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In English teaching, reading comprehension is a very important part, accounting for a large proportion of the entire English teaching. National English curriculum standard for general high school provides detailed explanations on the specific content requirements and teaching of discourse and pragmatics, and requires the cultivation of students' language skills, learning abilities, thinking qualities, and cultural qualities in the teaching of reading. The teaching of English reading in middle schools has always been highly valued, which takes up too much time and energy of teachers and students. However, the teaching efficiency is not high, and students' reading comprehension ability is low. Therefore, teachers must adopt scientific and effective reading teaching strategies, teach students to learn reading methods, cultivate good reading habits, cultivate efficient reading skills, and improve their reading proficiency.

With the deepening reform of education and the proposition of key competence, many disciplines have carried out reforms to improve students' key competence. In order to improve students' reading ability, thinking ability, writing ability and many other qualities, senior high school English has added a new form in the English exam, continuation writing, so that students can complete the subsequent writing practice on the basis of reading. Writing, as an important and foundational language competency, has always been a very important part of the training at every stage of English learning. Reading is the foundation of writing, and continuation writing is an effective way to train students. Continuation writing is a comprehensive examination of students' English literacy. In traditional writing, there are many problems such as teachers' insufficient attention and students' weak motivation, which make students fail to achieve good results in the process of writing. Based on the problems faced in the teaching of writing and the actual English teaching classroom, this paper puts forward some strategies to help teachers improve the teaching effect of continuation writing.

Background: To explore advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced m6A modification in fibroblasts and its potential role in photoaging. Methods: We studied m6A modification in AGEs-bovine serum albumin-treated fibroblasts with m6A-mRNA & lncRNA epitranscriptomic microarray and bioinformatics analysis. The m6A modification level was also investigated in skin samples. Results: m6A methylation microarray analysis revealed m6A modification profiles in AGEs-treated fibroblasts. Gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, protein–protein interaction and competing endogenous RNA network analysis indicated that the genes of differentially methylated mRNAs and lncRNAs were mainly related to inflammation processes. We also found that AGEs-bovine serum albumin dose-dependently increased the m6A level and METTL14 expression in both fibroblasts and sun-exposed skin. Conclusion: Our study provided novel information regarding alterations of m6A modifications in AGEs-induced dermal fibroblasts and potential targets for treatment of photoaging.

NiO combined with conductive materials is a practicable way to improve its catalytic property for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by enhancing its electrical conductivity. Herein, Ni@NiO@graphite nanoparticles less than 20 nm in average diameter were synthesized by a one-step chemical vapor deposition process. Due to the deliberately controlled lack of oxygen, Ni particles and carbon clusters decomposed from NiCp

In this study, HfO2 films were grown using a highly efficient HT-LCVD process with a large gradient (100 K mm−1) temperature field, achieving four novel microstructures which appeared simultaneously on a high-throughput sample.

EBSS (epidermolysis bullosa simplex superficialis) is mainly caused by gene mutations which targeted protein as plakophilin1, desmoplakin and keratins. 1p36 gene deleted could cause typical clinical manifestations and might also affect the expression of functional genes in other regions. Here we reported the first case of PKP1 gene and DSP gene mutation coexisted with 1p36 deletion presented as serious EBSS and 1p36 deletion syndromes and identified a new homozygous mutation in the PKP1 gene (chr1:201292246 c.1672 T>C) and in the DSP gene (chr6:7580346 c.3923C>T).

AIM To explore the role of DNA methylation in the innate immunity of the dental pulp, this study investigated the effect of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AZA) on lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-induced cytokine production and related intracellular signalling pathways in human odontoblast-like cells (hOBs). METHODOLOGY hOBs were cultured and differentiated from human dental pulp tissue, and the odontoblastic phenotype of the cells was detected using immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR and Western blotting. hOBs were pretreated with AZA and then stimulated with 10 μg mL-1 LTA. The levels of 42 cytokines related to immunity and inflammation were examined using a cytokine antibody array and verified using qRT-PCR and ELISA. The effect of AZA on the LTA-induced NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathways was explored using Western blotting. The cells were treated with the specific NF-κB inhibitor PDTC and MAPK inhibitors (the ERK inhibitor U0126, the p38 inhibitor SB203580, and the JNK inhibitor SP600125) to further confirm the role of the signalling pathways in LTA-treated hOBs. DNA immunoprecipitation-PCR was used to examine the dynamic methylation status of the gene promoters of myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) and tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) in the LTA-induced hOBs. Statistical analyses of the differences between two groups were performed using Student's t-test. One-way analysis of variance (anova) or repeated-measures anova with a post hoc Dunnett's test was used to assess the differences between multiple sets of data. P

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants on fermentation quality and subsequent in vitro gas production, ruminal fermentation parameters, cellulolytic bacteria and their activities of alfalfa silage. Primary growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was harvested at 50% flowering stage, inoculated without (control) or with Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus mundtii and Enterococcus faecalis at 1.0 × 106 cfu/g of fresh weight (FW) in quadruplicate laboratory silos for 45 d. The silage inoculated with LAB were well preserved, indicated by the lower (p

This study investigated the potential of ensiling pretreatment fortified with laccase and a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant on improving the utilization of alfalfa stems for bioethanol production. The alfalfa stems were ensiled with no additives (Con), 0.04 % laccase (LA), a LAB inoculant containing Pediococcus pentosaceus at 1 × 10

Cubic silicon carbide (3C–SiC) is an excellent protective film on graphite and has been fabricated via laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) with an extremely high deposition rate by our research group. To understand comprehensively its growth behavior, the polycrystalline 3C–SiC thick films with the preferred orientation of and were characterized by diverse measurements, especially electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD). Along the growth direction of the -oriented 3C–SiC, the microstructure changed from equiaxed grains to elongated grains with orientation, and eventually the -oriented columnar grains. The stacking faults in the -oriented 3C–SiC could be marked as -oriented 6H–SiC. On the other hand, in the -oriented 3C–SiC films, the microstructure changed from mainly equiaxed grains to large columnar grains. The high-density stacking faults in -oriented 3C–SiC films may lead to the identification of the nominal 2H, 4H and 6H polytypes by Raman spectra and EBSD. The (0001) planes of 2H-, 4H–SiC are perpendicular to the growth direction, while that of 6H–SiC are parallel.

Autophagy has been associated with a variety of diseases especially aging. Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) can internalize and then degrade elastin, collagen and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in lysosomes, which plays prominent roles in extracellular matrix homeostasis and AGEs removal in the dermis. Although autophagy has been reported to be decreased in photoaged fibroblasts, the underlying mechanism and its relevance to photoaging remain elusive. Here, we showed that GFP-LC3 puncta per cell, LC3Ⅰ/Ⅱ conversion and p62 expression were significantly increased, whereas beclin1 expression was not altered in UVA-induced photoaged fibroblasts compared with non-photoaged control. Moreover, autophagic flux was not significantly affected by chloroquine treatment, but was remarkably induced by rapamycin treatment in photoaged fibroblasts, suggesting that UVA-induced photoaging might inhibit autophagy at the degradation stage. Further lysosomal function studies demonstrated that degradation of formed autophagosomes, LC3Ⅱprotein and DQ-Green BSA was all dramatically decreased in photoaged fibroblasts. LysoSensor yellow/blue DND 160 staining and flow cytometry assays demonstrated that photoaging obviously attenuated lysosomal acidification. Also, decreased expression of cathepsin B, L and D was found in photoaged fibroblasts. These data suggest that lowered lysosomal acidity and decreased cathepsins expression might contribute to the inhibition of autophagic degradation, which might be crucial in the development of photoaging through impairing intracellular degradation.

The use of hafnia (HfO2) has facilitated recent advances in combining uprated dielectric layers (UDLs) and environmental barriers (EBs) in supercomputers. However, an extremely low deposition rate limits further development and fabrication efficiency of HfO2 films. In this study, high-throughput growth of HfO2 films was realized via laser chemical vapor deposition using a laser spot with a gradient temperature distribution. In HfO2 films fabricated by a single growth process, four regions with different morphologies could be discerned for deposition temperatures increasing from 1300 K to 1600 K: leaf-like, pyramid-like, bromeliad-like and pinecone-like. Two growth modes were observed for Regions I and II: Stranski-Krastanov and Volmer-Weber. Regions III and IV contained coexisting monoclinic and tetragonal HfO2 grains with an in-plane boundary for m-HfO2 (-110) {111}//t-HfO2 (1-11) {111}. The maximum deposition rate reached 362 μm/h, which was 102 - 104 times higher than that obtained using existing deposition methods.

Advanced glycation end product (AGE) accumulation is significantly increased in the dermis of photoaged skin and plays crucial roles in photoaging. Although AGEs have been found to contribute to the yellowish discoloration of photoaged skin, their roles in photoaging-associated hyperpigmentation disorders have not been extensively studied. In this study, we observed that AGEs, NLRP3, and IL-18 were increased in the dermis of sun-exposed skin and lesions of melasma and solar lentigo and that dermal deposition of AGE was positively correlated with epidermal melanin levels. In addition, we found that AGE-BSA potently activated NLRP3 inflammasome and promoted IL-18 production and secretion in cultured fibroblasts, which was mediated by receptor for AGE/NF-κB pathway. Moreover, AGE-BSA significantly promoted melanogenesis by increasing tyrosinase activity and expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor and tyrosinase, which was dependent on NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-18 secretion in fibroblasts. Notably, AGE-collagen could activate NLRP3 inflammasome in fibroblasts and enhance melanogenesis. Furthermore, we found that IL-18 enhanced melanogenesis by binding to its receptor and activating p38 MAPK and extracellular signal‒regulated kinase 1/2 signaling pathways in melanocytes. Importantly, the promelanogenesis of AGE-BSA was verified in ex vivo cultured skin and mouse models. These findings suggest that dermal AGEs stimulate melanogenesis and contribute to the development of photoaging-associated hyperpigmentation disorders.

Simple Summary The sustainability of livestock husbandry requires efficient nitrogen and energy utilization by ruminants fed high-forage diets. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydrolysable tannin (HT) without or with condensed tannin (CT) on modulating the ensiling characteristics, methane production, ruminal fermentation profile, and microbiota of alfalfa silage. The results showed that adding HT, alone or in combination with CT, to alfalfa at ensiling improves fermentation quality and reduces ruminal methane production of alfalfa silage. Moreover, HT and CT in combination are more potent in modulating fermentation quality and methanogenesis than HT only; however, the high level of inclusion will impair silage degradation and microbiota in the rumen. Importantly, the results from this study revealed that a combination of HT and CT with complementary mechanisms at low doses can improve N utilization efficiency and methane mitigation of silage feed without adverse effects on ruminal fermentation patterns and microbiota. The findings in this study are of practical importance for the effective use of tannins as an additive for improving silage quality and utilization by ruminants. Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of hydrolysable tannin (chestnut tannin, CHT) without or with condensed tannin (quebracho tannin, QT) for modulating alfalfa silage fermentation characteristics and in vitro ruminal methane (CH4) production, fermentation profile, and microbiota. Alfalfa (235 g/kg fresh weight) was ensiled with no tannins (control), 2% CHT (CHT2), 5% CHT (CHT5), the combination of CHT and QT at 1% each (CHQ2), and CHT and QT at 2.5% each (CHQ5) of forage dry matter (DM). The CHQ2 treatment was more effective in reducing DM losses, pH, and ammonia–nitrogen to total nitrogen ratios of alfalfa silage than CHT2 and CHT5 treatments. All tannin treatments decreased ruminal CH4 production, and the magnitude of the decrease was greater for the combinations than the individual ones. Total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations and DM degradation decreased by tannin treatments, but microbial protein (MCP) synthesis increased. The total VFA concentrations and DM degradation were lower with CHQ2 treatment than with CHT5 and CHQ5 treatments, but the MCP concentrations were comparable among these treatments. Tannin inclusion decreased the abundance of the anaerobic fungi Ruminococcus albus and Ruminococcus flavefaciens, but enhanced Fibrobacter succinogenes. The combination of CHT and QT alleviated the inhibition of CHT supply alone in Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Ruminobacer amylophilus, and Prevotella ruminicola as well as protease. The results revealed that a combination of HT from CHT and CT from QT at a low level can reduce proteolysis and CH4 production of alfalfa silage without impairing ruminal fermentation and microbiota.

Epitaxial 3C–SiC films were fabricated on Si(001) by laser chemical vapor deposition using hexamethyldisilane as the precursor source and H2 as the dilution gas. The effect of the H2 flow rate on the density of microtwins in 3C–SiC films was investigated. Crystallographic defects were mainly composed of {111} twins, which tilted 15.8° to the surface of the substrate and refer to the multiple twins mirrored by the first-order twins; these defects were characterized by pole figure. With the flow rate of H2 increased from 1.0 to 3.0 slm (standard liter per minute), the relative twin density first decreased from 24.0 to 1.2 and then increased to 16.0. The mechanism of the formation and elimination of the defects is also discussed.

Graphene/SiC (G/SiC) composite coatings with -orientation were in-situ deposited using hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) as precursor by laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD). The concentration and distribution of graphene sheets in SiC matrixes were controlled by changing total pressure (Ptot) in the reaction chamber. The investigation of growth mechanism showed that the photolytic of laser played an important role during the depositions. Observation by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed that graphene nucleated on SiC(111) lattice planes. As the increase of Ptot, the concentration of graphene decreased and the grain size of SiC grains and graphene sheets increased. The distribution of graphene in SiC matrix significantly affected the electrical conductivity (σ) of the composite coating. The highest σ is over 2 orders of magnitude larger than that of the graphene/semiconductor composites fabricated by other strategies. The high σ makes the G/SiC(111) composite coating very promising for the applications in mechanical, energy, and sensor-related areas.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been previously implicated in number of diseases. However, the roles of circRNAs in photoaging remain elusive. In the present study, to understand if photoaging influences the levels of circRNA expression, the expression of circRNAs in ultraviolet A (UVA)-irradiated human dermal fibroblasts were profiled. A total of 128 circRNAs were identified to be differentially expressed (fold change >1.5; P

SiC epitaxial wafers offer enormous potential for a wide range of telecom technologies due to their excellent properties. The experimental process was simulated by software, and the contour of gas flow velocity and raw material mass fraction inside the chamber were obtained. SiC films were epitaxially grown on 4H-SiC single crystalline substrates at different temperatures for one batch, using SiCl4, CH4, and H2 as precursors. With increasing temperature, the crystal phase changed from 4H-SiC at 1773 K to a mixture of 4H- and 3C-SiC, and then a mixture of 3C-SiC and graphite at higher than 1923 K. The film was mainly (004)-oriented 4H-SiC and (111)-oriented 3C-SiC.

The incidence of primary cutaneous melanoma continues to increase annually and is one of the most aggressive malignancies in humans and need to develop more novel non-surgical therapies. Autophagy and cathepsin B targeted therapy was reported to improve melanoma treatment. Cepharanthine (CEP), a natural alkaloid extracted from the genus Cephalophyllum has been reported to have the function of inhibiting cancers. We found that CEP inhibited human primary cutaneous melanoma cells viability and proliferation in 24 h in vitro, and topical application or intra-tumoral injection of CEP decreased the growth of cutaneous melanoma in mice within 4 weeks. CEP preparations below 50% concentration did not induce skin irritation and allergy reaction on human skin in vivo. Primary cutaneous melanoma cells incubated with CEP, the expression of cathepsin B was decreased and the LC3-I and LC3-II expression changed in a dose-dependent manner, while p53, p21Cip1p, and p16Inka gene expression was up-regulated. We demonstrated the effects of CEP as a novel tumor-regional therapy for cutaneous melanoma and provided a preliminary research basis for future clinical treatment researches and the exploration of integrated treatments with systemic therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery for human primary cutaneous melanoma.

Ligninolytic bacteria degrading lignin were isolates and identified, and their biodegradation mechanism of alkaline-lignin was investigated. Four strains with lignin degradation capability were screened and identified from the soil, straw, and silage based on their decolorizing capacity of aniline blue and colony size on alkaline-lignin medium. The degradation ratio of Bacillus aryabhattai BY5, Acinetobacter johnsonii LN2, Acinetobacter lwoffii LN4, and Micrococcus yunnanensis CL32 have been assayed using alkaline-lignin as the unique carbon source. Further, the Lip (lignin peroxidase) and Mnp (manganese peroxidase) activities of strains were investigated. Lip activity of A. lwoffii LN4 was highest after 72 h of incubation and reached 7151.7 U · l–1. Mnp activity of M. yunnanensis CL32 was highest after 48 h and reached 12533 U · l–1. The analysis of alkaline-lignin degradation products by GC-MS revealed that the strains screened could utilize aromatic esters compounds such as dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and decomposite monocyclic aromatic compounds through the DBP aerobic metabolic pathway. The results indicate that B. aryabhattai BY5, A. johnsonii LN2, A. lwoffii LN4, and M. yunnanensis CL32 have high potential to degrade alkaline-lignin, and might utilize aromatic compounds by DBP aerobic metabolic pathway in the process of lignin degradation.

Multilayer graphene on SiC is a promising material due to its compatibility with modern electronics technology. Herein, we demonstrate the growth of large-area (~10 × 5 mm2), high-quality (D/G area ratio: ~0.03) epitaxial graphene on 4H-SiC(0001) using a high-power continuous laser with an extremely fast heating rate of 500 °C/s. As the growth temperature rises from 1550 °C to 1780 °C, the number of graphene layers increases from three to more than ten. The obtained graphene/SiC samples are highly conductive, with a sheet resistance of as low as ~0.43 Ω/sq. The high power and fast heating rate of the laser contribute to the formation of large-area and low-sheet-resistance graphene. The high conductivity makes graphene/SiC a very promising material for applications in conductive films. The growth mechanism of graphene and the influence of the structural properties of graphene on the conductivity are also discussed.

Background/Objective: Hair cycle is regulated by many biological factors. Cathepsins are involved in various physiological processes in human skin. Here, we investigated the cathepsin expression and distribution changes in follicular growth cycles for better understanding the hair cycles and to explore new intervention measures. Methods: The 24 mice (C57BL/6, female, 7-week old) were selected and removed the back hair via rosin/paraffin method. At Day 8, Day 20, and Day 25, biopsy on post-plucking area was done. Immunohistochemical staining, Western blot, and Q-PCR were used to test the cathepsin B/D/L/E. Results: In anagen, cathepsins (B, D, L, and E) were distributed in the hair follicle matrix, inner hair root sheath, and hair. In catagen, cathepsins were mainly observed in un-apoptosis inner root sheath and outer root sheath. Expression of cathepsins B-mRNA and L-mRNA was decreased from anagen and catagen to telogen. Cathepsin D-mRNA was increased in catagen and then decreased in telogen. Cathepsin E-mRNA was decreased in catagen and slightly increased in telogen. Conclusions: The distribution and expression of cathepsins B, D, L, and E in hair follicle changed with hair growth process which indicated that cathepsins might act as selectable biomarkers of hair cycle in different stages.

Background The deposition of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is accelerated in photoaged skin, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Intracellular degradation has been recently considered to play an important role in AGEs removal. Although lysosomal cathepsin D (CatD), B (CatB), L(CatL) and proteasomes are found to degrade internalized AGEs, it remains unknown which protease degrades internalized AGEs in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), and whether a decrease in intracellular degradation contributes to enhanced AGEs deposition in photoaged skin. Objective This study aims to investigate the specific proteases that contribute to intracellular AGEs degradation in HDFs and regulate AGEs accumulation in photoaged skin. Methods Repetitive UVA irradiation was used to induce primary HDF photoaging in vitro. Uptake and degradation of AGE-BSA were verified and compared between photoaged and non-photoaged fibroblasts with flow cytometry, ELISA and confocal microscopy. Proteasomal and lysosomal activity, expression of CatD, CatB and CatL were also investigated between photoaged and non-photoaged fibroblasts. Further, the effect of protease inhibitors and CatD overexpression via lentiviral transduction on AGE-BSA degradation was analyzed. Finally, the correlation between CatD expression and AGEs accumulation in sun-exposed and sun-protected skin of people from different age was studied with immunohistochemistry. Results Fibroblasts underwent photoaging in vitro after repetitive UVA irradiation. AGE-BSA was taken up by both photoaged and non-photoaged fibroblasts, but its degradation was significantly decreased in photoaged cells than that of non-photoaged cells. Although the activity of proteasome, CatB, Cat L and Cat D was significantly reduced in photoaged fibroblasts compared to that of non-photoaged cells, and the expression of CatB, CatL and CatD was profoundly attenuated in photoaged fibroblasts, inhibiting proteasome, CatB and CatL did not affect AGE-BSA degradation in HDFs. In contrast, inhibiting CatD activity dose-dependently decreased AGE-BSA degradation; whereas CatD overexpression significantly increased AGE-BSA degradation. Importantly, AGEs accumulation in photo-damaged skin in vivo was inversely correlated with CatD expression. Conclusion CatD plays a major role in intracellular AGEs degradation. Decreased CatD expression and activity impairs intracellular AGEs degradation in photoaged fibroblasts, which may contribute to accelerated AGEs deposition in photoaged skin. The present study provides a potentially novel molecular basis for antiphotoaging therapy.

Void-free β-SiC films were deposited on Si(001) substrates by laser chemical vapor deposition using hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) as the precursor. The effect of the time of introducing HMDS, i e, the substrate temperature when HMDS introduced (Tin), on the preferred orientation, surface microstructure and void was investigated. The orientation of the deposited SiC films changed from to random to with increasing Tin. The surface showed a layer-by-layer microstructure with voids above Tin ⩾ 773 K, and then transformed into mosaic structure without voids at Tin= 298 K. The mechanism of the elimination of voids was discussed. At Tin =298 K, Si surface can be covered by an ultrathin SiC film, which inhibits the out-diffusion of Si atoms from substrate and prohibites the formation of the voids.