Search

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with cerebral lesions has garnered considerable attention in research. It often manifests as a common symptom in conditions such as intracranial tumors, intracerebral hemorrhage, and cerebral edema. This paper provides an overview of ICP concepts, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of traditional monitoring methods, explores the physiological and anatomical aspects of the optic nerve sheath, examines the utility of ultrasound measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in both nervous system and nonnervous system disorders, and outlines the cutoff values and normal ranges for assessing elevated ICP using ultrasound measurement of ONSD. The review underscores ultrasound measurement of ONSD as a promising noninvasive, safe, straightforward, and repeatable examination technique for various diseases. Nevertheless, the lack of standardized cutoff values for elevated ICP remains a challenge. Summarizing studies on optic nerve sheaths is crucial for enhancing the efficacy of ultrasound measurement of ONSD in assessing ICP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single‐unit monomer insertion (SUMI), derived from living/controlled polymerization, can be directly functionalized at the end or within the chain of polymers prepared by living/controlled polymerization, offering potential applications in the preparation of polymers with complex architectures. Many scenarios demand the simultaneous incorporation of monomers suitable for different polymerization methods into complex polymers. Therefore, it becomes imperative to utilize SUMI technologies with diverse mechanisms, especially those that are compatible with each other. Here, we reported the orthogonal SUMI technique, seamlessly combining radical and cationic SUMI approaches. Through the careful optimization of monomer and chain transfer agent pairs and adjustments to reaction conditions, we can efficiently execute both radical and cationic SUMI processes in one pot without mutual interference. The utilization of orthogonal SUMI pairs facilitates the integration of radical and cationic reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in various configurations. This flexibility enables the synthesis of diblock, triblock, and star polymers that incorporate both cationically and radically polymerizable monomers. Moreover, we have successfully implemented a mixing mechanism of free radicals and cations in RAFT step‐growth polymerization, resulting in the creation of a side‐chain sequence‐controlled polymer brushes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single‐unit monomer insertion (SUMI), derived from living/controlled polymerization, can be directly functionalized at the end or within the chain of polymers prepared by living/controlled polymerization, offering potential applications in the preparation of polymers with complex architectures. Many scenarios demand the simultaneous incorporation of monomers suitable for different polymerization methods into complex polymers. Therefore, it becomes imperative to utilize SUMI technologies with diverse mechanisms, especially those that are compatible with each other. Here, we reported the orthogonal SUMI technique, seamlessly combining radical and cationic SUMI approaches. Through the careful optimization of monomer and chain transfer agent pairs and adjustments to reaction conditions, we can efficiently execute both radical and cationic SUMI processes in one pot without mutual interference. The utilization of orthogonal SUMI pairs facilitates the integration of radical and cationic reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in various configurations. This flexibility enables the synthesis of diblock, triblock, and star polymers that incorporate both cationically and radically polymerizable monomers. Moreover, we have successfully implemented a mixing mechanism of free radicals and cations in RAFT step‐growth polymerization, resulting in the creation of a side‐chain sequence‐controlled polymer brushes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of single-molecule sequencing (SMS) technologies, the output read length is continuously increasing. Mapping such reads onto a reference genome is one of the most fundamental tasks in sequence analysis. Mapping sensitivity is becoming a major concern since high sensitivity can detect more aligned regions on the reference and obtain more aligned bases, which are useful for downstream analysis. In this study, we present pathMap, a novel k -mer graph-based mapper that is specifically designed for mapping SMS reads with high sensitivity. By viewing the alignment chain as a path containing as many anchors as possible in the matched k -mer graph, pathMap treats chaining as a path selection problem in the directed graph. pathMap iteratively searches the longest path in the remaining nodes; more candidate chains with high quality can be effectively detected and aligned. Compared to other state-of-the-art mapping methods such as minimap2 and Winnowmap2, experiment results on simulated and real-life datasets demonstrate that pathMap obtains the number of mapped chains at least 11.50% more than its closest competitor and increases the mapping sensitivity by 17.28% and 13.84% of bases over the next-best mapper for Pacific Biosciences and Oxford Nanopore sequencing data, respectively. In addition, pathMap is more robust to sequence errors and more sensitive to species- and strain-specific identification of pathogens using MinION reads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Longer reads produced by PacBio or Oxford Nanopore sequencers could more frequently span the breakpoints of structural variations (SVs) than shorter reads. Therefore, existing long-read mapping methods often generate wrong alignments and variant calls. Compared to deletions and insertions, inversion events are more difficult to be detected since the anchors in inversion regions are nonlinear to those in SV-free regions. To address this issue, this study presents a novel long-read mapping algorithm (named as invMap). Results For each long noisy read, invMap first locates the aligned region with a specifically designed scoring method for chaining, then checks the remaining anchors in the aligned region to discover potential inversions. We benchmark invMap on simulated datasets across different genomes and sequencing coverages, experimental results demonstrate that invMap is more accurate to locate aligned regions and call SVs for inversions than the competing methods. The real human genome sequencing dataset of NA12878 illustrates that invMap can effectively find more candidate variant calls for inversions than the competing methods. Availability and implementation The invMap software is available at https://github.com/zhang134/invMap.git. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting and localizing leakages in underground water pipelines continue to be challenging in large-scale water distribution networks (WDNs) having a low density of acoustic sensors per unit pipeline. Many previous acoustic research analyses have been restricted to either (1) lab-scale WDN setups having simulated leakage conditions, or (2) field-scale WDNs with high densities of acoustic sensors. To address the current challenges, this study develops a generic and practical acoustic data analysis framework to analyze acoustics signals for leakage detection and localization in large-scale WDNs, where the proposed framework encompasses multi-stage systematic analyses, namely: (1) data quality assessment; (2) acoustic features generation and analysis; (3) leakage event detection; and (4) leakage event localization. In collaboration with Public Utility Board (PUB), Singapore's National Water Agency, our proposed framework has been verified in large-scale WDNs in Singapore having more than 1,100 km of underground water pipelines and 82 permanently installed monitoring stations, each of which is instrumented to measure acoustics, via hydrophone equipment, pressure, and water quality parameters, and by using historical data collected between August 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020, where numerous leakage events were reported to within 1,000 m, or less, connected pipelines from independent hydrophones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adequately calibrated hydraulic model is critically to the water distribution digital twin, which requires accurate representation of a water distribution network (WDN) in near real-time. It is thus imperative to construct an extended-period simulation model that captures the network's baseline normal and abnormal diurnal demand patterns, which are usually derived using monitored flow data. However, from a practical field aspect, it remains challenging to calibrate multiple demand groups of varying diurnal patterns in large-scale WDNs, as flow data are typically collected sparsely due to cost considerations, while pressure sensors are commonly deployed throughout the network. In this paper, we propose a new pressure-based demand aggregation and pattern calibration method that leverages on monitoring pressure data to aggregate demands, identifying abnormal consumptions, and calibrating the diurnal patterns of various demand groups. The new method is integrated with previously developed model calibration framework and applied to a large-scale WDN system having more than 330 km of underground water pipelines with weekly averaged pressure and flow data, as derived from a maximum historical period of nine months. Key findings from our case study analysis for the seven averaged days (Monday to Sunday) include: (1) calibrating the system's flow balance to within 99% average accuracy by identifying and calibrating five unique demand patterns, inclusive of those associated with abnormal consumptions, via grouping 34 available pressure sensors; (2) calibrating the system's energy balance to within 95% average accuracy by iterating the simulated pressures against representative monitored pressure profiles of the different demand groups during the flow calibration process; and (3) achieving an average 2.5% accuracy improvement for the overall energy calibration, relative to that of the previous calibration approach. Throughout the solution process, significant engineering judgment is adopted, coupled with optimization analyses, to calibrate the system's flow and energy balances while meeting the model constraints and data availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Minimal residual disease (MRD) is an important prognostic factor for survival in adults with acute leukemia. The role of pretransplantation MRD status in myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts (MDS‐EB) is unknown. This study retrospectively analyzed the relationship between pretransplantation MRD status and long‐term survival. Materials and Methods: Patients with MDS‐EB who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) from March 5, 2005, to November 8, 2020, were included. The relationship between pretransplantation MRD status and long‐term survival was analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results: Of 220 patients with MDS‐EB who underwent allo‐HSCT, 198 were eligible for inclusion in this multicenter, retrospective cohort study. Complete remission was attained in 121 (61.1%) patients, and 103 patients underwent detection of MRD pretransplantation, with 67 patients being MRD‐positive and 36 patients being MRD‐negative. The median follow‐up time was 16 months, the median age was 41 years (6–65 years), and 58% of the patients were men. The 3‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) probabilities for all patients were 70.1% and 72.9%, respectively. For patients in complete remission, the 3‐year DFS and OS probabilities were 72.2% and 74.8%, respectively. Further analysis found that the 3‐year DFS rates of MRD‐negative and MRD‐positive patients were 85.6% and 66.5% (p =.045), respectively, whereas the 3‐year OS rates were 91.3% and 66.4% (p =.035), respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that poor pretransplantation MRD clearance was an independent prognostic risk factor for DFS and OS. Conclusion: Poor pretransplantation MRD clearance is an independent prognostic risk factor for long‐term survival after allo‐HSCT for patients with MDS‐EB. Plain language summary: Poor minimal residual disease clearance pretransplanation is an independent prognostic risk factor for long‐term survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts. The role of minimal residual disease (MRD) status pretransplantation in the survival of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in present multicenter, retrospective, cohort study was evaluated. The primary outcome showed that MRD status was the only independent prognostic factor that affects long‐term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Sr doping on the crystal structures, thermal expansion behaviors, defect chemistries, electrical and electrochemical properties of the perovskite materials, La 0.5 Gd 0.5 Ba 1− x Sr x Co 2 O 5+ δ (LGBCOSr- x, x =0–0.5), were systematically analyzed and discussed. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation revealed that LGBCOSr- x undergoes a phase transformation from tetragonal (x =0.1) to cubic (x =0.5), and the materials exhibit good thermochemical compatibility with Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 1.95 (GDC) under 1100 °C. Partial replacement of Ba with Sr is found helpful in decreasing the thermal expansivity of LGBCOSr- x and increasing the ability of oxygen vacancy formation in the materials. The latter could be attributed to the enhancement in the overall electrical conductivity and oxygen transport process in terms of low cathodic polarization resistance in LGBCOSr- x materials with high Sr doping content. Further analysis on the AC impedance spectroscopy assisted with the DRT (distribution of relaxation times) methodology suggested that the charge transfer sub-process is a predominant step in the oxygen transport processes across the LGBCOSr- x materials. These findings indicate that La 0.5 Gd 0.5 Ba 1− x Sr x Co 2 O 5+ δ is a promising cathode material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells. • B-site Sr doping in La 0.5 Gd 0.5 BaCo 2 O 5+ δ demonstrates performance improvements. • Excellent chemical stability is found between La 0.5 Gd 0.5 Ba 1- x Sr x Co 2 O 5+ δ and GDC. • The conductivity of LGBCOSr- x increases with Sr doping level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper presents the application research on machine learning for ionic liquids. • Literature on machine learning for ionic liquids from 1990 to 2023 was analyzed. • Core disciplines and knowledge bases were identified through mapping analysis. • Research hotspots and frontiers are discovered through keyword burst detection. The aim was to gain a deep understanding of the research status and application of machine learning in the field of ionic liquids, and to identify the research hotspots and frontiers. Co-occurrence analysis, co-citation analysis, key literature citation temporal analysis and emerging word analysis were used. The results show that the knowledge base of applying machine learning in the field of ionic liquids can be divided into three parts: fundamental properties and application research, thermodynamics and phase equilibrium research, and the combination of machine learning with computational chemistry methods. The research hotspots mainly include the prediction and optimization of properties, the prediction of phase behavior, and research on machine learning algorithms. The current research frontiers in applying machine learning in the field of ionic liquids include the prediction of ionic liquid performance, the structure-property relationships of ionic liquids, and the optimization and design of ionic liquid processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the efficiency of Smart Water Grid (SWG) operation, it is of great importance to timely detect and classify anomaly events. Authors have developed a comprehensive solution framework for anomaly detection. However, the framework may detect undesirable false alarms, which will incur wasteful field investigation. Therefore, it is imperative to reduce the number of false alarms for real world SWG operation. In this paper, the anomaly event classification has been improved by an algorithm of trend change detection in two phases including (1) detecting trend change in single sensor, and (2) identifying the effective evaluation time window by correlating the flow anomaly trend period and pressure anomaly trend periods to filter the detected events. A real case study has been conducted to demonstrate the application of the proposed algorithm; the number of false alarms is reduced by as much as 31% without compromising the detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the risk of fatty liver and type 2 diabetes with quantitative parameters of abdominal computed tomography (CT) in a non-obese population. Methods: A retrospective analysis of abdominal CT and hospitalization records of inpatients admitted from May 2019 to May 2021 were divided into a non-obese control group (n = 143 cases) and a non-obese diabetes group (n = 105 cases). The measured abdominal CT parameters included body width, liver and spleen CT values, and the ratio of the liver CT value to the spleen CT value (L/S ratio). Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for diabetes in non-obese individuals. Results: Three variables including body width (P < 0.001), liver CT value (P = 0.013), and L/S ratio (P = 0.002) were significantly correlated with the presence of diabetes in non-obese individuals. Conclusion: Body width, liver CT value, and L/S ratio can be used to indicate the risk of type 2 diabetes in non-obese individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing deployment of sensors in water distribution networks (WDNs) for continuous monitoring, hydrodynamic data are readily available for engineers to improve the daily operations of WDNs. In collaboration with Public Utility Board (PUB), Singapore's National Water Agency, an alternative model calibration approach using continuously monitored data is proposed to facilitate PUB's smart water grid (SWG). The generic approach was developed as an integrated solution methodology for practical engineers to conduct a series of systematic analyses daily, namely, (1) estimating the system's daily nonrevenue water (NRW) volume and NRW time series; (2) adjusting the available pumps' operational curves and control statuses, followed by calibrating the system's net demand pattern to fulfill the flow balance accounting for the actual consumption; (3) identifying and rectifying possible offsets in the monitored pressure head values for each sensor station; (4) performing model calibration with anomaly localization analysis when the system's total NRW volume exceeds its assumed background NRW volume; and (5) calibrating other physical properties to fulfill the system's energy balance, especially for the peak demand hours. The effectiveness of our proposed approach was then tested and verified using a real-world WDN having total pipe length of >650 km with available monitoring data. Key findings from the case study analysis include (1) anomaly events localized including, but not limited to, five out of six reported leaks for the selected week to within 400 m with lead time of 1–2 days; (2) the system's initial flow imbalance addressed by estimating the daily NRW volume and localizing the possible anomaly events; and (3) pipe roughness values calibrated to further improve the energy balance in the system, especially during the peak demand hours, by attaining an average mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) score of 2.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the TT-COF(Fe)@NH 2 -CNTs was innovatively prepared through a post-modification synthetic process functionalized TT-COF@NH 2 -CNTs with active site (Fe), where TT-COF@NH 2 -CNTs was prepared via a one-pot strategy using 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (para-aminophenyl) porphyrin (TTAP), 2,3,6,7-tetra (4-formylphenyl) tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and aminated carbon nanotubes (NH 2 -CNTs) as raw materials. The complex TT-COF(Fe)@NH 2 -CNTs material possessed porous structures, outstanding conductivity and rich catalytic sites. Thus, it can be adopted to construct electrochemical sensor with glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The TT-COF(Fe)@NH 2 -CNTs/GCE can selectively detect luteolin (Lu) with a wide linear plot ranging from 0.005 to 3 μM and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 1.45 nM (S/N = 3). The Lu residues in carrot samples were determined using TT-COF(Fe)@NH 2 -CNTs sensor and UV–visible (UV–Vis) approach. This TT-COF(Fe)@NH 2 -CNTs/GCE sensor paves the way for the quantification of Lu through a cost-efficient and sensitive electrochemical approach, which can make a significant step in the sensing field based on crystalline COFs. • The TT-COF(Fe)@NH 2 -CNTs was designed and synthesized with high conductivity and activity. • TT-COF(Fe)@NH 2 -CNT represents the first example with Fe N 4 active sites for detecting luteolin. • The developed sensor was successfully applied for the analysis of luteolin in carrot samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), as a high pathogenicity pathogen, has seriously restricts the healthy and sustainable development of cyprinid farming industry. In this study, we selected 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) as the drug model based on zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) to construct a drug delivery system (5-Fu@ZIF-8), and the anti-SVCV activity was detected in vitro and in vivo. The results showed 5-Fu@ZIF-8 was uniform cubic particle with truncated angle and smooth surface, and the particle size was 90 nm. The anti-SVCV activity in vitro results showed that the highest inhibition rate of 5-Fu was 77.93% at 40 mg/L and the inhibitory concentration at half-maximal activity (IC 50) was 20.86 mg/L. For 5-Fu@ZIF-8, the highest inhibition rate was 91.36% at 16 mg/L, and the IC 50 value was 5.85 mg/L. In addition, the cell viability was increased by 18.1% after 5-Fu treatment. Similarly, after 5-Fu@ZIF-8 treatment, the cell viability increased by 27.3%. Correspondingly, in vivo experimental results showed the viral loads reduced by 18.1% on the days 7 and the survival rate increased to 19.4% at 80 mg/L after 5-Fu treatment. For 5-Fu@ZIF-8, the viral loads reduced by 41.2% and the survival rate increased to 54.8%. Mechanistically, 5-Fu inhibits viral replication by regulating p53 expression and promoting early apoptosis in infected cells. All results indicated that 5-Fu@ZIF-8 improved the anti-SVCV activity; it may be a potential strategy to construct a drug-loaded system with ZIF-8 as a carrier for the prevention and treatment of aquatic diseases. • Nanoparticle drug delivery system (5-Fu@ZIF-8) was successfully constructed. • 5-Fluorouracil has anti-SVCV activity both in vitro and in vivo. • 5-Fu inhibits viral replication by regulating p53 gene expression and promoting early apoptosis in infected cells. • The drug delivery system could not only improve the anti-SVCV activity of 5-Fluorouracil, but also reduce its dosage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TT-COF(Zn) material were designed directly as electrode modified material for sensitive and selective sensing of I−. [Display omitted] • TT-COF(Zn)/GCE was designed as I− sensor. • TT-COF(Zn)/GCE showed high electrocatalytic behavior for I− oxidation. • DPV detection of I− displayed a wide linear range with a low detection limit. • As-prepared sensor also displayed high selectivity, reproducibility and repeatability. • The validated method was successfully applied for the analysis of I− in river water samples. Environmental conservation and food safety have aroused enormous concerns owing to their close relationship with human health. Iodide ion (I−) could result in serious diseases in mankind. Thus, it is challenging and essential to develop an effective approach to capture and detect I−. Herein, the TT-COF(Zn) material prepared using 2,3,6,7-tetra (4-formyl phenyl) tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(para -aminophenyl) porphyrin Zinc (II) (TPZ) as building blocks were designed directly as electrode modified material for electrochemical sensing of I−. Combining the merits of TPZ and TTF to construct the intrinsic efficient electron-transfer pathways, as well as the advantages of porous channel and single-site catalysis of COF, TT-COF(Zn) material-modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic performance towards the redox reaction of I−, which makes it a sensitive sensing platform for the electrochemical quantification of I−. After a series of optimization experiments, the I− sensor demonstrated a wide linear range (0.02–15 mM), low detection limit (3.15 μM), as well as other good sensing features. The proposed sensor also performed well in the determination of I− in real river samples. This work not only offers a simple method to assay I− effectively but also paves a way for the strategical design and synthesis of COFs for electrochemical sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • GC-doped ZnO keel-like fibers were simply prepared by using waste cigarette butts as template and carbon source. • The GC/ZnO sensor achieved temperature-dependent dual-selectivity to NO 2 and butanone gases for the first time. • The good performance is from the synergism of unique fibers, GC doping, rich V O defects, and different types of O SA. • The low-cost and simple CB-template method provides a new solution for preparing GC-doped metal oxide fibers. How to build a dual-selective ZnO-based gas sensor remains challenging due to the fact that the great majority of reported gas sensors were designed to monitor only a single given harmful gas. Herein, discarded cigarette butts were chose as template, and dipped in zinc nitrate solution. Then, the obtained precursors were calcined to synthesize two types of ZnO-based fibers with V-shaped grooves. Among, the fiber component (GC/ZnO, GC being graphitic carbon) calcined at 400 °C composes of 7.02 wt% GC and small nanoparticles, which possesses multistage mesopores, large specific surface area and abundant oxygen vacancies. These factors not only optimize the percentage and state of oxygen species adsorbed in sensing layer, but also expose more active sites and facilitate surface chemical reactions, thereby providing a dual-selective platform for different gases. The GC/ZnO sensor shows high response of 624 for 10 ppm NO 2 at 92 °C, and good response of 22.5 for 100 ppm butanone at 170 °C. Also, it has reversible response-recovery, low detection limit, as well as satisfactory stability and humidity resistance. This is the first report on a conductometric sensor that achieves the rapid and accurate detection of above harmful gases. In addition, its temperature-controlled dual-functional sensing mechanism was also analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A highly conductive TT-COF(Zn)/NH 2 -CNTs was designed and synthesized. • TT-COF(Zn)/NH 2 -CNTs represents the first example of COF-based tandem electrochemical sensor for detecting I− and Hg2+. • The developed sensor was successfully applied for the analysis of I− and Hg2+ in real samples. The residues of environmental pollutants have aroused intensive concern in food and agriculture safety. An efficient rapid multifunctional sensor for diverse environmental pollutants based on covalent organic framework (COF) represents the huge development of fancy monitoring technique. In this work, the TT-COF(Zn)/NH 2 -CNTs material was successfully designed and fabricated by hybridization means via one-pot synthesized method and can be modified with GCE to construct an electrochemical sensor for the tandem detection of I− and Hg2+ based on combinatorial principles with high selectivity. The sensor displayed wide detecting range of 0.01–2 mM and 0.01–2 mM, as well as low LOD of 6.82 and 1.20 μM for I− and Hg2+, respectively. Furthermore, practical application results in determining the quantification of I− and Hg2+ was convenient and effective. This work employs the COF as the first example to fabricate an electrochemical tandem sensor using combinatorial principles and represents a promising straightforward strategy to exploit diverse functional sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-temperature NO 2 gas sensors with ultra-high response are more helpful for their real-time and accurate monitoring in complex environment, however, the relevant reports are very less. Herein, we firstly prepared graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) by pyrolysis of inexpensive melamine, which was used as template and directly soaked into SnCl 4 ethanol/water solution. Afterwards, the immersed precursors were calcined to generate different SnO 2 -based materials. Among, the morphology of g-C 3 N 4 /SnO 2 -5 calcined at 500 °C is lamella structure composed of trace g-C 3 N 4 and small-size SnO 2 nanoparticles, which possesses narrow mesopores, large specific surface area, rich oxygen vacancy defects, as well as high concentration of surface O 2 - (ad) species. Under the synergy of multiple favorable factors, g-C 3 N 4 /SnO 2 -5 sensor exhibits ultra-high response (S = 12171) for 10 ppm NO 2 gas at 92 °C, which is 1.93 times than that of SnO 2 -6 sensor. It is also the highest response value among reported g-C 3 N 4 /metal oxide composites. In addition, this sensor has fast recovery time (5 s), low detection limit, good moisture resistance and stability. Thus, the simple g-C 3 N 4 template method provides a new strategy for the fabrication of gas sensors with highly efficient sensing ability. [Display omitted] • The trace g-C 3 N 4 /SnO 2 lamella was simply prepared by the pyrolysis of immersed lamellar g-C 3 N 4 template. • The g-C 3 N 4 /SnO 2 -5 sensor achieved ultra-high response and fast recovery of NO 2 gas at low temperature. • The excellent performance stems from the synergism of lamella structure, trace g-C 3 N 4 doping and rich oxygen vacancies. • The simple g-C 3 N 4 template method provides a new horizon for synthesizing other metal oxides with ultra-high response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al-air battery is a promising alternative to electrochemical storage systems because of their high energy density and low cost. However, the hydrogen evolution corrosion in alkaline electrolytes is a major obstacle before this technology can be commercially viable. In this paper, three polyelectrolytes as corrosion inhibitors for pure Al anodes in KOH electrolytes are investigated by electrochemical methods, hydrogen evolution rate (HER) tests, weight loss measurements, and surface characterization. The Attenuated Total internal Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and theoretical simulation results show that all the polyelectrolytes can be adsorbed on Al to form a protective barrier against the corrosive species. In particular, poly(allylamine) (PAH) exhibits the highest corrosion inhibition efficiency. Furthermore, galvanostatic discharge measurement reveals that the Al-air battery in PAH electrolyte exhibits the highest specific discharge capacity (1495.2 mA h g−1). Computational analysis shows that the inhibition performance depends on the frontier molecular orbital energy and adsorption energy. [Display omitted] • Polyelectrolytes are assessed as corrosion inhibitors for the Al-air battery. • The anticorrosion efficiency follows the order of PAH > PAA > PSS. • PAH would form the most compact protective layer in the near-surface region. • The adsoption energy rather than ΔE would determine the anti-corrosion efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term fluctuating light (FL) conditions are very common in natural environments. The physiological and biochemical mechanisms for acclimation to FL differ between species. However, most of the current conclusions regarding acclimation to FL were made based on studies in algae or Arabidopsis thaliana. It is still unclear how rice (Oryza sativa L.) integrate multiple physiological changes to acclimate to long‐term FL. In this study, we found that rice growth was repressed under long‐term FL. By systematically measuring phenotypes and physiological parameters, we revealed that: (a) under short‐term FL, photosystem I (PSI) was inhibited, while after 1–7 days of long‐term FL, both PSI and PSII were inhibited. Higher acceptor‐side limitation in electron transport and higher overall nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) explained the lower efficiencies of PSI and PSII, respectively. (b) An increase in pH differences across the thylakoid membrane and a decrease in thylakoid proton conductivity revealed a reduction of ATP synthase activity. (c) Using electron microscopy, we showed a decrease in membrane stacking and stomatal opening after 7 days of FL treatment. Taken together, our results show that electron flow, ATP synthase activity and NPQ regulation are the major processes determining the growth performance of rice under long‐term FL conditions. Fluctuating light (FL) conditions are very common in natural environments. It is unclear how rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants integrate multiple physiological changes to acclimate to long‐term FL. Through systematic analysis of physiological and anatomical changes, we revealed that grana membrane stacking, electron flow, ATP synthase activity and NPQ regulation are the major processes determining the growth performance of rice under long‐term FL conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure of the ceramic topcoat has a great influence on the service performance of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). In this study, conventional layered-structure TBCs, nanostructured TBCs, and novel-structured TBCs with a unique microstructure were fabricated by air plasma spraying. The relationship between the microstructure and properties of the three different TBCs was analysed. Their thermal insulation ability, sintering resistance, and durability were systematically evaluated. Additionally, their failure modes after being subjected to two kinds of thermal shock tests were analysed. The results revealed that the novel-structured TBCs had remarkably superior performances in all the examined aspects. The thermal conductivity of the novel-structured TBCs was significantly lower than those of the conventional and nanostructured TBCs both in the as-sprayed state and after thermal treatment for 500 h at 1100 °C. The macroscopic elastic modulus of the novel-structured TBCs after sintering at 1300 °C for 100 h was similar to those of the conventional and nanostructured TBCs in the as-sprayed state. During both a burner rig thermal shock test and a furnace cyclic oxidation test, the thermal shock lifetime of the novel-structured TBCs was much longer than those of the conventional and nanostructured TBCs. This study has demonstrated novel-structured plasma-sprayed TBCs with high thermal insulation ability and high durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To characterize the peripheral inflammatory cytokine profile in people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Design Systematic review and meta‐analysis. Setting: Clinical studies that evaluated peripheral blood inflammatory cytokine levels in patients with SUDs and healthy controls Participants: SUD patients and healthy controls. Measurements PubMed and Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant studies. Two investigators independently selected studies and extracted data. A total of 77 articles were included in the meta‐analysis, containing 5649 patients with SUDs and 4643 healthy controls. Data were pooled using a random‐effects model by the Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis version 2 software. Findings Concentrations of interleukin (IL)‐6) in 32 studies, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α in 28 studies, IL‐10 in 20 studies, IL‐8 in 17 studies, C‐reactive protein in 14 studies, IL‐4 in 10 studies, IL‐12 in seven studies, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1 in 6 studies, TNF‐receptor 2 (TNF‐R2) in four studies and granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) in three studies were significantly higher in patients with SUDs compared with healthy controls, while concentrations of leptin in 14 studies were significantly lower in patients with SUDs compared with healthy controls. The findings were inconclusive for the associations between interferon‐γ, IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1RA), transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1, G‐CSF, C‐C motif chemokine 11, TGF‐α and SUDs. Conclusions: People with substance use disorders (SUDs) appear to have higher peripheral concentrations of IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, IL‐12, TNF‐α, C‐reactive protein, MCP‐1, TNF‐R2 and GM‐CSF and lower peripheral concentrations of leptin than people without SUDs. This strengthens the view that SUD is accompanied by an inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug dependence may affect the neurotransmitter system levels in the human body. This study recruited 113 healthy control subjects, 118 heroin-dependent patients and 118 methamphetamine-dependent patients and examined the serum 5-HT, dopamine, glutamate and norepinephrine levels in the 349 volunteers. ELISA assays demonstrated that the serum 5-HT levels were significantly reduced in the drug-dependent patients, whereas the serum dopamine and glutamate levels were both significantly increased in the drug-dependent patients when compared with control subjects. In contrast, the norepinephrine levels did not exhibit a significant difference between the drug-dependent and control subjects. We also used qRT-PCR to analyze the transcriptional expression levels of 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, dopmaine-D1 and dopamine-D2 receptors in the blood of drug-dependent patients and controls, and the results show that only 5-HT1B receptor levels were dysfunctional in the heroin abusers. In addition, our results suggest that serum 5-HT, dopamine, and glutamate levels had the potential to differ between drug abusers and controls, and combining those three potential biomarkers provided an accurate means to differentiate between the drug-dependent and control subjects. Taken together, our study reveals a differential profile of neurotransmitters in the heroin-dependent patients and methamphetamine-dependent patients, and this revelation may contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of drug addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel soluble molecularly imprinted polymer (SMIP) without chemical cross-linker was successfully synthesized. The quinine (QN), which the structure was similar to the template, was chosen as the immobile template to improve the affinity of MIP. 4-Methyl phenyl dicyclohexyl ethylene (MPDE) was used as the liquid crystal (LC) monomer to increase the rigid of the composite. The cooperative effect of QN and MPDE was demonstrated by comparing with the conventional MIP, which synthesized without QN and MPDE. The polymerization conditions of SMIP including the ratio of MAA to MPDE, template to functional monomer, and HQN to QN were also optimized. Moreover, the characterizations of the SMIP were investigated by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption. In binding behavior, the SMIP presented the maximum adsorption capacity (0.37 ± 0.06 mmol/g) and imprinting factor (3.44 ± 0.25). And above all, the obtained polymer exhibited the solubility in the organic solution. In addition, the proposed SMIP as the electrochemical sensor exhibited a significant conductivity and sensitivity with the detection limit of 0.33 μM for HQN, the recoveries for the sample analysis varied from 97.4 to 100.8%, and the intra-day precision and inter-day precision were within 5.5% and 12.5%, respectively. It turned out that the SMIP had demonstrated more excellent potential than the traditional insoluble MIP in the development of the membrane-based electrochemical sensors. Graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The additive MgO to Ni/SiO 2 catalyst could enhance CO 2 activation and dissociation. • Ni en -0.4 %MgO catalyst possessed high activity and strong coke resistance. • The providing electron capacity of additive MgO became stronger as the Ni particle size was smaller. • The smaller Ni particle size and higher Ni electron density promoted CO 2 activation and dissociation. Design and preparation of coke resistant nickel-based (Ni-based) catalyst is the key point for the industrial application of carbon dioxide reforming of methane. In this work, MgO-promoted Ni/SiO 2 catalysts with tunable particle size were prepared by the multiple-impregnation method and were employed to catalyze carbon dioxide reforming of methane. Results showed that the additive MgO was an electron donor, and its providing electron capacity to Ni became stronger as the Ni particle size was smaller. Catalytic activity evaluation presented that the Ni en -0.4 %MgO catalyst possessed superior catalytic activity (CH 4 and CO 2 conversions maintained at 83.6 % and 89.9 %) at 750 °C. Its carbon deposition amount was only 0.16 wt.% after 100 h runs. The higher activity and the stronger coke resistance of the Ni en -0.4 %MgO catalyst were due to the smaller Ni particle size (8.4 nm) and higher Ni electron density, which could promote CO 2 activation and dissociation, and finally balance the formation rates of C species and O species over the MgO-promoted Ni/SiO 2 catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Single Molecule Sequencing (SMS) technology can produce longer reads with higher sequencing error rate. Mapping these reads to a reference genome is often the most fundamental and computing-intensive step for downstream analysis. Most existing mapping tools generally adopt the traditional seed-and-extend strategy, and the candidate aligned regions for each query read are selected either by counting the number of matched seeds or chaining a group of seeds. However, for all the existing mapping tools, the coverage ratio of the alignment region to the query read is lower, and the read alignment quality and efficiency need to be improved. Here, we introduce smsMap, a novel mapping tool that is specifically designed to map the long reads of SMS to a reference genome. Results: smsMap was evaluated with other existing seven SMS mapping tools (e.g., BLASR, minimap2, and BWA-MEM) on both simulated and real-life SMS datasets. The experimental results show that smsMap can efficiently achieve higher aligned read coverage ratio and has higher sensitivity that can align more sequences and bases to the reference genome. Additionally, smsMap is more robust to sequencing errors. Conclusions: smsMap is computationally efficient to align SMS reads, especially for the larger size of the reference genome (e.g., H. sapiens genome with over 3 billion base pairs). The source code of smsMap can be freely downloaded from https://github.com/NWPU-903PR/smsMap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous study, we have shown that highly-pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV) nonstructural protein 4 (nsp4) antagonizes type I IFN expression induced by poly(I:C). Here, we demonstrated that the mutation of Aspartic acid 185 (Asp185) impaired the ability of nsp4 to inhibit IFN-I production induced by poly(I:C). Subsequently, we verified that all the mutants at the residue 185, regardless of amino acid size (including Cys and Ser) and charge (including Glu and Lys), impaired nsp4 catalytic activity. However, when Asp185 in nsp4 was replaced by a similar structure amino acid Asparagine 185 (Asn185), nsp4 stayed but with a decreased protease activity. Importantly, the recombinant virus with Asn185 mutation in HP-PRRSV-nsp4 exhibited slower replication rate and higher ability to induce IFN-I expression compared with wild-type (wt) HP-PRRSV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes featuring peripheral quaternary ammonium structures were found to be able to selectively inactivate Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), including methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA) upon visible light irradiation, but have low phototoxicity toward 293T cells, L02 cells and lack hemolysis toward rabbit red blood cells (RBC), exhibiting promising potential as a novel type of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current immune checkpoint inhibiters (ICIs) have contrasting clinical results in poorly immunogenic cancers such as microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC). Therefore, understanding and developing the combinational therapeutics for ICI-unresponsive cancers is critical. Here, we demonstrated that the novel topoisomerase I inhibitor TLC388 can reshape the tumor immune landscape, corroborating their antitumor effects combined with radiotherapy as well as immunotherapy. We found that TLC388 significantly triggered cytosolic single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) accumulation for STING activation, leading to type I interferons (IFN-Is) production for increased cancer immunogenicity to enhance antitumor immunity. TLC388-treated tumors were infiltrated by a vast number of dendritic cells, immune cells, and costimulatory molecules, contributing to the favorable antitumor immune response within the tumor microenvironment. The infiltration of cytotoxic T and NK cells were more profoundly existed within tumors in combination with radiotherapy and ICIs, leading to superior therapeutic efficacy in poorly immunogenic MSS-CRC. Taken together, these results showed that the novel topoisomerase I inhibitor TLC388 increased cancer immunogenicity by ssDNA/STING-mediated IFN-I production, enhancing antitumor immunity for better therapeutic efficacy in combination with radiotherapy and ICIs for poorly immunogenic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing safe, eco-friendly, and functionally edible packaging materials has attracted global attention. Essential oils, can be incorporated into packaging materials as antioxidant and antibacterial agents. However, their high volatility and discontinuous film matrix issues may cause a rough film surface, limiting the application in food packaging. In this study, thyme essential oil microemulsion (TEO-M) was prepared and incorporated into a pullulan-sodium alginate (PS) film. The TEO-M incorporation endowed the PS film with antioxidant and UV protection properties. The antioxidant activities of the TEO-M-incorporated PS film were significantly better than those of the TEO-C (thyme essential oil coarse emulsion)-incorporated PS film. In comparison to TEO-C, the distribution of TEO-M in the film is more uniform. Lipid oxidation and the growth of microorganisms in chilled pork were inhibited by incorporating TEO-M at a concentration of 50 mg/mL in the PS film (PS-50M). After 10 days of storage at 4 °C, the total viable count (TVC) of chilled pork preserved in the PS-50M material was significantly reduced compared to the control group (P < 0.05). This study shows that incorporating TEO-M in the PS film provides a method for applying essential oils in food packaging, which may have great potential in the food industry. [Display omitted] • Microemulsion for enhancing the functional properties of essential oils • Essential oil microemulsion was dispersed in the matrix of the films uniformly. • Essential oil microemulsion incorporation endowing the film with antioxidant activities • Microemulsion inhibited microorganism growth and lipid oxidation during storage. • Incorporating essential oil microemulsion in the film extending the shelf life of pork [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing safe, eco-friendly, and functionally edible packaging materials has attracted global attention. Essential oils, can be incorporated into packaging materials as antioxidant and antibacterial agents. However, their high volatility and discontinuous film matrix issues may cause a rough film surface, limiting the application in food packaging. In this study, thyme essential oil microemulsion (TEO-M) was prepared and incorporated into a pullulan-sodium alginate (PS) film. The TEO-M incorporation endowed the PS film with antioxidant and UV protection properties. The antioxidant activities of the TEO-M-incorporated PS film were significantly better than those of the TEO-C (thyme essential oil coarse emulsion)-incorporated PS film. In comparison to TEO-C, the distribution of TEO-M in the film is more uniform. Lipid oxidation and the growth of microorganisms in chilled pork were inhibited by incorporating TEO-M at a concentration of 50 mg/mL in the PS film (PS-50M). After 10 days of storage at 4 °C, the total viable count (TVC) of chilled pork preserved in the PS-50M material was significantly reduced compared to the control group (P < 0.05). This study shows that incorporating TEO-M in the PS film provides a method for applying essential oils in food packaging, which may have great potential in the food industry. [Display omitted] • Microemulsion for enhancing the functional properties of essential oils • Essential oil microemulsion was dispersed in the matrix of the films uniformly. • Essential oil microemulsion incorporation endowing the film with antioxidant activities • Microemulsion inhibited microorganism growth and lipid oxidation during storage. • Incorporating essential oil microemulsion in the film extending the shelf life of pork [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common gastrointestinal malignancy in the digestive system. Recent studies have proven that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely related to tumor growth and metastasis. The study aimed to explore the effect of LINC00978 on GC cells proliferation and tumorigenesis. LINC00978 was up-regulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Up-regulation of LINC00978 was positively correlated with low survival rate. LINC00978 silence inhibited proliferation, metastasis, and promoted apoptosis in BGC-823 cells. Additionally, LINC00978 functioned as competing endogenous RNA to inhibit miR-497 expression. Further, NTRK3 was confirmed as a target gene of miR-497. Up-regulation of NTRK3 was found in GC tissues, and the positive correlation was presented between LINC00978 and NTRK3. Further, LINC00978 promoted cell proliferation and tumor weight by regulation of NTRK3. These findings demonstrated that LINC00978 promoted cell proliferation and tumorigenesis by regulating miR-497/NTRK3 axis in GC. Highlights • LINC00978 is up-regulated in GC, and associated with short overall survival of GC patients. • LINC00978 silencing inhibits cell proliferation, metastasis, and induces apoptosis. • The relationship of reciprocal repression is presented between LINC00978 and miR-497. • NTRK3 is a target gene of miR-497. • LINC00978 promotes cell proliferation and tumorigenesis by regulating NTRK3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract The self-assembly of three 5-substituted isophthalic acids, Zn(II) ions and flexible bimh under parallel solvothermal conditions yielded three Zn(II) coordination polymers with different nuclearity. The thermal decompositions properties of 1 – 3 were investigated by simultaneous TG–DSC techniques. The apparent activation energy E and the pre-exponential factor (A) of skeleton collapse for 1 – 3 are calculated by the integral Kissinger's method and Ozawa–Doyle's method. The structural stability could be illustrated from the point of thermodynamics and kinetics. Abstract Solvothermal reactions of flexible 1,6-bis(2-methyl-imidazol-yl)hexane (bimh), Zn(II) acetate and different 5-substituted isophthalic acids in ethanol/water (EtOH:H 2 O = 4:1) solvent system yielded three novel Zn(II) coordination polymers with different nuclearity: [Zn(bimh) 0.5 (5-mipa)] n (1), [Zn 2 (bimh) 1.5 (5-tbipa) 2 ] n (2) and [Zn 3 (μ 3 -OH) 2 (bimh) 0.5 (5-nipa) 2 ] n (3) (5-H 2 mipa = 5-methylisophthalic acid, 5-H 2 tbipa = 5-tert-buty-isophthalic acid, 5-H 2 nipa = 5-nitroisophthalic acid). Compound 1 exhibits a 2-fold interpenetrating 3D pillared-layer network constructed from binuclear {Zn 2 } units. Compound 2 features a 3D 2-fold interpenetrating architecture, which is a rare example of homometallic coordination polymers constructed by alternate mono/binuclear Zn(II) units. Compound 3 contains unusual [Zn 6 (μ 3 -OH) 4 ] units, which are extended by the 5-nipa2− and bimh ligands to construct a 3D framework. All compounds were prepared under exactly the same reaction conditions except the diverse substituent groups on 5-position of the isophthalic co-ligands. It has been found that the substituent groups profoundly influence the structural assemblies of the resulting compounds, in virtue of the related carboxylate groups displaying versatile coordination modes in binding metal ions. In addition, simultaneous TG–DSC techniques were applied to assess the thermal decomposition behavior. Thermogravimetric measurements exhibit that compounds 1 – 3 possess excellent thermostability with high decomposition temperatures up to 314 °C, 370 °C and 306 °C, respectively. The kinetic parameters (apparent activation energy E and the pre-exponential factor A) of skeleton collapse for the compounds 1 – 3 were calculated by the Kissinger's and Ozawa–Doyle's methods. The thermodynamic parameters (Δ H≠ , Δ G≠ , and Δ S≠) at the peak temperatures were also calculated. Furthermore, fluorescence properties of compounds 1 – 3 were investigated in solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid depth filtration is the dominant pre-treatment technology in seawater desalination industry today. Optimizing the pre-treatment filter’s energy performance provides economies of scale in the total energy usage of desalination facilities on a broader sense. However, this objective remains difficult to achieve by far. In this study, we develop a numerical algorithm, termed as Dynamical Rapid Filtration Model (DRFM), to simulate the effective clogging dynamics occurring inside a depth filter which depends on a multitude of controlled and non-controlled operating parameters. DRFM quantifies the filtration kinetics with a modified Yao’s model to represent the particle removal mechanisms occurring within the simulated filter. A unique length scale is also introduced to account for the particle size effect on the filter’s energy loss rate incurred, i.e. its energy performance, during its effective filtration stage. Concurrently, we performed an experimental study with a lab-scale depth filter to develop a model equation for measuring its total contaminant mass removal rate ( R c ) due to effective clogging conditions. For a predicted R c transient profile, good agreement is obtained between the experimental results and predicted values from DRFM. We then extensively discuss on a novel DRFM hybrid model to optimize the filter’s energy performance which subsequently affects the filter’s optimized backwashing timing for achieving economies of scale. The simulation results from the hybrid model demonstrates on how various filter configurations can result in lower energy cost to effectively pre-treat each unit volume of intake seawater as compared to the current industrial average of 0.39 kWh / m 3 . Finally, we include a cost analysis to demonstrate on how the obtained economies of scale alleviates a portion of the total energy cost for each unit volume of desalinated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: PacBio sequencing platform offers longer read lengths than the second-generation sequencing technologies. It has revolutionized de novo genome assembly and enabled the automated reconstruction of reference-quality genomes. Due to its extremely wide range of application areas, fast sequencing simulation systems with high fidelity are in great demand to facilitate the development and comparison of subsequent analysis tools. Although there are several available simulators (e.g., PBSIM, SimLoRD and FASTQSim) that target the specific generation of PacBio libraries, the error rate of simulated sequences is not well matched to the quality value of raw PacBio datasets, especially for PacBio's continuous long reads (CLR). Results: By analyzing the characteristic features of CLR data from PacBio SMRT (single molecule real time) sequencing, we developed a new PacBio sequencing simulator (called NPBSS) for producing CLR reads. NPBSS simulator firstly samples the read sequences according to the read length logarithmic normal distribution, and choses different base quality values with different proportions. Then, NPBSS computes the overall error probability of each base in the read sequence with an empirical model, and calculates the deletion, substitution and insertion probabilities with the overall error probability to generate the PacBio CLR reads. Alignment results demonstrate that NPBSS fits the error rate of the PacBio CLR reads better than PBSIM and FASTQSim. In addition, the assembly results also show that simulated sequences of NPBSS are more like real PacBio CLR data. Conclusion: NPBSS simulator is convenient to use with efficient computation and flexible parameters setting. Its generating PacBio CLR reads are more like real PacBio datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent sequencing revolution driven by high-throughput technologies has led to rapid accumulation of 16S rRNA sequences for microbial communities. Clustering short sequences into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) is an initial crucial process in analyzing metagenomic data. Although many heuristic methods have been proposed for OTU inferences with low computational complexity, they just select one sequence as the seed for each cluster and the results are sensitive to the selected sequences that represent the clusters. To address this issue, we present a de Bruijn graph-based heuristic clustering method (DBH) for clustering massive 16S rRNA sequences into OTUs by introducing a novel seed selection strategy and greedy clustering approach. Compared with existing widely used methods on several simulated and real-life metagenomic datasets, the results show that DBH has higher clustering performance and low memory usage, facilitating the overestimation of OTUs number. DBH is more effective to handle large-scale metagenomic datasets. The DBH software can be freely downloaded from https://github.com/nwpu134/DBH.git for academic users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imprinted monoliths are highly selective and cost-effective materials, which have attracted significant interest in various areas, mostly as the stationary phase used in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). This review focuses on the recent significant progress of the imprinted monoliths in preparations and applications. Some thoughts on perspectives of imprinted monoliths are also expressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal plant density and nitrogen (N) application rate are important to achieve high maize yield. High plant density increases plant-plant competition for light and nutrients. However, too much applied N promotes excessive vegetative growth and delays maturity, resulting in low N use efficiency (NUE) and potentially environmental problems. The physiological and molecular mechanisms behind the interaction between plant density and N application rate are largely unknown. We hypothesized that simultaneously improving maize yield and NUE depends on fine regulation of nitrogen partitioning in response to the interaction between nitrogen applications and plant densities. With a 2-year field experiment, we performed phenotypic, physiological, and gene expression analyses under two plant densities (low density of 60,000 plants ha-1 and high density of 90,000 plants ha-1) and three nitrogen application levels [115 (N1), 190 (N3) and 430 (N4) kg N ha-1] in the high N-responsiveness maize cultivar ZD958. By labeling maize with 15N, 2-year results showed that both 15N uptake per plant and 15N partitioning to ear decreased under high-density conditions. Compared to N1 treatment, application of N to N3/N4 level increased maize yield by 13.9%− 43.2%, which can be explained by bigger root angle, larger leaf area and lower lodging rate under high density condition. In addition, results in 2019 experiment showed that yield, NUE, nitrogen allocation to stem and the expression of some N transporter genes were regulated by the interaction between nitrogen applications and plant densities. Compared to the N4 treatment, N3 treatment has a 55.8% reduction in N, a tendency of increase in population yield, and increased NUE by 59.6% and 63.0% in low-density and high-density plantings, respectively. Our proposed model suggested that the appropriate N supply increased NUE by either increasing N translocation from leaves to ears under low-density conditions or by increasing N allocation to ears rather than to stems under high-density conditions. Based on correlation analysis, N allocation/translocation and expression of nitrogen transporter genes could be used as biomarkers to indicate appropriate levels of N application under different planting densities, and are thereby important for the simultaneously improving ZD958 yield and NUE in intensive agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin I (cTn I) are widely used for the diagnosis of myocardial injury, but have not been used for routine evaluation in heart failure (HF) population.Aims: To evaluate the prognostic utility of combination of NT-proBNP and cTn I in patients with HF, including serial NT-proBNP/cTn I measurements and discharge NT-proBNP/cTn I levels.Patients and Methods: A total of 610 patients presenting in our emergency department for acute HF were studied. The mortality and HF-related readmission were endpoints in the study. NT-proBNP and cTn I were tested on admission including first 5 consecutive days, and on discharge.Results: A discharge cTn I cut-off value at 24 ng/L and discharge NT-proBNP cut-off value at 350 ng/L were determined. The cTn I level more than 24 ng/L and NT-proBNP level more than 350 ng/L are associated with increased risk for mortality and readmission (p < 0.01). The mortality and HF-related readmission was significantly increased in patients with high cTn I + high NT-proBNP (p < 0.05), high cTn I + low NT-proBNP (p < 0.05), and low cTn I + high NT-proBNP (p < 0.0%). The increased cTn I or increased NT-proBNP measured in the first 5 consecutive days were significantly associated with 60-day HF-related events (p < 0.05), but the serial measurements did not have a predictive value of 1-year HF outcome.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that elevations of discharge cTn I and NT-proBNP are associated with increased 1-year mortality and HF-related readmission. Patients with increasing serial cTnI and NT-proBNP had increased risk for 60-day HF-related events. The two markers can act as independent predicators, and complete each other in prognostic utility of HF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C1-Benzoyl isoquinolines can be generated via a palladium(ii)-catalyzed C–C and C–O coupling of isoquinoline N-oxides with aromatic nitroalkenes. The reaction proceeds through remote C–H bond activation and subsequent intramolecular oxygen atom transfer (OAT). In this reaction, the N–O bond was designed as a directing group in the C–H bond activation as well as the source of an oxygen atom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic and mechanical parameters are very important in the calculation of models of land subsidence and ground fissures caused by groundwater exploitation. To investigate the degree of influence of these parameters on calculation of models of land subsidence and ground fissures, Morris' global sensitivity analysis, combined with local sensitivity analysis, was applied. The accuracy of soil parameter sensitivity analysis is related closely to selection of the calculation model used. Based on Biot's consolidation theory, and combined with the nonlinear rheological theory of soil, a three-dimensional full coupling mathematic model was established to simulate land subsidence and ground fissures, in which the constitutive relation in Biot's consolidation theory was extended to viscoelastic plasticity. The dynamic relationships of soil parameters (porosity, permeability coefficient, parameters of soil deformation) accompanied by changes in the stress field were also considered. Consequently, this model conforms to actual conditions in the field. Nantong, Jiangsu Province in China, was selected to simulate and calculate land subsidence and ground fissures using this model, and the soil parameters' sensitivities were analyzed. The results showed that elastic modulus, E, cohesion, c, and the specific weight of soil, $$ \lambda $$ , have a significant influence on land subsidence and ground fissures, with the influence of the friction angle, $$ \varphi $$ , on land subsidence, and of Poisson's ratio, $$ \nu$$ , on ground fissures taking second place. These five parameters are thus of major concern in the simulation of land subsidence and ground fissures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this work was to develop and characterize the fibrauretine (FN) loaded propylene glycol-embodying deformable liposomes (FDL), and evaluate the pharmacokinetic behavior and safety of FDL for vaginal drug delivery applications. FDL was characterized for structure, particle size, zeta potential, deformability and encapsulation efficiency; the ability of FDL to deliver FN across vagina tissue in vitro and the distribution behavior of FN in rat by vaginal drug delivery were investigated, the safety of FDL to the vagina of rabbits and rats as well as human vaginal epithelial cells (VK2/E6E7) were also evaluated. Results revealed that: (i) the FDL have a closed spherical shape and lamellar structure with a homogeneous size of 185 ± 19 nm, and exhibited a negative charge of − 53 ± 2.7 mV, FDL also have a good flexibility with a deformability of 92 ± 5.6 (% phospholipids/min); (ii) the dissolving capacity of inner water phase and hydrophilicity of phospholipid bilayers of deformable liposomes were increased by the presence of propylene glycol, this may be elucidated by the fluorescent probes both lipophilic Nile red and hydrophilic calcein that were filled up the entire volume of the FDL uniformly, so the FDL with a high entrapment capacity (were calculated as percentages of total drug) for FN was 78 ± 2.14%; (iii) the permeability of FN through vaginal mucosa was obviously improved by propylene glycol-embodying deformable liposomes, no matter whether the FN loaded in liposomes or not, although FN loaded in liposomes caused the highest permeability and drug reservoir in vagina; (iv) the FN mainly aggregated in the vagina and uterus, then the blood, spleen, liver, kidney, heart and lungs for vaginal drug delivery, this indicating vaginal delivery of FDL have a better ‘vaginal local targeting effect’; and (v) the results of safety evaluation illustrate that the FDL is non-irritant and well tolerated in vivo, thereby establishing its vaginal drug delivery potential. These results indicate that the propylene glycol-embodying deformable liposomes may be a promising drug delivery carrier for vaginal delivery of fibrauretine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TGFβ contributes to chemoresistance in advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) via diverse immune-microenvironment mechanisms. Here, we found that cancer cell autonomous TGFβ directly triggered tumor programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) upregulation, resulting in resistance to chemotherapy. Inhibition of tumor PD-L1 expression sensitized cancer cells to chemotherapy, reduced lung metastasis and increased the influx of CD8+ T cells. However, chemorefractory cancer cell-derived CSF1 recruited TAMs for TGFβ-mediated PD-L1 upregulation via a vicious cycle. High infiltration of macrophages was clinically correlated with the status of tumor PD-L1 after chemotherapy treatment in CRC patients. We found that depletion of immunosuppressive CSF1R+ TAM infiltration and blockade of the TGFβ receptor resulted in an increased influx of cytotoxic CD8+ T and effector memory CD8+ cells, a reduction in regulatory T cells, and a synergistic inhibition of tumor growth when combined with chemotherapy. These findings show that CSF1R+ TAMs and TGFβ are the dominant components that regulate PD-L1 expression within the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, providing a therapeutic strategy for advanced CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of natural disasters caused damage(s) to buildings is important for rescue work coordination which, however, remains a difficult engineering task to be conducted effectively. To automatically detect building damages from satellite imagery, this paper presents a two-step solution approach, including building localization and damage classification. To handle the extremely imbalanced distributions of the building damages, where the minority class occupies less than 0.1%, the architecture is supplemented with a new learning strategy comprising normality-imposed data-subset generation and incremental training. The validity of the proposed architecture is evaluated on a recent open-source dataset named xBD. The experimental study achieves a testing accuracy of 0.9729 and an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.5378 on three historical disaster events (i.e., "Mexico-earthquake", "Midwest-flooding", "Palu-tsunami") for the localization analysis, and a testing accuracy of 0.9955 and a weighted F1-score of 0.9953 on the extracted building patches from "Mexico-earthquake", for the followed classification analysis • A two-step solution is provided to automatically detect building damages after natural disasters. • Data normality imposition and incremental learning can handle extremely imbalanced problems. • Additional feature reflecting spatial compactness is created in damage classification. • It achieves a weighted F1-score of 0.9953 on an extremely imbalanced dataset. • It is feasible to be applied in large-scale damage assessment and mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of simvastatin on the protein kinase B (PKB) signaling pathway and the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). The effects of simvastatin were analyzed by administering the drug orally to male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day, while the control animals received an equal volume of saline. The systolic pressure (mmHg) of the rat tail artery was measured prior to the initiation of the experiment, and once a week until the end of the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the animals were euthanized and the hearts were removed. The left ventricular and interventricular septum were weighed, after which the left ventricular mass/body mass ratio was calculated. In addition, cardiomyocytes isolated from Sprague Dawley rats were cultured with 15% fetal bovine serum to induce hypertrophy, following which the cells were treated with different doses of simvastatin. The in vitro effects were assessed by measuring the surface area of the cardiomyocytes, while the rate of protein synthesis was measured using a 3H-leucine incorporation assay and western blot analyses. Simvastatin was demonstrated to inhibit cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in the in vivo and in vitro experiments. Notably, simvastatin increased PTEN expression and inhibited PKB expression in the SHR model, as well as in the cardiomyocytes in culture. In addition, the use of PTEN antisense oligodeoxynucleotides was revealed to inhibit the effects of simvastatin on cardiomyocytes. Therefore, these results indicated that simvastatin was able to reverse cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vivo and in vitro, possibly by increasing the expression of PTEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovering seepage is widely thought to be critical for maintaining the healthy conditions of the tunnel. Unfortunately, most of the seepage surveys are still manual with tedious, time-consuming, and inefficient as well as work-related physical injuries. To address this problem, this research proposes an encoder-decoder deep learning method combined with point cloud techniques for multi-class object segmentation, including seepage, from 3D tunnel point clouds. This method develops data processing and feature extraction techniques to perform normalization of 3D point clouds with full consideration of point features, followed by constructing voxels as input to the proposed encoder-decoder architecture for learning. In the training process, an optimal model is selected with a learning rate of 0.0001, a batch size of 256, and a voxel boundary of 8. Subsequently, the optimal well-trained model is applied to the testing set, achieving excellent performance. Comparisons with other state-of-the-art methods and four data processing strategies are conducted, demonstrating that the proposed method outperforms in segmenting large-scale 3D point clouds. Overall, the proposed method performs excellently, beneficially contributing to the multi-class object segmentation from 3D tunnel point clouds with great practical potential. • An encoder-decoder deep learning model is developed for 3D point cloud segmentation. • Data processing and feature extraction techniques are developed for processing 3D point cloud. • The effectiveness of the method is validated by evaluation metrics in practical tunnels. • Conducting comparisons examining the segmentation performance of the method. • The method perform excellently with great efficiency and high reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The abatement of concentration polarization in a membrane tube is of the utmost importance for improving the efficiency of hydrogen separation. In order to enhance the performance of hydrogen separation, the characteristics of hydrogen permeation in a Pd-based membrane system under various operating conditions and geometric designs are studied numerically. The effects of Reynolds numbers, shell size, baffle, and pressure difference on hydrogen mass transfer across the membrane are evaluated. The predictions suggest that a larger shell deteriorates concentration polarization, stemming from a larger H2 concentration boundary layer. Baffles equipped in the shell are conducive to disturbing H2 concentration boundary layer and reducing concentration polarization at the retentate side, thereby intensifying H2 permeation. The more the number of baffles, the less the increment of improvement in H2 permeation is. The installation of one baffle is recommended for enhancing H2 separation and it is especially obvious under the environments of high pressure difference. Within the investigated ranges of Reynolds number at the permeate side and the retentate side, the feasible operating conditions are suggested in this study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]