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Due to the ultrawide bandgap (4.9 eV), high carrier mobility (300 cm 2 V − 1 s − 1 ), and high thermal stability, β − Ga 2 O 3 can be a potential candidate for high-temperature thermoelectric materials. However, the intrinsically high thermal conductivity may hinder its application for thermoelectric conversion. In this work, porous β − Ga 2 O 3 was prepared by the solvothermal method together with spark plasma sintering technology. Positron lifetime measurement and N 2 adsorption confirm the introduction of pores by adding sucrose in the sample preparation. The sucrose-derived β − Ga 2 O 3 sintered at a relatively low temperature of 600 ° C remains highly porous, which results in an extremely low thermal conductivity of 0.45 W m − 1 K − 1 at room temperature, and it further decreases to 0.29 W m − 1 K − 1 at 600 ° C. This is the lowest thermal conductivity for β − Ga 2 O 3 reported so far. Our work provides an avenue to reduce the thermal conductivity for β − Ga 2 O 3 and is believed to be widely applicable to many other thermoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of plant health status change, specifically the effect of root rot infection, on rhizosphere microbial structure remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the dynamic variations in soil nutrient and rhizosphere microbial community during cowpea root rot infection. Samples of healthy and moderately to severely diseased cowpea rhizosphere soil were collected from a field in Xiangyang, Hubei, China, and high-throughput sequencing was used to detect changes in soil microbial communities. Our results showed that cowpea biomass decreased significantly with increased disease severity, and differences in soil pH and nutrients (NO3 --N, NH4 +-N, and available phosphorus) were observed between healthy and diseased rhizosphere, particularly under moderate diseased conditions. The process of root rot infection affected the bacterial and fungal community structure in the rhizosphere, but with inconsistent responses. Specifically, bacterial richness decreased with increased disease severity, while minor differences were observed in fungal alpha diversity. Principal coordinate analysis revealed significant disparities in rhizosphere bacteria and fungi under healthy and diseased conditions (moderate and severe). Moreover, while bacterial communities underwent notable alterations, fungal communities exhibited no significant changes between moderate and severe diseased conditions. In addition, Redundancy analysis showed that bacteria beta diversity was determined by available potassium and pH in the rhizosphere, whereas fungal beta diversity was determined by soil organic matter and pH. Overall, with root rot infection, both the soil nutrients and microbial community structure of cowpea significant changed. As a result, our study provides insights into the molecular mechanism underlying cowpea root rot and other plant rhizosphere microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nominal stoichiometric NaxCo2O4 (x?=?1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0) polycrystals were synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. They were further pressed into pellets by the spark plasma sintering. The crystal structure and morphology of NaxCo2O4 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy measurements. Good crystallinity and layered structures were observed for all the samples. Positron annihilation measurements were performed for NaxCo2O4 as a function of Na content. Two lifetime components are resolved. τ1 is attributed mainly to positron annihilation in the O-Co-O layers and shifts to Na layers only in the H3 phase. The second lifetime τ2 is due to positron annihilation in vacancy clusters which may exist in the Na layers or grain boundary region. The size of vacancy clusters grow larger but their concentration decreases with increasing Na content in the range of 1.0?1. The thermal conductivity κ, on the other hand, shows systematic decrease with increasing Na content. This suggests that the increasing spacing of O-Co-O layer could effectively reduce the thermal conductivity of NaxCo2O4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructure of unfilled and Ba-filled CoSb3 has been studied by positron lifetime measurements together with theoretical calculation. Positron trapping in intrinsic voids is observed in the CoSb3, which contributes a positron lifetime of 263 6 2 ps. After filling Ba atoms with content up to x=0.4, the positron lifetime shows continuous increase. By comparing the experimental results with calculation following the phase diagram of BaxCo4Sb12 with x in the range of 0-0.5, it is found that when the Ba content is lower than 0.16, the filling of Ba atoms is in a phase of solid solution. At x=0.2, γ phase is formed, which is mixed with solid solution. At x>0.25, transition from γ phase to a mixture of γ and α phases is confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and molecular mechanisms of ZSP1603 as a novel anti-fibrotic compound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The unilateral left pulmonary fibrosis model was established in the Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The bilateral pulmonary fibrosis model was established in the C57BL/6J mice. The therapeutic treatment regimen began after the induction of pulmonary fibrosis. The preventive treatment regimen began on the first day of bleomycin administration. Animals were randomly divided into the sham, model, Nintedanib, and ZSP1603 treatment groups. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining were performed to evaluate pulmonary injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Western blot were used to investigate the effects and mechanisms of ZSP1603 on the proliferation of primary human pulmonary fibroblasts (pHPFs). The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), and collagen 1A1 (COL1A1) in pHPFs was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). RESULTS: ZSP1603 inhibited the proliferation of pHPFs in vitro by blocking the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGF-Râ) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling pathway. ZSP1603 also inhibited the differentiation of pHPFs by reducing the expression of TGF-â1, TIMP-1, and COL1A1. ZSP1603 significantly attenuated pulmonary injury, inflammation, and fibrosis in vivo in four independent animal studies of pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: ZSP1603 is an effective anti-fibrotic compound with clear mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipids are vital cellular constituents in plant, and lipid peroxidation metabolites are critical defence substances in plants. In this study, mass spectrometry along with projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to detect lipid metabolism changes in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to oligochitosan (an effective resistance elicitor for the control of plant diseases). The PLS-DA showed that lipid metabolites of Arabidopsis thaliana were influenced by oligochitosan treatment. The total content of oxylipin containing monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, oxylipin-containing digalactosyldiacylglycerols, and oxylipin-containing phosphatidylglycerols increased firstly (after 1 h), and then decreased with the increase of oligochitosan treatment duration. In contrast, the total content of monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidyl-ethanolamine, and phosphatidylglycerols decreased firstly, and then increased with the increase of oligochitosan treatment duration. The amounts of free fatty acids (C16:2, C16:3, C18:2, and C18:3) were lower after treatment with oligochitosan for 1, 3, and 6 h than in the control, while the production of volatile organic compounds such as 2-hexenal (except for 3 h) and nonanal was higher than in the control. In conclusion, lipid metabolites of Arabidopsis thaliana were influenced by oligochitosan treatment, and the synthesized lipids and oxylipin-containing lipids were remodelled and free fatty acids was metabolized to volatile organic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High purity In2O3 nanopowders were subjected to different thermal treatments to investigate the role of defects on the lattice thermal conductivity. The powders were first treated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 700∘C and annealed in air between 700 and 1300∘C. X-ray diffraction measurements show that the samples are single phase, and the diffraction peaks become sharper with increasing of annealing temperature, indicating improvement in crystallinity and increase in grain size. The In2O3 nanopowders were also treated by SPS sintering at different temperatures without subsequent annealing. On the contrary, the average grain size of In2O3 treated by SPS has no obvious change with the increase in sintering temperatures. Positron annihilation measurements reveal large amounts of monovacancies and vacancy clusters in the In2O3 nanocrystals. The monovacancies gradually recover and the vacancy clusters transform into smaller vacancies with increasing annealing or sintering temperatures. The lattice thermal conductivity increases with the increase in annealing or sintering temperature, which shows close correlation with the recovery of vacancy defects after heat treatment. This gives us strong evidence that vacancy defects play an important role on the suppression of lattice thermal conductivity in nanostructured thermoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study intended to explore the efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided implantation of iodine-125 (125I) seeds in the treatment of refractory malignant tumors with cancer pain and its influence on tumor markers in the serum. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 76 patients with refractory malignant tumors accompanied by cancer pain that received treatments in Long- Hua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2013 to August 2014 were selected. They were divided into control group and observation group using a random number table (38 patients in each group). Patients in the control group received simple chemotherapy, while those in the observation group undergone CT-guided implantation of 125I seeds in combination with chemotherapy. Recent efficacy and 1-3-year survival rate were compared between the two groups of patients. The degree of pain relief after treatment was also compared between the two groups of patients. Electrochemiluminescence method was used to detect the concentrations of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), sugar chain antigen 199 (CA 199), sugar chain antigen 125 (CA 125), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and cytokeratin- 19-fragment (CYFRA21-1) in the two groups of patients before treatment, and 3 days, 7 days and 30 days after treatment. RESULTS: Recent disease control rate of the patients in the observation group was higher than that of the patients in the control group (p<0.05). The 1-3-year survival rate after surgery in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). The total efficiency of pain control in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). The levels of tumor markers in the two groups of patients were significantly decreased after treatment, while the reduction in the observation group was more evident than that in the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that CT-guided implantation of 125I seeds is effective for the treatment of patients with refractory malignant tumors accompanied by cancer pain. It can reduce the levels of tumor markers, improve the survival rate and prolong the survival time of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid carcinoma, and our understanding of its pathogenesis is incomplete. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying such progression and identify novel diagnostic markers, we aimed to discover the underlying gene associated with PTC. Integrated analysis of microarray datasets was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between PTCs and normal tissues. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were then performed to uncover the functions of DEGs. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs was constructed. Five GEO datasets were obtained. Totally, 154 DEGs across the studies were identified, including 26 upregulated and 128 downregulated DEGs. In the PPI network, MLLT1, DLG2, and EFEMP1 were the hub proteins, in which DLG2 and EFEMP1 were involved in tumor progression. Among the top 10 up- and down-regulated genes, the dysregulation genes of TPO, CDH16, and MPPED2 may be closely related to the tumorigenesis of PTC. By integrated analysis of multiple gene expression profiles, we propose that the dysregulation genes of TPO and MPPED2 will be the promising diagnostic markers for PTCs. Supporting Information for this article is available online at http://www.thieme-connect.de/products [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low- T eclogites in the North Qilian orogen, NW China share a common assemblage of garnet, omphacite, glaucophane, epidote, phengite, quartz and rutile with or without paragonite. Phase relations for the low- T eclogites can be modelled well in the system NCKFMASHO with the updated solid-solution models for amphibole and clinopyroxene. Garnet in the eclogite typically exhibits growth zonations in which pyrope increases while grossular somewhat decreases from core to rim, which is modelled as having formed mainly in the P– T conditions of lawsonite-eclogite facies at the pre-peak stage. Omphacite shows an increase in jadeite component as aegirine and also total FeO decrease in going from the inclusions in garnet to grains in the matrix, and from core to rim of zoned crystals, reflecting an increase in metamorphic P– T conditions. Glaucophane exhibits a compositional variation in X(gl) (= Fe2+/(Fe2+ + Mg)) and F(gl) (= Fe3+/(Fe3+ + Al) in M2 site), which decrease from the inclusions in garnet to crystals in the matrix, consistent with an increase in P– T conditions. However, for zoned matrix crystals, the X(gl) and F(gl) increase from core to rim, is interpreted to reflect a late-stage decompression. Using composition isopleths for garnet rim and phengite in P– T pseudosections, peak P– T conditions for three samples Q5–45, Q5–01 and Q7–28 were estimated as 530–540 °C at 2.10–2.25 GPa, 580–590 °C at 2.30–2.45 GPa and 575–590 °C at 2.50–2.65 GPa, respectively, for the same assemblage garnet + omphacite + glaucophane + lawsonite (+ phengite + quartz + rutile) at the peak stage. The eclogites suggest similar P– T ranges to their surrounding felsic–pelitic schists. During post-peak decompression of the eclogites, the most distinctive change involves the transformation of lawsonite to epidote, releasing large amount of water in the rock. The released fluid promoted further growth of glaucophane at the expense of omphacite and, in appropriate bulk-rock compositions, paragonite formed. The decompression of eclogite did not lead to pronounced changes in garnet and phengite compositions. Peak P– T conditions of the North Qilian eclogite are well constrained using both the average P– T and pseudosection approaches in Thermocalc. Generally, the conventional garnet–clinopyroxene geothermometer is too sensitive to be used for constraining the temperature of low- T eclogite because of the uncertainty in Fe3+ determination in omphacite and slight variations in mineral compositions because of incomplete equilibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium-alginate beads coated with quaternized chitosan were prepared in a neutral environment, and morphologies were observed by SEM. Optimum conditions for the encapsulation and retention of a model drug (brilliant blue, BB) in acid were obtained from studies of preparation conditions, including alginate and quaternized chitosan concentration, calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) concentration in the gelling medium and by comparing one-step and two-step preparation methods. Results showed that very high BB encapsulation efficiency (99%, w/w) and low leakage in acid (8%, w/w) was achieved from dry beads when 2.0% (w/v) alginate was dropped into 1.0% (w/v) CaCl 2 containing 0.3% (w/v) quaternized chitosan by a one-step method. The release of BB in 0.9% (w/v) NaCl was modulated by coating calcium-alginate with different weight average molecule weight (Mw) and degree of substitution (DS) of quaternized chitosan. A decreased of Mw accelerated the release of BB and a high DS value significantly decreased the release in 0.9% (w/v) NaCl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]