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In the process of supplier selection for green supply chain management, uncertain information may appear in alternatives’ performances or experts’ preferences. The stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis (SMAA) is a beneficial technique to tackling the uncertain information in such a problem and the MULTIMOORA is a robust technique to aggregate alternatives’ utilities. This study dedicates to proposing an SMAA-MULTIMOORA method by considering the advantages of both methods. The integrated method can accept uncertain information as inputs. The steps of the SMAA-MULTIMOORA are illustrated. A case study about the selection of green suppliers is given to show the validity and robustness of the SMAA-MULTIMOORA method.

Previous studies suggest locomotion training could be an effective non-invasive therapy after spinal cord injury (SCI) using primarily acute thoracic injuries. However, the majority of SCI patients have chronic cervical injuries. Regaining hand function could significantly increase their quality of life. In this study, we used a clinically relevant chronic cervical contusion to study the therapeutic efficacy of rehabilitation in forelimb functional recovery. Nude rats received a moderate C5 unilateral contusive injury and were then divided into two groups with or without Modified Montoya Staircase (MMS) rehabilitation. For the rehabilitation group, rats were trained 5 days a week starting at 8 weeks post-injury (PI) for 6 weeks. All rats were assessed for skilled forelimb functions with MMS test weekly and for untrained gross forelimb locomotion with grooming and horizontal ladder (HL) tests biweekly. Our results showed that MMS rehabilitation significantly increased the number of pellets taken at 13 and 14 weeks PI and the accuracy rates at 12 to 14 weeks PI. However, there were no significant differences in the grooming scores or the percentage of HL missteps at any time point. Histological analyses revealed that MMS rehabilitation significantly increased the number of serotonergic fibers and the amount of presynaptic terminals around motor neurons in the cervical ventral horns caudal to the injury and reduced glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactive astrogliosis in spinal cords caudal to the lesion. This study shows that MMS rehabilitation can modify the injury environment, promote axonal sprouting and synaptic plasticity, and importantly, improve reaching and grasping functions in the forelimb, supporting the therapeutic potential of task-specific rehabilitation for functional recovery after chronic SCI.

Peptide hormones commonly binding with G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) achieve their function in reproduction. The peppermint shrimp Lysmata vittata popular in marine ornamental trade and is known to display protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite (PSH). Knowledge on reproductive biology of this commercial species is critical for resources management and aquaculture. This study employed Illumina sequencing and bioinformatics analysis to identify peptides and their candidate GPCRs from male phase (MP) and euhermaphrodite phase (EP) of L. vittata. A total of 61 peptide and 40 peptide GPCR transcripts derive from 44 peptide families and 13 peptide GPCR families were identified, respectively. Among them, insulin-like androgenic gland hormone and crustacean female sex hormone have two unique mature peptides, respectively, and their transcripts showed higher expression levels in MP than EP, which suggest that these sex differentiation hormones might be involved in sexual characters than spermatogenesis or vitellogenesis. Overall, the first study on identification of peptides and their GPCRs in the genus Lysmata extends our knowledge of peptidergic signaling in PSH species, and provides an important basis for development of aquaculture strategies.

Background: Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies throughout the world. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 5 (SNHG5) has been reported to play an important role in several human cancers, but the role of SNHG5 in the chemoresistance of ovarian cancer cells is yet elusive. Method: The expression of SNHG5 and miR-23a were determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The effects of SNHG5 and miR-23a on the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel (PTX) were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and flow cytometry. The subcellular location of SNHG5 was detected by a subcellular fraction assay. The interaction between SNHG5 and miR-23a was determined by luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Results: The expression of SNHG5 was downregulated in the cancer genome atlas cohort. Similarly, decreased expression of SNHG5 was observed in ovarian cancer tissues. Moreover, lower expression of SNHG5 was found in PTX-resistant ovarian cancer patients as well as PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines. Downregulation of SNHG5 expression was indicative of poor prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer. Overexpression of SNHG5 enhanced the sensitivity of SKOV3/PTX and HeyA-8/PTX cells to PTX in vitro and enhanced PTX sensitivity in tumors in vivo. Interestingly, an inverse correlation between SNHG5 and miR-23a expression was found in ovarian cancer tissues and SNHG5 functioned as a decoy for miR-23a. Silencing of miR-23a overcame the resistance of SKOV3/PTX and HeyA-8/PTX cells to PTX. More importantly, miR-23a overexpression could reverse the inductive effect of SNHG5 overexpression on PTX sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells. Conclusion: SNHG5 enhanced the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to PTX through sponging miR-23a, providing a new mechanism of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer.

DNA damage can lead to autophagy. Here the authors reveal a molecular mechanism for ATR/Chk1 signaling-induced autophagy in response to DNA damage, through an ATR/Chk1/RhoB-mediated lysosomal recruitment of TSC complex and subsequent mTORC1 inhibition.

Abstract A subwavelength terahertz plasmonic waveguide based on bulk Dirac semimetal (BDS)-insulator-metal (BIM) structure is investigated, which indicates that there is an optimized frequency range with the better confinement as well as lower loss. A broadband mode confinement up to λ 0/15 with a relatively low loss of 1.0 dB/λ 0 can be achieved. We also show that two silicon ribbons introduced into the BIM waveguide can form a dynamically tunable filter tailoring terahertz surface plasmon polaritons in deep-subwavelength scale, which can be further exploited for the design of ultra-compact THz plasmonic devices with dynamical tunability. Our results may also provide potential applications in optical filtering.

This study constructs a flexible gradient foaming structure by changes the maleic anhydride-grafted styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS-g-MAH) content on the basis of a two-step foaming technique. The effects of SEBS-g-MAH content and its ratio in the first and second foaming steps on microstructure, compression, quasi-static burst, dynamic cushion, and thermal performance of flexible polyurethane foam composites are investigated. Results show that, SEBS-g-MAH content affects microstructure, compressive stress, burst strength, dynamic cushion and thermal performance. Gradient foaming improves compressive stress and quasi-static bursting strength by 3.81 and 1.56 times, respectively. The absorbed energy under dynamic impact of gradient foaming can be increased by 87% relative to that in one-step foaming. This study provides a new way approach to SEBS application, and serves as a new reference for designing of energy-absorbing foam composites by filler addition. Keywords: Flexible foam, Two-step foaming, SEBS-g-MAH, Gradient structure, Dynamic cushion

This study was aimed to investigate the stability of chromosomes during meiosis in autopolyploid and allopolyploid maize, as well as to determine an association of chromosomes between maize (Zea mays ssp. mays Linnaeus, 1753) and Z. perennis (Hitchcock, 1922) Reeves & Mangelsdor, 1942, by producing a series of autopolyploid and allopolyploid maize hybrids. The intra-genomic and inter-genomic meiotic pairings in these polyploids were quantified and compared using dual-color genomic in-situ hybridization. The results demonstrated higher level of chromosome stability in allopolyploid maize during meiosis as compared to autopolyploid maize. In addition, the meiotic behavior of Z. perennis was relatively more stable as compared to the allopolyploid maize. Moreover, ten chromosomes of "A” subgenome in maize were homologous to twenty chromosomes of Z. perennis genome with a higher pairing frequency and little evolutionary differentiation. At the same time, little evolutionary differentiation has been shown by chromosomes of "A” subgenome in maize, while chromosomes of "B” subgenome, had a lower pairing frequency and higher evolutionary differentiation. Furthermore, 5IM + 5IIPP + 5IIIMPP and 5IIMM + 5IIPP + 5IVMMPP were observed in allotriploids and allotetraploids respectively, whereas homoeologous chromosomes were found between the "A” and "B” genome of maize and Z. perennis.

Abstract Background Protein lysine malonylation, a newly discovered post-translational modification (PTM), plays an important role in diverse metabolic processes in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Common wheat is a major global cereal crop. However, the functions of lysine malonylation are relatively unknown in this crop. Here, a global analysis of lysine malonylation was performed in wheat. Results In total, 342 lysine malonylated sites were identified in 233 proteins. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the frequency of arginine (R) in position + 1 was highest, and a modification motif, KmaR, was identified. The malonylated proteins were located in multiple subcellular compartments, especially in the cytosol (45%) and chloroplast (30%). The identified proteins were found to be involved in diverse pathways, such as carbon metabolism, the Calvin cycle, and the biosynthesis of amino acids, suggesting an important role for lysine malonylation in these processes. Protein interaction network analysis revealed eight highly interconnected clusters of malonylated proteins, and 137 malonylated proteins were mapped to the protein network database. Moreover, five proteins were simultaneously modified by lysine malonylation, acetylation and succinylation, suggesting that these three PTMs may coordinately regulate the function of many proteins in common wheat. Conclusions Our results suggest that lysine malonylation is involved in a variety of biological processes, especially carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. These data represent the first report of the lysine malonylome in common wheat and provide an important dataset for further exploring the physiological role of lysine malonylation in wheat and likely all plants.

This paper proposes an efficient option pricing model that incorporates stochastic interest rate (SIR), stochastic volatility (SV), and double exponential jump into the jump-diffusion settings. The model comprehensively considers the leptokurtosis and heteroscedasticity of the underlying asset’s returns, rare events, and an SIR. Using the model, we deduce the pricing characteristic function and pricing formula of a European option. Then, we develop the Markov chain Monte Carlo method with latent variable to solve the problem of parameter estimation under the double exponential jump-diffusion model with SIR and SV. For verification purposes, we conduct time efficiency analysis, goodness of fit analysis, and jump/drift term analysis of the proposed model. In addition, we compare the pricing accuracy of the proposed model with those of the Black–Scholes and the Kou (2002) models. The empirical results show that the proposed option pricing model has high time efficiency, and the goodness of fit and pricing accuracy are significantly higher than those of the other two models. Keywords: Option pricing model, Stochastic interest rate, Stochastic volatility, Double exponential jump, Markov Chain Monte Carlo with Latent Variable

To evaluate the impact of increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition input to the coastal ecosystem, measurements were conducted to analyze the inorganic nitrogen wet deposition to Xiamen Island during April to August in 2014. Using ion chromatography and shown to contain main nine water-soluble ions—including Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl−, NO−, NO3−, and SO42−—we analyzed the composition of the wet deposition sample and verified the contribution of different ions to the different sources. The results showed that the mean NO3−-N and NH4+-N concentration in rainfall for five months was 4.55 ± 5.15 mg·L−1 (n = 31) and 1.20 ± 1.16 mg·L−1 (n = 33), respectively. Highest NO3−-N (74.65 mg·N·L−1) and NH4+-N (16.06 mg N·L−1) values were both observed in May. Maximum NO3−-N deposition (507.5 mg·N·m−2) was also in May, while the highest NH4+-N deposition (99.8 mg·N·m−2) was in June. The total inorganic wet nitrogen flux during sampling period was 11.1 kg·N·ha−1. The HYSPLIT backward air masses trajectory and USEPA PMF model was used, as the composition of the air masses passing over the sample area were impacted from three sources: fertilizers and biomass combustion, formation of secondary aerosol, and Marine aerosols. The concentration ratio of SO42− and NO3− in ranged between 0.5 and 3 in rainfall samples with an average of 1.34, suggesting that the contribution from vehicle exhaust to air pollution in the sample area is increasing. Long-term continuous monitoring of wet deposition in this region needs to be expanded to fully understand the impacts of human activity on air quality and to quantify N deposition to local marine ecosystems.

A plasma photonic crystal (PPC) was formed using an array of discharge plasma tubes. The transmission spectra and bandstructure of PPCs with different lattice types under different polarization modes were studied through simulation and measurement. To study the types of bandgap in PPCs, the bandstructure of the PPC is calculated using symplectic finite difference time domain (SFDTD), a modified plane wave expansion (PWE) method, and a finite element method (FEM) based on weak form equations. The bandstructure of the PPC is compared with the transmission curve results. The results show that the bandgap is stable in the PPC, and the experimental and numerical results of the transmission spectra agree well. There are different types of bandgap in the PPC; the bandgap under TE-like polarization is caused by localized surface plasmon (LSP) and Bragg scattering. The bandgap under TM-like polarization is caused by the cutoff effect of plasma on the electromagnetic wave and Bragg scattering. The lattice type also affects the position and number of the bandgap. The three methods have their advantages and disadvantages when calculating bandstructure. Therefore, it is necessary to combine the results of three methods and experimental results to accurately determine the bandgap type of the PPC.

Raw lacquer (RL) is a natural polymer compound with highly promising applications; however, its inflammable attribute restricts the industrial applications. In this study, melamine is used to formulate tri (1-melamine-2-propanol) phosphate (FR-1), after which it is synthesized with ammonium phosphate (FR-2) and diatomite to form a compound phosphorus-nitrogen intumescent flame retardant (IFR). Next, IFR is used as the filling agent that then cross-links with RL, and as such RL/IFR membranes are formed after the curing. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) measurement, the vertical combustion test (UL-94), the microshape calorimetric analysis (CCT), and the thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) are conducted to examine the combustion resistance and thermal stability of the membranes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and electron scanning microscope (SEM) are performed to separately characterize the structure and compatibility; the mechanical properties of the membranes are also evaluated. The vertical combustion test results confirm that with 30 wt% of IFR, RL/IFR membranes acquire 12.3% higher LOI and a vertically combustion of V-0 level. The TGA indicates that RL/IFR membranes demonstrate a greater adhesion level, a higher rigidity, and better luster than pure RL membranes.

Abstract The observed strong sorption of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) to biochar presents potential implications for HOCs bioavailability and bioaccessibility in sediments, while biochar could impact sediment microbial ecology. However, the comprehensive study on the effects of biochar on HOC biodegradation coupled with bioavailability and microbial ecology are rarely documented. In this paper, the effects of biochar on the biodegradation of nonylphenol (NP) were investigated using 3 different NP concentrations (20, 50 and 500 mg/Kg) in sediments amended with different percentage of rice straw biochar (RC). Results showed that the influence of RC on NP biodegradation varied with different NP concentrations. At low NP concentrations, RC suppressed NP biodegradation by reducing NP bioavailability, while at high NP concentrations, moderate RC addition promoted biodegradation by reducing toxicity of NP to microbes. The effects of NP on microbial community structures were significant (P 0.05). The RC affected microorganisms through altering NP toxicity, microbial quantity and activity, but not microbial community structures. This study indicated that there could be an optimal biochar percentage in biochar-sediment systems at different HOC concentrations, which strengthened HOC biodegradation process and accelerated biodegradation rate, forming adsorption-biodegradation coupled bioremediation.

Abstract Background Protein lysine succinylation is an important post-translational modification and plays a critical regulatory role in almost every aspects of cell metabolism in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Common wheat is one of the major global cereal crops. However, to date, little is known about the functions of lysine succinylation in this plant. Here, we performed a global analysis of lysine succinylation in wheat and examined its overlap with lysine acetylation. Results In total, 330 lysine succinylated modification sites were identified in 173 proteins. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the modified proteins are distributed in multiple subcellular compartments and are involved in a wide variety of biological processes such as photosynthesis and the Calvin-Benson cycle, suggesting an important role for lysine succinylation in these processes. Five putative succinylation motifs were identified. A protein interaction network analysis revealed that diverse interactions are modulated by protein succinylation. Moreover, 21 succinyl-lysine sites were found to be acetylated at the same position, and 33 proteins were modified by both acetylation and succinylation, suggesting an extensive overlap between succinylation and acetylation in common wheat. Comparative analysis indicated that lysine succinylation is conserved between common wheat and Brachypodium distachyon. Conclusions These results suggest that lysine succinylation is involved in diverse biological processes, especially in photosynthesis and carbon fixation. This systematic analysis represents the first global analysis of lysine succinylation in common wheat and provides an important resource for exploring the physiological role of lysine succinylation in this cereal crop and likely in all plants.

A plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) spectral response in an ultracompact plasmonic structure composed of a metal–insulator–metal waveguide Bragg grating coupled with an air rectangle cavity is proposed, and the corresponding transmission characteristics are investigated theoretically and numerically. By using the transmission line theory (TLT), a remarkable PIT transmission can be proposed in this structure. Moreover, we study the transmission as a function of the coupling distance between the air cavity and insulator layer, and we also discuss the transmission as a function of the thickness of air cavity. To validate the correctness of the TLT results, we have compared them with the finite-difference time-domain method. Both of them agree well with each other. Thus, our results can offer a new possibility and important theory analysis for the designs of the optical switching devices, sensors, and slow light devices in highly integrated optical circuits.

Mitochondrial sequences are commonly utilized as genetic makers in molecular genetic studies for Holothuroidea species. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Colochirus robustus is reported for the first time. These data demonstrate that the C. robustus mitochondrial was a 17,171 bp circular molecule and encodes the typical 37 metazoan mitochondrial genes [13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs)] genes, and a putative control region. The genome composition was highly A + T biased 67.55% and showed positive AT-skew (0.182) and negative GC-skew (−0.314). The complete mitogenome provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis for holothurians.

Many genes and mutations have been reported for colorectal cancer (CRC); however, very few have been associated with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM). We performed gene expression profiling experiments to identify genetic markers for CRLM and elucidate the molecular mechanisms. Microarray experiments were performed on CRC primary tumor samples with or without liver metastasis (LM) using the Affymetrix U133 plus 2.0 GeneChip Array. A new identified gene-scinderin (SCIN) was overexpressed with synchronous LM at both the RNA level evaluated with quantitative real-time PCR and protein level evaluated with immunohistochemistry and also with short overall survival analyzed with Kaplan-Meier method. With multivariate analysis indicated that SCIN served as an independent poor prognostic predictor for CRC patients. Disease-free survival was also significantly lower in SCIN overexpressing CRC patients with metachronous LM. In addition, SCIN knockdown significantly reduced cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest, and promoted the expression of some cell cycle apoptosis-related protein. Moreover, the DIAPH1, STAT3, CDK2, CDK4, and EGFR levels were downregulated, whereas CDKN2B and COL4A1 were upregulated in DLD-1-shSCIN cells by microarray analysis compared with DLD-1 shCon cells. These findings revealed that SCIN may serve as an important predictor of CRLM and poor outcome for CRC patients. SCIN may be a potential therapeutic target in human CRC. However, translation of its roles into clinical practice will require further investigation and additional experimental validation.

Abstract Objective To study the changes in gray matter volume (GMV) in patients with advanced monocular blindness (MB) using voxel‐based morphometry (VBM). Methods Thirty‐one patients with advanced MB (25 males and six females) and 31 normal controls (25 males and six females) were enrolled. The t test was applied to determine the differences in GMV, white matter volume (WMV), and volume of cerebrospinal fluid in different regions of the brain. The local characteristics of spontaneous concentrations of brain tissue were evaluated by the VBM method. The effects of blindness duration on differences in the GMV were evaluated by correlation and regression analyses. Results Compared with the control group, the GMV was decreased in the upper right margin, bilateral insular cortex, right cingulate gyrus, left occipital gyrus, and right suboccipital lobe, and negatively correlated with blindness duration in the upper right posterior margin, bilateral insular cortex, and right cingulate cortex. Conclusions We found that patients with MB showed abnormal WMV and GMV, as evidenced by local changes in the brain. In addition, reduced GMV in specific parts of the brain was associated with the duration of blindness, which may indicate neuropathological mechanisms of visual loss in patients with MB.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential regional homogeneity (ReHo) brain activity changes in patients with corneal ulcer (CU) and their possible relationship with clinical symptoms.Materials and MethodsForty patients with CU (26 men and 14 women), and 40 healthy controls (HCs) (26 men and 14 women) closely matched in age, sex, and weight underwent resting-state functional MRI scans, respectively. The ReHo method was applied to evaluate synchronous neural activity changes. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to show high test-retest stability and high degree of sensitivity and specificity. We utilized the correlation analysis to calculate the relationship between the average ReHo signal values in different brain areas and the clinical symptoms in CU patients.ResultsCompared with the HCs, CU patients had significantly increased ReHo values in right cerebellum posterior lobe, left cerebellum posterior lobe, left inferior temporal gyrus, right lingual gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, left angular gyrus, left cingulate gyrus, right angular gyrus and bilateral superior frontal gyrus, and decreased ReHo values in right anterior cingulate and left precentral gyrus. ROC curve analysis of each brain regions showed the accuracy of AUC was perfect except the right cerebellum posterior lobe. Nevertheless, there was no clear evidence of prominent relevance between the average ReHo values in brain areas and the clinical symptoms.ConclusionCorneal ulcer caused dysfunctional adaption in different brain areas, which including relatively increased values and decreased values. This finding may help us take a further step in exploring the underlying pathologic mechanisms of CU.

This study was designed to conclude the ultrasonic characteristics of uterosacral ligament (USL) lesions involved by endometriosis and evaluated the value of transvaginal sonography (TVS) in diagnosing USL involvement in deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). A total of one hundred and eighteen patients with DIE were included in the study and underwent surgery. All these patients were evaluated by transvaginal ultrasound examination by one trained examiner. The gold standard for diagnosis was surgery and histopathology. 85 patients with USL endometriosis were confirmed by surgical pathology. 84 patients were diagnosed USL endometriosis by TVS and 81 of which were confirmed by the gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of TVS for diagnosing USL endometriosis were 95.3, 90.9, 96.4, 88.2, and 94.1%, respectively. According to the ultrasound characteristics of USL endometriosis, we summarized four types: Type I. thickened and stiff lesions, Type II. local nodules, Type III. irregular striped lesions, and Type IV. mixed lesions. The conclusion of the study was that TVS was a convenient, accurate and first-line diagnostic technique for USL endometriosis and the USL lesions could be summarized into four types according to the ultrasound morphological changes.

The effect of hunger on visual perception is largely absent from contemporary vision science. Using a well-established visual phenomenon termed binocular rivalry, this study was carried out to investigate the effects of hunger on visual perception. A within-subject design was applied in which participants attended two sessions before and after their lunch or dinner, i.e., a hunger state and a satiated state. In Experiment 1, we found that the mean dominance times to food-related pictures were larger in the hungry condition than that in the satiated condition, while the mean dominance time to the non-food stimuli were unaffected. In Experiment 2, we found the times to break through continuous flash suppression (b-CFS) for both food-related and non-food-related pictures were not affected by hunger. In Experiment 3, a probe-detection task was conducted to address possible response-biases. Our findings provide evidence that hunger biases the dynamic process of binocular rivalry to unsuppressed and visible food stimuli, while processing suppressed and invisible food-related was unaffected. Our results support the notion that the top-down modulation by hunger on food-related visual perception is limited to visible stimuli.

The peppermint shrimp Lysmata vittata (Caridea: Hippolytidae) is a marine caridean shrimp popular in marine aquarium trade. The species is known to display the sexual system of protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite. In this study, based on captive bred specimens, the complete ontogenetic gonad development of L. vittata was studied both morphologically and histologically, from newly settled juveniles until they reached euhermaphrodite phase. It was found that in all specimens examined (carapace length: 1.8-8.5 mm), including the newly settled juveniles, possessed ovotestes, which comprised of an anterior ovarian and a posterior testicular part. Based on both morphological (e.g., size, color and shape) and histological features (e.g., oogenesis and spermatogenesis), four gonadal development stages were defined and described for L. vittata. From Stage I to III, the testicular part of the gonad became gradually mature but the ovarian part was still immature, which is defined as the male phase. At the male phase, cincinulli (5-8 hooks) presented at the tips of the appendix interna on the first pair of pleopods while appendices masculinae (AM), in a form of a stick structure with spines, presented at the inner edge of the appendix interna (AI) on the second pair of pleopods. At Stage IV, both the testicular part and the ovarian part were mature and hence is defined as euhermaphrodite phase. At the euhermaphrodite phase, most individuals lacked cincinulli and appendices masculinae on the first and second pair of pleopods respectively. This is the first time that complete ontogenetic gonadal and external sexual character development have been described and staged for a species from the genus Lysmata from newly settled juveniles to euhermaphrodite phase.

Background. Exophthalmos occurs in patients with primary hyperthyroidism. There were few studies about the changes of brain functional networks of patients with exophthalmos of primary hyperthyroidism (EOPH). However, differences in spontaneous brain activity in patients with EOPH remain unclear. Objective. This study explored alterations in the brain functional networks of patients with EOPH using a voxel-wise degree centrality (DC) method. Methods. A total of 20 patients with EOPH (8 men and 12 women) were enrolled. In addition, 20 patients with primary hyperthyroidism without exophthalmos, matched in age, sex, and education status, were enrolled as a control group. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to assess the anxiety and depression status of participants. All participants were examined using resting-state functional MRI. Changes in spontaneous brain activity were investigated using the DC method. To distinguish between the DC values of the patients with EOPH and those of the control group, we analyzed the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The interrelationships between the DC values and clinical variables in the patients with EOPH were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results. Patients with EOPH exhibited notably lower DC values in the cerebellum posterior lobe than the control group. In addition, there were negative correlations between the anxiety scores (AS) and the depression scores (DS) and DC values of the cerebellum posterior lobe. The ROC curve analysis of the cerebellum posterior lobe demonstrated that the area under the curve method had a high diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions. Our study was the first, to our knowledge, to explore changes in the brains of patients with EOPH using the DC method. The DC value was significantly different in the cerebellum posterior lobe in patients with EOPH, indicating that the cerebellum posterior lobe is associated with EOPH.

Different amounts of urushiol were added to a fixed amount of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to make nanoscale urushiol/PAN films by the electrospinning method. Electrospinning solutions were prepared by using dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent. Nanoscale urushiol/PAN films and conductive Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) films were prepared by electrospinning. In order to prepare an electrospun sandwich nanoscale film, urushiol/PAN films were deposited as both the top and bottom layers and PEDOT:PSS/PVP film as the inner layer. When the PAN to urushiol ratio was 7:5, the fiber diameter ranged between 150 nm and 200 nm. The single-layer urushiol/PAN film could not be etched after being immersed into 60%, 80%, and 100% sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for 30 min, which indicated the improved acid resistance of the PAN film. The urushiol/PAN film was used to fabricate the sandwich nanoscale films. When the sandwich film was immersed into 80% and 100% H2SO4 solutions for 30 min, the structure remained intact, and the conductive PVP film retained its original properties. Thus, the working environment tolerability of the functional PVP film was increased.

Interactions between adipose tissue, liver and immune system are at the center of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and type 2 diabetes. To address the need for an accurate in vitro model, we establish an interconnected microphysiological system (MPS) containing white adipocytes, hepatocytes and proinflammatory macrophages derived from isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cells. Using this MPS, we find that increasing the adipocyte-to-hepatocyte ratio moderately affects hepatocyte function, whereas macrophage-induced adipocyte inflammation causes lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and MPS-wide insulin resistance, corresponding to initiation of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. We also use our MPS to identify and characterize pharmacological intervention strategies for hepatic steatosis and systemic insulin resistance and find that the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist semaglutide improves hepatocyte function by acting specifically on adipocytes. These results establish our MPS modeling the adipose tissue-liver axis as an alternative to animal models for mechanistic studies or drug discovery in metabolic diseases.

Table of contents 01 The influence of soil salt content on the photosynthetic characteristics of spring wheat with trickle irrigation Lei Pei, Zhenhua Wang, Jinzhu Zhang, Wenhao Li 02 Comparing growth of fast-growing and slow-growing endophytes in plants via ergosterol quantification Adeline SY Ting, Yiing Y Chow, Sadequr Rahman 03 Transcriptome and digital gene expression analysis identifies putative triterpene saponin-biosynthetic genes of Panax notoginseng Rongchang Wei 04 Chitosan-assisted isolation and antioxidant evaluation of flavonoids from Sophora japonica L. Zhang Hu, Sidong Li, Chuyan Li, Zijuan Li 05 Two kinds of new characteristics of the ektexine ornamentation of ginkgo pollen Guoxia Wang, Yuzhen Yang, Gang Chen, Qing Luo 06 Analysis of nutrient and medicinal ingredients of Ginkgo pollen in different regions Guoxia Wang, Ruixia Liu, Yuzhen Yang, Lipei Chen 07 Photosynthetic performance of greening seedlings of seven species to drought stress Zhiyang Lie, Tongtong Zhou, Weilong Huang, Li Xue 08 Changes of fluorescence parameters of greening seedlings of seven species under drought stress Jie Li, Zhuomin Wang, Li Xue 09 Mammalian sex hormone affects regeneration capacity and enzymes activity of Triticale L in vitro culture Ismail Bezirganoglu, Pınar Uysal 10 Fractional Fourier entropy increases the recognition rate of fruit type detection Shuihua Wang, Zhihai Lu, Jiquan Yang, Yudong Zhang, John Liu, Ling Wei, Shufang Chen, Preetha Phillips, Zhengchao Dong 11 Banana-peanut intercropping reduces Fusarium wilt disease in banana from enhancing soil bacterial microorganisms and leaf nutrition Hong Li, Xutong Wang, Fengliang Zhao, Guisheng Yang 12 Manganese stress impairs stem ureide nitrogen fixation in yardlong-bean plants in the acidic environment Hong Li 13 A new pest control method for Rhytidodera bowringii Larvae Haijie Huang, Li Zhao, Weijian Huang, Jinhui Wang, Zhongrun Zhang 14 Research on the seed-like Fruits of Subg. Sclarea of Salvia of Labiatae in China Xiaojuan Li, Ning Xu, Guofu Zhou, Ming Wan, Qi Lin, Fanyun Meng, Jianxiu Li 15 Three pulling resistance models of pioneer plant in landslide area Yichang Chen, Koayung Yu, Chunpin Chang 16 The comparison of physiological and biochemical mechanisms of Reaumuria soongorica and Salsola passerine in different growth pattern Zijuan Zhou, Peixi Su, Rui Shi, Tingting Xie 17 Resources use efficiency of the cosmopolitan plant Potentilla anserina L. in different alpine habitats in China Rui Shi, Peixi Su, Zijuan Zhou 18 Cloning of PPDK gene from Red Amaranand transformation of Alfalfa Xuelan Liu, Yan Zhang, Xiangfa Wei 19 Variation and cluster analysis of morphological characters and nutrient content of Chucrasia tabularis seed Chong Wu, Yanlei Yin, Lijuan Feng, Xuemei Yang, Fei Wang 20 Effect of the planting density of the areca nut on the growth of intercropped Vanilla Hua Wang, Huifa Zhuang, Zihui Zhu, Hui Wang

To identify therapeutic targets for glioblastoma (GBM), we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout (KO) screens in patient-derived GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) and human neural stem/progenitors (NSCs), non-neoplastic stem cell controls, for genes required for their in vitro growth. Surprisingly, the vast majority GSC-lethal hits were found outside of molecular networks commonly altered in GBM and GSCs (e.g., oncogenic drivers). In vitro and in vivo validation of GSC-specific targets revealed several strong hits, including the wee1-like kinase, PKMYT1/Myt1. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that PKMYT1 acts redundantly with WEE1 to inhibit cyclin B-CDK1 activity via CDK1-Y15 phosphorylation and to promote timely completion of mitosis in NSCs. However, in GSCs, this redundancy is lost, most likely as a result of oncogenic signaling, causing GBM-specific lethality.

Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is an important parameter of the marine carbonate system. Underway analyses of DIC are required to describe spatial and temporal changes of DIC in marine systems. In this study, we developed a microvolume flow detection method for the underway determination of DIC in marine waters, using gas-diffusion flow analysis in conjunction with electrical conductivity (EC) measurement. Only an acid carrier reagent (0.2 mol.L−1) and an ultrapure water acceptor are required for the DIC monitoring system. In this system, a sampling loop (100 µL) is used to quantify the injection sample volume, allowing micro-sample volume detection. The water sample reacts with the acid reagent to convert carbonate and bicarbonate species into CO2. The water sample is then carried into a gas-diffusion assembly, where the CO2 diffuses from the sampling stream into the acceptor stream. CO2 in the acceptor is detected subsequently by an electrical conductivity. The limit of DIC detection using ultrapure water is 0.16 mM. A good repeatability is obtained, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.56% (1 mM, n = 21). The time interval for detecting one sample is 5 min. During the observation period, measurements can be switched between standard solutions and water samples automatically. Accuracy and precision of the instrument is sufficient for the underway observation of marine DIC in estuarine waters.

Raw lacquer (RL), ethanol being used as the solvent, was added to polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and then electrospun into RL/PVP nanofilms. Manufacturing parameters such as RL/PVP ratio, voltage, flow velocity, needle type, and the distance between syringe and the collection board were systematically investigated. A scanning electronic microscope (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology of nanofilms; the block drop method was used to measure the water contact angle; the mechanical properties of RL/PVP nanofilms of different proportions were tested by universal material testing machine; and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to characterize the structure. Based on the water resistance and acid resistance measurements, the proposed nanofilms demonstrated to be water and acid resistant were successfully produced. The results show that PVP that melts in water becomes incompatible with water after adding raw lacquer, and the acid resistance is greatly improved. Furthermore, the smaller the fiber diameter, the better the mechanical properties of the nanofilms are under low ratio of RL/PVP. With a high proportion of RL/PVP, the inner structure of the nanofilm is denser, and the water resistance and acid resistance are better. The dense structure can protect the inner material of the nanofilms.

In recent years, shale gas in the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation and lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation is gradually developing into deep strata in Sichuan Basin. Well 202-H1 is a evaluation well deployed to evaluate the productivity of horizontal Wells in longmaxi Formation and Wufeng Formation in The West Chongqing block. The well type is horizontal well. The main reasons for the poor production effect of Well Z202-H1 are as follows: Reservoir pores are not developed; continuous thickness of thin reservoir; insufficient fracturing treatment; low flowback rate, large water production and wellbore fluid accumulation. This article not only obtained the reasons for the difference between the test and production of well Z202-H1, but also provided a new research idea for the test and production tracking analysis of deep shale gas static in The Western Chongqing block.

Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) is a promising neuromarker for cognitive decline in aging population, based on its ability to reveal functional differences associated with cognitive impairment across individuals, and because rs-fMRI may be less taxing for participants than task-based fMRI or neuropsychological tests. Here, we employ an approach that uses rs-FC to predict the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (11 items; ADAS11) scores, which measure overall cognitive functioning, in novel individuals. We applied this technique, connectome-based predictive modeling, to a heterogeneous sample of 59 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, including normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and AD subjects. First, we built linear regression models to predict ADAS11 scores from rs-FC measured with Pearson's r correlation. The positive network model tested with leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) significantly predicted individual differences in cognitive function from rs-FC. In a second analysis, we considered other functional connectivity features, accordance and discordance, which disentangle the correlation and anticorrelation components of activity timecourses between brain areas. Using partial least square regression and LOOCV, we again built models to successfully predict ADAS11 scores in novel individuals. Our study provides promising evidence that rs-FC can reveal cognitive impairment in an aging population, although more development is needed for clinical application.