Search

Dwarfism is an important agronomic trait in fruit breeding programs. However, the germplasm resources required to generate dwarf pear (Pyrus spp.) varieties are limited. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying dwarfism remain unclear. In this study, "Yunnan" quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) had a dwarfing effect on "Zaosu" pear. Additionally, the dwarfism-related NAC transcription factor gene PbNAC71 was isolated from pear trees comprising "Zaosu" (scion) grafted onto "Yunnan" quince (rootstock). Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana and pear OHF-333 (Pyrus communis) plants overexpressing PbNAC71 exhibited dwarfism, with a substantially smaller xylem and vessel area relative to the wild-type controls. Yeast one-hybrid, dual-luciferase, chromatin immunoprecipitation-qPCR, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that PbNAC71 downregulates PbWalls are thin 1 expression by binding to NAC-binding elements in its promoter. Yeast two-hybrid assays showed that PbNAC71 interacts with the E3 ubiquitin ligase PbRING finger protein 217 (PbRNF217). Furthermore, PbRNF217 promotes the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of PbNAC71 by the 26S proteasome, thereby regulating plant height as well as xylem and vessel development. Our findings reveal a mechanism underlying pear dwarfism and expand our understanding of the molecular basis of dwarfism in woody plants. A NAC transcription factor represses Walls are thin 1 to regulate xylem and vessel development in pear (Pyrus spp.) and causes dwarfism, a process regulated by an E3 ubiquitin ligase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although ambient temperature has been linked with injury incidence, there have been few nationwide studies to quantify the temperature-related risk and burden of cause-specific injury hospitalizations. Additionally, the impact of human-induced climate change to injury burden remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives are to examine the associations between ambient temperature and injury hospitalizations from various causes and to quantify the contribution of human-induced warming to the heat-related burden. METHODS: We collected injury hospitalization data from a nationwide hospital-based registry in China during 2000–2019. Using a time-stratified case-crossover design, we investigated the associations between daily mean temperature (°C) and cause-specific injury hospitalizations. We also quantified the burden of heat-related injuries under the scenarios with and without anthropogenic forcing, using the Detection and Attribution Model Intercomparison Project to assess the contribution of human-induced warming. RESULTS: Our study included a total of 988,087 patients with hospitalization records for injuries. Overall, compared to the temperature at minimum risk of hospitalization (-12:1°C), the relative risk of hospitalization at extreme hot temperature (30.8°C, 97.5th percentile) was 1.18 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 1.22], with an approximately linear association between temperature and hospitalization. Vulnerability to heat-related injuries was more pronounced among males, young (<18 years of age) or middle-aged (45–64 years of age) individuals, and those living in the North. The heatrelated attributable fraction increased from 23.2% in the 2000s to 23.6% in the 2010s, with a corresponding increase in the contribution of humaninduced change over time. In the 2010s, the heat-related attributable fractions for specific causes of injury ranged from 12.4% to 54.4%, with humaninduced change accounting for 6.7% to 10.6% of the burden. DISCUSSION: This nationwide study presents new evidence of significant associations between temperature and cause-specific injury hospitalizations in China and highlights the increasing contribution of human-induced warming to the injury burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As well-known electrocatalysts with good catalytic efficiency for carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) towards the production of formate, tin (Sn)-based catalysts have aroused broad concern. Here, free-standing porous stanene is synthesized for the first time by a facile wet chemical method, and its excellent electrocatalytic performance for formate (HCOO-) formation in CO2RR is demonstrated. High Faradaic efficiency (F.E., 93% at -930 mV versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) can be achieved in the CO2RR catalyzed by stanene in 0.5 m KHCO3 aqueous solution. The in situ Mössbauer spectra reveal that zero-valent Sn aids in improving the selectivity of formate production. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations suggest that the high selectivity of HCOO- of CO2RR on stanene mainly originates from the edge sites on Sn (100). To further explore the practicability of the stanene-based catalysts for CO2RR, stanene decorated by 3 wt% BP-2000 is prepared, showing an excellent F.E. of 98% at -930 mV versus RHE due to the higher exposure of catalytic active sites. These new findings of the activity origination and reaction mechanism of stanene contribute to the deeper understanding of Sn-based catalysts for CO2RR, which is beneficial for the future designation of highly efficient CO2RR catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analogues of the hepatokine fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) are in clinical development for type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) treatment. Although their glucose-lowering and insulin-sensitizing effects have been largely unraveled, the mechanisms by which they alleviate liver injury have only been scarcely addressed. Here, we aimed to unveil the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of FGF21 on NASH using APOE*3-Leiden. CETP mice, a well-established model for human-like metabolic diseases. Liver-specific FGF21 overexpression was achieved in mice, followed by administration of a high-fat high-cholesterol diet for 23 weeks. FGF21 prevented hepatic lipotoxicity, accompanied by activation of thermogenic tissues and attenuation of adipose tissue inflammation, improvement of hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia, and upregulation of hepatic programs involved in fatty acid oxidation and cholesterol removal. Furthermore, FGF21 inhibited hepatic inflammation, as evidenced by reduced Kupffer cell (KC) activation, diminished monocyte infiltration, and lowered accumulation of monocyte-derived macrophages. Moreover, FGF21 decreased lipid- and scar-associated macrophages, which correlated with less hepatic fibrosis as demonstrated by reduced collagen accumulation. Collectively, hepatic FGF21 overexpression limits hepatic lipotoxicity, inflammation, and fibrogenesis. Mechanistically, FGF21 blocks hepatic lipid influx and accumulation through combined endocrine and autocrine signaling, respectively, which prevents KC activation and lowers the presence of lipid- and scar-associated macrophages to inhibit fibrogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demountable and modular light-gauge steel framed (DMLSF) wallboard is presented and used as non-load bearing exterior walls in medium and high-rise steel construction or temporary structure. Firstly, the bending tests were conducted on five wall modules to explore the flexural behavior of the wall. The numerical model was also established and verified by experimental results, and the simplified calculation method of the flexural capacity of the wall was proposed based on 68 numerical models. In addition, the reliability test of the seam between modules was finished to ensure the airtightness of the wall. Furthermore, the demountable behavior of the wall was studied by secondary loading tests and life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Results suggested that the wallboard could be used repeatedly after disassembled under the serviceability limit state. Raw materials, especially the insulation material, accounted for a large proportion of the environmental impact of the wallboard. The wallboard's carbon dioxide emission and energy consumption could be significantly reduced when the wallboard was reused. This study can promote the application of the demountable concept in wall components and provide some guidance for the life cycle design of demountable structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The increasing number of children with cerebral palsy (CP) has a serious impact on individuals, families, and society. As a new technology, virtual reality (VR) has been used in the rehabilitation of children with CP. Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effect of VR training on balance, gross motor function, and daily living ability in children with CP. Methods: PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched by computer, with the search period being from the establishment of each database to December 25, 2021, to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of VR training on balance, gross motor function, and daily living ability in children with CP. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to conduct quality assessment on the included literature, and RevMan software (version 5.3) was used to analyze data. Results: A total of 16 articles were included, involving 513 children with CP. VR training can improve the balance function (Pediatric Balance Scale: mean difference 2.06, 95% CI 1.15-2.97; P<.001; Berg Balance Scale: mean difference 3.66, 95% CI 0.29-7.02; P=.03) and gross motor function (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.60, 95% CI 0.34-0.87; P<.001) of children with CP. However, there is still certain disagreement on the impact on daily living ability (SMD 0.37, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.78; P=.08); after removing the source literature with heterogeneity, VR training can improve the daily living ability of children with CP (SMD 0.55, 95% CI 0.30-0.81; P<.001). Conclusions: VR training can significantly improve the balance function and gross motor function of children with CP, but the effect on the daily living ability of children with CP remains controversial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the workplace ostracism research focused on the consequences, while only a small stream has tried to understand the antecedents of ostracism. To achieve a culturally inclusive workforce, it is important to examine the antecedents of workplace ostracism experienced by immigrant employees. In this study, we examined acculturation demands, workplace ostracism, and employee outcomes among immigrant employees in the United States. In this time-lagged study, we found that acculturation demands were positively related to workplace ostracism among immigrant employees. Heritage cultural identity salience (HCIS) and harmony enhancement (HE) significantly buffered the relationship between acculturation demands and workplace ostracism, respectively. Finally, our data supported two first-stage moderated mediation models in which the indirect effects of acculturation demands on immigrant workers' work engagement and job strains (anger, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) via workplace ostracism were stronger when HCIS and HE was low rather than high. The results of this research study are timely as they provide useful insights into the interpersonal experiences of immigrant employees in the U.S. workforce. This study will help raise awareness of the challenges faced by immigrants in an American workforce. Practical implications, as well as theoretical contributions, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study of the morphology of suboccipital cavernous sinus (SCS) using MRI and cast specimens was performed. The present retrospective study analysed the craniocervical magnetic resonance venography (MRV) imaging data of 61 patients. Three-dimensional reconstruction was performed using Mimics 19.0. The SCS left-right diameter(d1), distance from the midline (d2), supero-inferior diameter(d3), anteroposterior diameter (d4), distance from posterior diameter to skin (d5), and diameter of the SCS at different parts (d6-d8) were measured. Comparison between MRV images and cast specimens, the SCS, marginal sinus, anterior condylar vein, and vertebral artery venous plexus were symmetrical and could be bilaterally displayed, whereas the presence of extra condylar vein and posterior condylar vein exhibited different types. The adjacency between the SCS and its communicating vessels and changes in its communicating vessels corresponded well with the MRV images and cast specimens. Many types of the presence of left and right lateral condylar and posterior condylar veins were found in the cast specimens, which could be divided into the bilateral presence of posterior condylar and lateral condylar veins, unilateral presence of posterior condylar veins, and unilateral presence of lateral condylar vein. A total of 61 cases analysed using MRV images revealed the bilateral presence of posterior condylar and lateral condylar veins (77.1 %), the unilateral presence of posterior condylar vein (18.0 %), and the unilateral presence of lateral condylar vein (9.8 %), of which the bilateral presence of posterior condylar and lateral condylar veins accounted for the largest proportion. MRV images and cast specimens of the SCS showed its normal morphological structure and adjacency, thus providing accurate and complete Three-dimensional imaging anatomical data of the SCS and its communicating vascular structures. This study enriches the Chinese SCS imaging anatomy data and may be valuable in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although much research has accumulated substantial findings on the impacts of challenge job demands on employees’ work and well-being outcomes, less is known about the effects on employees’ family well-being. Based on the work–home resource (W–HR) model, we propose that challenge job demands are negatively related with employees’ family well-being (i.e., marital satisfaction and parent–child relationship) via time-based work–family conflict (WFC). We further propose that conscientiousness buffers this relationship. Data were collected from 217 employee–spouse/partner dyads. We found that challenge job demands had negative indirect effects on marital satisfaction and parent–child relationship via time-based WFC. We also found that conscientiousness buffered the positive effects of challenge job demands on employees’ time-based WFC and the indirect effects of challenge job demands on marital satisfaction and parent–child relationship via time-based WFC. Findings can help guide future theoretical development of challenge job demands, time-based WFC, and family well-being. Our study informs practitioners regarding the double-edged sword effects of challenge job demands and the importance of conscientiousness in reducing the negative effects of challenge job demands on employees’ family well-being. Our research reminds dual-career parents that challenge job demands could invade their family domain, affecting not only marital satisfaction but also parent–child relationship, which they may hold dear to their hearts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 13-year-old patient with persistent chest pain. Topics include preparative regimen for allogeneic BMT and the subsequent long-term immunosuppression inducing atherosclerosis of coronary artery; and specific findings being shown by computed tomography angiography of pulmonary artery and thoracic aorta.

Anthocyanins are common secondary metabolites in plants that impart red coloration to fruits and flowers. The important WRKY transcription factor family plays multifaceted roles in plant growth and development. In this study, we found a WRKY family gene, Pyrus bretschneideri WRKY75, that may be involved in anthocyanin synthesis in pear. Unlike Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY75, PbWRKY75 may be a positive regulator of anthocyanin synthesis. A transient expression assay indicated that PbWRKY75 promoted pear anthocyanin synthesis. The structural genes (PbANS, PbDFR, and PbUFGT) and positive regulators (PbMYB10 and PbMYB10b) of anthocyanin synthesis were significantly upregulated in the fruitlet skins of PbWRKY75‐overexpressing "Zaosu" pears. Subsequently, yeast one‐hybrid and dual‐luciferase assays indicated that PbWRKY75 promoted PbDFR, PbUFGT, and PbMYB10b expression by activating their promoters. These results revealed that PbWRKY75 may promote the expression of both PbMYB10b and anthocyanin late biosynthetic genes (PbDFR and PbUFGT) by activating their promoters, thereby inducing anthocyanin synthesis in pear. This study enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of pear anthocyanin synthesis, which will be beneficial in the improvement of pear peel color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Channel mismatch calibration techniques of time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters (TI-ADCs) are reviewed. The research on sampling technology of TI-ADCs is introduced, and the influence mechanism of channel mismatch has been analyzed briefly. Subsequently, the latest research progress of the domestic and foreign error calibration techniques of TI-ADCs is elaborated. The implementation methods, advantages and disadvantages of each calibration technique have been summarized, existing problems are analyzed. Finally, future development trends are prospected. These works could provide a reference for advancing the research field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)-overset method is used to numerically investigate self-propulsion and turning circle maneuver in waves for a container ship. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver naoe-FOAM-SJTU is used for the numerical computations of the fully appended Duisburg Test Case ship model. Overset grids are used to handle the motions of the ship hull appended with the propeller and the rudder. Open source toolbox waves2Foam is used to prevent wave reflection in the computational domain. The current numerical method is validated by comparing the ship speed in the self-propulsion case between CFD and Experimental Fluid Dynamics (EFD). Predicted ship 6-DOF motions, hydrodynamic forces, free surfaces, and inflow of the propeller are presented. The propulsion characteristic is mainly studied. Assuming the thrust identification method works even in unsteady conditions, the wake fraction and propulsion efficiency are discussed. The effect of orbital motion of water particle and ship motion on the propulsion performance are identified. In conclusion, the present RANS-overset method is a reliable approach to directly simulate self-propulsion and turning circle maneuver in waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is considered to be an important switch for facilitating normal to malignant cell transformation during colorectal cancer development. Consistent with other reports, we found that the membrane receptor Neuropilin1 (NRP1) is greatly upregulated in colon cancer cells that underwent autophagy upon glucose deprivation. However, the mechanism underlying NRP1 regulation of autophagy is unknown.We found that knockdown of NRP1 inhibits autophagy and largely upregulates the expression of aldo-keto reductase family 1 B10 (AKR1B10). Moreover, we demonstrated that AKR1B10 interacts with and inhibits the nuclear importation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and then subsequently represses autophagy. Interestingly, we also found that an NADPH-dependent reduction reaction could be induced when AKR1B10 interacts with GAPDH, and the reductase activity of AKR1B10 is important for its repression of autophagy. Together, our findings unravel a novel mechanism of NRP1 in regulating autophagy through AKR1B10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide an experimental measurement of the magnetic stresses in high temperature superconducting thin films based on the Coherent Gradient Sensor which has many merits such as real time, non-destructive, full field, vibration insensitivity, etc. As an example, the radial stress, hoop stress of the YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) film, and shear stress between the film and the (001) SrTiO3 substrate subjected to various magnetic fields at 40K are obtained. For the interfacial shear stress in radial direction between the film and substrate, it is found that the magnitude order of which is at GPa at somewhere under a small magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Hengduan Mountain region has been considered one of the most diverse regions in the northern hemisphere. Its stunning topography with many deep valleys and impassable mountain barriers has promoted an astonishing diversification in many groups of organisms including plants, birds, mammals, and amphibians. However, the insect biodiversity in this region is still poorly known. Here, the first checklist of ant species from the Southern Hengduan Mountain region is presented, generated by sampling ant diversity using a wide array of collection methods, including Winkler leaf litter extraction, vegetation beating, and hand collection. 130 species/morphospecies from nine subfamilies and 49 genera were identified. Among them, 17 species from 13 genera represent new records for Yunnan province, and eight species are newly recorded for China. Moreover, we believe 41 novel morphospecies (31% of the total collected taxa) will prove to be new to science. These results highlight the rich ant fauna of this region and strongly support its status as a biodiversity hotspot. The current ant species checklist for the whole of Yunnan Province was updated by recording 550 named species from 99 genera. Taken together, our results suggest that the Yunnan ant fauna still remains under-sampled, and future sampling will likely yield many more species, among them many undescribed ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Hengduan Mountain region has been considered one of the most diverse regions in the northern hemisphere. Its stunning topography with many deep valleys and impassable mountain barriers has promoted an astonishing diversification in many groups of organisms including plants, birds, mammals, and amphibians. However, the insect biodiversity in this region is still poorly known. Here, the first checklist of ant species from the Southern Hengduan Mountain region is presented, generated by sampling ant diversity using a wide array of collection methods, including Winkler leaf litter extraction, vegetation beating, and hand collection. 130 species/morphospecies from nine subfamilies and 49 genera were identified. Among them, 17 species from 13 genera represent new records for Yunnan province, and eight species are newly recorded for China. Moreover, we believe 41 novel morphospecies (31% of the total collected taxa) will prove to be new to science. These results highlight the rich ant fauna of this region and strongly sup-port its status as a biodiversity hotspot. The current ant species checklist for the whole of Yunnan Province was updated by recording 550 named species from 99 genera. Taken together, our results suggest that the Yunnan ant fauna still remains under-sampled, and future sampling will likely yield many more species, among them many undescribed ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the effect of diagnostic ultrasound on corneal apoptosis in rats. Methods: 24 male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, 10, 20 and 30 min group. The eyeballs of rats were irradiated continuously for different time lengths by Siemens ACUSON S2000 color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic instrument. 24 hours later, the animals were killed and the corneas were taken for Tunel apoptosis detection. The apoptosis rates of corneal epithelial cells, stromal cells and endothelial cells were calculated. Results: Apoptotic cells were detected in corneal epithelial cells, stromal cells and endothelial cells of normal rats. There was no significant difference between the 10 min group and the control group (P>0.05). The apoptosis rate of 20 min and 30 min groups was significantly higher than that of the control group. With the extension of irradiation time, the apoptosis rate of corneal epithelial cells, stromal cells and endothelial cells increased. Conclusion: 20 min of rat eyeball irradiated by diagnostic ultrasound can increase the apoptosis of corneal cells, and the apoptosis is aggravated with the prolongation of ultrasound irradiation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disadvantages of the traditional three-column core structure three-phase three-component (TPTC) transformer are its incomplete symmetry, the different magnetic circuit length, and the coupling parameters, which lead to each phase voltage error varying differently. In this article, a new structure optimization design of a new type of three-phase three-element combined transformer with a new three-cylinder core structure was proposed. The simulation analysis of the magnetic field distribution and the voltage error characteristics of the voltage transformer with the new three-cylinder core structure was carried out. Compared with the traditional three-column core structure TPTC transformer, the magnetic induction intensity distribution of the voltage transformer with the new three-cylinder core structure is more uniform. The simulation results of the voltage error characteristics under normal load condition also show that with the increase in voltage, the voltage error of the voltage transformer with the three-cylinder core structure changes gently, and the error difference between the three phases is smaller. The TPTC combined transformer with the new three-cylinder core structure has better error characteristics under normal load conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acute myeloid leukemia is routinely stratified by cytogenetic analysis and common molecular alterations of FLT3, NPM1, c-KIT, IDH1/IDH2, and CEBPA genes. Although less known genetic aberrations can impact the prognosis significantly; comprehensive DNA analysis to identify these mutations is not routinely done due to time constrains and various technical challenges. These days next generation sequencing (NGS) is being used to identify less known genetic aberrations. We evaluated the feasibility and patient outcomes of an NGS panel based on MiSeq for patients with AML at a community-based, tertiary hospital system. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on specimens collected between June 2013 and December 2014 from patients with a pathological diagnosis of AML and of 18 years of age or older. Stored bone marrow DNA samples were run on the Illumina MiSeq instrument using two custom panels: the Qiagen GeneRead panel and the Agilent Haloplex panel. Results: 31 patients were included. Other than the four common mutations, sixteen less common gene mutations were identified including DNMT3A, IDH2, WT1, TET2, NRAS, SRSF2, TP53. TP53 had significant impact on overall survival on univariate and multivariate analyses (P= 0.016 and P=0.021 respectively) and TET2 had a significant impact on event free survival (EFS) on univariate and multivariate analyses (P= 0.042 and P = 0.026 respectively). On stratifying patients by mutations within cytogenetically intermediate risk category, there was a significant difference (P= 0.0054) in EFS between intermediate and unfavorable groups. Mutation load also increased significantly from favorable to unfavorable categories based on cytogenetics and mutations. Conclusion: Comprehensive mutational analysis beyond routinely-tested mutations can detect rare mutations that may have significant prognostic value. Cytogenetically intermediate category benefits the most of such analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate theoretically and numerically that tunable slow light can be realized in planar semiconductor metamaterials with the unit cell composed of two different elements in a broad terahertz regime. In the unit cell, one element is a semiconductor split ring resonator and another one is a semiconductor cut wire. The interaction between the two elements of the unit cell, induced directly or indirectly by the incident electromagnetic wave, leads to a transparent window, resembling the classical analog of electromagnetically induced transparency. This transparent window, caused by the coupling of bright-bright modes or dark-bright modes, can be continuously tuned in a broad frequency regime. The strong normal phase dispersion in the vicinity of this transparent window results in the slow light effect. This scheme provides an alternative way to achieve tunable slow light in a broad frequency band and can find important applications in active and reversibly tunable slow light devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selective photocatalytic oxidation of benzene to phenol under mild conditions is of great significance for the next-generation phenol industry. In this study, a cerium-nitrogen co-doped ironbased metal-organic framework heterogeneous catalyst (Ce/N-MOF(Fe)@P-C3N4) has been synthesized by a one-step solvothermal method. Under optimized experimental conditions, the synthesized Ce/N-MOF(Fe)@P-C3N4-b photocatalyst showed up to 16.4% yield and 96% selectivity in the direct photocatalytic hydroxylation of benzene to phenol, and the photocatalytic performance did not decrease sharply after five cycles, indicating good stability and reusability. The improved strategy for this catalyst will provide some new insights for the development of more efficient photocatalysts for the direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal infections caused by Candida albicans have posed a persistent threat to human health. Existing clinical antifungal drugs are constrained by issues such as drug resistance and side effects. Compounds containing maleimide rings have been verified to possess antifungal properties, although the specific molecular mechanisms by which they exert this activity have yet to be fully understood. A total of 40 compounds containing maleimide rings were synthesised in the present study, and 12 derivatives that possessed antifungal properties were subsequently identified. The maleimide compound 5 (MPD) with the most potent activity demonstrated fungicidal action at a concentration that was twice as potent as the minimal inhibitory concentration and effectively prevented the formation of biofilms. Furthermore, the mechanistic studies revealed that MPD interfered with iron ion homoeostasis by reducing intracellular iron concentration inside cells, which led to the inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis and increased cell membrane permeability, resulting in the leakage of intracellular trehalose. In addition, MPD was observed to perturb cell wall biosynthesis by reducing the activity of chitin synthase. Moreover, MPD was found to demonstrate therapeutical efficacy in vivo when assessed using a Caenorhabditis elegans-C. albicans infection model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parthenocarpy, the productions of seedless fruit without pollination or fertilization, is a potentially desirable trait in many commercially grown fruits, especially in pear, which is self‐incompatible. Phytohormones play important roles in fruit set, a process crucial for parthenocarpy. In this study, 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D), an artificially synthesized plant growth regulator with functions similar to auxin, was found to induce parthenocarpy in pear. Histological observations revealed that 2,4‐D promoted cell division and expansion, which increased cortex thickness, but the effect was weakened by paclobutrazol (PAC), a gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis inhibitor. Phenotypic differences in pear may therefore be due to different GA contents. Hormone testing indicated that 2,4‐D mainly induced the production of bioactive GA4, rather than GA3. Three key oxidase genes function in the GA biosynthetic pathway: GA20ox, GA3ox and GA2ox. In a pear group treated with only 2,4‐D, PbGA20ox2‐like and PbGA3ox‐1 were significantly upregulated. When treated with 2,4‐D supplemented with PAC, however, expression levels of these genes were significantly downregulated. Additionally, PbGA2ox1‐like and PbGA2ox2‐like expression levels were significantly downregulated in pear treated with either 2,4‐D only or 2,4‐D supplemented with PAC. We thus hypothesize that 2,4‐D can induce parthenocarpy by enhancing GA4 biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a quasi-semi-closed (QSC) slot design method for an open-slot-type interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) for independently rotating wheelsets necessary to reduce the total harmonic distortion of no-load back-electromotive force and the torque ripple in the IPMSM. Four different slot-opening models were selected—the basic model, hairpin coil model, magnetic-wedge model, and QSC-slot model—and 2-D finite-element analysis was performed under open-circuit and load operations for each of the four models. Next, the relationships among the cogging torque, the torque ripple, and the saturation phenomenon in the core were analyzed. In addition, the manufacturing process, manufacturing cost, fill factor, end-winding resistance, copper loss, and efficiency were investigated. The experimental results verify the accuracy of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water stable metal-organic framework (MOF) having structural formula {[Zn(H2O)(L)]·xsolvent}n (L = glutamate) (1), was prepared in aqueous medium by simple mixing the Zn(II) salt and glutamate ligand at room temperature. The single crystal X-ray diffraction study indicates that 1 crystallizes in an orthorhombic system with a space group of P212121 in which the Zn(II) center adopts pseudo-octahedral geometry. The bridging interactions through carboxylate groups in 1 generates a 2D structure in 1 comprising of the microporous channels. The UV/Vis diffuse-reflection spectroscopy for 1 had been performed which indicated that MOF possess semiconducting nature with a band gap of 3.23 eV and therefore may be a potential candidate as photocatalyst. The photocatalytic behavior of 1 against photo-degratdation of organic dyes has been investigated. The possible photocatalytic activity of 1 against organic dyes have been addressed using density of states (DOS) calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-temperature-sensitive leaf color mutants are valuable materials for investigating the mechanisms related to chloroplast development and chlorophyll biosynthesis under low-temperature conditions. PSL1 is a spontaneous low-temperature-sensitive purple-striped leaf mutant of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The progeny of PSL1 exhibited three leaf color phenotypes under low-temperature conditions (i.e., purple and albino leaf [pur], purple-striped and albino-striped leaf [pst], and normal green leaf [gre]). The leaf color of pur and pst displayed normal green under high temperature conditions. The leaf color of gre remained normal green under cold or high temperatures. The critical low temperature for leaf color variations in pur and pst was ~5°C for >35 d. The shapes of chloroplasts in the purple and albino leaf sectors were irregular in pur and pst, where the thylakoid lamellar was undeveloped and no grana formed. The chlorophyll and carotenoid contents of pur and gre were remarkably reduced in the purple and albino periods, but the anthocyanin contents accumulated greatly in the same period. The photosynthetic capacities of the flag leaves in pur, pst, and gre were the same as that in the Xinong1125 during the heading stage. Genetic analysis showed that the leaf color mutations in PSL1 in response to temperature were controlled by cytoplasmic inheritance. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that the psbA and psbC genes were downregulated most in the newly developed leaf tissues in pur and pst under low temperatures. This indicated that the psbA and psbC genes may be involved in chloroplast development under low-temperature conditions in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past findings confirm that the Rectus Capitis Posterior minor (RCPmi) is connected to the cervical spinal dura mater via the Myodural Bridge (MDB) through the posterior antlanto-occipital interspace. It is hypothesized to perform some functions. Furthermore, some clinical studies found that the pathology of RCPmi might be related to chronic headaches. But few studies were related to the morphological parameters of the RCPmi. It would be conducive to performing clinical researches on the RCPmi and MDB. To explore the optimal section for measuring the RCPmi by MRI and provide imaging anatomy parameters of the RCPmi for clinical research. The RCPmi was measured in the dissection of 10 formalin-fixed cadaver specimens. The morphological parameters of the RCPmi were obtained. Based on these parameters, T2-weighted images of the RCPmi were collected from 109 healthy adults by using the MRIs with different oblique sagittal scanning angles. The parameters of length and area of the RCPmi on the scanning sections were measured using MRI workstation and Mimics software. The length of RCPmi reached a maximum at 30 degrees scanning leaned from the posterior median line through the dens of the axis in oblique sagittal section. At this scanning section, the length of RCPmi was 21.2 ± 2.6 mm in males and 19.3 ± 2.4 mm in females and the area of RCPmi was 91.9 ± 27.2 mm2 in males and 73.3 ± 22 mm2 in females. These parameters of RCPmi were present with significant gender differences (P < 0.05) but was not age related. Thirty degrees leaned from the median line was suggested to be the optimum scanning angle to display the RCPmi in oblique sagittal section. The reference values of length and area of the RCPmi were established for studies of hypertrophy or amyotrophy of the RCPmi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower busd formation is an important plant growth process. It has been reported that dwarfing rootstocks can significantly affect the flower bud formation of scions. In this study, we found the dwarfing rootstock 'Yunnan' quince could significantly increase the flowering rate of 'Abbé Fetel' pear scions. The RNA-sequencing data revealed significant changes in the expression of genes related to hormone pathways. Furthermore, hormone analyses indicated that 'Yunnan' quince significantly decreased the GA 3 content and increased the cytokinin/auxin ratio in 'Abbé Fetel' pear apical buds. The hormone contents were consistent with the RNA-sequencing data. Moreover, we found the flower development-related genes PbAGL9 and PbCAL-A1 were significantly upregulated and PbTFL1 was significantly downregulated in 'Abbé Fetel'/'Yunnan' quince apical buds. To further clarify the relationship between hormones and flowering-related genes, a hormone response assay was carried out. We found the expression levels of PbCAl-A1 , PbTFL1 and PbAGL9 were regulated by hormones including GA 3 , CPPU and NAA. Y1H and dual-luciferase assays indicated that PbAGL9 significantly decreased the promoter activity of PbTFL1. In summary, 'Yunnan' quince upregulated PbCAL-A1 and PbAGL9 , and downregulated PbTFL1 expression by decreasing the GA 3 content and increasing the cytokinin/auxin ratio in 'Abbé Fetel' pear apical buds. Additionally, 'Yunnan' quince down-regulate PbTFL1 by upregulating the expression of PbAGL9 , and eventually promoted floral induction in 'Abbé Fetel' pear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capability of biofilm formation has a major impact on the industrial and biotechnological applications of Shewanella putrefaciens CN32. However, the detailed regulatory mechanisms underlying biofilm formation in this strain remain largely unknown. In the present report, we describe a three-component regulatory system which negatively regulates the biofilm formation of S. putrefaciens CN32. This system consists of a histidine kinase LrbS (Sputcn32_0303) and two cognate response regulators, including a transcription factor, LrbA (Sputcn32_0304), and a phosphodiesterase, LrbR (Sputcn32_0305). LrbS responds to the signal of the carbon source sodium lactate and subsequently activates LrbA. The activated LrbA then promotes the expression of lrbR, the gene for the other response regulator. The bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) phosphodiesterase LrbR, containing an EAL domain, decreases the concentration of intracellular c-di-GMP, thereby negatively regulating biofilm formation. In summary, the carbon source sodium lactate acts as a signal molecule that regulates biofilm formation via a three-component regulatory system (LrbS-LrbA-LrbR) in S. putrefaciens CN32. IMPORTANCE Biofilm formation is a significant capability used by some bacteria to survive in adverse environments. Numerous environmental factors can affect biofilm formation through different signal transduction pathways. Carbon sources are critical nutrients for bacterial growth, and their concentrations and types significantly influence the biomass and structure of biofilms. However, knowledge about the underlying mechanism of biofilm formation regulation by carbon source is still limited. This work elucidates a modulation pattern of biofilm formation negatively regulated by sodium lactate as a carbon source via a three-component regulatory system in S. putrefaciens CN32, which may serve as a good example for studying how the carbon sources impact biofilm development in other bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yellow-green leaf color mutant (Ygm) is a spontaneous mutant derived from the common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar Xinong1718. Genetic analysis has shown that a novel single incompletely dominant gene (Y1718) is responsible for the yellow leaf color phenotype. The progeny of Ygm exhibit three distinct leaf color phenotypes, i.e., yellow (Y), yellow-green (Yg), and normal green (G). Y plants have yellow-green leaves in the seedling stage, which become yellow or a strong gold-yellow in the booting stage, with dwarfism and thin tillers until the flowering stage, and underdeveloped thylakoid membranes without well-structured grana in the chloroplasts. Yg plants always have a yellow-green phenotype with a number of well-structured grana that are loosely connected with stroma lamellae in the chloroplasts, where their main agronomic traits are the same as Xinong1718 and G plants, but the seed yield is low. Compared with Xinong1718 and G plants, Y and Yg plants had much lower chlorophyll (Chl)a, Chlb, and carotenoid contents in the booting stage. Molecular analysis using an F2 population and F2:3 lines derived from a cross of Yg and Shannong1 indicated that the Y1718 gene is located on chromosome 2BS, where it is flanked by the simple sequence repeat marker Xwmc25 and expressed sequence tag-sequence tagged sites marker BE498358 at genetic distances of 1.7 and 4.0 cM, respectively. Our results facilitate the fine mapping and gene cloning of Y1718 to explore chlorophyll synthesis, metabolism, and development in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complex diseases involve many genes, and these genes are often associated with several different illnesses. Disease similarity measurement can be based on shared genotype or phenotype. Quantifying relationships between genes can reveal previously unknown connections and form a reference base for therapy development and drug repurposing. Methods: Here we introduce a method to measure disease similarity that incorporates the uniqueness of shared genes. For each disease pair, we calculated the uniqueness score and constructed disease similarity matrices using OMIM and Disease Ontology annotation. Results: Using the Disease Ontology-based matrix, we identified several interesting connections between cancer and other disease and conditions such as malaria, along with studies to support our findings. We also found several high scoring pairwise relationships for which there was little or no literature support, highlighting potentially interesting connections warranting additional study. Conclusions: We developed a co-occurrence matrix based on gene uniqueness to examine the relationships between diseases from OMIM and DORIF data. Our similarity matrix can be used to identify potential disease relationships and to motivate further studies investigating the causal mechanisms in diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microalgae are currently considered as a promising feedstock for the production of biofuels and high-value products. However, the efficient harvest of microalgal biomasses from their culture broth is a major challenge. The harvesting of algal biomass by flocculation combined with gravity sedimentation is more convenient and cost-effective than traditional methods such as centrifugation and filtration. Compared to inorganic and chemically synthetic flocculants, bioflocculants are a suitable choice for microalgal harvest due to their biodegradable and nontoxic properties. Nonetheless, the high production costs associated with expensive substrates hinder the commercial applications of bioflocculants. Previous studies have shown that the hydrolysates of lignocellulosic biomasses from dilute acid hydrolysis can be utilized as an inexpensive carbon source for the production of bioflocculants. However, the toxic by-products generated in the dilute acid hydrolysis step limit the efficiency of subsequent fermentation. The strains that produce bioflocculants by using untreated lignocellulosic materials can circumvent the pretreatment process, as well as promote the application of bioflocculants in microalgal harvest. Results: Under alkaline fermentation conditions, the alkaliphilic strain Bacillus agaradhaerens C9 secreted 1.69 IU/mL of alkali-tolerant xylanase and 0.06 IU/mL of cellulase, indicating that this particular strain can efficiently convert untreated rice bran into bioflocculant (RBBF-C9), thereby circumventing rice bran pretreatment for downstream fermentation. The optimal fermentation conditions that result in the highest bioflocculant yield (12.94 g/L) were as follows: 20 g/L of untreated rice bran, 3 g/L of yeast extract, and 20 g/L of Na2CO3 at 37 °C for 24 h. RBBF-C9 contained 74.12% polysaccharides and 4.51% proteins, and was estimated to be 137 kDa. Furthermore, the bioflocculant RBBFC9 exhibited good flocculating efficiency (91.05%) of oil alga Chlorella minutissima UTEX2341 when 60 mg/L of RBBFC9 was added into the algal culture broth. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that untreated rice bran is a suitable inexpensive substrate for the production of bioflocculants, and thus provides a novel approach in utilizing rice bran. The extracted bioflocculants may be potentially used in biomass harvesting of the oil algae C. minutissima UTEX2341 from the culture broth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, on the basis of a overview of the evolution of diesel fuel subsidy policy in China's fishery, we perform an economic analysis of the existing diesel fuel subsidy policy, and believe that it is fishing shareholders rather than fishermen who benefit most from the diesel fuel subsidy policy. The diesel fuel subsidy policy is not conducive to fishery resources protection, it wiil cause no fluctuation in the supply price of aquatic products, and it can not effectively increase the income of all fishermen. It is necessary to focus on subsidy method, subsidy links and subsidy level to improve diesel fuel subsidy efficiency, lower production costs, stabilize fishery production, and increase the income of fishermen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-throughput technology could generate thousands to millions biomarker measurements in one experiment. However, results from high throughput analysis are often barely reproducible due to small sample size. Different statistical methods have been proposed to tackle this "small n and large p" scenario, for example different datasets could be pooled or integrated together to provide an effective way to improve reproducibility. However, the raw data is either unavailable or hard to integrate due to different experimental conditions, thus there is an emerging need to develop a method for "knowledge integration" in high-throughput data analysis. Results: In this study, we proposed an integrative prescreening approach, SKI, for high-throughput data analysis. A new rank is generated based on two initial ranks: (1) knowledge based rank; and (2) marginal correlation based rank. Our simulation shows the SKI outperforms other methods without knowledge-integration in terms of higher true positive rate given the same number of variables selected. We also applied our method in a drug response study and found its performance to be better than regular screening methods. Conclusion: The proposed method provides an effective way to integrate knowledge for high-throughput analysis. It could easily implemented with our provided R package named SKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a behavioral disorder of school-age population. It is well known that 5-HT dysfunction is correlated with impulsivity, which is one of the common characteristics of ODD. The enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH-2) synthesizes 5-HT in serotonergic neurons of the midbrain raphe. The purposes of this study were to investigate the potential association of TPH-2 polymorphisms with susceptibility to ODD in a Han Chinese school population. Methods: Four polymorphisms (rs4570625, rs11178997, rs1386494 and rs7305115) of the TPH-2 gene were analyzed by using polymerase chain reaction and DNA microarray hybridization in a case-control study of 276 Han Chinese individuals (124 ODD and 152 controls). Results: In single marker analyses,there was a significant difference in the genotype (χ2 = 4.163, P = 0.041) and allele frequency (χ2 = 3.930, P = 0.047) of rs1386494 between ODD and control groups. Haplotype analyses revealed higher frequencies of haplotypes TA (rs4570625-rs11178997), TAG (rs4570625-rs11178997-rs1386494), TAA (rs4570625-rs11178997-rs7305115) and TAGA (rs4570625-rs11178997-rs1386494-rs7305115), but lower frequencies of haplotypes GA (rs4570625-rs11178997) and GAG (rs4570625-rs11178997-rs1386494) in ODD compared to control groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest the role of these TPH-2 gene variants in susceptibility to ODD. Some haplotypes might be the risk factors for Chinese Han children with ODD, while others might be preventable factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimodal medical image registration remains a challenging problem when strong appearance variations and imprecise alignment exist in images. Previous deep network approaches cannot handle such a high degree of variability and prohibit the use of strong geometric constraints. The authors introduce a novel deep architecture that not only produces image representations that are well-suited for this challenging task, but also leverages knowledge of the geometry constraints for robust registration. By enforcing the representations of different modalities living in a common semantic space, they obtain convolutional features tending to respond to object parts consistently across modality. This yields a unique description for all object fragments and allows the end user to know the model’s decision process, whereas most existing models remain unclear and difficult to explain. By using the differentiable spatial transformer to compensate transform, they integrate geometric consensus into the cost function to enable end-to-end model optimisation which has not yet been exploited before. The authors evaluate their method on a very challenging medical image dataset. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method provides a plausible representation and outperforms state-of-the-art approaches by a significant margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder which influences around 1 % of the worldwide population. Differences between male and female patients with schizophrenia have been noted. There is an earlier age of onset in males compared with females with this diagnosis, and in addition, there are differences in symptom profiles between the sexes. The underlying molecular mechanism of sex difference remains unclear. Here we present a comprehensive analysis to reveal the sex differences in gene expression in schizophrenia with stringent statistics criteria. We compiled a data set consisting of 89 male controls, 90 male schizophrenia patients, 35 female controls and 32 female schizophrenia patients from six independent studies of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in postmortem brain. When we tested for a sex by diagnosis interaction on gene expression, 23 genes were up-regulated and 23 genes were down-regulated in the male group (q-value < 0.05), several genes are related to energy metabolism, while 4 genes are located on sex chromosome. No genes were statistically significant in the female group when multiple testing correction were conducted (q-value <0.05), most likely due to the small sample size. Our protocol and results from the male group provide a starting point for identifying the underlying different mechanism between male and female schizophrenia patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found to be persistent in the environment and possibly harmful. Many buildings are characterized with high PCB concentrations. Knowledge about partitioning between primary sources and building materials is critical for exposure assessment and practical remediation of PCB contamination. This study develops a C-depth method to determine diffusion coefficient (D) and partition coefficient (K), two key parameters governing the partitioning process. For concrete, a primary material studied here, relative standard deviations of results among five data sets are 5%-22% for K and 42-66% for D. Compared with existing methods, C-depth method overcomes the inability to obtain unique estimation for nonlinear regression and does not require assumed correlations for D and K among congeners. Comparison with a more sophisticated two-term approach implies significant uncertainty for D, and smaller uncertainty for K. However, considering uncertainties associated with sampling and chemical analysis, and impact of environmental factors, the results are acceptable for engineering applications. This was supported by good agreement between model prediction and measurement. Sensitivity analysis indicated that effective diffusion distance, contacting time of materials with primary sources, and depth of measured concentrations are critical for determining D, and PCB concentration in primary sources is critical for K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current studies of environmental health suggest a link between air pollution components, such as particulate matter (PM), and various diseases. However, the specific genes and regulatory mechanisms implicated in PM-induced diseases remain largely unknown. Epigenetic systems such as covalent modification of histones in chromatin may mediate environmental factors in gene regulation. Investigating the relationships between PM exposure and histone modification status may help understand the mechanisms underlying environment-associated health conditions. Methods: In this study, we obtained genome-wide profiles of H3K27ac (histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation), known to be an active gene regulatory histone modification marker, in blood samples collected from four Chinese individuals exposed to high or low PM2.5 (particles with diameters up to 2.5 µm). Results: The genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) data indicated a comprehensive differential H3K27ac landscape across the individual genomes, which was associated with high PM2.5. Moreover, a substantial number of these PM2.5-associated differential H3K27ac markers were in genes involved in immune cell activation, potentially linking these epigenetic changes with air pollution-induced immune and inflammatory responses. Conclusions: Our study provides the first genome-wide characterization of H3K27ac profiles in individuals subjected to different exposure levels of PM2.5. Future systematic investigations of the relationships between air pollutants and histone modifications in large population samples are warranted to elucidate the contributions of histone modifications to environment-associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the moderating effects of core self-evaluation (CSE) on the relationships between interpersonal conflict and employee's absence and lateness in China and the United States. Employee-coworker matched data were collected from university employees in these 2 countries. The dataset was comprised of 204 employee-coworker dyads from the U.S. and 166 dyads from China. We found that self-reported interpersonal conflict at work was positively related to absence and lateness, but coworker-reported conflict was not. CSE buffered the positive relationship between self-reported conflict and employee's absence, as well as the positive relationships between co-worker-reported conflict and absence/lateness. Generally speaking, interpersonal conflict positively related to absence and lateness for employees low in CSE but not for employees high in CSE. Finally, the 3-way interaction analyses indicated that the buffering effects of CSE were significant in the U.S. but not in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive infections caused by methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are associated with high mortality and morbidity. The sooner the pathogen is determined, the better it is beneficial to patient. However, routine laboratory inspections are time‐consuming and laborious. A thorough research was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science (until June 2021) to identify studies evaluating the accuracy of MRSA identification by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS). STATA 15.0 software was used to analyze the pooled results of sensitivity, specificity, and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The summary receiver operating characteristic curves (SROC) and area under the curve (AUC) were utilized to show the overall performance of MALDI‐TOF MS. Fifteen studies involving 2471 isolates were included in this study after the final selection in this meta‐analysis. Using the random effects model forest plot to summarize the overall statistics, the sensitivity of MALDI‐TOF MS for identifying MRSA was 92% (95% CI: 81%–97%), and the specificity was 97% (95% CI: 89%–99%). In the SROC curve, the AUC reached 0.99 (95% CI: 97%–99%). Deeks' test showed no significant publication bias in this meta‐analysis. Compared with clinical reference methods, MALDI‐TOF MS identification of MRSA shows a higher degree of sensitivity and specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of C02 and its hydrogenation to methanol are of much interest as a way to utilize captured C02. Here, we investigate the use of sizeselected Cu4 clusters supported on Al203 thin films for C02 reduction in the presence of hydrogen. The catalytic activity was measured under near-atmospheric reaction conditions with a low C02 partial pressure, and the oxidation state of the clusters was investigated by in situ grazing incidence X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The results indicate that size-selected Cu4 clusters are the most active low-pressure catalyst for catalytic C02 conversion to CH3OH. Density functional theory calculations reveal that Cu4 clusters have a low activation barrier for conversion of C02 to CHjOH. This study suggests that small Cu clusters may be excellent and efficient catalysts for the recycling of released C02. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current studies of environmental health suggest a link between air pollution components, such as particulate matter (PM), and various diseases. However, the specific genes and regulatory mechanisms implicated in PM-induced diseases remain largely unknown. Epigenetic systems such as covalent modification of histones in chromatin may mediate environmental factors in gene regulation. Investigating the relationships between PM exposure and histone modification status may help understand the mechanisms underlying environment-associated health conditions. Methods: In this study, we obtained genome-wide profiles of H3K27ac (histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation), known to be an active gene regulatory histone modification marker, in blood samples collected from four Chinese individuals exposed to high or low PM2.5 (particles with diameters up to 2.5 μm). Results: The genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) data indicated a comprehensive differential H3K27ac landscape across the individual genomes, which was associated with high PM2.5. Moreover, a substantial number of these PM2.5-associated differential H3K27ac markers were in genes involved in immune cell activation, potentially linking these epigenetic changes with air pollution-induced immune and inflammatory responses. Conclusions: Our study provides the first genome-wide characterization of H3K27ac profiles in individuals subjected to different exposure levels of PM2.5. Future systematic investigations of the relationships between air pollutants and histone modifications in large population samples are warranted to elucidate the contributions of histone modifications to environment-associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]