Search

We used 256 apple germplasm resources for a thorough examination of the genetic diversity associated with 26 phenotypic traits (i.e., genetic diversity analysis, cluster analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and membership function). The average coefficient of variation for 12 morphological traits was 66.39% (21.10–201.5%). The coefficient of variation was highest and lowest for the fruit arris and the width of the eye basin, respectively. Additionally, the diversity index ranged from 0.54 to 1.33. Moreover, the coefficient of variation for 14 numerical traits varied from 5.37% to 50%. The titratable acid content had the highest coefficient of variation, with a diversity index ranging from 2.01 to 2.08 (average of 2.045). A cluster analysis categorized 256 germplasms into four groups, among which Group I included germplasms with large fruits and the best comprehensive performance. Of the top 10 principal components revealed by the principal component analysis, principal component 1 was mainly related to fruit size and flavor. The top 10 germplasms were selected on the basis of comprehensive scores using the membership function method. Furthermore, a stepwise regression analysis identified 15 key traits for identifying apple germplasms, including the vegetative growth day, fruit weight, and the firmness of the fruit without skin. These results can serve as the foundation for future analyses of the phenotypic diversity of apple germplasms, while also providing a theoretical basis for screening, characterizing, and further improving excellent apple germplasms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desorption of a self-propelling filament from an attractive surface is studied by computer simulations and the influence of activity, chain length, and chain rigidity is explored. For the flexible filament, we find three scaling regimes of desorption time vs activity with various scaling exponents. At low activity, the scaling law results from the spiral-like detachment kinetics. And at high activity, by theoretical analysis, the desorption is reminiscent of the escaping mechanism of a super-diffusive blob from a potential well at a short time scale. Additionally, the desorption time decreases first and then increases with chain length at low activity, since it is hard to form a spiral for short filaments due to the limited volume repulsion. For high activities, the desorption time approximately scales with chain length, with a scaling exponent ∼ 0.5 , which can be explained by the theory and numerically fitting scaling law between the end-to-end distance of the "globule-like" filament and chain length. Furthermore, a non-monotonic behavior is observed between the desorption time and the chain stiffness. Desorption time slightly decreases first and then rapidly increases with stiffness due to the opposed effects of increasing rigidity on headiing-up time and leaving-away time. In contrast to traditional polymers, the scaling behavior suggests unique desorption characteristics of active polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unprecedented levels of seismicity have been seen in southern Sichuan, China, since the large‐scale exploitation of shale gas. Fluid and pore pressure transported through hydrological channel are thought as pivotal elements in the induction of earthquakes. Our high‐resolution tomography results reveal two inclined seismic anomalies featured by low Vs and high Vp/Vs at different depth range. The deeper anomaly extends 15 km from NE to SE and connects the well g048 from 3 km depth to the vicinity of the Ms 4.7 Gongxian earthquake 5.4 km deep, which is hinted to be a hydrological channel inferred from the high fluid overpressure of 28 Mpa calculated from focal mechanism solution. The injection operation of multiple shale gas wells along the channel may potentially accumulate the pore pressure and cause the fault near the end of the channel to reach critical stress state through various mechanisms. Plain Language Summary: Increasing seismicity in southern Sichuan is suspected to be linked to hydraulic fracturing stimulation for shale gas extraction. Induced earthquakes resulting from fracturing operations at nearby wells can be verified using in‐situ fracturing data, while remote‐induced factors are hard to prove. In this study, a seismic anomaly of low Vs and high Vp/Vs inferred to be a long‐distance hydrological channel connecting the 2021 Ms 4.7 Gongxian earthquake to the active shale gas well 15 km away. Our results indicate that pore fluid pressure generated by hydraulic fracturing in multiple wells may continuously accumulated at the end of the channel, ultimately resulting in high pore pressure and triggering the fault rupture. Therefore, it is urgent to plug this channel and prevent the filtration loss. Key Points: Two long‐distance hydrological channels were observed in southern SichuanThe injection operation of multiple wells along the channel may increase the pore pressure in the hydrological channelThe accumulation of pore pressure at the end of the hydrological channel was confirmed by the occurrence of Ms 4.7 Gongxian earthquake [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of imbalance between traffic demand and airspace capacity of high-altitude air route network, reduce unnecessary delay costs, and improve air route operation efficiency, the resource allocation problem of multi-objective air route network for CTOP program is studied. Taking the affected flights in the congested area of air routes as the research object, taking into account the constraints of actual flight operation, FCA time slot resource availability limit, FCA capacity limit, etc., aiming at minimizing the total delay time of each flight and maximizing the fairness of airlines, a multi-objective optimization model for air route network resource allocation is established, and an improved NSGA-II algorithm is designed to solve the model. Based on the actual operation data of air routes in East China, the Pareto optimal solution set is obtained and compared with the traditional RBS algorithm, the average delay time is reduced by 5.49% and the average fair loss degree is reduced by 66.76%. The results show that the proposed multi-objective optimization model and the improved NSGA-II algorithm have better performance, which can take into account the fairness of each airline on the basis of reducing the total delay cost, realize the allocation of optimal flight trajectories and time slot resources, and provide a reference scheme for air traffic control resource scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective gene expression in cells in physiological or pathological conditions is important for the growth and development of organisms. Acetylation of histone H4 at K16 (H4K16ac) catalyzed by histone acetyltransferase 8 (KAT8) is known to promote gene transcription; however, the regulation of KAT8 transcription and the mechanism by which KAT8 acetylates H4K16ac to promote specific gene expression are unclear. Using the lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera as a model, we reveal that the transcription factor FOXO promotes KAT8 expression and recruits KAT8 to the promoter region of autophagy-related gene 8 (Atg8) to increase H4 acetylation at that location, enabling Atg8 transcription under the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) regulation. H4K16ac levels are increased in the midgut during metamorphosis, which is consistent with the expression profiles of KAT8 and ATG8. Knockdown of Kat8 using RNA interference results in delayed pupation and repression of midgut autophagy and decreases H4K16ac levels. Overexpression of KAT8-GFP promotes autophagy and increases H4K16ac levels. FOXO, KAT8, and H4K16ac colocalized at the FOXO-binding region to promote Atg8 transcription under 20E regulation. Acetylated FOXO at K180 and K183 catalyzed by KAT8 promotes gene transcription for autophagy. 20E via FOXO promotes Kat8 transcription. Knockdown or overexpression of FOXO appeared to give similar results as knockdown or overexpression of KAT8. Therefore, FOXO upregulates KAT8 expression and recruits KAT8 to the promoter region of Atg8, where the KAT8 induces H4 acetylation to promote Atg8 transcription for autophagy under 20E regulation. This study reveals the mechanism that KAT8 promotes transcription of a specific gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the operation of an enhanced geothermal system (EGS), the reservoir rock undergoes different cooling treatments based on the distance to the surface rock. The tensile capacity of reservoir rocks is a key parameter in estimating the parameters of the hydraulic fracturing process. Therefore, the gain‐based model 3D (GBM3D) was constructed to explore the micro behavior of granite under the heating/cooling process and the Brazilian splitting test. The numerical results demonstrate the ability of GBM3D to reproduce the grain interlocking and rotational resistance behavior, making it applicable to simulate the mechanical behavior of granite under uniaxial compression and the Brazilian splitting test. Temperature and cooling rates have significant effects on the stress‐strain curves. With the increase in temperature, the curves after peak strength translate from brittle to ductile, and the turning point of water‐cooled granite is lower than that of air‐cooled granite. When more flaws are present in the specimen, micro‐cracks tend to occur along the loading axial near the center of the specimen. This result can be used to explain the defect in numerical simulation, where cracks are easy to develop near the loading position under the Brazilian splitting test. This work can provide recommendations for hydraulic fracturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ephemeral flora of northern Xinjiang, China, plays an important role in the desert ecosystems. However, the evolutionary history of this flora remains unclear. To gain new insights into its origin and evolutionary dynamics, we comprehensively sampled ephemeral plants of Brassicaceae, one of the essential plant groups of the ephemeral flora. Results: We reconstructed a phylogenetic tree using plastid genomes and estimated their divergence times. Our results indicate that ephemeral species began to colonize the arid areas in north Xinjiang during the Early Miocene and there was a greater dispersal of ephemeral species from the surrounding areas into the ephemeral community of north Xinjiang during the Middle and Late Miocene, in contrast to the Early Miocene or Pliocene periods. Conclusions: Our findings, together with previous studies, suggest that the ephemeral flora originated in the Early Miocene, and species assembly became rapid from the Middle Miocene onwards, possibly attributable to global climate changes and regional geological events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective treatments for nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), which affects 1% of all men globally, are limited by undefined pathogenic mechanisms, especially in idiopathic NOA (iNOA). Here, we tried to identify the functional ferroptosis-related genes and phenotypes involved in iNOA. Differentially expressed ferroptotic genes were identified from iNOA mRNA microarray datasets by bioinformatic analyses, and these ferroptotic genes were subsequently filtered by various algorithms. Then, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to evaluate the diagnostic ability of the abovementioned genes for iNOA. Generally, 11 differentially expressed ferroptotic genes were downregulated, and five genes were upregulated in iNOA samples. Four genes, including DUSP1, GPX4, HSD17B11, and SLC2A8, were technically selected and determined to be potential biomarkers for iNOA. Subsequently, similar expression levels were validated at both the RNA and protein levels in the iNOA specimens. Finally, morphologic and biochemical assays were applied to define the ferroptotic phenotypes in testes. The ferroptotic features, like shrunken mitochondria with electron-dense membranes and a reduction in cristae were observed across various cell types within iNOA patients, accompanied by the overload of ferrous ions and increased lipid peroxidation production. Our findings demonstrated that these ferroptosis genes could be involved in the underlying pathogenesis mechanisms of iNOA by regulating ferroptosis and serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers. Also, the ferroptotic phenotypes were identified in iNOA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are considered an effective data collection tool. In this paper, we investigate the energy-efficient data collection problem in a UAV-enabled secure WSN without knowing the instantaneous channel state information of the eavesdropper (Eve). Specifically, the UAV collected the information from all the wireless sensors at the scheduled time and forward it to the fusion center while Eve tries to eavesdrop on this confidential information from the UAV. To surmount this intractable and convoluted mixed-integer non-convex problem, we propose an efficient iterative optimization algorithm using the block coordinate descent (BCD) method to minimize the maximum energy consumption of the ground sensor nodes (GSNs) under the constraints of secrecy outage probability (SOP), connection outage probability (COP), minimum secure data, information causality, and UAV trajectory. Numerical results demonstrate the superiority of the algorithm we proposed in energy consumption and secrecy rate compared with other schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caring behavior among nurses would have an impact on patient outcomes. External organizational job resources and personal internal psychological resources are correlated to nurses' caring behavior. Authentic leadership and psychological capital were shown to be correlated with nurses' caring behavior in previous studies. However, the relationships among the three are nevertheless unclear. This study aimed to examine if psychological capital could act as a mediator between nursing managers' authentic leadership and nurses' caring behavior. Methods: In December 2021, a total of 3,662 nurses were recruited from 37 hospitals in Anhui Province, China. They filled out online surveys, including general demographic information, the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and the Caring Behavior Inventory. Structural Equation Modeling and the bootstrapping procedure were used to examine the mediating role of psychological capital. Results: The scores of authentic leadership, psychological capital, and caring behavior of 3,495 nurses were 52.04 ± 13.24, 96.89 ± 17.78, and 104.28 ± 17.01, respectively. Psychological capital significantly mediated the relationship between authentic leadership and nurses' caring behavior (β = 0.378, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.350 ~ 0.402), which made up 78.75% of the total impact (0.480). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested that nursing managers should develop an authentic leadership style, which can effectively improve nurses' caring behaviors toward patients in clinical practice. Meanwhile, nursing leaders should strengthen nurses' psychological evaluation and training, and promote nurses' caring behavior in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to extract ΔGeff, the free energy of binding of potassium ions K+ to the partially charged polyelectrolyte poly(acrylic acid), or PAA, in dilute regimes. Upon increasing the charge fraction of PAA, the chains adopt more extended conformations, and simultaneously, potassium ions bind more strongly (i.e., with more negative ΔGeff) to the highly charged chains to relieve electrostatic repulsions between charged monomers along the chains. We compare the simulation results with the predictions of a model that describes potassium binding to PAA chains as a reversible reaction whose binding free energy (ΔGeff) is adjusted from its intrinsic value (ΔG) by electrostatic correlations, captured by a random phase approximation. The bare or intrinsic binding free energy ΔG, which is an input in the model, depends on the binding species and is obtained from the radial distribution function of K+ around the charged monomer of a singly charged, short PAA chain in dilute solutions. We find that the model yields semi-quantitative predictions for ΔGeff and the degree of potassium binding to PAA chains, α, as a function of PAA charge fraction without using fitting parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy stands as a precise and targeted approach in the treatment of malignancies. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of targeting Cadherin 17 (CDH17) with CDH17 CAR-T cells as a therapeutic modality for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods: CDH17 expression levels were assessed in human SCLC tumor tissues and cell lines using qPCR and Western blot. Subsequently, we established CDH17 CAR-T cells and assessed their cytotoxicity by co-culturing them with various SCLC cell lines at different effector-to-target (E:T) ratios, complemented by ELISA assays. To ascertain the specificity of CDH17 CAR-T cells, we conducted experiments on SCLC cells with and without CDH17 expression (shRNAs). Furthermore, we employed an SCLC xenograft model to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of CDH17 CAR-T cells. Results: Our results revealed a significant upregulation of CDH17 in both SCLC tissues and cell lines. CDH17 CAR-T cells exhibited robust cytotoxic activity against SCLC cells in vitro, while demonstrating no cytotoxicity towards CDH17-deficient SCLC cells and HEK293 cells that lack CDH17 expression. Importantly, the production of IFN-γ and TNF-α by CDH17 CAR-T cells correlated with their cytotoxic potency. Additionally, treatment with CDH17 CAR-T cells significantly decelerated the growth rate of SCLC-derived xenograft tumors in vivo. Remarkably, no significant difference in body weight was observed between the control group and the group treated with CDH17 CAR-T cells. Conclusions: The preclinical data open further venues for the clinical use of CDH17 CAR-T cells as an immunotherapeutic strategy for SCLC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a sample of 330 blue edge-on low surface brightness galaxies (ELSBGs). To understand the chemical evolution of ELSBGs, we derived the gas-phase abundance and the [ α /Fe] ratio. Compared with star-forming galaxies, ELSBGs show a flatter trend in the mass–metallicity (M *– Z) relation, which suggests that the oxygen abundance enhancement is inefficient. We focused on 77 ELSBGs with H i data and found that the closed-box model cannot explain their gas fraction and metallicity relation, which implies that infall and/or outflow is needed. We derived the [ α /Fe] ratio of normal ELSBG (<109.5 M ⊙) and massive ELSBG (> = 109.5 M ⊙) using single stellar population grids from the MILES stellar library. The mean [ α /Fe] ratios are 0.18 and 0.4 for normal ELSBG and massive ELSBG, respectively. We suggest that the long timescales of star formation and/or metal-rich gas outflow events caused by SNe Ia winds are likely to be responsible for the α -enhancement of massive ELSBGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific advances have led to the development and production of numerous vaccines and antiviral drugs, but viruses, including re-emerging and emerging viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, remain a major threat to human health. Many antiviral agents are rarely used in clinical treatment, however, because of their inefficacy and resistance. The toxicity of natural products may be lower, and some natural products have multiple targets, which means less resistance. Therefore, natural products may be an effective means to solve virus infection in the future. New techniques and ideas are currently being developed for the design and screening of antiviral drugs thanks to recent revelations about virus replication mechanisms and the advancement of molecular docking technology. This review will summarize recently discovered antiviral drugs, mechanisms of action, and screening and design strategies for novel antiviral agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient separation of particles has ever-growing importance in both fundamental research and nanotechnological applications. However, such particles usually suffer from some fluctuations from external surroundings and outside intervention from unknown directions. Here, we numerically investigate the transport of Brownian particles in a straight channel with regular arrays of equilateral triangle obstacles. The particles can be rectified by the triangle obstacles under the action of an oscillating (square wave) force. At the given amplitude and frequency of the oscillating force, the transport is sensitively dependent on the force direction and particle size. In the cases of longitudinal and transversal oscillating force, the particles with different sizes exhibit different transport behaviors. Interestingly, under a constant force in the longitudinal direction, the phenomenon of particle separation is observed, where the particles with different radii will move in different directions. Furthermore, we also study the transport of Brownian particles driven by a tilt oscillating force. By choosing proper force directions, we can observe the gating phenomenon and transport reversal. Under different driving conditions, we can separate particles of different sizes and make them move in opposite directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the relationship between physical exercise and smoking behavior among Chinese residents aged 16 years and older. Analysis based on 29,466 validated cases in the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS 2018). The chi-square test and Mann–Whitney U test were used for comparative analysis between groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between physical exercise and smoking behavior. Gender and birth cohort differences in the relationship between physical exercise and smoking behavior were explored based on stratified regression analysis using gender and birth cohort as stratified variables, respectively. Robustness testing based on multiple linear regression analysis using a replacement data approach. There were 8735 cases of smokers among the respondents. After controlling for relevant confounders, there was a significant negative association between physical exercise and smoking behavior among residents [OR 0.718, 95% CI (0.673, 0.765), P < 0.01]. Physical exercise was more significantly associated with smoking behavior among male residents [OR 0.694, 95% CI (0.649, 0.743), P < 0.01], while it was not significantly associated with smoking behavior among female residents [OR 0.901, 95% CI (0.743, 1.093), P > 0.05]. Physical exercise was more significantly associated with smoking behavior in the pre-1948 (OR 0.748), 1959–1968 (OR 0.748), 1969–1978 (OR 0.812), 1989–1998 (OR 0.576) and post-1999 (OR 0.411) birth cohorts, and the association decreased over time and with social change. The results of the robustness test showed that frequency of exercise was significantly and negatively associated with smoking behavior among residents [OR 0.961, 95% CI (0.951, 0.970), P < 0.01]. Physical exercise is negatively associated with smoking behavior among Chinese residents aged 16 years and older, especially among male residents. There is a cohort effect between physical exercise and smoking behavior of the population, that is, the relationship between the two decreases with social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research findings on the application of the transtheoretical model (TTM) to physical activity in children and adolescents have been inconsistent, indicating that the relationships between structural elements in the TTM are unclear. We conducted a database search to collect TTM-based cross-sectional studies and used a meta-analysis to explore the relationships between processes of change (POC), self-efficacy (SEI), decisional balance (DBL), and stages of change in children and adolescents. Meta-analysis results of 16 articles showed that physical activity stage changes in children and adolescents were associated with POC, SEI, and DBL, and that POC, SEI, and DBL had distinct stage characteristics. Thus, POC, SEI, and DBL differ in the extent to which they play a role in adjacent stage transitions in the physical activity of children and adolescents. We recommend that stage-matched intervention strategies be developed based on key elements of adjacent stage transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate postoperative clinical outcomes and analyze influencing factors for patients with thymic epithelial tumors over 3 years after operation. Methods: Patients with thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Beijing Hospital from January 2011 to May 2019 were retrospectively enrolled in the study. Basic patient information, clinical, pathological, and perioperative data were collected. Patients were followed up by telephone interviews and outpatient records. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: A total of 242 patients (129 men, 113 women) with TETs were included in this study, of which 150 patients (62.0%) were combined with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 92 patients (38.0%) were not. 216 patients were successfully followed up and their complete information was available. The median follow-up period was 70.5 months (range, 2–137 months). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of the whole group was 93.9%, and the 5-year OS rate was 91.1%. The 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate of the whole group was 92.2%, and the 5-year relapse-free survival rate was 89.8%. Multivariable COX regression analysis indicated that recurrence of thymoma was an independent risk factor for OS. Younger age, Masaoka-Koga stage III + IV, and TNM stage III + IV were independent risk factors for RFS. Multivariable COX regression analysis indicated that Masaoka-Koga staging III + IV, WHO type B + C were independent risk factors for postoperative improvement of MG. For patients with MG, the postoperative complete stable remission (CSR) rate was 30.5%. And the result of multivariable COX regression analysis showed that thymoma patients with MG with Osserman staging IIA + IIB + III + IV were not prone to achieving CSR. Compared with patients without MG, MG was more likely to develop in patients with WHO classification type B, and patients with myasthenia gravis were younger, with longer operative duration, and more likely to develop perioperative complications. Conclusions: The 5-year overall survival rate of patients with TETs was 91.1% in this study. Younger age and advanced stage were independent risk factors for RFS of patients with TETs, and recurrence of thymoma were independent risk factors for OS. In patients with MG, WHO classification type B and advanced stage were independent predictors of poor outcomes of MG treatment after thymectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, six new Fe3S2 cluster complexes Fe3(µ3S)2(CO)7[(Ph2P)2NR] (1-6) (R = (CH2)2CH3, CH(CH3)2, (CH2)3CH3, CH2CH(CH3)2, p-C6H4CCH and m-C6H4CCH) were successfully synthesized by reactions of Fe3S2(CO)9 and the corresponding aminodiphosphines under refluxing toluene. Meanwhile, treatment of Fe3S2(CO)9 and (Ph2P)2NCH(CH3)Ph afforded two new Fe3S2 cluster complexes Fe3(µ3-S)2(CO)7[(Ph2P)2NCH(CH3)Ph] (7) and Fe3(µ3-S)2(CO)7[(κ2-Ph2P)2NCH(CH3)(Ph)] (8). Complexes 1–8 were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, NMR spectroscopy, and especially X-ray crystallography. The elctrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, showing that they all have electrocatalytic ability for the reduction of protons to H2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Oleic acid together with insulin is widely used to induce preadipocyte differentiation in humans and mammals, and is also used alone in chicken preadipocytes from abdominal adipose tissue. However, it is not clear whether oleic acid alone promotes goat primary intramuscular preadipocyte differentiation. Aims: The aim of the present study was to identify the role of oleic acid in regulating primary preadipocyte differentiation in goats. Methods: Three healthy, 7-day-old Jianzhou goats were randomly selected. After slaughter, the longissimus dorsi tissues were collected from each goat under sterile procedures and mixed equally. The primary preadipocytes were then prepared using collagenase type I digestion, and treated with 5 mg/L insulin or different concentrations of oleic acid, including 0 μM, 50 μM, 100 μM, 150 μM and 300 μM. The results were determined using microscopy and Oil Red O staining. The expression of genes related to preadipocyte differentiation were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Lower concentrations of oleic acid (50 μM, 100 μM and 150 μM) did not affect the cell morphology and cell growth, whereas 300 μM oleic acid led to severe cytotoxicity compared with the control (0 μM). The treatment of oleic acid (100 μM) enhanced cellular accumulation and lipid droplets deposition significantly, which was not affected by supplementary insulin. In addition, insulin alone treatment did not alter cellular adipogenesis in goat intramuscular preadipocytes. Treatment with oleic acid significantly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha and fatty acid binding protein 4, and decreased the expression of lipoprotein esterase on Day 2 after cell differentiation, all of which decreased continually on Day 4 and Day 6. Expression of all genes increased significantly on Day 8 after oleic acid treatment in goat intramuscular preadipocytes. Conclusion: The results underscore the role of oleic acid independent of insulin in promoting intramuscular preadipocytes in goats, and probably via the control of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha. Implications: These data provide insight into the mechanism underlying preadipocyte differentiation. The present study found that 100 μM oleic acid, independent of insulin, enhanced the triglyceride accumulation and lipid droplet deposition in goat primary intramuscular preadipocytes, and was not affected by supplementation of insulin. Meanwhile, oleic acid significantly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha and fatty acid binding protein 4, and decreased the expression of lipoprotein esterase. Oleic acid, independent of insulin, may promote goat preadipocyte differentiation via the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluoropolymers with unique structures, high chemical stability, heat resistance, hydrophobicity, and insulation to electricity, have attracted much attention, owing to their applications in low surface energy coatings, dielectric materials, solid electrolytes, ion exchange membranes, and so on. However, the synthetic approaches for fluoropolymers are quite limited, and it is crucial to develop new synthetic approaches for the pursuing of new fluoropolymer structures. Herein, a series of soluble conjugated fluoropolymers with unique 1,3‐enyne structures embedded in the polymer chain and perfluoroalkyl group as sidechains are synthesized in high yields of up to 96% from a palladium‐catalyzed polymerization of aromatic terminal diynes and perfluorobutyl iodide in 1,4‐dioxane at 80 °C using K2CO3 as the base. The chemical structures of the fluoropolymers are fully characterized by gas permeation chromatography (GPC), 1H, 13C, 19F NMR, and IR spectra, together with the comparison with the spectra of the small molecular model compound, confirming their expected polymer structures with high selectivity, high molecular weights of up to 60 500 g mol−1, good solubility, high thermal resistance, and hydrophobicity. This efficient polymerization provides a convenient tool for the preparation of fluoropolymers, promoting the development of polymer synthetic methodology and the exploration of new fluoropolymer structures and materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a member of Coronaviridae, causes high mortality in newborn piglets, and has caused significant economic losses in the pig industry. PEDV infection can induce apoptosis, both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent, but the details of apoptosis remain clarified. This study investigated the effect of death receptor DR5 on PEDV infection and its relationship with PEDV-induced apoptosis. We found that DR5 knockdown reduced viral mRNA and protein levels of PEDV, and the viral titer decreased from 104.5 TCID50 to 103.4 TCID50 at 12 hpi. Overexpression of DR5 significantly increased the viral titer. Further studies showed that DR5 facilitates viral replication by regulating caspase-8-dependent apoptosis, and the knockdown of DR5 significantly reduced PEDV-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, we detected a biphasic upregulation expression of DR5 in both Vero cells and piglets in response to PEDV infection. We found that DR5 also facilitates viral entry of PEDV, especially, incubation with DR5 antibody can reduce the PEDV binding to Vero cells. Our study improves the understanding of the mechanism by which PEDV induces apoptosis and provides new insights into the biological function of DR5 in PEDV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a member of the family Coronaviridae, causes acute diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in newborn piglets, and has caused significant economic losses in the pig industry. There are currently no specific drugs available to treat PEDV. Viruses depend exclusively on the cellular machinery to ensure an efficient replication cycle. In the present study, we found that small-molecule RAF265, an anticancer drug that has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of RAF, reduced viral loads of PEDV by 4 orders of magnitude in Vero cells, and protected piglets from virus challenge. RAF265 reduced PEDV production by mediating cytoskeleton arrangement and targeting the host cell's translation machinery. Treatment with RAF265 inhibited viral entry of PEDV S-glycoprotein pseudotyped viral vector particle (PEDV-pp), at half maximal effective concentrations (EC50) of 79.1 nM. RAF265 also presented potent inhibitory activity against viral infection by SARS-CoV-2-pp and SARS-CoV-pp. The present work may provide a starting point for further progress toward the development of antiviral strategies effective against coronavirus PEDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. To evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods. All data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database. The study population was divided to two groups according to the optimal cut-off value of APTT calculated by X-tile software, and Cox proportional hazard model was used to define independent effect of APTT on 4-year mortality. Survival curves were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated to compare APTT with other severity scores. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis were applied to ensure the robustness of this study. Results. A total of 2,706 patients were included. The optimal cut-off value of APTT for 4-year mortality was 44 seconds. The Cox proportional hazard model showed that patients with APTT ≥ 44 had a significantly higher risk of all-cause death than those with APTT < 44 both before (HR (95% CI), 1.42 (1.16-1.74), P < 0.001) and after PSM (HR (95% CI), 1.47 (1.14-1.89), P = 0.003). The survival curves showed that patients with longer APTT had a significantly lower 1-year and 4-year cumulative survival probability. The ROC of APTT combined with other severity scores significantly increased predictive ability for 1-year and 4-year mortality. Conclusions. A longer APTT (≥44) was associated with a higher risk of mortality and can serve as a prognostic predictor in CABG patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tribe Cinnamomeae is a species-rich and ecologically important group in tropical and subtropical forests. Previous studies explored its phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography using limited loci, which might result in biased molecular dating due to insufficient parsimony-informative sites. Thus, 15 plastomes were newly sequenced and combined with published plastomes to study plastome structural variations, gene evolution, phylogenetic relationships, and divergence times of this tribe. Results: Among the 15 newly generated plastomes, 14 ranged from 152,551 bp to 152,847 bp, and the remaining one (Cinnamomum chartophyllum XTBGLQM0164) was 158,657 bp. The inverted repeat (IR) regions of XTBGLQM0164 contained complete ycf2, trnICAU, rpl32, and rpl2. Four hypervariable plastid loci (ycf1, ycf2, ndhF-rpl32-trnLUAG, and petA-psbJ) were identified as candidate DNA barcodes. Divergence times based on a few loci were primarily determined by prior age constraints rather than by DNA data. In contrast, molecular dating using complete plastid protein-coding genes (PCGs) was determined by DNA data rather than by prior age constraints. Dating analyses using PCGs showed that Cinnamomum sect. Camphora diverged from C. sect. Cinnamomum in the late Oligocene (27.47 Ma). Conclusions: This study reports the first case of drastic IR expansion in tribe Cinnamomeae, and indicates that plastomes have sufficient parsimony-informative sites for molecular dating. Besides, the dating analyses provide preliminary insights into the divergence time within tribe Cinnamomeae and can facilitate future studies on its historical biogeography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of the mechanical behavior of granite containing fissures is of great significance for geothermal energy exploitation and high-level nuclear waste disposal repository. To consider the grain interlocking and rotational resistance behavior in granite specimens, the grain-based model 3D (GBM3D) was constructed to investigate the fracture behavior of granite specimens containing a single fissure. The numerical result indicates that this GBM3D can be used to investigate the mechanical behavior of granite constituted by different minerals, and it can provide more information to understand the mechanical behavior of specimens under loading process. The inter-granular cracks initiate in the first place, but the initiation of intra-granular cracks mainly concentrates after the peak strength. The tensile cracks between different minerals are more than that between the same minerals, and the intra-granular cracks in muscovite initiate firstly, and the number of them is more than that in other minerals. The wing crack is mainly constituted by the inter-granular cracks, and the shape of it is different in different depths, whereas the anti-wing is similar in different depths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The high water table (HWT) enhances methanotrophic α-diversity, while the low water table (LWT) elevates methanogenic α-diversity. • Methanogens are dominated by methanoregula at the LWT site, and by methanobrevibacter and Methanoregula , and methanosarcina at the HWT site. • Methanotrophs are dominated by methylosinus at the LWT site, and by Methylocystis, methylosinus and methylocapsa at the HWT site. • HWT enhances the stability and complexity of ecological networks of methanotrophs and methanogens. • Temperature-dependent methane emissions vary with water table in the sub-alpine peatland. Methanogens and methanotrophs are important in regulating the peatland carbon cycle. The influence of hydrology on microbiota in different peatlands has been globally documented; however, the hydrological impact on methane-related microbial communities and methane (CH 4) emission remains underexplored in sub-alpine peatlands. Here, seasonal methanogenic and methanotrophic communities, as well as CH 4 emission, were determined at two sites with different water table levels from the Dajiuhu peatland, the largest intact sub-alpine peatland. Methane-related microbial communities varied with water table. A higher methanogenic and lower methanotrophic α-diversity were unveiled in samples with low water table (LWT), a reverse pattern was observed in high water table (HWT). Hydrogenotrophic methanogens dominated in samples with LWT, whereas hydrogenotrophic and aceticlastic methanogens dominated with HWT. Type II methanotrophs were predominant at both sites. Samples with HWT had higher gene copy numbers of methanogens (mcrA) and methanotrophs (pmoA) than those with LWT. Along the peat profile, methanogens and type II methanotrophs were enriched in samples at the depth of 10 - 15 cm and their abundances decreased toward deeper layers. Both type Ia and Ib methanotrophs were abundant in surface samples (0 - 5 cm). The HWT co-occurrence networks of methanogen and methanotroph were more stable and complex in contrast to those in LWT. Soil temperature was an important driver of seasonal variations in CH 4 emission at the LWT sites (0.03 - 1.61 mg m−2 h−1 for bare peat and 0.06 - 4.08 mg m−2 h−1 for peat covered with Sphagnum palustre) and HWT sites (0.25 - 0.78 mg m−2 h−1 for bare peat and 0.42 - 9.60 mg m−2 h−1 for peat covered S. palustre). The water table and vegetation affected the pattern of seasonal CH 4 emission. These results provide new insights in understanding the effect of hydrology on microbial functional groups and CH 4 emission within sub-alpine peatlands. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Detailed ATR-SEIRAS study of the cation effects on CO 2 RR on practical Pd/C catalysts. • Spectral evidence of increased interfacial CO 2 concentration and electric field by larger cations. • Mechanistic understanding of cation effects on potential dependent CO 2 RR pathways. Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO 2) reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) has long been known to be affected by the electrolyte cations, yet the interpretations of these effects remain controversial. In this work, taking advantage of the unique catalytic characteristics of Pd, we investigated the cation effects on the CO 2 RR. It was found that the productions of formate and carbon monoxide (CO) are accelerated, and the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is suppressed on Pd surfaces by larger cations. Detailed ATR-SEIRAS measurements revealed the promotion of CO 2 RR comes from two aspects. First, the CO 2 molecules can be concentrated at the electrode–electrolyte interface by larger cations through electrostatic interaction. Second, a stronger interfacial electric field brought by the larger cations can accelerate the CO 2 RR and stabilize the negatively charged intermediates. The potential-dependent spectral transitions of adsorbed CO and interfacial water shed new light on the cation-dependent electric double layer structures. In light of these findings, the cation effects on the formate and CO pathways at different overpotentials were further revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous works have clarified that exploiting uniquely decodable codes (UDC) can enhance the throughput of M -to-1 free space optical (FSO) systems due to the non-orthogonal property. Considering that multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique can combat fading, this paper expands the original single-receiver case to the case of multiple receivers and establishes a UDC-MIMO-FSO system, aiming at combining the channel capacity gain of UDC with the diversity gain of MIMO. However, owing to the employed UDC codewords, it is discovered that the traditional maximal ratio combining (MRC) becomes no longer optimal. Two combination approaches are proposed in order to obtain better error performance, i.e. the suboptimal maximizing minimum distance combination (MMDC) and the optimal distance-based candidate selection (DBCS), which are verified to outperform traditional benchmarks by simulations. The complexities of the two proposed algorithms are also compared. In addition, we build a 2 × 2 equivalent experiment to further validate the feasibility of the UDC-MIMO-FSO architecture and the effectiveness of the proposed combination algorithms. • The UDC-MIMO-FSO system architecture is established, which combines the non- orthogonal property of UDC to improve the channel capacity and the diversity gain brought by signal combination in MIMO technique to combat fading events. • Based on the expressions of combined signals in the UDC-MIMO-UDC system, it is proved that the combined signals still maintain the uniquely decodable (UD) property, which shows the feasibility of the UDC-MIMO-FSO structure. • We propose two signal combination algorithms, i.e., the suboptimal MMDC algorithm and the optimal DBCS algorithm. Simulation results validate that the two proposed algorithms outperform traditional benchmarks, where the fading channels considers both Malaga turbulence and pointing errors. • We also build a 2 × 2 equivalent desktop experiment to show the feasibility of the proposed UDC-MIMO-FSO architecture and the potential for application in practical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sliding electrical contact (SEC) between rails and armature is a focus in electromagnetic rail launchers. The extreme conditions, such as high current density, high temperature, and high contact pressure, influence SEC performance. In this article, the segmented rails were used to study the effects of launch mass on SEC. Two groups of experiments, armatures with and without launch mass, were carried out. The mass difference of rail parts was measured, the macro- and micromorphology of rails surface were observed, and the driving current and muzzle voltage were obtained. Three conclusions are obtained: 1) the mass difference of rail parts in shooting with launch mass is greater than that without launch mass, due to the high temperature of armature contact surfaces; 2) because of the electron migration, the mass difference of the cathode rail is larger than the anode rail; and 3) the contact resistance between rails and armature without launch mass is lower than that with launch mass, result from the large contact area. Moreover, the current density and the temperature of the armature and rails were calculated. Results show that the temperature of surface of armature with launch mass is higher than that without launch mass. In a word, based on the results from experiments and simulations, the launch mass improves the sliding electric contact performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult mammals have limited potential for cardiac regeneration after injury. In contrast, neonatal mouse heart, up to 7 days post birth, can completely regenerate after injury. Therefore, identifying the key factors promoting the proliferation of endogenous cardiomyocytes (CMs) is a critical step in the development of cardiac regeneration therapies. In our previous study, we predicted that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 (MNK2) has the potential of promoting regeneration by using phosphoproteomics and iGPS algorithm. Here, we aimed to clarify the role of MNK2 in cardiac regeneration and explore the underlying mechanism. In vitro , MNK2 overexpression promoted, and MNK2 knockdown suppressed cardiomyocyte proliferation. In vivo , inhibition of MNK2 in CMs impaired myocardial regeneration in neonatal mice. In adult myocardial infarcted mice, MNK2 overexpression in CMs in the infarct border zone activated cardiomyocyte proliferation and improved cardiac repair. In CMs, MNK2 binded to eIF4E and regulated its phosphorylation level. Knockdown of eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF4E) impaired the proliferation-promoting effect of MNK2 in CMs. MNK2-eIF4E axis stimulated CMs proliferation by activating cyclin D1. Our study demonstrated that MNK2 kinase played a critical role in cardiac regeneration. Over-expression of MNK2 promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation in vitro and in vivo, at least partly, by activating the eIF4E-cyclin D1 axis. This investigation identified a novel target for heart regenerative therapy. [Display omitted] • Neonatal mice can regenerate completely after heart injury, while adult mice lose this ability • MNK2 protein kinase is first found to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac regeneration • MNK2 do not affect heart growth of healthy mouse • MNK2-eIF4E-cyclin D1 axis is first proved to promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early diagnosis and treatment of gastric precancerous lesions (GPL) are key factors for reducing the incidence and morbidity of gastric cancer. The study is aimed at examining GPL in mice induced by N-methyl-N-nitroso-urea (MNU) and to illustrate the underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis. In this study, we utilized an in vivo MNU-induced GPL mouse model, and histopathological changes of the gastric mucosa were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E-stain) and alcian blue (AB-PAS-stain). The level of miR-194-5p in the gastric mucosa was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. We used transmission electron microscopy to observe the effects of MNU on gastric chief cells and parietal cells. We performed immunohistochemical detection of HIF-1α, vWF, Ki-67, and P53, while the changes in the protein expression of key genes in LKB1-AMPK and AKT-FoxO3 signaling pathways were detected by western blot analysis. We demonstrated that the miR-194-5p expression was upregulated under hypoxia in GPL gastric tissues, and that a high miR-194-5p expression level closely related with tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, miR-194-5p exerted the acceleration of activities related to metabolic reprogramming through LKB1-AMPK and AKT-FoxO3 pathways. Furthermore, similar to miR-194-5p, high expression levels of AMPK and AKT were also related to the metabolic reprogramming of GPL. Moreover, we revealed the correlation between the expression levels of miR-194-5p, p-AMPKα, p-AKT, and FoxO3a. These findings suggest that miR-194-5p/FoxO3 pathway is important for the reversal of metabolic reprogramming in GPL. Thus, exploring strategies to regulate the miR-194-5p/FoxO3a pathway may provide an efficient strategy for the prevention and treatment of GPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matricellular proteins, a group of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, are key regulators of skin repair and their dysregulation impairs wound healing in diabetes. Tubulointerstitial nephritis antigen like 1 (TINAGL1) is a new member of matricellular protein family, and the understanding of its functional role is still relatively limited. In the current study, we detected the expression of TINAGL1 in diabetic skin wound tissues through RT‐PCR, ELISA and Western blot analysis, investigated the contribution of TINAGL1 to wound healing through cutaneous administration of recombinant TINAGL1 protein, and characterized its regulation by hyperglycemia through RNA‐seq and signal pathway inhibition assay. We showed that TINAGL1 expression has dynamic change and reaching a peak on day‐9 after wound during the wound healing process in wild‐type (WT) mice. Interestingly, decreased TINAGL1 expression is detected in skin tissues of diabetic patients and mice after wound. Then, we found that high glucose (HG), an important factor that impairs wound healing, reduces the expression of TINAGL1 in fibroblasts through JNK pathway. Notably, the histology analysis, Masson trichrome assay and IHC assay showed that exogenous TINAGL1 promotes wound healing in diabetic mice by accelerating the formation of granulation tissues. Our study provides evidence that TINAGL1 has an essential role in diabetic wound healing, and meanwhile, indicates that manipulation of TINAGL1 might be a possible therapeutic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segmental overgrowth of the skeletal muscles with bone involvement in body extremities, predominantly affecting the upper limb, is an extremely rare condition with only 40–50 affected children described clinically. The molecular pathogenesis of this disorder remains largely unclear except for the identification of a somatic PIK3CA mutation in each of the six patients genetically tested, all restricted to upper limbs in the literature. This study aimed to further characterize the molecular defects for patients affected with segmental overgrowth of the skeletal muscles by analyzing a 9-gene panel selected from the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and genes associated with other related conditions. Nineteen unrelated patients were chosen for this study, comprising ten upper limb (nine unilateral and one bilateral) and nine lower limb (eight unilateral and one bilateral) cases with variable bone involvement. In each case, an activating PIK3CA mutation (p.E110del, p.N345K, p.E542K, p.E545K, p.H1047R, or p.H1047L) was identified in the affected muscle tissue with variant allele frequencies ranging from 13.88 to 30.43%, while no mutation was detected in the paired peripheral blood sample, indicating somatic mosaicism. All detected mutations were limited to PIK3CA and were previously reported in other overgrowth syndromes currently categorized under the PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum (PROS). Our study provides strong molecular evidence that isolated segmental overgrowth of the skeletal muscle with bone involvement is a subtype of PROS. Our findings expand the PROS clinical presentations with a newly molecularly classified condition and can provide guidance in clinical and molecular diagnosis and treatment for patients with this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Armature ejecta, which erodes the insulator and reduces surface dielectric strength, has been considered as a threat to solid-armature launchers. Two series of experiments were carried out in a small caliber launcher (SCL) to investigate the sources of armature ejecta and degradation mechanisms of the insulator. In first series of experiment, the ejection of armature was imaged by a high-speed camera. The influence of linear current density on ejection was studied in second series of experiment. Mass difference of insulator samples was used to evaluate the output of armature ejecta. Insulation performance was judged from the surface flashover voltage. And the degradation mechanism resulted from armature ejecta was analyzed based on the process of surface flashover. Results show that the local breakdown at armature–rail interfaces is one of the sources of armature ejecta. The amount of ejecta on samples increased with linear current density. Average flashover voltages decreased when ejecta increased in Zone A (0–200 mm) and Zone B (200–600 mm). And there was little difference of average flashover voltages in Zone C (600–900 mm). The discharge channel of the post-shot sample was composed of arcs and ejecta. The distortion of the surface electric field and the shorten of creepage distance are degradation mechanisms of bore insulators in solid-armature launchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muzzle arc is a general phenomenon when the armature leaves the muzzle, and it is also a reason for the complexity of intermediate ballistic of electromagnetic launchers. In this article, a 3-D model has been developed to investigate muzzle arc flow field in a smaller caliber launcher. The coupled interaction of electromagnetic, flow, and thermal fields is realized by the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory in conjunction with a renormalization group (RNG) $k$ - $\varepsilon $ turbulence model. The arc boundary conditions, arc root radius, and time-dependent current density are reasonably set on the basis of the experimental data and physical process. Simulation results reveal the relationship between muzzle arc and muzzle voltage. The rising edge of muzzle voltage corresponds to the arc expansion stage. The falling edge corresponds to the muzzle breakdown stage. And the turning point from rising edge to falling edge is the moment of muzzle breakdown. The flat section corresponds to the arc extinguishing stage. The muzzle blowback is the consequence of the arc expansion which produces a compression wave moving toward the breech. The velocity of blowback flow decreases from 670 to 270 m/s during the arc expansion stage. Then, it increases to about 350 m/s and tends to be stable due to the muzzle breakdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slow reaction kinetics of oxygen electrode is the bottleneck restricting the development of rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs). In order to further improve the energy conversion efficiency of ZABs, a novel urea-assisted ZAB system was proposed by replacing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with urea oxidation reaction (UOR) with lower theoretical thermodynamic potential. Inspired by nature's ingenious structure-function, a "leaf-branch" CoNi@NCNTs-LDH/CC binary-site electrocatalyst was designed for the above system, where spatially separated branches and leaves serve as the main active sites for ORR and UOR, respectively. A build-in electric field from CoNi-LDH to CoNi@NCNTs is formed at the interface of the composite, which plays a command effect, effectively triggering the accumulation of O 2 and urea reactants around the CoNi and LDH sites, respectively, and thus improving the efficiency of both ORR and UOR reactions. Based on that, a conceptual urea-assisted rechargeable ZAB is demonstrated to have significantly decreased charging voltage, higher energy conversion efficiency (74.6 %) compared with the conventional ZAB, as well as high urea elimination rates. Considering the urea-assisted ZAB with high energy conversion efficiency and wastewater treatment versatility as an energy transfer station applied in a high value-added agricultural system, uninterrupted hydrogen production and wastewater treatment of agricultural wastewater can be simultaneously achieved using sustainable energy sources. [Display omitted] • A novel urea-assisted rechargeable ZAB system is innovatively proposed. • Through biomimetic design, a "leaf-branch" binary-site electrocatalyst is prepared. • CoNi@NCNTs-LDH/CC exhibits excellent ORR and UOR bifunctional activity. • The built-in electric field regulates the adsorption of reactants at different sites. • Hydrogen production and wastewater treatment of agricultural wastewater can be realized simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Four undescribed coumarins derivatives, including ficusalt A (1) and ficusalt B (2), and a pair of racemic coumarins, (±) ficudimer A (3a / 3b), were isolated from the roots of Ficus hirta. • Compound 5 had distinct cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells, induced their apoptosis, and significantly inhibited their invasion and migration. • Compound 5 obviously increased the cleavage of PARP, the phosphorylation level of p38 and JNK, and the expression of pro-apoptotic protein of Bax, whereas inhibited the expression of p-ERK and p-AKT. Four undescribed coumarin derivatives, ficusalt A (1) and ficusalt B (2), a pair of racemic coumarins, (±) ficudimer A (3a / 3b), along with ten known amides, were isolated from the roots of Ficus hirta. Their structures were elucidated by several spectroscopic data analyses, including HRESIMS, NMR, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The cytotoxic activities of all compounds against HeLa, HepG2, MCF-7, and H460 cell lines were detected using the MTT assay. Among these, 5 showed the highest activity against HeLa cells. Subsequently, the apoptotic, anti-invasive, and anti-migration effects of 5 on HeLa cells were determined by flow cytometer, transwell invasion assay, and wound-healing assay, respectively. The result suggested that 5 distinctly induced the apoptosis in HeLa cells and inhibited their invasion and migration. Further studies on anticancer mechanisms were conducted using Western blotting. As a result, 5 increased the cleavage of PARP and the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax. Moreover, 5 notably upregulated the phosphorylation of p38 and JNK, whereas inhibited the expression of p-ERK and p-AKT. Our results demonstrated that 5 could be a potential leading compound for further application in the treatment of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The East Asian subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) harbor remarkable biodiversity. However, their historical assembly remains unclear. To gain new insights into the assembly of this biome, we generated a molecular phylogeny of one of its essential plant groups, the tribe Perseeae (Lauraceae). Results: Our plastid tree topologies were robust to analyses based on different plastid regions and different strategies for data partitioning, nucleotide substitution saturation, and gap handling. We found that tribe Perseeae comprised six major clades and began to colonize the subtropical EBLFs of East Asia in the early Miocene. The diversification rates of tribe Perseeae accelerated twice in the late Miocene. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the intensified precipitation in East Asia in the early Miocene may have facilitated range expansions of the subtropical EBLFs and establishment of tribe Perseeae within this biome. By the late Miocene, species assembly and diversification within the EBLFs had become rapid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia is an important factor affecting the prognostic outcomes in adult cancer patients. Gastric cancer is considered an age-related disease and is one of the leading causes of global cancer mortality. We aimed to establish an effective age-related model at a molecular level to predict the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. TCGA STAD (stomach adenocarcinoma) and NCBI GEO database were utilized in this study to explore the expression, clinical relevance and prognostic value of age-related mRNAs in stomach adenocarcinoma through an integrated bioinformatics analysis. WGCNA co-expression network, Univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO regression and Multivariate Cox regression analysis were implemented to construct an age-related prognostic signature. As a result, sarcopenia is not only an unfavorable factor for OS (overall survival) in patients with tumor of gastric (HR: 1.707, 95%CI: 1.437–2.026), but also increases the risk of postoperative complications in patients with gastric cancer (OR: 2.904, 95%CI: 2.150–3.922). A panel of 5 mRNAs (DCBLD1, DLC1, IGFBP1, RNASE1 and SPC24) were identified to dichotomize patients with significantly different OS and independently predicted the OS in TCGA STAD (HR = 3.044, 95%CI = 2.078–4.460, P < 0.001). The study provided novel insights to understand STAD at a molecular level and indicated that the 5 mRNAs might act as independent promising prognosis biomarkers for STAD. Sarcopenia and the 5-mRNA risk module as a combined factor to predict prognosis may play an important role in clinical diagnosis. • The strong association between sarcopenia and short- and long-term clinical outcomes of STAD patients • Age play important roles in sarcopenia and gastric cancer. • WGCNA analysis was used to screen age-related mRNAs. • Sarcopenia and the 5-mRNA module as a combined factor to predict prognosis might play an important role in STAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protons (H+) in acidic soils arrest plant growth. However, the mechanisms by which plants optimize their biological processes to diminish the unfavorable effects of H+ stress remain largely unclear. Here, we showed that in the roots of Arabidopsis thaliana , the C2H2-type transcription factor STOP1 in the nucleus was enriched by low pH in a nitrate-independent manner, with the spatial expression pattern of NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1.1 (NRT1.1) established by low pH required the action of STOP1. Additionally, the nrt1.1 and stop1 mutants, as well as the nrt1.1 stop1 double mutant, had a similar hypersensitive phenotype to low pH, indicating that STOP1 and NRT1.1 function in the same pathway for H+ tolerance. Molecular assays revealed that STOP1 directly bound to the promoter of NRT1.1 to activate its transcription in response to low pH, thus upregulating its nitrate uptake. This action improved the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of plants and created a favorable rhizospheric pH for root growth by enhancing H+ depletion in the rhizosphere. Consequently, the constitutive expression of NRT1.1 in stop1 mutants abolished the hypersensitive phenotype to low pH. These results demonstrate that STOP1-NRT1.1 is a key module for plants to optimize NUE and ensure better plant growth in acidic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-screen tourism destinations provide tourists with a mixture of reality and mass-media experience. This study builds a conceptual framework of authenticity evaluating the relationship between fantasy proneness, authenticity, and destination loyalty. It is among the first to compare perceived authenticity of dual images of a destination, both the film location and the story's setting. Using Game of Thrones and the city of Dubrovnik as a case, it applies a mixed method of interviews followed by a main survey with both closed- and open-ended questions. The primary findings show that the relationship between authenticity of the film location (Dubrovnik) and loyalty is positive, but such relationship is insignificant for the authenticity of the story's setting (King's Landing). This investigation enriches our understanding of the complex assessments of authenticity and expands the theory of imagination by evaluating the effects of fantasy proneness on perceived authenticity in the context of on-screen tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The property of organic light-responsive materials is determined by their electronic excited states to a large extent, for instance, the radiative decay rate constants, redox potentials, and lifetimes. Tuning the excited state properties with external stimuli will lead to versatile functional materials; a representative example is the fluorescence molecular probes, in which the singlet excited states are controlled by the external stimuli, i.e., by interaction with the analytes. In comparison, controlling the triplet excited state with external stimuli has been rarely reported, although it is also crucial for the development of novel materials for targeted photodynamic therapy (PDT) reagents and phosphorescent molecular probes. The reported results show that the principles used in singlet excited state tuning are unable to be simply applied to the triplet excited state. In this review article, we summarized the recent results on controlling the triplet excited states by the external stimuli (chemical or light), and the application of the triplet state tuning in the chemical/light controllable triplet–triplet-annihilation upconversion (TTA UC). We discussed the methods for the control of the triplet states, as well as singlet excited state, for the purpose of controlling the TTA UC. Both successful and unsuccessful methods are discussed. This information is helpful for understanding the photophysical processes in which the triplet excited state is involved, and the development of novel external stimuli-responsive triplet photosensitizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is an indispensable macronutrient required for plant growth and development. Natural phosphate (Pi) reserves are finite, and a better understanding of Pi utilization by crops is therefore vital for worldwide food security. Ammonium has long been known to enhance Pi acquisition efficiency in agriculture; however, the molecular mechanisms coordinating Pi nutrition and ammonium remains unclear. Here, we reveal that ammonium is a novel initiator that stimulates the accumulation of a key regulatory protein, STOP1, in the nuclei of Arabidopsis root cells under Pi deficiency. We show that Pi deficiency promotes ammonium uptake mediated by AMT1 transporters and causes rapid acidification of the root surface. Rhizosphere acidification-triggered STOP1 accumulation activates the excretion of organic acids, which help to solubilize Pi from insoluble iron or calcium phosphates. Ammonium uptake by AMT1 transporters is downregulated by a CIPK23 protein kinase whose expression is directly modulated by STOP1 when ammonium reaches toxic levels. Taken together, we have identified a STOP1-centered regulatory network that links external ammonium with efficient Pi acquisition from insoluble phosphate sources. These findings provide a framework for developing possible strategies to improve crop production by enhancing the utilization of non-bioavailable nutrients in soil. Ammonium is known to facilitate plant Pi acquisition, but the molecular link to P nutrition is unclear. This study demonstrates that Pi deficiency enhances ammonium uptake and acidifies the rhizosphere, which in turn results in the accumulation of STOP1 protein. STOP1 promotes the expression of ALMT1 / MATE and the secretion of organic acids to release Pi from insoluble sources, thereby coordinating P and N nutrition in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we determine up/down-quark mass m q = u / d in the isoscalar scalar channel from both the Shifman–Vainshtein–Zakharov (SVZ) and the Monte-Carlo-based QCD sum rules. The relevant spectral function, including the contributions from the f 0 (500) , f 0 (980) and f 0 (1370) resonances, is determined from a sophisticated U(3) chiral study. Via the traditional SVZ QCD sum rules, we give the prediction to the average light-quark mass m q (2 GeV) = 1 2 (m u (2 GeV) + m d (2 GeV)) = (3. 46 - 0.22 + 0.16 ± 0.33) MeV . Meanwhile, by considering the uncertainties of the input QCD parameters and the spectral functions of the isoscalar scalar channel, we obtain m q (2 GeV) = (3.44 ± 0.14 ± 0.32) MeV from the Monte-Carlo-based QCD sum rules. Both results are perfectly consistent with each other, and nicely agree with the Particle Data Group value within the uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report, we describe the preparation of two diiron butane-1,2-dithiolate pentacarbonyl complexes with tris(3-fluorophenyl)phosphine or tris(3-chlorophenyl)phosphine as mimics for the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases. The two complexes were synthesized by the reactions of hexacarbonyl complex [Fe2(CO)6{µ-SCH2CH(CH2CH3)S}] (1) with the corresponding tertiary phosphine ligands by using Me3NO·2H2O as the decarbonylation reagent in 70% and 66% yields, respectively. The new complexes were characterized by means of elemental analysis, spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, the electrochemistry was studied by cyclic voltammetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2460 MPa ultimate tensile strength (UTS) has been achieved in this experimental steel, which was processed by a conventional hot stamping process with water quenching to room temperature. Additionally, comparing the microstructure evolution and strengthening mechanism before and after tempering, the microstructure has changed from fresh martensite transformed into tempered martensite with acicular carbides, and the fracture mode has also changed from brittle fracture transformed into ductile fracture mainly. Meanwhile, the main strengthening mechanism has changed from dislocation strengthening to precipitation and dislocation strengthening. Overall, the tempering process reduces dislocation density and produces acicular carbides, which decrease UTS. However, the tempering process reduces the quenching residual stress and changes the morphology of twin martensite, resulting in an increase in ductility. Meanwhile, it enhances the effect of carbide pinning dislocations, significantly enhances precipitation strengthening, and improves yield strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic progressive disorder characterized by complicated gastrointestinal inflammation. Research on therapeutic agents is still urgent due to the lack of satisfactory treatments. Gut macrophages are considered to be predominant in excessive inflammatory responses. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether depletion of macrophages would have a beneficial effect on IBD and could be a potential therapeutic strategy. In this study, we established a 12‐day Dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)‐induced colitis mouse model and determined the effect of the macrophage depletion agent Clophosome (neutral clodronate liposomes; CNC). The results showed that CNC significantly alleviated the symptoms of colitis, as demonstrated by greater weight gain, decreased disease activity index (DAI) scores, and lower histopathological damage scores, as well was reduced levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)‐6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. To investigate T cell subsets, cells were isolated from the lamina propria and cultured to analyse the expression of IL‐17A, interferon (IFN)‐γ and Foxp3 in CD4+ cells by flow cytometry. The data showed that during the process of colitis, the frequencies of CD4+IL‐17A+ T cells were significantly increased. Notably, CNC treatment markedly reduced the population of CD4+IL‐17A+ T cells, especially CD4+IL‐17A+IFN‐γ+ T cells. Furthermore, intestinal barrier integrity, as assessed by immunostaining of mucin and tight junction proteins, was severely disrupted in colitis. CNC improved the intestinal barrier by enhancing the expression of muc‐2 and occludin. In summary, our findings demonstrated that CNC successfully ameliorated DSS‐induced colitis and that its effect may be associated with inhibiting inflammatory responses and maintaining intestinal integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modification with alkaline‐earth metals to the energy unfavorable triple‐ring B36 result in a family of stable triple‐ring tubular MB36 (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba). The triple‐ring structures are highly energy favorable than the structures on the basis of the global‐minimum of B36 which is experimentally known as planar structure with dual aromaticity. Basic chemical bonding analysis reveals the σ and dual π aromaticity of these triple‐ring tubes, which refer to threefold aromaticity and result in the chemical stability. Large energy gap and high formation energy support their stability. Highly negative NICS values sustain the same conclusion. This findings hint the possibility of experimental synthesis of triple‐ring tube by importing metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels are basically three-dimensional network structures which are formulated from specific natural and synthetic polymers. They have the ability to absorb and carry sufficient quantity of water in their porous structure. Hydrogels can be formulated from natural as well as synthetic polymers. The characteristics of an ideal hydrogel are good permeability, biocompatibility, flexibility and viscoelasticity. There are numerous technologies and method of preparation for hydrogels which are briefly discussed in this review. There are various routes of hydrogel drug delivery into the body including oral, rectal, ocular, subcutaneous, rectal, vaginal and transdermal routes. Hydrogels are suitable candidates for drug delivery as they are biocompatible and can also be degraded when made from bio degradable polymers. Now-a-days hydrogels are extensively used for drug delivery. Hydrogels have much biomedical and pharmaceutical application, among which transdermal drug delivery is remarkable. The formulation of hydrogel-based patch has recently gained much importance because of its unique properties. Hydrogels which are mostly synthesized from hydrophilic polymers have the capacity to hold substantial amount of water ranging from 10-20% and may goes up to 1000's times of their dry weight. This substantial amount of water in hydrogels plays an important role in skin elasticity and moisturization making them suitable dosage form for topical use. In this review, we have briefly described the hydrogels, their types and classification, characteristics, method of preparation, different monomers and polymers used in their formulation, their applications in different fields particularly their role in topical drug delivery is elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]