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Although Ruminiclostridium josui (formerly Clostridium josui), a strictly anaerobic mesophilic cellulolytic bacterium, is a promising candidate for biomass utilization via consolidated bioprocessing, its host‐vector system has not yet been established. The existence of a restriction and modification system is a significant barrier to the transformation of R. josui. Here, we partially purified restriction endonuclease RjoI from R. josui cell extract using column chromatography. Further characterization showed that RjoI is an isoschizomer of DpnI, recognizing the sequence 5′‐GmetATC‐3′, where the A nucleotide is Dam‐methylated. RjoI cleaved the recognition sequence between the A and T nucleotides, producing blunt ends. We then successfully introduced plasmids prepared from Escherichia coli C2925 (dam−/dcm−) into R. josui by electroporation. The highest transformation efficiency of 6.6 × 103 transformants/μg of DNA was obtained using a square‐wave pulse (750 V, 1 ms). When the R. josui cel48A gene, devoid of the dockerin‐encoding region, cloned into newly developed plasmid pKKM801 was introduced into R. josui, a truncated form of RjCel48A, RjCel48AΔdoc, was detected in the culture supernatant but not in the intracellular fraction. This is the first report on the establishment of fundamental technology for molecular breeding of R. josui. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biosynthesis of starch is a complex process that depends on the regulatory mechanisms of different functional enzymes, and transcriptional regulation plays an important role in this process. Brittle 1, encoded by BT1, is a transporter of adenosine diphosphate-glucose, which plays an important role in the biosynthesis of starch in the endosperm of cereals. Here, we report that the promoter ( pZmBT1) of the maize BT1 homolog, Zm BT1, contains an MBSI site ( TAACTG), which is important for its activity. Moreover, high expression level of the gene for Zm MYB14 transcription factor was observed in the maize endosperm; its expression pattern was similar to those of the starch synthesis-related genes in maize seeds. Zm MYB14 is a typical 2R- MYB transcription factor localized in the nucleus and possessed transcriptional activation activity. Zm MYB14 could bind to the region of pZmBT1 from −280 to −151 bp and promote its activity through the TAACTG site. It was also observed to promote the activity of pZmSh2, pZmBt2, pZmGBSSI, pZmSSI, and pZmSBE1 in the maize endosperm in transient gene overexpression assays. Furthermore, Zm MYB14 was also shown to bind directly to the promoters of six starch-synthesizing genes, Zm GBSSI, Zm SSI, Zm SSIIa, Zm SBE1, Zm ISA1, and Zm ISA2 in yeast. These findings indicate that Zm MYB14 functions as a key regulator of Zm BT1 and is closely related to the biosynthesis of starch. Our results provide crucial information related to the regulation of starch biosynthesis in maize and would be helpful in devising strategies for modulating starch production in maize endosperm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effectiveness of hydrofoil surface water injection on cavitation suppression, the unsteady cavitation flow field around the NACA0066 hydrofoil at attack angle of 6° was simulated by the modified RNG k-ε turbulence model combined with the full-cavitation model. The structure of cavitation flow field and the hydrodynamic performance of hydrofoil were analyzed at the cavitation number of 0.85, 0.70, 0.55, respectively. Results show that barriered by the jet, the momentum of the reentrant jet was reduced; therefore the development of cavitation and the strength of cavity shedding were weakened to some extent. Cavitation suppression effect was very obvious in the cavitation conditions with the cavitation number of 0.7 and above when the injection position was at 37％ chord length from the hydrofoil leading edge and the jet-flow ratio kept 0.3. Time-averaged lift and drag coefficient were reduced, but the lift-drag ratio increased in water injection conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) account for a high proportion of the tumor tissue and significantly impede immunoefficacy. Furthermore, the signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) expressed in TAMs adversely correlates with macrophage activation and phagocytosis, resulting in immunosurveillance escape. To address these difficulties, a mannose-modified, pH-responsive nanoplatform with resiquimod (R848) and 2′, 3′-cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) co-encapsulation (named M-PNP@R@C) is designed to polarize TAMs and lower SIRPα expression. The co-delivery of R848 and cGAMP synergistically facilitates the polarization of TAMs from the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype into the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype, thereby enhancing antitumor immunotherapy. Remarkably, activation of the cGAMP-mediated stimulator of interferon genes (STING) in TAMs significantly downregulates the expression of SIRPα, which synergizes with the cluster of differentiation 47 (CD47) antibody for the dual blockade of the CD47-SIRPα axis. Further analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing indicates that STING activation downregulates SIRPα by regulating intracellular fatty acid oxidation metabolism. In vivo studies indicate that M-PNP@R@C significantly inhibits tumor growth with a potent antitumor immune response in melanoma graft tumor models. After synergy with anti-CD47, the double blockade strategies of the SIRPα/CD47 axis result in a notable inhibition of lung metastasis. A prolonged survival rate is observed after combination treatment with CD47 and programmed death ligand-1 antibodies for the triple immune checkpoint blockade. In summary, our study provides original insights into the potential role of the STING pathway in macrophage-based immunotherapy, thus offering a potential combinatorial strategy for cancer therapy. [Display omitted] • M-PNP@R@C induces TAMs polarization due to the dual effects of R848 and cGAMP. • STING activation in TAMs downregulates SIRPα expression via FAO metabolism regulation. • M-PNP@R@C dispalys high antitumor activity due to TAMs polarization and SIRPα downregulation mediated phagocytosis. • The double blockades of SIRPα/CD47 axis after combination with aCD47 inhibit lung metastasis. • The triple immune checkpoint blockades after further combination with aPD-L1 prolong survival rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We consider the pricing problem for GMDB products under general regime - switching jump diffusion models. • The complex Fourier series expansion method is applied to approximate the pricing formulas. • A lot of numerical examples are provided to show effectiveness of our pricing method. In this paper, we consider the valuation problem of equity-linked annuity with guaranteed minimum death benefit (GMDB) by complex Fourier series method under regime-switching jump diffusion models. We show that the price formulas can be expressed by some discounted density functions associated with the residual lifetime random variable. Fourier transforms for discounted density functions are derived, and complex Fourier series expansion method is applied to recover the discounted density functions. Some explicit formulas for computing the GMDB price are given. Finally, we give some numerical results to show effectiveness of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) is the most abundant lipid-soluble component in Salvia miltiorrhiza. Both Tan IIA and its derivatives including Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) have been widely used in clinic due to their proved anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and anti-fibrosis functions. Recently, combinations containing Tan IIA and active components have attracted intensive interest in fibrosis. Multiple studies have been conducted to attempt to decipher the mechanisms of this traditional Chinese medicine and found that Tan IIA can attenuate fibrosis through different pathways such as Smad2/3, NF-κB, Nrf2, E2F and snail/twist axis. However, some of the studies were contradictory and confusing. Therefore, it was important to develop an easy-to-access reference for clinic use. In this study, we reviewed the pharmacological mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of Tan IIA and its derivatives in the treatment of fibrosis and introduced the cutting-edge new formulation of Tan IIA compound. [Display omitted] • Bidirectional regulation of signaling pathways by tanshinone IIA and its derivatives in fibrotic diseases. • Regulation of tanshinone IIA and its derivatives on signaling pathways by non-coding RNAs. • Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate has more pharmacokinetic advantages than tanshinone IIA nanoparticles. • Tanshinone IIA and its derivatives have potential for preventing fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a nonreceptor serine/threonine protein kinase that is involved in diverse processes, including cell development, photomorphogenesis, biotic and abiotic stress responses, and hormone signaling. In contrast with the deeply researched GSK family in Arabidopsis and rice, maize GSKs' common bioinformatic features and protein functions are poorly understood. In this study, we identified 11 GSK genes in the maize (Zea mays L.) genome via homologous alignment, which we named Zeama;GSKs (ZmGSKs). The results of ZmGSK protein sequences, conserved motifs, and gene structures showed high similarities with each other. The phylogenetic analyses showed that a total of 11 genes from maize were divided into four clades. Furthermore, semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of the GSKs genes showed that ZmGSK1, ZmGSK2, ZmGSK4, ZmGSK5, ZmGSK8, ZmGSK9, ZmGSK10, and ZmGSK11 were expressed in all tissues; ZmGSK3, ZmGSK6, and ZmGSK7 were expressed in a specific organization. In addition, GSK expression profiles under hormone treatments demonstrated that the ZmGSK genes were induced under BR conditions, except for ZmGSK2 and ZmGSK5. ZmGSK genes were regulated under ABA conditions, except for ZmGSK1 and ZmGSK8. Finally, using the yeast two-hybrid and BiFC assay, we determined that clads II (ZmGSK1, ZmGSK4, ZmGSK7, ZmGSK8, and ZmGSK11) could interact with ZmBZR1. The results suggest that clade II of ZmGSKs is important for BR signaling and that ZmGSK1 may play a dominant role in BR signaling as the counterpart to BIN2. This study provides a foundation for the further study of GSK3 functions and could be helpful in devising strategies for improving maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of insulin Icodec in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in order to provide evidence-based guidance for the rational clinical use of drug. Methods The databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Sinomed, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP were searched by computer to identify randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing the efficacy and safety of insulin Icodec (trial group) versus placebo or other hypoglycemic agents (control group) in the treatment of T2DM were collected from the date of database inception to August 2023. The efficacy indexes included: glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, HbA1c compliance rate (HbA1c<7%), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level, body weight level, time in range (TIR) percentage. Safety indicators included: incidence of hypoglycemia events, incidence of injection site reactions, incidence of drug allergic reactions, and incidence of serious adverse events. Two evaluators independently screened the literature, extracted data from the literature and assessed the risk of bias of the studies included, and performed a meta-analysis of the data using RevMan 5.4 software. Results Seven studies with a total of 3 286 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, insulin Icodec reduced HbA1c (WMD=-0.16%, 95%CI -0.26%-0.07%, P<0.01), increased the rate of HbA1c compliance (OR=1.50, 95%CI 1.29-1.74, and decreased HbA1c compliance (WMD=-0.16%, 95%CI -0.26%-0.07%, P<0.01). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in reducing FPG levels (WMD=-0.05 mmol/L, 95%CI -0.29-0.20 mmol/L, P=0.71), and it increased the body weight of patients (WMD=0.52 kg, 95%CI 0.22-0.82 kg, P<0.01), but increased the percentage of TIR in patients (WMD=5.86%, 95%CI 2.02%-9.70%, P=0.003). In terms of safety, although the incidence of hypoglycemic events (OR=1.37, 95%CI 1.17-1.61, P<0.01) was higher in the insulin Icodec group than in the control group, the incidence of anaphylaxis was higher in insulin Icodec group than in the control group (OR=0.91, 95%CI 0.64-1.31, P=0.62), injection site reaction (OR=1.03, 95%CI 0.63-1.66, P=0.92) and incidence of serious adverse events (OR=0.97, 95%CI 0.75-1.24, P=0.79), there was no significant difference between insulin Icodec and control groups. Conclusions Insulin Icodec can lower HbA1c levels in patients and increase the rate of HbA1c compliance without increasing the incidence of injection site reactions, allergic events and serious adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic segmentation suffers from boundary shift and shape deformation problems due to the neglect of overall guidance information. Motivated by that the object boundaries have a stronger representation for overall information of target objects, we propose a simple yet effective network, boundary-guidance network (BG-Net), for object consistency maintaining in semantic segmentation. In our work, we explore the pixels both near and far from the boundary, characterizing each pixel by utilizing pixel-boundary association. The boundary feature is integrated into the segmentation feature to mitigate boundary shift and shape deformation problem. We explicitly supervise the angle and distance information of pixels pointing to the nearest object boundary. Then the association can be learned by geometric modelling. Meanwhile, the low-level feature emphasized up-sampling (LFEU) module is designed to supplement the detail representation in high-level feature without direct interference. Finally, we evaluate our method on Cityscapes and CamVid datasets. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our BG-Net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell cycle is precisely controlled by numerous regulators. Although extensive studies have identified the cell cycle regulators in rice and Arabidopsis and classified into different gene families, relatively few cell cycle regulators were identified in maize. In this study, 110 putative core cell cycle–related genes in the maize genome were identified through sequence alignment analysis. Among them, 54 members of cyclin family were divided into the A-, B-, C-, D-, F-, L-, T-, and SDS-type subfamilies; 16 members of CDK family were partitioned into the A-, B-, C-, E-, F-, and G-type subfamilies; 19 members of E2F-DP family were separated into the E2F, PAP, DPB, CK, and DEL subfamilies; the remaining genes were nine ICK/KRPs, three EL2/SIMs, three CKSs, five Rbs, and one Wee1 kinase. Maize cell cycle–related genes unequally distributed on all chromosomes, and thirty-six pairs of them were identified as paralogs. The prediction of protein interaction found that 91 proteins were able to interact with each other forming 939 pairs of interactions with a probability more than 0.7. The expression analyses revealed that most of the cell cycle–related genes were expressed in all tissues. The transcription level of some genes in young tissues was higher than that in mature tissues of maize. Meanwhile, some genes from different families shared the similar expression pattern. Overall, the sequence characteristics and expression patterns of maize cell cycle–related genes vary with different gene families. Our results provide basic information for elucidating the functions of these genes in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The functional roles of the Wall Associated Kinase (WAK) and Wall Associated Kinase Like (WAKL) families in cellular expansion and developmental processes have been well-established. However, the molecular regulation of these kinases in maize development is limited due to the absence of comprehensive genome-wide studies. Results: Through an in-depth analysis, we identified 58 maize WAKL genes, and classified them into three distinct phylogenetic clusters. Moreover, structural prediction analysis showed functional conservation among WAKLs across maize. Promoter analysis uncovered the existence of cis-acting elements associated with the transcriptional regulation of ZmWAKL genes by Gibberellic acid (GA). To further elucidate the role of WAKL genes in maize kernels, we focused on three highly expressed genes, viz ZmWAKL38, ZmWAKL42 and ZmWAKL52. Co-expression analyses revealed that their expression patterns exhibited a remarkable correlation with GA-responsive transcription factors (TF) TF5, TF6, and TF8, which displayed preferential expression in kernels. RT-qPCR analysis validated the upregulation of ZmWAKL38, ZmWAKL42, ZmWAKL52, TF5, TF6, and TF8 following GA treatment. Additionally, ZmWAKL52 showed significant increase of transcription in the present of TF8, with ZmWAKL52 localizing in both the plasma membrane and cell wall. TF5 positively regulated ZmWAKL38, while TF6 positively regulated ZmWAKL42. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the characterization and regulatory mechanisms of specific ZmWAKL genes involved in maize kernel development, offering prospects for their utilization in maize breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present pre-processing of the As-and-Sb-bearing refractory gold ore has some flaws in the tediously flow, low treatment, and metal extraction efficiency. Based on these considerations, a whole wet gold extraction way combined Mn-oxide hydrochloric acid oxidation with acidic chlorination leaching for the As-and-Sb-bearing refractory gold ore was proposed in this study. The dissolution efficiencies of As, Sb, and Au leaching ratios, mineral phase transformation, and electrochemical behavior during the process were measured. It can be illustrated that the pre-oxidation of the gold ore by Mn-oxide oxidation controlled Au-extraction efficiency, and with the dissolution of 93.3 % As and 92.5 % Sb from the gold ore in the usage of Mn-oxide-assisted hydrochloric acid oxidation process, it obtains Au extraction ratio of 97.2 % by chlorination leaching. The pretreatment efficiency of the unmanageable gold ore is positively related to temperature and acidity increased due to the redox of Mn-oxides and As-Sb-Fe-sulphides. The wet process performs as an efficient non-cyanide method for gold extraction from the As-and Sb-bearing sulphide refractory gold ore. [Display omitted] • A new wet approach for Au-extraction from high As-Sb-bearing refractory gold ore. • Mn-oxide hydrochloric oxidation intensifies Au-chlorination extraction efficiency. • Harmful As-and Sb-sulphides synchronous preprocessing was proposed for Au-ore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To retrospectively investigate the clinical characteristics, prognosis, treatment, and therapy outcome of Chinese patients with primary testicular lymphoma (PTL). we collected data of 49 PTL patients from four hospitals over 13 years. The median age was 63 years old. We described the clinical characteristics of the patients including the laterality, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), pathology classification, stage, International prognostic index (IPI) scores and more. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 34 patients and partial remission (PR) in 3 patients; Progressive disease (PD) was detected in 11 patients, and 10 patients died. The average progression-free survival (PFS) of all patients was 43.92 months, and the average overall survival (OS) was 47.55 months. The Ann Arbor stage, IPI score, and LDH were associated with OS, while Ann Arbor stage, IPI score, LDH, and histotype were significantly associated with PFS. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy following orchiectomy was associated with a significantly longer PFS. Most patients can achieve CR after induced therapy or orchiectomy. However, there are many associated prognostic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many heavy metal ions have been discharged into the environment, which is threatening human health. Herein, the β-cyclodextrin-modified molybdenum disulfide composite (β-CD/MoS2) was prepared to adsorb Cr(VI) from water. The results demonstrated that the retention of Cr(VI) onto β-CD/MoS2 was dependent on pH and independent of coexisting ions. The removal capacity of β-CD/MoS2 for Cr(VI) reached 156.8 mg/g, and the removal process was endothermic. According to the characterization analysis, the uptake of Cr(VI) onto β-CD/MoS2 was governed by electrostatic attraction. Besides, the oxygen-containing groups were also responsible for the capture of Cr(VI). This work can offer new sight into the uptake of Cr(VI) from the ecological system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxide porous microspheres as novel abrasives have potential application in efficient and non-damage chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) due to their uniform mechanical and/or absorption properties. In this work, solid silica ( s SiO 2 ) cores were coated with mesoporous silica ( m SiO 2 ) shells via a modified Stöber method using vinyltrimethoxysilane as silica source and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as structure directing agent. The obtained allotropic silica ( s SiO 2 / m SiO 2 ) samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyzer, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electronic microscopy and N 2 adsorption–desorption. The effects of the thickness of m SiO 2 shell on the CMP behavior for silicon dioxide films were evaluated by atomic force microscopy. The CMP results indicated that the as-prepared s SiO 2 / m SiO 2 abrasives presented a much higher material removal rate, lower surface roughness as well as lower topographical variations than those of traditional solid silica abrasives. Furthermore, the material removal rate and surface roughness increased with the increase of the thickness of m SiO 2 shell. The enhanced polishing performance might be contributed to the improvement of the physical and/or chemical environments in the local contacting region between abrasives and wafers. According to the indentation-based mechanism, these oxide-CMP results were rationalized from both chemical corrosion and mechanical abrasion actions. This work constructed a relationship between polishing behavior and microstructure of novel allotropic silica abrasives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triptycene incorporated carbon nitride (T -CN) with donor–acceptor structure and remarkable visible-light photoreactivity toward H 2 evolution from water and CO 2 -to-CO conversion. [Display omitted] Polymeric carbon nitride (CN) has evoked considerable attention in photocatalysis, however, its π-deficiency conjugated frameworks engendering weak visible-light absorption and rapid charge recombination hinder the practical utilizations. Herein, a novel donor–acceptor (D-A) conjugated polymer based on triptycene incorporated carbon nitride (T -CN) has been facilely prepared by thermal copolymerization of melamine and 2,6,14-triaminotriptycene. Combined with the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it is found that the formation of intramolecular charge transfer and the extended π-conjugative effect in the D-A structure contribute to a broadened light-harvesting spectral range, a higher charge separation/transfer efficiency and more active sites of T -CN for photoredox reactions. The T -CN catalyst accomplished superior visible-light photocatalytic performance in both hydrogen evolving and carbon dioxide reduction. The optimal T -CN catalyst exhibited the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 80.9 ± 1.3 μmol·h−1 and carbon monoxide production rate of 8.1 ± 0.2 μmol·h−1, which are ca. 8-fold and 20-fold of bulk CN, respectively. The convenient strategy of constructing D-A conjugated structure opens up a new intriguing avenue toward the rational creation of efficient polymeric nanomaterials for versatile applications of solar fuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A new method for multi-damage extraction and classification of gear system is proposed. [•] Using PCA and KPCA to extracte the signal feature of gear system. [•] Five kinds of fault signal are analyzed under 300rpm, 900rpm, 1200rpm and 1500rpm. [•] Proposed method can be used to identify various faults (multi-fault) and damage level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Recent studies have shown that lipocalin-2 (LCN2) has multiple functions involved in various biological and pathological processes including energy homeostasis, cancer, inflammation, and apoptosis. We aimed to investigate the effect of LCN2 on apoptosis that influences the pathogenetic process of metabolic diseases and cancer. Methods: We performed a proteomics analysis of livers taken from LCN2-knockout mice and wild type mice by using label-free LC-MS/MS quantitative proteomics. Results: Proteomic analysis revealed that there were 132 significantly differentially expressed proteins (49 upregulated and 83 downregulated) among 2140 proteins in the liver of LCN2-knockout mice compared with wild type mice. Of these, seven apoptosis-associated proteins were significantly upregulated and seven apoptosis-associated proteins downregulated. Conclusion: Proteomics demonstrated that there were seven upregulated and seven downregulated apoptosis-associated proteins in liver of LCN2-knockout mice. It is important to clarify the effect of LCN2 on apoptosis that might contribute to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, cancer, and various nervous system diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial diseases are a group of heterogeneous genetic metabolic diseases caused by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or nuclear DNA (nDNA) gene mutations. Mining the gene-disease association of mitochondrial diseases is helpful for understanding the pathogenesis of mitochondrial diseases, for carrying out early clinical diagnosis for related diseases, and for formulating better treatment strategies for mitochondrial diseases. This project researched the relationship between genes and mitochondrial diseases, combined the Malacards, Genecards, and MITOMAP disease databases to mine the knowledge on mitochondrial diseases and genes, used database integration and the sequencing method of the phenolyzer tool to integrate disease-related genes from different databases, and sorted the disease-related candidate genes. Finally, we screened 531 mitochondrial related diseases, extracted 26,723 genes directly or indirectly related to mitochondria, collected 24,602 variant sites on 1474 genes, and established a mitochondrial disease knowledge base (MitDisease) with a core of genes, diseases, and variants. This knowledge base is helpful for clinicians who want to combine the results of gene testing for diagnosis, to understand the occurrence and development of mitochondrial diseases, and to develop corresponding treatment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For chemical and mechanical polishing/planarization (CMP) applications, the finished surface roughness, polishing efficiency, and defectivity critically depend on the type of abrasive particles and their physical and surface chemical characteristics. Both of core/shell structured inorganic/organic hybrids and porous particles exhibit important potentials in achieving high-efficiency and damage-free CMP. In this work, the polystyrene (PS)-core/mesoporous silica (mSiO 2)-shell hybrid particles with a comparable shell thickness and tunable core size were synthesized via a modified Stöber process using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the template and tetraethyl orthosilicate as the silica precursor. The as-obtained PS/mSiO 2 hybrid particles were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FESEM, HRTEM, STEM-EDX, HAADF-STEM, DLS, and N 2 sorption-desorption measurements. The mechanical properties (elastic moduli) of PS/mSiO 2 hybrids were investigated via atomic force microscopy (AFM) nano-indentation using Hertz contact model. The effect of the abrasive particle size of PS/mSiO 2 hybrids on CMP performances for oxidized silicon wafers was investigated in terms of root-mean-square (RMS) roughness and material removal rate (MRR). The PS/mSiO 2 hybrid abrasives presented a reduced roughness and an enhanced MRR with respect to non-porous solid silica abrasives with a comparable particle size. The improved CMP performance might be attributed to the reduction of overall hardness and/or elastic modulus and the improvement of interfacial tribo-chemical wear, resulting from the abundant meso-channels in the silica shells. Furthermore, the RMS roughness and MRR decreased as the PS core size decreased for PS/mSiO 2 hybrids with a comparable mSiO 2 shell thickness. The presented work describes our effort to engineer hybrid abrasives by regulating their polymer core size in order to optimize the CMP performance. Highlights • Polystyrene supported meso-silica hybrid particles with tunable sizes were obtained. • The mechanical properties (elastic moduli) of hybrids were explored in terms of AFM. • Meso-silica shells contributed to enhanced elastic responses of hybrid particles. • The dependency of particle size and CMP performance of hybrid abrasives was tracked. • Reduced E and H and enhanced tribo-chemical wear resulted in superior CMP behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impaired motor function, due to the dysfunction of the basal ganglia, is the most common syndrome of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and its etiology remains poorly understood. Neural oxidative stress is shown to be the major cellular defects contributing to HE pathogenesis. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) has been implicated in neuroprotection in several neurological disorders. We explored the neuroprotective role of UCP2 within the substantia nigra pars reticulate (SNr), the output structure of the basal ganglia, in HE. The toxin thioacetamide (TAA) induced HE mice showed hypolocomotion, which was associated with decreased ATP levels and loss of antioxidant substances SOD and GSH within the SNr. Stable overexpression of UCP2 via AAV-UCP2 under the control of the UCP2 promoter in bilateral SNr preserved local ATP level, increased antioxidant substances, and ameliorated locomotion defects after severe liver failure. Contrary to UCP2 overexpression, targeted knockdown of UCP2 within bilateral SNr via AAV-UCP2 shRNA exacerbated the impaired mitochondrial dysfunction and hypokinesia in HE mice. The modulatory effects of UCP2 was due to mediation of K + -Cl − cotransporter-2 (KCC2) expression on GABAergic neurons of SNr. Taken together, our results demonstrate that UCP2 exerts a neural protective role at the subcortical level by increasing the resistance of neurons to oxidative stress, which may offer a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of motor dysfunction diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Visual-acoustic-thermal effects on overall comfort of the elderly were investigated. • Elderly adults perceived traffic sound as uncomfortable with LAeq higher than 66.1 dBA. • Acoustic and visual environments significantly affected TSV and TCV. • Acoustic and thermal comfort tended towards a one-vote veto relative to overall comfort. • A predictive model for overall comfort was established using binary logistic regression. We selected typical residential outdoor spaces and five common sounds (birdsong, dance music, traditional opera, conversation and traffic sound) with three A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq) (60, 70 and 80 dBA) as visual-acoustic-thermal conditions. 458 elderly adults completed a subjective questionnaire while environmental parameters (meteorological parameters, illumination intensity (LUX), visible green index (VGI) and LAeq) were simultaneously measured to determine effects of visual-acoustic-thermal perceptions on overall comfort. We found that: 1) When physiological equivalent temperature (PET) was above 43.80 °C, the elderly felt thermally uncomfortable. Older adults perceived traffic sound as acoustic uncomfortable when LAeq was higher than 66.1 dBA. A higher VGI decreased the sensitivity of respondents to LUX. 2) Thermal sensation vote (TSV) and thermal comfort vote (TCV) were susceptible to the acoustic and visual environments. The influence of the visual environment and PET on acoustic sensation vote (ASV) and acoustic comfort vote (ACV) were not significant. We found a significant correlation between PET and sunlight sensation vote (SSV). 3) Acoustic and thermal comfort had a one-vote veto tendency relative to overall comfort, but no absolute veto power. Thermal comfort was the most important factor affecting overall comfort in summer while acoustic comfort was the most important in spring. 4) A binary logistic regression to predict overall comfort of elderly adults had 84.7 % accuracy, indicating a good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horizontal and vertical viewing perspectives exert varying influences on the environmental perceptions and emotional states of college students. Despite this, scant research addresses the impact on this demographic. We selected typical campus open spaces for comprehensive physical parameter assessments, encompassing meteorological and spatial characteristics. A cohort of 36 healthy college students participated in a questionnaire survey designed to ascertain shifts in visual comfort, thermal comfort, and emotional responses when viewing landscapes in look-forward and look-up orientations. Key findings following both viewing modalities included: 1) a notable rise in mean visual comfort vote (MVCV), by 1.22 for look-forward and 1.01 for look-up, with a pronouncedly higher sunlight sensation vote (SSV) for the latter orientation; 2) a significant increase in thermal comfort vote (TCV), although the difference in increments between the two viewing angles was minimal; 3) Positive affect (PA) exhibited considerable improvement in both viewing conditions, while negative affect (NA) was markedly reduced in the look-up condition relative to look-forward viewing; 4) The SSV was predominantly influenced by the trunk ratio and canopy-to-trunk ratio, with substantial weights of 31.47% and 32.15%, respectively. Landscape element diversity emerged as the most critical factor affecting visual comfort vote (VCV) and aesthetic assessment score (AAS), with overwhelming weights of 70.67% and 63.15%, respectively. Moreover, the leaf ratio was identified as the chief determinant of emotional responses. Our results provide insights into the design of campus spaces for enhanced student well-being., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Society of Biometeorology.)

The progression of cancer involves mutations in normal cells, leading to uncontrolled division and tissue destruction, highlighting the complexity of tumor microenvironments (TMEs). Immunotherapy has emerged as a transformative approach, yet the balance between efficacy and safety remains a challenge. Nanoparticles such as polymersomes offer the possibility to precisely target tumors, deliver drugs in a controlled way, effectively modulate the antitumor immunity, and notably reduce side effects. Herein, stimuli-responsive polymersomes, with capabilities for carrying multiple therapeutics, are highlighted for their potential in enhancing antitumor immunity through mechanisms like inducing immunogenic cell death and activating STING (stimulator of interferon genes), etc . The recent progress of utilizing stimuli-responsive polymersomes to reshape the TME is reviewed here. The advantages and limitations to applied stimuli-responsive polymersomes are outlined. Additionally, challenges and future prospects in leveraging polymersomes for cancer therapy are discussed, emphasizing the need for future research and clinical translation.