Search

Exosomes are critical mediators of intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment. Exosomal circular RNAs (circRNAs) can act as biomarkers and play crucial roles in many cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to explore the functions and regulatory mechanism of exosomal circ_0007385 in NSCLC. The expression levels of circ_0007385, microRNA-1253 (miR-1253), family with sequence similarity 83, member A (FAM83A) mRNA were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (Edu), and colony formation assays were utilized to determine cell proliferation ability. Sphere formation efficiency was determined by sphere formation assay. All protein levels were detected by western blot assay. Exosomes were detected using transmission electron microscopy analysis. Size distribution of exosomes was analyzed by nanoparticle tracking analysis. The interaction between miR-1253 and circ_0007385 or FAM83A was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assays. Mice xenograft model was established to verify the function of circ_0007385 in vivo. Circ_0007385 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ_0007385 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness, while exosomal circ_0007385 facilitated NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness. In addition, miR-1253 was a direct target of circ_0007385, and miR-1253 reversed the inhibitory effects of circ_0007385 on cell proliferation and stemness in NSCLC cells. Moreover, FAM83A was a direct target of miR-1253, and miR-1253 suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness by targeting FAM83A. Furthermore, circ_0007385 knockdown inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Exosomal circ_0007385 promoted NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness by regulating miR-1253/FAM83A axis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the biological roles of several aberrantly expressed miRNAs have not been explored yet. In the present study, miR-4491 was identified as a novel upregulated miRNA in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Downregulation of miR-4491 by a miR-4491 inhibitor inhibited the proliferation and triggered the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. Tripartite motif containing 7 (TRIM7), a tumor suppressor gene expressed in NSCLC, was demonstrated in the present study to be directly targeted by miR-4491. This finding was verified by bioinformatics analysis, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blotting and dual luciferase reporter assays. Furthermore, downregulation of miR-4491 inactivated nuclear factor-κB signaling via induction of TRIM7. In addition, TRIM7 silencing attenuated the effect of miR-4491 inhibitor in NSCLC cells. The decreased TRIM7 level in NSCLC tissues was negatively correlated with miR-4491 expression in NSCLC tissues. In conclusion, the findings from this study demonstrated that miR-4491 expression was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells and that miR-4491 may promote NSCLC progression via targeting TRIM7.

Graphene-like ZnO (g-ZnO) nanostructures (NSs) and thin films were prepared on Au(111), and their reactivities toward CO and H2 were compared with that of wurtzite ZnO (w-ZnO) (0001) single crystal...

In water quality monitoring, the complexity and abstraction of water environment data make it difficult for staff to monitor the data efficiently and intuitively. Visualization of water quality data is an important part of the monitoring and analysis of water quality. Because water quality data have geographic features, their visualization can be realized using maps, which not only provide intuitive visualization, but also reflect the relationship between water quality and geographical position. For this study, the heat map provided by Google Maps was used for water quality data visualization. However, as the amount of data increases, the computational efficiency of traditional development models cannot meet the computing task needs quickly. Effective storage, extraction and analysis of large water data sets becomes a problem that needs urgent solution. Hadoop is an open source software framework running on computer clusters that can store and process large data sets efficiently, and it was used in this study to store and process water quality data. Through reasonable analysis and experiment, an efficient and convenient information platform can be provided for water quality monitoring.

The interface between metal and reducible oxide has attracted increasing interest in catalysis. The FeOx–Pt interface has been a typical example, which showed remarkable activity for the preferential oxidation of CO (PROX) at low temperatures. However, model catalytic studies under vacuum conditions or in high-pressure O-rich environment at 450 K have reported two different active phases with iron in two different valence states, invoking a possible pressure gap. To identify the active phase for low-temperature CO oxidation and PROX, it is necessary to investigate the stability and activity of FeO/Pt(111) under the realistic reaction conditions. We thus conducted an in situ study on FeO/Pt(111) from ultrahigh vacuum to the atmospheric pressure of reactant gases. Our study shows FeO islands were easily oxidized in 1 Torr O2 to form the trilayer FeO2 islands. However, the presence of 2 Torr CO could prevent the oxidation of FeO islands and lead to CO oxidation at the FeO/Pt(111) interface. The FeO/Pt(111) s...

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) typically uses transition metals as the catalysts. To improve the efficiency, tremendous efforts have been dedicated to tuning the morphology, size, and structure of metal catalysts and employing electrolytes that enhance the adsorption of CO2. We report here a strategy to enhance CO2RR by constructing the metal–oxide interface. We demonstrate that Au–CeOx shows much higher activity and Faradaic efficiency than Au or CeOx alone for CO2RR. In situ scanning tunneling microscopy and synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy show that the Au–CeOx interface is dominant in enhancing CO2 adsorption and activation, which can be further promoted by the presence of hydroxyl groups. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the Au–CeOx interface is the active site for CO2 activation and the reduction to CO, where the synergy between Au and CeOx promotes the stability of key carboxyl intermediate (*COOH) and thus facilitates CO2RR. Similar interface...

Understanding the dynamic changes of catalytically active nanostructures (NSs) under reaction conditions is a pivotal challenge in catalysis research, which has been intensively studied on metal catalysts, but less on oxide NSs. Here, we synthesized two-dimensional (2D) FeO NSs and thin films on Au(111) and studied their oxidation process in O2 from ultrahigh vacuum to near-ambient-pressure (NAP) conditions, using the combination of in-situ NAP scanning tunneling microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Our studies revealed atomic details on the transition process from the FeO bilayer to the FeO2 tri-layer on Au(111). Further, we found FeO2 NSs and thin layers are metastable on Au(111) and would undergo a three-dimensional phase change upon further thermal treatments. Our study has thus provided insight on the structural dynamics of 2D iron oxide under reaction conditions and enabled further understanding on the design of the oxide-metal interface.

Myricaria laxiflora is an endangered evergreen shrub that is the only species in the genus Myricaria narrowly distributed in the Three Gorges region in China, which has a highly tolerant to waterlogging. The chemical investigation of M. laxiflora led to the isolation and the structural elucidation of nine compounds ( 1 – 9 ), including one new oleanane type triterpenoid, (5 R , 8 R , 9 R , 10 R , 13 S , 17 S , 18 S ) 25, 28-dihydroxy- D -friedoolean-14-en-3-one ( 2 ). Their chemical structures were unambiguously elucidated by analysis of NMR and high resolution ESI mass spectroscopic data as well as by comparison with literature data, with the structure of 1 supported by X-ray crystallography. All these compounds were reported for the first time in M. laxiflora. Besides, compounds 1 and 6 were not previously known in the genus Myricaria. Finally, compounds 1 – 9 were assumed to contribute to the survival of M. laxiflora under waterlogging stress by eliminating the reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophyte (DSE) may aid plants surviving in highly stressed environments. Impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) has dramatically influenced riparian environments and shaped a special riparian vegetation zone, which has been subjected to long-term winter flooding and short periods of summer flooding. Due to the artificial control of the Dam, the riparian environments of the Jialing River and the Yangtze River are completely different, which may influence the AMF and DSE colonized in riparian plants. Thus, a survey for the presence of AMF and DSE associations in the roots of 66 riparian species was done in 5 distinct areas of the Jialing River and the Yangtze River. Obtained results indicated that 52 and 42 species were associated with AMF and DSE, respectively, and 33 species presented both associations. For 30 plant species surveyed, this is the first report on their mycorrhizal status. High colonization levels of AMF and DSE were generally found in those local prevalent species characterized by abundant rhizomes. On average, AMF colonization was higher from Yangtze River than from Jialing River but DSE colonization followed the opposite trend. However, no clear relationship between AMF and DSE fungal colonization was recognized among species which showed dual colonization of DSE and AMF. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that available phosphorus was significantly positive correlated to hyphal colonization of AMF. Finally, we assumed the structure of plant communities of TGR might be strongly influenced by the presence of mycorrhiza.

Composite separators of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with different contents of montmorillonite (MMT) for Li-ion batteries have been fabricated by electrospinning. The morphology, function group, crystallinity, and mechanical properties of membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile test, respectively. Interlayer spacing of MMT in polymer was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, the results of electrochemical measurements suggest that PVDF/MMT-5% composite membrane has maximum ionic conductivity of 4.2 mS cm−1, minimum interfacial resistance of 97 Ω, and excellent electrochemical stability. The cell comprising PVDF/MMT-5% composite membrane shows higher capacity and more stable cycle performance than the one using commercial Celgard PP membrane.

A coordinatively unsaturated copper–nitrogen architecture in copper metalloenzymes is essential for its capability to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the stabilization of analogous active sites in realistic catalysts remains a key challenge. Herein, we report a facile route to synthesize highly doped and exposed copper(I)–nitrogen (Cu(I)–N) active sites within graphene (Cu–N©C) by pyrolysis of coordinatively saturated copper phthalocyanine, which is inert for the ORR, together with dicyandiamide. Cu(I)–N is identified as the active site for catalyzing the ORR by combining physicochemical and electrochemical studies, as well as density function theory calculations. The graphene matrix could stabilize the high density of Cu(I)–N active sites with a copper loading higher than 8.5 wt%, while acting as the electron-conducting path. The ORR activity increases with the specific surface area of the Cu–N©C catalysts due to more exposed Cu(I)–N active sites. The optimum Cu–N©C catalyst demonstrates a high ORR activity and stability, as well as an excellent performance and stability in zinc–air batteries with ultralow catalyst loading.

With the accelerated pace of urbanization, the construction of sponge cities is particularly essential for maintaining the ecological environment. Given the traditional multiparameter detection of heavily polluted water quality in cities, there are many problems, such as long completion time, low accuracy, high cost. A multi-parameter detection method of water quality based on the random forest classification algorithm is proposed. Through the analysis of urban heavily contaminated water quality, the probability synthesis matrix of heavily polluted water quality index is obtained by combining the water quality fluctuation probability of a single parameter and the dynamic correlation coefficient of multi-parameters. The membership function of the fluctuation of the treated water quality index is obtained, and the weak correlation among the water quality indexes is removed by the obtained membership function, and the strong relationship characteristic quantity of the water quality index is obtained, which is input into the random forest classifier to complete the multi-parameter detection of river water quality.

The electrochemical CO

The community and Cd-resistance of endophytic fungi from roots of Salix variegata Franch. collected from the water-level-fluctuation zone of Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China, were investigated. A total of 53 strains were isolated and identified to 13 morphotaxa, in which Chromosporium, Fusarium and Gonatobotrys were dominant genera. Among them, 27 isolates were selected to measure their resistance to 0.02 mg ml(-1) Cd(2+) and 11 were growth stimulated (Tolerance index>100%). Of these active isolates, four dark septate endophyte (DSE) isolates (Paraphaeosphaeria sp. SR46, Pyrenochaeta sp. SR35, Rhizopycnis vagum SR37 and R. vagum SR44) were further tested for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against Cd and SR46 was found to be the most tolerant isolate with MIC of 0.39 mg ml(-1). Additionally, the maximum uptake values of these DSEs ranged from 3.01 to 7.89 mg g(-1), but there was no significant correlation between metal uptake with fungal biomass and metal tolerance. Subsequently, a pot experiment was conducted for investigating the impact of SR46 on corn seedlings in Cd-enriched soil. The results obtained suggested that SR46 reduced the Cd bioaccumulation of plant under low (100 mg kg(-1)) Cd stress and enhanced the Cd translocation from root zone to aerial parts under high (200 mg kg(-1)) Cd stress. Besides, it promoted plant growth without Cd stress. These findings indicated S. variegata harbors an endophytic fungal flora showing a high genetic diversity as well as a high level of metal resistance to Cd that has potential values in cadmium cycling and restoration of plant, soil and water system.

The reverse supply chain is more and more concerned about because of the improvement of the environmental quality. LCA is a quantitative evaluation method of the environmental effect of a reverse supply chain. The evaluation result can be used as an objective reference in the productive design and recycling disposal and at the same time reduce the negative influence on environment so that it can facilitate the protection of the environment and the establishment of a green supply chain. This article, using the method of case study, focuses on the analysis of the reverse supply chain of the waste lead acid batteries （material recycling）and direct disposal(landfill).Through the analysis of evaluation method of the life cycle, this paper comes to a more environmentally friendly dealing method of the end of life. After an analysis of the different environmental influence in different phases, this paper finds out the main activities that exert a negative influence on environment and provides a direction for the improvement of the environment benefits of the reverse supply chain of the lead acid batteries.