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In this study, a composite modifier for wood impregnation is prepared, which is functional and environmentally friendly. The surface of silica sol was modified by using KH-560. The modified silica sol, melamine, and glyoxal were used as raw materials. The silica sol/melamine glyoxal resin (from now on referred to as Silica sol/MG) composite modifier was prepared based on in-situ polymerization. The physicochemical properties (viscosity, solid content and etc.) of the composite modifier were evaluated. The structural and thermal properties were characterized and analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy, particle size distribution, TG and DSC. The results showed that the viscosity and solid content of the composite modifier decreased with the increase in the mass of the silica sol. The FTIR spectroscopy showed peaks at 473 cm−1 and 1101 cm−1, which were assigned to bending and stretching vibrations of the Si-O-Si bond, respectively, indicating that the modified silica sol was successfully introduced into the MG resin. When the modified silica sol mass fraction was 30%-40%, the particle size distribution of the composite modifier was relatively uniform. TG analysis found that the thermal stability of the composite modifier was significantly improved compared with the unmodified resin. DSC analysis showed that adding the modified silica sol reduced the curing temperature of the modifier from 115.5 °C to 107.9 °C.

Summary: Allergic asthma is a chronic non-communicable disease characterized by lung tissue inflammation. Current treatments can alleviate the clinical symptoms to some extent, but there is still no cure. Recently, the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has emerged as a potential approach for treating allergic asthma. Gingival-derived mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs), a type of MSC recently studied, have shown significant therapeutic effects in various experimental models of autoimmune diseases. However, their application in allergic diseases has yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, using an OVA-induced allergic asthma model, we demonstrated that GMSCs decrease CD11b+CD11c+ proinflammatory dendritic cells (DCs), reduce Th2 cells differentiation, and thus effectively diminish eosinophils infiltration. We also identified that the core functional factor, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) secreted by GMSCs, mediated its effects in relieving airway inflammation. Taken together, our findings indicate GMSCs as a potential therapy for allergic asthma and other related diseases.

Objective: To discuss the effects of physical exercise (PE) on adolescent short video addiction (SVA) and analyze the mediating effects of self-control (SC) and the moderating effects of the cumulative ecological risk (CER), aiming to provide theoretical support for PE relative to adolescent SVA, investigate the underlying mechanisms of the effects of PE. Methods: The Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, Problematic TikTok Use Scale, Self-Control Scale, and Cumulative Ecological Risk Scale were used to survey 756 adolescents in Chongqing and Chengdu, China. SPSS was used to construct a research model by conducting reliability, confirmatory factor, common method bias, and AMOS analyses. Results: PE was significantly and negatively related to adolescent SVA (β = −0.30, p

Objective To establish an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method for the determination of residual human coagulation factor Ⅺ in human prothrombin complex and validate the method. Methods Human factor Ⅺ was reacted with the capture antibody coated on the microtiter plate. After appropriate washing steps, biotinylated primary antibody was bound to the captured protein. Excess primary antibody was washed away and bound antibody was reacted with horseradish peroxidase conjugated streptavidin. TMB substrate was used for color development at 450 nm. The dilution reliability, accuracy, specificity, repeatability, intermediate precision, linearity, range and durability were verified. Results The verification results showed that the accuracy and specificity of this method met the experimental requirements, with an average recovery rate of 109.2% and RSD of 6.93%. The repeatability RSD was 6.78%, and the intermediate precision RSD was 6.75%, indicating good precision. The linear regression correlation coefficient of standard curve was 0.999 9, showing good accuracy and precision within the linear range. The durability was verified by the incubation time and the validity period of reagent kit opening. The results showed that the RSD of the incubation time change was 6.62%, indicating that the incubation time of this detection method was controlled between 28 to 32 minutes, and there was no significant impact on the results. The RSD of the detection results before and after the reagent kit was opened and stored under conditions for 7 days was 3.84%, indicating that the preservation of the reagent kit according to the conditions for 7 days after opening has no effect on the FⅪ detection results. Both indicated that the method had good durability. The dilution reliability results showed that there was a "hook" effect in the detection of FⅪ residue in human prothrombin complex, which could be solved by diluting 100 to 200 times. Conclusion This method can be used for the determination of FⅪ residues of human prothrombin complex in laboratory.

Nitrogen (N) fertilization plays a pivotal role in the nitrogen transport process and yield formation of field-grown Tibetan barley (Hordeum vulgare L., qingke in Chinese); however, little is known about its interaction with irrigation regimes. Here, we performed a control experiment to investigate the effects of irrigation regimes (primary irrigation and double irrigation, mentioned as W1 and W2) and N levels (0, 90, 120, and 150 kg ha−1, mentioned as N0, N9, N12, and N15) on the nitrogen accumulation, translocation, and utilization of Tibetan barley in the Tibetan Plateau during the spring barley seasons in 2022. The results showed that the highest yield (6242.28 kg ha−1) and aboveground biomass (12,354.13 kg ha−1 for anthesis; 15,827.9 kg ha−1 for maturity) were achieved in W2N15 as compared to other treatments. The maximum grain N accumulation (117.66 kg ha−1), the N translocation (54.16 kg ha−1), and the post-anthesis N accumulation (63.5 kg ha−1) were achieved in the W1N15 treatment. The N utilization efficiency increased with irrigation frequency and decreased with N application; however, the conclusion given by the N agronomic efficiency is contrary to this trend. The grain yield had significant positive correlations with the grain N accumulation (W1: r = 0.98; W2: r = 0.97) and N translocation (W1: r = 0.84; W2: r = 0.94), but significant negative correlations with the N harvest index (W1: r = −0.95; W2: r = −0.95) and N utilization efficiency (W1: r = −0.9; W2: r = −0.85). The path analysis revealed that the factors related to N utilization (β = 0.875) and the factors related to N translocation (β = −1.426) were the significant direct contributors towards grain yield. The influence of N application (total effect = 0.922) on the grain yield was much stronger than that of the irrigation regime (total effect = 0.324). Our findings can guide future efforts in designing sustainable water and N fertilizer management strategies for Tibetan barley in the Tibetan Plateau.

Natural adhesives have received a lot of attention recently. Here, the authors develop a natural biological adhesive from snail mucus that can adhere to wet tissue and be used to accelerate healing of skin wounds.

The photoinjector laser system of Shenzhen Superconducting Soft X-Ray Free Electron Laser (S3FEL) is reported in this paper. This laser system operates at up to 1 MHz and produces more than 50 μJ infrared (IR) laser pulses. With a customized fourth harmonic generation (FHG) module, more than 2 μJ ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses were obtained. The power standard deviations of the IR laser and the UV laser are 0.093% and 0.395% respectively. While the pulse energy standard deviations are 1.087% and 1.746% correspondingly. We implemented the pulse stacking scheme to generate flat-top pulses. With four birefringent uniaxial crystals, the Gaussian pulses were converted to flat-top shape, featuring 10 ps pulse width and 0.5 ps rising and falling edges. A cut-Gaussian transverse profile with very sharp rising and falling edges can be produced after the spatial pulse shaper.

Introduction: The transcription factor NFIL3 exerts comprehensive effects on the immune system. Previous studies revealed that NFIL3 is related to the function and development of different immune cell subsets. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is mediated by immune cells which results in inflammatory demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). However, how NFIL3 affects EAE has not been thoroughly studied. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate how NFIL3 affects EAE, especially the changes of T cells and dendritic cells as well as the crosstalk between them. Methods: We used NFIL3-/- mice and C57BL/6J mice (wildtype) to establish MOG35-55-induced EAE. The clinical scores were recorded daily. The immune cells within and outside the CNS of EAE mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. Histology was used to evaluated the neuroinflammation and demyelination in the CNS. Besides, CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) were cocultured with T cells and the interplay was measured. Results: At the peak of EAE, Th17 cells decreased within the CNS accompanying with lower clinical scores and milder neuroinflammation and demyelination in NFIL3 knockout EAE mice. Outside the CNS, PD-1 and ICOS on CD4+T cells increased, whereas Th2, Th9, CD8+CD103+T cells and GM-CSF+CD4+T cells decreased. Besides, the pro-inflammatory capacity of NFIL3-/- CD11c+ dendritic cells was impaired while the anti-inflammatory capacity was promoted. Conclusions: This study suggests that NFIL3 deficiency could alleviate MOG35-55-induced EAE through regulating different immune cell subsets, which is not only related with adaptive immunity and innate immunity, but also related with the cross-talk between them, especially CD4+ T cells and CD11c+ dendritic cells.

BACKGROUND: Transketolase (TKL, EC 2.2.1.1) is a key enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway and Calvin cycle, and is expected to act as a herbicidal site‐of‐action. On the basis of TKL, we designed and synthesized a series of 1‐oxy‐propionamide‐pyrazole‐3‐carboxylate analogues and evaluated their herbicidal activities. RESULTS: Methyl 1‐methyl‐5‐((1‐oxo‐1‐((4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)amino)propan‐2‐yl)oxy)‐1H‐pyrazole‐3‐carboxylate (C23) and methyl 1‐methyl‐5‐((1‐oxo‐1‐((perfluorophenyl)amino)propan‐2‐yl)oxy)‐1H‐pyrazole‐3‐carboxylate (C33) were found to provide better growth‐inhibition activities against Digitaria sanguinalis root than those of nicosulfuron, mesotrione and pretilachlor at 200 mg L−1 using the small‐cup method. These compounds were also identified as promising compounds in pre‐emergence and postemergence herbicidal‐activity experiments, with relatively good inhibitory effects toward Amaranthus retroflexus and D. sanguinalis at 150 g ai ha−1. In addition, enzyme inhibition assays and molecular docking studies revealed that C23 and C33 interact favourably with SvTKL (Setaria viridis TKL). CONCLUSION: C23 and C33 are promising lead TKL inhibitors for the optimization of new herbicides. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to overcome the defects of fast-growing poplar wood, such as low strength and poor toughness, this paper introduces a method of modifying poplar wood via impregnation with silica sol/melamine–glyoxal (silica sol/MG) resin and explores its effects on the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of poplar wood. It was found via scanning electron microscopy that the composite modifier covered and filled the cell lumen, cell interstitial space, and cell wall pores of poplar wood. Further, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed that chemical cross-linking occurred between the silica sol/MG resin composite modifier and the internal groups of poplar wood and that the Si-O-Si flexible long chains introduced in the composite modifier formed a cross-linking network with poplar wood such as Si-O-Si and Si-O-C, which led to the improvement of the physical and mechanical properties and the enhancement of the thermal stability of poplar wood. The method provides a theoretical basis for the high-value utilization of fast-growing poplar wood.

To discover vulnerabilities associated with dermokine (DMKN) as a new trigger of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) -driven melanoma, we undertook a genome-wide genetic screening using transgenic. Here, we showed that DMKN expression could be constitutively increased in human malignant melanoma (MM) and that this correlates with poor overall survival in melanoma patients, especially in BRAF-mutated MM samples. Furthermore, in vitro, knockdown of DMKN inhibited the cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of MM cancer cells by the activation of ERK/MAPK signaling pathways and regulator of STAT3 in downstream molecular. By interrogating the in vitro melanoma dataset and characterization of advanced melanoma samples, we found that DMKN downregulated the EMT-like transcriptional program by disrupting EMT cortical actin, increasing the expression of epithelial markers, and decreasing the expression of mesenchymal markers. In addition, whole exome sequencing was presented with p.E69D and p.V91A DMKN mutations as a novel somatic loss of function mutations in those patients. Moreover, our purposeful proof-of-principle modeled the interaction of ERK with p.E69D and p.V91A DMKN mutations in the ERK-MAPK kinas signaling that may be naturally associated with triggering the EMT during melanomagenesis. Altogether, these findings provide preclinical evidence for the role of DMKN in shaping the EMT-like melanoma phenotype and introduced DMKN as a new exceptional responder for personalized MM therapy.

In the last decade, artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-mediated technologies have undergone rapid evolution in healthcare and medicine, from apps to computer software able to analyze medical images, robotic surgery and advanced data storage system. The main aim of the present commentary is to briefly describe the evolution of AI and its applications in healthcare, particularly in nutrition and clinical biochemistry. Indeed, AI is revealing itself to be an important tool in clinical nutrition by using telematic means to self-monitor various health metrics, including blood glucose levels, body weight, heart rate, fat percentage, blood pressure, activity tracking and calorie intake trackers. In particular, the application of the most common digital technologies used in the field of nutrition as well as the employment of AI in the management of diabetes and obesity, two of the most common nutrition-related pathologies worldwide, will be presented.

Nitrogen (N) fertilization plays a pivotal role in the nitrogen transport process and yield formation of field-grown Tibetan barley (Hordeum vulgare L., qingke in Chinese); however, little is known about its interaction with irrigation regimes. Here, we performed a control experiment to investigate the effects of irrigation regimes (primary irrigation and double irrigation, mentioned as W1 and W2) and N levels (0, 90, 120, and 150 kg ha−1, mentioned as N0, N9, N12, and N15) on the nitrogen accumulation, translocation, and utilization of Tibetan barley in the Tibetan Plateau during the spring barley seasons in 2022. The results showed that the highest yield (6242.28 kg ha−1) and aboveground biomass (12,354.13 kg ha−1 for anthesis; 15,827.9 kg ha−1 for maturity) were achieved in W2N15 as compared to other treatments. The maximum grain N accumulation (117.66 kg ha−1), the N translocation (54.16 kg ha−1), and the post-anthesis N accumulation (63.5 kg ha−1) were achieved in the W1N15 treatment. The N utilization efficiency increased with irrigation frequency and decreased with N application; however, the conclusion given by the N agronomic efficiency is contrary to this trend. The grain yield had significant positive correlations with the grain N accumulation (W1: r = 0.98; W2: r = 0.97) and N translocation (W1: r = 0.84; W2: r = 0.94), but significant negative correlations with the N harvest index (W1: r = −0.95; W2: r = −0.95) and N utilization efficiency (W1: r = −0.9; W2: r = −0.85). The path analysis revealed that the factors related to N utilization (β = 0.875) and the factors related to N translocation (β = −1.426) were the significant direct contributors towards grain yield. The influence of N application (total effect = 0.922) on the grain yield was much stronger than that of the irrigation regime (total effect = 0.324). Our findings can guide future efforts in designing sustainable water and N fertilizer management strategies for Tibetan barley in the Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]