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The superior cervical ganglion (SCG) is part of the autonomic nervous system providing sympathetic innervation to the head and neck, and has been regularly used to prepare postnatal neuronal cultures for cell biological studies. We found that during development these neurons change tau expression from the low molecular weight (LMW) isoforms to Big tau, with the potential to affect functions associated with tau such as microtubule dynamic and axonal transport. Big tau contains the large 4a exon that transforms tau from LMW isoforms of 45–60 kDa to 110 kDa. We describe tau expression during postnatal development reporting that the transition from LMW tau to Big tau which started at late embryonic stages is completed by about 4–5 weeks postnatally. We confirmed the presence of Big tau in dissociated postnatal SCG neurons making them an ideal system to study the function of Big tau in neurons. We used SCG explants to examine the response of SCG neurons to lesion and found that Big tau expression returned gradually along the regrowing neurites suggesting that it does not drives regeneration, but facilitates the structure/function of mature SCG neurons. The structural/functional roles of Big tau remain unknown, but it is intriguing that neurons that express Big tau appear less vulnerable to tauopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the development of manufacturing and launch technologies for satellites, there are now more and more satellite networks. Hence, cooperative reconnaissance is possible to implement among satellite networks, aerial vehicles and ground stations. In this paper, we study the method of geolocation and tracking by time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements based on space–air–ground integrated (SAGI) network. We first analyze the Cramer Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the source localization accuracy in different coordinate systems. Then, we compare the effects of different system errors, such as clock synchronization error, position bias of the observers, elevation bias of the target and non-horizontal velocity of the target. Further, we also develop a maximum likelihood (ML) estimator for target position and velocity. Finally, the theoretical performance of the proposed estimator is validated via computer simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine previously undescribed sesquiterpenoids, bipolarisorokins A–I (1–9); two new xanthones, bipolarithones A and B (10 and 11); two novel sativene-xanthone adducts, bipolarithones C and D (12 and 13); as well as five known compounds (14–18) were characterized from the kiwifruit-associated fungus Bipolaris sp. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), 13C NMR calculations, DP4+ probability analyses, and single crystal X-ray diffractions. Many compounds exhibited anti-pathogenic microorganism activity against the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae and four pathogenic microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-crystal materials formed by stacking different molecules with weak interactions are a hot research topic. In this work, we theoretically investigate the intermolecular interactions and charge transfer properties of the supramolecular BDBT-TCNB co-crystal (BTC). The π-π bonds, hydrogen bonds, and S-N bonds in the BTC bind the BDBT and TCNB molecules together to form a highly ordered co-crystal and lead to the co-crystal's excellent two-photon absorption (TPA) properties. The intermolecular interactions of the BTC are discussed in detail by the independent gradient model based on Hirshfeld partition (IGMH), atoms in molecules (AIM), electrostatic overlay diagram, and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) energy decomposition; it is found that there is a strong interaction force along the stacking direction. The charge transfer properties of the one-photon absorption (OPA) and TPA of the BTC were investigated by charge density difference (CDD) and transition density matrix (TDM). It is found that the dominant charge transfer mode is the cross-space charge transfer along the stacking direction. Therefore, strong intermolecular interactions will promote intermolecular cross-space charge transfer. This work is of great significance for the design of organic optoelectronic supramolecular materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sclerosing microcystic adenocarcinoma is a rare and recently characterized cancer that affects the mucosal surfaces of the head and neck without adnexal involvement. Histologically, microcystic adnexal carcinoma of the skin resembles it. It does, however, contain unique characteristics that merit our attention for potential diagnostic errors. Therefore, we present a 48-year-old male with sclerosing microcystic adenocarcinoma of the tongue, along with a full discussion and a brief review of pertinent literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China's energy structure has been adjusted unceasingly, where the proportion of natural gas has been increasing year by year, and its external dependence has also been increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the correlation between China's natural gas market and the international energy market. This paper studies the dynamic relationship between China's total natural gas consumption, consumption structure, and the international price of oil from the perspectives of mutation and time-variance, using the cointegration test with regime shifts and a state space model. The results show that during the global financial crisis in 2008, the cointegration relationship between China's total natural gas consumption and the international oil price has undergone structural changes. January 2012 and March 2015 are potential structural mutation points. After the structural mutation, the impact of the international price of oil on China's total natural gas consumption has weakened. From a structural point of view, urban gas and power generation gas have both been greatly affected by the change of oil price, while industrial gas and chemical gas are less affected. The conclusion here will provide an important empirical reference for optimizing the structure of natural gas consumption and maintaining energy security in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energetics of adsorption of H2O layers and H2O layers partially replaced with OH or Cl on an Al(111) surface and on selected surfaces of intermetallic phases, Mg2Si and Al2Cu, was studied by first-principle calculations using the density function theory (DFT). The results show that H2O molecules tended to bind to all investigated surfaces with an adsorption energy in a relatively narrow range, between –0.8 eV and –0.5 eV, at increased water coverage. This can be explained by the dominant role of networks of hydrogen bonds at higher H2O coverage. On the basis of the work function, the calculated Volta potential data suggest that both intermetallic phases became less noble than Al(111); also, the Volta potential difference was larger than 1 V when the coverage of the Cl-containing ad-layer reached one monolayer. The energetics of H2O dissociation and substitution by Cl as well as the corresponding work function of each surface were also calculated. The increase in the work function of the Al(111) surface was attributed to the oxidation effect during H2O adsorption, whereas the decrease of the work function for the Mg2Si(111)–Si surface upon H2O adsorption was explained by atomic and electronic rearrangements in the presence of H2O and Cl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized corrosion behavior of stainless steel (SS) induced by typical inclusion such as MnS and oxy-sulfide in NaCl solution was investigated by immersion tests and microelectrochemical tests. Oxy-sulfide consists of an internal polygonal oxide part and an external sulfide part. The surface Volta potential of the sulfide part is always lower than that of the surrounding matrix, as in the case of individual MnS, while the potential of the oxide part is indistinguishable from that of the surrounding matrix. Sulfides are soluble, while oxides are almost insoluble. Oxy-sulfide exhibits a complex electrochemical behavior in the passive region, which can be attributed to its complex composition and multi-interface coupling effects. It was found that both MnS and oxy-sulfide increase the susceptibility of the local area to pitting corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-station joint localization has important practical significance. In this paper, phase difference of arrival (PDOA) information is introduced into the joint time difference of arrival (TDOA) and frequency difference of arrival (FDOA) localization method to improve the target localization accuracy. First, the Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB) of the joint TDOA, FDOA and PDOA localization approach with multi-station precise phase synchronization is derived. Then, the CRLB of the joint TDOA, FDOA and differential PDOA (dPDOA) localization method for the case of phase asynchronization between observation stations is also presented. Furthermore, the authors analyze the influence of the phase wrapping problem on localization accuracy and propose solutions to solve the phase wrapping problem based on cost functions of grid search. Finally, iterative localization algorithms based on maximum likelihood (ML) are proposed for both TDOA/FDOA/PDOA and TDOA/FDOA/dPDOA scenarios, respectively. Simulation results demonstrate the localization performance of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Known as electrophiles, maleimides are often used as acceptors in Michael additions to produce succinimides. However, reactions with maleimides as nucleophiles for enantioselective functionalization are only rarely performed. In this paper, a series of bifunctional Takemoto's catalysts were used to organocatalyze the enantioselective Michael reaction of aminomaleimides with nitroolefins. The resulting products were obtained in good yields (76–86%) with up to 94% enantiomer excess (ee). The catalyst type and the substrate scope were broadened using this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The System #2 flow loop used in this study is a 4−inch−diameter, high−temperature, high−pressure system. In situ corrosion and electrochemical measurements were performed using a homemade flat corrosion specimen and a three−electrode probe. The experiment results show that temperature has an accelerated influence on the corrosion of antibacterial alloy steel. With the increase of temperature and the presence of O2 in the environment, a loose and porous corrosion product film was formed on the surface of the resistant steel, which made it easier for the corrosion medium to enter the corrosion product film from the pore, thus accelerating the corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The clinical application of PARPis in patients with ovarian cancer has unresolved issues, and whether PARPis can have a similar first-line efficacy to that of platinum-based chemotherapy is still undefined. This study used the PDX model to explore the above problems. We demonstrated that the PDX model can reflect PARPi efficacy more accurately than BRCA mutation, homologous recombination deficiency positivity, and platinum sensitivity. Moreover, the novel clinical and molecular biomarkers suggested that KRAS overexpression was associated with PARPi sensitivity. Additionally, ATK1 enrichment could lead to PARPi resistance, and CA125 less than 10 U/mL during chemotherapy can be a potential indicator for the therapeutic use of PARPi. Above all, PARPis cannot replace platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment in our preclinical trial, indicating that chemotherapy-free tests in the unselected population are not recommended. (1) The accuracy of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) in predicting ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) efficacy in ovarian cancer was tested, novel biomarkers were investigated, and whether PARPis could replace platinum-based chemotherapy as a first-line therapy was explored. (2) PDXs were reconstructed for 40 patients with ovarian cancer, and niraparib, olaparib and paclitaxel, and carboplatin (TC) sensitivity tests were conducted. Whole exon sequencing and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) scores were performed, and patient clinical information was collected. The molecular biomarkers were identified by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. (3) Niraparib and olaparib sensitivity were tested in 26 patients and showed high consistency. Approximately half of BRCA wild-type, HRD-negative, and platinum-resistant patients may benefit from PARPis. AKT1 enrichment indicated PARPi resistance; high KRAS expression indicated PARPi sensitivity. CA125 below 10 U/mL during chemotherapy has a sensitivity and specificity similar to platinum sensitivity in predicting PARPi efficacy. Niraparib and TC sensitivity tests were performed on 23 patients, and TC showed a better response in this preclinical trial. (4) PDX can indicate individualized PARPi efficacy. Decreased CA125 levels and KRAS and ATK1 expression levels may be novel biomarkers. The preclinical evidence does not support the implementation of PARPis as the first-line treatment in an unselected population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have implicated hypofrontality in the pathogenesis of impaired theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) in major depressive disorder (MDD). These symptoms are usually resistant to treatment. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to reverse hypofrontality. Moreover, BDNF is an effective biomarker of antidepressant effects, but there have been very few studies on the correlation between BDNF and rTMS. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of 20 sessions of a 10 Hz unilateral rTMS intervention over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in improving ToM and EF in patients with MDD and its correlation with BDNF. Methods: A total of 120 MDD patients were enrolled in this randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind trial. Each participant received 20 sessions of rTMS at 10 Hz frequency through the active or the sham coil over 4 weeks. ToM was assessed with the facial emotion identification test (FEIT) and hinting task (HT). EF was assessed with the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST). BDNF assessments were carried out at baseline and 2-, 4-, 12-, and 24-week follow-ups. Results: The improvement in the ToM (FEIT, HT) in the active rTMS group was significantly different from that in the sham rTMS group (F = 18.09, p < 0.001; F = 5.02, p = 0.026). There were significant differences in the WCST (categories completed, response errors, response perseverative errors, non-response perseverative errors) after logarithmic transformation at different time points in the active rTMS group (F = 14.71, p < 0.001; F = 5.99, p = 0.046; F = 8.90, p = 0.031; F = 2.31, p = 0.048). However, there was no significant difference in log transformed BDNF concentration between the two groups (t = 0.07 to t = 1.29, p > 0.05). BDNF was negatively correlated with WCST categories completed at the 24th week (r = −0.258, p = 0.046). Conclusions: The results show that rTMS may improve the ToM and EF of patients with MDD and there was no significant correlation with serum BDNF concentration. RTMS can not only be used for treatment of patients with MDD but also has a positive effect on ToM and EF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(20S) ginsenoside Rh2 (G-Rh2), a major bioactive metabolite of ginseng, effectively inhibits the survival and proliferation of human liver cancer cells. However, its molecular targets and working mechanism remain largely unknown. Excitingly, we screened out heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90A), a key regulatory protein associated with liver cancer, as a potential target of (20S) G-Rh2 by phage display analysis and mass spectrometry. The molecular docking and thermal shift analyses demonstrated that (20S) G-Rh2 directly bound to HSP90A, and this binding was confirmed to inhibit the interaction between HSP90A and its co-chaperone, cell division cycle control protein 37 (Cdc37). It is well-known that the HSP90A-Cdc37 system aids in the folding and maturation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). As expected, CDK4 and CDK6, the two G0-G1 phase promoting kinases as well as CDK2, a key G1-S phase transition promoting kinase, were significantly downregulated with (20S) G-Rh2 treatment, and these downregulations were mediated by the proteasome pathway. In the same condition, the cell cycle was arrested at the G0-G1 phase and cell growth was inhibited significantly by (20S) G-Rh2 treatment. Taken together, this study for the first time reveals that (20S) G-Rh2 exerts its anti-tumor effect by targeting HSP90A and consequently disturbing the HSP90A-Cdc37 chaperone system. HSP90A is frequently overexpressed in human hepatoma cells and the higher expression is closely correlated to the poor prognosis of liver cancer patients. Thus, (20S) G-Rh2 might become a promising alternative drug for liver cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel compound JRS-15 was obtained through the chemical modification of xylocydine. JRS-15 exhibited much stronger cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity than its parent compound in various cancer cell lines, with IC50 values in HeLa, HepG2, SK-HEP-1, PC-3M and A549 cells ranging from 12.42 to 28.25 µM. In addition, it is more potent for killing cancer than non-cancerous cells. Mechanistic studies showed that JRS-15 treatment arrested cell cycle at the G1/S phase, which further triggered the translocation of Bax and Bak to the mitochondria, resulting in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) depolarization and the subsequent release of cytochrome c and the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac). The sequential activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3/7 and the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) were observed following these mitochondrial events. Caspase-8, an initiator caspase that is required to activate the membrane receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptosis pathway was not activated in JRS-15-treated cells. Further analysis showed that the levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-xL and XIAP were significantly reduced upon JRS-15 treatment. Furthermore, the caspase-9 inhibitor z-LEHD-fmk, the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk, and Bcl-xL or XIAP overexpression all effectively prevented JRS-15-induced apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that JRS-15 induces cancer cell apoptosis by regulating multiple apoptosis-related proteins, and this compound may therefore be a good candidate reagent for anticancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambogic acid (GA) is in a phase II clinical trial as an antitumor and antiangiogenesis agent. In this study, 36 GA derivatives were synthesized and screened in a zebrafish model to evaluate their antiangiogenic activity and toxicity. Derivatives 4, 32, 35, 36 effectively suppressed the formation of newly grown blood vessels and showed lower toxicities than GA as evaluated by zebrafish heart rates and mortalities. They also exhibited more potent migration and HUVEC tube formation inhibiting activities than GA. Among them, 36 was the most potent one, suggesting that it may serve as a potential new antiangiogenesis candidate with low toxicity. Additionally, 36 showed comparable antiproliferative activity to HUVECs and five tumor cell lines but low cytotoxicity to LO2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognostic heterogeneity in patients with BRAF V600E metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains poorly defined. Real-world data of 93 BRAF V600E mCRC patients from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were evaluated using the prognostic factors affecting overall survival (OS). Treatment of metastases served as an independent prognosticator, where curative locoregional interventions (LRIs) were associated with superior clinical outcomes (adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.22–0.98; p = 0.044). The LRIs group showed an improved median OS of 49.4 months versus 18.3 months for the palliative treatments (PTs) group. The median OS of patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) was significantly prolonged after undergoing LRIs (42.4 vs. 23.7 months; HR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01–1.22; p = 0.030), and patients in the LRIs plus liver-limited or lung-limited metastasis (LLM) group benefited more than those in the LRIs plus non-LLM group when compared to the PTs group (LLM from LRIs vs. PTs, HR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.04–0.68; p = 0.006. Non-LLM from LRIs vs. PTs, HR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.21–1.05; p = 0.074). In conclusion, we confirmed the positive prognostic value of LRIs in BRAF V600E mCRC, particularly in patients with CRLM or LLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) acts as a transcriptional signal transducer, converting cytokine stimulation into specific gene expression. In tumor cells, aberrant activation of the tyrosine kinase pathway leads to excessive and continuous activation of STAT3, which provides further signals for tumor cell growth and surrounding angiogenesis. In this process, the tumor-associated protein Annexin A2 interacts with STAT3 and promotes Tyr705 phosphorylation and STAT3 transcriptional activation. In this study, we found that (20S) ginsenoside Rh2 (G-Rh2), a natural compound inhibitor of Annexin A2, inhibited STAT3 activity in HepG2 cells. (20S) G-Rh2 interfered with the interaction between Annexin A2 and STAT3, and inhibited Tyr705 phosphorylation and subsequent transcriptional activity. The inhibitory activity of STAT3 leaded to the negative regulation of the four VEGFs, which significantly reduced the enhanced growth and migration ability of HUVECs in co-culture system. In addition, (20S)G-Rh2 failed to inhibit STAT3 activity in cells overexpressing (20S)G-Rh2 binding-deficient Annexin A2-K301A mutant, further proving Annexin A2-mediated inhibition of STAT3 by (20S)G-Rh2. These results indicate that (20S)G-Rh2 is a potent inhibitor of STAT3, predicting the potential activity of (20S)G-Rh2 in targeted therapy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The scientific development in the field of industrialization demands the automization of electronic shelf labels (ESLs). COVID-19 has limited the manpower responsible for the frequent updating of the ESL system. The current ESL uses QR (quick response) codes, NFC (near-field communication), and RFID (radio-frequency identification). These technologies have a short range or need more manpower. LoRa is one of the prominent contenders in this category as it provides long-range connectivity with less energy harvesting and location tracking. It uses many gateways (GWs) to transmit the same data packet to a node, which causes collision at the receiver side. The restriction of the duty cycle (DC) and dependency of acknowledgment makes it unsuitable for use by the common person. The maximum efficiency of pure ALOHA is 18.4%, while that of slotted ALOHA is 36.8%, which makes LoRa unsuitable for industrial use. It can be used for applications that need a low data rate, i.e., up to approximately 27 Kbps. The ALOHA mechanism can cause inefficiency by not eliminating fast saturation even with the increasing number of gateways. The increasing number of gateways can only improve the global performance for generating packets with Poisson law having a uniform distribution of payload of 1~51 bytes. The maximum expected channel capacity usage is similar to the pure ALOHA throughput. (2) Methods: In this paper, the improved ALOHA mechanism is used, which is based on the orthogonal combination of spreading factor (SF) and bandwidth (BW), to maximize the throughput of LoRa for ESL. The varying distances (D) of the end nodes (ENs) are arranged based on the K-means machine learning algorithm (MLA) using the parameter selection principle of ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) regulation with a 1% DC for transmission to minimize the saturation. (3) Results: The performance of the improved ALOHA degraded with the increasing number of SFs and as well ENs. However, after using K-mapping, the network changes and the different number of gateways had a greater impact on the probability of successful transmission. The saturation decreased from 57% to 1~2% by using MLA. The RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) plays a key role in determining the exact position of the ENs, which helps to improve the possibility of successful transmission and synchronization at higher BW (250 kHz). In addition, a high BW has lower energy consumption than a low BW at the same DC with a double-bit rate and almost half the ToA (time on-air). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginsenoside Rk1 and Rg5 are minor ginseng saponins that have received more attention recently because of their high oral bioavailability. Each of them can effectively inhibit the survival and proliferation of human liver cancer cells, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Network pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that G-Rk1 and G-Rg5 yielded 142 potential targets, and shared 44 putative targets associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. Enrichment analysis of the overlapped genes showed that G-Rk1 and G-Rg5 may induce apoptosis of liver cancer cells through inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signal pathways. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to confirm the inhibition of cell viability with G-Rk1 or G-Rg5 in highly metastatic human cancer MHCC-97H cells. We evaluated the apoptosis of MHCC-97H cells by using flow cytometry and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. The translocation of Bax/Bak led to the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c and Smac. A sequential activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 and the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) were observed after that. The levels of anti-apoptotic proteins were decreased after treatment of G-Rk1 or G-Rg5 in MHCC-97H cells. Taken together, G-Rk1 and G-Rg5 promoted the endogenous apoptotic pathway in MHCC-97H cells by targeting and regulating some critical liver cancer related genes that are involved in the signal pathways associated with cell survival and proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Accurate and rapid species identification is crucial in early monitoring and intervention of a pest, especially for a new and emerging pest. Here, the first detailed morphological features of Rhynchaenus maculosus at four life-cycle stages are reported for traditional species identification. Morphology-based identification is not only time-consuming but often inconclusive for closely related sibling species, juveniles, and even not feasible in the absence of key morphological characters. To overcome the limitations of traditional methods in species identification, DNA barcodes (mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1, CO1) were successfully used to identify the pupal and larval specimens as R. maculosus and allocate the undetermined morphospecies in GenBank into their possible taxa. The integration of molecular identification with the morphology-based identification proved to be effective in the accurate and rapid identification of R. maculosus. The oak flea weevil, Rhynchaenusmaculosus Yang et Zhang 1991, is a newly emerging pest that severely damages oak (genus Quercus) in China. The first R. maculosus outbreak occurred in 2020 and caused spectacular damage to all oak forests in Jilin province, northeast China. The lack of key morphological characters complicates the identification of this native pest, especially in larva and pupa stages. This is problematic because quick and accurate species identification is crucial for early monitoring and intervention during outbreaks. Here, we provided the first detailed morphological description of R. maculosus at four life stages. Additionally, we used DNA barcodes from larva and pupa specimens collected from three remote locations for molecular identification. The average pairwise divergence of all sequences in this study was 0.51%, well below the 2% to 3% (K-2-parameter) threshold set for one species. All sample sequences matched the R. maculosus morphospecies (KX657706.1 and KX657707.1), with 99.23% to 100% (sequence identity, E value: 0.00) matching success. The tree based on barcodes placed the specimens into the Rhynchaenus group, and the phylogenetic relationship between 62 sequences (30 samples and 32 from GeneBank) had high congruence with the morphospecies taxa. The traditional DNA barcodes were successfully transformed into quick response codes with larger coding capacity for information storage. The results showed that DNA barcoding is reliable for R. maculosus identification. The integration of molecular and morphology-based methods contributes to accurate species identification of this newly emerging oak pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of welding speed on microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion properties of laser-assisted welded joints of a twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel was investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis, electrochemical test, and micro-area scanning Kelvin probe test (SKP). The results reveal that the welded joints, with a fully austenitic structure, are obtained by laser welding. In addition, the preferred orientation of grains in fusion zone (FZ) increased with the increase of welding speed. Additionally, the coincidence site lattice (CSL) grain boundaries of FZ decreased with increasing welding speed. However, potentiodynamic polarization and SKP results demonstrated that the welding speed of 1.5 m/min renders superior corrosion resistance. It can also be inferred that the corrosion properties of the welded joints are related to the grain size and frequency of CSL grain boundary in FZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an essential step for cancer metastasis; targeting EMT is an important path for cancer treatment and drug development. NF-κB, an important transcription factor, has been shown to be responsible for cancer metastasis by enhancing the EMT process. Our previous studies showed that (20S)Ginsenoside Rh2 (G-Rh2) inhibits NF-κB activity by targeting Anxa2, but it is still not known whether this targeted inhibition of NF-κB can inhibit the EMT process. (2) Methods: In vivo (20S)G-Rh2-Anxa2 interaction was assessed by cellular thermal shift assay. Protein interaction was determined by immuno-precipitation analysis. NF-κB activity was determined by dual luciferase reporter assay. Gene expression was determined by RT-PCR and immuno-blot. EMT was evaluated by wound healing and Transwell assay and EMT regulating gene expression. (3) Results: Anxa2 interacted with the NF-κB p50 subunit, promoted NF-κB activation, then accelerated mesenchymal-like gene expression and enhanced cell motility; all these cellular processes were inhibited by (20S)G-Rh2. In contrast, these (20S)G-Rh2 effect were completely eliminated by overexpression of Anxa2-K301A, an (20S)G-Rh2-binding-deficient mutant of Anxa2. (4) Conclusion: (20S)G-Rh2 inhibited NF-κB activation and related EMT by targeting Anxa2 in MDA-MB-231 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve issues concerning performance induction and in-cylinder heat accumulation of a certain heavy-duty diesel engine in a plateau environment, working state parameters and performance indexes of diesel engine are calculated and optimized using the method of artificial neural network and genetic algorithm cycle multi-objective optimization. First, with an established diesel engine simulation model and an orthogonal experimental method, the influence rule of five performance indexes affected by five working state parameters are calculated and analyzed. Results indicate the first four of five working state parameters have a more prominent influence on those five performance indexes. Subsequently, further calculation generates correspondences among four working state parameters and five performance indexes with the method of radial basis function neural network. The predicted value of the trained neural network matches well with the original one. The approach can fulfill serialization of discrete working state parameters and performance indexes to facilitate subsequent analysis and optimization. Next, we came up with a new algorithm named RBFNN & GACMOO, which can calculate the optimal working state parameters and the corresponding performance indexes of the diesel engine working at 3700 m altitude. At last, the bench test of the diesel engine in a plateau environment is employed to verify accuracy of the optimized results and the effectiveness of the algorithm. The research first combined the method of artificial neural network and genetic algorithm to specify the optimal working state parameters of the diesel engine at high altitudes by focusing on engine power, torque and heat dissipation, which is of great significance for improving both performance and working reliability of heavy-duty diesel engine working in plateau environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enantioselective transformations of indoles preferentially take place in the more-reactive azole ring. However, the methods for the enantioselective functionalization of the indole benzene ring are scarce. In this paper, a series of bifunctional (thio)urea derivatives were used to organocatalyze the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts hydroxyalkylation of indoles with isatins. The resulting products were obtained in good yields (65–90%) with up to 94% enantiomer excess (ee). The catalyst type and the substrate scope were broadened in this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]