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Abstract: We experimentally characterize an optical frequency-shift-keying transmitter based on optical carrier-suppressed phase modulation. Only one laser source is needed to generate an optical FSK signal. The demonstration of 10-Gb/s FSK signal generation and 50-km transmission verified the improved performance of the proposed transmitter, compared with the previous two-laser schemes. To further reduce the complexity of the transmitter, the phase modulator is omitted and a single MZM modulator is used for both optical carrier-suppression (OCS) and phase modulation. This simplified structure is verified by simulation, implying the feasibility that a FSK transmitter can be constructed with only one laser source and one modulator. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: One common feature of positive-strand RNA viruses is the association of viral RNA and viral RNA replicase proteins with specific intracellular membranes to form RNA replication complexes. Wuhan nodavirus (WhNV) encodes protein A, which is the sole viral RNA replicase. Here, we showed that WhNV protein A closely associates with mitochondrial outer membranes and colocalizes with viral RNA replication sites. We further identified the transmembrane domains (N-terminal aa 33-64 and aa 212-254) of protein A for membrane association and mitochondrial localization. Moreover, we found that protein A accumulates genomic RNA by stabilizing the RNA. And our further investigation revealed that the ability of WhNV protein A to associate with membranes is closely linked with its ability for membrane recruitment and stabilization of viral genomic RNA templates. This study represents an advance toward understanding the mechanism of the RNA replication of WhNV and probably other nodaviruses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound in differentiating invasive and noninvasive neoplasms of urinary bladder. Methods: A total of 60 lesions in 60 consecutive patients with bladder tumors received three dimensional ultrasonography, low acoustic power contrast enhanced ultrasonography and low acoustic power three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination. The IU22 ultrasound scanner and a volume transducer were used and the ultrasound contrast agent was SonoVue. The contrast-specific sonographic imaging modes were PI (pulse inversion) and PM (power modulation). The three dimensional ultrasonography, contrast enhanced ultrasonography, and three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound images were independently reviewed by two readers who were not in the images acquisition. Images were analyzed off-site. A level of confidence in the diagnosis of tumor invasion of the muscle layer was assigned on a 5° scale. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to assess overall confidence in the diagnosis of muscle invasion by tumor. Kappa values were used to assess inter-readers agreement. Histologic diagnosis was obtained for all patients. Results: Final pathologic staging revealed 44 noninvasive tumors and 16 invasive tumors. Three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound depicted all 16 muscle-invasive tumors. The diagnostic performance of three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound was better than those of three dimensional ultrasonography and contrast enhanced ultrasonography. The receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.976 and 0.967 for three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound, those for three dimensional ultrasonography were 0.881 and 0.869, those for contrast enhanced ultrasonography were 0.927 and 0.929. The kappa values in the three dimensional ultrasonography, contrast enhanced ultrasonography and three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound for inter-reader agreements were 0.717, 0.794 and 0.914. Conclusion: Three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, with contrast-enhanced spatial visualization is clinical useful for differentiating invasive and noninvasive neoplasms of urinary bladder objectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Single phase BiNaCuTiO (BNCTO) ceramics with different grain sizes (1.4-4.3 μm) are prepared by a modified Pechini method to investigate their giant dielectric and nonlinear electrical behaviors. The results show that the giant dielectric and nonlinear electrical behaviors are strongly dependent on grain size. With the increment of grain size, the dielectric constant increases monotonically from 14110 (for 1.4 μm sample) to 36183 (for 4.3 μm sample) at 1 kHz, in accompaniment with the breakdown voltage reducing from 112.5 to 43.2 V/mm and the nonlinear coefficient reducing from 4.9 to 3.4. On the basis of the internal barrier layer capacitor (IBLC) model and the IBLC model of Schottky-type potential barrier, an interpretation of the grain size effect on the giant dielectric and nonlinear electrical behaviors is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We propose a novel scheme to perform optical multicast overlay of two independent multicast data streams on a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) passive optical network. By controlling a sinusoidal clock signal and shifting the wavelength at the optical line terminal (OLT), the delivery of the two multicast data, being carried by the generated optical tones, can be independently and flexibly controlled. Simultaneous transmission of 10-Gb/s unicast downstream and upstream data as well as two independent 10-Gb/s multicast data was successfully demonstrated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rehmannia is a medicinal plant in China. Autotoxicity has been reported to be one of the major problems hindering the consecutive monoculture of Rehmannia. However, potential autotoxins produced by the fibrous roots are less known. In this study, the autotoxicity of these fibrous roots was investigated. Four groups of autotoxic compounds from the aqueous extracts of the fibrous roots were isolated and characterized. The ethyl acetate extracts of these water-soluble compounds were further analyzed and separated into five fractions. Among them, the most autotoxic fraction (Fr 3) was subjected to GC/MS analysis, resulting in 32 identified compounds. Based on literature, nine compounds were selected for testing their autotoxic effects on radicle growth. Seven out of the nine compounds were phenolic, which significantly reduced radicle growth in a concentration-dependent manner. The other two were aliphatic compounds that showed a moderate inhibition effect at three concentrations. Concentration of these compounds in soil samples was determined by HPLC. Furthermore, the autotoxic compounds were also found in the top soil of the commercially cultivated Rehmannia fields. It appears that a close link exists between the autotoxic effects on the seedlings and the compounds extracted from fibrous roots of Rehmannia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Selecting correct dimensions is very important to subspace clustering and is a challenging issue. This paper studies semi-supervised approach to the problem. In this setting, limited domain knowledge in the form of space level pair-wise constraints, i.e., must-links and cannot-links, are available. We propose a semi-supervised subspace clustering (S3C) algorithm that exploits constraint inconsistence for dimension selection. Our algorithm firstly correlates globally inconsistent constraints to dimensions in which they are consistent, then unites constraints with common correlating dimensions, and finally forms the subspaces according to the constraint unions. Experimental results show that S3C is superior to the typical unsupervised subspace clustering algorithm FINDIT, and the other constraint based semi-supervised subspace clustering algorithm SC-MINER. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nineteen glabrous canaryseed samples, comprising brown- and yellow-coloured seeds, were investigated to determine the nature of phenolic constituents present. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined, using the Folin–Ciocalteau assay. Flavonoid and phenolic acid compositions were determined, using high performance liquid chromatographic and mass spectrometric (LC–MS/MS) techniques. TPC ranged from 174 to 209mg/100g for canaryseed wholemeal samples. The canaryseed bran contained twice as much TPC as the wholemeal. The brown- and yellow-coloured whole canaryseeds exhibited the same flavonoid profiles. LC–MS/MS analysis showed that the canaryseed acetone extract was rich in flavonoid glycosides, with the bran being mainly composed of O-pentosyl isovitexin and the flour having a compound at m/z 468. No proanthocyanidins were detected in the 19 samples. Ferulic acid was the dominant phenolic acid, followed by caffeic and p-coumaric acids. The wholemeal obtained from the brown-coloured group had significantly higher contents of ferulic (>196mg/kg) and caffeic (>96mg/kg) acids in comparison to the yellow-coloured canaryseed group. The latter had ferulic and caffeic acids at levels less than 165 and 78mg/kg, respectively, with one exception which had relatively higher levels (190 and 94mg/kg). Whilst canaryseed flour contained significantly very low levels of ferulic acid (22–34mg/kg), the bran was enriched in ferulic (593–766mg/kg), caffeic (304–452mg/kg) and p-coumaric (119–142mg/kg) acids. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The mating strategies of male and female Ectropis oblique Prout were investigated with the aid of male antennae as an electroantennogram (EAG) detector and capillary-GC analysis. Each male was capable of mating with several females, but females that had received a spermatophore mated only once. Antennae dissected from males 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 d post-mating and antennae from virgin males of corresponding ages displayed similar EAG responses to sex pheromone extracts from sexually active females. Pheromone extracts of mated females elicited significantly weaker male EAG responses than the pheromone extracts of virgin females. EAG responses of males to sex pheromone extracts taken from mated females at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 d post-mating were consistently weak. Pheromone production in the pheromone glands of mated females was strongly suppressed and declined during each of 4 successive nights after they had mated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Gold nanorods (Au NRs) have been recognized as promising materials for biomedical applications, like sensing, imaging, gene and drug delivery and therapy, but their toxicological issues are still controversial, especially for the Au NRs synthesized with seed-mediated method. In this study, we investigated the influence of aspect ratio and surface coating on their toxicity and cellular uptake. The cellular uptake is highly dependent on the aspect ratio and surface coating. However, the surface chemistry has the dominant roles since PDDAC-coated Au NRs exhibit a much greater ability to be internalized by the cells. The present data demonstrated shape-independent but coating-dependent cytotoxicity. Both the CTAB molecules left in the suspended solution and on the surface of Au NRs were identified as the actual cause of cytotoxicity. CTAB can enter cells with or without Au NRs, damage mitochondria, and then induce apoptosis. The effects of surface coating upon toxicity and cellular uptake were also examined using Au NRs with different coatings. When Au NRs were added into the medium, the proteins were quickly adsorbed onto the Au NRs that made the surface negatively charged. The surface charge may not directly affect the cellular uptake. We further demonstrated that the amount of serum proteins, especially for BSA, adsorbed on the Au NRs had a positive correlation with the capacity of Au NRs to enter cells. In addition, we have successfully revealed that the cationic PDDAC-coated Au NRs with an aspect ratio of 4 possess an ideal combination of both negligible toxicity and high cellular uptake efficiency, showing a great promise as photothermal therapeutic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wuhan Nodavirus (WhNV) is the first reported nodavirus isolated from insect in China. The viral genome consists of two positive-strand RNA, RNA1 and RNA2. RNA1 is 3149 nucleotides in length, and contains three putative Open Reading Frames (ORFs) which encode proteins A, B1 and B2, respectively. In contrast, only one putative ORF encoding protein alpha was identified within 1562-nt-long RNA2 species. Here, we report the newly characterized molecular properties of WhNV subgenomic RNA3 and its encoded protein B2. We have successfully multiplied WhNV in the natural host Pieris rapae larvae under laboratory conditions. WhNV replication in the host cells resulted in the expression of viral proteins, ProA, B2 and Proα, with the absence of B1 production. Northern blot hybridization assay revealed the existence of subgenomic RNA3 which is 5′ capped and 3′ co-terminal with RNA1. The subgenomic RNA3 is 370 nucleotides in length and contains only one ORF (B2) with the first AUG as the authentic initiation codon. In addition, we found that nonstructural protein B2 of WhNV is an efficient RNA interference (RNAi) suppressor in a cultured drosophila cell line. The amino-terminal region (aa 1–20) of B2 is essential for this RNAi inhibition activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To investigate the antioxidant properties of commercial wild rice, identify and quantify soluble and insoluble phenolic acids in wild rice whole grain, the alkaline hydrolysates from crude methanol extracts (soluble fraction) and residues (insoluble fraction) were separately analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with photodiode array detection (PAD) and quadrupole-time of flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The antioxidant activity of wild rice methanol extract was found to be up to 10 times greater than that of white rice (control sample) according to their 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Ferulic acid was found as the most abundant phenolic acid (up to 355mg/kg) followed by sinapic acid in wild rice. They both occurred mainly in the insoluble form. Other monomeric phenolic acids present in wild rice consisted of p-coumaric, vanillic, syringic, and p-hydroxybenzoic acids, along with two phenolic acid aldehydes (p-OH-benzaldehyde and vanillin). They were present in both soluble and insoluble forms. Phenolic acid dehydrodimers are cell wall bound and only appeared in the insoluble fractions featured by diferulic acids (DiFA) and disinapic acids (DiSA). The chemical structures of DiFA included 8-8′, 5-5′, 8-O-4′, and 8-5′ (benzofuran form) coupled dimers, with 8-O-4′ as the predominant form (up to 34mg/kg). DiSA only appeared as 8-8′-coupled products with the linear isomers in the most quantities (up to 19mg/kg). The DPPH free radical scavenging activities of soluble and insoluble fractions suggest that the antioxidant activity of wild rice is partially attributed to its phenolic acid profile. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we consider a new system of generalized quasi-variational-like inclusion (SGQVLI) in Hilbert spaces. We suggest a new iterative algorithm for finding an approximate solution to SGQVLI, and prove the convergence of this algorithm. Our results improve and extend some known results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

By means of Schauder fixed point theorem and Banach contraction principle, we investigate the existence and uniqueness of Lipschitz solutions of the equation ρ(f) o f = F. Moreover, we get that the solution f depends continuously on F. As a corollary, we investigate the existence and uniqueness of Lipschitz solutions of the series-like iterative equation ∑n=1∞ anfn(x) = F(x), x ∈ 픹 with a general boundary restriction, where F : 픹 → 픸 is a given Lipschitz function, and 픹, 픸 are compact convex subsets of ℝN with nonempty interior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of the spidersHeptathela hangzhouensisandOrnithoctonus huwena. Both genomes encode 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes.H. hangzhouensis, a species of the suborder Mesothelae and a representative of the most basal clade of Araneae, possesses a gene order identical to that ofLimulus polyphemusof Xiphosura. On the other hand,O. huwena, a representative of suborder Opisthothelae, infraorder Mygalomorphae, was found to have seven tRNA genes positioned differently from those ofLimulus. TherrnL-trnL1-nad1arrangement shared by the araneomorph families Salticidae, Nesticidae, and Linyphiidae and the mygalomorph family Theraphosidae is a putative synapomorphy joining the mygalomorph with the araneomorph. Between the two species examined, base compositions also differ significantly. The lengths of most protein-coding genes inH. hangzhouensisandO. huwenamtDNA are either identical to or slightly shorter than theirLimuluscounterparts. Usage of initiation and termination codons in these protein-coding genes seems to follow patterns conserved among most arthropod and some other metazoan mitochondrial genomes. The sequences of the 3' ends ofrrnSandrrnLin the two species are similar to those reported forLimulus, and the entire genes are shortened by about 100-250 nucleotides with respect toLimulus. The lengths of most tRNA genes from the two species are distinctly shorter than those ofLimulusand the sequences reveal unusual inferred tRNA secondary structures. Our finding provides new molecular evidence supporting that the suborder Mesothelae is basal to opisthothelids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three basic multiple-linear regression models with different sets of more readily observed environmental variables (land use, topographic and meteorological factors) were developed for the prediction of soil moisture content in space and time. The model performances were evaluated in the Danangou catchment (3.5 km2) on the Loess Plateau, China, with soil moisture content measurements. The soil moisture content measurements were performed biweekly at five depths in the soil profile (0–5, 10–15, 20–25, 40–45 and 70–75 cm) from May to October 1998 and from May to September 1999, using a Delta-T theta probe. It was indicated that the regression models could describe the relationships of soil moisture content with environmental attributes. It was found that the spatiotemporal-SM model showed the best goodness of fit since it explained the greatest fraction of soil moisture variation in both space and time, and the predicted mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum soil moisture were closest to the observed values. This model was also either the most precise or the most economical in prediction of soil moisture content in space and time since it gives the lowest values in mean absolute error of prediction (MAE) and Akaike information criterion (AIC). There is little difference in performance and cost-benefit between the spatial-GM model and landuse-GM model. The superior robustness of the spatiotemporal-SM model over the other two models is most significant in the prediction of soil moisture content at 0–5 cm, and decreases with increasing soil depth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focuses on a study which proposed an improved perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary condition based on symplectic integrator propagator to truncate microstrip line structures. Background on the time-domain discrete singular convolution method; Numerical examples; Conclusion.

Studies the structure-function relationship of HIVWT and HIVV2E when they interact with acidic and neutral lipid membranes. Components of HIV-1 fusion peptide; Materials and methodology; Results and discussion.

This study was performed to explore the function and mechanism of Dvl3 in RA-FLS by exosome intervention. The expression pattern of Dvl3 was examined by IHC, WB, and qPCR. Modified exosomes obtained from culturing supernatant of RA-FLS infected with Dvl3 over expression (OE) lentivirus were administrated to the target RA-FLS. The ability of survival, migration, and the production of inflammatory factor influenced by exosomal Dvl3 were detected by CKK8 kits, Tunel, migration test, qPCR, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively; Flow cytometry analysis was conducted to explorer the inflammatory moderate role of exosomes on CD4+ T cells. The possible downstream pathways of Dvl3 were screened by qPCR and WB and verified by double luciferase reporter experiment. The expression level of Dvl3 was significantly increased in RA and CIA. Exosomes from the OE group could significantly promote cell proliferation activity, migration/invasion ability. The augment of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-17, and IL-21 was observed in exosomal Dvl3-OE group. Th1 and Th17 cells polarisation and cytokines related were both enhanced by Exosomal Dvl3. Over expression of Dvl3 was accompanied by the significant increase of β-catenin and RhoA activities. This study discovered the high expression of Dvl3 of exosomes derived from RA patients which may possessed the ability to promote phenotypic transformation of RA-FLS through Wnt pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic skyrmion-based spin-torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) have attracted significant interest because of their potential applications as microwave signal emitters and integrability in the existing CMOS process flow. However, the stable circular motion of the skyrmion in the nanodisk is affected by the Magnus force, which can destroy and annihilate the skyrmion at the nanodisk edge, thereby limiting the application of the maximum oscillation frequency. To overcome this problem, we investigated the influence of a modified magnetized structure at the edge of the nanodisk on the oscillation dynamics of skyrmions, in which the modified magnetized profile is acquired by local modification of the magnetic material parameters, and these skyrmions can move along the tilting magnetization formatted wall. It was found that the upper threshold for steady skyrmion oscillations can be improved by approximately two times compared to the standard structure without modified edge magnetization profiles. Based on the effective field analysis, we confirmed that the spatial distribution of the tilting moment at the edge layer changed the effective field distribution and caused a non-monotonic change in the upper threshold current with the modified region width. Our results may provide an optional route for designing future skyrmion-based STNOs with better performance in the communication and computing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defective fatty acid oxidation (FAO) has been implicated in diabetic kidney disease (DKD), yet little is known about the role of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1A (CPT1A), a pivotal rate-limiting enzyme of FAO, in the progression of DKD. Here, we investigate whether CPT1A is a reliable therapeutic target for DKD. We first confirmed the downregulation expression of CPT1A in glomeruli from patients with diabetes. We further evaluated the function of CPT1A in diabetic models. Overexpression of CPT1A exhibited protective effects in diabetic conditions, improving albuminuria and glomerular sclerosis as well as mitigating glomerular lipid deposits and podocyte injury in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Mechanistically, CPT1A not only fostered lipid consumption via fatty acid metabolism pathways, thereby reducing lipotoxicity, but also anchored Bcl2 to the mitochondrial membrane, thence preventing cytochrome C release and inhibiting the mitochondrial apoptotic process. Furthermore, a novel transcription factor of CPT1A, FOXA1, was identified. We elucidate the crucial role of CPT1A in mitigating podocyte injury and the progression of DKD, indicating that targeting CPT1A may be a promising avenue for DKD treatment. Article Highlights: Fatty acid oxidation has been a critical contributor to podocyte injury and pathological changes in diabetic kidney disease. However, the role of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1A (CPT1A), which is the initial key rate-limiting enzyme of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in diabetic kidney disease, remains largely unknown. We investigate whether CPT1A modulates the progression of diabetic kidney disease. CPT1A ameliorated albuminuria and glomerular sclerosis, and mitigated glomerular lipid deposits and podocyte injury in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Our study reveals a promising avenue for diabetic kidney disease prevention and clarifies a new regulatory mechanism for CPT1A in podocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear receptors (NRs) are important transcriptional factors that mediate autophagy, preventing podocyte injury and the progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the role of nuclear receptor coactivators that are powerful enhancers for the transcriptional activity of NRs in DKD remains unclear. In this study, a significant decrease in Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 3 (NCOA3) is observed in injured podocytes caused by high glucose treatment. Additionally, NCOA3 overexpression counteracts podocyte damage by improving autophagy. Further, Src family member, Fyn is identified to be the target of NCOA3 that mediates the podocyte autophagy process. Mechanistically, NCOA3 regulates the transcription of Fyn in a nuclear receptor, PPAR‐γ dependent way. Podocyte‐specific NCOA3 knockout aggravates albuminuria, glomerular sclerosis, podocyte injury, and autophagy in DKD mice. However, the Fyn inhibitor, AZD0530, rescues podocyte injury of NCOA3 knockout DKD mice. Renal NCOA3 overexpression with lentivirus can ameliorate podocyte damage and improve podocyte autophagy in DKD mice. Taken together, the findings highlight a novel target, NCOA3, that protects podocytes from high glucose injury by maintaining autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is closely associated with inflammatory responses. However, as a crucial regulator of the immune and inflammatory responses, the role of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) in the pathogenesis of HE remains unraveled. Herein, we investigated this issue in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced HE following acute liver failure (ALF). Methods: TAA-induced HE mouse models of LRRK2 wild type (WT), LRRK2 G2019S mutation (Lrrk2G2019S) and LRRK2 knockout (Lrrk2−/−) were established. A battery of neurobehavioral experiments was conducted. The biochemical indexes and pro-inflammatory cytokines were detected. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum (STR), hippocampus (HIP), and liver were examined by pathology and electron microscopy. The changes of autophagy-lysosomal pathway and activity of critical Rab GTPases were analyzed. Results: The Lrrk2−/−-HE model reported a significantly lower survival rate than the other two models (24% vs. 48%, respectively, p < 0.05), with no difference found between the WT-HE and Lrrk2G2019S-HE groups. Compared with the other groups, after the TAA injection, the Lrrk2−/− group displayed a significant increase in ammonium and pro-inflammatory cytokines, aggravated hepatic inflammation/necrosis, decreased autophagy, and abnormal phosphorylation of lysosomal Rab10. All three models reported microglial activation, neuronal loss, disordered vesicle transmission, and damaged myelin structure. The Lrrk2−/−-HE mice presented no severer neuronal injury than the other genotypes. Conclusions: LRRK2 deficiency may exacerbate TAA-induced ALF and HE in mice, in which inflammatory response is evident in the brain and aggravated in the liver. These novel findings indicate a need of sufficient clinical awareness of the adverse effects of LRRK2 inhibitors on the liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging observational studies showed an association between dyslipidemia and aging. However, it remains unclear whether this association is causal, particularly in the case of Asians, which are aging more rapidly than other continents. Given the visible manifestations of aging often include changes in facial appearance, the objective of this study is to assess the causal relationship between dyslipidemia and facial aging in East Asian populations. Methods: SNPs related to dyslipidemia in East Asian people such as Total cholesterol (TC), High‐density‐lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), Low‐density‐lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and Triglyceride (TG) along with outcomes data on facial aging, were extracted from public genome‐wide association studies (GWAS). A two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was then performed using publicly available GWAS data to investigate the potential causal relationship. The effect estimates were primarily calculated using the fixed‐effects inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. Results: Totally, 88 SNPs related to HDL among 70657 East Asian participants in GWAS. Based on the primary causal effects model using MR analyses with the IVW method, high HDL level was demonstrated as significantly related to the risk of facial aging (OR, 1.060; 95% CI, 1.005–1.119, p = 0.034), while high TC level (OR, 0.995; 95% CI, 0.920–1.076, p = 0.903), high LDL level (OR, 0.980, 95% CI, 0.924–1.041, p = 0.515), as well as high TG level (OR, 0.999, 95% CI, 0.932–1.071, p = 0.974), showed no significant correlation with facial aging. Conclusions: The two‐sample MR analysis conducted in this study revealed a positive causal relationship between high HDL levels and facial aging. In contrast, facial aging demonstrated no significant correlation with high levels of TC, LDL, or TG. Further large‐sample prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and to provide appropriate recommendations regarding nutrition management to delay the aging process among old patients in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradient nanostructure in aluminum alloy, constructed via a two-dimensional ultrasonic surface burnishing process, displays enhanced tribocorrosion resistance in artificial seawater. Corrosion tests are undertaken to understand the influence of gradient nanostructure on corrosion resistance, and crystal plasticity finite element models are developed to examine wear resistance. Tribocorrosion tests are performed through wear tests in the artificial seawater environment. The results indicate that the processed samples' corrosion rate decreases from 3.12 × 10−2 mm/a to 2.45 × 10−3 mm/a. The wear scar sizes of the processed samples are approximately half the unprocessed samples. The gradient nanostructure obstructs dislocation glide during wear, diminishes the accumulation shear, and promotes high-hardness corrosion product formation, effectively isolating the direct contact between the friction pairs, thus improving the tribocorrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive oxidative stress and NLRP3 inflammasome activation are considered the main drivers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and inhibition of inflammasomes ameliorates clinical symptoms and morphological manifestations of IBD. Herein, we examined the roles of NLRP3 activation in IBD and modulation of NLRP3 by sulforaphane (SFN), a compound with multiple pharmacological activities that is extracted from cruciferous plants. To simulate human IBD, we established a mouse colitis model by administering dextran sodium sulfate in the drinking water. SFN (25, 50 mg·kg−1·d−1, ig) or the positive control sulfasalazine (500 mg/kg, ig) was administered to colitis-affected mice for 7 days. Model mice displayed pathological alterations in colon tissue as well as classic symptoms of colitis beyond substantial tissue inflammation. Expression of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 was significantly elevated in the colonic epithelium. The expression of NLRP3 inflammasomes led to activation of downstream proteins and increases in the cytokines IL-18 and IL-1β. SFN administration either fully or partially reversed these changes, thus restoring IL-18 and IL-1β, substantially inhibiting NLRP3 activation, and decreasing inflammation. SFN alleviated the inflammation induced by LPS and NLRP3 agonists in RAW264.7 cells by decreasing the levels of reactive oxygen species. In summary, our results revealed the pathological roles of oxidative stress and NLRP3 in colitis, and indicated that SFN might serve as a natural NLRP3 inhibitor, thereby providing a new strategy for alternative colitis treatment. [Display omitted] ● Sulforaphane ameliorates mice ulcerative colitis. ● Sulforaphane inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome in ulcerative colitis. ● Sulforaphane can reduce ROS content to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water holding capacity (WHC) is an important factor for the evaluation of rehydrated shiitake mushroom as WHC largely affects sensory attributes. Here, WHC of the rehydrated shiitake mushroom as affected by different hot-air drying temperature was investigated from aspects of cell membrane integrity, status of cell wall fibrous material and protein denaturation. Among the three factors, protein denaturation played the most important role to affect the WHC of rehydrated mushroom as protein denaturation was closely related to the maintenance of porous structure after rehydration. Effect of status of the cell wall fibrous material to the WHC changes was relatively weak and was largely correlated to the WHC changes at high temperature (>80 °C). Cell membrane was unlikely to contribute to WHC changes of the rehydrated shiitake mushroom due to the loss of integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, tumor immunotherapy has emerged as an innovative tumor treatment and owned incomparable advantages over other tumor therapy. With unique complexity and uncertainty, immunotherapy still need helper to apply in the clinic. Galectins, modulated in tumor microenvironment, can regulate the disorders of innate and adaptive immune system resisting tumor growth. Considering the role of galectins in tumor immunosuppression, combination therapy of targeted anti-galectins and immunotherapy may be a promising tumor treatment. This brief review summarizes the expression and immune functions of different galectins in tumor microenvironment and discusses the potential value of anti-galectins in combination with checkpoint inhibitors in tumor immunotherapy. [Display omitted] • Galectins are abnormally upregulated or downregulated in different types of tumor. • Tumor derived galectins can regulate T cell proliferation and activation to evade immune surveillance. • Galectins-1, 3, 9 have a positive correlation with PD-1/PD-L1 and can be biomarkers for PD-1/PD-L1 tumor therapy. • Galectins inhibitors have a synergistic effect with immune checkpoint blockade in the treatment with tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) signaling system is involved in a variety of physiological functions, including the control of cognition, reward, learning, memory, and vasoconstriction in vertebrates. Contrary to the extensive studies in the mammalian system, little is known about the molecular characteristics of the avian serotonin signaling network. In this study, we cloned and characterized the full-length cDNA of three serotonin receptor genes (HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F) in chicken pituitaries. Synteny analyses indicated that HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F were highly conserved across vertebrates. Cell-based luciferase reporter assays showed that the three chicken HTRs were functional, capable of binding their natural ligands (5-HT) or selective agonists (CP94253, BRL54443, and LY344864) and inhibiting intracellular cAMP production in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, activation of these receptors could stimulate the MAPK/ERK signaling cascade. Quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed that HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F were primarily expressed in various brain regions and the pituitary. In cultured chicken pituitary cells, we found that LY344864 could significantly inhibit the secretion of PRL stimulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) or forskolin, revealing that HTR1F might be involved in the release of prolactin in chicken. Our findings provide insights into the molecular mechanism and facilitate a better understanding of the serotonergic modulation via HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F in avian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the comprehensive utilization of agricultural waste in new energy materials, sulfur/nitrogen dual-doped porous C/SiO x composites (SN@C/SiO x) are successfully prepared via a facile and economical method. In this approach, rice husks are used as the C and Si source and thiourea as the S and N source. This SN@C/SiO x composite possesses a high specific surface area and SiO x particles are evenly distributed in the S/N-doped C matrix. The S/N-doped C matrix not only improves electrical conductivity and impedes the agglutination of particles, but also buffers the volume variation of SiO x , achieving enhanced electrochemical properties. As a lithium-ion battery (LIBs) anode, the as-synthesized SN@C/SiO x composite delivers an impressive specific capacity (1150 mAh/g) and enhanced initial coulombic efficiency (CE) of 70.4%. Even at a large current density of 1.0 A/g, the reversible capacity remains 632 mAh/g after 1200 cycles. This doping carbonization strategy offers the potential for using rice husks in the development of high-performance lithium ion batteries. Unlabelled Image • SiO x particles are evenly distributed in S/N-doped C matrix in SN@C/SiO x composite • S/N-doped C matrix effectively impedes the agglutination of SiO x particles • The presence of N and S can raise specific capacity and initial CE of C/SiO x electrode • Zero pollution and zero emissions are achieved in the entire production process [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A neutronics probe ball method is proposed to estimate the tritium generation rate for fusion blanket. • 150 probe balls in the range of 0.4−1 mm are employed to occupy the probe positions. • The statistical variance is controlled within 2 % using 10 million incident neutrons. • The tritium generation rate can be used for tritium production regulation in the blanket design phase. The breeding blanket will be the most important functional component generating tritium as fuel for a nuclear fusion reactor to maintain the D-T reactions. It is very significant to investigate the tritium generation rate and its distribution in a blanket system to achieve an effective blanket concept before any engineering activities startup. A neutronics probe ball method is proposed to estimate tritium generation rate for fusion blanket. And 150 probe balls in the range of 0.4–1 mm are employed in the neutronics model to occupy the probe positions, the radii of probe balls are increased gradually along with the radial direction considering neutron deep penetration. The total statistical variance is controlled within 2 % using 10 million incident neutrons. The proposed method provides an accurate solution on tritium generation rate using multi-point detection method for fusion engineering or other fields later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐pulse soliton molecules are observed in passively mode‐locked fiber lasers by using 2D layered metal dichalcogenides (LMDs) as a saturable absorber. LMD has attracted significant attention in photonics and optoelectronics in which tin disulfides (SnS2) are implemented for energy storage, photo‐catalysts, and transistor. However, the applications of SnS2 in optoelectronics fields are quite rare. Soliton supramolecules are the self‐assembly of optical solitons into highly‐ordered supramolecular structures which have not been experimentally observed due to the absence of techniques for controlling the inter‐soliton forces. In this article, SnS2 LMDs are successfully applied in a passively mode‐locked fiber laser. It is confirmed that the proposed fiber laser has a center wavelength of 1561.5 nm, a 3‐dB spectral width of 2.45 nm, signal‐to‐noise ratio of 63 dB, and a radiofrequency of 7.2 MHz. The different interiors of the second‐order, third‐order, and ninth‐order bound state of solitons in the cavity are investigated. Furthermore, it is found that numbers of optical solitons self‐assembled into highly ordered supramolecular structures in a passively mode‐locked fiber laser for the first time. The bound state between the six supramolecular soliton units is obtained experimentally and theoretically which have potential applications in ultrafast laser‐field manipulation and optical information storage because of special interactions between pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a multiple leaf-ringing based protection algorithm with spectrum defragmentation. • The proposed algorithm sorts the destination nodes of a multicast service into groups. • The proposed algorithm constructs one leaf ring for all the destination nodes in one group. • The proposed algorithm constructs two dedicated trunk paths from the source to each constructed ring. • The proposed algorithm triggers spectrum defragmentation to re-optimize resource utilization. Elastic optical networks (EONs) have realized high-speed data transmission with attractively efficiency and flexibility in resource utilization. In order to guarantee the reliability and increase the efficiency of the multicast transmission in EONs, we propose a multiple leaf-ringing based protection algorithm with spectrum defragmentation (MLRP-SD) in this article. The proposed algorithm firstly sorts the destination nodes of a multicast service into multiple groups. Then, it constructs one leaf ring for all the destination nodes in one group and two dedicated trunk paths (including one protection trunk path) from the source to each constructed ring. Since a leaf ring can provide protection for the destination nodes in its corresponding group, the reliability of multicast traffic can be improved. And the use of leaf rings can reduce the spectrum consumed in service protection compared to the traditional dedicated path protection (DPP) algorithms. In order to further improve the efficiency, the proposed MLRP-SD algorithm triggers spectrum defragmentation to re-optimize resource utilization in the network when sufficient available spectrum resources cannot be found along the sought protection trunk paths. The simulation results show that the proposed MLRP-SD algorithm can guarantee the reliability of multicast traffic with low service blocking probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pt foil and thin films (TFs) of RuO 2 and IrO 2 are active for electrocatalytic decarboxylation (ECDX) of valeric acid at ambient conditions. • Rates of ECDX and O 2 evolution increase with potential, while the ECDX selectivity depends also on anode composition. • RuO 2 -TF is selective toward non-Kolbe products while Pt is selective toward Kolbe products. • The ECDX activity of RuO 2 -TF is similar to that of Pt foil per geometric area but is one order of magnitude more active per gram of metal. • Turnover frequencies of ECDX were at least one order of magnitude higher than thermocatalytic decarboxylation at 300 °C. The electrocatalytic upgrading of carboxylic acids, abundant biomass-derived molecules, remains a challenging task. Herein, we report an electrocatalytic decarboxylation (ECDX) approach for the conversion of carboxylic acids into paraffins, olefins, and alcohols via (non-)Kolbe electrolysis on thin films (TFs). The ECDX rate, product selectivity, and current efficiency were potential and electrode dependent. For example, the ECDX activity of RuO 2 -TF was similar to that of Pt foil, but the selectivity to Kolbe products was lower on the former. RuO 2 -TF showed about five times higher rates for the oxygen evolution reaction than Pt foil, which resulted in lower current efficiency. The ECDX and O 2 evolution activities of IrO 2 -TF were potential dependent, but this electrode was selective to non-Kolbe products with low current efficiency (<10 %). This work highlights the performance of thin films as an alternative to bulk metals as anodes for oxidative upgrading of carboxylic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological quantum computing is believed to be inherently fault-tolerant. One mathematical justification would be to prove that ground subspaces or ground state manifolds of topological phases of matter behave as error correction codes with macroscopic distance. While this is widely assumed and used as a definition of topological phases of matter in the physics literature, besides the doubled abelian anyon models in Kitaev's seminal paper, no non-abelian models are proven to be so mathematically until recently. Cui et al. extended the theorem from doubled abelian anyon models to all Kitaev models based on any finite group (Cui et al., 0000). Those proofs are very explicit using detailed knowledge of the Hamiltonians, so it seems to be hard to further extend the proof to cover other models such as the Levin-Wen. We pursue a totally different approach based on topological quantum field theories (TQFTs), and prove that a lattice implementation of the disk axiom and annulus axiom in TQFTs as essentially the equivalence of TQO1 and TQO2 conditions in Bravyi et al. (2010) and Bravyi et al. (2011). We confirm the error correcting properties of ground subspaces for topological lattice Hamiltonian schemas of the Levin-Wen model and Dijkgraaf-Witten TQFTs by providing a lattice version of the disk axiom and annulus of the underlying TQFTs. The error correcting property of ground subspaces is also shared by gapped fracton models such as the Haah codes (Haah and Jeongwan, 2011; Haah, 2013). We propose to characterize topological phases of matter via error correcting properties, and refer to gapped fracton models as lax-topological. • We proved for the first time that the ground states of Levin-Wen model are error correction codes mathematically. • We prove that the Levin-Wen model satisfies the TQO1 and TQO2 conditions, therefore is stable. • We prove the same for the 3+1-Dijkgraaf-Witten theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the strain-gradient-driven domain wall (DW) motion in a ferromagnetic-heavy-metal–piezoelectric heterostructure with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and the interface Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (iDMI). The simulation results show that a larger iDMI can lead to greater tilting of the DW surface as the DW approaches the end of the wire. When the DW stops, the tilt angle is zero, and the DW is perpendicular to the nanowire. The DW displacement and the velocity are affected by the iDMI coefficient, strain-gradient amplitude, and Gilbert damping. We also show that such a mechanism can be used to implement a leaky-integrate-fire spiking neuron device with the controllable temporary location of the DW serving as the analog membrane potential of a biological neuron, which is promising for future DW-based artificial neural devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Embryo implantation into the uterus is a crucial step for human reproduction. A hypothesis has been proposed that the molecular circuit invented by trophoblasts for invasive embryo implantation during evolution might be misused by cancer cells to promote malignancy. Unfortunately, our current understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying embryo implantation is far from complete. Results: Here we used the mouse as an animal model and generated a single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the embryo implantation site of mouse uterus at the invasion phase of embryo implantation on gestational day 6. We revealed 23 distinct cell clusters, including 5 stromal cell clusters, 2 epithelial cell clusters, 1 smooth muscle cell cluster, 2 pericyte clusters, 4 endothelial cell clusters, and 9 immune cell clusters. Through data analysis, we identified differentially expression changes in all uterine cell types upon embryo implantation. By integrated with single-cell RNA-seq data from E5.5 embryos, we predicted cell–cell crosstalk between trophoblasts and uterine cell types. Conclusions: Our study provides a valuable resource for understanding of the molecular mechanism of embryo implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We continue the program of constructing (pre)modular tensor categories from 3-manifolds first initiated by Cho–Gang–Kim using M theory in physics and then mathematically studied by Cui–Qiu–Wang. An important structure involved in the construction is a collection of certain SL (2 , C) characters on a given manifold, which serve as the simple object types in the corresponding category. Chern–Simons invariants and adjoint Reidemeister torsions also play a key role, and they are related to topological twists and quantum dimensions, respectively, of simple objects. The modular S-matrix is computed from local operators and follows a trial-and-error procedure. It is currently unknown how to produce data beyond the modular S- and T-matrices. There are also a number of subtleties in the construction, which remain to be solved. In this paper, we consider an infinite family of 3-manifolds, that is, torus bundles over the circle. We show that the modular data produced by such manifolds are realized by the Z 2 -equivariantization of certain pointed premodular categories. Here the equivariantization is performed for the Z 2 -action sending a simple (invertible) object to its inverse, also called the particle–hole symmetry. It is our hope that this extensive class of examples will shed light on how to improve the program to recover the full data of a premodular category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction ($i$ -DMI) on the magnetization dynamics induced by strain is described within the framework of micromagnetic simulations, taking into account the magnetoelastic coupling between the spin and strain in multiferroic heterostructures. In this magnetized system, a biaxial in-plane strain acting on the perpendicular magnetization without bias magnetic field is introduced. As the micromagnetic simulation results have shown, the lateral magnetization dynamics and spin wave were excited with the $i$ -DMI-induced intrinsic magnetization tilting along the nanostrip width direction. It is found that the excitation strain field could generate a quantized width mode with odd mode numbers. In addition, our simulation reveals that the excitation field with higher frequency generates two spin wave modes with a different mean free path. Our work, therefore, shows the potential of using a strain with the presence of $i$ -DMI as the perspective for integrating spin wave emitters into future logic or computing devices, hinting at possible technological applications in strain-controlled spintronic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A highly integrated multistate continuous tunable AFSS absorber/reflector based on solid-state plasma. • A new SPiN diode with high carrier concentration. • The plasma AFSS absorber/reflector achieves real-time stealth capabilities without using switch diodes. Switchable absorber/reflector provides a flexible and controllable method for electromagnetic wave manipulation, offering new possibilities for applications in stealth technology, communication sensing, energy management, and other fields. This paper presents a high-integration multistate continuous tunable AFSS absorber/reflector based on solid-state plasma, utilizing the "metal-like" properties of solid-state plasma to achieve flexible control of electromagnetic wave. By controlling the variation of applied voltage, the designed absorber/reflector structure allows for continuous changes in absorption intensity within the range of 0 dB to −20 dB. Additionally, an intelligent AFSS absorber/reflector array structure consisting of 100 × 100 units is designed. By adjusting the applied voltage, the conductivity of this structure can continuously change from 0.1 S/m to 1 × 105 S/m, enabling the proposed AFSS absorber/reflector structure to vary its reflectance magnitude from −25 dB to 0 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a time-based composite-consumption-aware (TCCA) MRSA for the multicast traffic in EONs. • The proposed algorithm considers the holding time of each multicast service. • The proposed algorithm optimizes the multicasting composite resource consumption (MCRC) for multicast services. • The proposed algorithm reduces the MCRC with low service blocking probability. Given the importance of multicast traffic in current optical networks, many effective multicast routing and spectrum assignment (MRSA) algorithms have been proposed to achieve efficient multicast transmission in elastic optical networks (EONs). However, most of these MRSA algorithms were focus on optimizing only the spectrum resources allocated to multicast service requests, but ignored some fragmented spectrum resources remained after spectrum allocation. Although some fragment-aware MRSA algorithms were proposed for EONs to restrain the fragmented spectrum generated in provisioning multicast transmission, they could hardly precisely compute the amount of the fragmented resources while optimizing the allocated resources for the multicast transmission in EONs. This is because that the fragmented and the allocated spectrum resources always have different duration characteristics. In this paper, we propose a time-based composite-consumption-aware (TCCA) MRSA algorithm to optimize both the fragmented and the allocated resources consumed by the multicast transmission in EONs. By additionally taking the holding time of each multicast service request into account, the proposed algorithm can comprehensively optimize both the fragmented and the allocated resource consumption for the multicast transmission in EONs. Since the comprehensive resource consumption, including both the fragmented and the allocated resource consumption, is optimized by the proposed TCCA algorithm, more available resources can be remained for the subsequent multicast requests, which can increase the request blocking performance in EONs. Simulation results verify that the proposed algorithm can reduce the comprehensive resource consumption for the multicast transmission in EONs with low request blocking probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyathostomins are one kind of the most important parasites in equids. Cylicostephanus minutus is a member of the subfamily Cyathostominae. In the present study, we determined the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes from four Cs. minutus isolates and reconstructed the phylogenetic relationship of Strongylidae to test the hypothesis that Cs. minutus represents a species complex. The complete mt genome sequences of Cs. minutus were 13,772–13,822 bp in length, and contained 36 genes (12 protein coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes), and two non-coding regions (NCRs). The intraspecific identity of nucleotide sequences and amino acid sequences in Cs. minutus (1–4) were 89.3–97.9% and 97.0–98.8%, respectively. Two operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were determined based on the mt genome sequences, OTU 2 (Csm 1 and Csm 2) and OTU 3 (Csm 3 and Csm 4). Sequence analysis showed the divergence between OTU 2 and OTU 3 was 8.9–10.7%. Pairwise comparisons of 12 protein coding genes between OTU 2 and OTU 3 showed a difference of 3.0–13.3% at the nucleotide level and 0–6.7% at the amino acid level. Phylogenetic analysis showed the separation of Cs. minutus isolates from the same host into different distinct clades based on mt genomes. Comparisons of partial mt cox 1, nad 5, and cyt b and ITS2 sequences from 20 Cs. minutus isolates from the same host and the same geographical location with other Cs. minutus sequences available in GenBank revealed significant nucleotide differences. Phylogenetic analysis showed a separation of Cs. minutus into three distinct clades. Thus, the comparative and phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA datasets indicated that Cs. minutus represents a complex of at least three species. Our results have further confirmed the existence of a cryptic Cs. minutus species, and provides a reference for the taxonomical, population genetics, and systematics studies of other cyathostomin species. • The complete mt genomes of two crytic Cs.minutus species (OUT 2 and OUT 3) were ditermined. • The comparative analysis and phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA datasets indicated that Cs. minutus represented a complex of three species at least. • Mt. genomes could provide genetic markers for the study of cryptic species taxonomy, population genetics, and systematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the existence of different types of nonoscillatory solutions to a class of higher-order nonlinear neutral dynamic equations on a time scale. Two examples are provided to show the significance of the conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we demonstrate a facile electrolytic strategy to synthesize a kind of Ni–NiO/C nanocomposite via electroreduction of molten Li–Na–K carbonates synchronously combined with sacrificial nickel anode. Benefiting from its unique in situ synthesis mechanism, the Ni–NiO/C nanocomposite exhibits well-interconnected architecture with fine Ni–NiO nanoparticles embedded into electrolytic carbon matrix. The as-fabricated electrode shows ultra-long cycle stability (achieving a high capacity of 455 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 1500 cycles, average coulombic efficiency 99.88%) and impressively improved rate capability, comparing with the reported Ni–NiO/C nanocomposites. Such a superior lithium storage properties originates from the in situ formed nanoarchitecture of Ni–NiO/C. This research offers a distinctive pathway for constructing novel composite materials for advanced lithium storage. Synthesized by an in-situ electrolytic strategy via electroreduction of molten Li–Na–K carbonates synchronously combined with sacrificial nickel anode, the Ni–NiO/C nanocomposite exhibits great electrochemical performance as LIBs anode. Image 1 • We demonstrate an in-situ electrolytic strategy to synthesize Ni–NiO/C nanocomposite. • The Ni–NiO and carbon particles are growing synchronously via sacrificial nickel anode. • The Ni–NiO/C nanocomposite shows more uniform distribution with rich interstitial channels. • The Ni–NiO/C exhibits high specific capacity, long-term cycling stability and impressive rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SU1498 has no obvious cytotoxicity and tissue toxicity. • SU1498 administration suppresses ocular angiogenesis in vivo. • SU1498 administration inhibits endothelial angiogenic function in vitro. • SU1498 regulates endothelial function through p38-MAPK signaling. Selective inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), particularly VEGFR-2, is an efficient method for the treatment of ocular neovascularization. SU1498 is a specific inhibitor of VEGFR-2. In this study, we investigated the role of SU1498 in ocular neovascularization. Administration of SU1498 did not show any cytotoxicity and tissue toxicity at the tested concentrations. Administration of SU1498 reduced the size and thickness of choroidal neovascularization and decreased the mean length and mean number of corneal neovascular vessels induced by alkali burn. Pretreatment of SU1498 significantly reduced the proliferation, migration, and tube formation ability of HUVECs. SU1498 played the anti-angiogenic role through the regulation of p38-MAPK signaling. Taken together, inhibition of VEGFR-2 by SU1498 provides a novel therapeutic approach for ocular neovascularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]