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Abstract A series of Bi3+/Eu3+ co-doped Ca2Ta2O7 (CTO:Bi3+/Eu3+) phosphors were prepared by high-temperature solid-state method for dual-emission center optical thermometers and white light-emitting diode (WLED) device. By modulating the doping ratio of Bi3+/Eu3+ and utilizing the energy transfer from Bi3+ to Eu3+, the tunable color emission ranging from green to reddish-orange was realized. The designed CTO:0.04Bi3+/Eu3+ optical thermometers exhibit significant thermochromism, superior stability, and repeatability, with maximum sensitivities of S a = 0.055 K−1 (at 510 K) and S r = 1.298% K−1 (at 480 K) within the temperature range of 300−510 K, owing to the different thermal quenching behaviors between Bi3+ and Eu3+ ions. These features indicate the potential application prospects of the prepared samples in visualized thermometer or high-temperature safety marking. Furthermore, leveraging the excellent zero-thermal-quenching performance, outstanding acid/alkali resistance, and color stability of CTO:0.04Bi3+/0.16Eu3+ phosphor, a WLED device with a high R a value of 95.3 has been realized through its combination with commercially available blue and green phosphors, thereby demonstrating the potential application of CTO:0.04Bi3+/0.16Eu3+ in near-UV pumped WLED devices. Graphical abstract

Influenza A/H9 viruses circulate worldwide in wild and domestic avian species, continuing to evolve and posing a zoonotic risk. A substantial increase in human infections with A/H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses (AIVs) and the emergence of novel reassortants carrying A/H9N2-origin internal genes has occurred in recent years. Different names have been used to describe the circulating and emerging A/H9 lineages. To address this issue, an international group of experts from animal and public health laboratories, endorsed by the WOAH/FAO Network of Expertise on Animal Influenza, has created a practical lineage classification and nomenclature system based on the analysis of 10,638 hemagglutinin sequences from A/H9 AIVs sampled worldwide. This system incorporates phylogenetic relationships and epidemiologic characteristics designed to trace emerging and circulating lineages and clades. To aid in lineage and clade assignment, an online tool has been created. This proposed classification enables rapid comprehension of the global spread and evolution of A/H9 AIVs.

Abstract Inherited non-hemolytic anemia is a group of rare bone marrow disorders characterized by erythroid defects. Although concerted efforts have been made to explore the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of these diseases, the understanding of the causative mutations are still incomplete. Here we identify in a diseased pedigree that a gain-of-function mutation in toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) is implicated in inherited non-hemolytic anemia. TLR8 is expressed in erythroid lineage and erythropoiesis is impaired by TLR8 activation whereas enhanced by TLR8 inhibition from erythroid progenitor stage. Mechanistically, TLR8 activation blocks annexin A2 (ANXA2)-mediated plasma membrane localization of STAT5 and disrupts EPO signaling in HuDEP2 cells. TLR8 inhibition improves erythropoiesis in RPS19 +/− HuDEP2 cells and CD34+ cells from healthy donors and inherited non-hemolytic anemic patients. Collectively, we identify a gene implicated in inherited anemia and a previously undescribed role for TLR8 in erythropoiesis, which could potentially be explored for therapeutic benefit in inherited anemia.

Abstract Background The duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is one of the principal natural hosts of influenza A virus (IAV), harbors almost all subtypes of IAVs and resists to many IAVs which cause extreme virulence in chicken and human. However, the response of duck’s adaptive immune system to IAV infection is poorly characterized due to lack of a detailed gene map of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Results We herein reported a chromosome-scale Beijing duck assembly by integrating Nanopore, Bionano, and Hi-C data. This new reference genome SKLA1.0 covers 40 chromosomes, improves the contig N50 of the previous duck assembly with highest contiguity (ZJU1.0) of more than a 5.79-fold, surpasses the chicken and zebra finch references in sequence contiguity and contains a complete genomic map of the MHC. Our 3D MHC genomic map demonstrated that gene family arrangement in this region was primordial; however, families such as AnplMHCI, AnplMHCIIβ, AnplDMB, NKRL (NK cell receptor-like genes) and BTN underwent gene expansion events making this area complex. These gene families are distributed in two TADs and genes sharing the same TAD may work in a co-regulated model. Conclusions These observations supported the hypothesis that duck’s adaptive immunity had been optimized with expanded and diversified key immune genes which might help duck to combat influenza virus. This work provided a high-quality Beijing duck genome for biological research and shed light on new strategies for AIV control.

Rearrangements involving the neurotrophic-tropomyosin receptor kinase (NTRK) gene family (NTRK1, NTRK2, and NTRK3) have been identified as drivers in a wide variety of human cancers. However, the association between NTRK rearranged thyroid carcinoma and clinicopathological characteristics has not yet been established. In our study, we retrospectively reviewed medical records of thyroid cancer patients and identified 2 cases with NTRK rearrangement, no additional molecular alterations were observed in either of these cases. The fusion of the rearrangement in both cases was ETV6(E4)::NTRK3(E14). By analyzing the clinicopathological features of these two cases, we found that both were characterized by multiple tumor nodules, invasive growth, and central lymph node metastases, indicating the follicular subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining profiles showed CD56-, CK19+, Galectin-3+, HBME1+. These clinicopathological features suggest the possibility of ETV6-NTRK3 rearranged thyroid carcinoma and highlight the importance of performing gene fusion testing by FISH or NGS for these patients.

Abstract HMG (high mobility group) proteins are a diverse family of nonhistone chromosomal proteins that interact with DNA and a wide range of transcriptional regulators to regulate the structural architecture of DNA. HMGXB4 (also known as HMG2L1) is an HMG protein family member that contains a single HMG box domain. Our previous studies have demonstrated that HMGXB4 suppresses smooth muscle differentiation and exacerbates endotoxemia by promoting a systemic inflammatory response in mice. However, the expression of Hmgxb4 in vivo has not fully examined. Herein, we generated a mouse model that harbors a gene trap in the form of a lacZ gene insertion into the Hmgxb4 gene. This mouse enables the visualization of endogenous HMGXB4 expression in different tissues via staining for the β‐galactosidase activity of LacZ which is under the control of the endogenous Hmgxb4 gene promoter. We found that HMGXB4 is widely expressed in mouse tissues and is a nuclear protein. Furthermore, the Hmgxb4 gene trap mice exhibit normal cardiac function and blood pressure. Measurement of β‐galactosidase activity in the Hmgxb4 gene trap mice demonstrated that the arterial injury significantly induces Hmgxb4 expression. In summary, the Hmgxb4 gene trap reporter mouse described here provides a valuable tool to examine the expression level of endogenous Hmgxb4 in both physiological and pathological settings in vivo.

The interaction between influenza A virus (IAV) and host proteins is an important process that greatly influences viral replication and pathogenicity. PB2 protein is a subunit of viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complex playing distinct roles in viral transcription and replication. BAG6 (BCL2-associated athanogene 6) as a multifunctional host protein participates in physiological and pathological processes. Here, we identify BAG6 as a new restriction factor for IAV replication through targeting PB2. For both avian and human influenza viruses, overexpression of BAG6 reduced viral protein expression and virus titers, whereas deletion of BAG6 significantly enhanced virus replication. Moreover, BAG6-knockdown mice developed more severe clinical symptoms and higher viral loads upon IAV infection. Mechanistically, BAG6 restricted IAV transcription and replication by inhibiting the activity of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The co-immunoprecipitation assays showed BAG6 specifically interacted with the N-terminus of PB2 and competed with PB1 for RdRp complex assembly. The ubiquitination assay indicated that BAG6 promoted PB2 ubiquitination at K189 residue and targeted PB2 for K48-linked ubiquitination degradation. The antiviral effect of BAG6 necessitated its N-terminal region containing a ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain (17-92aa) and a PB2-binding domain (124-186aa), which are synergistically responsible for viral polymerase subunit PB2 degradation and perturbing RdRp complex assembly. These findings unravel a novel antiviral mechanism via the interaction of viral PB2 and host protein BAG6 during avian or human influenza virus infection and highlight a potential application of BAG6 for antiviral drug development.

In order to improve the quality of early indica rice flour products by using endogenous proteins to regulate its physicochemical properties, this paper studied the effects of removing endogenous proteins with different solubility (albumin, globulin, prolamin and oryzenin) on the solubility, swelling capacity, and pasting properties of the early indica rice flour, as well as on its water binding state, rheological properties and freeze-thaw stability after pasting. The results showed that the removal of globulin and oryzenin could improve the solubility of the early indica rice flour, while the removal of prolamin and oryzenin could improve its swelling capacity under high temperature. The removal of albumin made the peak viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown value and setback value of the early indica rice flour decrease by 16%, 21%, 50% and 43%, respectively. The removal of globulin could increased its gelatinization temperature and decreased its peak viscosity, while the removal of prolamin was the opposite. The removal of oryzenin made its peak viscosity, and final viscosity decrease by 22% and 12%, respectively, as well as made its breakdown value and setback value increase by 49% and 53%, respectively. The removal of oryzenin made the weak bound water content of the early indica rice flour decrease by 14% after pasting. The removal of both globulin and oryzenin could increase its water binding strength after pasting, while the removal of prolamin was the opposite. The removal of prolamin made the solid-like state of the early indica rice flour enhance by 20% after pasting. The removal of both globulin and oryzenin could decrease its elasticity after pasting, while the removal of prolamin was the opposite. The removal of globulin and oryzenin made the freeze-thaw stability of the early indica rice flour decrease by 121% and 56%, respectively, after pasting. This study would provide an important reference for improving the quality of early indica rice flour products by using endogenous proteins with different solubility.

Although various degradable gel materials have been developed for temporary plugging in oil fields, they often degrade too quickly in high-temperature environments. To address this issue, an unstable crosslinker was synthesized to prepare a high-temperature degradable gel. This gel does not degrade excessively fast at high temperatures. Temperature and crosslinker concentration are the primary factors influencing gel degradation time, followed by monomer and initiator concentrations. Increased temperature and decreased crosslinker concentration both reduce degradation time, which can be adjusted within the range of 90–130 °C by varying the crosslinker concentration. The molecular structure and thermal stability of the degradable gel were analyzed using FTIR, 13C NMR, and TG. Furthermore, the viscoelastic properties, compressive performance, plugging performance, and core damage performance of the gel were evaluated. Within the test range of 0.1–1000 Pa, the storage modulus is higher than the loss modulus. The gel prepared at 130 °C exhibited a compressive stress of 0.25 MPa at 50% strain. The plugging pressure of the gel in sand-filled tubes with varying permeabilities (538.2–2794.1 mD) exceeded 15 MPa while maintaining a core damage rate below 5%. SEM analysis indicated that the degradation mechanism of the gel may involve the collapse of its three-dimensional network structure due to the hydrolysis of amide groups in the crosslinker. The viscosity of the degradation liquid was below 11 mPa·s, enabling it to be brought back to the surface with the formation fluid without the need for further breaking operations.

High-quality utilization of urban land (HUUL) is essential for optimizing urban land use and promoting high-quality development. Previous research has mainly focused on examining urban land use efficiency, neglecting the connection between urban land use and high-quality development. This study reveals the intrinsic association mechanism between high-quality development and urban land use, which can provide comprehensive theoretical and empirical support for high-quality land use and high-quality urban development. This study constructed an evaluation system for HUUL that comprehensively adopted the entropy method, kernel density estimation, and the geodetector model to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution and driving factors of the HUUL levels of 284 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2020. The measurement results showed that during 2006–2020, the HUUL level showed an apparent upward trend, and the eastern region > the central region > the overall region > the western region > the northeast region. From the kernel density map, there was a noticeable trend of varying degrees of increase in the difference of the main peak position of the HUUL level among cities in all regions except the west. Furthermore, some cities in the eastern and western regions had significantly higher HUUL levels than the others. According to the results of the factor analysis, it is evident that innovative use and open use are the internal primary factors that drive the enhancement of the HUUL level. Moreover, the level of economic development is the external primary factor that facilitates the improvement in HUUL level.

As global water scarcity becomes increasingly acute, water demand forecasting has emerged as a critical component in water resource management and planning. This review aims to comprehensively survey and analyze the current state of research, existing issues, and development trends in the field of water demand forecasting. Presently, there are numerous studies on water demand forecasting; however, most of the forecasting results tend to be overestimated. On the mechanistic level, research has gradually shifted from considering single factors to accounting for the complex influences of multiple factors. This paper summarizes the mechanism of water demand from the three levels of agriculture, industry, and residential life. In terms of forecasting methods, various techniques have been explored and applied, particularly new methods based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, which have demonstrated significant advantages in improving forecasting accuracy and handling nonlinear relationships. Despite the notable progress and practical achievements in water demand forecasting, several challenges and issues remain. Future research should focus on diversifying methodologies, comprehensively considering multiple influencing factors, further refining forecasting models and technical systems, strengthening uncertainty and risk management, and emphasizing practical applications and policy guidance.

Abstract Multiple kernel subspace clustering (MKSC) has attracted intensive attention since its powerful capability of exploring consensus information by generating a high-quality affinity graph from multiple base kernels. However, the existing MKSC methods still exist the following limitations: (1) they essentially neglect the high-order correlations hidden in different base kernels; and (2) they perform candidate affinity graph learning and consensus affinity graph learning in two separate steps, where suboptimal solution may be obtained. To alleviate these problems, a novel MKSC method, namely auto-weighted multiple kernel tensor clustering (AMKTC), is proposed. Specifically, AMKTC first integrates the consensus affinity graph learning and candidate affinity graph learning into a unified framework, where the optimal goal can be achieved by making these two learning processes negotiate with each other. Further, an auto-weighted fusion scheme with one-step manner is proposed to learn the final consensus affinity graph, where the reasonable weights will be automatically learned for each candidate graph. Finally, the essential high-order correlations between multiple base kernels can be captured by leveraging tensor-singular value decomposition (t-SVD)-based tensor nuclear norm constraint on a 3-order graph tensor. Experiments on seven benchmark datasets with eleven comparison methods demonstrate that our method achieves state-of-the-art clustering performance.

ABSTRACTLive poultry markets (LPMs) are regarded as hubs for avian influenza virus (AIV) transmission in poultry and are a major risk factor in human AIV infections. We performed an AIV surveillance study at a wholesale LPM, where different poultry species were sold in separate stalls, and nine retail LPMs, which received poultry from the wholesale LPM but where different poultry species were sold in one stall, in Guangdong province from 2017 to 2019. A higher AIV isolation rate was observed at the retail LPMs than the wholesale LPM. H9N2 was the dominant AIV subtype and was mainly present in chickens and quails. The genetic diversity of H9N2 viruses was greater at the retail LPMs, where a complex system of two-way transmission between different poultry species had formed. The isolated H9N2 viruses could be classed into four genotypes: G57 and the three novel genotypes, NG164, NG165, and NG166. The H9N2 AIVs isolated from chickens and quails at the wholesale LPM only belonged to the G57 and NG164 genotypes, respectively. However, the G57, NG164, and NG165 genotypes were identified in both chickens and quails at the retail LPMs. We found that the replication and transmission of the NG165 genotype were more adaptive to both poultry and mammalian models than those of its precursor genotype, NG164. Our findings revealed that mixed poultry selling at retail LPMs has increased the genetic diversity of AIVs, which might facilitate the emergence of novel viruses that threaten public health.

The novel Cr(VI) anion-imprinted polymer (Cr(VI)-IIP) was prepared by a surface imprinting technique with bifunctional monomers pre-assembly system based on mesoporous silicon (SBA-15). The synthesized Cr(VI)-IIP was characterized by Fourier transmission infrared spectra (FT-IR), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray powder diffractometer, N2 adsorption–desorption and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), proving to be with a highly ordered mesoporous structure, as well as favorable thermal stability. The saturated adsorption amount was 96.32 mg/g, which was 2.7 times higher than that of non-imprinted polymer (NIP). Kinetic experiments showed that the adsorption equilibrium state was obtained within 70 min. In addition, in the selectivity experiments, Cr(VI)-IIP exhibited strong specific recognition ability for Cr(VI) and could realize the separation of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) from an aqueous solution. The dynamic adsorption experiments exhibited that the dynamic adsorption efficiency of Cr(VI)-IIP was as high as 71.57%. Meanwhile, the dynamic regeneration experiments showed that the adsorption amount of Cr(VI)-IIP did not decrease significantly after repeating for five times. All of the findings suggested that Cr(VI)-IIP could achieve precise identification as well as efficient separation of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. HIGHLIGHTS Preparation of Cr(VI) anion-imprinted polymer (Cr(VI)-IIP) by bifunctional monomers pre-assembly system.; The Cr(VI) imprinted sites formed by the coordination of bifunctional monomers and template ions could realize the separation of Cr(VI) and Cr(III).; Cr(VI)-IIP exhibited superior selectivity compared to other common adsorbents and Cr(VI) imprinted polymers prepared by a single functional monomer.;

Straw return is a common cultivation to improve soil fertility and realize sustainable agricultural development. However, the effect of returning interval on the corn straw humification process in northeast China is little known. In this study, a four-year field trial was conducted to investigate the characteristics of soil carbon sequestration under the annual deep straw return (T1), the biennial deep straw return (T2), and the non-straw return (T3) in Jilin Province, China. In order to precisely evaluate the soil organic carbon density (SOCD), each soil horizon was divided differently according to the actual situation, rather than a fixed thickness. The results show that both the annual and the biennial deep straw return had a significantly positive influence on the content of soil organic carbon (SOC), humic acid, fulvic acid, and humin in the plough pan (straw-applied horizon), compared to the no-straw return. SOC of the cambic horizon and the C horizon in annual straw return was 28.78%, 47.44% higher than the biennial straw return, but it was 27.58% lower in the plough pan. The SOCD in the plough pan in the biennial straw return was higher than the annual straw return, but their difference in the entire soil profile was not significant. However, the conversion rate of straw carbon to SOC was 18.42% in the annual straw return and 21.05% in the biennial straw return. The straw return amount was not a key factor affecting the SOC sequestration in the cold area; it was restricted by the comprehensive effects of the cold weather, the intensity of soil disturbance, C/V and the initial SOC content. In conclusion, the biennial deep straw return was a better management tool, as it generally had an identical quality and quantity of soil organic carbon and a higher straw conversion rate relative to the annual deep straw return.

The combined treatment method integrated photothermal therapy (PTT) with chemotherapy is extremely promising owing to the synergistic therapeutic effect as compared to single PTT or chemotherapy. To facilitate more novel and facile photothermal-chemotherapy drugs as well as promote controllable combination therapy, we have developed a mild and facile method to fabricate polymer polypyrrole (PPy)-doxorubicin (DOX) nanoparticles (NPs) as pH-responsive drug nanocarriers for synergistic photothermal-chemotherapy. In the nanoplatform, poly-L-lysine (PLL)-modified PPy serves as the photothermal material, and (DOX) molecules are adopted as the chemotherapy agent. Based on the cross-linking reaction of glutaraldehyde, DOX molecules are flexibly and efficiently assembled on the surface of PLL-modified PPy NPs. The obtained PPy-DOX NPs possess high photothermal effect, superior loading capacity of DOX, and controlled drug release behavior. The combination photothermal-chemotherapy based on PPy-DOX NPs has significantly enhanced the antitumor therapy effect. In general, the designed PPy-DOX NPs may be a potential drug delivery nanoplatform for cancer combination therapy.

BackgroundNon-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is a prevalent skin malignancy. It has been indicated in many studies that trihalomethanes (THMs) exposure has a strong association with tumors but has not been associated with NMSC. Our investigation aims to explore the association between THMs exposure and NMSC.MethodsCross-sectional data from the 2011 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was collected. Poisson regression and subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate the association between individual THMs components and NMSC. Fitted smoothing curves and generalized additive models were also used.ResultsThis study involved 5,715 individuals, 98 (1.7%) of whom self-reported NMSC. After adjusting for covariates, Poisson regression showed that higher blood TBM levels were associated with an increased likelihood of NMSC (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.05, p = 0.002). However, the correlation between the blood levels of TCM, DBCM, and BDCM and the likelihood of NMSC was not statistically significant (all p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis and interaction tests showed no significant differences between blood TBM concentration and the likelihood of NMSC, indicating that age, gender, and race were significantly independent of this positive association (all p < 0.05).ConclusionsOur results implied that among adults older than 65 years old in the U.S., elevated blood TBM concentrations were positively associated with NMSC. More prospective investigations are required to validate this relationship with the early prevention of NMSC.

Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) have been widely applied to inhibit nitrification and reduce N2O emissions in agriculture. However, there are still some shortcomings, e.g. short effective periods, large applying amounts, low effectiveness, easy deactivation and different effect. Thus, a nitrapyrin microcapsule suspension (CPCS) was used as a new experimental material to elaborate its effects on nitrogen transformation and microbial response mechanisms in black soil by cultivation experiments with six treatments of no fertilization (CK), urea, urea+ 0.2 % CPES, urea+ 0.1 % CPCS, urea+ 0.2 % CPCS, and urea+ 0.3 % CPCS. The content of ammonium, nitrate nitrogen, functional microbial activity, degradation rate and adsorption characteristics of CPCS in the soil at different incubating times were determine. Compared with the nitrapyrin emulsifiable concentrate (CPEC) treatment, the degradation rate of CPCS decreased by 21.54 %, the half-life increased by 10.2 days, and the adsorption rate of nitrapyrin on black soil decreased more than 6-fold. CPCS effectively inhibited the transformation of ammonium nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen within more than 42 days. CPCS had a negative effect on amoA gene abundance and a positive effect on nrfA gene abundance. The research results provide a basic theoretical support for the application of CPCS on black soil.

Bauhinia is a widely planted urban tree plant in tropical cities, which are frequently dwelling in a habitat exposed to inevitable streetlamp lighting. It is of practical meaning to figure out the lighting spectra that benefit nutrient utilization in corporation with a proper exponential fertilization regime. In this study, Bauhinia brachycarpa and B. variegata seedlings were cultured with exponential fertilization at the rate of 80 mg nitrogen (N) plant-1 (N-phosphorus-potassium, 10-7-9) with an unfertilized control, and both were exposed to light-emitting diode spectra of R1BG5 (13.9% red, 77.0% green, 9.2% blue), R2BG3 (26.2% red, 70.2% green, 3.5% blue), and R3BG1 (42.3% red, 57.3% green, 0.4% blue). The R3BG1 spectrum resulted in smaller growing size and dry mass but higher nutrient concentration and root water content compared to the other two spectra. Exponential fertilization increased fresh mass for two Bauhinia species but only increased dry mass in B. brachycarpa. Compared to B. variegata, B. brachycarpa was verified to have a higher capacity to accommodate exogeneous nutrient input through exponential fertilization. The R3BG1 spectrum was recommended for the illumination in streetlamps for Bauhinia because this spectrum can promote nutrient uptake without too fast rate of growth relative to other spectra with lower red-light proportions.

The role of enhancer de-regulation in anti-tumor immunity remains to be explored. Here, the authors suggest that ablation of MLL3 and MLL4, two enhancer-associated H3K4 monomethyltransferases, increases tumor immunogenicity and promotes anti-tumor T cell response.

Abstract Background Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is considered one of the most common types of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Current studies have shown that the prognosis of UPS is related to some of its clinical characteristics, but no survival prediction model for the overall survival (OS) of UPS patients has been reported. The purpose of this study is to construct and validate a nomogram for predicting OS in UPS patients at 3, 5 years after the diagnosis. Methods According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1079 patients with UPS were screened from the SEER database and randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 755) and the validation cohort (n = 324). Patient demographic and clinicopathological characteristics were first described, and the correlation between the two groups was compared, using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analysis to determine independent prognostic factors. Based on the identified independent prognostic factors, a nomogram for OS in UPS patients was established using R language. The nomogram’s performance was then validated using multiple indicators, including the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), consistency index (C-index), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results Both the C-index of the OS nomogram in the training cohort and the validation cohort were greater than 0 .75, and both the values of AUC were greater than 0.78. These four values were higher than their corresponding values in the TNM staging system, respectively. The calibration curves of the Nomogram prediction model and the TNM staging system were well fitted with the 45° line. Decision curve analysis showed that both the nomogram model and the TNM staging system had clinical net benefits over a wide range of threshold probabilities, and the nomogram had higher clinical net benefits than the TNM staging system as a whole. Conclusion With good discrimination, accuracy, and clinical practicability, the nomogram can individualize the prediction of 3-year and 5-year OS in patients with UPS, which can provide a reference for clinicians and patients to make better clinical decisions.

Abstract Coalbed methane (CBM) drilling and completion technologies (DCTs) are significant basis for achieving efficient CBM exploration and exploitation. Characteristics of CBM reservoirs vary in different regions around the world, thereby, it is crucial to develop, select and apply the optimum DCTs for each different CBM reservoir. This paper firstly reviews the development history of CBM DCTs throughout worldwide and clarifies its overall development tendency. Secondly, different well types and its characteristics of CBM exploitation are summarized, and main application scopes of these well types are also discussed. Then, the key technologies of CBM drilling (directional drilling tools, measurement while drilling, geo-steering drilling, magnetic guidance drilling, underbalanced drilling and drilling fluids), and the key technologies of CBM completion (open-hole, cavity and under-ream completion, cased-hole completion, screen pipe completion and horizontal well completion) are summarized and analyzed, it is found that safe, economic and efficient development of CBM is inseparable from the support of advanced technologies. Finally, based on the current status of CBM development, the achievements, existing challenges and future prospects are summarized and discussed from the perspective of CBM DCTs.

Summary: The role of SET domain containing 7 (SETD7) during human hematopoietic development remains elusive. Here, we found that deletion of SETD7 attenuated the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) during the induction of hematopoietic differentiation from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Further analysis specified that SETD7 was required for lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) specification but dispensable for the generation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and HPCs. Mechanistically, rather than depending on its histone methyltransferase activity, SETD7 interacted with β-catenin at lysine residue 180 facilitated its degradation. Diminished SETD7 expression led to the accumulation of β-catenin and the consequent activation of the Wnt signaling pathway, which altered LPM patterning and facilitated the production of paraxial mesoderm (PM). Taken together, the findings indicate that SETD7 is related to LPM and PM patterning via posttranslational regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, providing novel insights into mesoderm specification during hematopoietic differentiation from hESCs.

In order to find out the deformation behavior and mechanical properties of 42CrMo steel under warm upsetting conditions, the Gleeble-3500 thermal simulation testing machine was used to carry out a warm upsetting physical simulation experiment on 42CrMo steel. By controlling deformation temperature, strain rate, and constant temperature deformation pass, the microstructure evolution rule under different warm upsetting conditions was analyzed, and its hardness value was measured. Then, the simulation experiment is carried out based on the Deform-3D finite element platform. The results show that, with the increase in deformation temperature, 42CrMo steel has a temperature rise softening effect, which significantly reduces the peak value of rheological stress. At 650 °C, the maximum peak value of rheological stress is only 45.3% of that of cold upsetting deformation at room temperature, and the stress-strain curve tends to be gentle at the plastic deformation stage, which is the most suitable temperature for warm upsetting deformation. The maximum peak flow stress of 42CrMo steel increases with the increase in strain rate, but the number of deformation channels has little influence on the stress-strain curve. The warm, upsetting deformation can refine the internal grain structure significantly, and the grain refinement mechanism is mechanical crushing. When the temperature is slightly higher, the broken grain will recover, and the grain size will grow. During the process of warm upsetting, the strain rate has a great influence on the microhardness of the sample. The deformation pass has little influence on the hardness, and the hardness increases slightly with the increase in the deformation pass. Through the Deform-3D simulation, the correlation coefficient R and the average absolute relative error (AARE) between the simulation value and the experimental value were calculated, and the correlation coefficient R-value was 0.9948, and the average absolute relative error (AARE) was 2.05%, indicating that the simulation can accurately reflect the relationship between displacement and applied load.

Abstract Background/aims Vascular dementia (VD) results in cognition and memory deficit. Exosomes and their carried microRNAs (miRs) contribute to the neuroprotective effects of mesenchymal stromal cells, and miR-132-3p plays a key role in neuron plasticity. Here, we investigated the role and underlying mechanism of MSC EX and their miR-132-3p cargo in rescuing cognition and memory deficit in VD mice. Methods Bilateral carotid artery occlusion was used to generate a VD mouse model. MiR-132-3p and MSC EX levels in the hippocampus and cortex were measured. At 24-h post-VD induction, mice were administered with MSC EX infected with control lentivirus (EXCon), pre-miR-132-3p-expressing lentivirus (EXmiR-132-3p), or miR-132-3p antago lentivirus (EXantagomiR-132-3p) intravenously. Behavioral and cognitive tests were performed, and the mice were killed in 21 days after VD. The effects of MSC EX on neuron number, synaptic plasticity, dendritic spine density, and Aβ and p-Tau levels in the hippocampus and cortex were determined. The effects of MSC EX on oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD)-injured neurons with respect to apoptosis, and neurite elongation and branching were determined. Finally, the expression levels of Ras, phosphorylation of Akt, GSK-3β, and Tau were also measured. Results Compared with normal mice, VD mice exhibited significantly decreased miR-132-3p and MSC EX levels in the cortex and hippocampus. Compared with EXCon treatment, the infusion of EXmiR-132-3p was more effective at improving cognitive function and increasing miR-132-3p level, neuron number, synaptic plasticity, and dendritic spine density, while decreasing Aβ and p-Tau levels in the cortex and hippocampus of VD mice. Conversely, EXantagomiR-132-3p treatment significantly decreased miR-132-3p expression in cortex and hippocampus, as well as attenuated EXmiR-132-3p treatment-induced functional improvement. In vitro, EXmiR-132-3p treatment inhibited RASA1 protein expression, but increased Ras and the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β, and decreased p-Tau levels in primary neurons by delivering miR-132-3p, which resulted in reduced apoptosis, and increased neurite elongation and branching in OGD-injured neurons. Conclusions Our studies suggest that miR-132-3p cluster-enriched MSC EX promotes the recovery of cognitive function by improving neuronal and synaptic dysfunction through activation of the Ras/Akt/GSK-3β pathway induced by downregulation of RASA1.

Desymmetrization of achiral building blocks is one of the most efficient ways to access enantiopure compounds of synthetic relevance. Here, the authors desymmetrize glutarimides with alcohols via an imide C–N bond cleavage under NHC organocatalysis.

Influenza A viruses in animal reservoirs repeatedly cross species barriers to infect humans. Dogs are the closest companion animals to humans, but the role of dogs in the ecology of influenza viruses is unclear. H3N2 avian influenza viruses were transmitted to dogs around 2006 and have formed stable lineages. The long-term epidemic of avian-origin H3N2 virus in canines offers the best models to investigate the effect of dogs on the evolution of influenza viruses. Here, we carried out a systematic and comparative identification of the biological characteristics of H3N2 canine influenza viruses (CIVs) isolated worldwide over 10 years. We found that, during adaptation in dogs, H3N2 CIVs became able to recognize the human-like SAα2,6-Gal receptor, showed gradually increased hemagglutination (HA) acid stability and replication ability in human airway epithelial cells, and acquired a 100% transmission rate via respiratory droplets in a ferret model. We also found that human populations lack immunity to H3N2 CIVs, and even preexisting immunity derived from the present human seasonal influenza viruses cannot provide protection against H3N2 CIVs. Our results showed that canines may serve as intermediates for the adaptation of avian influenza viruses to humans. Continuous surveillance coordinated with risk assessment for CIVs is necessary.

Abstract Ribosomal protein dysfunction causes diverse human diseases, including Diamond–Blackfan anemia (DBA). Despite the universal need for ribosomes in all cell types, the mechanisms underlying ribosomopathies, which are characterized by tissue-specific defects, are still poorly understood. In the present study, we analyzed the transcriptomes of single purified erythroid progenitors isolated from the bone marrow of DBA patients. These patients were categorized into untreated, glucocorticoid (GC)-responsive and GC-non-responsive groups. We found that erythroid progenitors from untreated DBA patients entered S-phase of the cell cycle under considerable duress, resulting in replication stress and the activation of P53 signaling. In contrast, cell cycle progression was inhibited through induction of the type 1 interferon pathway in treated, GC-responsive patients, but not in GC-non-responsive patients. Notably, a low dose of interferon alpha treatment stimulated the production of erythrocytes derived from DBA patients. By linking the innately shorter cell cycle of erythroid progenitors to DBA pathogenesis, we demonstrated that interferon-mediated cell cycle control underlies the clinical efficacy of glucocorticoids. Our study suggests that interferon administration may constitute a new alternative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of DBA. The trial was registered at www.chictr.org.cn as ChiCTR2000038510.

The automatic design has become a popular topic in the application field of computer vision technologies. Previous methods for automatic design are mostly saliency-based, relying on an off-the-shelf model for saliency map detection and hand-crafted aesthetic rules for ranking on multiple proposals. We argue that the multi-stage generation and the excessive reliance on saliency map hindered the progress of pursuing better automatic design solutions. In this work, we explore the possibility of a saliency-free solution in a representative scenario, automatic poster design. We propose a novel end-to-end framework to solve the automatic poster design problem, which is divided into the layout prediction and attributes identification sub-tasks. We design a neural network based on multi-modality feature extraction to learn the two sub-tasks jointly. We train the deep neural network in our framework with automatically extracted supervision from semi-structured posters, bypassing a large amount of required manual labor. Both qualitative and quantitative results show the impressive performance of our end-to-end approach after discarding the explicit saliency detection module. Our system learned on self-supervision performs well on the automatic design by learning aesthetic constraints implicitly in the neural networks.

Using corn stover as raw material, the adsorption mechanism of ammonium nitrogen by biochar prepared by different modification methods was studied. The biochar was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, surface-area analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the adsorption of [Formula: see text] by different modified biochars confirmed the quasi-second-order kinetic equation (R2 > 0.95, p ≤ 0.05), the adsorption isotherms of the Langmuir equation (R2 ≥ 0.96, p ≤ 0.05). ΔGθ < 0, ΔHθ > 0 indicated that the adsorption of [Formula: see text] by different modified biochars was a spontaneous endothermic reaction. With the increase in adsorption temperature, the adsorption capacity of biochar to ammonium nitrogen increased gradually. The adsorption was monolayer adsorption and was controlled by a fast reaction. Both KOH and FeCl3 modified biochars significantly improved the adsorption capacity of [Formula: see text], and the adsorption mechanism was different. The adsorption capacity of [Formula: see text] by FeCl3 modified biochars mainly increased the specific surface area and micropore volume. The adsorption of ammonium nitrogen after KOH modification primarily depended on the wealthy oxygen-containing functional groups. The adsorption effect of ammonium nitrogen modified by KOH was better than that of biochar modified by FeCl3.

Abstract Splicing of influenza A virus (IAV) RNA is an essential process in the viral life cycle that involves the co‐opting of host factors. Here, it is demonstrated that induction of host serine and arginine‐rich splicing factor 5 (SRSF5) by IAV facilitated viral replication by enhancing viral M mRNA splicing. Mechanistically, SRSF5 with its RRM2 domain directly bounds M mRNA at conserved sites (M mRNA position 163, 709, and 712), and interacts with U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) to promote M mRNA splicing and M2 production. Mutations introduced to the three binding sites, without changing amino acid code, significantly attenuates virus replication and pathogenesis in vivo. Likewise, SRSF5 conditional knockout in the lung protects mice against lethal IAV challenge. Furthermore, anidulafungin, an approved antifungal drug, is identified as an inhibitor of SRSF5 that effectively blocks IAV replication in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, SRSF5 as an activator of M mRNA splicing promotes IAV replication and is a host‐derived antiviral target.

Highly efficient genetic transformation technology is greatly beneficial for crop gene function analysis and precision breeding. However, the most commonly used genetic transformation technology for woody plants, mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, is time-consuming and inefficient, which limits its utility for gene function analysis. In this study, a simple, universal, and highly efficient genetic transformation technology mediated by A. rhizogenes K599 is described. This technology can be applied to multiple citrus genotypes, and only 2–8 weeks were required for the entire workflow. Genome-editing experiments were simultaneously conducted using 11 plasmids targeting different genomic positions and all corresponding transformants with the target knocked out were obtained, indicating that A. rhizogenes-mediated genome editing was highly efficient. In addition, the technology is advantageous for investigation of specific genes (such as ACD2) for obtaining “hard-to-get” transgenic root tissue. Furthermore, A. rhizogenes can be used for direct viral vector inoculation on citrus bypassing the requirement for virion enrichment in tobacco, which facilitates virus-induced gene silencing and virus-mediated gene expression. In summary, we established a highly efficient genetic transformation technology bypassing tissue culture in citrus that can be used for genome editing, gene overexpression, and virus-mediated gene function analysis. We anticipate that by reducing the cost, required workload, experimental period, and other technical obstacles, this genetic transformation technology will be a valuable tool for routine investigation of endogenous and exogenous genes in citrus.

Avian influenza virus (AIV) can evolve multiple strategies to combat host antiviral defenses and establish efficient infectivity in mammals, including humans. H9N2 AIV and its reassortants (such as H5N6 and H7N9 viruses) pose an increasing threat to human health; however, the mechanisms involved in their increased virulence remain poorly understood. We previously reported that the M1 mutation T37A has become predominant among chicken H9N2 isolates in China. Here, we report that, since 2010, this mutation has also been found in the majority of human isolates of H9N2 AIV and its emerging reassortants. The T37A mutation of M1 protein enhances the replication of H9N2 AIVs in mice and in human cells. Interestingly, having A37 instead of T37 increases the M1 protein stability and resistance to proteasomal degradation. Moreover, T37 of the H9N2 M1 protein is phosphorylated by protein kinase G (PKG), and this phosphorylation induces the rapid degradation of M1 and reduces viral replication. Similar effects are also observed in the novel H5N6 virus. Additionally, ubiquitination at K187 contributes to M1-37T degradation and decreased replication of the virus harboring T37 in the M1 protein. The prevailing AIVs thereby evolve a phospho-resistant mutation in the M1 protein to avoid viral protein degradation by host factors, which is advantageous in terms of replication in mammalian hosts.

Histone methylation, which is critical for transcriptional regulation and various biological processes in eukaryotes, is a reversible dynamic process regulated by histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and histone demethylases (HDMs). This study determined the function of 5 HMTs (AaDot1, AaHMT1, AaHnrnp, AaSet1, and AaSet2) and 1 HDMs (AaGhd2) in the phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria alternata by analyzing targeted gene deletion mutants. The vegetative growth, conidiation, and pathogenicity of ∆AaSet1 and ∆AaSet2 were severely inhibited indicating that AaSet1 and AaSet2 play critical roles in cell development in A. alternata. Multiple stresses analysis revealed that both AaSet1 and AaSet2 were involved in the adaptation to cell wall interference agents and osmotic stress. Meanwhile, ∆AaSet1 and ∆AaSet2 displayed serious vegetative growth defects in sole carbon source medium, indicating that AaSet1 and AaSet2 play an important role in carbon source utilization. In addition, ∆AaSet2 colony displayed white in color, while the wild-type colony was dark brown, indicating AaSet2 is an essential gene for melanin biosynthesis in A. alternata. AaSet2 was required for the resistance to oxidative stress. On the other hand, all of ∆AaDot1, ∆AaHMT1, and ∆AaGhd2 mutants displayed wild-type phenotype in vegetative growth, multi-stress resistance, pathogenicity, carbon source utilization, and melanin biosynthesis. To explore the regulatory mechanism of AaSet1 and AaSet2, RNA-seq of these mutants and wild-type strain was performed. Phenotypes mentioned above correlated well with the differentially expressed genes in ∆AaSet1 and ∆AaSet2 according to the KEGG and GO enrichment results. Overall, our study provides genetic evidence that defines the central role of HMTs and HDMs in the pathological and biological functions of A. alternata.

A dynamic multi-region computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to analyze virtual water and its effect in the Huaihe River basin, which includes Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Henan provinces. The baseline scenario was first constructed to describe the trade situation and virtual water among different regions and sectors from 2009–2020. Then two hypothetical policy scenarios were set to analyze the economic, water consumption and virtual water trade impacts under different policy shocks. The results show that (1) the Huaihe River basin was a net virtual water outflow region, with 13.977 × 109 m3 virtual water transferred outside the river basin in 2009, and 26.653 × 109 m3 VW transferred to outside in 2020. Jiangsu is the largest virtual water outflow province (mainly flows to outside), followed by Anhui. Anhui suffers from severe water shortage, but provides a net virtual water outflow to Henan, Jiangsu and Shandong and outside; (2) reducing Anhui's agricultural output (S1 scenario) and Anhui's agricultural virtual water outflow (S2 scenario) can not only reduce virtual water trade but also save water, but S1 scenario reduced net virtual water outflow by more, and saved more water. S1 had a positive effect on gross domestic product (GDP), but reduced the employment rate. HIGHLIGHTS Role of VWT analyzed using a CGE.; CGE based on 12 years of data (2009–2020).; VW study not only focused on agriculture, but also included industry and service sectors.; Two hypothetical scenarios were set to analyze the economic, water consumption and VWT impact.; Assessment of VW will change water usage and trade in different upstream and downstream regions of the Huaihe watershed.;

Abstract Regeneration/repair after injury can be endowed by adult stem cells (ASCs) or lineage restricted and even terminally differentiated cells. In corneal epithelium, regeneration after a large wound depends on ASCs (limbal epithelial stem cells, LESCs), whereas repair after a small wound is LESCs-independent. Here, using rat corneal epithelial wounds with different sizes, we show that YAP activation promotes the activation and expansion of LESCs after a large wound, as well as the reprogramming of local epithelial cells (repairing epithelial cells) after a small wound, which contributes to LESCs-dependent and -independent wound healing, respectively. Mechanically, we highlight that the reciprocal regulation of YAP activity and the assembly of cell junction and cortical F-actin cytoskeleton accelerates corneal epithelial healing with different-sized wounds. Together, the common YAP activation and the underlying regulatory mechanism are harnessed by LESCs and lineage-restricted epithelial cells to cope with corneal epithelial wounds with different sizes.

The WRKY transcription factor family plays a vital role in plant development and environmental response. However, the information of WRKY genes at the genome-wide level is rarely reported in Caragana korshinskii. In this study, we identified and renamed 86 CkWRKY genes, which were further classified into three groups through phylogenetic analysis. Most of these WRKY genes were clustered and distributed on eight chromosomes. Multiple sequence alignment revealed that the conserved domain (WRKYGQK) of the CkWRKYs was basically consistent, but there were also six variation types (WRKYGKK, GRKYGQK, WRMYGQK, WRKYGHK, WKKYEEK and RRKYGQK) that appeared. The motif composition of the CkWRKYs was quite conservative in each group. In general, the number of WRKY genes gradually increased from lower to higher plant species in the evolutionary analysis of 28 species, with some exceptions. Transcriptomics data and RT-qPCR analysis showed that the CkWRKYs in different groups were involved in abiotic stresses and ABA response. Our results provided a basis for the functional characterization of the CkWRKYs involved in stress resistance in C. korshinskii.

The segmented genome of influenza A virus has conferred significant evolutionary advantages to this virus through genetic reassortment, a mechanism that facilitates the rapid expansion of viral genetic diversity upon influenza co-infections. Therefore, co-infection of genetically diverse avian influenza viruses in poultry may pose a significant public health risk in generating novel reassortants with increased zoonotic potential. This study investigated the reassortment patterns of a Pearl River Delta-lineage avian influenza A(H7N9) virus and four genetically divergent avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses upon co-infection in embryonated chicken eggs and chickens. To characterize “within-host” and “between-host” genetic diversity, we further monitored the viral genotypes that were subsequently transmitted to contact chickens in serial transmission experiments. We observed that co-infection with A(H7N9) and A(H9N2) viruses may lead to the emergence of novel reassortant viruses in ovo and in chickens, albeit with different reassortment patterns. Novel reassortants detected in donor chickens co-infected with different combinations of the same A(H7N9) virus and different A(H9N2) viruses showed distinct onward transmission potential to contact chickens. Sequential transmission of novel reassortant viruses was only observed in one out of four co-infection combinations. Our results demonstrated different patterns by which influenza viruses may acquire genetic diversity through co-infection in ovo, in vivo, and under sequential transmission conditions.

Pandemic influenza, typically caused by the reassortment of human and avian influenza viruses, can result in severe or fatal infections in humans. Timely identification of potential pandemic viruses must be a priority in influenza virus surveillance. However, the range of host species responsible for the generation of novel pandemic influenza viruses remains unclear. In this study, we conducted serological surveys for avian and human influenza virus infections in farmed mink and determined the susceptibility of mink to prevailing avian and human virus subtypes. The results showed that farmed mink were commonly infected with human (H3N2 and H1N1/pdm) and avian (H7N9, H5N6, and H9N2) influenza A viruses. Correlational analysis indicated that transmission of human influenza viruses occurred from humans to mink, and that feed source was a probable route of avian influenza virus transmission to farmed mink. Animal experiments showed that mink were susceptible and permissive to circulating avian and human influenza viruses, and that human influenza viruses (H3N2 and H1N1/pdm), but not avian viruses, were capable of aerosol transmission among mink. These results indicate that farmed mink could be highly permissive “mixing vessels” for the reassortment of circulating human and avian influenza viruses. Therefore, to reduce the risk of emergence of novel pandemic viruses, feeding mink with raw poultry by-products should not be permitted, and epidemiological surveillance of influenza viruses in mink farms should be urgently implemented.

PurposePortable three-dimensional imaging systems are becoming increasingly common for facial measurement analysis. However, the reliability of portable devices may be affected by the necessity to take three pictures at three time points. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of portable devices for assessing the periocular region.MethodsIn 60 Caucasian volunteers (120 eyes), four facial scans (twice for each instrument) using the portable VECTRA H2 and static VECTRA M3 devices were performed; patients' heads were kept straight, looking ahead, with a neutral facial expression. One assessor set 52 periocular landmarks in the periocular area of each image and subsequently assessed intra- and inter-device reliability by comparing two within-device measurements and one between-device measurement, respectively.ResultsThe mean absolute difference (MAD) (0.13 and 0.12 units), relative error of measurement (REM) (0.61 and 0.68%), technical error of measurement (TEM)(1.02 and 0.80 units), relative TEM (rTEM) (5.51 and 4.43%), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (0.89, 0.89) showed good intra-device reliability for M3 and H2; MAD (0.63, 0.62 units), REM (2.83, 2.69%), TEM (1.31, 1.10 units), rTEM (7.62, 5.57%), and ICC (0.79, 0.83) indicated that inter-device reliability deteriorated compared to intra-device reliability and that the inter-device reliability of the first scan (moderate) was lower than that of the average of the two scans (good).ConclusionsThe portable VECTRA H2 device proved reliable in assessing most periocular linear distances, curve distances, and angles; some improvement in inter-device reliability can be achieved by using the average of two scans.

Abstract Background Cervical cancer is the most prevalent gynecological malignancies accompanied by high mortality, where finding a more effective therapeutic option for cervical cancer is necessary. The inhibitory role of microRNAs (miRNAs) derived from the extracellular vesicles (EVs) of the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was analyzed in cervical cancer. Methods Expression of miR-375 was examined by RT-qPCR in cervical cancer cell lines. The targeting relation between miR-375 and maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) was predicted by bioinformatics analysis and verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Isolated BMSCs were transfected with lentivirus-mediated vectors, followed by EV extraction. The morphology of EVs was then identified using a NanoSight particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The biological properties of cervical cancer cells were evaluated using Transwell, EdU, and TUNEL assays, respectively. Xenograft tumors in nude mice were observed to assess cervical tumorigenesis in vivo. Results Low expression of miR-375 and high expression of MELK were detected in cervical cancer samples. MELK was identified as the target gene of miR-375, which was negatively correlated with miR-375 levels. Overexpression of miR-375 suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells, but enhanced cell apoptosis by cooperating with downregulated MELK expression. miR-375 transferred from BMSC-derived EVs exerted the same effects on cell biological activities. Xenograft assays in vivo proved that miR-375 from BMSC-derived EVs inhibited tumor growth. Conclusion The present study highlighted the role of miR-375 from BMSC-derived EVs in suppressing the progression of cervical cancer, which may contribute to the discovery of novel potential biomarkers for cervical cancer therapy.

We propose an uplink full-duplex (FD) cooperative non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system, where a dedicated Full-duplex (FD) relay is used to help two uplink users transmitting information to the base station. A novel FD relay transmission mode is proposed, in which the FD relay utilizes successive interference cancellation (SIC) and self-interference cancellation to decode two users symbols at the relay receiving antenna, and the relay transmitting antenna transmits superimposed signal to the base station using superposition coding. In this paper, we also consider a more realistic scenario where self-interference cancellation is imperfect. Hence, the residual-self interference exists. Moreover, the ergodic sum rate and the outage probability of the proposed system are investigated and the accurate analytical expressions are derived. Simulation results validate that, compared with the uplink half-duplex (HD) cooperative NOMA system and the uplink HD cooperative orthogonal multiple access (OMA) system, our proposed system obtains better performance of the ergodic sum rate and outage probability in the main signal to noise ratio (SNR) regime.

Land ecological security plays an important role in the sustainable land resources utilization and social economic development. In this study, the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model was constructed to measure the land ecological security pattern based on grids scale of Jinan from 2006 to 2016. Then, Moran’s index was used to explore the spatial autocorrelation of the land ecological security score. Finally, the driving factors of land ecological security pattern differentiation in Jinan were revealed by using geographical detector method. The results showed that the level of land ecological security in Jinan, generally, decreased at the beginning and then gradually increased during the research periods. More specifically, land ecological security was represented as a downward trend in the central region and an upward trend in the southern mountainous area. The apparent regional heterogeneity of land ecological security level in Jinan showed the overall distribution pattern “low in the middle and high around” and the direction of urban expansion consistent with the low-level land ecological security. Land ecological security presented a significant spatial autocorrelation. The differentiation of land ecological security pattern was mainly driven by social and economic development factors, among which urban expansion was most important, so urban development should try to avoid occupying those areas with high level of land ecological security. From the study, the valuable information could be provided in the improvement of land ecosystem environment and in the facilitation of sustainable development.

Many cellular genes and networks induced in human lung epithelial cells infected with the influenza virus remain uncharacterized. Here, we find that p21 levels are elevated in response to influenza A virus (IAV) infection, which is independent of p53. Silencing, pharmacological inhibition or deletion of p21 promotes virus replication in vitro and in vivo, indicating that p21 is an influenza restriction factor. Mechanistically, p21 binds to the C-terminus of IAV polymerase subunit PA and competes with PB1 to limit IAV polymerase activity. Besides, p21 promotes IRF3 activation by blocking K48-linked ubiquitination degradation of HO-1 to enhance type I interferons expression. Furthermore, a synthetic p21 peptide (amino acids 36 to 43) significantly inhibits IAV replication in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our findings reveal that p21 restricts IAV by perturbing the viral polymerase complex and activating the host innate immune response, which may aid the design of desperately needed new antiviral therapeutics.

Regarding applicative, facile, green chemical research, a bio-inspired approach is being reported for the synthesis of Au nanoparticles by pectin (PEC) as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent without using any toxic and harmful reagent under ultrasonic condition. The biosynthesized Au NPs@PEC were characterized by advanced physicochemical techniques like ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) study. It has been established that pectin-stabilized Au nanoparticles have a spherical shape with a mean diameter from 5 to 10 nm. In the medicinal part of the present research, the lung BEAS-2B, WI-38, CCD-19Lu, IMR-90, MRC-5, and HEL 299 cell viability was determined by trypan blue assay. The caspase activity colorimetric assay kit and Rhodamine123 fluorescence dye were used to determine the caspase-3 activity and mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively. Apoptosis and DNA fragmentation were determined by the TUNEL test. Also, the inflammatory cytokines concentrations were evaluated by the Rat inflammatory cytokine assay kit. Au NPs@PEC-treated cell cutlers decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.01) the caspase-3 activity, inflammatory cytokines concentrations, and DNA fragmentation, and enhanced the mitochondrial membrane potential and cell viability in the high concentration of Methotrexate-treated lung BEAS-2B, WI-38, CCD-19Lu, IMR-90, MRC-5, and HEL 299 cells. In the antioxidant test, the IC50 of Au NPs@PEC nanocomposite and BHT against DPPH free radicals were 203 and 181 µg/mL, respectively. Finally, Au NPs@PEC may be used as a pulmonary protective supplement to treat acute lung injury.

The development of natural fracture will lead to lost circulation, which will be likely to cause economic losses and reduce drilling efficiency. In order to solve this problem, an oil-based pressure-bearing foam gel plugging agent for fractured shale was developed. The basic components such as foaming agent, foam stabilizer, and cross-linking agent were optimized and compounded, and the basic formula of the oil-based foam gel system was 0.6%DSFA foaming agent+0.3%BPMO foaming agent+0.5%EPDM+1.5%SBS+0.05%rigid cross−linking agent DB+0.02%modified SiO2 nanoparticles. Then, the performance of the oil-based foam gel plugging agent was evaluated through core plugging experiments, and the results showed that the prepared plugging agent had good stability and plugging performance with a plugging rate of about 90%.

Existing learning-based methods for low-light image enhancement contain a large number of redundant features, the enhanced images lack detail and have strong noises. Some methods try to combine the pyramid structure to learn features from coarse to fine, but the inconsistency of the pyramid structure leads to luminance, color and texture deviations in the enhanced images. In addition, these methods are usually computationally complex and require high computational resource requirements. In this paper, we propose an efficient adaptive feature aggregation network (EAANet) for low-light image enhancement. Our model adopts a pyramid structure and includes multiple multi-scale feature aggregation block (MFAB) and one adaptive feature aggregation block (AFAB). MFAB is proposed to be embedded into each layer of the pyramid structure to fully extract features and reduce redundant features, while the AFAB is proposed for overcome the inconsistency of the pyramid structure. EAANet is very lightweight, with low device requirements and a quick running time. We conducted an extensive comparison with some state-of-the-art methods in terms of PSNR, SSIM, parameters, computations and running time on LOL and MIT5K datasets, and the experiments show that the proposed method has significant advantages in terms of comprehensive performance. The proposed method reconstructs images with richer color and texture, and the noises is effectively suppressed.

Non-calcined petroleum coke can serve as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, this method results in materials with insufficient conductivities and low Coulombic efficiencies during the initial cycle. To address these challenges, the usage of pre-baked carbon anodes as a material for anodes in LIBs is proposed in this study. The surface features of the pre-baked anode (i.e. wrinkle-like filaments) aid in reducing the volume expansion of the electrode during the lithium-ion insertion–removal process. Furthermore, the treatment increases the particle contact area, improving the conductivity of the pre-baked anode. At a current density of 3 A g ^−1 , the pre-baked anode demonstrated an initial discharge capacity and a stable discharge capacity of 548.7 and 134.5 mAh g ^−1 , respectively, after 100 cycles. The capacity of the anode (after 1000 cycles) consistently varies within a narrow range at a current density of 3 A g ^−1 , indicating the stability of the electrode capacity over extended use. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights into exploring potential applications of pre-baked anode materials.