cells during cortical development. However, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. To study whether protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) may regulate the above process, we generate Ppp2cα conditional knockout (cKO) mice, in which PP2A catalytic subunit α (PP2Acα) is inactivated in neural progenitor cells in the dorsal telencephalon. We show that RGPs are ectopically distributed in cortical areas outside of the VZ in Ppp2cα cKO embryos. Whereas deletion of PP2Acα does not affect the proliferation of RGPs, it significantly impairs the generation of late-born neurons. We find complete loss of apical adherens junctions (AJs) in the ventricular membrane in Ppp2cα cKO cortices. We observe abundant colocalization for N-cadherin and PP2Acα in control AJs. Moreover, in vitro analysis reveals direct interactions of N-cadherin to PP2Acα and to β-catenin. Overall, this study not only uncovers a novel function of PP2Acα in retaining RGPs into the VZ but also demonstrates the impact of PP2A-dependent retention of RGPs on the generation for late-born neurons.

Since December 2019, more than 79,000 people have been diagnosed with infection of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). A large number of medical staff were dispersed for Wuhan city and Hubei province to aid COVID-19 control. Psychological stress, especially vicarious traumatization (VT) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, should not be ignored. To address this concern, the study employed a total of 214 general public (GP) and 526 nurses to evaluate VT scores via a mobile app-based questionnaire. Results showed that the VT scores slightly increased across periods of aiding COVID-19 control, although no statistical difference was noted (P = 0.083). However, the study found lower scores for VT in nurses [median = 69; interquartile range (IQR) = 56–85] than those of the GP (median = 75.5; IQR = 62–88.3) (P = 0.017). In addition, the VT scores for front-line nurses (FLNs; median = 64; IQR = 52–75), including scores for physiological and psychological responses, were significantly lower than those of non-front-line nurses (nFLNs; median = 75.5; IQR = 63–92) (P < 0.001). Interestingly, the VT scores of the GP were significantly higher than those of the FLNs (P < 0.001). However, no statistical difference was observed compared with those of nFLNs (P > 0.05). Importantly, nFLNs are more likely to suffer from VT, which might be related to two factors, namely, gender [odds ratio (OR) = 3.1717; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.247–18.808; P = 0.002] and fertility [OR = 2.072; 95%CI = 0.626–24.533; P = 0.039]. Therefore, increased attention should be paid to the psychological problems of the medical staff, especially nFLNs, and GP under the situation of the spread and control of COVID-19. Early strategies that aim to prevent and treat VT in medical staff and GP are extremely necessary.

The HDDA-derived benzyne intermediate was captured by oxazolines based on the addition reaction of benzyne to the C═N double bond. Benzoxazepine derivatives, fused benzoxazepine derivatives, and fully substituted indoles are synthesized in one step. The reaction does not require any catalyst or additives. Possible reaction mechanisms are presented.

Lysinibacillus sphaericus C3-41 carries a large low-copy-number plasmid pBsph, which encodes binary toxin proteins. Our previous study found that the transcriptional activator TubX plays an important role in the newly identified type Ⅲ TubRZC replication/partition system in pBsph, and that a vector consisting of tubRZC and tubX is not as stable as pBsph, indicating the presence of other maintenance module(s). In this study, we identified that orf9 and orf10 are necessary for the stability of pBsph by a series of deletion and complementation experiments. Bioinformatics analysis showed that ORF9 contains a PIN domain of VapBC toxin-antitoxin (TA) system, whereas ORF10 share no significant sequence similarity to any of the characterized antitoxins in the database. Further studies revealed that orf9 and orf10 are transcribed as an operon. The overexpression of ORF9 repressed the growth of both Escherichia coli and L. sphaericus, which can be alleviated by overexpression of ORF10. The deletion of orf10 individually or orf9-10 together resulted a decrease on plasmid stability which was restored by the complementation of corresponding gene(s), suggesting that ORF10 plays an important role in plasmid stability. In addition, it was found the plasmid stability is related with the transcription level of tubRZ, and overexpression of TubRZ could neutralize the negative effect on plasmid stability caused by the deletion of orf9-orf10. Moreover, the recombinant vector containing tubRZC, tubX and orf9-10 was more stable than the ones containing only tubRZC and either tubX or orf9-10. The data indicate that the plasmid maintenance system on pBsph includes orf9-orf10 TA system.

Flexible electronics has received widespread concern and research. As a most-fundamental step and component, polymer metallization to introduce conductive electrode is crucial in successful establishment and application of flexible and stretchable electronic system. Ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) is such an attractive flexible mechanical sensor with significant advantages of passive and space-discriminative capability. Generally, the IPMC sensor is fabricated by the electroless plating method to form structure of ionic polymer membrane sandwiched with two metallic electrodes. In order to obtain high-quality interface adhesion and conductivity between polymer and metal, the plating process for IPMC sensor is usually time-consuming and uncontrollable and has low reproducibility, which make it difficult to use in practice and in large-scale. Here, a manufacturable method and equipment with short processing time and high reproducibility for fabricating IPMC sensors by in situ plasma etching and magnetron sputtering depositing on flexible substrates is developed. First, the new method shortens the fabrication period greatly from 2 weeks to 2 h to obtain IPMC sensors with sizes up to 9 cm × 9 cm or arrays in various patterns. Second, the integrated operation ensures all sample batch stability and performance repeatability. In a typical IPMC sensor, nearly 200 mV potential signal due to ion redistribution induced by bending strain under 1.6% can be produced without any external power supply, which is much higher than the traditional electroless plating sensor. This work verified that the in situ plasma etching and magnetron sputtering deposition could significantly increase the interface and surface conductivity of the flexible devices, resulting in the present high sensitivity as well as linear correlation with strain of the IPMC sensor. Therefore, this introduced method is scalable and believed to be used to metalize flexible substrates with different metals, providing a new route to large-scale fabrication of flexible devices for potential wearable applications in real-time monitoring human motion and human–machine interaction.

Poly (2-aminothiophenol) (PATP)/MnO2 nanocables have been fabricated through in situ growth of MnO2 nanoflakes on surfaces of PATP nanofibers thanks to the redox activity between PATP and KMnO4. The coating amount of MnO2 shells can be well-controlled by determining the KMnO4 precursor concentration. When used as adsorbents, the PATP/MnO2 nanocables showed excellent adsorption capacity towards heavy metal ions owing to the integrated physical and chemical adsorption behaviors resulted from MnO2 inorganic oxide and PATP polymer. Effect of Pb(II) ions concentration, solution pH, ionic strength and coexisting ions on the on Pb(II) ions adsorption have been investigated. In addition, the adsorption data of PATP/MnO2 adsorbent toward Pb(II) ion fits the Freundlich isotherm. The developed PATP/MnO2 adsorbents synthesized by a facile and economic route are believed to show high potential in environmental remediation for heavy metal removal.

A cosmid metagenomic library containing 1.3 × 105 clones was created from a soil sample. A novel gene (fae-xuan) encoding a feruloyl esterase was identified through functional screening. Primary sequence analysis showed that the gene consisted of 759 base pairs and encoded a protein of 252 amino acids. The gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and the corresponding purified recombinant enzyme exhibited a molecular weight of 29 kDa. The FAE-Xuan showed high activity (40.0 U/mg) toward methyl ferulate with an optimal temperature and pH of 30 °C and 5.0, respectively. Besides methyl ferulate, FAE-Xuan can also hydrolyze methyl sinapate and methyl p-coumarate. The substrate utilization preferences and phylogenetic analysis indicated that FAE-Xuan belongs to type A FAE. FAE-Xuan was quite stable over a broad pH range from 3.0 to 10.0. The activity reduced remarkably in presence of Cu2+. FAE-Xuan can enhance the quantity of ferulic acid from de-starched wheat bran in presence of xylanase. The work presented here highlighted the effectiveness of metagenomic strategy in identifying novel FAEs with diverse properties for potential use in industrial production.

An increasing number of studies have demonstrated the function of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the initiation and development of various types of cancer. Among them, miR-425-5p is proven to serve an important function in several types of cancer, including gastric, cervical cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the function of miR-425-5p in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. In the present study, it was demonstrated that the expression level of miR-425-5p was upregulated in RCC tissues and cell lines compared with normal tissues and cell lines (P

An efficient chemo- and regioselective N-vinylation of N-heteroarenes has been developed using vinylsulfonium salts. The reaction proceeded under mild and transition-metal-free conditions and consistently provided moderate to high yields of vinylation products with 100% E-stereoselectivity. This reaction is also highly chemoselective, and compatible with a variety of functional groups, such as -NHR, -NH2, -OH, -COOH, ester, etc.

DegS and DegU make up a two component system belonging to a class of signal transduction systems that play important roles in a broad range of bacterial responses to the environment. However, little study has been done to explore the physiological functions of DegS-DegU in mosquitocidal Lysinibacillus sphaericus . In this study, it was found that deletion of degU or degS-degU inhibited the swarming motility , biofilm formation, sporulation and binary toxin production through regulating the related genes, and phosphorylation was necessary for the functions of DegU. Based on the findings, a regulation network mediated by DegU was delineated. Both DegU-pi and Spo0A-pi positively regulates genes which are linked with the transition from stage Ⅱ to the end of the sporulation process and also influences the production of binary toxins via regulation on sigE. Both DegU-pi and Spo0A-pi negatively regulate abrB/sinR and influence the biofilm formation. DegU-pi can positively regulate the motility via the regulation on sigD. Whether the regulations are directly or indirectly need to be explored. Moreover, Spo0A-pi may indirectly regulate the swarming motility through negatively regulating DegU. It was concluded that DegU is a global transcriptional regulator on cell swarming motility, biofilm formation, sporulation and virulence in L. sphaericus.

An efficient approach to N, N′-unsymmetrically substituted ureas 9 has been developed through the ammonolysis process of N-Boc protected anilines 7 with amines prompted by 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD). Moreover, a convenient protocol for the synthesis of the symmetric N, N'-substituted ureas 12 by one-pot diammonolysis process of Boc2O with amines catalyzed by DABCO has also been achieved. With broad substrate scope and mild conditions, these two methods demonstrate practical preparation of both unsymmetrical and symmetrical ureas.

The yellow stripe-like (YSL) family of transporters mediates the uptake, translocation, and distribution of various mineral elements in vivo by transferring metal ions chelated with phytosiderophore or nicotianamine (NA). However, little is known about the roles of the YSL genes against cadmium in planta. In this study, we first cloned and characterized a vital member of the YSL gene family, MsYSL1, from the bioenergy plant Miscanthus sacchariflorus. MsYSL1 localized in the plasma membrane and was widely expressed throughout the whole seedling with the highest expression level in the stem. In addition, its expression in the root was stimulated by excess manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), and lead, and a shortage of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper. Functional complementation in yeast indicated that MsYSL1 showed transport activity for Fe(II)–NA and Zn–NA, but not for Cd–NA. Although they exhibited no significant differences versus the wild type under normal cultivation conditions, MsYSL1-overexpressing Arabidopsis lines displayed a higher resistance to Cd accompanied by longer root lengths, lower Cd, Zn, and Mn levels in roots, and higher Cd, Fe, and Mn translocation ratios under Cd stress. Moreover, genes related to NA synthesis, metal translocation, long-distance transport, and Cd exclusion were highly induced in transgenic lines under Cd stress. Thus, MsYSL1 may be an essential transporter for diverse metal–NAs to participate in the Cd detoxification by mediating the reallocation of other metal ions.

In this paper, viscoelastic wormlike micelles consisting of cationic liquid-type surfactant, 1-hexadecyl-3-octyl imidazolium bromide ([C16imC8]Br), water and different additives were utilized for the synthesis of CdS quantum dots. First, the influence of different additives, such as [Cd(NH3)6]Cl2 and ethanethioamid (precursors for the synthesis of CdS quantum dots), and temperature on the viscoelasticity of the [C16imC8]Br aqueous solution was studied by dynamic and steady rheology. Furthermore, the synthesized CdS quantum dots and their photoluminescence properties were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). In the end, the mechanism for the synthesis of CdS quantum dots in [C16imC8]Br wormlike micelles is proposed.

Celtis sinensis Pers. is a popular garden landscape tree in riparian areas and a valuable resistant tree in many extreme environments. Here, we determined the first complete chloroplast genome of C...

Two new citrinin derivatives, pencitrin (1) and pencitrinol (2), and a known compound citrinin (3), together with its two known dimers, penicitrinone A (4), penicitrinone E (5), were isolated from an endophytic fungus P. citrinum 46 derived from Salicornia herbacea Torr. by adding CuCl2 into fermentation medium. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configurations of 1, 4, and 5 were determined by comparison of quantum chemical time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculated and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Compound 1 exhibited potent cytotoxic activities towards A549 human lung cancer cells and HepG2 human liver cancer cells with IC50 values of 23.73 ± 3.61 and 35.73 ± 2.15 μM, respectively, whereas compound 5 showed moderate cytotoxic activities towards A549 and HepG2 cancer cells with IC50 values of 40.47 ± 4.52 and 53.57 ± 3.24 μM, respectively. The results from the current research highlighted the effectiveness and usefulness of the pipeline to discover novel bioactive fungal secondary metabolites by modification of the culture media.

This paper proposes a novel multiple-stress-based predictive model (MSBPM) to rapidly assess the lifetime of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The MSBPM addresses the lifetime estimation of LEDs with respect to temperature, humidity, and current; these three stresses are rarely considered simultaneously in the assessment of reliability. Using several degradation data sets from accelerated life tests (ALTs) without using extrapolation method, a designed adaptive genetic algorithm is employed to identify five unknown parameters of the MSBPM. A simulation of the proposed MSBPM is presented as validation. By applying the degradation data from the ALTs under high stresses, an MSBPM for the LEDs is established. Under the nominal conditions of 25 °C/22.5% RH and a current of 0.35 A, the lifetime of the LED is estimated using the established MSBPM. The effectiveness of the proposed MSBPM is further verified through the estimated results.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease in which 20-50% patients are resistant to chemotherapy. Relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML has a poor long-term prognosis resulting from chemotherapeutic drug resistance. However, the specific gene-drug pairs have been rarely reported. The purpose of our study was to explore an accurate algorithm for screening gene profiles classifier associated with chemotherapy drug sensitivity. Method: 43 AML patients from the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital were enrolled, including newly diagnosis (n=23) and R/R (n=20) AML between March 2019 to January 2020. We separated bone marrow cells (BMCs) of the 43 patients. Additionally, 24 therapeutic drugs panel (Figure 1) were selected and 7-concentration gradient were used to test drug sensitivity in vitro by HDS (High-throuphput Drug Sensitivity Analysis Strategy). Paired molecular data of RNA-seq and DNA methylation 850K CHIP implemented simultaneously. K-Means, an unsupervised algorithm, was applied to cluster all samples into two groups (Resistance/Sensitive group) according to IC50 and 100% PPC inhibition rate of each drug. We used a combination of different algorithms to build a proper gene classifier. The whole process was shown as Figure 2. The major objectives of the evaluating algorithm included F1 score, precision rate, recall rate and AUC. "pRRophetic", a R package, was modified to specify target type as "AML" in aim to estimate IC50 of samples based on GDSC database. Furthermore, we cultured Ara-C resistant cell line of HL-60 in purpose of comparing relative gene expression with wide type (wt) by quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR) to prove the selected gene signature. Result: The HDS data suggested that sensitivities of newly diagnosis AML to chemotherapeutic-drugs were highly variable. However, Newly Diagnosis Group was more sensitive to majority chemotherapeutic drugs in contrast to R/R AML (P As heterogeneous drug response in vitro, we found K-means (k=2) was more reasonable algorithm, as compared to K-means (k=3) for grouping all samples. SVM of transcription data for each drug showed a significantly advantage over other algorithms (P Compared to newly diagnosis AML, R/R Group possessed 2134 upregulated genes and 1210 down-regulated genes in the aspect of RNA-seq data. Crosslinking analysis of RNA-seq and methylation data of the two group, 1 gene were described as up-regulated expression with hypo-methylation, and 39 genes was down-regulated expression with hyper-methylation. 8/39 genes are corresponded with SVM algorithm. Moreover, 4-gene-drug pairs, including FOXC1 for anthracyclines drug, IGFBP5 for Ara-C, VTRNA1-1 and TKTL1 for pan-drug, were investigated by overlapping TOP 5 genes for each drug of SVM algorithm and DEGs between R/R and newly diagnosis AML. High expression of four genes was identified as a risk factor for AML prognosis. The result of qPCR revealed that IGFBP5 is overexpression in Ara-C-resistant HL-60 than wt. Conclusion: We construct a model of K-Means and RFE-DEG/DMP-SVM, a validated and precise computational approach, for predicting drug sensitivity related genes in AML patients. Up-regulated expression with hypo-methylation genes may be signature genes for drug resistance. 4-gene-based classifier may make contributions to chemotherapeutic-drug resistance prediction and AML treatment decision-making. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Biomimetic mineralized hybrid scaffolds are widely used as natural bone substitute materials in tissue engineering by mimicking vital characters of extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the fabrication of hybrid scaffolds with suitable mechanical properties and good biocompatibility remains a challenge. To solve the problems mentioned above, biomimetic calcium phosphate mineralized organic-inorganic hybrid scaffold composed of nano hydroxyapatite (nHAP), Chitosan (CS), Chondroitin sulfate (CSA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) with hierarchical micro/nano structures was successfully developed. In this process, an efficient and easy-to-accomplish method combining in situ biomimetic synthesis with freeze-drying technology was applied. The chemical structure of the scaffolds was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface morphology of scaffolds was characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nHAP/CS/CSA/HA hybrid scaffolds with a well-distributed pore size showed suitable mechanical strength which is not only due to the addition of the nHAP but also the interaction between the positively charged CS and the negatively charged CSA and HA. Simultaneously, the biocompatibility was evaluated by the MTT cytotoxicity assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining. All those results proved that the scaffolds possess good biocompatibility and the components added have enhanced the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast. Thus, it can be anticipated that the in situ biomimetic mineralized nHAP/CS/CAS/HA hybrid scaffolds will be promising candidates for bone tissue engineering.

Recent research has established growing research interest in subject of conducting polymer (CP)-based hybrids due to their novel properties and potential applications in diverse fields. The incorporation of CPs with other materials can produce new hybrids showing distinct properties that are not observed in the individual components. Among numerous CP-based hybrids, CP and noble metal nanoparticle (NMNP) hybrids have attracted the most intensive attention in the past few years. The numerous functional groups and tunable chemical structures through redox in the main chains of CPs, make them as ideal supporters for NMNPs. The compact interactions and synergistic effects between CPs and NMNPs contribute to the increased performances in diverse applications. The purpose of this review focuses on state-of-the-art synthetic strategies, mechanisms and applications involved in CP-NMNP hybrids. Herein, CPs used are polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPY), polythiophene (PTH) and their derivatives; while NMNPs mainly refer to Au, Ag, Pt and Pd nanoparticles. Specifically, the topics include: 1) strategies and mechanisms involved in the synthesis of CP-NMNP hybrids; 2) potential applications of CP-NMNP hybrids in fields of catalysis, sensor, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), device and others. Finally, prospects and challenges for making advanced CP-NMNP hybrids are discussed.

Polyacetylene glycosides, (6Z, 12E)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1-ol-3(R)-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (trivially named coreoside E) and (6Z, 12E)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1-ol-3(R)-O-β-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (trivially named coreoside F), were isolated from buds of Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt., together with one known compound, coreoside B. Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and on the basis of their chemical reactivities. Coreoside E exhibited high levels of antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 27 ± 0.27 and 18 ± 0.40 μM, respectively, whereas coreoside F and coreoside B showed weak antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and B. anthracis.

The first use of zinc triflate for the cyclopropanation of unprotected oxindoles with vinyl diphenyl sulfonium triflate salt is reported. The reaction proceeded under ambient conditions and consistently provided high yields with broad functional group tolerability. The utility for the late-stage functionalization (LSF) of complex molecules is demonstrated.

Herein, an extended gate-AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (EG-AlGaN/GaN HEMT) with a high sensitivity for bioassay has been developed. The major difference between the EG-AlGaN/GaN HEMT transducer and a traditional AlGaN/GaN HEMT transducer is the sensing region. By extending the gate electrode and separating the sensing region from the channel of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT, our EG-AlGaN/GaN HEMT has a much larger sensing area and therefore achieves a low limit of detection (0.1 pg mL−1). Additionally, our transducer exhibits excellent linearity (R2 = 0.9934) with a wide range (from 0.1 pg mL−1 to 100 ng mL−1). We also demonstrate that the larger area of the extended sensing region can provide a larger current response of the transducer. The results give a proof-of-concept demonstration of the utilization of the EG-AlGaN/GaN HEMT for trace-level biological detection.

Mesoporous C, N-codoped TiO2 (C/N-TiO2) hybrid shells incorporated with graphite carbon were synthesized using polystyrene spheres as templates, followed by polyaniline (PANI) and TiO2 coating, and then post-treatments of etching and calcination, where PANI functioned as both C and N doping sources and supplied the graphite carbon. Compared with pure TiO2 and C-doped TiO2 (C-TiO2) hybrid shells, C/N-TiO2 hybrid shells exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of organic dyes and H2 production under visible light irradiation, which could be attributed to the enhanced visible light absorption and charge separation efficiency associated with the codoped-C and N and the presence of graphite carbon. It is believed that the strategy presented here will provide a promising route for the construction of other C/N-semiconductor hybrid shells for broader applications.

The facile synthesis of fused multifunctionalized isoindole-1,3-diones by a hexadehydro-Diels–Alder domino reaction of various substituted tetraynes and imidazole derivatives is reported. The overall transformation involved the formation of three new C–C bonds and two new Caryl–O bonds via intramolecular cyclization and intermolecular coupling oxidation reactions.

The fabrication of bone scaffolds with interconnected porous structure, adequate mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility presents a great challenge. Herein, a hybrid nanostructured chitosan/chondroitin sulfate/hydroxyapatite (ChS/CSA/HAP) in situ composite scaffold was prepared by in situ fabrication and freeze-drying technique. The composition and morphology of scaffold were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It proved that the low crystallinity of HAP crystals were uniformly distributed in ChS/CSA organic matrix and the nanostructured hybrid scaffold exhibited good mechanical property. The biocompatibility and in vitro bioactivity were detected by MTT-assay, maturation (alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity), Hoechst 33258 and PI fluorescence staining. In vitro tests indicated that the hybrid scaffold not only promoted the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblasts, but also improved the growth of the osteoblasts. Therefore, it is promising for bone repair application in bone tissue engineering.

Carbon-incorporated mesoporous NiO/TiO2 (NiO/TiO2/C) hybrid shells as low-cost and highly efficient visible light photocatalysts have been developed. The NiO/TiO2/C hybrid shells were synthesized by choosing polystyrene nanospheres as templates, followed by TiO2 and NiO coating, and finally the calcination post-treatment to carbonize PS with the aid of metal oxides. Polystyrene nanospheres serve dual purposes as both a template to ensure the hollow structure and the electrically conductive graphite carbon source. Evaluation of their photocatalytic activity by organic pollutes (rhodamine B, methylene blue, and phenol) degradation and H2 production under visible light demonstrated the superior photocatalytic performance, thanks to the enhanced visible-light absorption and exciton separation associated with the incorporation of electrically conductive graphite carbon.