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Abstract The scarcity of up‐to‐date data on the distribution and dynamics of the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) presented a significant challenge in developing effective conservation strategies and implementing protective measures within China. Currently, most of China's national‐level nature reserves and administrative departments operate at the county level, thereby limiting the applicability of larger‐scale analyses and studies for these administrative entities. This study employed 11 widely used modeling techniques created within the Biomod2 framework to predict suitable habitats for the pangolin at the county scale, while examining the correlation between environmental variables and pangolin distribution. The results revealed that highly suitable habitats in Mingxi County of China encompassed only 49 km2. Within the county‐managed nature reserve, the proportion of highly suitable habitats reached as high as 52%. However, nearly half of these areas, both moderately and highly suitable habitats, remained inadequately addressed and conserved. We found nine administrative villages that necessitated prioritized conservation efforts. The study anticipated an overall expansion in suitable habitats over the ensuing two decades, with significant growth projected in the eastern regions of Xiayang and Hufang Town. This research offered a clear and applicable research paradigm for the specific administrative level at which China operates, particularly pertinent to county‐level jurisdictions with established nature reserves.

In order to study the detection performance of the Advanced Direction Time Lightning Detection System (ADTD) over mainland China, the relationship between the detection efficiency (DE) and distance for ADTD sensor is analyzed using lightning location data by ADTD during 2014–2020, which fits well with the probability density function of the Gamma distribution. The DE and location accuracy of ADTD across China are hereafter evaluated according to the constructed probability density function. The results show that the DE of a single sensor first increases rapidly and then decreases slowly with the increase of the detection distance, and the model constructed based on the probability density function of Gamma distribution can explain this relationship well. In the regions with dense sensors such as central and eastern China, the DE of ADTD can reach 95%, with the majority of regions having lower location errors (less than 1,000 m). While, in the areas where sensors are sparse such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and at the edge of ADTD, the DE of ADTD is less than 90% (in some areas it is even lower than 50%), and the location error greater than 1,000 m. In general, ADTD can accurately detect cloud-to-ground lightning events in most areas of China, but its accuracy is limited in some areas due to sparse sensors and instrument parameter settings.

Understanding the macro and micro characteristics of precipitation in landfall typhoons is crucial to predicting the path and intensity of tropical cyclones by using numerical models. In this study, we use observations from the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission to analyze the microphysics of convection and stratiform precipitation during the landfall of Typhoon Lekima. The statistical results show that the correlation coefficient of the reflectivity factors of the spaceborne and ground-based radars is 0.77 and that the water content detected by the 18.7 GHz low-frequency vertical channel is positively correlated with the intense-precipitation rate. The storm top height is generally consistent with the location of heavy precipitation. The average near-surface precipitation rate and liquid water content of convective precipitation are higher than those of stratiform precipitation. The average mass-weighted raindrop diameter and particle number concentration of convective (stratiform) precipitation at a distance of 2 km above ground level are 1.52 mm (1.29 mm) and 39.52 (36.44, in decibel scale), respectively. Below the melting layer, there is a significant increase in average particle diameter, indicating that the collision aggregation growth process of raindrops is dominant. These results are potentially helpful in validating and improving microphysics parameterization in numerical models.

Abstract Aim This study aims to explore nursing emergency management system under public health emergencies. Design A descriptive qualitative study. Method Semi‐structured interviews were conducted during March–November 2020 with 11 nursing emergency management administrators from 11 COVID‐19 designated hospitals and infectious disease hospitals under four administrative divisions in China, who were recruited through convenience and purposive sampling. Interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed with Braun and Clarke's inductive thematic analysis. The study adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Results Three main themes emerged from data analysis: (1) Five core elements of nursing emergency management system: Structure, Staff, System, Setting, and Supply (5S); (2) Four phases of nursing emergency management system: Reduction, Readiness, Response and Recovery (4R); and (3) operational process of nursing emergency management system (5S*4R). The findings generated a conceptual model of a nursing emergency management system. Public Contribution This study provides a theoretical basis for nursing emergency management system for public health emergencies in the future. Nurse administrators could refer to this model to either review or develop their system and develop viable interventions to prepare for future public health emergencies.

To explore the risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in inpatients with colorectal cancer. The demographic factors, comorbidities, and hematological indices of patients with colorectal cancer treated in our hospital from 2016 to 2021 were collected and recorded. Venous thromboembolism events, including deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism, were recorded and the patients were divided into the VTE group and the non-VTE group. We compared clinical data between the two groups and explored risk factors for VTE. Comparing the clinical data of 293 cases of non-VTE group and 235 cases of VTE group, we found significant differences in age, smoking, temperature, amount of blood loss, differentiation degree, peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), radiotherapy, anemia, infection, white blood cell count, prothrombin time (PT), PT%, prothrombin ratio, international normalized ratio, thrombin time, CA199 and CEA between the two groups ( P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age ( P = 0.0444), temperature ( P = 0.0317), amount of blood loss ( P = 0.0067), PICC ( P < 0.0001), chemotherapy ( P = 0.0459), anemia ( P = 0.0007), international normalized ratio ( P = 0.003) and CA199 ( p = 0.0234) were independent risk factors for VTE. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the amount of blood loss predicted thrombosis better (AUC = 0.778, P < 0.001), when the cutoff value was 20 mL, the sensitivity was 76.17%, and the specificity was 79.18%, respectively. And PICC predicted thrombosis better (AUC = 0.808, P < 0.001), the sensitivity was 70.21%, and the specificity was 91.47%, respectively. Clinical parameters are associated with VTE in inpatients with colorectal cancer, which will help to guide clinicians to take effective measures to improve the patients' prognosis.

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted metal forming has gained increasing attention and applications recently, but the mechanism of ultrasonic effects is still not clear. In this paper, a new finite element method to simulate all ultrasonic effects in metal forming was proposed, and the volume effect and surface effect were quantitatively analyzed in upsetting and U-groove extrusion. It was found that the ultrasonic effects were quite different in upsetting and extrusion. In U-groove extrusion, the acoustic softening effect reduced the flow stress of the material by 20.0 MPa, far less than that in upsetting (91.7 MPa). The friction decreased by 82.7% due to the surface effect, which was more significant than that in upsetting (decreased by 58.3% and 33.3% at the top and bottom interfaces). Ultrasonic vibration increased the feature height in U-groove extrusion from 0.653 mm to 1.427 mm with a growth rate of 118.5%. The acoustic softening effect increased the feature height by 0.063 mm (8% of the total increase), while the surface effect increased the feature height by 0.711 mm (92% of the total). The surface effect plays a key role in affecting material flow in extrusion. It is suggested that this method could accurately reflect the deformation behavior of materials with ultrasonic assistance, and is of great value for process design and in-depth study of the microscopic mechanism in ultrasonic forming.

Abstract Background Infection is one of the most common causes of death in patients with hematological malignancies during chemotherapy. Due to its special location, local warmth and humidity, repeated pollution with stool and urine, and characteristically wrinkled anatomical structure within which bacteria can hide, the perianal becomes a site with a high incidence of infection. Such infection also has a high recurrence rate and high mortality, increasing the economic burden of patients, delaying the time of treatment and reducing the quality of life. In severe cases, sepsis occurs and endangers the patient’s life. Previous studies have confirmed the effectiveness of povidone iodine (PI) in the prevention of perianal infection in patients with hematological malignancies during chemotherapy, but these reports have not documented in detail the adverse events associated with sitz bathing and the lack of randomized controlled trials of different concentrations of dilute povidone iodine sitz bathing. Therefore, the evidence is insufficient. Hence, the objective of this paper is to determine whether a povidone iodine diluent sitz bath can reduce the incidence of perianal infection compared with conventional perianal cleaning care and to observe the incidence of perianal infection, the severity of perianal infection, and the complications related to the sitz bath among groups treated with different concentrations of povidone iodine diluent, especially in high-risk patients prone to perianal infection, to screen for the optimal concentration. Methods The trial is designed as a single-center, parallel, randomized, controlled and intervention trial with four parallel groups, and a primary endpoint of perianal infection occurred after this hospitalization chemotherapy. Randomization will be performed as simple randomization with a 1:1:1:1 allocation. This study received full ethics committee approval. The first patient was enrolled on May 1, 2021. A total of 268 patients with hematological malignancies undergoing chemotherapy who have risk factors for perianal infection will be enrolled with informed consent and randomly allocated to one of the four arms receiving (1) perianal cleaning care (control group D), (2) 1:100 PI diluted sitz bath (intervention group A), (3) 1:200 PI diluted sitz bath (intervention group B), and (4) 1:300 PI diluted sitz bath (intervention group C). The primary endpoint of the trial was the incidence of perianal infection. The secondary endpoints of the study will be the results of anal swab bacterial culture, the severity of perianal infection, the incidence of perianal adverse events (dryness, peeling, pigmentation, burning sensation), and pain scores. The length of hospitalization in days and hospitalization expenses will be recorded. Safety will be assessed with consideration of all adverse and severe adverse events related to the study treatment. Discussion We hypothesized that patients with hematological malignancies during chemotherapy would benefit from a povidone iodine diluted sitz bath. This study will provide evidence-based recommendations for clinicians and nurses. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration ID: ChiCTR2000041073). Registered on December 17, 2020. The protocol version number is V1.0,20201217. http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=66044&htm=4

As the lightest metal structure material, Mg–Li alloy possesses many advantages and promising applications, but the low strength at room temperature limits its application. Multi-pass friction stir processing (MFSP) is expected to be an effective and simple method to overcome this shortcoming. In this study, the plate of LA103Z Mg–Li alloy was treated using MFSP. The mechanical properties, microstructure, and corrosion resistance of the plate before and after MFSP were compared. It was found that MFSP can effectively improve the mechanical properties of the plate, and the tensile strength and microhardness have been enhanced. Meanwhile, the plasticity of the material was also significantly improved, and the elongation increased by up to 109.2%. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the plate after MFSP was also increased.

BackgroundIt is essential to evaluate the quality of life in patients with hematologic malignancies to reflect the therapeutic effect and prognosis, but lengthy assessments are often burdensome. The 7-Item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G7) is a brief, easy, and rapid index for evaluating quality of life. Nevertheless, there is no report about its application in Chinese patients with hematologic malignancies.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to validate the Chinese version of the FACT-G7 for patients with hematologic malignancies.MethodsThis study is a cross-sectional study. A total of 855 patients with hematologic malignancies completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and were scored the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) by nurses. Cronbach’s alpha, confirmatory factor analyses, Pearson’s correlation, and one-way analysis of variance were conducted to evaluate internal consistent reliability, structural validity and concurrent validity.ResultsThe FACT-G7 showed acceptable internal consistency, as indicated by a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73. The confirmatory factor analyses test for single-factor model fit for the FACT-G7 scale was almost adequate. The satisfactory correlations between the FACT-G7 and the FACT-G and its subscales, and ECOG-PS groups differed in FACT-G7 scores demonstrating concurrent validity.ConclusionThis study suggested that the Chinese version of the FACT-G7 provides a useful and rapid measure for assessing quality of life in Chinese patients with hematologic malignancies, which providing a reference for further evaluation and care.

Abstract Aim This study aimed to investigate compassion satisfaction (CS) and compassion fatigue (CF) in haematology nurses and their associated factors. Design A cross‐sectional survey. Methods The survey was conducted on 336 haematology nurses from 21 hospitals in Sichuan, China. The CS and CF were assessed by the Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5. The CF was determined by burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Results Haematology nurses in China had moderate levels of CS and moderate‐to‐low CF. Better nursing competence of teaching/consultation and communication/coordination and the percentage of critically ill patients >60% predicted higher CS. The permanent nurse, better nursing competence of communication/coordination and specialized clinical practice predicted less burnout, while working >40 hr per week or more nurse‐patient conflict events predicted more burnout. In addition, working >40 hr per week, more nurse‐patient conflict events and having the need of psychological support predicted higher secondary traumatic stress.

Highlights 1. Avidin-stabilized gold nanoclusters (Av–Au NCs) were synthesized for the first time by a water-bath method. 2. The synthesized Av–Au NCs not only exhibited intense blue and red emissions under 374 nm excitation, but also retained the native functionality of avidin to bind to biotin. 3. The fluorescent signal amplification system constructed by the interaction of Av–Au NCs with biotin was successfully applied to detect target DNA in vitro.

Abstract Background Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common histological type of thyroid malignancy that tends to metastasize to cervical lymph nodes. In the present study, we aimed to investigate which clinicopathologic and ultrasound features of PTC are associated with clinical lymph node metastasis (LNM) and numbers of pathological LNM. Methods From January 2016 to December 2018, we identified a cohort of patients with PTC who underwent cervical ultrasonography and were diagnosed through operation and pathology. Clinical N1(cN1) and > 5 pathologic N1(pN1) were considered in the postoperative stratification to have an intermediate risk according to the 2015 ATA guidelines. Clinicopathological and ultrasound features in PTC patients were performed in accordance with the independent risk factors of cN1 and > 5pN1 respectively by using the univariate and multivariate analyses. Results We collected 748 PTC patients in the final inclusion criteria. There were 688 cN0 cases and 60 cN1 cases. From the analyses, primary tumor size > 2 cm, capsule contact, extrathyroidal extensions (ETE) and central LNM remained independent risk factors for cN1 in PTC patients. In the 748 PTC patients, 707 cases had ≤ 5 pN1, and 41 cases had > 5 pN1. Multifocality, primary tumor size > 2 cm, capsule contact and ETE are significant independent risk factors for > 5 pN1. Conclusions We concluded that multifocality, primary tumor size > 2 cm, capsule contact, ETE and central LNM were independent risk factors for the intermediate risk stratification in patients with PTC. Ultrasonography is a good technique for the preoperative lymph node staging of PTC and is helpful for detecting LNM.

Abstract Drug-resistance is a major problem preventing a cure in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Previously, we demonstrated that activated-leukocyte-cell-adhesion-molecule (ALCAM) is a prognostic factor in MM and inhibits EGF/EGFR-initiated MM clonogenicity. In this study, we further showed that the ALCAM-EGF/EGFR axis regulated the MM side population (SP)-mediated drug-resistance. ALCAM-knockdown MM cells displayed an enhanced ratio of SP cells in the presence of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) or with the supplement of recombinant EGF. SP MM cells were resistant to chemotherapeutics melphalan or bortezomib. Drug treatment stimulated SP-genesis. Mechanistically, EGFR, primed with EGF, activated the hedgehog pathway and promoted the SP ratio; meanwhile, ALCAM inhibited EGFR downstream pro-MM cell signaling. Further, SP MM cells exhibited an increased number of mitochondria compared to the main population. Interference of the mitochondria function strongly inhibited SP-genesis. Animal studies showed that combination therapy with both an anti-MM agent and EGFR inhibitor gefitinib achieved prolonged MM-bearing mice survival. Hence, our work identifies ALCAM as a novel negative regulator of MM drug-resistance, and EGFR inhibitors may be used to improve MM therapeutic efficacy.

Abstract Olfactory dysfunction is an early pre-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) but the neural mechanisms underlying this dysfunction remain largely unknown. Aggregation of α-synuclein is observed in the olfactory bulb (OB) during the early stages of PD, indicating a relationship between α-synuclein pathology and hyposmia. Here we investigate whether and how α-synuclein aggregates modulate neural activity in the OB at the single-cell and synaptic levels. We induced α-synuclein aggregation specifically in the OB via overexpression of double-mutant human α-synuclein by an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector. We found that α-synuclein aggregation in the OB decreased the ability of mice to detect odors and to perceive attractive odors. The spontaneous activity and odor-evoked firing rates of single mitral/tufted cells (M/Ts) were increased by α-synuclein aggregates with the amplitude of odor-evoked high-gamma oscillations increased. Furthermore, the decreased activity in granule cells (GCs) and impaired inhibitory synaptic function were responsible for the observed hyperactivity of M/Ts induced by α-synuclein aggregates. These results provide direct evidences of the role of α-synuclein aggregates on PD-related olfactory dysfunction and reveal the neural circuit mechanisms by which olfaction is modulated by α-synuclein pathology.

Mitochondria-targeted and pH-triggered charge-convertible polymeric micelles (GPTD) were developed for doxorubicin (DOX) delivery and targeted anticancer therapy. GPTD surface was negatively charged under physiological pH (7.4), while it converted to positive charge under tumor pH (6.8). Sustained release of DOX from the drug loaded polymeric micelles was observed and the drug release was accelerated by decreasing the medium pH from 7.4 to 6.8. Cellular uptake by U251 glioma cells showed that GPTD can enhance the accumulation of polymeric micelles inside the mitochondria after charge-mediated cellular internalization and release DOX into the cellular interior. In vivo anticancer activity performed on glioma Balb/c nude mice demonstrated that the DOX-containing GPTD could remarkably inhibit the tumor growth, and displayed a significant reduction of tumor tissue cells and fewer Ki67 positive cells compared to the PBS group. Hence, this mitochondrial targeted and pH-triggered charge-convertible polymeric micellar system showed substantial promise for anticancer therapy.

The northeastern China cold vortex (NCCV) is the main weather system affecting Northeast China. Based on the precipitation products from the dual-frequency precipitation radar (DPR) onboard the Global Precipitation Measurement core observatory (GPM) satellite, the precipitation structures and microphysical properties for different rain types in 6432 NCCVs from 2014 to 2019 were studied using dynamic composite analysis. Our results show that the precipitation in NCCVs is dominated by stratiform precipitation. Regions with high stratiform and convective precipitation frequency have a comma shape. The growth mechanism of precipitation particles changes at ~4 km in altitude, the lower particles grow through collision (more pronounced in convective precipitation), and the upper hydrometeors grow through the Bergeron process. Additionally, the precipitation structures and microphysical properties exhibit great regional variations in NCCVs. The rainfall for all rain types is the strongest in the southeast region within an NCCV, mainly characterized by higher near-surface droplet concentration, while precipitation events occur more frequently in the southeast region for all rain types. There are active rimming growth processes above the melting layer for convective precipitation in the western region of an NCCV. In the southeast region of an NCCV, the collision growth of droplets in both types of precipitation is the most obvious.

Thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been discovered in human genomes by gene chip, next-generation sequencing, and/or other methods in recent years, which represent a significant subset of the universal genes involved in a wide range of biological functions. An abnormal expression of lncRNAs is associated with the growth, invasion, and metastasis of various types of human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is an aggressive, highly malignant, and invasive tumor, and a poor prognosis in China. With a more in-depth understanding of lncRNA research for HCC and the emergence of new molecular-targeted therapies, the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of HCC will be considerably improved. Therefore, this review is expected to provide recommendations and directions for future lncRNA research for HCC.

The statistical characteristics of precipitation microphysics in lightning clouds are not yet fully understood, as a result of the limitations of traditional observational methods. Using the latest observations from the dual-frequency radar and microwave imager onboard the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) and ground-based lightning observations, the precipitation microphysics of precipitation features with and without lightning (LPFs and NLPFs) was investigated across four typical regions of China in summer during the time period of 2014–2021. The statistical results show that the LPFs are characterized by smaller concentration and larger mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm) for rain and ice hydrometeors than those of NLPFs. Below the melting layer, the radar reflectivity (Ze) for both the LPFs and NLPFs generally decreases toward the surface, indicating the evaporation or strong break-up of rain hydrometeors. Above the melting layer, the Ze values mainly increase as the altitudes decrease for both LPFs and NLPFs, indicating the rimming, aggregation, or deposition processes. However, the change in slope is much smaller for the LPFs than for the NLPFs, which suggests a more uniform distribution of large ice hydrometeors at high altitudes, probably as a result of the stronger updrafts within the LPFs. The microphysical structures of the LPFs show great regional differences among the four regions of China, which is characterized by the low concentration of large-sized rain hydrometeors over Northeast China, and a high concentration of small-sized rain hydrometeors near the surface over the Yangtze-Huaihe River basin.

Abstract Background Increasing evidence has been presented which suggests that left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction may play an important role in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the potential for LV diastolic dysfunction to serve as a predictor of AF recurrence after radiofrequency catheter ablation remains unresolved. Methods Dual Doppler and M-PW mode echocardiography were performed in 67 patients with AF before ablation and 47 patients with sinus rhythm. The parameters measured within identical cardiac cycles included, the time interval between the onset of early transmitral flow peak velocity (E) and that of early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e’) (TE-e’), the ratio of E to color M-mode Doppler flow propagation velocity (Vp)(E/Vp), the Tei index, the ratio of E and mitral annular septal (S) peak velocity in early diastolic E/e’(S) and the ratio of E and mitral annular lateral (L) peak velocity E/e’(L). A follow-up examination was performed 1 year after ablation and patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of AF recurrence. Risk estimations for AF recurrence were performed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results TE-e’, E/Vp, the Tei index, E/e’(S) and E/e’(L) were all increased in AF patients as compared with the control group (p

Abstract Background Emerging evidences have indicated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in the development and progression of cancers. Dysregulation of lncRNA MIR31HG has recently been reported in several types of cancers, and researches on the function of MIR31HG in cancers suggested that MIR31HG could act as either oncogene or tumor suppressor. But the functional involvement of MIR31HG has not been studied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods In this study, MTS assays, colony formation assay, Wound-healing assay, Transwell assy, and tumor xenografts experiments were used to identify biological effects of MIR31HG on HCC cells HCC proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were performed to show the interactions of MIR31HG and miR-575. The bioinformatics methods were completed to find the target genes of miR-575. And Dual-luciferase reporter assay and Western blot analysis were further used to confirm the target gene of miR-575. Results We found that overexpression of MIR31HG obviously suppressed HCC proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, whereas knockdown of MIR31HG had the opposite effects. Besides, overexpression of MIR31HG significantly decreased the expression of microRNA-575 (miR-575), which plays an oncogenic role in HCC. Moreover, dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay revealed that MIR31HG exerted tumor-suppressive functions by binding directly to miR-575, and there was a reciprocal inhibition between MIR31HG and miR-575 in the same RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). Furthermore, overexpression of MIR31HG enhanced the expression of suppression of tumorigenicity 7 like (ST7L), which was identified as a downstream target gene of miR-575. Thus, MIR31HG positively regulated ST7L expression through sponging miR-575, and acted as tumor suppressor in HCC. Conclusions Overall, our study illuminates the role of MIR31HG as a miRNA sponge in HCC, and sheds new light on lncRNA-directed diagnostics and therapeutics in HCC.

The Notch signaling pathway plays an important role in otic neurogenesis by regulating the differentiation of inner ear hair cells and supporting cells. Notch-regulated differentiation is required for the regeneration of hair cells in the inner ear. The temporal expression pattern of Notch ligands and receptors during in vitro hair cell-like cell differentiation from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) was detected by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Subsequently, pAJ-U6-shRNA-CMV-Puro/GFP recombinant lentiviral vectors encoding short hairpin RNAs were used to silence JAG-1, JAG-2, and DLL-1, according to the temporal expression pattern of Notch ligands. Then, the effect of each ligand on the in vitro differentiation of hair cells was examined by RT-PCR, immunofluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the individual deletion of JAG-2 or DLL-1 had no significant effect on the differentiation of hair cell-like cells. However, the simultaneous inhibition of both DLL-1 and JAG-2 increased the number of hair cell-like cells and decreased the number of supporting cells. JAG-2 and DLL-1 may have a synergistic role in in vitro hair cell differentiation.

A realistic interatomic potential of Mg–Ca–Ag system is constructed under a proposed modified tight-binding scheme with the aid of ab initio calculations. Then, the favored and optimized compositions for forming Mg–Ca–Ag metallic glasses are investigated by means of the potential-based molecular dynamics simulations of atomistic modeling. The calculation shows that the Mg–Ca–Ag ternary system is liable to form amorphous alloys and the favored compositions for metallic glass formation locate at a sub-region, where the amorphization driving force is greater than that of other regions. Notably, we improve the conventional method of removing the facets in the amorphous structure analysis, and we introduce K-means clustering to eliminate the facets of the Voronoi polyhedra, which allows more reasonable description of various geometries of the different central atoms and their neighboring atoms. Then, both the Voronoi tessellation method and the Honeycutt–Andersen pair analysis are used to describe the disordered structure in Mg50Ca30Ag20 metallic glass based on the result of K-means clustering. Our work provides good guidance for composing the Mg–Ca–Ag metallic glasses, and further verifies the microstructure of the amorphous alloys.

Tungsten carbide has yet to live up to its long-believed potential as a replacement for precious metal electrocatalysts. Here, Li and co-workers demonstrate that ditungsten carbide in the form of ultrasmall, phase-pure nanoparticles is a better candidate for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Custom synthesis of transcription activator-like effector (TALE) genes has relied upon plasmid libraries of pre-fabricated TALE-repeat monomers or oligomers. Here we describe a novel synthesis method that directly incorporates annealed synthetic oligonucleotides into the TALE-repeat units. Our approach utilizes iterative sets of oligonucleotides and a translational frame check strategy to ensure the high efficiency and accuracy of TALE-gene synthesis. TALE arrays of more than 20 repeats can be constructed, and the majority of the synthesized constructs have perfect sequences. In addition, this novel oligonucleotide-based method can readily accommodate design changes to the TALE repeats. We demonstrated an increased gene targeting efficiency against a genomic site containing a potentially methylated cytosine by incorporating non-conventional repeat variable di-residue (RVD) sequences.

The LIM homeobox family protein Lhx5 plays important roles in forebrain development in the vertebrates. The lhx5 gene exhibits complex temporal and spatial expression patterns during early development but its transcriptional regulation mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we have used transgenesis in zebrafish in order to define regulatory elements that drive lhx5 expression in the forebrain. Through comparative genomic analysis we identified 10 non-coding sequences conserved in five teleost species. We next examined the enhancer activities of these conserved non-coding sequences with Tol2 transposon mediated transgenesis. We found a proximately located enhancer gave rise to robust reporter EGFP expression in the forebrain regions. In addition, we identified an enhancer located at approximately 50 kb upstream of lhx5 coding region that is responsible for reporter gene expression in the hypothalamus. We also identify an enhancer located approximately 40 kb upstream of the lhx5 coding region that is required for expression in the prethalamus (ventral thalamus). Together our results suggest discrete enhancer elements control lhx5 expression in different regions of the forebrain.

The use of remote sensing method to accurately measure cloud properties and their spatiotemporal changes has been widely welcomed in many fields of atmospheric research. The Nanjing Joint Institute for Atmospheric Sciences (NJIAS) Himawari-8/9 Cloud Feature Dataset (HCFD) provides a comprehensive description of cloud features over the East Asia and west North Pacific regions for the 7 yr period from April 2016 to December 2022. Multiple cloud variables, such as cloud mask, phase/type, top height, optical thickness, and particle effective radius, as well as snow, dust and haze masks, were generated from the visible and infrared measurements of the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard the Japanese geostationary satellites Himawari-8/9 using a series of cloud retrieval algorithms developed by Dr. Zhuge and his colleagues. Verifications with the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization 1-km cloud layer product and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Level-2 cloud product (MYD06) demonstrates that the NJIAS HCFD gives higher skill scores than the Japanese Himawari-8/9 operational cloud product for all cloud variables except for the particle effective radius. The NJIAS HCFD even outperforms the MYD06 in the nighttime continental cloud detection and the infrared-only cloud-top phase determination. Then, two application examples are presented, to demonstrate the use of the NJIAS HCFD for climate and typhoon research. The NJIAS HCFD has been published at the Science Data Bank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]