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An experimental study on the isobaric molar heat capacities of ethyl nonanoate and ethyl dodecanoate was performed at temperatures between 303 K and 393 K and at pressures between 0.1 MPa and 25.2 MPa. An increase of isobaric molar heat capacity with temperature increase was observed, and temperature was found to have a greater effect on isobaric molar heat capacity than pressure. Then the isobaric molar heat capacity data of 18 saturated fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters in literature were selected, to get a general correlation for the isobaric molar heat capacity of saturated fatty acid alkyl esters. The average absolute relative deviation and the maximum deviation of the present correlation from experimental data are lower than 0.70% and 3.82%, respectively. At last, to test the predictive ability of the proposed correlation, the heat capacities of ethyl nonanoate and ethyl dodecanoate were calculated. The average absolute relative deviation and the maximum deviation from our experimental results are 0.88% and 2.10%, respectively.

Background Cervical cancer is the 4th highest cause of female reproductive tract malignancies. Multiple loci have been identified as important determinant factors for tumor susceptibility. In this report, we aimed to explore the roles of gene polymorphisms affecting x-ray repair cross complementing 1 (XRCC1), the tumor protein p53 (TP53), and fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) in the context of susceptibility to cervical cancer. Additionally, we assessed the impact of single nucleotide polymorphism-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP-SNP) interaction of these three genes in the context of cervical cancer risk in Chinese women. Methods A case-control study consisted of 340 women located in Chongqing. Of these women, 121 were diagnosed with cervical cancer, 118 served as healthy controls, and 101 were specifically recruited elderly patients above the age of 80 who showed no history of cervical cancer. Three SNPs (XRCC1 rs25487, TP53 rs1042522, and FGFR3 rs121913483) were examined using mutation analysis of mismatch amplification PCR (MAMA-PCR) on samples obtained from peripheral blood. Results Our results indicated that females from southwestern China all exhibited a wild-type phenotype at FGFR3 rs121913483. We also observed that the rs25487 mutation was significantly increased within the cervical cancer population. A 2-locus SNP-SNP interaction pattern (rs25487 and rs1042522) was significantly associated with cervical cancer risk (cases vs. negative controls: OR = 4.63, 95% CI = 1.83–11.75; cases vs. elderly group: OR = 17.61, 95% CI = 4.34–71.50). Conclusions This is the first study to identify a novel interaction between the XRCC1 and TP53 genes that is highly associated with susceptibility to cervical cancer risk in a female population in southwestern China. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-018-5149-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Aquatic ecosystem sustainability around the globe is facing crucial challenges because of increasing anthropogenic and natural disturbances. In this study, the Tianchi Lake, a typical cold-water lake and a UNESCO/MAB (Man and Biosphere) nature reserve located in high latitude and elevation with the relatively low intensity of human activity was chosen as a system to examine the linkages between climate change and eutrophication. As a part of the UNESCO Bogda Man and Biosphere Reserve, Tianchi Lake has been well preserved for prevention from human intervention, but why has it been infected with eutrophication recent years? Our results show that climate change played a significant role in the eutrophication in the Tianchi Lake. Increased temperature, changed precipitation pattern and wind-induced hydrodynamic fluctuations in the summer season were suggested to make a major contribution to the accelerated eutrophication. The results also showed that the local temperature and precipitation changes were closely linked to the large-scale atmospheric circulation, which opens the door for the method to be applied in other regions without local climatic information. This study suggests that there is an urgent need to take into consideration of climate change adaptation into the conservation and management of cold-water lakes globally.

Gabion has been extensively used in retaining walls and slope protection. This study carries out a safety risk analysis of a new structure combining basalt fiber reinforcement (BFR) and the traditional gabion structure. The micro-parameters of BFR and soil were calibrated by using the 3D discrete element method after the tensile test of BFR was completed. The mechanical property of the gabion unit was investigated by using a refined model and a numerical test of uniaxial compression. This work developed a simplified method to simulate the seepage effect. The stress condition and sliding displacement between gabions were also investigated. Deformation, stress, and porosity were all used to evaluate the stability of the new type of gabion slope. According to this study, BFR has a tensile strength of 68.22 MPa, and the safety factor increased by 25.68% after using these BFR gabions. The damage is mainly manifested by bending the BFRs and the dislocation of the gabion units, as the slope does not slip. It is indicated this novel gabion structure has a lower safety risk compared to traditional ones, and thus can be popularized and used in retaining walls and slope protection.

Multi-stage fracturing technique has been widely applied to tight oil/gas reservoirs. However, there still exists challenges to select the most applicable and economical well completion methods (WCMs) for a multi-stage fractured horizontal well (MFHW) in a tight oil reservoir. And, the theoretical methods used to select the best WCM for a particular MFHW are not fully investigated. At present, the existing models and methods are basically applied to conventional horizontal wells and the application of relevant models or methods in tight oil reservoirs are rarely involved. In this study, a comprehensive fuzzy evaluation system is developed to help engineers performing the optimal selection of WCMs for MFHWs in tight oil reservoirs. Firstly, the wellbore stability analysis is carried out to obtain the critical drawdown pressure which determines the availability of open-hole WCMs. Subsequently, a fuzzy evaluation model is proposed to preliminarily find out several potentially available WCMs for the target MFHW. The problems caused by non-quantification and fuzziness of effect factors are solved by membership functions. Then, on the basis of production decline analysis and the initial productivity prediction using a semi-analytical productivity model, the cumulative production in the future for the target MFHW using different candidate WCMs (fuzzy evaluation results) are predicted respectively. And an economic evaluation model is proposed to identify the most economic candidate WCM based on the cumulative production estimation results. Finally, the recommendation of the optimized WCM is performed with considering the obtained critical drawdown. With the help of the developed corresponding software, the proposed fuzzy system is applied along with two field applications in a tight oil reservoir. The results of optimal selection of WCMs for those two filed cases are validated by the field practices.

New experimental densities and viscosities data for binary mixtures of methyl decanoate plus n-heptane were reported at temperatures of (298.15, 308.15 and 318.15) K and pressures of (0.1–15) MPa. The expanded uncertainty for density measurement is estimated to be 2 kg m−3 and the relative expanded uncertainty for viscosity measurement is estimated to be 0.03. A fitting equation was proposed to correlate the density of the binary mixture and Grunberg-Nissan equation was used to predict the viscosity of the binary mixture, respectively. The maximum absolute relative deviations between the experimental results and calculation values for densities and viscosities were 0.11% and 5.94%, respectively.

This paper investigated and simulated the mechanical effect of root reinforcing soil and stabilizing slope. The unconfined compression test was used to investigate the reinforcement soil behavior of herb roots. This paper used the 3D finite element to quantify the mechanical effect of the herb root for slope’s stability in terms of the safety factor. The soil was simulated by an elastic-plastic model, and the root was simulated by a linear elastic model. Results show that using the Root Content (RC) to estimate the additional cohesion cr of Setaria sphacelata and Orchardgrass was a simple and reliable method. Lateral fine roots can play a more significant role in reinforcing soils and slopes. Compared to various slope angles, the steep slope was less stable. The slope existed a slope angle threshold αthr. When the slope angle α was smaller than αthr, the herb root system can improve the stability of slope. The α existed an optimal angle αopt for the root system. When α = αopt and α < αthr, the herb roots can exert its maximum stabilization capacity. Moreover, we can select herb species with lateral fine roots and more roots in deeper soil layer. Results can better estimate the cr for the herb of lateral fine roots and select the herb and the slope’s geometry in the engineering.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of the applied pre-load on wave propagating behaviors of hexagonal lattices in terms of band structures, band gap distributions and phase/group velocities. The structure is composed of the repeat elementary unit cell, and the elementary unit cell is assembled with the axial pre-loaded elastic Timoshenko beams. The finite element method is adopted to solve the wave propagation problems. By calculating the band structure, we show a lower band gap is produced when the negative pre-load is applied. Band gap distributions are also calculated to gain the insight into the effects of the applied pre-load and the geometric parameters (internal angles and the relative density) on the wave propagation. The shift of the frequencies at specific points of the Brillouin zone due to the effect of pre-load is quantified. Special attention is devoted to the effect of pre-load on the directional energy flow. The phase constant surfaces and phase/group velocities are obtained for different pre-loads in order to demonstrate the influence of pre-load on the directional wave motion.

Introduction Accurate species and content identification of major active components in herbals are the guarantee of the safety and effectiveness for medical and commodity purposes. Objectives In this study, an integrated strategy used to establish the protoberberine alkaloid profile was applied to explore the differences in composition between the pieces of Tinosporae radix and Fibraurea caulis, both of which had morphological similarities. Materials and methods First, an in-house library including possible protoberberine alkaloids based on different substituents was predicted by systematic literature survey. Meanwhile, diagnostic fragments of protoberberine alkaloids were investigated using the corresponding standards. Second, ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) was used to obtain multidimensional mass spectral data. Then, the identifications were confirmed by targeted filter of the acquired data based on the library. Results As a result, 10 protoberberine alkaloid molecules including 46 isomers were identified or characterised. The qualitative distribution and relative content of protoberberine alkaloids revealed the fundamental difference between Tinosporae radix and Fibraurea caulis. 25 alkaloids were present in both herbals, while five compounds were detected only in Tinosporae radix. Furthermore, the contents of four alkaloids in Tinosporae radix were significantly higher than those in its adulterant, Fibraurea caulis. Conclusion The five unique ingredients in Tinosporae radix can be used as a better indicator for distinguishing the pieces of Tinosporae radix and Fibraurea caulis. The protoberberine alkaloid profile established in this study can be applied to quality evaluation of the two herbals or other herbals containing major protoberberine alkaloids.

We previously found that marine sponge-derived manoalide induced antiproliferation and apoptosis of oral cancer cells as well as reactive species generations probed by dichloro-dihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) and MitoSOX Red. However, the sources of cellular and mitochondrial redox stresses and the mutual interacting effects between these redox stresses and apoptosis remain unclear. To address this issue, we examined a panel of reactive species and used the inhibitors of cellular reactive species (N-acetylcysteine (NAC)), mitochondrial reactive species (MitoTEMPO), and apoptosis (Z-VAD-FMK; ZVAD) to explore their interactions in manoalide-treated oral cancer Ca9-22 and CAL 27 cells. Hydroxyl (˙OH), nitrogen dioxide (NO2˙), nitric oxide (˙NO), carbonate radical-anion (CO3˙–), peroxynitrite (ONOO–), and superoxide (O2˙–) were increased in oral cancer cells following manoalide treatments in terms of fluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Cellular reactive species (˙OH, NO2⋅, ˙NO, CO3˙–, and ONOO–) as well as cellular and mitochondrial reactive species (O2˙–) were induced in oral cancer cells following manoalide treatment for 6 h. NAC, MitoTEMPO, and ZVAD inhibit manoalide-induced apoptosis in terms of annexin V and pancaspase activity assays. Moreover, NAC inhibits mitochondrial reactive species and MitoTEMPO inhibits cellular reactive species, suggesting that cellular and mitochondrial reactive species can crosstalk to regulate each other. ZVAD shows suppressing effects on the generation of both cellular and mitochondrial reactive species. In conclusion, manoalide induces reciprocally activation between cellular and mitochondrial reactive species and apoptosis in oral cancer cells.

The complex eukaryotic chaperonin TRiC/CCT helps maintain cellular protein homeostasis, however, its assembly mechanism remains largely unknown. To address the subunit specificity in TRiC assembly, we express each of the individual yeast TRiC subunit inE. coli. Our cryo-EM structural study and biochemical analyses demonstrate that CCT1/2/6 can form TRiC-like homo-oligomeric double ring (HR) complex, however ATP-hydrolysis cannot trigger their ring closure; after deletion of the long N-terminal extension, CCT5 can form the closed double-ring structure; while CCT3/4/7/8 cannot form the HRs. It appears that CCT1 forms a HR in a unique spiral configuration, and ATP-hydrolysis can drive it to re-assemble with an inserted extra subunit-pair. Our data suggest that CCT5 could be the leading subunit in ATP-hydrolysis-driven TRiC ring closure. Moreover, we demonstrate that ADP is sufficient to trigger the assembly of the HRs and TRiC from the assembly intermediate micro-complex form. Our study reveals that through evolution, the more ancestral subunits may have evolved to take more responsibilities in TRiC ring assembly, and we propose a possible assembly mechanism of TRiC involving subunit-pair insertion. Collectively, our study gives hints on the structural basis of subunit specificity in TRiC assembly and cooperativity, beneficial for future TRiC-related therapeutic strategy development.

Oceanic islands are unique geographic systems that promote local adaptations and allopatric speciation in many of their highly endemic taxa. This is a common case in the Philippine Archipelago, where numerous unrelated taxa on islands have been inferred to have diversified in isolation. However, few cases have been reported in invertebrates especially among parasitic organisms. Here, we tested for biogeographical structure in novel populations of the “generalist" kleptoparasitic spider, Argyrodes lanyuensis Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 1998 in the Philippines. Results showed that, in addition to Orchid/Lanyu Island, this species has a wide geographic distribution in the Philippine Archipelago. The estimated divergence time of this lineage using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (mt‐CO1) suggests that this species diverged ca 3.12 MYA, during the Pliocene. Two reciprocal monophyletic clades were elucidated in A. lanyuensis, but with limited differentiation across Pleistocene Aggregate Island Complex (PAIC) boundaries and modern‐day islands. However, in our analyses of morphological variation, we identified two phenotypically differentiated units in males (Orchid Island, Taiwan + Luzon, Philippine PAIC populations vs. Palawan + West Visayan + Mindanao PAIC populations). We infer that this species diverged in the southern portion of the Philippine Archipelago and only recently colonized Orchid Island. Our study provides new information on the extensive distribution of A. lanyuensis outside Orchid Island, Taiwan, but we documented a very limited geographically associated genetic variation. Our study points to behavioral phenomena such as foraging behavior as essential contributor to the evolutionary process of species diversification, in contrast to the traditionally invoked geographic drivers of divergence., The kleptoparasitic spider, Argyrodes lanyuensis Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 1998, has been considered endemic in Orchid/Lanyu Island, Taiwan, since it was first described. However, our study revealed novel populations of A. lanyuensis on at least six islands of the Philippine archipelago. We inferred the diversification and colonization patterns of this species and assessed whether a strongly subdivided geographic system was effective in generating a pronounced geographically structured variations among its populations. It was revealed that this species diverged from the southern portion of the Philippine Archipelago and only recently colonized Orchid Island.

Representatives of some poorly known spider species collected in the rainforest litter of the Orchid Island (Taiwan) are illustrated and discussed here. A new species, Brignoliella tao sp. nov. (Fam. Tetrablemmidae), endemic to Orchid Island, is described based on both sexes. The previously unknown female of Theridiosoma triumphale Zhao & Li, 2012 (Fam. Theridiosomatidae), is described for the first time. Zoma taiwanica (Zhang, Zhu & Tso 2006) comb. nov., from the same family, is illustrated and its transfer from the genus Theridiosoma O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879 to Zoma Saaristo, 1996 is proposed on the basis of morphological characters. Habitus and genitalia of the endemic species Gongylidioides angustus Tu & Li, 2006 (Fam. Linyphiidae) are also illustrated.

Cost–benefit analysis is widely used to elucidate the association between foraging group size and resource size. Despite advances in the development of theoretical frameworks, however, the empirical systems used for testing are hindered by the vagaries of field surveys and incomplete data. This study developed the three approaches to data imputation based on machine learning (ML) algorithms with the aim of rescuing valuable field data. Using 163 host spider webs (132 complete data and 31 incomplete data), our results indicated that the data imputation based on random forest algorithm outperformed classification and regression trees, the k-nearest neighbor, and other conventional approaches (Wilcoxon signed-rank test and correlation difference have p-value from &lt, 0.001–0.030). We then used rescued data based on a natural system involving kleptoparasitic spiders from Taiwan and Vietnam (Argyrodes miniaceus, Theridiidae) to test the occurrence and group size of kleptoparasites in natural populations. Our partial least-squares path modelling (PLS-PM) results demonstrated that the size of the host web (T = 6.890, p = 0.000) is a significant feature affecting group size. The resource size (T = 2.590, p = 0.010) and the microclimate (T = 3.230, p = 0.001) are significant features affecting the presence of kleptoparasites. The test of conformation of group size distribution to the ideal free distribution (IFD) model revealed that predictions pertaining to per-capita resource size were underestimated (bootstrap resampling mean slopes &lt, IFD predicted slopes, p &lt, 0.001). These findings highlight the importance of applying appropriate ML methods to the handling of missing field data.

Summary We show the successful application of ancestral sequence reconstruction to enhance the activity of iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS), thereby increasing its therapeutic potential for the treatment of Hunter syndrome—a lysosomal storage disease caused by impaired function of IDS. Current treatment, enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant human IDS, does not alleviate all symptoms, and an unmet medical need remains. We reconstructed putative ancestral sequences of mammalian IDS and compared them with extant IDS. Some ancestral variants displayed up to 2-fold higher activity than human IDS in in vitro assays and cleared more substrate in ex vivo experiments in patient fibroblasts. This could potentially allow for lower dosage or enhanced therapeutic effect in enzyme replacement therapy, thereby improving treatment outcomes and cost efficiency, as well as reducing treatment burden. In summary, we showed that ancestral sequence reconstruction can be applied to lysosomal enzymes that function in concert with modern enzymes and receptors in cells., Graphical abstract, Highlights • Reconstruction of ancestral lysosomal enzymes that function in complex cellular context • Ancestral iduronate-2-sulfatases with increased activity compared with the human enzyme • Increased clearance of substrate in patient fibroblasts indicates therapeutic potential, Biochemistry; Structural Biology

BackgroundTo evaluate the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic tight fibrous band release in the treatment of adult moderate-to-severe gluteal fibrosis using anterior and posterior portals during mid-term follow-up.MethodsThe data of 138 patients (58 males, 80 females) aged between 18 and 42 years (mean, 28.6 years), presenting with bilateral moderate-to-severe gluteal fibrosis (GF) from October 2013 to August 2019, was retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent arthroscopic tight fibrous band release using anterior and posterior portals with radiofrequency energy. Under arthroscopic guidance through the posterior portal, we debrided the fatty tissue overlying the contracted band of the gluteal muscle and excised the contracted bands using a radiofrequency device introduced through the anterior portal. The pre- and post-operative gluteal muscle contracture disability (GD) scale and the patient satisfaction rate were compared to evaluate the curative effect of the operation.ResultsThe average operation time was 18 min (range, 10–30 min) and the average blood loss was 4 ml (range, 2–10 ml) for unilateral arthroscopic release. Two cases of post-operative minimal hematomas, 2 cases of bruising and 2 cases of local subcutaneous edema were observed as early complications and were cured by conservative treatment. After surgery, all incisions healed in stage I, and no other complications such as wound infection, nerve and blood vessel injury were detected. One hundred eighteen patients were followed up for 6 to 72 months (mean, 36 months). No lateral instability of the hip was observed and all patients returned to normal gait. The degree of adduction of the hip joint in all these 118 patients was significantly improved relative to their pre-operative conditions. One hundred fifteen patients (97.5%) were able to crouch with knees close to each other after surgery. One hundred fourteen patients (96.6%) were able to cross the affected leg completely without any support. The GD scale was improved from 55.5 ± 10.6 before operation to 90.1 ± 5.2 at the last follow-up (p ConclusionArthroscopic tight fibrous band release using anterior and posterior portals is minimally invasive for adult moderate-to-severe gluteal fibrosis, with a high success rate, quick recovery after surgery and reliable medium-term effect.

With the continuous development of hydropower stations, the capacities and the heads of hydro generator units are increasing, and the plant vibration problem is becoming more and more serious. A numerical simulation method for the vibration reduction control of magnetorheological (MR) dampers suitable for large-scale complex structures was proposed. The method is simple and easy to implement, and the semiactive control of the MR damper could be achieved by adjusting the current switch and size. On the basis of a numerical simulation, a mathematical model for the optimal layout of an MR damper device was established. The objective function was the vertical velocity and the vertical acceleration response of the generator floor. The results showed that the proposed semiactive control numerical simulation method could be applied to the vibration control of the hydropower plant structure, and the vertical velocity and vertical acceleration were reduced by 10.96% and 12.90%, respectively, compared with those without structural vibration control. At the same time, the proposed optimized layout method was effective and feasible, and the damping effect of the MR damper could be effectively improved through the optimized layout.

The polygonal scaled boundary finite element method (PSBFEM) is a novel method integrating the standard scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) and the polygonal mesh technique. This work discusses developing a PSBFEM framework within the commercial finite element software Abaqus. The PSBFEM is implemented by the User Element Subroutine (UEL) feature of the software. The details on the main procedures to interact with Abaqus, defining the UEL element, and solving the stiffness matrix by the eigenvalue decomposition are present. Moreover, we also develop the preprocessing module and the postprocessing module using the Python script to generate meshes automatically and visualize results. Several benchmark problems from two-dimensional linear elastostatics are solved to validate the proposed implementation. The results show that PSBFEM-UEL has significantly better than FEM convergence and accuracy rate with mesh refinement. The implementation of PSBFEM-UEL can conveniently use arbitrary polygon elements by the polygon/quadtree discretizations in the Abaqus. The developed UEL and the associated input files can be downloaded from https://github.com/hhupde/PSBFEM-Abaqus.

In cryptic amphibian complexes, there is a growing trend to equate high levels of genetic structure with hidden cryptic species diversity. Typically, phylogenetic structure and distance-based approaches are used to demonstrate the distinctness of clades and justify the recognition of new cryptic species. However, this approach does not account for gene flow, spatial, and environmental processes that can obfuscate phylogenetic inference and bias species delimitation. As a case study, we sequenced genome-wide exons and introns to evince the processes that underlie the diversification of Philippine Puddle Frogs—a group that is widespread, phenotypically conserved, and exhibits high levels of geographically based genetic structure. We showed that widely adopted tree- and distance-based approaches inferred up to 20 species, compared to genomic analyses that inferred an optimal number of five distinct genetic groups. Using a suite of clustering, admixture, and phylogenetic network analyses, we demonstrate extensive admixture among the five groups and elucidate two specific ways in which gene flow can cause overestimations of species diversity: 1) admixed populations can be inferred as distinct lineages characterized by long branches in phylograms; and 2) admixed lineages can appear to be genetically divergent, even from their parental populations when simple measures of genetic distance are used. We demonstrate that the relationship between mitochondrial and genome-wide nuclear $p$-distances is decoupled in admixed clades, leading to erroneous estimates of genetic distances and, consequently, species diversity. Additionally, genetic distance was also biased by spatial and environmental processes. Overall, we showed that high levels of genetic diversity in Philippine Puddle Frogs predominantly comprise metapopulation lineages that arose through complex patterns of admixture, isolation-by-distance, and isolation-by-environment as opposed to species divergence. Our findings suggest that speciation may not be the major process underlying the high levels of hidden diversity observed in many taxonomic groups and that widely adopted tree- and distance-based methods overestimate species diversity in the presence of gene flow. [Cryptic species; gene flow; introgression; isolation-by-distance; isolation-by-environment; phylogenetic network; species delimitation.]

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals, and personal care products (PPCPs) have been of great concern as emerging contaminants of aquatic environments. In this study, the risks of EDCs and PPCPs in the Yangtze River Basin were ranked, based on their environmental exposure datasets and ecotoxicity datasets. The prioritized chemicals were then identified. The results found that EDCs and personal care products were deemed to represent higher risks to aquatic organisms, for example, estrone, estriol, 17

The mechanisms that regulate cell-cycle arrest of cardiomyocytes during heart development are largely unknown. We have previously identified Tudor staphylococcal nuclease (Tudor-SN) as a cell-cycle regulator and have shown that its expression level was closely related to cell-proliferation capacity. Herein, we found that Tudor-SN was highly expressed in neonatal mouse myocardia, but it was lowly expressed in that of adults. Using Data Base of Transcription Start Sites (DBTSS), we revealed that Tudor-SN was a terminal oligo-pyrimidine (TOP) mRNA. We further confirmed that the translational efficiency of Tudor-SN mRNA was controlled by the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway, as revealed via inhibition of activated mTORC1 in primary neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes and activation of silenced mTORC1 in adult mouse myocardia; additionally, this result was recapitulated in H9c2 cells. We also demonstrated that the downregulation of Tudor-SN in adult myocardia was due to inactivation of the mTORC1 pathway to ensure that heart growth was in proportion to that of the rest of the body. Moreover, we revealed that Tudor-SN participated in the mTORC1-mediated regulation of cardiomyocytic proliferation, which further elucidated the correlation between Tudor-SN and the mTORC1 pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest that the translational efficiency of Tudor-SN is regulated by the mTORC1 pathway in myocardia and that Tudor-SN is involved in mTORC1-mediated regulation of cardiomyocytic proliferation and cardiac development.

The segmented trapdoor spiders (Liphistiidae) are the sole surviving family of the suborder Mesothelae, which forms the sister lineage to all other living spiders. Liphistiids have retained a number of plesiomorphic traits and their present-day distribution is limited to East and Southeast Asia. Studying this group has the potential to shed light on the deep evolutionary history of spiders, but the phylogeny and divergence times of the family have not been resolved with confidence. We performed phylogenomic and molecular dating analyses of 2765 ultraconserved element loci from 185 liphistiid taxa. Our analyses show that the crown group of Liphistiidae appeared in the mid-Cretaceous at 102 Ma (95% credibility interval 92–113 Ma), but it was not until the Neogene that much of the diversification within the family occurred in mainland Southeast and East Asia. This diversification was coincident with tectonic events such as the extension of the East Asian continental margin, as well as geological upheavals in Indochina induced by the collision between India and Asia. Our study highlights the important role of major tectonic events in shaping the evolutionary history, present-day diversity, and geographical distribution of mesothele and liphistiid spiders. [biogeography; concatenation; Liphistiidae; molecular dating; summary coalescent; UCEs.]

Reduced-representation sequencing (RRS) has made it possible to identify hundreds to thousands of genetic markers for phylogenomic analysis for the testing of phylogenetic hypotheses in non-model taxa. The use of customized probes to capture genetic markers (i.e., ultraconserved element (UCE) approach) has further boosted the efficiency of collecting genetic markers. Three UCE probe sets pertaining to spiders (Araneae) have been published, including one for the suborder Mesothelae (an early diverged spider group), one for Araneae, and one for Arachnida. In the current study, we developed a probe set specifically for the superfamily Araneoidea in spiders. We then combined the three probe sets for Araneoidea, Araneae, and Arachnid into a fourth probe set. In testing the effectiveness of the 4 probe sets, we used the captured loci of the 15 spider genomes in silico (6 from Araneoidea). The combined probe set outperformed all other probe sets in terms of the number of captured loci. The Araneoidea probe set outperformed the Araneae and Arachnid probe sets in most of the included Araneoidea species. The reconstruction of phylogenomic trees using the loci captured from the four probe sets and the data matrices generated from 50% and 75% occupancies indicated that the node linked to the Stegodyphus + RTA (retrolateral tibial apophysis) clade has unstable nodal supports in the bootstrap values, gCFs, and sCFs. Our results strongly indicate that developing ad hoc probe sets for sub-lineages is important in the cases where the origins of a lineage are ancient (e.g., spiders ~380 MYA).

Ethnopharmacological relevance To explore the effective components, potential targets and neuroprotective related mechanisms of Mijianchangpu decoction (MJCPD), a well-known TCM used by the Chinese Hui minorities to treat stroke, on the prevention and treatment of ischemic stroke (IS) by using experimental models combined with network pharmacology. Materials and methods The neuroprotective efficacy of MJCPD was estimated by applying the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced cerebral ischemia rats, and the neurological deficits score, TTC and HE staining as well as behavioral evaluation tests were employed to evaluate the beneficial effects. Meanwhile, the bioactive components of MJCPD responsible for the neuroprotective effects were identified by detecting the constituents in the brain of the MCAO rats with UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS techniques, and these compounds were then underwent for network pharmacology analysis. Firstly, the targets of the bioactive compounds of MJCPD were predicted using Pharmmapper database, and simultaneously, the targets of IS disease were obtained from disease databases including DisGenet, OMIM, and GeneCards. Secondly, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network between the targets and diseases were established to give the possible therapeutic targets for IS. Thirdly, the go function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were carried out and the compound-target-pathway network was constructed by Cytoscape software. Finally, the effective compounds, core targets and possible pathways were obtained by analyzing the connectivity of the network. More importantly, the core targets were verified by western blot experiments to validate the reliability of this study. Results MJCPD exhibited significant neuroprotective effect on IS, and 16 bioactive components of MJCPD were identified in the brain of the MCAO rats. 59 and 1982 targets related with IS disease were explored from Pharmapper and disease databases, respectively, and 32 intersecting targets were obtained as hypothetical therapeutic targets. Based on the results of the compound-target-pathway and PPI network with the degree was greater than the median, 8 effective compounds (suberic acid, epishyobunone, crocetin monomethyl ester, sfaranal, (Z)-6-octadccenoic acid, nerolidol and gurjunene) and 5 hub targets (SRC, MAPK8, MAPK14, EGFR and MAPK1) as well as 12 pathways were predicted. Western blot results showed that EGFR, p38, ERK and SRC proteins were expressed significantly different after MJCPD treatment as compared with the model group. Conclusion The present study employed network pharmacology, pharmacodynamics and molecular biology techniques to predict and validate the core potential targets and signaling pathways as well as the bioactive components of MJCPD responsible for the treatment of IS. All of which are very helpful to clarify the neuroprotective mechanism of MJCPD, and obviously, the active compounds and targets in this study can also provide clues for the treatment of IS.

Seawater is one of the most abundant and clean hydrogen atom resources on our planet, so hydrogen production from seawater splitting has notable advantages. Direct electrolysis of seawater would not be in competition with growing demands for pure water. Using green electricity generated from renewable sources (e.g., solar, tidal, and wind energies), the direct electrolytic splitting of seawater into hydrogen and oxygen is a potentially attractive technology under the framework of carbon-neutral energy production. High selectivity and efficiency, as well as stable electrocatalysts, are prerequisites to facilitate the practical applications of seawater splitting. Even though the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is thermodynamically favorable, the most desirable reaction process, the four-electron reaction, exhibits a high energy barrier. Furthermore, due to the presence of a high concentration of chloride ions (Cl−) in seawater, chlorine evolution reactions involving two electrons are more competitive. Therefore, intensive research efforts have been devoted to optimizing the design and construction of highly efficient and anticorrosive OER electrocatalysts. Based on this, in this review, we summarize the progress of recent research in advanced electrocatalysts for seawater splitting, with an emphasis on their remarkable OER selectivity and distinguished anti-chlorine corrosion performance, including the recent progress in seawater OER electrocatalysts with their corresponding optimized strategies. The future perspectives for the development of seawater-splitting electrocatalysts are also demonstrated.

COVID-19 pandemic continues worldwide with many variants arising, especially those of variants of concern (VOCs). A recent VOC, Omicron (B.1.1.529), which obtains a large number of mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein, has risen to intense scientific and public attention. Here we studied the binding properties between the human receptor ACE2 (hACE2) and the VOC RBDs and resolved the crystal and cryo- EM structures of the Omicron RBD-hACE2 complex, as well as the crystal structure of Delta RBD-hACE2 complex. We found that, unlike Alpha, Beta and Gamma, Omicron RBD binds to hACE2 at a similar affinity compared to that of the prototype RBD, which might be due to compensation of multiple mutations for both immune escape and transmissibility. The complex structures of Omicron-hACE2 and Delta-hACE2 reveal the structural basis of how RBD-specific mutations bind to hACE2., Structural analysis of the complexes of SARS-CoV-2-RBD with the human ACE2 receptor for Omicron and Delta reveals variant-specific binding features.

The electron transport layer (ETL) is of great importance for preparing high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here we introduced EDTA-2 M (M represents K, Rb or Cs) molecules to stabilize SnO2 colloids, and improve the electrical and surface properties of the SnO2 films. With the help of EDTA-2 M, the electron mobility of SnO2-based perovskite films is increased from 3.6 × 10-4 to 1.27 × 10-3 cm2V-1s−1. In addition, EDTA-2 M molecules can effectively passivate the interface defects of SnO2 and promote the quality of the perovskite films. All the improvements suppress the carrier recombination, leading to a smaller open circuit voltage (VOC) loss. Finally, the 1.57 eV bandgap PSCs based on EDTA-2 M modified SnO2 realized a champion efficiency of 23.30% (VOC = 1.171 V) with a negligible hysteresis, while the 1.69 eV bandgap perovskite device reached an efficiency of 19.76% (VOC = 1.266 V). The unencapsulated PSCs based on EDTA-2 M modified SnO2 only drop 5% of the initial efficiency after being exposed to the ambient atmosphere for 1200 h.

FeSi films with different substrate temperature (T s) were deposited on MgO(001) substrates by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering. During the change of crystal structure from the amorphous to the epitaxial state, the magnetic anisotropy changed in three stages: dominant uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (T s < 400 °C), enhanced cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy (400 °C ⩽ T s⩽ 600 °C) and weak cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy (T s = 700 °C and 800 °C). In addition, the resonance frequency ƒ r first decreased and then reached its maximum value before finally disappearing due to the large coercivity field. These results demonstrate the correlation between the structure and static and dynamic magnetic properties of FeSi films, and provide an effective method for preparing soft films with deterministic uniaxial or cubic magnetic anisotropy for practical applications.

Zinc oxide-based photocatalysis has great potential in wastewater treatment, but its photocatalytic performance suffers from the limitation of low wavelength photons absorption. Herein, a near-infrared responsive photocatalyst is developed to tackle this challenge, which is composed of Prussian blue dye conjugated iron oxide-zinc oxide hybrid nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PB@ZnO) with spherical morphology (∼14 nm). Fe3O4@PB@ZnO shows a higher wavelength absorbance region centred at 781 nm as compared to PB-free Fe3O4-ZnO composite (Fe3O4@ZnO, 494 nm) and pristine ZnO (361 nm). The inclusion of a charge transfer band (FeII-CN-FeIII) after the conjugation of Prussian blue is responsible for such a profound absorbance shift. A comparative study of three samples as potential photocatalysts is performed in terms of the methylene blue degradation, which is found to be in an order of Fe3O4@PB@ZnO ˃ Fe3O4@ZnO ˃ ZnO. The enhanced photocatalysis rate of Fe3O4@PB@ZnO is credited to the lower bandgap of 1.2 eV from the presence of Prussian blue with low bandgap, retarded the recombination rate of electron-hole pair to produce enough reactive oxygen species from the rich surface vacancies and hole scavenging properties of Prussian blue. A plausible degradation mechanism of photocatalysis is proposed, revealing the singlet oxygen as the central point of enhanced performance.