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Abstract Tendon adhesion is a common complication after tendon injury with the development of accumulated fibrotic tissues without effective anti-fibrotic therapies, resulting in severe disability. Macrophages are widely recognized as a fibrotic trigger during peritendinous adhesion formation. However, different clusters of macrophages have various functions and receive multiple regulation, which are both still unknown. In our current study, multi-omics analysis including single-cell RNA sequencing and proteomics was performed on both human and mouse tendon adhesion tissue at different stages after tendon injury. The transcriptomes of over 74 000 human single cells were profiled. As results, we found that SPP1+ macrophages, RGCC+ endothelial cells, ACKR1+ endothelial cells and ADAM12+ fibroblasts participated in tendon adhesion formation. Interestingly, despite specific fibrotic clusters in tendon adhesion, FOLR2+ macrophages were identified as an antifibrotic cluster by in vitro experiments using human cells. Furthermore, ACKR1 was verified to regulate FOLR2+ macrophages migration at the injured peritendinous site by transplantation of bone marrow from Lysm-Cre;R26R tdTomato mice to lethally irradiated Ackr1 −/− mice (Ackr1 −/− chimeras; deficient in ACKR1) and control mice (WT chimeras). Compared with WT chimeras, the decline of FOLR2+ macrophages was also observed, indicating that ACKR1 was specifically involved in FOLR2+ macrophages migration. Taken together, our study not only characterized the fibrosis microenvironment landscape of tendon adhesion by multi-omics analysis, but also uncovered a novel antifibrotic cluster of macrophages and their origin. These results provide potential therapeutic targets against human tendon adhesion.

Abstract Thermophilic endo-chitinases are essential for production of highly polymerized chitooligosaccharides, which are advantageous for plant immunity, animal nutrition and health. However, thermophilic endo-chitinases are scarce and the transformation from exo- to endo-activity of chitinases is still a challenging problem. In this study, to enhance the endo-activity of the thermophilic chitinase Chi304, we proposed two approaches for rational design based on comprehensive structural and evolutionary analyses. Four effective single-point mutants were identified among 28 designed mutations. The ratio of (GlcNAc)3 to (GlcNAc)2 quantity (DP3/2) in the hydrolysates of the four single-point mutants undertaking colloidal chitin degradation were 1.89, 1.65, 1.24, and 1.38 times that of Chi304, respectively. When combining to double-point mutants, the DP3/2 proportions produced by F79A/W140R, F79A/M264L, F79A/W272R, and M264L/W272R were 2.06, 1.67, 1.82, and 1.86 times that of Chi304 and all four double-point mutants exhibited enhanced endo-activity. When applied to produce chitooligosaccharides (DP ≥ 3), F79A/W140R accumulated the most (GlcNAc)4, while M264L/W272R was the best to produce (GlcNAc)3, which was 2.28 times that of Chi304. The two mutants had exposed shallower substrate-binding pockets and stronger binding abilities to shape the substrate. Overall, this research offers a practical approach to altering the cutting pattern of a chitinase to generate functional chitooligosaccharides. Graphical abstract

Abstract The deleterious effects of mental fatigue (MF) on athletes have been carefully studied in various sports, such as soccer, badminton, and swimming. Even though many researchers have sought ways to ameliorate the negative impact of MF, there is still a lack of studies that review the interventions used to counteract MF among athletes. This review aims to report the current evidence exploring the effects of interventions on MF and sport-specific performance, including sport-specific motor performance and perceptual-cognitive skills. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and SPORTDicus (EBSCOhost) were combed through to find relevant publications. Additionally, the references and Google Scholar were searched for any grey literature. For the current review, we included only randomized controlled trials that involved athletes, a primary task to induce MF, interventions to counter MF with comparable protocols, and the outcomes of sport-specific motor performance and perceptual-cognitive skill. The selection criteria resulted in the inclusion of 10 articles. The manipulations of autonomous self-control exertion, person-fit, nature exposure, mindfulness, and transactional direct current stimulation showed that positive interventions counteract MF and improve sport-specific performance in different domains, including strength, speed, skill, stamina, and perceptual-cognitive skills. The selected interventions could significantly counteract MF and improve subsequent sport-specific performance. Moreover, self-regulation and attention resources showed the importance of the potential mechanisms behind the relevant interventions.

Abstract. Background:. Risk assessment and treatment stratification for three-vessel coronary disease (TVD) remain challenging. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of left atrial volume index (LAVI) with the Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score II, and its association with the long-term prognosis after three strategies (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI], coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG], and medical therapy [MT]) in patients with TVD. Methods:. This study was a post hoc analysis of a large, prospective cohort of patients with TVD in China, that aimed to determine the long-term outcomes after PCI, CABG, or optimal MT alone. A total of 8943 patients with TVD were consecutively enrolled between 2004 and 2011 at Fuwai Hospital. A total of 7818 patients with available baseline LAVI data were included in the study. Baseline, procedural, and follow-up data were collected. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), which was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. Secondary endpoints included all-cause death, cardiac death, MI, revascularization, and stroke. Long-term outcomes were evaluated among LAVI quartile groups. Results:. During a median follow-up of 6.6 years, a higher LAVI was strongly associated with increased risk of MACCE (Q3: hazard ratio [HR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.37, P = 0.005; Q4: HR 1.85, 95%CI 1.64-2.09, P

A visible-light-promoted research protocol for constructing dihydropyrido[1,2-a]indolone skeletons is herein described proceeding through a cascade cyclization mediated by trifluoromethyl radicals. This method allows the efficient synthesis of various indole derivatives without the need of photocatalysts or transition-metal catalysts. Mechanism experiments indicate that the process involves a radical chain process initiated by the homolysis of Umemoto's reagent. This straightforward method enables a rapid access to heterocycles containing a trifluoromethyl group.

Abstract Background Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a highly specific marker of atherosclerosis. Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) are the therapeutic targets of ezetimibe and statins, respectively, which are important for the progression of atherosclerosis. However, CAC’s genetic susceptibility with above targets is still unknown. We aimed to investigate the association of NPC1L1 and HMGCR gene polymorphisms with CAC in patients with premature triple-vessel disease (PTVD). Methods Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs11763759, rs4720470, rs2072183, rs2073547) of NPC1L1, and three SNPs (rs12916, rs2303151, rs4629571) of HMGCR were genotyped in 872 PTVD patients. According to the coronary angiography results, patients were divided into low-degree CAC group and high-degree CAC group. Results A total of 872 PTVD patients (mean age, 47.71 ± 6.12; male, 72.8%) were finally included for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed no significant association between the SNPs of NPC1L1 and HMGCR genes and high-degree CAC in the total population (P > 0.05). Subgroup analysis by gender revealed that the variant genotype (TT/CT) of rs4720470 on NPC1L1 gene was associated with increased risk for high-degree CAC in male patients only (OR = 1.505, 95% CI: 1.008–2.249, P = 0.046) in dominant model, but no significant association was found in female population, other SNPs of NPC1L1 and HMGCR genes (all P > 0.05). Conclusions We reported for the first time that the rs4720470 on NPC1L1 gene was associated with high-degree CAC in male patients with PTVD. In the future, whether therapies related to this target could reduce CAC and cardiovascular events deserves further investigation.

CO2 reduction by CH4 (CRM) to produce fuel is of great significance for solar energy storage and eliminating greenhouse gas. Herein, the catalyst of ultrafine Ni nanoparticles supported on CeZrNiO2 solid solution (Ni@CZNO) was synthesized by the sol-gel method. High yield of H2 and CO (58.0 and 69.8 ​mmol ​min−1 ​g−1) and excellent durability (50 ​h) were achieved by photothermal catalytic CRM merely under focused light irradiation. Structural characterization and DFT calculations reveal that CZNO has rich oxygen vacancies that can adsorb and activate CO2 to produce reactive oxygen species. Oxygen species are transferred to ultrafine Ni nanoparticles through the rich Ni-CZNO interface to accelerate carbon oxidation, thereby maintaining the excellent catalytic stability of the catalyst. Moreover, the experimental results reveal that light irradiation can not only enhance the photothermal catalytic CRM activity through photothermal conversion and molecular activation, but also improve the stability by increasing the concentration of oxygen vacancies and inhibiting CO disproportionation.

Abstract Water phase trapping (WPT) is one of the primary formation damage issues which can cause a steep drop in tight gas production. This paper presented a rapid assessment of the damage potential of WPT in Daniudi, Nanpu 5th, and Keshen 9th tight gas reservoirs involving shallow to ultra-deep layers in China. Typical core samples of the three tight gas reservoirs were selected to perform water imbibition and drainage experiments to mimic the WPT occurrence. After that, the damage degree to core gas permeability induced by WPT was evaluated. Results showed that, for a 16-h vertical water imbibition experiment, the core samples of Daniudi gas reservoir experienced the fastest water imbibition process while the core samples of Keshen 9th gas reservoir established the highest water saturation. After water removal, the ranges of damage degree to core gas permeability induced by the incremental water saturation were 36.07%–78.13%, 36.06%–56.21%, and 61.00%–76.30% in Daniudi, Nanpu 5th, and Keshen 9th tight gas reservoirs, respectively. It found that with the increasing formation depth, tight gas reservoirs can suffer greater damage from WPT not only because of the decline in rock permeability but also the salting out of high salinity formation water. In general, it holds that strong water capillary imbibition phenomenon, low water removal capacity, and high gas permeability damage degree are found to be the striking features of WPT potential on these typical tight gas reservoirs in China.

Abstract Background Insulin resistance is a pivotal risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a well-established surrogate of insulin resistance. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the TyG index and its ability in therapy guidance in patients with three-vessel disease (TVD). Methods A total of 8862 patients with TVD with available baseline TyG index data were included in the study. The endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE). All patients received coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or medical therapy (MT) alone reasonably. Results An elevated TyG index was defined as the TyG index greater than 9.51. During a median follow-up of 7.5 years, an elevated TyG index was significantly associated with an increased risk of MACE (adjusted hazard ratio 1.161, 95% confidence interval 1.026–1.314, p = 0.018). The elevated TyG index was shown to have a more pronounced predictive value for MACE in patients with diabetes, but failed to predict MACE among those without diabetes, whether they presented with stable angina pectoris (SAP) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Meanwhile, the association between an elevated TyG index and MACE was also found in patients with left main involvement. Notably, CABG conferred a significant survival advantage over PCI in patients with a normal TyG index, but was not observed to be superior to PCI in patients with an elevated TyG index unless the patients had both ACS and diabetes. In addition, the benefit was shown to be similar between MT and revascularisation among patients with SAP and an elevated TyG index. Conclusions The TyG index is a potential indicator for risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making in patients with TVD. Graphical Abstract

Aim: The information assessing sex differences in outcomes of patients with three-vessel coronary disease (TVD) after different treatment strategies is sparse. This study aimed to investigate long-term outcomes of TVD among women compared with men after medical therapy (MT) alone, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). Methods: Consecutive 8943 patients with TVD were enrolled. Associations between sex and all-cause death and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) were assessed. Results: Of the 8943 patients, 1821 (20.4%) were women. During a median follow-up of 6.6 years, women had comparable incidences of all-cause death (16.6% vs. 14.9%, P = 0.079) and MACCE (27.2% vs. 26.1%, P = 0.320) to men. After multivariable analysis, women showed lower adjusted risks of all-cause death (HR: 0.777; P = 0.001) and MACCE (HR: 0.870; P = 0.016) than men in the entire cohort. Subgroup analysis revealed that the less all-cause death risk of women relative to men was significant in PCI (HR: 0.702; P = 0.009), and CABG groups (HR: 0.708; P = 0.047), but not in MT alone group. Lower MACCE risk for women vs. men was significant only in PCI group (HR: 0.821; P = 0.037). However, no significant interaction between sex and three strategies was observed for all-cause death (P for interaction = 0.312) or MACCE (P for interaction = 0.228). Conclusions: The cardiovascular prognosis of TVD female patients is better than that of men, which has no interaction with the treatment strategies received (MT alone, PCI, or CABG).

Due to assembling, manufacturing errors, and wear, irregular rough surfaces inevitably exist in joints, which will increase the contact stiffness nonlinearity at the joint of the spatial developable mechanism, and the traditional contact force model is difficult to accurately predict the contact force change of irregular rough surface clearance. Aiming at the difficulty of accurately predicting the dynamic behavior of the spatial developable mechanism caused by rough joint clearance, an improved clearance contact force modeling method based on an uncoordinated contact model is proposed in this paper. The influence of rough peak distribution on the contact area is analyzed. The stiffness of the traditional Hertz model is modified based on the probability distribution density function of the rough peak, and an improved contact force model based on dynamic contact stiffness is established. Based on the Lagrange multiplier method, the dynamics model of spatial developable mechanism is constructed. Based on the model, the dynamic analysis of the spatial expansion mechanism is carried out, and the influence of the roughness of the contact surface and the size of the clearance on the dynamic characteristics of the system are explored; as well, the influence of different clearance parameters on the dynamic characteristics of the development mechanism is revealed. Through the analysis, this paper provides a theoretical basis for predicting the effect of a spatial revolute clearance joint on the dynamic characteristics of the mechanism and lays a good foundation for the manufacture and application of the mechanism.

Rural areas in Tibet, with its complex terrain, fragile ecology, and poor facilities, are subject to a combination of social–ecological system elements, facing the typical risks of recurrent, marginal, and potential poverty. At present, the spatial differentiation and driving mechanism of rural spatial poverty risk in Tibet are not clear, which adversely affects the formulation of differentiated and precise governance strategies. Thus, based on the social–ecological system perspective, 967 poor rural villages in eastern Tibet were taken as an example, using intelligent techniques such as random forest, geographic detector, and multi-scale geographically weighted regression to identify the spatial differentiation characteristics and the driving mechanism of poverty. The results indicated that (1) the high poverty incidence of rural areas in eastern Tibet showed a scattered block distribution, of which approximately 37% of the villages presented a spatial distribution characterised by a high degree of clustering of the high poverty incidence. (2) Topography and the level of public facilities were key factors influencing the poverty levels of rural areas in eastern Tibet, in which the coupling explanatory power between the construction land slope index (CLSI) and several poverty-causing factors was high. (3) Geological disaster, land surface temperature, CLSI, traffic accessibility, livestock resources, cropland per capita, and tourism resources differentially drove the poverty incidence of rural areas in eastern Tibet, forming spatial partitions dominated by the risks of potential, marginal, and recurrent poverty. For different partitions, differentiated governance strategies of upgrading ecological environments, optimising geographical locations, and revitalising social resources were proposed to provide references for solving the problem of relative poverty in the new period.

Global climate change has led to frequent extreme climate disasters, which are increasingly serious threats to high-density urban blocks. Flood risk mapping research is emerging from flood regulation (FR) supply and demand perspectives. However, the existing research on FR supply and demand in high-density blocks lacks effective models, intelligent technology, and risk-management applications. From the perspective of supply and demand matching of FR, this study constructed a method for identifying and managing flood-risk areas in high-density blocks by integrating urban hydrological models and intelligent computing technology. SWMM was used to simulate the FR supply level of the high-density blocks under rainstorm conditions. The intelligent technology of the random forest model and entropy weight TOPSIS were used to calculate the demand level of FR. Flood risk management zones were identified by comparing supply and demand. Considering the Yuandang blocks in Xiamen, China, as the research scope, the results show that (1) with the increase in the recurrence period, the scope of the low-supply area of FR continues to expand, and the subcatchment areas with low-supply levels are concentrated in Lianqian West, Lakeside South, and Houdaixi Streets. (2) The high-demand areas for FR are mainly located in the high-intensity development blocks on the south side of Yandang Lake and the middle of Dongping Mountain. (3) Twenty (4.63%) subcatchment areas and 112 (3.00%) plot units belong to the high-risk areas of the low-supply, high-demand type, which can be divided into four categories and three levels of flood control zones. From the flood risk management perspective, the research results can provide a decision-making basis for land use and facility optimisation layouts of high-density blocks.

Ultrasound technology has been extensively used as one of the efficient and economic methodology to achieve the desired outcomes in many applications by harnessing the physico-chemical effects of acoustic cavitation. However, the cavitation-associated effects, primarily determined by the oscillatory dynamics of cavitation bubbles, are considerably complex and still remain poorly understood. The main objective of this study was to perform a numerical analysis of the acoustic cavitation (i.e., the cavitation dynamics, the resultant temperature, pressure and chemical yields within collapsing bubbles), particularly focusing on the influence of the interactions between bubbles. A comprehensive model was developed to simulate the acoustic cavitation dynamics via combining the influences of mass transfer, heat conduction and chemical reactions as well as the interaction effects between bubbles. The results demonstrated that only the large bubble exerts a greater impact on the small one in a two-bubble system. Specifically, within parameter ranges covered this study, there are noticeable decreases in the expansion ratio of the small bubble, the resultant temperature, pressure and molar yields of free radicals, hence weakening the cavitation intensity and cavitation- associated physico-chemical effects. Moreover, the influences of the interactions between bubbles were further assessed quantitatively under various parameters, such as the ultrasound amplitude PA and frequency f, the distance between bubbles d0, the initial radius of the large bubble R20, as well as the liquid properties (e.g., surface tension σ and viscosity μ). It was found that the suppression effect can be amplified when subjected to ultrasound with an increased PA and/or a decreased f, probably due to a stronger cavitation intensity under this condition. Additionally, the suppression effect is also enhanced with a decrease in d0, σ and μ, but with R20 increasing. This study can contribute to deepening knowledge about acoustic cavitation and the resultant physical and/or chemical effects, potentially further facilitating the ultrasound-assisted various applications involving acoustic cavitation.

The road passenger transportation enterprise is a complex system, requiring a clear understanding of their active safety situation (ASS), trends, and influencing factors. This facilitates transportation authorities to promptly receive signals and take effective measures. Through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, we delved into potential factors for evaluating ASS and extracted an ASS index. To predict obtaining a higher ASS information rate, we compared multiple time series models, including GRU (gated recurrent unit), LSTM (long short-term memory), ARIMA, Prophet, Conv_LSTM, and TCN (temporal convolutional network). This paper proposed the WDA-DBN (water drop algorithm-Deep Belief Network) model and employed DEEPSHAP to identify factors with higher ASS information content. TCN and GRU performed well in the prediction. Compared to the other models, WDA-DBN exhibited the best performance in terms of MSE and MAE. Overall, deep learning models outperform econometric models in terms of information processing. The total time spent processing alarms positively influences ASS, while variables such as fatigue driving occurrences, abnormal driving occurrences, and nighttime driving alarm occurrences have a negative impact on ASS.

Carbon emission issues are becoming increasingly severe, and the carbon emissions in shrinking cities, primarily characterized by population loss, are often overlooked and insufficiently studied. This paper focuses on the carbon emissions from county-level administrative units in China’s three northeastern provinces from 2001 to 2017. The study scientifically identified shrinking cities and measured the differences in carbon emission characteristics between growing and shrinking cities using the Theil index. Ultimately, the paper constructs a panel spatial econometric model to analyze the factors influencing them and explore their spatial effects. (1) The total carbon emissions in the Three Northeastern Provinces exhibited an inverted U-shaped trend, increasing from 734.21 million tons in 2001 to 1731.73 million tons in 2017, with the Mann–Kendall trend test showing a significant increase; spatially, this manifests as a significant positive spatial autocorrelation. (2) The region has 138 shrinking cities, accounting for over 50%; regarding carbon emission characteristics, the Theil index has consistently remained above 0.18, indicating significant differences between the carbon emissions of growing and shrinking cities. (3) The panel spatial econometric model results show that the influencing factors of carbon emissions in shrinking cities have unique directions, intensities, and spatial effects. In shrinking cities, aside from localized GDP effects and per-capita GDP acting as a suppressant, the population size has a pronounced inhibitory effect on local and surrounding carbon emissions. The analysis reveals significant differences in the carbon emission patterns and mechanisms between growing and shrinking cities; based on these results, the paper proposes differentiated carbon control strategies.

The spatial–temporal distribution and evolution characteristics of carbon stock under the influence of land use changes are crucial to the scientific management of environmental resources and the optimization of land spatial layout. Taking the Xiamen–Zhangzhou–Quanzhou urban agglomeration in the southeastern coastal region of China as an example, based on seven land use types from 1990 to 2020, including cultivated land, woodland, and construction land, we quantitatively investigate the spatial–temporal patterns of carbon stock development and the spatial correlation of carbon stock distribution. Additionally, two scenarios for the development of urban and ecological priorities in 2060 are established to investigate the effects of land use changes on carbon stock. The results indicate that (1) the research area has formed a land use spatial pattern centered around urban construction in the eastern bay area, with the western forest area and coastal forest belt serving as ecological barriers. Carbon stock is influenced by land use type, and the distribution of total carbon stock exhibits a spatial aggregation phenomenon characterized by “low in the southeast, high in the north, and medium in the center”. (2) Distance of trunk and secondary roads, elevation, slope, watershed borders, population size, and gross domestic product (GDP) factors are the main drivers of the growth of land use types. The primary causes of the reduction in carbon stock are the widespread conversion of cultivated land, woodland, and grassland into construction land, as well as water and unused land. (3) In 2060, there will be a decrease of 41,712,443.35 Mg in the urban priority development scenario compared to 2020, and a decrease of 29,577,580.48 Mg in the ecological priority development scenario. The estimated carbon stock under the two scenarios varies by 12,134,862.88 Mg. The average carbon storage of Zhangpu County, Quangang County, and Jimei County is expected to rise by one level under the ecological protection scenario, indicating that the vast forest area can become a potential area to maintain carbon stock. It is crucial to encourage the coordinated development of peri-urban agroforestry and ecological barriers, as well as to establish a harmonious spatial pattern of land use and carbon stock at the scale of urban agglomerations.

Abstract Background To investigate the association of HMGCR and NPC1L1 gene polymorphisms with residual cholesterol risk (RCR) in patients with premature triple-vessel disease (PTVD). Methods Three SNPs within HMGCR including rs12916, rs2303151, and rs4629571, and four SNPs within NPC1L1 including rs11763759, rs4720470, rs2072183, and rs2073547 were genotyped. RCR was defined as achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations after statins higher than 1.8 mmol/L (70 mg/dL). Results Finally, a total of 609 PTVD patients treated with moderate-intensity statins were included who were divided into two groups: non-RCR group (n = 88) and RCR group (n = 521) according to LDL-C concentrations. Multivariate logistic regression showed the homozygotes for the minor allele of rs12916 within HMGCR gene (CC) were associated with a 2.08 times higher risk of RCR in recessive model [odds ratio (OR): 2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16–3.75]. In codominant model, the individuals homozygous for the minor allele of rs12916 (CC) were associated with a 2.26 times higher risk of RCR (OR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.16–4.43) while the heterozygous individuals (CT) were not, compared with the individuals homozygous for the major allele of rs12916 (TT). There was no significant association between the SNPs within NPC1L1 gene and RCR in various models. Conclusions We first reported that the variant homozygous CC of rs12916 within HMGCR gene may incur a significantly higher risk of RCR in PTVD patients treated with statins, providing new insights into early individualized guidance of precise lipid-lowering treatment.

2D-layered graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is regarded as a great prospect as a photocatalyst for H2 generation. However, g-C3N4's photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (HER) activity is significantly restricted by the recombination of photocarriers. We find that cobalt sulfide (CoS2) as a cocatalyst can promote g-C3N4 nanosheets (NSs) to realize very efficient photocatalytic H2 generation. The prepared CoS2/g-C3N4 hybrids display highly boosted photocatalytic H2 generation performance and outstanding cycle stability. The optimized 7%-CoS2/g-C3N4 hybrids show a much improved photocatalytic H2 generation rate of 36.2 ​μmol−1 ​h−1, which is about 180 times as much as bare g-C3N4 (0.2 ​μmol−1 ​h−1). In addition, the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of all the samples was computed under light at λ=370 ​nm, in which the AQE of 7%-CoS2/g-C3N4 hybrids is up to 5.72%. The experimental data and the DFT calculation suggest that the CoS2/g-C3N4 hybrid's excellent HER activity is attributable to the lower overpotential and the smaller Co-H bond activation energy for HER. Accordingly, the CoS2 cocatalyst loading effectively boosts the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 for H2 evolution. The project promotes fast development of high-efficiency photocatalysts and low-cost for photocatalytic H2 generation.

In this work, we report the preparation of 1T'-MoS2/g-C3N4 nanocage (NC) heterostructure by loading 2D semi-metal noble-metal-free 1T'-MoS2 on the g-C3N4 nanocages (NCs). DFT calculation and experimental data have shown that the 1T'-MoS2/g-C3N4 NC heterostructure has a stronger light absorption capacity and larger specific surface area than pure g-C3N4 NCs and g-C3N4 nanosheets (NSs), and the presence of the co-catalysts 1T'-MoS2 can effectively inhibit the photoinduced carrier recombination. As a result, the 1T'-MoS2/g-C3N4 NC heterostructure with an optimum 1T'-MoS2 loading of 9 wt% displays a hydrogen evolution rate of 1949 μmol h−1 g−1, 162.4, 1.2, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.2 times than pure g-C3N4 NCs (12 μmol h−1 g−1), Pt/g-C3N4 NCs (1615 μmol h−1 g−1) and Pt/g-C3N4 nanosheets (NSs, 1297 μmol h−1 g−1), 1T'-MoS2/g-C3N4 nanosheets (1216 μmol h−1 g−1) and 2H-MoS2/g-C3N4 nanocages (1573 μmol h−1 g−1), respectively, and exhibits excellent cycle stability. Therefore, 1T'-MoS2/g-C3N4 NC heterostructure is a suitable photocatalyst for green H2 production.

As the core component of the electron accelerator, the electron source is responsible for providing high-quality electron beams. GaN has a wide bandgap and must be driven by an ultraviolet laser, making it a strong candidate for photocathode electron source research. We established a theoretical model of photoemission for field-assisted negative electron affinity (NEA) AlGaN heterojunction tilted nanowire array photocathodes. The top-down built-in electric field facilitated the transport of photogenerated carriers within the nanowire. The inclination of the nanowires effectively improved the quantum efficiency of the photocathode. With the critical angle of incidence of ultraviolet, the quantum efficiency was up to 81.2%, and the collection efficiency was up to 51%. This work could provide theoretical support for the design and fabrication of high-quality photocathode electron sources.

To address the need for high-resolution imaging in lung nodule detection and overcome the limitations of the shallow imaging depth associated with high-frequency ultrasound and the complex structure of lung tissue, we successfully integrated 50 MHz ultrasound transducers with 18-gauge biopsy needles. Featuring a miniaturized size of 0.6 × 0.5 × 0.5 mm3, the 50 MHz micromachined 1-3 composite transducer was tested to perform mechanical scanning of a nodule within a lung-tissue-mimicking phantom in vitro. The high-frequency transducer demonstrated the ability to achieve imaging with an axial resolution of 30 μm for measuring nodule edges. Moreover, the integrated biopsy needle prototype exhibited high accuracy (1.74% discrepancy) in estimating nodule area compared to actual dimensions in vitro. These results underscore the promising potential of biopsy-needle-integrated transducers in enhancing the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) for clinical applications.

This paper investigates the soliton wave solution of the nonlinear biological population (NBP) model by employing a novel computational scheme. The selected model for this study describes the logistics of the population because of births and deaths. Some novel structures of the NBP model’s solutions, are obtained such as exponential, trigonometric, and hyperbolic. These solutions are clarified through some distinct graphs in contour three plot, three-dimensional, and two-dimensional plots. The Hamiltonian system’s characterizations are used to check the obtained solutions’ stability. The solutions’ accuracy is checked by handling the NBP model through the variational iteration (VI) method. The matching between analytical and semi-analytical solutions shows the accuracy of the obtained solutions. The method’s performance shows its effectiveness, power, and ability to apply to many nonlinear evolution equations.

Objectives: To estimate the impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) targeted at the COVID-19 pandemic on the admission number of respiratory diseases, including pneumonia, acute bronchitis & bronchiolitis, and acute upper respiratory infections (AURIs) for children in China. Methods: Continuous hospitalization records aged 0-18 years from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020, were collected from 26 tertiary children's hospitals. Interrupted time series analysis with a quasi-Poisson model was conducted with the start time of the COVID-19 pandemic as the interrupted timepoint and the weekly admission numbers of all-cause respiratory disease, pneumonia, acute bronchitis & bronchiolitis, and AURI as the outcome measures. Hospitalizations of childhood neoplasms were analyzed as the reference group. Results: The reduction in admission numbers following NPIs was -55.0% (-57.9 to -51.9%) for all-cause respiratory diseases, -62.7% (-65.7 to -59.5%) for pneumonia, -48.1% (-53.3 to -42.3%) for bronchitis & bronchiolitis, and -24.3% (-28.6 to -19.8%) for AURI. The effect estimates of NPIs on childhood neoplasms was -29.1% (-33.6 to -24.4%). Stratification analysis showed the reduction was most drastic for children at 4-6 and 7-12 years. Conclusion: The admission number for respiratory diseases among children in China decreased drastically after the implementation of NPIs. NPIs with low socio-economic burdens should be suggested even outside the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tight oil reservoir is usually characterized by poor physical properties with oil recovery less than 10%. The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of 4 different types of surfactants to change rock surface tension and interfacial tension as well as its impact on enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in tight oil reservoirs. Results shows that the fluoride FC-1 and GS surfactant has more potential for wettability alteration and interfacial tension reduction respectively. The interfacial tension decreased from 6.072 mN/m to 2.04 mN/m, 0.03 mN/m, 0.1 mN/m, and 0.04 mN/m under the action of FC-1, GS surfactant, FC-2, and FC-3, respectively. FC-1 made the wettability changed from original hydrophilic or oil-hydrophilic to hydrophobic and oil-phobic. While the effect of wettability modification by other three was not so obvious and the contact angle was no more than 45 degrees. So, the GS and FC-1 was selected for displacement tests to investigate the effect in augmenting injection and enhancing oil recovery. The average reduction rate of injection pressure by fluoride and Gemini surfactant was 32.4% and 14.2%, respectively. Under the action of fluoride and GS surfactant, the water-phase permeability increased by 36.8% and 29.9%, respectively. The improvement of recovery mainly occurred in primary water flooding, while the amount of oil displaced by surfactant solution and secondary water flooding was little or even no, with the recovery efficiency improved by 0–8.4%. The effect of fluoride was more obvious, revealing that changing rock wettability is more favorable than reducing the interfacial tension for oil recovery in tight sandstone oil reservoirs.

Background: Prognostic biomarkers in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have an important role in therapeutic strategy. Studies have shown that high expression of Aquaporin (AQP) is associated with poor prognosis in a variety of human tumors. AQP is involved in the initiation and development of CRC. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between the expression of AQP1, 3 and 5 and clinicopathological features or prognosis in CRC.Methods: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions were analyzed based on the immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarray specimens including 112 patients with CRC between June 2006 and November 2008. The expression score of AQP (Allred_score and H_score) was digitally obtained with Qupath software. Patients were divided into high or low expression subgroups based on the optimal cut-off values. The relationship between expression of AQP and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated using chi-square test, t-test, or one-way ANOVA, when appropriate. Survival analysis of 5-year progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was performed with time-dependent ROC, Kaplan-Meier curves, univariate and multivariate COX analysis.Results: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions were associated with regional lymph node metastasis, histological grading, and tumor location in CRC, respectively (p < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with high AQP1 expression had worse 5-year PFS than those with low AQP1 expression (Allred_score: 47% vs. 72%, p = 0.015; H_score: 52% vs. 78% p = 0.006), as well as 5-year OS (Allred_score: 51% vs. 75%, p = 0.005; H_score: 56% vs. 80%, p = 0.002). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that AQP1 expression was an independent risk prognostic factor (p = 0.033, HR = 2.274, HR95% CI: 1.069–4.836). There was no significant correlation between the expression of AQP3 and 5 and the prognosis.Conclusion: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions correlate with different clinicopathological characteristics and the AQP1 expression may be a potential biomarker of prognosis in CRC.

IntroductionThe attenuation correction technique of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images is essential for early diagnosis, therapeutic evaluation, and pharmacokinetic studies of lung cancer. 99mTc-3PRGD2 is a novel radiotracer for the early diagnosis and evaluation of treatment effects of lung cancer. This study preliminary discusses the deep learning method to directly correct the attenuation of 99mTc-3PRGD2 chest SPECT images.MethodsRetrospective analysis was performed on 53 patients with pathological diagnosis of lung cancer who received 99mTc-3PRGD2 chest SPECT/CT. All patients’ SPECT/CT images were reconstructed with CT attenuation correction (CT-AC) and without attenuation correction (NAC). The CT-AC image was used as the reference standard (Ground Truth) to train the attenuation correction (DL-AC) SPECT image model using deep learning. A total of 48 of 53 cases were divided randomly into the training set, the remaining 5 were divided into the testing set. Using 3D Unet neural network, the mean square error loss function (MSELoss) of 0.0001 was selected. A testing set is used to evaluate the model quality, using the SPECT image quality evaluation and quantitative analysis of lung lesions tumor-to-background (T/B).ResultsSPECT imaging quality metrics between DL-AC and CT-AC including mean absolute error (MAE), mean-square error (MSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity (SSIM), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), and normalized Mutual Information (NMI) of the testing set are 2.62 ± 0.45, 58.5 ± 14.85, 45.67 ± 2.80, 0.82 ± 0.02, 0.07 ± 0.04, and 1.58 ± 0.06, respectively. These results indicate PSNR > 42, SSIM > 0.8, and NRMSE < 0.11. Lung lesions T/B (maximum) of CT-AC and DL-AC groups are 4.36 ± 3.52 and 4.33 ± 3.09, respectively (p = 0.81). There are no significant differences between two attenuation correction methods.ConclusionOur preliminary research results indicate that using the DL-AC method to directly correct 99mTc-3PRGD2 chest SPECT images is highly accurate and feasible for SPECT without configuration with CT or treatment effect evaluation using multiple SPECT/CT scans.

IntroductionThe shallow mountainous area in Hebei province is a crucial part of the ecological security barrier and regional ecological conservation construction in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. In recent years, the contradictions in the development of the rural “production-living-ecological” function (PLEF) in shallow mountainous areas are prominent, so optimize its spatial pattern is beneficial to rural sustainable development. But there are significant problems in the existing research, such as the lack of fine-scale research and effective guidance for rural PLEF. Based on this, this study takes Quyang County as an example, starts from the perspective of PLEF coordinated development, finally puts forward the optimization strategy of rural production-living-ecological space (PLES) pattern by evaluating rural PLEF and its coupling co-scheduling.MethodsThis study first fused multi-source data such as POI and remote sensing images to build a comprehensive evaluation system of rural PLES, combined with entropy weight method and analytic hierarchy process to give weight to various indicators, and calculated the PLEF distribution of Quyang County on the 300 × 300m grid scale. Then the collaborative development of PLEF is measured by coupling coordination degree model. Finally, according to PLEF and its coupling and coordination, the functional space types are divided according to the principles of coordinated development and ecological optimization, and the optimization strategy of PLES pattern is proposed on the village scale.Results(1) The spatial distribution of PLEF in Quyang County is significantly different, and the order of functional intensity is: ecological space (ES) > production space (PS) > living space (LS). (2) The PLEF coupling coordination degree generally presents the spatial distribution characteristics of “low in the north and high in the south”, which is highly related to its topographic features. The high-value areas are mainly spread over southern plains with developed economy and rich ecological resources, while the low-value areas are located in the northern mountains and the central hills. (3) On the grid scale, the PLES pattern is identified as six types: production-living-ecological balance space (PLEBS), production-living space (PLS), production-ecological space (PES), living-ecological space (LES), ES and PS. Among them, the proportion of PLEBS and ES is larger. (4) On the village scale, it is suggested that PLEBS villages further emphasize high-quality coordinated development; ecological function leading optimization type (EFLOT) villages adhere to ecological priorities and ensure the development of ecological space functions; villages with composite functions should combine their own advantages and the spatial characteristics of the surrounding countryside, optimize and control infrastructure configuration, industrial structure, ecological protection and other aspects of classification, overcome shortcomings and improve the coordination of the PLEF.DiscussionBased on previous studies, this paper explored and improved the research scale, analysis methods, evaluation indexes and optimization ideas in the field of rural PLEF. Therefore, the results can guide for the high-quality coordinated development of territorial space and rural revitalization construction of counties in shallow mountainous areas.

Microbial bioremediation of heavy metal-polluted soil is a promising technique for reducing heavy metal accumulation in crops. In a previous study, we isolated Bacillus vietnamensis strain 151–6 with a high cadmium (Cd) accumulation ability and low Cd resistance. However, the key gene responsible for the Cd absorption and bioremediation potential of this strain remains unclear. In this study, genes related to Cd absorption in B. vietnamensis 151–6 were overexpressed. A thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase gene (orf4108) and a cytochrome C biogenesis protein gene (orf4109) were found to play major roles in Cd absorption. In addition, the plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits of the strain were detected, which enabled phosphorus and potassium solubilization and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production. Bacillus vietnamensis 151–6 was used for the bioremediation of Cd-polluted paddy soil, and its effects on growth and Cd accumulation in rice were explored. The strain increased the panicle number (114.82%) and decreased the Cd content in rice rachises (23.87%) and grains (52.05%) under Cd stress, compared with non-inoculated rice in pot experiments. For field trials, compared with the non-inoculated control, the Cd content of grains inoculated with B. vietnamensis 151–6 was effectively decreased in two cultivars (low Cd-accumulating cultivar: 24.77%; high Cd-accumulating cultivar: 48.85%) of late rice. Bacillus vietnamensis 151–6 encoded key genes that confer the ability to bind Cd and reduce Cd stress in rice. Thus, B. vietnamensis 151–6 exhibits great application potential for Cd bioremediation.

IntroductionMedical image segmentation is an important tool for doctors to accurately analyze the volume of brain tissue and lesions, which is important for the correct diagnosis of brain diseases. However, manual image segmentation methods are time-consuming, subjective and lack of repeatability, it needs to develop automatic and reliable methods for image segmentation.MethodsMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a non-invasive imaging technique, is commonly used to detect, characterize and quantify tissues and lesions in the brain. Partial volume effect, gray scale in homogeneity, and lesions presents a great challenge for automatic medical image segmentation methods. So, the paper is dedicated to address the impact of partial volume effect and multiple sclerosis lesions on the segmentation accuracy in MRI. The objective function of the improved model and the post-processing method of lesion filling are researched based on the fuzzy clustering space and energy model.ResultsIn particular, an energy-minimized segmentation algorithm is proposed. Through experimental verification, the AR-FCM algorithm can better overcome the problem of low segmentation accuracy of the RFCM algorithm for tissue boundary voxels and improve the segmentation accuracy of this algorithm. Meanwhile, a multi-channel input energy-minimization segmentation method with lesion filling and anatomical mapping is further proposed.DiscussionThe feasibility of the lesion filling strategy using post-processing can be confirmed and the segmentation accuracy is increased by comparison experiments.

Abstract Chitin is abundant in nature and its degradation products are highly valuable for numerous applications. Thermophilic chitinases are increasingly appreciated for their capacity to biodegrade chitin at high temperatures and prolonged enzyme stability. Here, using deep learning approaches, we developed a prediction tool, Preoptem, to screen thermophilic proteins. A novel thermophilic chitinase, Chi304, was mined directly from the marine metagenome. Chi304 showed maximum activity at 85 ℃, its T m reached 89.65 ± 0.22℃, and exhibited excellent thermal stability at 80 and 90 °C. Chi304 had both endo- and exo-chitinase activities, and the (GlcNAc)2 was the main hydrolysis product of chitin-related substrates. The product yields of colloidal chitin degradation reached 97% within 80 min, and 20% over 4 days of reaction with crude chitin powder. This study thus provides a method to mine the novel thermophilic chitinase for efficient chitin biodegradation. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The reduction of molecular nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) under mild conditions is one of the most promising studies in the energy field due to the important role of NH3 in modern industry, production, and life. The photocatalytic reduction of N2 is expected to achieve clean and sustainable NH3 production by using clean solar energy. To date, the new photocatalysts for photocatalytic reduction of N2 to NH3 at room temperature and atmospheric pressure have not been fully developed. The major challenge is to achieve high light‐absorption efficiency, conversion efficiency, and stability of photocatalysts. Herein, the methods for measuring produced NH3 are compared, and the problems related to possible NH3 pollution in photocatalytic systems are mentioned to provide accurate ideas for measuring photocatalytic efficiency. The recent progress of nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) photocatalysts at ambient temperature and pressure is summarized by introducing charge transfer, migration, and separation in photocatalytic NRR, which provides guidance for the selection of future photocatalyst selection. More importantly, we introduce the latest research strategies of photocatalysts in detail, which can guide the preparation and design of photocatalysts with high NRR activity.

In present work, we describe and investigate torsion theoretic versions of δ-supplemented modules via a hereditary torsion theory τ. With this aim, first, we define δτ-small submodules. On this basis, the concepts of δτ-lifting modules, δτ-supplemented modules, and amply δτ-supplemented modules and their fundamental properties are given, respectively. Furthermore, we present δτ-semiperfect modules and give a characterization for them via (amply) δτ-supplemented modules. Even we supply binary relations between these new module classes.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has caused serious environmental concerns but could be degraded at high temperature. Previous studies show that cutinase from Thermobifida fusca KW3 (TfCut2) is capable of degrading and upcycling PET but is limited by its thermal stability. Nowadays, Popular protein stability modification methods rely mostly on the crystal structures, but ignore the fact that the actual conformation of protein is complex and constantly changing. To solve these problems, we developed a computational approach to design variants with enhanced protein thermal stability by mining Molecular Dynamics simulation trajectories using Machine Learning methods (MDL). The optimal classification accuracy and the optimal Pearson correlation coefficient of MDL model were 0.780 and 0.716, respectively. And we successfully designed variants with high ΔTm values using MDL method. The optimal variant S121P/D174S/D204P had the highest ΔTm value of 9.3 °C, and the PET degradation ratio increased by 46.42-fold at 70℃, compared with that of wild type TfCut2. These results deepen our understanding on the complex conformations of proteins and may enhance the plastic recycling and sustainability at glass transition temperature.

Abstract Background Advances in DNA sequencing technologies have transformed our capacity to perform life science research, decipher the dynamics of complex soil microbial communities and exploit them for plant disease management. However, soil is a complex conglomerate, which makes functional metagenomics studies very challenging. Results Metagenomes were assembled by long-read (PacBio, PB), short-read (Illumina, IL), and mixture of PB and IL (PI) sequencing of soil DNA samples were compared. Ortholog analyses and functional annotation revealed that the PI approach significantly increased the contig length of the metagenomic sequences compared to IL and enlarged the gene pool compared to PB. The PI approach also offered comparable or higher species abundance than either PB or IL alone, and showed significant advantages for studying natural product biosynthetic genes in the soil microbiomes. Conclusion Our results provide an effective strategy for combining long and short-read DNA sequencing data to explore and distill the maximum information out of soil metagenomics.

The expression of proteins in Escherichia coli is often essential for their characterization, modification, and subsequent application. Gene sequence is the major factor contributing expression. In this study, we used the expression data from 6438 heterologous proteins under the same expression condition in E. coli to construct a deep learning classifier for screening high- and low-expression proteins. In conjunction with conserved residue analysis to minimize functional disruption, a mutation predictor for enhanced protein expression (MPEPE) was proposed to identify mutations conducive to protein expression. MPEPE identified mutation sites in laccase 13B22 and the glucose dehydrogenase FAD-AtGDH, that significantly increased both expression levels and activity of these proteins. Additionally, a significant correlation of 0.46 between the predicted high level expression propensity with the constructed models and the protein abundance of endogenous genes in E. coli was also been detected. Therefore, the study provides foundational insights into the relationship between specific amino acid usage, codon usage, and protein expression, and is essential for research and industrial applications.

Combined therapy has attracted extensive attention as a potential solution to overcome tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. However, developing simple and effective multifunctional therapeutic platforms remain to be further explored. Herein, we have constructed a hybrid nanoplatform composed of a hierarchically porous porphyrinic coordination network (HP-PCN) as the core and copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles (NPs) as the satellites to realize combined chemodynamic therapy (CDT)/photodynamic therapy (PDT)/photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer. HP-PCN exhibits excellent photodynamic properties but its antitumor effect is limited by the insufficient penetration depth of laser and hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). To overcome the shortcomings of photodynamic monotherapy, we introduce negatively charged CuS NPs on the HP-PCN surface taking advantage of its porous structure and positive surface charge to fabricate core-satellite HP-PCN@CuS nanoplatform. CuS NPs have excellent photothermal performances and additional CDT function by reacting with hydrogen peroxide in the TME. The integration of HP-PCN and CuS NPs enables the hybrid nanosystem more potent antitumor efficiency. In vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that HP-PCN@CuS presents an combined CDT/PDT/PTT effect to significantly inhibit tumor growth with low systemic toxicity. This study provides a promising strategy to fabricate multifunctional therapeutic nanoplatforms for effective and combined antitumor applications.

Trichoderma spp. are versatile probiotic fungi that are known to promote plant growth and disease resistance under biotic stress, abiotic stress, or both. They are often used to prevent plant diseases caused by pathogens, act as biofertilizers, and are used in mycoremediation. In our previous study, Trichoderma asperellum strain SM-12F1 was isolated from soils contaminated with arsenic (As), adjacent to a realgar mine. SM-12F1 promoted plant growth and was useful for biocontrol and bioremediation. However, the genomic sequence of this strain was not characterized. This study aimed to generate high-quality genome resources for T. asperellum SM-12F1, and to determine the genomic basis of mechanisms behind plant growth promotion, biocontrol, and bioremediation of As in soil. Genome data of this fungus will provide perspectives on the molecular basis underlying biocontrol activity and mycoremediation.[Graphic: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

BackgroundTo investigate whether osteopontin (OPN) affects autophagy in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes and determine the roles of CD44, αvβ3 integrin and the Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in this progress.MethodsFirst, we compared the autophagy levels in the human osteoarthritis (OA) and normal cartilage, then, we cultured human OA chondrocytes in vitro and treated cells with recombinant human OPN (rhOPN) to determine autophagy changes. Next, the anti-CD44 and anti-CD51/61 monoclonal antibodies (Abs) or isotype IgG were used to determine the possible role of CD44 and αvβ3 integrin; subsequently, an inhibitor of the ERK MAPK pathway was used to investigate the role of ERK MAPK. Western blotting was used to measure the Beclin1, LC3 II and MAPK proteins expressions, mRFP-GFP-LC3 confocal imaging and transmission electron microscopy were also used to detect the autophagy levels. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to assay the proliferation and activity of chondrocytes.ResultsThe LC3 protein was greatly decreased in OA cartilage compared to normal cartilage, and OPN suppressed the autophagy activity in chondrocytes in vitro. Blocking experiments with anti-CD44 and anti-CD51/61 Abs indicated that OPN could suppress the expression of LC3II and Beclin1 through αvβ3 integrin and CD44. Our results also indicated that the ratio of p-ERK/ERK but not p-P38/P38 and p-JNK/JNK was increased after the rhOPN treatment. The ERK inhibitor inhibited the activity of OPN in the suppression of autophagy, and the CCK-8 results showed that rhOPN could promote chondrocyte proliferation.ConclusionOPN inhibited chondrocyte autophagy through CD44 and αvβ3 integrin receptors and via the ERK MAPK signaling pathway.

Although defect engineering opens up new opportunities in the field of gas sensors, the introduction of defects to enhance the gas sensing properties of metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) has long been neglected. In this review, defect engineering strategies have been systematically introduced, with a focus on employing them for improved gas sensing performances. To keep the subject focused, we take SnO2 nanomaterials as an example. Various synthesis methods for defective SnO2, including ion/electron/ray/laser-beam irradiation, plasma treatment, heating protocol, chemical reduction, tailoring specially exposed crystal facets and atoms doping, are emphasized. Different roles of defects on the gas sensing process of SnO2 are discussed. Finally, critical issues and future directions of defect engineering are presented. This paper provides a platform for better understanding the relationships between synthesis, defect types and gas sensing performances of MOSs. It is also expected to unpack an important research direction for controlled synthesis of defective nanomaterials with other applications, including advanced energy conversion and storage.

Abstract. Background:. Thyroid dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of thyroid function in lipid metabolism remains partly unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the causal association between thyroid function and serum lipid metabolism via a genetic analysis termed Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods:. The MR approach uses a genetic variant as the instrumental variable in epidemiological studies to mimic a randomized controlled trial. A two-sample MR was performed to assess the causal association, using summary statistics from the Atrial Fibrillation Genetics Consortium (n = 537,409) and the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium (n = 188,577). The clinical measures of thyroid function include thyrotropin (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels, FT3:FT4 ratio and concentration of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb). The serum lipid metabolism traits include total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. The MR estimate and MR inverse variance-weighted method were used to assess the association between thyroid function and serum lipid metabolism. Results:. The results demonstrated that increased TSH levels were significantly associated with higher TC (β = 0.052, P = 0.002) and LDL (β = 0.041, P = 0.018) levels. In addition, the FT3:FT4 ratio was significantly associated with TC (β = 0.240, P = 0.033) and LDL (β = 0.025, P = 0.027) levels. However, no significant differences were observed between genetically predicted FT4 and TPOAb and serum lipids. Conclusion:. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest an association between thyroid function and serum lipid metabolism, highlighting the importance of the pituitary-thyroid-cardiac axis in dyslipidemia susceptibility.

AimsTo explore the effects of age and sex on the outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients with the three-vessel disease (TVD).Methods and ResultsThe study is a subanalysis of data from a prospective cohort of 8,943 patients with angiographically confirmed TVD at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China. The primary end point was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. In total, 2,819 patients with NSTE-ACS who received CABG (43.6%) or PCI (56.4%) were included, among whom 32.7% were of 65–74 years, 7.2% were ≥75 years, and 22.6% were women. The median follow-up duration was 6.8 years. The superiority of CABG relative to PCI in terms of MACCE was decreased with age (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]:

Abstract Background Patients with diabetes and triple-vessel disease (TVD) are associated with a high risk of events. The choice of treatment strategies remains a subject of discussion. In the real-world, we aim to compare the outcomes of medical therapy (MT), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment strategies in patients with diabetes and TVD. Methods A total of 3117 consecutive patients with diabetes and TVD were enrolled. The primary endpoint was all-cause death and the secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke). Results During the mean follow-up of 6.3 ± 2.6 years, 573 (18.4%) deaths and 1094 (35.1%) MACCE occurred. Multivariate analysis showed that PCI (hazard ratio [HR] 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32–0.51) and CABG (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.26–0.44) were associated with a lower risk of death compared with MT, with no difference between the PCI and CABG groups. When MACCE was the endpoint, PCI (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.60–0.84) and CABG (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.39–0.57) had a lower risk than MT. CABG was associated with a significantly lower risk of MACCE compared with PCI (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55–0.81), which was mainly attributed a lower risk in myocardial infarction, but a higher risk of stroke. Conclusions In this big real-world data and intermediate-term follow-up study, for patients with diabetes and TVD, PCI and CABG were associated with a lower risk of death and MACCE more than MT. The results suggest the importance of appropriate revascularization for diabetic patients with TVD. However, CABG was not associated with a lower risk of death, but with a lower risk of MACCE, compared with PCI. In the future, we perhaps should strengthen comprehensive treatment in addition to PCI or CABG.

Abstract We examined the associations of age and serum magnesium, iron, lead, copper, and zinc levels with bone mineral density (BMD) in 2412 children under 3 years of age in order to find a tool to monitor BMD in children without the use of expensive imaging techniques. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to determine the associations of age and serum trace elements with BMD. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to test the correlation of five serum trace elements with BMD after adjustments for potential confounding factors in children under 3 years of age. Significant associations between age and four serum trace elements and BMD were found. Compared to the group with the lowest serum levels detected, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the incidence of normal bone mineral density in the third magnesium concentration tertile, the third iron concentration tertile, the fifth copper concentration quintile, the third zinc concentration quintile, and the fifth zinc concentration quintile were 1.30 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.67), 1.43 (95% CI 1.11–1.84), 1.42 (95% CI 1.04–1.94), 1.46 (95% CI 1.05–2.04), and 1.48 (95% CI 1.06–2.06), respectively. However, there was no significant correlation between serum lead level and BMD in this study. Age and serum magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc levels are positively associated with BMD in children under 3 years old.

Abstract Pollution of heavy metals in agricultural environments is a growing problem to the health of the world’s human population. Green, low-cost, and efficient detection methods can help control such pollution. In this study, a protein biosensor, mApple-D6A3, was built from rice-derived Cd2+-binding protein D6A3 fused with the red fluorescent protein mApple at the N-terminus to detect the contents of heavy metals. Fluorescence intensity of mApple fused with D6A3 indicated the biosensor’s sensitivity to metal ions and its intensity was more stable under alkaline conditions. mApple-D6A3 was most sensitive to Cu2+, then Ni2+, then Cd2+. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments demonstrated that mApple-D6A3 successfully bound to each of these three metal ions, and its ability to bind the ions was, from strongest to weakest, Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Ni2+. There were strong linear relationships between the fluorescence intensity of mApple-D6A3 and concentrations of Cd2+ (0–100 μM), Cu2+ (0–60 μM) and Ni2+ (0–120 μM), and their respective R2 values were 0.994, 0.973 and 0.973. When mApple-D6A3 was applied to detect concentrations of heavy metal ions in water (0–0.1 mM) or culture medium (0–1 mM), its accuracy for detection attained more than 80%. This study demonstrates the potential of this biosensor as a tool for detection of heavy metal ions.

Low market adoption has been a real challenge to Pakistan`s renewable energy growth. This research investigated the factors that influence the intention to use renewable energy in Pakistan. This research was conducted to examine the influences of renewable energy and marketing factors on purchase intention through attitude. It analyzed seven concepts: social media exposure, relative advantage, ease of use, awareness, cost, attitude, and purchase intention and deliberated their relationships. The conceptual framework is based on the theory of planned behavior and the unified theory of acceptance. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the influence of (social media exposure, relative advantage, ease of use, awareness, and cost) on purchase intention with the indirect effect of attitude. Proposed hypotheses have been tested using structured questionnaires through SPSS (AMOS) based on a sample of 497 respondents from Pakistan. Structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze the studied variables’ relationships (social media exposure, relative advantage, ease of use, and ease of use, awareness, and cost) and attitude with purchase intention. Study findings show that attitude has a major mediating effect on the relationship between purchase intention and (social media exposure, relative advantage, ease of use, awareness, and cost). The main findings revealed interesting consumer purchase intention regarding renewable energy technology. The results showed a significant positive relationship between influential determinants (social media exposure, relative advantage, ease of use, awareness, and cost) and purchase intention towards the use of renewable energy technology. This study suggests that these marketing approaches can be used as a brand marketing strategy to enhance customer purchase intention. The study’s findings will help in making decision in the renewable energy sub-sector. Furthermore, the findings of this study could be used as a reference by the government when making decisions about renewable energy deployment.

In this article we establish the existence of solutions for elliptic problem involving a gradient term. To handle the so-called non-variational problem, we use a variational methods. We assume that the nonlinear term satisfies an asymptotically linear growth condition or a superlinear growth condition. We show the existence of at least one positive solution and one negative solution.

Abstract Background Cartilage destruction is the main characteristic of osteoarthritis (OA), and osteopontin (OPN) is elevated in OA articular cartilage; however, the reason for the increased OPN level is not determined. In addition, Wnt/β-catenin signaling participates in the progression of OA. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether canonical Wnt signaling could regulate the expression of OPN in human chondrocytes in vitro. Methods Human chondrocytes were cultured in vitro, and we first assayed the mRNA levels of OPN and β-catenin in chondrocytes. Next, we performed transient transfection of TCF 4 shRNA into chondrocytes to inhibit TCF 4 expression and explore changes in the OPN level. Then, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) was incubated with chondrocytes, and we assayed the changes in β-catenin and OPN. Results Our results showed that the expression of both β-catenin and OPN was increased in OA chondrocytes, but there were no correlations between β-catenin and OPN expression. TCF4 shRNA downregulated the expression of TCF 4 and OPN in chondrocytes, while after treatment with rDKK-1 at a concentration of 400 ng/ml for 24 h, the mRNA and protein expression of both β-catenin and OPN was significantly decreased in chondrocytes. Conclusions Elevated OPN expression might be regulated by the β-catenin/TCF-4 pathway, and the Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor DKK1 could inhibit the expression of β-catenin and OPN in OA chondrocytes.