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Abstract Lacking effective therapeutic targets heavily restricts the improvement of clinical prognosis for patients diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Ubiquitin Specific Peptidase 21 (USP21) is dysregulated in plenty of human cancers, however, its potential function and relevant molecular mechanisms in ESCC malignant progression as well as its value in clinical translation remain largely unknown. Here, in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that aberrant upregulation of USP21 accelerated the proliferation and metastasis of ESCC in a deubiquitinase-dependent manner. Mechanistically, we found that USP21 binds to, deubiquitinates, and stabilizes the G3BP Stress Granule Assembly Factor 1 (G3BP1) protein, which is required for USP21-mediated ESCC progression. Further molecular studies demonstrated that the USP21/G3BP1 axis played a tumor-promoting role in ESCC progression by activating the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway. Additionally, disulfiram (DSF), an inhibitor against USP21 deubiquitylation activity, markedly abolished the USP21-mediated stability of G3BP1 protein and significantly displayed an anti-tumor effect on USP21-driving ESCC progression. Finally, the regulatory axis of USP21/G3BP1 was demonstrated to be aberrantly activated in ESCC tumor tissues and closely associated with advanced clinical stages and unfavorable prognoses, which provides a promising therapeutic strategy targeting USP21/G3BP1 axis for ESCC patients.

The applications of ultrafast optics to biomedical microscopy have expanded rapidly in recent years, including interferometric techniques like optical coherence tomography and microscopy (OCT/OCM). The advances of ultra-high resolution OCT and the inclusion of OCT/OCM in multimodal systems combined with multiphoton microscopy have marked a transition from using pseudo-continuous broadband sources, such as superluminescent diodes, to ultrafast supercontinuum optical sources. We report anomalies in the dispersion profiles of low-coherence ultrafast pulses through long and non-identical arms of a Michelson interferometer that are well beyond group delay or third-order dispersions. This chromatic anomaly worsens the observed axial resolution and causes fringe artifacts in the reconstructed tomograms in OCT/OCM using traditional algorithms. We present DISpersion COmpensation Techniques for Evident Chromatic Anomalies (DISCOTECA) as a universal solution to address the problem of chromatic dispersion mismatch in interferometry, especially with ultrafast sources. First, we demonstrate the origin of these artifacts through the self-phase modulation of ultrafast pulses due to focusing elements in the beam path. Next, we present three solution paradigms for DISCOTECA: optical, optoelectronic, and computational, along with quantitative comparisons to traditional methods to highlight the improvements to the dynamic range and axial profile. We explain the piecewise reconstruction of the phase mismatch between the arms of the spectral-domain interferometer using a modified short-term Fourier transform algorithm inspired by spectroscopic OCT. Finally, we present a decision-making guide for evaluating the utility of DISCOTECA in interferometry and for the artifact-free reconstruction of OCT images using an ultrafast supercontinuum source for biomedical applications.

In advanced oxidation processes with metal-containing catalysts, metal dissolution usually leads to reduced efficiency and biotoxicity. Therefore, it is very important to find efficient non-metallic materials. In this work, a metal-free mesoporous tubular g-C3N4 was fabricated using melamine and urea mixed according to the mass ratios of 1:12 (TPCN12) by a facile one-step thermal polymerization method. Mesoporous tubular TPCN12 was proved to be successfully synthesized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Then the degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ) by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) of TPCN12 under visible light was investigated. It was found that degradation rate constant of CBZ in TPCN12/Vis/PMS system (0.0939 min−1) exhibited great superiority over that in TPCN12/Vis system (0.0149 min−1) and in TPCN12/PMS system, which indicated TPCN12, Vis and PMS had a synergistic effect. The dominant role of the electron transfer and the primary contribution of the holes (h+) and •O2− reactive species were revealed in TPCN12/Vis/ PMS system. Furthermore, the system showed sufficient advantages over a wide pH range and high resistance to inorganic anions. In general, the TPCN12/Vis/PMS system was capable of high stability and recyclability. This metal-free mesoporous tubular catalyst was proposed to achieve efficient and green elimination of pharmaceutical organic pollutants.

A systematic study of the movement of PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and their derivatives through air, soil, and water is key to understanding the exchange and transport mechanisms of these pollutants in the environment and for ultimately improving environmental quality. PAHs and their derivatives, such as nitrated PAHs (NPAHs), oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs), brominated PAHs (BrPAHs) and chlorinated PAHs (ClPAHs), were analyzed in air, bulk deposition, soil, and water samples collected from urban, rural, field, and background sites on the eastern coast of China. The goal was to investigate and discuss their spatiotemporal variations, exchange fluxes, and transport potential. The concentrations of PAHs and their derivatives in the air and bulk deposition displayed distinct seasonal patterns, with higher concentrations observed during the winter and spring and lower concentrations during the summer and autumn. NPAHs exhibited the opposite trend. Significant urban-rural gradients were observed for most of the PAHs and their derivatives. According to the air-soil fugacity calculations, 2–3 ring PAHs, BrPAHs, and ClPAHs were found to volatilize from the soil into the air, while 4–7 ring PAHs, OPAHs, and NPAHs deposited from the air into the soil. The air-water fugacity of the PAHs and their derivatives indicated that surface water was an important source for the ambient atmosphere in Qingdao. The characteristic travel distances (CTDs) and persistence (Pov) for atmospheric transport were much lower than that for the water samples, which may be due to the longer half-lives of PAHs and their derivatives in water. NPAHs and ClPAHs with long transport distances and strong persistence in water could lead to a significant impact on marine pollution.

Abstract This study examines consumer fraud at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides novel evidence for the opportunity model of predatory victimization. Scammers have taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic shock to exploit victims who are already vulnerable and suffering. The number of fraud cases has greatly increased as COVID-19 spread across the U.S., consistent with the vulnerable-to-become-victimization hypothesis based on the opportunity model of predatory victimization. A Google Trends analysis shows that the increase in fraud and scams is attributable to victims’ increased vulnerability rather than to their awareness of fraud and increased motivation to report scams. An improvement in financial literacy is associated with the reduction of finance-related fraud and scams. Finally, we provide important policy implications to protect people from fraud victimization.

Abstract We‐Energy (WE), as an important energy unit with full duplex and multi‐energy carriers in the integrated energy system, uses the coupling matrix to connect the network‐side and demand‐side energy. However, the coupling matrix of WE is very hard to be formulated directly due to the complicated internal structure and the flexibility of operation mode. This paper proposes a multi‐step method for the modelling of WE. According to the method, the conversion process in the WE can be separated into several steps and the WE model can be built by the coupling matrix in each step. Then, the WE model is extended by considering the renewable energy, location of storage and different types of demand response. Because of the non‐linearity caused by the dispatch factors, the computational complexity increases greatly for solving the optimal scheduling issue of the WE. In order to reduce the computational burden, the variable substitution is added in the proposed modelling method. The results of simulation cases are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed modelling and calculation method.

The ternary amorphous CuSeP2 was designed and prepared as the anode material of potassium ion battery for the first time, and its electrochemical performance was also investigated. After ball-milling with commercial graphene powder, it is used as the anode material for potassium ion battery with reversible specific capacity up to 300 mAh g-1, and the corresponding initial coulombic efficiency is close to 60%. What’s more, the specific capacity remains above 150 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 200 mA g-1. When increasing the current density to 1000 mA g-1, the CuSeP2/graphene composites still has a potassium storage specific capacity of 100 mAh g-1. Our results show that the potassium storage mechanism of the ternary CuSeP2 anode material is a typical conversion reaction and the introduction of Cu can not only buffer the volume expansion during the subsequent electrochemical reaction, but also effectively enhance the electrochemical reversibility of potassium ion.

Abstract Label-free optical microscopy has matured as a noninvasive tool for biological imaging; yet, it is criticized for its lack of specificity, slow acquisition and processing times, and weak and noisy optical signals that lead to inaccuracies in quantification. We introduce FOCALS (Fast Optical Coherence, Autofluorescence Lifetime imaging, and Second harmonic generation) microscopy capable of generating NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetime, second harmonic generation (SHG), and polarization-sensitive optical coherence microscopy (OCM) images simultaneously. Multimodal imaging generates quantitative metabolic and morphological profiles of biological samples in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. Fast analog detection of fluorescence lifetime and real-time processing on a graphical processing unit enables longitudinal imaging of biological dynamics. We detail the effect of optical aberrations on the accuracy of FLIM beyond the context of undistorting image features. To compensate for the sample-induced aberrations, we implemented a closed-loop single-shot sensorless adaptive optics solution, which uses computational adaptive optics of OCM for wavefront estimation within 2 s and improves the quality of quantitative fluorescence imaging in thick tissues. Multimodal imaging with complementary contrasts improves the specificity and enables multidimensional quantification of the optical signatures in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo, fast acquisition and real-time processing improve imaging speed by 4–40 × while maintaining enough signal for quantitative nonlinear microscopy, and adaptive optics improves the overall versatility, which enable FOCALS microscopy to overcome the limits of traditional label-free imaging techniques.

“Ulvophyceae is a remarkably morphologically and ecologically diverse clade of green algae. Here, the authors reconstruct the Ulvophyceae phylogeny, showing that these algae originated earlier than expected and may have influenced biogeochemical cycles at the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic transition.”

To provide an overview of the current situation, challenges, and trends in online medical services from the perspective of andrology and promote the development of online medical services. Users of the Learning Alliance of Urology, who mainly worked in central regions of China, were invited to complete the questionnaire that included information on the participants and their institutions and their involvement in and concerns for online medical services. We received 875 complete responses. The percentage of online andrology patients at most institutions was less than 30%. The most common services were online appointment registration (92.7%) and online payment (81.8%). Online chat consultation (77.7%) was the most common form of consultation. Only 1 in 5 of the institutions had constructed their Internet hospital. Factors related to the percentage of online andrology patients included specialized andrology clinics and wards, sufficient time for doctors to provide online services, more diversified services, and online clinic training. The biggest challenge for online medical services was diagnosis and treatment safety. It is essential to raise awareness of online medical services for hospitals and patients and strengthen standardized management and training of online medical services, especially applicable to central regions of China. However, online medical services cannot wholly replace offline services due to insufficient diagnosis and treatment.

The knowledge of the spatial distribution, sources, and air–soil exchange of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in an oilfield area is essential to the development of effective control practices of PAC pollution. In this study, 48 passive air samples and 24 soil samples were collected during 2018–2019 in seven functional areas (e.g., urban, oil field, suburban, industrial, agricultural, near pump units, and background) in the Yellow River Delta (YRD) where the Shengli Oilfield is located, and 18 parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and five alkylated-PAHs (APAHs) were analyzed from all the air and soil samples. The ΣPAHs in the air and soil ranged from 2.26 to 135.83 ng/m3 and 33.96 to 408.94 ng/g, while the ΣAPAHs in the atmosphere and soil ranged from 0.04 to 16.31 ng/m3 and 6.39 to 211.86 ng/g, respectively. There was a downward trend of atmospheric ΣPAH concentrations with increasing the distance from the urban area, while both ΣPAH and ΣAPAH concentrations in the soil decreased with distance from the oilfield area. PMF analyses show that for atmospheric PACs, coal/biomass combustion was the main contributor in urban, suburban, and agricultural areas, while crude production and processing source contributes more in the industrial and oilfield area. For PACs in soil, densely populated areas (industrial, urban, and suburban) are more affected by traffic sources, while oilfield and near-pump unit areas are under the impact of oil spills. The fugacity fraction (ff) results indicated that the soil generally emitted low-molecular-weight PAHs and APAHs and act as a sink for high-molecular-weight PAHs. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of Σ(PAH+APAH) in both the air and soil, were below the threshold (≤10−6) set by the US EPA.

The plastid organelle is essential for many vital cellular processes and the growth and development of plants. The availability of a large number of complete plastid genomes could be effectively utilized to understand the evolution of the plastid genomes and phylogenetic relationships among plants. We comprehensively analyzed the plastid genomes of Viridiplantae comprising 3,654 taxa from 298 families and 111 orders and compared the genomic organizations in their plastid genomic DNA among major clades, which include gene gain/loss, gene copy number, GC content, and gene blocks. We discovered that some important genes that exhibit similar functions likely formed gene blocks, such as the psb family presumably showing co-occurrence and forming gene blocks in Viridiplantae. The inverted repeats (IRs) in plastid genomes have doubled in size across land plants, and their GC content is substantially higher than non-IR genes. By employing three different data sets [all nucleotide positions (nt123), only the first and second codon positions (nt12), and amino acids (AA)], our phylogenomic analyses revealed Chlorokybales + Mesostigmatales as the earliest-branching lineage of streptophytes. Hornworts, mosses, and liverworts forming a monophylum were identified as the sister lineage of tracheophytes. Based on nt12 and AA data sets, monocots, Chloranthales and magnoliids are successive sister lineages to the eudicots + Ceratophyllales clade. The comprehensive taxon sampling and analysis of different data sets from plastid genomes recovered well-supported relationships of green plants, thereby contributing to resolving some long-standing uncertainties in the plant phylogeny.

Prussian blue (PB) has great potential for use as a sodium cathode material owing to its high working potential and cube frame structure. Herein, this work reports a two-step method to synthesize PB with ascorbic acid as the ball-milling additive, which improves the electrochemical rate performance of PB during the traditional co-precipitation method. The obtained PB sample exhibited a superior specific capability (113.3 mAh g−1 even at 20 C, 1 C = 170 mA g−1) and a specific capacity retention of 84.8% after 100 cycles at 1 C rate. In order to enhance the cycling performance of the PB, an in situ polyaniline coating strategy was employed in which aniline was added into the electrolyte and polymerized under electrochemical conditions. The coated anode exhibited a high specific capacity retention of 62.7% after 500 cycles, which is significantly higher than that of the non-coated sample, which only remains 40.1% after 500 cycles. This development has shown a great potential as a low-cost, high-performance and environment-friendly technology for large-scale industrial application of PB.

Multifunctional, integrated, and reusable operating platforms are highly sought after in biochemical analysis and detection systems. In this study, we demonstrated a novel detachable, reusable acoustic tweezer manipulation platform that is flexible and versatile. The free interchangeability of different detachable microchannel devices on the acoustic tweezer platform was achieved by adding a waveguide layer (glass) and a coupling layer (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer film). We designed and demonstrated the detachable multifunctional acoustic tweezer platform with three cell manipulation capabilities. In Demo I, the detachable acoustic tweezer platform is demonstrated to have the capability for parallel processing and enrichment of the sample. In Demo II, the detachable acoustic tweezer platform with capability for precise cell alignment is demonstrated. In Demo III, it was demonstrated that the detachable acoustic tweezer platform has the capability for the separation and purification of cells. Through experiments, our acoustic tweezer platform has good acoustic retention ability, reusability, and stability. More capabilities can be expanded in the future. It provides a simple, economical, and multifunctional reusable operating platform solution for biochemical analysis and detection systems.

The development of diversified energy structures, distributed energy scheduling models and active participation ability of users, leads to a rapid movement toward energy system in which different energy carriers and systems interact together in a synergistic way. This energy development will face many challenges with the requirements of big data processing capability, professional skill, distributed collaboration and real-time monitoring for the energy system that demands an intelligent and flexible tool to realize the smart energy. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has become a focus because of its better performance. This paper proposed a classification method that incorporates the intelligence of an independent energy unit (IEU) and the intelligence among interconnected energy units (IEUS) to review the development of AI technology in energy systems. The dominant structures of IEU can be considered from three aspects including perception, decision and implementation to study the optimal strategy for AI methods utilized in IEU. And considering the interaction relationship of IEUS, the AI applied for it can be described by the coordinated relationship and adversarial relationship problems to achieve consensus. By discussing the AI technologies and the potentials of AI in the energy system, some suggestions are presented to improve intelligent technologies for sustainable energy systems in the future.

Angiosperms (flowering plants) are the most diverse and species-rich group of plants. The vast majority (∼99.95%) of angiosperms form a clade called Mesangiospermae, which is subdivided into five major groups: eudicots, monocots, magnoliids, Chloranthales, and Ceratophyllales. The relationships among these Mesangiospermae groups have been the subject of long debate. In this study, we assembled a phylogenomic dataset of 1594 genes from 151 angiosperm taxa, including representatives of all five lineages, to investigate the phylogeny of major angiosperm lineages under both coalescent- and concatenation-based methods. We dissected the phylogenetic signal and found that more than half of the genes lack phylogenetic information for the backbone of angiosperm phylogeny. We further removed the genes with weak phylogenetic signal and showed that eudicots, Ceratophyllales, and Chloranthales form a clade, with magnoliids and monocots being the next successive sister lineages. Similar frequencies of gene tree conflict are suggestive of incomplete lineage sorting along the backbone of the angiosperm phylogeny. Our analyses suggest that a fully bifurcating species tree may not be the best way to represent the early radiation of angiosperms. Meanwhile, we inferred that the crown-group angiosperms originated approximately between 255.1 and 222.2 million years ago, and Mesangiospermae diversified into the five extant groups in a short time span (∼27 million years) at the Early to Late Jurassic.

Trueperella pyogenes (T. pyogenes) is an important opportunistic pathogen in livestock and wild animals. However, only one commercial T. pyogenes vaccine is currently available, and its immunoprotective effect is not ideal. Pyolysin (PLO) is one of the important virulence factors expressed by T. pyogenes and one of the targets for the development of new T. pyogenes vaccines. In this study, we constructed two recombinant antigens, tPLOA1 (contains amino acids 1−110 and domain 4 of the PLO molecule) and tPLOA2 (contains amino acids 190−296 and domain 4 of the PLO molecule). Vaccines were prepared by mixing the two recombinant antigens with incomplete Freund's adjuvant or sheep red blood cell membrane and provided partial immune protection to immunized mice against the lethal challenge of T. pyogenes. Analysis of the PLO-specific IgG levels of immunized mice indicated that the antibody-inducing potency and immunoprotective efficacy of PLO-based vaccines are affected by the oligomerization and structural changes of PLO after binding to a cholesterol-containing membrane. In addition, the titer of anti-hemolysis antibodies is not a suitable indicator of the immunoprotective effect of these vaccines in PLO-based vaccine-immunized animals. The results provide new insights into the development of T. pyogenes vaccines.