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Thermoelectric generator can directly convert thermal energy into electrical energy, and applying it to recover waste heat from automobile exhaust is conducive to energy saving. In this paper, a thermoelectric generation experimental system is built, the power output performance and channel power consumption of the flat-plate thermoelectric power generation system under different exhaust gas flow rates are experimentally studied. The results show that when the exhaust flow rate is 40 Nm3/h and the exhaust inlet temperature is 400 °C, the maximum output power of the system is 26.8 W, and the maximum net output power is about 23.3 W. In addition, the exhaust flow rate is changed from 10 Nm3/h to 40 Nm3/h, and the proportion of power consumption in the hot air channel is changed from 1.91% to 12.85%, which has increased by more than six times.

SummaryT-cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cells can precisely recognize a broad repertoire of targets derived from both intracellular and surface proteins of tumor cells. TCR-T adoptive cell therapy has shown safety and promising efficacy in solid tumor immunotherapy. However, antigen-specific functional TCR screening is time-consuming and expensive, which limits its application clinically. Here, we developed a novel integrated antigen-TCR screening platform based on droplet microfluidics technology, enabling high-throughput peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) library-to-TCR library screening with high sensitivity and low background signal. We introduced DNA barcoding technology to label peptide antigen candidate-loaded antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and Jurkat reporter cells to check the specificity of pMHC-TCR candidates. Coupled with the next-generation sequencing pipeline, interpretation of the DNA barcodes and the gene expression level of the Jurkat T-cell activation pathway provided a clear peptide-MHC-TCR recognition relationship. Our proof-of-principle study demonstrates that the platform could achieve unbiased pMHC-TCR library-on-library screening, which is expected to be used in the cross-reactivity and off-target testing of candidate pMHC-TCR libraries in clinical applications.

The strictest water resources management policy plays a critical role in response to the challenge of water shortage, water security, and sustainable water development in China. Despite the varied analyses of the strictest water resources management policy, the relations between the strictest water resources management policy and water use efficiency remain under-researched. This study uses an interval event-analysis method to assess the strictest water resources management policy’s impact on water use efficiency in China based on data from 2007 to 2020. In addition, the study breaks down water use efficiency into eight indicators and divides the strictest water management policy into “pre-, middle, and post-” phases. The research results show the strictest water resources management policy has a significant positive effect on water use efficiency. Further research shows the total water consumption control system and water efficiency control system have the most significant effect. The strictest water resources management policy has a lasting impact on water use efficiency. This study contributes to the global knowledge body of water governance and provides a reference value for water policy decision-making and optimization in other countries.

Dysfunction of splicing factors often result in abnormal cell differentiation and apoptosis, especially in neural tissues. Mutations in pre-mRNAs processing factor 31 (PRPF31) cause autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive retinal degeneration disease. The transcriptome-wide splicing events specifically regulated by PRPF31 and their biological roles in the development and maintenance of retina are still unclear. Here, we showed that the differentiation and viability of retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) are severely perturbed in prpf31 knockout zebrafish when compared with other tissues at an early embryonic stage. At the cellular level, significant mitotic arrest and DNA damage were observed. These defects could be rescued by the wild-type human PRPF31 rather than the disease-associated mutants. Further bioinformatic analysis and experimental verification uncovered that Prpf31 deletion predominantly causes the skipping of exons with a weak 5′ splicing site. Moreover, genes necessary for DNA repair and mitotic progression are most enriched among the differentially spliced events, which may explain the cellular and tissular defects in prpf31 mutant retinas. This is the first time that Prpf31 is demonstrated to be essential for the survival and differentiation of RPCs during retinal neurogenesis by specifically modulating the alternative splicing of genes involved in DNA repair and mitosis.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) originate from the hemogenic endothelium via the endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition, are self-renewing, and replenish all lineages of blood cells throughout life. BCAS2 (breast carcinoma amplified sequence 2) is a component of the spliceosome and is involved in multiple biological processes. However, its role in hematopoiesis remains unknown. We established a bcas2 knockout zebrafish model by using transcription activator–like effector nucleases. The bcas2−/− zebrafish showed severe impairment of HSPCs and their derivatives during definitive hematopoiesis. We also observed significant signs of HSPC apoptosis in the caudal hematopoietic tissue of bcas2−/− zebrafish, which may be rescued by suppression of p53. Furthermore, we show that the bcas2 deletion induces an abnormal alternative splicing of Mdm4 that predisposes cells to undergo p53-mediated apoptosis, which provides a mechanistic explanation of the deficiency observed in HSPCs. Our findings revealed a novel and vital role for BCAS2 during HSPC maintenance in zebrafish.

Tumor-specific antigens can activate T cell-based antitumor immune responses and are ideal targets for cancer immunotherapy. However, their identification is still challenging. Although mass spectrometry can directly identify human leukocyte antigen (HLA) binding peptides in tumor cells, it focuses on tumor-specific antigens derived from annotated protein-coding regions constituting only 1.5% of the genome. We developed a novel proteogenomic integration strategy to expand the breadth of tumor-specific epitopes derived from all genomic regions. Using the colorectal cancer cell line HCT116 as a model, we accurately identified 10,737 HLA-presented peptides, 1293 of which were non-canonical peptides that traditional database searches could not identify. Moreover, we found eight tumor neo-epitopes derived from somatic mutations, four of which were not previously reported. Our findings suggest that this new proteogenomic approach holds great promise for increasing the number of tumor-specific antigen candidates, potentially enlarging the tumor target pool and improving cancer immunotherapy.

This research addressed two key questions: Which one of the competing technologies can become the de facto technical standard? Under what conditions might this standard arise? Previous studies either ignored the role of complementary suppliers or adopted perfect rationality assumptions, resulting in limited explanatory powers to reality. This study constructs a technology (hardware) selection model involving software vendors and consumers from an ecosystem view. Applying the analysis method of stochastic evolutionary game, three interesting results were found. First, a single technology may become the de facto technical standard, or multiple technologies may coexist. Which equilibrium will emerge depends on the initial state of the game, the performance-price ratio of the two technologies, and the complementarity between hardware and software. Second, it is easier for hardware manufacturers to achieve market monopoly by adopting the strategy of subsidizing software vendors than by improving their own performance-price ratio. Finally, the equilibrium of coexistence may occur in industries where hardware and software are not strongly complementary to each other, and where the development of software is poor. The core mechanism that leads to the coexistence is the inconsistent decision-making pace between consumers and software vendors.

Salmon alphavirus (SAV) is a widespread virus that infects Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Europe. It has a fatality rate of ≤48% and can cause pancreatic and sleeping disease. With the frequent exchange of salmon farming trade, it may become a global pathogen; therefore, a sensitive, effective, and high-throughput detection method is necessary. The serological diagnoses for SAV are indirect immunofluorescence assays (IFA) and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), which can only detect one of the six subtypes of SAV. In this study, an insect cell/baculovirus expression system was used for simultaneous detection of multiple genotypes (SAV1, SAV2, and SAV5) and an indirect double-antibody sandwich-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (IDAS-ELISA) method was adopted, based on the highly conserved region (E1) of SAV1-6. The results showed that the IDAS-ELISA had no cross-reaction with other common RNA viruses and high sensitivity with 103.4TCID50/0.1 mL detection line. SAV 1 (98.33%) and SAV 2 (91.67%) samples were positively identified by IDAS-ELISA and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. This assay can simultaneously detect multiple subtypes of SAV and provide technical support for clinical diagnosis and the epidemiology of SAV.

A 60-d feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary oil sources on growth, fatty acid composition, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gene expression levels, and antioxidant responses of blunt snout bream, Megalobrama amblycephala, fingerlings. Fish (average initial weight, 0.35 ± 0.01 g) were fed five experimental diets respectively containing fish oil (FO), soybean oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and palm oil (PaO). Results showed that body weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed conversion ratio did not significantly differ among treatments. Fish fed PaO diet showed significantly higher hepatosomatic index value and liver lipid content than those fed FO diet. The FO group showed significantly higher liver eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) + docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) concentrations than other groups in both neutral lipid and polar lipid fractions. The mRNA expression levels of PPAR-α and PPAR-γ in the liver were significantly increased by feeding vegetable oil diets compared to FO. The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase in livers of fish fed PaO diet were lower than those fed FO diet. Meanwhile, PaO group had significantly lower malondialdehyde value than other groups. In conclusion, we suggested that a combination of FO and vegetable oil diet should be used in feed formulations for blunt snout bream fingerlings.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptors beta1 (PPARβ1) and beta2 (PPARβ2) were investigated in loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). The PPARβ1 and PPARβ2 were widely distributed in loach tissues. Multiple alignments of deduced amino acid sequences revealed homologous characteristics of the two subtypes of PPARβ with 88% identity. PPARβ1 was markedly expressed in the liver, about 100-fold higher than liver PPARβ2. The two subtypes in unfertilized ovum (UO) showed the highest transcriptions in early life stages, and there were great divergences in expression between unfertilized and fertilized stages. The regulation of PPARβ1 and PPARβ2 in response to dietary fatty acids was studied in liver of loach fed with diets containing fish oil (FO, rich in n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid) or soybean oil (SO, rich in 18:2n-6) for 75days. Results showed that hepatic transcription of PPARβ1 in the SO group was higher than in the FO group. However, PPARβ2 expression was similar. The differences of molecular characterization, tissue expressions in early life stages, and transcriptional regulation by lipid resources indicated that PPARβ1 and PPARβ2 were functionally different. This is the first report of differential expression of PPARβ1 and PPARβ2 in various tissues and early life stages of loach are regulated by lipid resources. These results will stimulate further studies to better understand the functional characterization of PPARβ1 and PPARβ2.