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The adverse effects of high concentration of phenolic compounds in wastewater on aquatic organisms are a major environmental issue. In recent years, treating organic wastewater by algae has attracted attention because this treatment is economic, efficient and eco-friendly. Here we review the use of algae in removing phenol and phenolic derivatives. We discuss phenolic wastewater treatment, mechanisms of adsorption and degradation, and effects of excessive phenols on algal cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of promising Ce–Co–Fe catalysts were successfully synthesized using a cetyl-trimethylammonium-bromide-assisted co-precipitation method and investigated for diesel soot combustion. The surface morphological and structural properties were systematically examined using various techniques: X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, N2 adsorption–desorption, Raman spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction and in situ diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. The catalyst–soot combustion activities were tested in O2 and NO + O2 using a temperature-programmed technique. Nanometer crystalline solid solutions were formed with high surface areas when the Fe and Co cations were co-doped in the ceria lattice. Transition metals doping played a key role in increasing oxygen vacancies and promoting the redox performance of Ce–Co–Fe catalysts. Co–Fe co-doping accelerated the oxidation of soot under both "tight" and "loose" contact conditions. Among all the ceria-based catalysts, Ce80Co15Fe5 showed superior activity with T10 = 256 °C and high selectivity with S CO 2 = 100 % under tight a contact mode. The observed high catalytic activity following co-doping was proved to have occurred because of various reasons such as improved redox properties, increased oxygen vacancies and high surface area. The presence of NO in O2 also promoted soot oxidation, which follows the NO2-assisted mechanism. Moreover, the in situ DRIFTS performed under an isothermal condition in NO + O2 confirmed the strong adsorption capacity for NOx species on the doped ceria catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quickly suppress voltage fluctuations at the point of common coupling (PCC) caused by the doubly fed induction generator, a closed‐loop control method of the static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is proposed, through which proportional integral (PI) parameters of the current inner loop can be adjusted online. The core aim is to derive quantitative relationships between the PI parameters and the output current of the STATCOM based on combining mathematical mechanization theory (MMT) with digital signal processing. Due to the reduction and quasidivision of the MMT, this original control method can be used to adjust the PI parameters of the STATCOM online according to the actual sampling voltage and sampling current data. The simulation and experimental results show that this control method can make a quick PCC voltage recovery within 10 ms, which satisfies the Chinese standard GB/T‐14549‐93. It can provide a solution for large‐scale wind power curtailment that should be solved imperatively. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Electropolymerized dopamine (ePDA) coating was prepared on Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy surface. • ePDA coating surface is uniform and doped with salicylate and magnesium. • ePDA coating induced more uniform surface of Poly (l -lactic acid) (PLLA) coating than dip polydopamine (dPDA) coating. • ePDA/PLLA coating showed excellent adhesion and higher corrosion resistance than dPDA/PLLA coating. The high surface roughness of dip polydopamine (dPDA) coating on magnesium alloy could decrease the quality of secondary modification. In the present study, we report an electropolymerized dopamine (ePDA) coating on Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy from sodium salicylate aqueous solutions by galvanostat method to address this problem. The coating formation process and coating structure were investigated. Then, a Poly (l -lactic acid) (PLLA) coating was prepared on ePDA and dPDA treated samples. The SEM results reveal that the ePDA film appeared to be more uniform than dPDA coating and was doped with salicylate and magnesium ions. ASTM D3359 -09 "Tape test" shows excellent adhesion of the ePDA/PLLA layer. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization curves demonstrate ePDA/PLLA film has a better corrosion resistance than dPDA/PLLA film, owing to the structural difference of polydopamine anchoring layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversion of Cropland to Forestland Program (CCFP) has greatly impacted China's agricultural sector, and more specifically rural farmers. While changes in living standards as a result of the implementation of the CCFP have been analyzed, little research has been conducted regarding the impacts of such policies on farming operations. As agriculture contributes nearly 10% of national GDP, it is important to analyze the implications of policies on a national industry. An input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was used to examine the technical efficiency of farming operations following implementation of the CCFP, using survey data from farmers in Jiangxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces. Additionally, the impact of factors such as urbanization, age and education, and land fragmentation was examined with respect to farming operational efficiency. Scale inefficiency was found to have the greatest effect on overall inefficiency in farming operations in comparison to pure technical inefficiency, which was largely influenced by the presence and degree of land fragmentation of land holdings. Findings can be used to inform national land-use policies facilitating land fragmentation in China and address gaps in existing broader level studies that utilize non-parametric approaches to examine the technical efficiency of Chinese farmers affected by the CCFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation The significance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in many biological processes and diseases has gained intense interests over the past several years. However, computational identification of lncRNAs in a wide range of species remains challenging; it requires prior knowledge of well-established sequences and annotations or species-specific training data, but the reality is that only a limited number of species have high-quality sequences and annotations. Results Here we first characterize lncRNAs in contrast to protein-coding RNAs based on feature relationship and find that the feature relationship between open reading frame length and guanine-cytosine (GC) content presents universally substantial divergence in lncRNAs and protein-coding RNAs, as observed in a broad variety of species. Based on the feature relationship, accordingly, we further present LGC, a novel algorithm for identifying lncRNAs that is able to accurately distinguish lncRNAs from protein-coding RNAs in a cross-species manner without any prior knowledge. As validated on large-scale empirical datasets, comparative results show that LGC outperforms existing algorithms by achieving higher accuracy, well-balanced sensitivity and specificity, and is robustly effective (>90% accuracy) in discriminating lncRNAs from protein-coding RNAs across diverse species that range from plants to mammals. To our knowledge, this study, for the first time, differentially characterizes lncRNAs and protein-coding RNAs based on feature relationship, which is further applied in computational identification of lncRNAs. Taken together, our study represents a significant advance in characterization and identification of lncRNAs and LGC thus bears broad potential utility for computational analysis of lncRNAs in a wide range of species. Availability and implementation LGC web server is publicly available at http://bigd.big.ac.cn/lgc/calculator. The scripts and data can be downloaded at http://bigd.big.ac.cn/biocode/tools/BT000004. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The radiation forces exerted on the redundant particles by an incident Gaussian laser beam are derived. • The analytical expressions of the axial RFs and the transverse RFs are provided. • The variations of the axial and transverse components of RFs with are numerically analyzed. • The influences of the beam waist widths, radius, refractive index, and off-axial distance are researched. The effective removal of micro-/nanometers redundant particles is a challenging problem for improving the optical surface performance and reliability. The radiation forces(RFs) exerted on the redundant particles by an incident Gaussian laser beam are derived on the basis of generalized Lorenz-Mie theory combining with the scattering theory. The analytical expressions of the axial RFs and the transverse RFs are provided according to the relationship between spherical vector wave functions and triangle functions. The variations of the axial and transverse components of RFs with the beam waist widths, radius, refractive index, and off-axial distance are numerically analyzed. The results provide a theoretical and technological basis for clearing and controlling the redundant particle more efficiently in the nondestructive examination project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Z-type hexaferrite has great potential applications as anti-EMI material for magnetic devices in the GHz region. In this work, Dy-doped Z-type hexaferrites with nominal stoichiometry of Ba3Co2DyxFe24-xO41 (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.5, 1.0) were prepared by an improved solid-state reaction method. The effects of rare earth oxide (Dy2O3) addition on the phase composition, microstructure and electromagnetic properties of the ceramics were investigated. Structure and micromorphology characterizations indicate that certain content of Dy doping will cause the emergence of the second phase Dy3Fe5O12 at the grain boundaries of the majority phase Z-type hexaferrite, due to which the straightforward result is the grain refinement during the successive sintering process. Permeability spectra measurements show that the initial permeability reaches its maximum of 17 at 300 MHz with x = 0.5, while the cutoff frequency keeps above 800 MHz. The apparent specific anisotropy field HK of Dy-doped Z-type hexaferrites decreases with x increasing. The relationships among phase composition, grain size, permeability spectra, and anisotropy are theoretically investigated, and according to the analysis, Dy doping effects on its magnetic properties can be well explained and understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The relation between the features and mechanical behavior of Mg alloys was modeled. • The stacking ensemble model can perform better than single models. • The mechanical properties of biomedical Mg alloys are accurately predicted. In this work, a dataset was constructed by collecting the data of mechanical properties for 365 magnesium (Mg) alloys. Using the composition and process parameters of Mg alloys as input variables, six machine learning (ML) models including ridge regression, support vector machine regression, gradient boosting regression tree, random forest, CatBoost, and Gaussian process regression, were built to predict the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and elongation (EL) of Mg alloys. These single models were then integrated by using model ensemble in order to further improve the prediction accuracy. The results showed that the ensemble model achieved a higher prediction accuracy and better generalization ability for UTS, YS, and EL than that for the single models. The mechanical properties predicted by the optimal model were very close to the experimental values, demonstrating that ML is an effective method for predicting the mechanical properties of biomedical Mg alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PL additive had a diminishing retarding effect on cement hydration. • Appropriate dosage of PL had positive effects on the work performance of cement-based materials. • PL could increase the dispersion of cement system. The application of lignin dispersants in cementitious materials has been limited due to its strong retarding effect on cement hydration. In this study, polyaniline modified lignin (PL) was prepared to be as a new lignin additive to increase the dispersion of cement system and maintain good mechanical properties of cementitious materials. This investigation systematically revealed that different contents of PL (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%) had various effects on the early hydration, the work performance and the microstructure of cement paste and mortar. Appropriate dosage of PL was beneficial to achieve better dispersion and improve the fluidity of cement system. The retarding effect on cement hydration was significantly reduced by PL, compared to unmodified lignin. When the content of PL was 0.5% and 1.0%, the mechanical properties of the mortar was maintained as well as mortar without PL. However, excessive content of PL (2.0%) decreased the flexural strength and compressive strength significantly. XRD and TG tests exhibited that no new hydration products were generated and the formation of calcium hydroxide was inhibited after the addition of PL. Besides, SEM and MIP results showed that low dosage of PL could decrease the porosity due to the filling effect. When the dosage of PL in cement exceeds 2.0%, the structure was more loose and porous, attributed to the delayed hydration and air entertainment. The dispersion mechanism was also discussed and ascribed to electrostatic repulsion caused by PL adsorbed on the surface of cement particles and the steric effect due to the branched chains of PL. This study provides a new idea for high-value application of lignin and the promotion of low-carbon building materials by using renewable resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-oleic acid content, nontransgenic allotetraploid cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) generated by knockout of GhFAD2 genes with CRISPR/Cas9 system Recently, the availability of versatile CRISPR/Cas genome editing techniques has allowed scientists to precisely edit the expressions of target genes without T-DNA insertions (Wang I et al i ., 2020; Zhang I et al i ., 2020). Keywords: cotton (Gossypium hirsutum); genome editing; CRISPR/Cas9; high-oleic seeds; nontransgenic EN cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) genome editing CRISPR/Cas9 high-oleic seeds nontransgenic 424 426 3 03/15/21 20210301 NES 210301 Cotton ( I Gossypium hirsutum i ), the most important cash crop for natural textile fibres, meanwhile, represents the fifth largest source of vegetable oil for human consumption in the world. These complex editing patterns indicated that the Cas9 was active in T1 generation or that the T0 plants contained chimeric mutations, which is consistent with the gene-editing profile of I BnITPK i genes in I Brassica napus i (Sashidhar I et al i ., 2020). [Extracted from the article]

The soot combustion on Pd-doped La2Sn2O7 pyrochlore oxides was studied. Palladium promoter was doped into the pyrochlore system via two ways: bulk substitution (La2Sn1.9Pd0.1O7) and surface impregnation (Pd/La2Sn2O7). The catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, HRTEM, PL, XPS and H2-TPR measurements. Pd modifications increased the concentration of surface oxygen vacancy, especially Pd/La2Sn2O7. The different morphologies of palladium promoters were revealed in the two palladium-doped catalysts. Palladium was present primarily in the form of a lattice Pd2+ in the bulk-doping sample, with trace of metal palladium deposited on the surface. As for the surface-doping sample, PdO was the predominant form, accompanied with some of highly dispersed metallic palladium. Due to the adhesion of massive surface palladium species on Pd/La2Sn2O7, a strong metal oxide interaction occurred in the interface between Pd species and La2Sn2O7. The activity evaluation results show that Pd/La2Sn2O7 possesses the highest performance, exhibiting the lowest activation energy (98.83 kJ/mol) for soot combustion. Surface Pd/PdO redox couples as well as Pd-O-Sn interface species were identified to be the active phases for the superior catalytic behavior of Pd/La2Sn2O7. A possible oxidation mechanism for the reactions has been speculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Recycled sand was used to develop UHPCCs. • Mixtures of UHPCCs with recycled sand were designed via linear packing model. • 5 UHPCCs were designed with different replacement percentages of recycled sand. • Compressive strength of UHPCCs with recycled sand was up to 170.0 MPa. • Replacement rate of recycled sand in UHPCCs was recommended under 50%. Abstract Due to the excellent mechanical and durability properties, ultra-high performance cement-based composites (UHPCCs) have attracted a lot of attention during the past decades. It is noted that most existing UHPCCs are manufactured from raw materials with high quality, for instance, well-graded river sands. However, the huge consumption of river sands as construction materials has inevitably resulted in some serious ecological impacts, as reported around the world. In this regard, it shall be much beneficial if some substitutes, such as recycled sands produced through processing of construction and demolition waste (CDW), could be used to replace natural sands to manufacture the qualified UHPCCs. This paper presents such a preliminary study on the feasibility of manufacturing UHPCCs with recycled sands. A total of five UHPCCs are designed and cast with different replacement percentages of recycled sand, i.e., 0%, 30% 50%, 70% and 100% (in mass). The associated packing density of the mixed sands is estimated based on the linear packing model. The fresh and hardened properties of the UHPCCs, including the workability, strength and shrinkage, are experimentally examined. The test results indicate that it is possible to use recycled sand to replace natural river sand in the manufacture of UHPCCs; however, the amount of the recycled sand needs to be limited. In the case when the replacement percentage of the recycled sand is lower than 50% (in mass), the properties of the UHPCCs with the recycled sand are comparable with those containing river sand only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bacterial infections cause acute and chronic diseases. Antimicrobial resistance and aging-related immune weakness remain challenging in therapy of infectious diseases. Vaccines are however an alternative to prevent bacterial infections. Here we report a facile method to rapidly generate bacterium-membrane-formed nanovesicles as a vaccine using nitrogen cavitation. The vaccine is comprised of double-layered membrane vesicles (DMVs) characterized by cryo-TEM, biochemistry and proteomics, showing DMVs possess the integrity of bacterial membrane and contain a wide range of membrane proteins required for vaccination. In the mouse sepsis model induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa , we found that DMVs can improve mouse survival after mice were immunized with DMVs. The increased adaptive immunity and unique biodistribution of DMVs were responsible for enhanced protection of bacterial infection. Our studies demonstrate that this simple and innovative approach using nitrogen cavitation would be a promising technology for vaccine developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Clean synthesis of dimethylhexane‐1,6‐dicarbamate (HDC) from methoxycarbonylation of 1,6‐hexanediamine (HDA) with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) was studied. Among several heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, Mn(OAc)2 was screened as the most effective catalyst over which the kinetic balance could be reached within 2–3 h. Then the kinetic model of the methoxycarbonylation of HDA with DMC using Mn(OAc)2 catalyst, under the real reaction conditions was established. Results indicated that the reaction orders were confirmed to be 4.5 for the first step reaction and 4.3 for the second step reaction by the numerical differential method. In addition, the activation energies for the first and second step reaction were 47.0514 and 60.4504 kJ·mol−1 and the frequency factors were 1.4645 × 102 and 3.6519 × 104 min−1, respectively. Moreover, the kinetic model correlated well with experimental data. This study not only provides a highly efficient catalyst for the methoxycarbonylation of HDA with DMC but also gives the guidance for the design of the reactor by studying its kinetic under real reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate to co‐produce commodity methanol and ethylene glycol has attracted growing interests due to the potential chemical utilization of CO2 in large scale. In this work, we report a novel and facile protocol for the preparation of mesoporous Cu@SiO2 catalysts and successfully applied the as‐synthesized catalysts in the hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate. The catalysts were characterized in detail by means of N2 physisorption, N2O titration, XRD, FT‐IR, H2‐TPR, TEM and XPS (XAES). This strategy is an effective method for fabricating the unique flower‐like mesoporous Cu@SiO2 with sub‐2.0 nm ultrasmall Cu particles. The results revealed that the involvement of β‐cyclodextrin improved the Cu dispersion and facilitated exposing more copper active sites, which also indicated that the confined catalyst inhibiting the sintering of copper particles. Meanwhile, the stability of the attained catalyst was superior with the modification of carbon. Importantly, among the catalysts tested in the hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate, 25Cu@SiO2‐β‐P with appropriate copper loading as well as moderate Cu+ ratio exhibited superior catalytic performance. Accordingly, the synergistic effect between the Cu+ and metallic Cu0 species was crucial for obtaining better catalytic activity. Crucial synergy: β‐cyclodextrin modified Cu@SiO2 catalysts were prepared by a facile hydrolysis precipitation method and were successfully applied in the co‐production of methanol and ethylene glycol via hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate derived from CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims In order to investigate the effects and mechanism of Bisphenol A (BPA) on the growth of preantral follicles and the maturation of oocytes in vitro , preantral follicles were harvested from mouse ovaries and in vitro cultured for 11 days with different concentrations of BPA (0, 4.5 and 45 μM) for calculating the percentages of antral follicles, denuded oocytes, degenerative oocytes and the maturation rate of oocytes, besides measuring the diameter of follicles and the thickness of cumulus cell layers. Methods The contents of estradiol (E 2 ) in the culture media on Day 4, 8 and 10 were detected by ELISA. The estrogen receptor (ER) expression, spindle morphology and chromosome distribution in oocytes on Day 10 and 11 were observed by immunofluorescence. Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9), bone morphogenetic protein-15 (BMP-15), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (p-Erk1) and phosphorylated Ca 2 + /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (p-CaMKII) in the oocytes. Results Compared with control, BPA (45 μM) significantly reduced percentages of antral follicles (9.25% vs. 91.17%, P   <   0.05 ) and the maturation rate of oocytes (7.61% vs. 79.83%, P   <   0.05 ), but increased the percentages of denuded oocytes (30.29% vs. 3.36%, P   <   0.05 ) and degenerative oocytes (45.70% vs. 2.45%, P   <   0.05 ). The diameter of follicles and the thickness of the cumulus cell layers were decreased significantly ( P   <   0.05 ). Moreover, BPA (45 μM) significantly decreased E 2 contents in the culture medium on Day 8 and 10 ( P <   0.05 ) and the expressions of ER, GDF-9 and BMP-15 in oocytes ( P   <   0.05 ). Furthermore, BPA (4.5 and 45 μM) treatment resulted in the abnormal spindle morphology and chromosome distribution, and the decreased expressions of p-Erk1 and p-CaMKII in the MII oocytes. Conclusion Together, these results clearly demonstrated BPA retarded the preantral follicle growth in vitro through interfering with the synthesis and secretion of E 2 and reducing the expressions of ER, GDF-9 and BMP-15, and led to the abnormal meioses of oocytes through reducing p-Erk1 and p-CaMKII expressions in the preantral follicles, which will help us to further unsderstand the mechanism of BPA exposure retarding in vitro growth of preantral follicles and maturation of oocyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first step in chromatin-based epigenetic assays involves the fragmentation of chromatin to facilitate precise genomic localization of the associated DNA. Here, we report the development of a droplet microfluidic device that can rapidly and efficiently digest chromatin into single nucleosomes starting from whole-cell input material offering simplified and automated processing compared to conventional manual preparation. We demonstrate the digestion of chromatin from 2500–125 000 Jurkat cells using micrococcal nuclease for enzymatic processing. We show that the yield of mononucleosomal DNA can be optimized by controlling enzyme concentration and incubation time, with resulting mononucleosome yields exceeding 80%. Bioinformatic analysis of sequenced mononucleosomal DNA (MNase-seq) indicated a high degree of reproducibility and concordance (97–99%) compared with conventionally processed preparations. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of robust and automated nucleosome preparation using a droplet microfluidic platform for nucleosome positioning and downstream epigenomic assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium alloys are considered to be one of the most promising stent materials due to their good biological compatibility and biodegradable properties. However, the poor workability at room temperature restricts the processing of high-precision micro-tubes for the application as stent materials. In this study, Mg–Zn–Y–Nd alloy tube blank was firstly produced through hot extrusion. By multi-pass cold drawing combining with interpass annealing, the extruded tube blank can be processed into high-precision micro-tube with an outer diameter of about 2.0 mm and a wall thickness of about 0.15 mm. The drawn micro-tube after annealing exhibits improved mechanical properties with an ultimate tensile strength of about 298 MPa and a large breaking elongation of up to 20%. Meanwhile, the micro-tube shows good corrosion resistance with a trend of uniform corrosion in simulated body fluid solution. The investigation revealed that a significant improvement in the mechanical properties is mainly attributed to grain refinement and texture weaken, while the good biodegradable properties is related with the low density of crystallographic defects as well as fine and homogeneous microstructure. As a result, the successful processing of magnesium alloy micro-tube provides the precursor for laser engraving stents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Optimization effect of earthworms in vermicomposting was studied by PLFA profiles. • Earthworm activity expanded the microbial community diversity in vermicomposting. • Percentages of fungi and protozoa were increased due to the presence of earthworms. • The burrowing action of earthworms improved aerobic condition of vermicomposting. Abstract In this study, the influences of earthworms on the structure of microbial community as well as the metabolic function in vermicomposting (VPs, with earthworms) for excess sludge stabilization were investigated. Comparison between the dynamic variation of PLFA profiles in VPs and common composting (CPs, with no earthworms) was conducted. The Shannon index was increased in VPs, while it was decreased in CPs with time, indicating earthworm activity enhanced microbial community diversity. The fungal and protozoal biomasses were significantly increased in VPs compared with CPs. Further researches by principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that earthworms benefited certain microorganisms containing biomarkers of 18:1ω9c, 18:3ω3, 18:3ω6, 20:1ω9, 20:2ω6 and 20:3ω6. Moreover, the ratios of monounsaturated to branched PLFAs in VPs were larger than those in CPs, suggesting the aeration condition was promoted by the burrowing behaviors of earthworms and therefore facilitated the growth and propagation of aerobic microorganisms, such as protozoa. Those results indicated that earthworm activity led to the general optimization of vermicomposting for excess sludge stabilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) serves an important role in the metastasis of prostate cancer. Juglone is a natural compound isolated from plants that is reported to possess potent cytotoxic properties. However, there are no studies on the anti-EMT effect of juglone in prostate cancer, or its potential underlying mechanisms of action. In the present study, the effect of juglone on the EMT of prostate cancer cells was investigated. Transwell assays were used to demonstrate that juglone inhibits the migration and invasion of the prostate cancer (PC) LNCaP and LNCaP-AI cell lines. Results from western blot analysis demonstrated that juglone increases the expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin while decreasing the expression of mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin and Vimentin) in a dose-dependent manner. The data from the present study also revealed that juglone downregulates the expression of Snail, a repressor of E-cadherin and an inducer of EMT. Furthermore, juglone prevented inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), an endogenous inhibitor of Snail in a dose-dependent manner. Lithium chloride (LiCl), a GSK-3β inhibitor, prevented juglone-mediated downregulation of Snail expression and upregulation of E-cadherin. In addition, phosphorylation and subsequent activation of protein kinase B (Akt), which is known to phosphorylate GSK-3β at serine 9 (Ser9), leading to its inhibition, were significantly decreased by juglone in LNCaP and LNCaP-AI cells. Inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol- 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway by LY294002 augmented juglone-mediated GSK-3β activity by inhibiting Ser9 phosphorylation. These findings indicated that juglone suppresses EMT via the Akt/GSK-3β/Snail pathway, consequently decreasing the invasiveness of PC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cerium-based coatings have attracted increasing attention for modifying Mg surface in biomedical applications due to their corrosion protectiveness and potential biological effects. However, their anti-corrosion mechanisms have not been fully understood. In this work, the corrosion resistance of anodic electrodeposited cerium-based oxides coating on Mg alloy was investigated in Hanks' balanced salt solution. The obtained results demonstrate that the strengthened precipitation of protective calcium phosphate products on this coating results in its enhanced anti-corrosion nature. These findings enrich the understanding on anti-corrosion mechanisms of the cerium-based coating and point out its prospect on Mg alloys for bone implants. • Cerium-based oxides coating was prepared on Mg alloy by anodic electrodeposition. • The coating presented additional anti-corrosion properties over immersion time in HBSS. • The strengthened precipitation of protective calcium phosphate products on coating was clarified. • Anti-corrosion mechanisms of cerium-based oxides coated Mg alloys in HBSS were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Novel CaCO 3 hybrid coatings are firstly evaluated in vitro and in vivo on orthopedic Mg alloys. • Glu significantly optimizes the composition and morphology of CaCO 3 coating. • CaCO 3 -based coatings largely inhibit the in vitro and in vivo degradation of Mg alloy. • CaCO 3 @Glu hybrid coating exhibits accelerated osteogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Fast degradation of Mg alloys and slow bone regeneration process largely impede their clinical applications as one kind of degradable metallic orthopedic implants. In current study, novel calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) coatings are prepared via the hydrothermal method and optimized via the addition of glutamate acid (Glu) or dopamine (DOPA) to improve the degradation and biological performance of the MgZnCa alloy. The results revealed that the CaCO 3 coating was mainly composed of rhombohedral calcite aggregates and deposited rod-like aragonite. Whereas, the introduction of Glu or DOPA stabilized plate-like vaterite via the adsorption or incorporation of organic molecules, and suppressed the deposition of rod-like aragonite on CaCO 3 hybrid coating with lower roughness, higher adhesion strength and thickness. Thus, CaCO 3 hybrid coatings endowed the MgZnCa alloy with more favorable in vitro degradation resistance. Furthermore, all CaCO 3 -based coatings showed good in vitro cytocompatibility, while CaCO 3 @Glu hybrid coating exhibited the best in vitro osteogenic activity of osteoblasts, attesting the synergistic effect of Glu and vaterite on the biological activity of the MgZnCa alloy. In vivo results verified the significantly inhibited degradation and promoted osteogenesis of the CaCO 3 @Glu hybrid coating. These results provide important guidelines and rationality for the further application of the CaCO 3 -based coatings on orthopedic implants towards more excellent clinical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first principle molecular dynamics simulations based on the density functional theory were performed to study the local structure of Co B-based glassy alloys. It was evidenced that the B-centered non-distorted (regular) Kasper polyhedra with a coordination number (CN) of 9–10, i.e. <0, 3, 6, 0> and <0, 2, 8, 0>, are primary structure-forming clusters in Co B-based glassy alloys. The formation of these regular clusters can be attributed to the efficient dense packing as well as the strong chemical interaction indicated by the results of chemical short range order parameter and electronic charge density. Compared with the Co 65 B 35 glassy alloy, the Ta-bearing Co 57 B 35 Ta 8 alloy has a higher fraction of Z9 and Z10 (Z = CN) Kasper polyhedra. A higher fraction of these regular Kasper polyhedra and their efficient and stable packing over medium range are likely to constitute the relatively stable regions which may compete with the corresponding crystals, and thus reduce atomic diffusivity and increase the viscosity of liquid/glassy structures. This result is in favor of higher thermal stability and better resistance to plastic flow. Therefore, the Co 57 B 35 Ta 8 glassy alloy possesses a larger glass-forming ability and a higher mechanical strength than the Ta-free glassy alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Global disparities in prostate cancer (PCa) incidence highlight the urgent need to identify genomic abnormalities in prostate tumors in different ethnic populations including Asian men. Objective To systematically explore the genomic complexity and define disease-driven genetic alterations in PCa. Design, setting, and participants The study sequenced whole-genome and transcriptome of tumor-benign paired tissues from 65 treatment-naive Chinese PCa patients. Subsequent targeted deep sequencing of 293 PCa-relevant genes was performed in another cohort of 145 prostate tumors. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The genomic alteration landscape in PCa was analyzed using an integrated computational pipeline. Relationships with PCa progression and survival were analyzed using nonparametric test, log-rank, and multivariable Cox regression analyses. Results and limitations We demonstrated an association of high frequency of CHD1 deletion with a low rate of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion and relatively high percentage of mutations in androgen receptor upstream activator genes in Chinese patients. We identified five putative clustered deleted tumor suppressor genes and provided experimental and clinical evidence that PCDH9 , deleted/loss in approximately 23% of tumors, functions as a novel tumor suppressor gene with prognostic potential in PCa. Furthermore, axon guidance pathway genes were frequently deregulated, including gain/amplification of PLXNA1 gene in approximately 17% of tumors. Functional and clinical data analyses showed that increased expression of PLXNA1 promoted prostate tumor growth and independently predicted prostate tumor biochemical recurrence, metastasis, and poor survival in multi-institutional cohorts of patients with PCa. A limitation of this study is that other genetic alterations were not experimentally investigated. Conclusions There are shared and salient genetic characteristics of PCa in Chinese and Caucasian men. Novel genetic alterations in PCDH9 and PLXNA1 were associated with disease progression. Patient summary We reported the first large-scale and comprehensive genomic data of prostate cancer from Asian population. Identification of these genetic alterations may help advance prostate cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, we propose a novel object-oriented hierarchy radiation consistency method for dense matching of different temporal and different sensor data in the 3D reconstruction. For different temporal images, our illumination consistency method is proposed to solve both the illumination uniformity for a single image and the relative illumination normalization for image pairs. Especially in the relative illumination normalization step, singular value equalization and linear relationship of the invariant pixels is combined used for the initial global illumination normalization and the object-oriented refined illumination normalization in detail, respectively. For different sensor images, we propose the union group sparse method, which is based on improving the original group sparse model. The different sensor images are set to a similar smoothness level by the same threshold of singular value from the union group matrix. Our method comprehensively considered the influence factors on the dense matching of the different temporal and different sensor stereoscopic image pairs to simultaneously improve the illumination consistency and the smoothness consistency. The radiation consistency experimental results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method by comparing two other methods. Moreover, in the dense matching experiment of the mixed stereoscopic image pairs, our method has more advantages for objects in the urban area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study firstly evaluated the microbial role when choosing the acclimated anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) and waste activated sludge (WAS) as microbial and nutritional regulators to improve the biomethanation of fruit and vegetable wastes (FVW). Results showed that the enriched hydrogenotrophic methanogens, and Firmicutes and Spirochaeta in the AGS were responsible for the enhanced methane yield. A synthetic waste representing the mixture of WAS and FVW was then used to investigate the influences of different substrate composition on methane generations. The optimal mass ratio of carbohydrate/protein/cellulose was observed to be 50:45:5, and the corresponding methane yield was 411 mL/g-VS added . Methane kinetic studies suggested that the modified Gompertz model fitted better with those substrates of carbohydrate- than protein-predominated. Parameter results indicated that the maximum methane yield and production rate were enhanced firstly and then reduced with the decreasing carbohydrate and increasing protein percentages; the lag phase time however increased continuously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexavalent chromium is one of the main heavy metal pollutants. As the environmental legislation becomes increasingly strict, seeking new technology to treat wastewater containing hexavalent chromium is becoming more and more important. In this research, a novel modified ultrafiltration membrane that could be applied to adsorb and purify water containing hexavalent chromium, was prepared by polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) blending with 2-aminobenzothiazole via phase inversion. The membrane performance was characterized by evaluation of the instrument of membrane performance, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and water contact angle measurements. The results showed that the pure water flux of the PVDF/2-aminobenzothiazole modified ultrafiltration membrane was 231.27 L/m2·h, the contact angle was 76.1°, and the adsorption capacity of chromium ion was 157.75 μg/cm2. The PVDF/2-aminobenzothiazole modified ultrafiltration membrane presented better adsorption abilities for chromium ion than that of the traditional PVDF membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Band selection is a well-known approach for reducing the dimensionality of hyperspectral data. When the neighborhood rough set theory is used to select informative bands, different criteria of the band selection algorithms may lead to different optimal band subsets. Many studies have been analyzed the classification performance of band selection algorithms and have demonstrated that different algorithms are similar for classification. Therefore, rather than evaluating band selection algorithms using only classification accuracy, their stability should also be explored. The stability of an algorithm, which is quantified by the sensitivity of the algorithm to variations in the training set, is a topic of recent interest. Most studies on stability compare the band subsets chosen either from perturbation datasets by randomly removing methods or from perturbation datasets by cross validation methods. These methods either result in an unknown degree of overlap between perturbation datasets, or an invariable degree of overlap. In this work, we propose an adjustable degree of overlap method to construct perturbation datasets, which can set different levels of perturbation. By introducing the Jaccard index as a metric of stability, we explore the stability of six band selection algorithms based on the neighborhood rough set theory. We experimentally demonstrate that the level of perturbation, the degree of overlap, the size of the subset, and the size of the neighborhood affect stability. The results show that the maximal relevance minimal redundancy difference band selection algorithm has the greatest stability overall and better classification ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With coupled mechanical-chemical field, the predominant role of fatigue crack evolution and tribo-chemistry on Si-DLC films were investigated under different relative humidity. Results show that incorporating Si stabilized friction interface and induced lubricating carbonaceous material transfer (0.053 under 20% RH), but the lubricating effect was deteriorated (0.12) by the iron oxide products on sliding shear stress. Furthermore, Si element aggravate overall wear rates than DLC film. Increasing relative humidity was beneficial to lowering wear rates of films with lower Si content, but aggravated the wear rates of films with higher Si content. The predominant role of tribo-chemistry on the friction coefficient (COF) was confirmed, meanwhile, critical impact of fatigue cracks evolution on surface wear is worse than that of tribo-chemistry. • Incorporating Si induced lubricating carbonaceous transfer, but the iron oxide products deteriorated lubricating effect. • Increasing relative humidity reduced wear rates of lower Si films, but aggravated the wear rates of higher Si films. • The fatigue cracks evolution of Si-DLC films was consistent with the increasing wear rates of Si-DLC films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear FOXO proteins act as tumor suppressors by transcriptionally activating genes involved in apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, and these anticancer functions are inhibited by AKT-induced phosphorylation and cytoplasmic sequestration of FOXOs. We found that, after AKT-mediated phosphorylation at serine 319, FOXO1 binds to IQGAP1, a hub for activation of the MAPK pathway, and impedes IQGAP1-dependent phosphorylation of ERK1/2 ( pERK1/2). Conversely, decreased FOXO1 expression increases pERK1/2 in cancer cell lines and correlates with increased pERK1/2 levels in patient specimens and disease progression. Treatment of cancer cells with PI3K inhibitors or taxane causes FOXO1 localization in the nucleus, increased expression of pERK1/2, and drug resistance. These effects are reversed by administering a small FOXO1-derived phospho-mimicking peptide inhibitor in vitro and in mice. Our results show a tumor suppressor role of AKT-phosphorylated FOXO1 in the cytoplasm and suggest that this function of FOXO1 can be harnessed to overcome chemoresistance in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The adsorption of electroneutral polymers by C 3 S is mainly promoted by H-bonds. • Calcium dissociation from C 3 S can be facilitated by polymer adsorption. • Larger polarity of groups leads to stronger H-bonds with C 3 S and water molecules. • The O d in carboxyl groups of PAA plays a major role in water adsorption. • PVA significantly agglomerates due to the H-bonds formed inside polymer molecules. Polymer is extensively applied in the cement system, while its interaction with cement clinker is still much elusive. The behavior of polymers, containing carboxyl, hydroxyl and ether groups respectively, at the tricalcium silicate (C 3 S) interface is investigated utilizing molecular dynamics. The adsorption of electroneutral polymers by C 3 S is promoted by H-bonds, rather than the Ca-O ionic bonding. Calcium dissociation from C 3 S can be facilitated by polymer adsorption, while the dissociated calcium in the aqueous solution is barely adsorbed by the polymers. The results indicate the phenomenon that C 3 S dissolution is restricted but the dissolved calcium from cement increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of multifunctional Mg-based active implants with controllable degradation and antibacterial capabilities has become a hotspot in the research field of biodegradable metallic materials. To this end, a BN nanosheets (BNNS) _ vancomycin (Van) @ chitosan (CS) nanocomposite coating containing two antibacterial components (BNNS and Van) was prepared on Mg alloys via a micro-arc oxidation (MAO) pre-treatment combined with following electrodeposition. The related characterizations of the coating show that the composite coating has a high roughness, hydrophobicity and fair corrosion resistance. In vitro antibacterial experiments show that the BNNS_Van@CS/MAO composite coating have obvious inhibitory effect on the growth of both E. coli and S. aureus. The antibacterial effect of the BNNS_Van@CS/MAO composite coating was attributed to the synergistic effect of CS, BNNS and Van. This study provides a valuable surface modification strategy for developing multifunctional Mg-based implants with good corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties. [Display omitted] • BNNS@CS-loaded vancomycin composite coatings were prepared on ZE21C alloy. • BNNS_Van@CS/MAO coating provides an effective protection for the ZE21C alloy. • BNNS_Van@CS/MAO coating has good antibacterial effect against E.coli and S.aureus. • BNNS@CS coating and vancomycin have synergistic antibacterial effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor in children and adolescents. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of transcriptional products of the genome without protein-coding potential. Recently, lncRNA Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1) was functionally identified in Ewing sarcoma, a highly aggressive primary pediatric bone tumor. However, whether EWSAT1 plays a role in OS remains unclear. In the present study, gain- and loss-of-function assays demonstrated that EWSAT1 enhanced OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Further mechanistic studies found that EWSAT1 positively regulated lncRNA MEG3 expression in the transcriptional level. Finally, we observed that EWSAT1 facilitates OS cell growth and metastasis through regulation of MEG3, suggesting that EWSAT1-MEG3 axis might be a promising target for OS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Band selection is considered to be an important processing step in handling hyperspectral data. In this work, we combined Shannon's information entropy with neighborhood rough set and proposed a new measure, called neighborhood mutual information. With the proposed measure which can evaluate the significance of bands for classification, a forward greedy search algorithm for band selection was constructed. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed band selection technique, two classification models (Extreme Learning Machine and Random Forests) were built. The proposed algorithm was compared to neighborhood dependency measure based algorithm, genetic algorithm and uninformative variable elimination algorithm on three (soybean, maize and rice) hyperspectral datasets between 400 nm and 1000 nm wavelengths. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively select key bands and obtain satisfactory classification accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic combustion is one of the most promising methods for diesel soot removal. Ln 2 Sn 2 O 7 pyrochlores substituted with different rare-earth (RE) elements (Ln = La, Nd and Sm) were prepared through co-precipitation method for catalytic combustion of soot particulates. The structural, textural and redox properties, together with the oxygen vacancy of the catalysts were investigated systematically. Their catalytic activities were evaluated by both temperature-programmed oxidation and isothermal reaction techniques. With the increasing in RE ionic radius ( r ), the Sn O bond strength in Ln 2 Sn 2 O 7 pyrochlores evaluated from the stretching IR band was decreased, resulting in the improved reducibility and enhanced oxygen vacancies of catalysts. The increase of oxygen vacancy concentration was further confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) investigations wherein upon excitation with UV radiation, the pyrochlores nanoparticles exhibited strong and sharp transition at 408 nm attributed to oxygen vacancies. Catalytic combustion and isothermal reactions revealed that the ignition activity (ignition temperature, T 5 ) and the intrinsic activity (turnover frequency, TOF) were shown to depend correlatedly on redox properties and oxygen vacancy concentrations, both of which were influenced by the substitution of different RE elements. Among the pyrochlore oxides, the as-synthesized La 2 Sn 2 O 7 sample displayed relatively the highest ignition activity and the largest intrinsic activity with TOF of 2.33 × 10 −3 s −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cesium-promoted LaCoO perovskite-type catalysts were synthesized for catalytic soot combustion. The cesium promoter was introduced into the perovskite system via two different ways with the same Cs loading: one is Cs doping (LaCsCoO), and the other is Cs supporting (Cs/LaCoO). The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, N-sorption, SEM, EDS, H-TPR, NO oxidation and NO sorption techniques. For Cs-supported sample, the promotion effect on the redox properties of transition metal has been observed. The catalytic NO oxidation activity on Cs-supported sample was higher than that on Cs-doped sample due to the improved reducibility. Under O atmospheres, the two kinds of Cs-containing catalysts exhibited similar ignition activities under tight conditions with soot ignition temperature decreased to about 350 °C, which can be related to the enhanced oxygen mobility and the improved contact between soot and catalysts. In the presence of NO, the superior soot oxidation activity on Cs-supported catalyst was related to its higher NO productivity, larger NO consumption and more stored nitrates accessible in soot oxidation process. Thus, the different ways to introduce cesium have different impacts on the properties and activities of the perovskite catalysts. Graphical Abstract: Cesium surface promotion is much more effective than the bulk promotion in soot oxidation over LaCoO perovskite catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MgAlO x oxides derived from LDHs was used as support for high active NH 3 -SCR catalyst. • The highly dispersed MnO x on support were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation. • The novel catalysts exhibited superior low-temperature activity and N 2 selectivity. • The optimal catalyst MnA/MgAlO x -800 showed remarkable resistance to H 2 O. A series of novel highly dispersed MnO x on the MgAlO x support derived from layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were successfully prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NO x with ammonia (NH 3 -SCR). The physicochemical properties and the catalytic performance of the prepared samples with different Mn precursor salt (acetate, nitrate and sulfate) and varying calcination temperatures of MgAlO x support were systematically investigated. The optimal catalyst, MgAlO x calcined at 800 °C with impregnating manganese acetate (denoted as MnA/MgAlO x -800), exhibited superior denitration performance, with NO x conversion over 80 % in the temperature range of 100–300 °C as well as remarkable resistance against H 2 O. The proper supports MgAlO x not only provided large specific area for the dispersion of the Mn, but also supplied more adsorption sites for reactant molecules. It was also found that the interaction between Mn species and MgAlO x support induced the higher concentration of Mn4+ and chemisorbed oxygen species. As suggested from in situ DRIFTs analysis, Lewis acid sites promoted the adsorption and activation of NH 3 , which facilitated the NH 3 -SCR reaction to proceed. Furthermore, E-R mechanism was proposed in the SCR reaction, evidenced by in situ DRIFTS study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Corrosion of the substrate was effectively inhibited by the presence of MgSO 4 during coating preparation. • MgSO 4 results in the transformation of the middle calcite from cubic to spindle-shaped crystals. • Mg2+ and SO 4 2− promote the precipitation of metastable aragonite and vaterite in the outer layer. • The corrosion resistance of CaCO 3 coating for Mg substrate can be adjusted by MgSO 4 concentration. • CaCO 3 could be transformed into Ca-P products during immersion. Too fast corrosion of magnesium(Mg)-based materials is one of main concerns prior to their applications as biodegradable biomaterials. In present study, a CaCO 3 coating on Mg alloy is developed via hydrothermal method to control the corrosion of Mg2Zn0.2Ca alloy. The morphology and anti-corrosion property of the CaCO 3 protective coating are adjusted by the concentration of MgSO 4 in coating preparation electrolyte. The results reveal that the presence of MgSO 4 stabilizes the precipitation of metastable CaCO 3 crystalline (aragonite and vaterite) and affects the structure and growth rate of the middle calcite layer on Mg alloy surface, which leads to the transformation of cubic calcite into small rhombohedral aggregates in the middle layer as the concentration of MgSO 4 increases. Consequently, the corrosion protection property of the coating is significantly enhanced due to the increased compactness of the coating as the concentration of MgSO 4 increases from 0 mM to 20 mM. Whereas, with further increase of MgSO 4 concentration, the spindle-shaped calcite crystalline formed in the middle layer provides more penetrable boundaries, leading to a lower resistance for Mg substrate. Long-term immersion tests indicate the transformation of CaCO 3 into calcium phosphate, which exhibits a great prospect for Mg alloys as orthopedic implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Coal combustion in coal-fired power plants is one of the important anthropogenic NO x sources, especially in China. Many policies and methods aiming at reducing pollutants, such as increasing installed capacity and installing air pollution control devices (APCDs), especially selective catalytic reduction (SCR) units, could alter NO x emission characteristics (NO x concentration, NO 2 /NO x ratio, and NO x emission factor). This study reported the NO x characteristics of eight new coal-fired power-generating units with different boiler patterns, installed capacities, operating loads, and coal types. The results showed that larger units produced less NO x , and anthracite combustion generated more NO x than bitumite and lignite combustion. During formation, the NO x emission factors varied from 1.81 to 6.14 g/kg, much lower than those of older units at similar scales. This implies that NO x emissions of current and future units could be overestimated if they are based on outdated emission factors. In addition, APCDs, especially SCR, greatly decreased NO x emissions, but increased NO 2 /NO x ratios. Regardless, the NO 2 /NO x ratios were lower than 5%, in accordance with the guidelines and supporting the current method for calculating NO x emissions from coal-fired power plants that ignore NO 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was reported that Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 6 (PCSK6) can promote the progression of rheumatoid arthritis to a higher aggressive status. In this work, a novel visible light induced photoelectrochemical (PEC) platform was designed to detect PCSK6 gene. ZnO@CdTe nanocable arrays/carboxylated g-C 3 N 4 used as the PEC signal generator. Hexagonal ZnO nanorods grew on ITO electrode firstly. CdTe were then electrodeposited on the ZnO nanorods surface to enhance the photogenerated h + /e − separation efficiency. Carboxylated g-C 3 N 4 was utilized to improve h + /e − separation efficiency and anchor the capture probes of PCSK6 gene by the covalent bonding effect. The 5′ and 3′ primers captured PCSK6 ssDNA by the specific recognition. The linear range was 10 pg/mL to 20.0 ng/mL with a detection limit of 2 pg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary SPOP mutations and TMPRSS2-ERG rearrangements occur collectively in up to 65% of human prostate cancers. Although the two events are mutually exclusive, it is unclear whether they are functionally interrelated. Here, we demonstrate that SPOP, functioning as an E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate-binding protein, promotes ubiquitination and proteasome degradation of wild-type ERG by recognizing a degron motif at the N terminus of ERG. Prostate cancer-associated SPOP mutations abrogate the SPOP-mediated degradation function on the ERG oncoprotein. Conversely, the majority of TMPRSS2-ERG fusions encode N-terminal-truncated ERG proteins that are resistant to the SPOP-mediated degradation because of degron impairment. Our findings reveal degradation resistance as a previously uncharacterized mechanism that contributes to elevation of truncated ERG proteins in prostate cancer. They also suggest that overcoming ERG resistance to SPOP-mediated degradation represents a viable strategy for treatment of prostate cancers expressing either mutated SPOP or truncated ERG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The surface recombination velocities of silicon wafers can be accurately determined due to the improved measurement sensitivity. • No independent measurement of the instrumental frequency response is required. • The proposed method can be further used to the quick and accurate characterization the surface passivation quality of silicon wafers. Surface recombination has a great impact on the performance of solar cells and photodetectors, and thus is necessary to be accurately determined. In this paper, a self-normalized photocarrier radiometry (PCR) with mean square variance graph is employed to improve the determination accuracy of the surface recombination velocities of silicon wafers and to reduce the influence of initial values on multi-parameter estimations. In this method data obtained from both the illuminated front surface and the illuminated rear surface are employed. The uncertainties of the estimated carrier recombination parameters, especially for the surface recombination velocities are improved significantly. Moreover, the influence of instrumental frequency response (IFR) on the multi-parameter estimation is totally eliminated. Theoretical simulations and experiments are performed to confirm the theoretical predictions. The estimated average uncertainties of the front and back surface recombination velocities for the sample used are approximately ± 7.60% and ± 5.71% by the proposed method, which are much improved than ± 13.65% and >±50% by the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation DNA methylation can be measured at the single CpG level using sodium bisulfite conversion of genomic DNA followed by sequencing or array hybridization. Many analytic tools have been developed, yet there is still a high demand for a comprehensive and multifaceted tool suite to analyze, annotate, QC and visualize the DNA methylation data. Results We developed the CpGtools package to analyze DNA methylation data generated from bisulfite sequencing or Illumina methylation arrays. The CpGtools package consists of three types of modules: (i) 'CpG position modules' focus on analyzing the genomic positions of CpGs, including associating other genomic and epigenomic features to a given list of CpGs and generating the DNA motif logo enriched in the genomic contexts of a given list of CpGs; (ii) 'CpG signal modules' are designed to analyze DNA methylation values, such as performing the PCA or t-SNE analyses, using Bayesian Gaussian mixture modeling to classify CpG sites into fully methylated, partially methylated and unmethylated groups, profiling the average DNA methylation level over user-specified genomics regions and generating the bean/violin plots and (iii) 'differential CpG analysis modules' focus on identifying differentially methylated CpGs between groups using different statistical methods including Fisher's Exact Test, Student's t -test, ANOVA, non-parametric tests, linear regression, logistic regression, beta-binomial regression and Bayesian estimation. Availability and implementation CpGtools is written in Python under the open-source GPL license. The source code and documentation are freely available at https://github.com/liguowang/cpgtools. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe77Al3(P,C,B)20 is fabricated by induction melting of the elements and pre-alloyed Fe-P (22.41 wt% P) and Fe-B (17.24 wt% B) followed by melt spinning and Cu mold injection casting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human transcription factors recognize specific DNA sequence motifs to regulate transcription. It is unknown whether a single transcription factor is able to bind to distinctly different motifs on chromatin, and if so, what determines the usage of specific motifs. By using a motif-resolution chromatin immunoprecipitationexonuclease (ChIP-exo) approach, we find that agonist-liganded human androgen receptor (AR) and antagonist-liganded AR bind to two distinctly different motifs, leading to distinct transcriptional outcomes in prostate cancer cells. Further analysis on clinical prostate tissues reveals that the binding of AR to these two distinct motifs is involved in prostate carcinogenesis. Together, these results suggest that unique ligands may switch DNA motifs recognized by ligand-dependent transcription factors in vivo. Our findings also provide a broad mechanistic foundation for understanding ligand-specific induction of gene expression profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple microfluidic platform was utilized to immobilize glucose oxidase (GOx) in a nonionic micellar scaffold. The immobilization of GOx was verified by using a combination of cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) techniques. Chronoamperometric measurements were conducted on nanogel–GOx scaffolds under different glucose concentrations, exhibiting linear amperometric responses. Without impacting the lifetime and denaturation of GOx, the nonionic nanogel provides a favorable microenvironment for GOx in biological media. This flow-induced immobilization method in a nonionic nanogel host matrix opens up new pathways for designing a simple, fast, biocompatible, and cost-effective process to immobilize biomolecules that are averse to ionic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]