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Chinese loess-paleosol sequences have long been regarded as the continental counterpart of deep-sea sediments in terms of their record of the Quaternary glacial–interglacial cycles. However, absolute chronologies for loess-paleosol sequences older than ca. 130 ka on the Chinese Loess Plateau are scarce. We conducted the first high-resolution luminescence dating, extending back to 350 ka, of the classical Luochuan loess section of the central Chinese Loess Plateau. Bacon age-depth modeling of the luminescence ages was used to obtain an age framework. The results indicate that on orbital timescales, loess accumulation at Luochuan was continuous over the last three glacial–interglacial cycles. The new age framework resolves discrepancies between orbitally tuned age models at several boundaries and provides new evidence supporting the reassignment of the Marine Isotope Stage 8/9 boundary age from 300 ka to ca. 280 ka. Our results also suggest that published astronomical timescales for the loess deposits of the Chinese Loess Plateau over the last ~2.6 m.y. are probably broadly reliable, as are the related regional and global climatic interpretations.

Two-dimensional conductive porous materials have been used extensively in the fields of electrocatalysis, electrochemical sensing, electronic devices, and so on. Herein, a novel conductive metal–organic framework (MOF) with a Kagome lattice is prepared by the efficient complexation of a C₃ᵥ-symmetric ligand 2,3,7,8,12,13-hexahydroxyl truxone and a copper ion. This π–d conjugated framework (truxone–Cu) is obtained as a shiny black powder by liquid–liquid interfacial polymerization. It shows the typical characteristics of a semiconductor with a grain conductivity of up to 4.0 mS cm–¹ at 30 °C. In order to obtain deep insight into the conduction behavior of the truxone–Cu MOF, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on its periodic unit and give a small energy gap of 0.24 eV. Owing to its good electrical conductivity and the excellent redox reversibility of both the truxone ligand and the metal center, the truxone–Cu MOF-modified electrode was successfully applied to catalyze the oxygen reductive reaction (ORR).

To improve the pressure-bearing capacity, a novel high-pressure die with cemented carbide as the first layer of supporting ring was designed. The novel high-pressure die increases the ultimate load-bearing capacity of the high-pressure die by increasing the pretension of the tungsten carbide cylinder. As the volume of the cemented carbide increases, the difficulty of manufacturing increases, therefore, to reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the cemented carbide supporting ring and reduce the shear stress of the supporting ring, the cemented carbide supporting ring is splited. And through reasonable derivation calculations, the calculation formula suitable for the optimal interference amount of the high-pressure die is obtained. The numerical analysis results show that: when a pressure of 6.2 GPa is applied on the inner wall of the tungsten carbide cylinder, high-pressure die mold that uses cemented carbide as the first layer of support ring (hereinafter referred to as double-layered cemented carbide novel high-pressure die) is lower than the ordinary high-pressure die in term of circumferential stress by 93.34%. In terms of von Mises stress by 21.4%, and term of maximum shear stress by 21.37%. The three principal stress images of the two molds are drawn, which proved that the double-layered hard alloy novel high-pressure die can fully exert the performance of the material and can withstand greater pressure.

Details of sampling, dating, Bacon age-depth modeling; a summary of previous luminescence dating studies on the Chinese Loess Plateau; and global climatic evidence for reassigning the MIS 8/9 boundary age.

At the eastern tip of Anjihai anticline on the northern piedmont of Tian Shan (northwest China), deformed fluvial deposits have recorded active folding since the Pleistocene, but the absence of accurate ages makes it difficult to evaluate the anticline's shortening rate. Geological studies ascribed the fluvial strata to the early Pleistocene, which poses potential challenges for luminescence dating. In this study, multi-methods luminescence dating was applied to a fluvial sand sample taken from the sandy bed of the deformed basal strata. Single grain post-Infrared Infrared Stimulated Luminescence (pIRIR) and multiple-aliquot-regenerative (MAR) dose along with multiple-elevated-temperature pIRIR (MET-pIRIR) procedures were applied to determine the paleodose of the sample. The methodological uncertainties, such as thermal transfer and initial sensitivity change, were treated by increasing the test dose and performing dose recovery test. With consideration of the potential partial bleaching and anomalous fading, various statistical metrics were applied to the De values determined by using the single grain pIRIR225, single grain pIRIR290 and MAR-MET-pIRIR290 signals. The minimum age model (MAM) De values are 11% – 17% lower than the central age model (CAM) De values in general, and the MAM De values determined by the single grain pIRIR procedures are underestimated by more than 40% when compared with those determined by MAR-MET-pIRIR290 procedure. The MAM MAR-MET-pIRIR290 De of 811 ± 44 Gy results in a burial age of 284 ka for the basal deformed fluvial strata, which is much younger than the proposed early Pleistocene age.

Five dating protocols with post-infrared infrared (IR) stimulated luminescence signals (i.e. pIRIR) were performed on the K-feldspar of loess samples. Two of them were the single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol (SAR) with two-step pIRIR stimulation, with the first IR stimulation at 50°C or 200°C and the second at 290°C (pIR50IR290, pIR200IR290). Two of them were the SAR protocols with five-step or six-step IR stimulation at multiple elevated temperatures to 250°C or 300°C (MET-pIRIR250, MET-pIRIR300). The final one was the multiple-aliquot regenerative-dose (MAR) protocol with the MET-pIRIR300 signal, together with a 500°C heat treatment administered before the test dose (‘MAR with heat’). The results show that when the equivalent dose (D e) of the sample was less than 500 Gy, all of the protocols gave consistent results; however, when D e exceeded 750 Gy, all of the SAR protocols underestimated De . The pIR50IR290 signal had the highest degree of underestimation, while the pIR200IR290, MET-pIRIR250 and MET-pIRIR300 signals had similar De values and similar degrees of underestimation. Possible reasons for the SAR D e underestimation are discussed. We suggest that only the ‘MAR with heat’ protocol is suitable for samples with D e exceeding 750 Gy.

The clinical significance and underlying molecular mechanism of miRNA-222-3p in metastatic prostate cancer (MPCa) remain unclear. The present study used a large number of cases (n = 1,502) based on miRNA chip and miRNA sequencing datasets to evaluate the expression and diagnostic potential of miRNA-222-3p in MPCa. We applied a variety of meta-analytic methods, including forest maps, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis and summary receiver operating characteristic curves, to prove the final results. MiRNA-222-3p was reduced in MPCa and had a moderate diagnostic potential in MPCa. We screened 118 miRNA-222-3p targets using three different methods including miRNA-222-3p transfected MPCa cell lines, online prediction databases and differently upregulated genes in MPCa. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis performed to explore the potential molecular mechanism of miRNA-222-3p showed that the potential target genes of miRNA-222-3p were significantly enriched in the p53 signal pathway. In the protein–protein interaction network analysis, SNAP91 was identified as a hub gene that may be closely related to MPCa. Gene chip and RNA sequencing datasets containing 1,237 samples were used to determine the expression level and diagnostic potential of SNAP91 in MPCa. SNAP91 was found to be overexpressed in MPCa and had a moderate diagnostic potential in MPCa. In addition, miRNA-222-3p expression was negatively correlated with SNAP91 expression in MPCa (r = −0.636, P = 0.006). These results demonstrated that miRNA-222-3p might play an important role in MPCa by negatively regulating SNAP91 expression. Thus, miRNA-222-3p might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target of MPCa., Graphical abstract

Young river terrace levels distributed along active tectonic regions and major river channels record the histories of the most recent tectonic activities and geomorphological evolution. There are 18 terraces in the upper reach of the Anjihaihe River, along active zones of the northern Tianshan in China. The surface of these young terrace insets is covered by Aeolian loess and fluvial deposits. Consequently, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was used to reveal the burial ages of those sediments, and to calculate the tectonic deformation and fluvial incision rate. However, the ages of young quartz sediments are difficult to determine due to the weak and dim OSL signal characteristics, and therefore geological and geomorphological information was not forthcoming. Recently, however, a “simplified procedures” methodology was developed to overcome these dating problems. Loess deposits can constrain the minimum abandonment age and fluvial sands were used to provide the age limits of formation, which correspond to the maximum and minimum incision rates. The elevation of each terrace above the modern river bed was obtained using a Digital Elevation Map with 12-m resolution, Google Earth images, and portable Global Positioning System measurements. Together with the results of the OSL dating and the elevation measurements, we conclude that the Anjihaihe River has incised the gorge to a depth of ~260 m since 3.7±0.2 ka, with a maximum average incision rate of 7.2±0.1 cm/a. The incision record can be divided into four major stages: ~3.7−3.0, ~3.0−2.4, ~2.4−1.3 ka, and from 1.3 ka to the present; the respective average incisive rates are 3.1±0.3, 15±0.3, 8.5±0.2, and 4.6±0.4 cm/a. The results indicate that the incision occurred in a series of steps which coincided with environmental changes in the region. As a result, this set of 18 strath terrace levels has recorded the aggradational-degradational surface processes of the Anjihaihe River gorge since ~3.7 ka. Before ~3.7 ka, a thickness of ~260 m of fluvial sands was aggraded above the pre-Quaternary bedrock. Subsequently, the river incised these sand layers until T11, and then, before the formation of T11, younger fluvial sands were deposited on the top of older deposits after 2.4 ka. The AJH River then continued to vertically erode these younger sands until 1.3 ka, when the incision reached the pre-Quaternary bedrock. From 1.3 ka to the present, at least five strath terraces were formed in the gorge. These surface processes and rapid incisive rates are ascribed to the specific lithological and geomorphological characteristics of the area, under the influence of climate change. First, the bedrock of the terrace levels is composed of pre-Quaternary sandstones, and more homogeneous, less consolidated siltstones and sandy mudstones. In addition, the upper terraces are covered by mixed cobbles and sands with a thickness of ~100 m above the bedrock, and the lower terraces by a thin layer of fluvial sands above the pre-Quaternary bedrock. Second, the variations in the flux of river water and sediments during episodes of climate change influenced the slope of the terrace surface, resulting in changes in aggradational-degradational processes and in the energy of the incision. Climate change was also a driving force, because the abrupt changes in incision rate correspond well to anomalous climatic events. Overall, the specific geomorphological characteristics and location of the Anjihaihe River have resulted in its recording an unusually rapid incision rate within the Anjihaihe Gorge.

Background Acid phosphatase type 6 (ACP6) is a mitochondrial lipid phosphate phosphatase that played a role in regulating lipid metabolism and there is still blank in the clinico-pathological significance and functional roles of ACP6 in human cancers. No investigations have been conducted on ACP6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) up to date. Methods Herein, we appraised the clinico-pathological significance of ACP6 in HCC via organizing expression profiles from globally multi-center microarrays and RNA-seq datasets. The molecular basis of ACP6 in HCC was explored through multidimensional analysis. We also carried out in vitro and in vivo experiment on nude mice to investigate the effect of knocking down ACP6 expression on biological functions of HCC cells, and to evaluate the expression variance of ACP6 in xenograft of HCC tissues before and after the treatment of NC. Results ACP6 displayed significant overexpression in HCC samples (standard mean difference (SMD) = 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.56–0.83) and up-regulated ACP6 performed well in screening HCC samples from non-cancer liver samples. ACP6 expression was also remarkably correlated with clinical progression and worse overall survival of HCC patients. There were close links between ACP6 expression and immune cells including B cells, CD8 + T cells and naive CD4 + T cells. Co-expressed genes of ACP6 mainly participated in pathways including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, glucocorticoid receptor pathway and NABA proteoglycans. The proliferation and migration rate of HCC cells transfected with ACP6 siRNA was significantly suppressed compared with those transfected with negative control siRNA. ACP6 expression was significantly inhibited by nitidine chloride (NC) in xenograft HCC tissues. Conclusions ACP6 expression may serve as novel clinical biomarker indicating the clinical development of HCC and ACP6 might be potential target of anti-cancer effect by NC in HCC.

Bladder cancer (BC) ranks as the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. The presence of a transcription factor (TF) has been uncovered as a significant contributor to the pathophysiological changes of cancers. In present study, we elucidated the expression and clinical significance of Homeobox A11 (HOXA11) in BC for the first time, and originally investigated HOXA11 as a TF. Employing in-house immunohistochemistry (IHC), we incorporated 137 BC and 34 non-BC cases to detect the expression of HOXA11 protein in BC tissues. HOXA11-related RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) expression and RNA microarrays were collected from public databases, the "sva" and "limma" R packages were implemented to integrate and normalize the RNA-seq data and microarrays separately. Integration expression was carried out to further evaluate the HOXA11 expression by utilizing the standard mean difference (SMD). The expression level of HOXA11 in various BC cell lines was also evaluated. We further systematically analyzed the downstream target genes of HOXA11 in BC by utilizing Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing (ChIP-seq) profiles, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and HOXA11-related genes. Modification of histone marks on the promoter region of target genes were also discovered by histone ChIP-seq data. Results of the IHC and RNA-seq revealed the protein and mRNA expression of HOXA11 was significantly decreased in BC tissues compared to non-BC tissues (2.98 ± 1.48 vs. 8.23 ± 2.64; 6.87 ± 1.54 vs. 8.38 ± 1.42). Five platforms significantly revealed the down-regulation of HOXA11 expression in BC (GPL96, GPL570, GPL6102, GPL6884, and GPL13497). A similar decreased trend was discovered in BC tissues in expression integration with the incorporated SMD reaching -0.843 (-1.362 ~ -0.325, p = 0.001) and -1.051 (-1.674 ~ -0.428, p = 0.001). Expression of HOXA11 was down-regulated in most of the BC cell lines. COL1A1 was considered as a final HOXA11 target gene and positively related to HOXA11 with the correlation coefficient as 0.584 (95% CI: 0.371-0.739, p 0.001). HOXA11 regulates COL1A1 expression in BC via H3K27ac modification. The expression of COL1A1 was down-regulated with the SMD reached -0.312 (p 0.001). In conclusion, HOXA11 expression is markedly decreased and might promote the transcription of COL1A1 to inhibit BC.

Background Tumor-infiltrating immune cells are indispensable to the progression and prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Objective The aim of this study was to explore the clinical implications of immune cell infiltrates in ccRCC. Methods The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (N= 515) and E-MTAB-1980 cohort of patients (N= 101) were adopted to estimate the prognostic value of immune cell infiltration. Twenty-four types of immune cells were evaluated using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. Cox regression analyses were conducted to develop an immune risk score. Results Survival analyses revealed that 13 genes significantly associated with the overall survival (OS). Furthermore, multivariate Cox analysis identified an immune risk score on the basis of mast cells, natural killer CD56bright cells, T helper 17 (Th17) cells, and Th2 cells. The immune risk score was associated with OS, with hazard ratios of 2.72 (95% CI 2.17-3.40) and 3.24 (95% CI 1.64-6.44) in TCGA and E-MTAB-1980 datasets, respectively. This immune risk score was significantly correlated with some immunotherapy-related biomarkers. Conclusions We profiled a prognostic signature and established an immune risk score model for ccRCC, which could provide novel predictive markers for patients with ccRCC and an indicator for immunotherapy response measurement.

Alternative splicing (AS) is a major mechanism that greatly enhanced the diversity of proteome. Mounting evidence demonstrated that aberration of AS are important steps for the initiation and progression of human cancers. Here, we comprehensively investigated the association between whole landscape of AS profiles and the survival outcome of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients using RNA-seq data from TCGA SpliceSeq. Because of the limited number size of deaths in kidney chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (KICH) and papillary renal cell carcinoma (KIRP) TCGA cohorts, we only conducted survival analysis in kidney clear renal cell carcinoma (KIRC). We further constructed prognostic index (PI) based on prognosis-related AS events and built correlation network for splicing factors and prognosis-related AS events. According to the results, a total of 5351 AS events in 3522 genes were significantly correlated with the overall survival (OS) of kidney clear cell renal cell carcinoma (KIRC) patients. Seven of the PI models exhibited preferable prognosis-predicting capacity for KIRC with PI-ALL reaching the highest area under curve value of 0.875. The splicing regulatory network between splicing factors and prognosis-related AS events depicted a tangled web of relationships between them. One of the splicing factors: KHDRBS3 was validated by immunohistochemistry to be down-regulated in KIRC tissues. In conclusion, the powerful efficiency of risk stratification of PI models indicated the potential of AS signature as promising prognostic markers for KIRC and the splicing regulation network provided possible genetic mechanism of KIRC.

To determine the integrative value of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT), transcriptomics data and clinicopathological data for predicting the survival of bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) patients. RNA sequencing data, radiomics features and clinical parameters of 62 BLCA patients were included in the study. Then, prognostic signatures based on radiomics features and gene expression profile were constructed by using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox analysis. A multi-omics nomogram was developed by integrating radiomics, transcriptomics and clinicopathological data. More importantly, radiomics risk score–related genes were identified via weighted correlation network analysis and submitted to functional enrichment analysis. The radiomics and transcriptomics signatures significantly stratified BLCA patients into high- and low-risk groups in terms of the progression-free interval (PFI). The two risk models remained independent prognostic factors in multivariate analyses after adjusting for clinical parameters. A nomogram was developed and showed an excellent predictive ability for the PFI in BLCA patients. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that the radiomics signature we developed could reflect the angiogenesis status of BLCA patients. The integrative nomogram incorporated CECT radiomics, transcriptomics and clinical features improved the PFI prediction in BLCA patients and is a feasible and practical reference for oncological precision medicine. • Our radiomics and transcriptomics models are proved robust for survival prediction in bladder urothelial carcinoma patients. • A multi-omics nomogram model which integrates radiomics, transcriptomics and clinical features for prediction of progression-free interval in bladder urothelial carcinoma is established. • Molecular functional enrichment analysis is used to reveal the potential molecular function of radiomics signature.

Purpose: Autophagy is a major catabolic system by which eukaryotic cells undergo self-degradation of damaged, defective, or unwanted intracellular components. An abnormal autophagic level is implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple diseases, including cancers. The aim of this study is to explore the prognostic value of autophagy in bladder cancer (BC), which is a major cause of cancer-related death globally. Patients and methods: First, 27 differentially expressed autophagy-related genes (ARGs) were identified in BC patients based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Functional enrichment analyses hinted that autophagy may act in a tumor-suppressive role in the initiation of BC. Then, the Cox proportional hazard regression model were employed to identify three key prognostic ARGs (JUN, MYC, and ITGA3), which were related with overall survival (OS) significantly in BC. The three genes represented important clinical significance and prognostic value in BC. Then a prognostic index (PI) was constructed. Results: The PI was constructed based on the three genes, and significantly stratified BC patients into high- and low-risk groups in terms of OS (HR=1.610, 95% CI=1.200-2.160, P=0.002). PI remained as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analyses (HR=2.355, 95% CI=1.483-3.739, P

To investigate the difference in the expression of Ras-associated protein 1 (Rap1) in necrotic and healthy areas of non-traumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head (NONFH) patients.Femoral head tissue samples from 30 cases of NONFH and 30 cases of traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (TONFH) were collected after hip replacement surgery, respectively. No significant difference of Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) staging was found between the NONFH and the TONFH groups (Western blot results indicated that there was no statistical difference in the relative expression of Rap1, VEGF, PI3K, and Akt proteins (The necrosis in NONFH may be related to vascular endothelial damages caused by the inhibition of the Rap1-PI3K/Akt signaling pathways and the subsequent decline in the protein expression.

Shujin Jianyao Pills is a kind of concentrated honey pills made of 13 Chinese herbal medicines, such as Cibotii Rhizoma, Rosae Laevigatae Fructus, and Spatholobi Caulis. It has the effects in tonifying liver and kidney, strengthening muscles and bones, removing wind and dampness, activating collaterals and relieving pain. Under the leadership of the Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, the Expert consensus on clinical application of Shujin Jianyao Pills was developed by 22 universities, scientific research institutes and hospitals. This consensus formed 1 recommendation and 9 consensus suggestions, which were based on evidence and oriented to clinical practice. The expert consensus had a new understanding of the indications of Shujin Jianyao Pills, especially the applicable Western medicine diseases, the advantages and characteristics of treatment, the time of intervention, the applicable syndromes, the precautions and contraindications of medication. The indications were detailed and expressed as the combination of disease, symptom and syndrome. And it filled in the gaps of package inserts in applicable syndrome and special population medication in the process of drug use. The expert consensus showed the optimization of precautions and contraindications, and more detailed description of drug safety. Therefore, it provides guidance and reference for clinicians to use Shujin Jianyao Pills rationally.

Shujin Jianyao Pills is a Chinese patent medicine, with anti-inflammation, analgesic and anti-osteoporotic effects. Based on a questionnaire investigation of clinicians and a systematic review of study literatures on Shujin Jianyao Pills, the international clinical practice guidelines development method was adopted to analyze the optimal available evidences and expert experiences in thequot;evidence-based, consensus-based and experience-basedquot; principles. Expert consensus on Shujin Jianyao Pills in clinical practice(GS/CACM267-2019) was developed by more than 30 multidisciplinary experts nationwide with the aim to guide and standardize the rational use of Shujin Jianyao Pills among clinicians and improve the clinical efficacy and safety. The expert consensus adopted the internationally recognized recommendation criteria for classification of evidence--GRADE. Expert consensus was formed by the nominal group method. Six main considerations were quality of evidence, curative effect, safety, economical efficiency, patient acceptability and other factors. If there were sufficient evidences, aquot;recommendationquot; was given, and GRADE grid voting rule was adopted. If there wasn't sufficient evidence, aquot;consensus opinionquot; was formed, and the majority counting rule. According to the indication, usage and do-sage, drug use for special population and safety of Shujin Jianyao Pills, one recommendation and nine consensus opinions were put forward. By means of expert meetings and correspondence, a nationwide consultations and peer reviews were conducted. This consensus is applicable to clinicians in hospitals and grass-roots health services, and provides guidance and reference for the rational use of Shujin Jianyao Pills.

Simplified procedures were introduced in OSL dating of young samples with dim and poorly bleached quartz grains. Standardized growth curve (SGC) has been established with quartz OSL dating with the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol. OSL dating is achieved by measuring the natural OSL signal (LN) and the luminescence (TN) response to a test dose, and then projecting onto the SGC. Large data sets of aliquots enable to have statistical analysis and application of age models for poorly bleached samples. Finite mixture model (FMM) was applied to the data sets. Only aliquots meeting the objective selecting criteria are analyzed further for determining the equivalent dose (De) values. As a result, reliable De estimates were obtained using the proposed simplified procedures, with the advantage of saving substantial machine time. Single grain measurements have been effectively achieved with the single aliquots for the dim samples.

Standardised growth curves (SGCs) were established for extracts of potassium feldspar (K-feldspar), plagioclase and polymineral grains from various geological settings (deserts, loess, lake or fluvial deposits) from Northern China. Single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol was used with the measurements of multiple elevated temperature post-IR IRSL (MET-pIRIR) signals from 50 °C to 250 °C with an interval of 50 °C. Regenerative-dose normalisation was applied for the SGC construction. The shapes of the SGCs of K-feldspar vary between IRSL signals measured at different temperatures. For coarse grains (63–180 μm), the SGCs of the K-feldspar, plagioclase and polymineral fractions are close to each other. However, the polymineral fine grains (4–11 μm) have a distinct SGC from the coarse-grain fractions. It may be caused by the difference in alpha irradiation. Two test doses (145 Gy and 72.5 Gy) were applied to construct the SGCs for K-feldspar. The SGC built with the larger test dose has a larger characteristic saturation dose (D0). Test dose used for equivalent dose (De) measurements need to be the same as the test dose used for SGC construction, otherwise the SGC De may not be estimated accurately. With the same test dose used, the De values estimated from SGCs are identical with the De values generated from individual dose response curves.

Partial bleaching is a major challenge in OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) dating of flood sediments. Here we investigated both modern and palaeoflood sediments in the North China Plain. It demonstrates that most of the OSL ages for either coarse-grained (CG) or fine-grained (FG) quartz were overestimated in different levels. In the clay-dominated flood deposits, OSL signals of FG quartz from samples at the top of each layer can be bleached to a lower level and therefore give relatively accurate ages. While in silt-dominated flood sediments, the ages of FG quartz are significantly older than those of CG quartz. Ages obtained using the Minimum Age Model (MAM) for CG quartz are the closest to the burial ages of sediments, and the overestimation is mostly in the range of 0.5–1 ka. Although the FG quartz in silt sediments are not suitable for OSL dating the flood events, the OSL ages of FG quartz changes accordingly to the particle-size changes within each silt-dominated layer. The lager the particle sizes are; the older the OSL ages of FG quartz are. The OSL ages of CG quartz are corresponds in an opposite way. It can help to identify floods deposits. Furthermore, the differences of residual OSL ages of FG quartz in different layers in flood sediments may provide more depositional information.

Yu Zhang,1,* Li-jie Zhang,1,* Yi-wu Dang,1 Sheng-hua Li,2 Hai-biao Yan,2 Gang Chen1 1Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 530021, China; 2Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 530021, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Overexpression of metadherin/astrocyte elevated gene-1 (MTDH/AEG-1) has been implicated in various cancers. However, the clinical significance and the potential biological functions of MTDH/AEG-1 in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC) are not established. Methods: In this study, the expression of MTDH/AEG-1in BUC was measured using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and immunohistochemistry, together with a meta-analysis, to investigate the expression and diagnostic value of MTDH/AEG-1. The possible association between MTDH/AEG-1 expression and the viability, proliferation, and apoptosis in BUC cell lines (T24, HT1376, and RT4) was also assessed in vitro by viability, MTS, colony formation, and caspase-3/7 assays, as well as Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide (PI) double staining. Results: MTDH/AEG-1 expression was significantly higher in BUC tissues than in normal bladder tissues, according to the TCGA and immunohistochemistry results, and these findings were verified by the meta-analysis. Functional knockdown of MTDH/AEG-1 suppressed BUC cell growth and induced apoptosis. Bioinformatics analyses indicated an involvement of MTDH/AEG-1 in several processes, including RNA binding, protein transport, intracellular transport, and the insulin signaling pathway. Conclusion: We hypothesize that MTDH/AEG-1 could play essential roles in BUC, especially in cell growth and apoptosis, via the insulin signaling pathway.” Keywords: MTDH, AEG-1, bladder urothelial cancer, meta-analysis

In this article we test the potential use of a partial bleach method, which was traditionally used in thermoluminescence dating, for the post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR) dating of K-feldspar, with an aim to correct for the impact of remnant dose on the dating of Holocene-aged K-feldspar samples. We show that the solar bleaching decay of the pIRIR signal can be described using several components with different sensitivities upon exposure to sunlight. An improved partial bleach pIRIR (PB-pIRIR) method based on a multi-aliquot regenerative (MAR) protocol is proposed, which can isolate the rapidly bleached components from the pIRIR signal for the dating purpose. Natural and experimental factors that can affect the PB-pIRIR De are investigated by numeric simulation and dose recovery experiments. A plateau test is proposed to assess a proper laboratory bleaching time in the PB-pIRIR measurement. Dating known-age samples indicates that for well-bleached samples the PB-pIRIR method can yield reliable ages; whereas for poorly-bleached samples this technique can produce pIRIR ages consistent with expected ages or improve the pIRIR dating results. We deduce that for insufficiently bleached samples, the efficacy of the PB-pIRIR approach is related to the significance of the remnant dose relative to the burial dose, as well as the degree of heterogeneity of the grains' signal resetting. Our results suggest the partial bleach method has the potential to reduce or even eliminate the impact of insufficient bleaching on K-feldspar pIRIR dating. This method is more suitable for insufficiently bleached samples for which all or most of the K-feldspar grains have been exposed shortly to sunlight before the last burial.

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on potassium feldspar has been performed with high resolution in the Luochuan section in the Chinese Loess Plateau. An age hiatus of ∼ 15 ka is found at the top of L2 layer within the loess/paleosol sequences. The age of the potassium feldspar from the calcrete nodules along the S1/L2 boundary is significantly older than those of the paleosol and loess samples lying above and below the boundary. The age overestimation of the potassium feldspar from calcrete nodules is caused by the underestimation of the dose rate, because accretion of carbonates could dilute the radioactivity. The age hiatus at the top of L2 also resulted from the underestimation of the dose rates of four loess samples beneath this hiatus. These four loess samples have high CaO concentrations. Ages of these samples are overestimated in the similar way as the nodules, but with smaller degrees. All results suggest that the accretion of carbonates happened after the loess deposition. The carbonate accretion process of the calcrete nodules has been simulated with accumulation models. The accretion can be as young as 46 ka, assuming the calcrete nodules formed rapidly at a certain time point. For slow and gradual accretion models, the carbonate started to accumulate slowly since the dust deposition and the accumulation became faster afterwards. The transition of the accretion rate may relate to the climate change or a change in the carbonate leaching and re-precipitation system.

The different excimer emissions based on a series of host-guest complexes of dipolar dyes styrylpyridiniums (An and Bn) with cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]) are reported. The syn- and anti- excimers due to the opposite stacking orientations have been well investigated both in experiments and DFT calculations. Furthermore, reversibly color-tunable luminescent supramolecular assemblies including near white-light emission with CIE coordinates (0.32, 0.29) were achieved by competitive inclusion of An-CB[7] with ADA.

Two dimensional conductive metal-organic frameworks (2D cMOFs) have been widely applied as electrocatalysts, electronic devices, and sensors. In addition, their intrinsic electronic properties could be efficiently tuned via varying the conjugated linkers. Herein, we report a novel 2D cMOF based on complexation of 2,3,7,8,12,13-hexahydroxyl truxene and copper ions via the energy economical interfacial reaction. This 2D cMOF was obtained as a brilliant black powder and showed a bulk electrical conductivity of 3.5 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 30 °C. Additionally, the cMOF-modified glassy carbon electrode could act as an electrochemical sensor for sensing paraquat with a limit of detection at 4.1 × 10-8 M (S/N = 3). The accession of truxene-Cu to the cMOF family would shed new light on the impact of the organic conjugated linker and broaden the scope of cMOFs' applications.

Compared to quartz, the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) of K-feldspar saturates at higher dose, which has great potential for extending the dating limit. However, dating applications with K-feldspar has been hampered due to anomalous fading of the IRSL signal. The post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) signal of K-feldspar stimulated at a higher temperature after a prior low-temperature IR stimulation has significantly lower fading rate. Different dating protocols have been proposed with the pIRIR signals and successful dating applications have been made. In this study, we review the development of various pIRIR dating protocols, and compare their performance in estimating the equivalent dose (De). Standard growth curves (SGCs) of the pIRIR signals of K-feldspar are introduced. Single-grain K-feldspar pIRIR dating is presented and the existing problems are discussed.

As a topical plaster developed by modern pharmaceutical technology based on traditional Tibetan medicine,Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao has functions of promoting blood circulation,relieving swelling and relieving pain. Since its introduction in 1993,it has been widely used in the treatment of various types of acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain and various types of spinal,joint and soft tissue diseases. In order to better standardize the clinical application and improve the clinical efficacy of Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao,the research and development work of the Experts consensus statement on Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao in clinical practice was officially launched on October 19,2017,upon approval from China Association of Chinese Medicine. In this paper,main RD process and related technical links for the experts consensus on Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao would be summarized,which will help the various medical workers understand,master and apply more accurately,and also provide reference for the development of experts consensus on clinical application of other topical Chinese medicines.