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Typhoons are among the most significant natural disasters affecting the eastern and southern coastal regions of China, inflicting substantial annual damage on both coastal and inland areas. Since the initiation of the reform and opening-up policy, the socioeconomic development of the coastal regions of China has been swift, leading to increased exposure to typhoons. In the context of global climate change, typhoons are expected to increase in frequency and intensity in China. Therefore, researching on the spatiotemporal pattern characteristics of typhoons impacting China is of critical importance for understanding the impact patterns and risk changes of typhoon disasters, as well as for formulating policies on disaster response, prevention, and mitigation. This study aims to provide valuable insights into the formulation of such policies. Based on these objectives, this study utilized a comprehensive dataset, including county-level socioeconomic and disaster statistics, historical typhoon wind and rainfall data, and high-precision topographic data. Using county-level administrative regions as spatial units, this study employed various methods, such as time-series statistical analysis, gravity model, geographical detector, spatial correlation analysis, and geographically weighted regression, to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution patterns and influencing factors of typhoon disaster conditions in China from 1978 to 2020. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) The number of deaths and missing persons, quantity of damaged housing, death, and missing rate per million people, and proportion of direct economic loss to GDP caused by typhoon disasters have all shown a declining trend, indicating significant achievements in disaster prevention and mitigation efforts. (2) The center of gravity of typhoon disaster-related losses has shifted southward, corresponding with the economic development of coastal regions, demonstrating a reduced disaster impact in coastal areas and an increased impact in inland areas. (3) Wind and rain induced by typhoons are the primary driving factors of disaster conditions, and topographical factors are also drivers of casualties and crop loss. (4) The two major regions, Zhejiang-Northern Fujian and Western Guangdong-Eastern Guangxi, exhibit significant characteristics of disaster condition agglomeration, closely related to typhoon activity patterns and levels of economic development. (5) There is a negative correlation between the gross local product and disaster conditions in some areas, reflecting the role of socioeconomic development in enhancing the capacity for disaster prevention and mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric thermal shock resistance of porous ceramic materials has been studied. The plate, initially at uniform temperature, is exposed to a sudden temperature on its one surface whilst thermal insulation are considered for the opposing face. The temperature field and transient thermal stress field in the porous ceramic plate uncracking are calculated. Then, the weight function method is used to obtain thermal stress intensity factor at crack tip. The effects of relative density and thermal shock temperature on the crack propagation of the porous ceramic plate are analyzed. Finally, the thermal shock resistance of the porous ceramic materials is acquired based on stress criterion and fracture toughness criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A watercolor is an art form that uses water to express the painting process. Water is the specific boundary that distinguishes watercolor from other painting types. Fluidity is one of the essential factors constituting its distinctive artistic beauty. With vibrant hues and delicate brushstrokes, 3D watercolors enhance the image's content with more meaningful information. It has more visual impact than a watercolor that is flat. Appreciators can visualize the scenario in their minds, which leaves more room for imagination and is particularly useful for usage in animation. This paper uses 3D point cloud reconstruction to enhance the 3D effect of watercolor and proposes a 3D reconstruction method of the point cloud based on a generative adversarial network. First, a new mesh model is obtained by using a predictor to predict the offset of the mesh model edge. Then, the point cloud classifier in the discriminator is used to extract the high dimensional features of the original point cloud data and the surface sampling point set of the mesh model. Finally, the output data of the predictor and discriminator are associated with the adversarial training method, and the network model is optimized through several iterations to obtain a 3D mesh model satisfying the spatial characteristics of the point cloud. The experimental results demonstrate that the method suggested in this paper is superior to the three benchmarks in terms of watercolor's texture, color transition, highlight part, and iteration time, as well as its ability to enhance the 3D effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal smelting have brought severe metal(loid)s contamination to the soil. Spatial distribution and pollution source analysis for soil metal(loid)s in an abandoned lead/zinc smelter were studied. The results showed that soil was contaminated heavily with metal(loid)s. The mean of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and antimony (Sb) content in topsoil is 9.7, 8.2, 5.0, 2.3, and 1.2 times higher than the risk screening value for soil contamination of development land of China (GB36600-2018), respectively. Cd is mainly enriched in the 0–6 m depth of site soil while As and Pb mainly deposited in the 0–4 m layer. The spatial distribution of soil metal(loid)s is significantly correlated with the pollution source in the different functional areas of smelter. As, Hg, Sb, Pb and copper (Cu) were mainly distributed in pyrometallurgical area, while Cd, thallium (Tl) and zinc (Zn) was mainly existed in both hydrometallurgical area and raw material storage area. Soil metal(loid)s pollution sources in the abandoned smelter are mainly contributed to the anthropogenic sources, accounting for 84.5%. Specifically, Pb, Tl, As, Hg, Sb and Cu mainly from atmospheric deposition (55.9%), Cd and Zn mainly from surface runoff (28.6%), While nickel (Ni) mainly comes from parent material (15.5%). The results clarified the spatial distribution and their sources in different functional areas of the smelter, providing a new thought for the risk prevention and control of metal(loid)s in polluted site soil. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composition engineering, with its advantages to effectively tune semiconductor properties by regulating chemical stoichiometry, is a proven strategy to boost the efficiency and stability of ABX3 perovskite photoelectronic devices. Compared with its counterpart polycrystalline perovskite film, single crystalline is the ideal model for exploring its fundamental scientific issues. In this review, a critical overview of recent advances of the growth strategies, properties, and functional applications of multicomponent perovskite single crystals (SCs) is presented. First, the underlying advantages of composition engineering of perovskite SCs are discussed and then the different composition tuning strategies, including A‐site, B‐site, X‐site, and simultaneous A‐ and X‐site engineering, are systematically summarized. Subsequently, the benefits of composition engineering are highlighted for optimizing photovoltaic and photoelectronic devices. Lastly, controversies and remaining challenges for the development of composition engineering of perovskite SCs are discussed and a brief perspective regarding further investigation in this field is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proportions of the various muscle fiber types are important in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism, as well as animal meat production. Four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 3 (FHL3) is highly expressed in fast glycolytic muscle fibers and differentially regulates the expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms at the cellular level. Whether FHL3 regulates the transformation of muscle fiber types in vivo and the regulatory mechanism is unclear. In this study, muscle-specific FHL3 transgenic mice were generated by random integration, and lentivirus-mediated gene knockdown or overexpression in muscles of mice or pigs was conducted. Functional analysis showed that overexpression of FHL3 in muscles significantly increased the proportion of fast-twitch myofibers and muscle mass but decreased muscle succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and whole-body oxygen consumption. Lentivirus-mediated FHL3 knockdown in muscles significantly decreased muscle mass and the proportion of fast-twitch myofibers. Mechanistically, FHL3 directly interacted with the Yin yang 1 (YY1) DNA-binding domain, repressed the binding of YY1 to the fast glycolytic MyHC2b gene regulatory region, and thereby promoted MyHC2b expression. FHL3 also competed with EZH2 to bind the repression domain of YY1 and reduced H3K27me3 enrichment in the MyHC2b regulatory region. Moreover, FHL3 overexpression reduced glucose tolerance by affecting muscle glycolytic metabolism, and its mRNA expression in muscle was positively associated with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, FHL3 is a novel potential target gene for the treatment of muscle metabolism-related diseases and improvement of animal meat production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calonectria species are important plant pathogens on a wide range of hosts, causing significant losses to plant production worldwide. During our survey on phytopathogenic fungi from 2019 to 2021, diseased samples were collected from various hosts in Guangdong Province, China. In total, 16 Calonectria isolates were obtained from leaf spots, stem blights and root rots of species of Arachis, Cassia, Callistemon, Eucalyptus, Heliconia, Melaleuca and Strelitzia plants. Isolates were identified morphologically, and a multigene phylogenetic analysis of combined partial sequences of calmodulin (cmdA), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-α) and beta-tubulin (β-tubulin) was performed. These sixteen isolates were further identified as nine Calonectria species, with five new species: Ca. cassiae, Ca. guangdongensis, Ca. melaleucae, Ca. shaoguanensis and Ca. strelitziae, as well as four new records: Ca. aconidialis from Arachis hypogaea, Ca. auriculiformis from Eucalyptus sp., Ca. eucalypti from Callistemon rigidus, and Ca. hongkongensis from Eucalyptus gunnii. Moreover, we provide updated phylogenetic trees for four Calonectria species complexes viz. Ca. colhounii, Ca. cylindrospora, Ca. kyotensis and Ca. reteaudii. Our study is the first comprehensive study on Calonectria species associated with various hosts from subtropical regions in China. Results from the present study will be an addition to the biodiversity of microfungi in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropospheric ozone and nitrogen deposition are two major environmental pollutants. A great deal of research has focused on the negative impacts of elevated O3 and the complementary effect of soil N addition on the physiological properties of trees. However, it has been overlooked how elevated O3 and N addition affect tree immunity in face of pathogen infection, as well as of the important roles of phyllosphere microbiome community in host–pathogen–environment interplay. Here, we examined the effects of elevated O3 and soil N addition on poplar leaf rust [Melampsora larici-populina] severity of two susceptible hybrid poplars [clone '107': Populus euramericana cv. '74/76'; clone '546': P. deltoides Í P. cathayana] in Free-Air-Controlled-Environment plots, in addition, the link between Mlp-susceptibility and changes in microbial community was determined using Miseq amplicon sequencing. Rust severity of clone '107' significantly increased under elevated O3 or N addition only; however, the negative impact of elevated O3 could be significantly mitigated when accompanied by N addition, likewise, this trade-off was reflected in its phyllosphere microbial α-diversity responding to elevated O3 and N addition. However, rust severity of clone '546' did not differ significantly in the cases of elevated O3 and N addition. Mlp infection altered microbial community composition and increased its sensitivity to elevated O3, as determined by the markedly different abundance of taxa. Elevated O3 and N addition reduced the complexity of microbial community, which may explain the increased severity of poplar rust. These findings suggest that poplars require a changing phyllosphere microbial associations to optimize plant immunity in response to environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

KPNA7 is an essential nuclear protein for early embryogenesis and normal fertility. The aim of our study was to determine the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the KPNA7 gene and the reproductive traits in France Large White pigs. Six new SNPs were identified by sequencing. Sows with CT genotype of rs81308652 had a significantly higher total number born than sows with CC and TT genotype in first parity. Litters from sows with TT genotype of rs81308652 had a significantly lower number of weak births than litters from sows with CC and CT genotype in multi parity. Individuals with GG genotype of rs327848277 showed higher litter weight at birth (LWB) and number of healthy births than individuals with genotype GT and TT in first parity, and individuals with genotype GG had lower LWB compared to other genotypes in multi parity. However, we obtained no statistically significant results for association between the SNPs in other four loci and reproductive traits in both primiparous and multiparous pigs. In conclusion, our results show that there are significant association of identified SNPs located in KPNA7 gene with pig reproductive traits, and provided a theoretical basis for genetic improvement of pig reproductive traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Salt stress is a major devastating abiotic factor that affects the yield and quality of maize. However, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of the responses to salt stress in maize is limited. To elucidate the genetic basis of salt tolerance traits, a genome‐wide association study was performed on 348 maize inbred lines under normal and salt stress conditions using 557 894 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The phenotypic data for 27 traits revealed coefficients of variation of >25%. In total, 149 significant SNPs explaining 6.6%–11.2% of the phenotypic variation for each SNP were identified. Of the 104 identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs), 83 were related to salt tolerance and 21 to normal traits. Additionally, 13 QTLs were associated with two to five traits. Eleven and six QTLs controlling salt tolerance traits and normal root growth, respectively, co‐localized with QTL intervals reported previously. Based on functional annotations, 13 candidate genes were predicted. Expression levels analysis of 12 candidate genes revealed that they were all responsive to salt stress. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology targeting three sites was applied in maize, and its editing efficiency reached 70%. By comparing the biomass of three CRISPR/Cas9 mutants of ZmCLCg and one zmpmp3 EMS mutant with their wild‐type plants under salt stress, the salt tolerance function of candidate genes ZmCLCg and ZmPMP3 were confirmed. Chloride content analysis revealed that ZmCLCg regulated chloride transport under sodium chloride stress. These results help to explain genetic variations in salt tolerance and provide novel loci for generating salt‐tolerant maize lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild plant species from three deserted antimony (Sb) mine areas in southern China were collected to measure eight metal(loid)s. Antimony, As (arsenic), Cd (cadmium), Cr (chromium), Cu (copper), Ni (nickel), Pb (lead), and Zn (zinc) concentrations in plants and soil were analyzed. The soils of the mining area was weakly alkaline and contained toxic levels of Sb, As, Pb, Cd, and Zn. Many plant species in the area (40 species and 19 families) have no clear signs of toxicity. The plants were divided into three categories (high, moderate, and low tendency to accumulate metals) based on their (ratio [RT], bioaccumulation factor [BCF], translocation factor [TF]) values. The plants with a high accumulation tendency exhibited the high potential to absorb Sb from contaminated soil; therefore, they can be used for the remediation or phytoremediation of Sb-contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the urinary system with high mortality and morbidity. Evidence revealed that bergenin could affect the development of cancer. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of bergenin on bladder cancer progression and its mechanism. The effect of bergenin on cell function was first detected, followed by assessing the changes of the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in bergenin‐treated cells. The effect of bergenin on peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ)/phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)/Akt signal pathway was measured by Western blotting, followed by the rescue experiments. The results showed that bergenin treatment significantly decreased cell viability and increased G1 phase arrest, accompanied by reduced expression of Ki67, cycling D1, and cycling B1 in bladder cancer cells. Apoptosis was induced by bergenin in bladder cancer cells, as evidenced by increased Bax and cleaved caspase 3 protein levels and decreased Bcl‐2 level in bergenin‐treated cells. Meanwhile, the inhibition of the invasion, migration, and EMT was also observed in bergenin‐treated cells. Mechanism studies showed that bergenin treatment could activate PPARγ/PTEN/Akt signal pathway, as evidence by the increased nucleus PPARγ and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression and decreased Akt expression. Moreover, PPARγ inhibitor administration inverted the effects of bergenin on bladder cancer cell function, including the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration in bladder cancer cells. Our findings revealed that bergenin could inhibit bladder cancer progression via activating the PPARγ/PTEN/Akt signal pathway, indicating that bergenin may be a potential therapeutic medicine for bladder cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead‐based (Pb) perovskite recently emerged as a promising photoelectric material for direct ionization radiation detection with outstanding performance. Unfortunately, its application is limited due to its toxicity caused by high Pb content, serious ion migration, poor crystallite quality, unsatisfactory reproducibility, high resistivity, and large fluctuation of electronic properties. Herein, a better substitute of lead‐free inch‐sized (34.3 mm × 34.3 mm × 13.1 mm) high‐quality halide (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 single crystal (MA3Bi2I9 SC) is presented with higher resistivity, lower ion migration, and better stability. The coplanar detector fabricated using the MA3Bi2I9 SC shows low dark noise current and outstanding X‐ray response including a high sensitivity of 872 μC Gy−1 cm−2, short response time of 266 μs, low detection limit of 31 nGy s−1, good spatial resolution of 4.22 lp mm−1, long‐term working stability, and excellent uniformity. Thanks to these excellent properties, the coplanar MA3Bi2I9 SC X‐ray detector array shows high‐resolution X‐ray imaging. The present report may inspire development of next‐generation high‐energy radiation detection and imaging using lead‐free perovskite single crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though there have been a few reports of substrate surface texturing of thin film perovskite solar cells to enhance their light trapping, there has been no direct texturing of the perovskite material, let alone perovskite single crystals (SCs). Herein, a method to prepare a pyramid‐structured perovskite CH3NH3PbX3 (CH3NH3+ = MA, X = I, Br) SC surface with minimized light reflection and maximized incident light harvesting is reported. Specifically, a hard template is used to directly transfer the pyramidal texture onto the MAPbX3 SC during its growth. A well‐shaped pyramidal texture is formed on the single‐crystal surface leading to improved light trapping. The textured MAPbBr3 SC shows good crystallinity, prolonged carrier lifetime, and improved carrier mobility. Furthermore, the photodetector made from the textured SC shows enhanced responsivity of 321 A W−1 and external quantum efficiency of 7191%, about two times higher than that of a control device. This method may be used to directly fabricate desired textures on general single crystal surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-imprinted polymers supported by hydroxyapatite (HAP@MIPs) were prepared using coumarin-3-carboxylic acid and naringenin as dummy template molecules of zearalenone (ZEA). HAP@MIPs were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, particle size distribution analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The adsorption performance was studied. The results showed that it could reach the adsorption equilibrium within 6 min. The adsorption amount could reach 6.77 μg mg−1, while the concentration was 20 μg mL−1. The self-made solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns were prepared with HAP@MIPs as sorbents for the separation and purification of ZEA in cereal samples. The method was established by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The recoveries were in the range of 70.09–101.88%; the relative standard deviation was 2.06–8.47%. Finally, millet, coix lachryma, and corn were placed under extreme conditions to produce ZEA. The method was used to extract and analyze ZEA in the above samples. The results showed that self-made SPE columns with HPLC could be used for the separation and enrichment of ZEA in real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of temperature dependence of material properties on thermal shock resistance of porous ceramic foams is studied in this paper. Two cases of thermal shock are carried out: sudden heating and sudden cooling. Finite difference method and weight function method are employed to get the thermal stress field at crack tip. The effects of time dependence and temperature dependence of material properties on thermal shock behavior are analyzed. The thermal shock resistance is acquired based on two different criteria: fracture mechanics criterion and stress criterion. By comparison analysis, results show that taking temperature dependence of the material properties into account is crucial in the assessment of thermal shock resistance of ceramic foams. Cold shock fracture experiments of Al 2 O 3 foams with different relative densities are also made, and the obtained results are in coincidence with theoretical results very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been reported that the development of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) requires the involvement of a large number of lncRNAs. In a recent study lncRNA, WT1-AS was been characterized as a tumor-suppressive lncRNA in gastric cancer. In our study we aim to explore the involvement of WT1-AS in CSCC.Methods: Seventy-six CSCC patients (20 to 63 years, 40.1 ± 6.1 year) from the 233 CSCC patients who were admitted by the Affiliated Tumour Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University between august 2010 and January 2014. RT-qPCR, cell proliferation rate measurement, cell transfection, and western blot were carried out to analyze the samples.Results: We found that HPV infection failed to affect WT1-AS expression in CSCC tissues, while WT1-AS was down-regulated in CSCC tissues compared with non-cancer tissues. P53 was also down-regulated in CSCC tissues and positively correlated with WT1-AS. Analysis of the survival of CSCC patients revealed that low levels of WT1-AS were accompanied by poor survival. Significantly up-regulated p53 was observed after WT1-AS over-expression in CSCC cells, while p53 over-expression failed to affect WT1-AS. P53 and WT1-AS over-expression resulted in the inhibited proliferation of CSCC cells.Conclusion: Therefore, WT1-AS is down-regulated in CSCC and it may inhibit CSCC cell proliferation at least partially by up-regulating p53. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT) is a known P450 enzyme non-selective inactivator that serves as a tool for assessing P450-mediated metabolism. However, many findings demonstrated that ABT was ineffective with human CYP2C9. A profound pan-CYP450 inhibitor is desired avoid the risk of incomplete inhibition of P450, especially CYP2C9. Atipamezole is commonly used to recover animals from sedation-anesthesia induced by α 2− adrenoceptor agonists. The purpose of this study is to evaluate atipamezole as a non-selective inhibitor of P450 enzymes and compare it with ABT. Inhibition toward seven major human CYP450 isoform was determined for atipamezole and ABT in human, rat, and dog liver microsomes for the direct and time-dependent inhibition potentials. IC 50 values toward human and animal CYPs without preincubation are 0.02–7.93 μM and 20.9–1798 μM for atipamezole and ABT, respectively. The IC 50 values of ABT after preincubation shift to 4.06–460 μM. Atipamezole has more effective inhibition to CYP2C9 mediated diclofenac hydroxylation in human and animal liver microsomes with IC 50 values of 1.50–5.20 μM than that of ABT at 74.7-460 μM. No IC 50 shift was observed for atipamezole to CYP isoforms. In vivo utility of atipamezole was assessed by co-dosing with diclofenac in rats. At 30 mg/kg via oral, atipamezole enhanced the AUC of diclofenac by 13.1-fold and the C max by 5.6-fold. Similar enhancement also achieved for ABT (100 mg/kg) with AUC and C max increased 9.5 and 4.8-fold. As a reversible pan-CYP inhibitor, atipamezole showed less species difference than ABT. It provides a better and easier to use alternative to ABT for ADME optimization and elucidating mechanistic drug metabolism or toxicity studies. Graphical abstract Atipamezole is a promising non-selective reversible inhibitor against pan-CYP450 including diclofenac 4′-hydroxylation. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been recent recognition that the GSTM1 gene is associated with successful aging and longevity. It has been hypothesized that individuals with a GSTM1 deletion are at a greater risk for developing a plethora of diseases. This study was carried out to investigate the association between the rs574344 single nucleotide polymorphism, an expression quantitative trait locus of GSTM1, and longevity in the Han Chinese population. Materials and Methods: We performed a case-control study that comprised 526 long-lived subjects (>97 years of age) and 783 younger subjects (aged 19–80 years) from the general population who served as controls. Identification of the genotypes of rs574344 was accomplished by combining polymerase chain reaction with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Results: The long-lived study population, when compared with the controls, showed a significantly higher frequency of the T/T genotype and the T allele of rs574344. We determined that the T/T genotype is associated with a longer lifespan (OR = 5.972, 95% CI 1.798–19.833, p = 0.001, for all genders; p = 0.006 adjusted by gender). We also observed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the distribution of alleles and genotypes in both the male group (TT vs. TA, OR = 1.043, 95% CI 1.022–1.067, p = 0.043) and the female group (TT vs. TA, OR = 3.592, 95% CI 0.982–13.147, p = 0.039) Conclusion: We found significant associations between both the T allele and the T/T genotype of rs574344 with longevity in the Han Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the expression of Fascin_1 protein in cancer tissues of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its relevance to patients' clinicopathologic features and prognosis.Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on 81 patients with NSCLC who were admitted to our hospital and received surgical treatment from February 2012 to March 2016. To analyze the correlation of Fascin_1 protein expression in cancer tissues with the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of the patients, the immuno-histochemical method was applied to examine Fascin_1 protein expression in cancer and normal paracarcinoma tissues of the included 81 NSCLC patients.Results: Fascin_1 protein was diffused in cancer tissues, and cancer cells surrounding the carcinoma lesions were strongly stained. The protein was mainly located on the cytoplast or membrane of positive cells and manifested as a focal or diffuse brown granular distribution. The negative, weakly positive, and strongly positive expression rates in cancer tissues were 23.5% (19/81), 35.8% (29/81), and 40.7% (33/81), respectively. The negative, weakly positive, and strongly positive expression rates in paracarcinoma tissues were 71.6% (58/81), 12.3% (10/81), and 16% (13/81), respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05), and the positive expression rate of Fascin_1 in cancer tissues was significantly higher than that of in paracarcinoma tissues (P < 0.05). The positive expression of Fascin_1 in cancer tissues was significantly correlated with the neoplasm stage (P < 0.05) and mediastinal lymph node metastases (P < 0.05); however, it was not relevant to the patients' age, gender, tumor size, pathological type, tumor grading, or pleural effusion (P > 0.05). The median survival times for patients with positive Fascin_1 and negative Fascin_1 expression in cancer tissues were 26 and 44 months, respectively, indicating that the median survival time of the Fascin_1-positive group was significantly lower than that of in the Fascin_1-negative group (heart rate = 2.74, 95% confidence interval: 1.32-6.87, P < 0.05).Conclusions: Fascin_1 protein expression in NSCLC tissues and normal paracarcinoma issues were different. Fascin_1 expression in cancer tissues was related to the poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a globally prevalent neurodegenerative disease, clinically characterized by progressive memory loss and gradual impairment of cognitive functions. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation has been considered a possible therapeutic method for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no quantitative data synthesis of MSC therapy for AD exists. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to study the effects of MSCs on cognitive deficits in animal models of AD. Methods: We identified eligible studies published from January 1980 to January 2017 by searching four electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI). The endpoint was the effects of MSCs on cognitive performance evaluated by the Morris water maze (MWM) test including escape latency, and/or number of platform crossing, and/or time in the target quadrant. Results: Nine preclinical studies incorporating 225 animals with AD were included for the meta‐analysis. The studies indicated that MSC‐based treatment significantly improved the learning function through measurements of the escape latency (SMD = −0.99, 95% CI = −1.33 to −0.64, p < .00001). Additionally, we observed that transplantation of MSCs significantly increased the number of platform crossing in six experiments (SMD = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.43 to 1.13, p < .0001). What’s more, the times in the target quadrant were increased in five studies indicated that transplantation of MSCs could ameliorate the cognitive impairments (SMD = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.46 to 1.67, p = .0005). Conclusions: This study showed that MSC transplantation could reduce cognitive deficits in AD models. These findings support the further studies to translate MSCs in the treatment of AD in humans [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) with insidious characteristic manifests no symptoms in its early onset but most patients have advanced and distant cancer metastasis at diagnosis. Innovative early diagnosis and effective treatment of EOC are urgently needed. Methods: In the study, we developed a novel agent of IL-21-secreting human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) combined with miR-200c to evaluate its effects on SKOV3 EOC in vitro and in vivo. Results: hUCMSCs-LV-IL-21 combined with miR-200c significantly inhibited the SKOV3 cell mobility and tumorigenesis compared with hUCMSCs-LV-IL-21, hUCMSCs-LV-vector, and hUCMSCs, respectively. These were reflected in decreasing the tumor sizes and elongating the tumor bearing nude mouse survival, accompanied with increasing the serum cytokine levels of IFN-γ, IL-21 and TNF-α as well as the splenocyte cytotoxicity. In addition, the expression of β-catenin, cyclin-D1, Gli1, Gli2, and ZEB1 was decreased but the E-cadherin expression was increased in tumor tissues of mice treated with hUCMSCs-LV-IL-21 plus miR-200c. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the synergistic effect of fighting SKOV3 EOC is attributable to repression of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in SKOV3 EOC. The findings may provide a new strategy for therapy of EOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat models of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been evaluated in multiple studies. However, the results evaluating the effectiveness of iPSCs in animal models of PD are mixed, primarily due to their low statistical power. In the current study, a meta-analysis was performed to describe the treatment effect of unsorted iPSCs on behavioral testing in experimental rat models of PD. Databases searched included PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library from inception to March 2017. Data were extracted for rotation behavior tests (induced by amphetamine and apomorphine) and limb function tests. A total of eight studies were included in the current meta-analysis, and iPSCs were identified to be efficacious according to the pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) for improving amphetamine-induced rotational behavior [SMD, -2.16; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), -2.93, -1.40; P<0.00001] and apomorphine-induced rotational test (SMD, -1.45; 95% CI, -2.16, -0.73; P<0.0001). The pooled evidence indicated that iPSCs improve rotational behavior in rat models of PD. It was concluded that iPSCs provide a potential approach for developing novel treatment strategies for PD, and the results of this meta-analysis may guide future preclinical and clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation on the Southwestern Tibetan Plateau (SWTP) is critical to ensuring ecological security and promoting regional economic and social development. Here, we explored the relationship between topographic factors (elevation, slope, and aspect) and the spatial patterns in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the SWTP over the past 20 years. The results found that the NDVI in the SWTP was primarily influenced by elevation and slope. The regions with significant variations in NDVI were concentrated between 4500 m to 5500 m and slopes ranging from 0° to 15°. Although the influence of aspect on NDVI was small, there was a decreasing trend in NDVI on sunny slopes and an increasing trend on shady slopes. Dominant topographic conditions were identified by considering 230 different combinations of elevation, slope, and aspect. The combination of topographic parameters indicated stronger patterns in NDVI variability, notably within sections of 0°–25°slopes and below 5000 m elevation. These findings highlight the relevance of topography, notably slope and aspect, for vegetation in alpine settings. The information gathered from this study about the prevailing topographic distribution and vegetation growth state in the SWTP can help with future ecological restoration and conservation efforts in the Tibetan Plateau and other comparable regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A controlled monolayer-by-monolayer deposition process has been developed to fabricate Pt coating on carbon fiber paper with complex network structures using a dual buffer (Au/Ni) strategy. The X-ray diffraction, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, current density analyses, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results conclude that the monolayer deposition process accomplishes full coverage on the substrate and that the thickness of the deposition layer can be controlled on a single atom scale. This development may pave a way to fabricate superior Pt catalysts with the minimal Pt usage. In fact, the present Pt group metal loading is 25 times lower than the U.S. DOE 2017 target value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By taking advantage of large specific surface area and large number of reaction sites of the 2D WS 2 nanosheet (NS), we developed a simple adsorption-photoreduction method to load Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on the NS carrier. The WS 2 NSs were soaked in KPtCl 4 solution for sufficient amount of time to ensure the adsorption equilibrium of the Pt ions on the WS 2 NS substrate. Upon photolysis and H 2 post-treatment, uniformly dispersed Pt 0 NPs (∼2 nm in size) were harvested. The hybrid structure containing 0D Pt 0 NPs and 2D WS 2 thin-layers showed distinctly enhanced electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with the overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm −2 reduced to 80 mV compared with commercial Pt/C electrode. The synergetic effect of 0D and 2D structures may encourage designing new catalysts systems for special application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A porous polyether ether ketone (p-PEEK) was fabricated by firstly preparing titanium/PEEK composite (Ti/PEEK) (die casting) and then removing titanium wire (acid etching). The pores in p-PEEK can provide channels for bone cells ingrowth and body fluid transmission. The pore size and porosity of p-PEEK can be tailored by adjusting the diameter and volume fraction of titanium wire that was used in the preparation process. The average cell wall thicknesses of p-PEEK with porosities of 30 ± 1.5%, 40 ± 2.0% and 50 ± 2.5% were 326.4 μm, 297.6 μm and 255.4 μm, respectively. The compressive yield strengths and the elastic moduli of p-PEEK with porosities ranged of 30%–50% were 28–16 MPa and 5.5–3.0 GPa, respectively. The elastic modulus of p-PEEK reached the floor level of cortical bone (3.0–30.0 GPa). The relationship of the relative elastic moduli to the relative densities of p-PEEK conformed to the Gibson-Ashby model. This porous PEEK is expected to be a candidate for hard tissue implant materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of multifunctional hydrogel sensor materials with comprehensive properties such as frost resistance, good reusability, adhesion, and flexibility needs to be developed to meet the demands of complex environments. Herein, a conductive, semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel was constructed from poly (vinyl alcohol), polyaniline (PANI), and poly (dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA), and the process assisted by the Hofmeister effect. A double conductive pathway hydrogel with types of PDDA and PANI polymers was formed simultaneously to provide excellent conductivity (1.217 S/m−1) for the hydrogel. With the increase in the concentration of PDDA from 0 to 16 wt%, the mechanical strength increased from 0.066 MPa to 0.34 MPa, and the modulus of elasticity and toughness increased by 684.9% and 748.8%, respectively. The hydrogel can be efficiently generated as a strain sensor material with excellent sensitivities of GF = 2.337 and S = 3.229%/KPa under tension and compression, respectively. The hydrogel could be used as an electronic skin and be used for the monitoring of even small strains in the skin caused by pulse beats. In addition, the hydrogel has excellent temperature sensitivity (1.575%/℃), frost resistance (−53.45 ℃), self-healing capability, and reusability. Data will be made available on request. [Display omitted] • The gel containing cationic polyelectrolyte has strong antifreeze and flexibility. • The sensor with high conductivity can effectively detect one's physiological activity. • A synergy between conjugated polymer and polyelectrolyte was revealed. • It behaves favorable reusability, stability, and omnidirectional strain sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies suggested that forkhead box class O3 (FOXO3) functions as a key regulator for the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1signaling pathway that influence aging and longevity. This study aimed to comprehensively elucidate the association of common genetic variants in FOXO3 with human longevity in a Chinese population. Eighteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FOXO3 were successfully genotyped in 616 unrelated long-lived individuals and 846 younger controls. No nominally significant effects were found. However, when stratifying by gender, four SNPs (rs10499051, rs7762395, rs4946933 and rs3800230) previously reported to be associated with longevity and one novel SNP (rs4945815) showed significant association with male longevity (P-values: 0.007–0.032), but all SNPs were not associated with female longevity. Correspondingly, males carrying the G-G-T-G haplotype of rs10499051, rs7762395, rs4945815 and rs3800230 tended to have longer lifespan than those carrying the most common haplotype A-G-C-T (odds ratio = 2.36, 95% confidence interval = 1.20–4.63, P = 0.013). However, none of the associated SNPs and haplotype remained significant after Bonferroni correction. In conclusion, our findings revealed that the FOXO3 variants we tested in our population of Chinese men and women were associated with longevity in men only. None of these associations passed Bonferroni correction. Bonferroni correction is very stringent for association studies. We therefore believe the effects of these nominally significant variants on human longevity will be confirmed by future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvothermal reactions of 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (Me2pz), and CuX in MeOH afforded two trinuclear complexes [Cu( XMe2pz)]3 [ X = I ( 1); Br ( 2)], where the halogenated ligand XMe2pz in 1 and 2 were in-situ formed from the reaction of Me2pz with X-. The crystal structure of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallography. It turned out that it has a classic [Cu3N6] unit. The luminescence properties of 1 and 2 were investigated and the results show that both complexes have high photoluminescence quantum yields of 62 % and 84 % and long lifetimes of 21.7 μs and 30.5 μs, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the transfer characteristics of PM2.5 in a car cabin, several experiments were performed featuring real-time online monitoring of the concentration of PM2.5 and CO 2 in the cabin under different ventilation modes (circulation with outdoor air and recirculation without outdoor air), at a minimum of mechanical ventilation and matching experimental route conditions. We analyzed the PM2.5 concentration distribution characteristics and the ratio of inside-to-outside PM2.5 concentration (I/O). The ventilation rate was determined by the CO 2 concentration change during the experiments, and it was used to analyze the transfer characteristics of PM2.5. The results showed that under the “circulation with outdoor air” condition, the average I/O was 0.6, while it was 0.25 under the “recirculation” condition. I/O value decreased with acceleration of driving speed. It could be concluded that the ventilation mode has a significant impact on the concentration of PM2.5 in the cabin, and plays a decisive role in PM2.5 levels. The quantitative evaluation of PM2.5 transfer characteristics under the “circulation with outdoor air” condition showed that the contributions of ventilation, penetration, and deposition to the cabin PM2.5 concentration accounted for 69.3%, 22.8%, and 7.9%, respectively; while under the “recirculation” condition, penetration accounted for 72.0% and deposition accounted for 28.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the association between the polymorphism rs 10491334 involved in blood pressure regulation and human longevity in a Chinese population. Topics discussed include the genotyping of the single-nucleotide polymorphism, genotype and allele frequencies of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase 4 (CAMK4) gene in the long-lived individuals and control, and finding on the lack of positive association between rs10491334 in the CAMK4 gene and longevity.

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) has recently been demonstrated to play an important role in the regulation of longevity in mammals. We therefore aimed to determine whether common variations in the SIRT6 gene are associated with human longevity. Five tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the SIRT6 gene and its 5 kb up-/downstream region, including rs350852, rs350844, rs352493, rs4807546 and rs3760905, have been successfully determined in 616 unrelated Chinese long-lived individuals (LLIs) (mean age: 102.4 ± 2.3 years) and 846 younger controls (mean age: 48.9 ± 10.6 years) from Hainan Island, China. The allele and genotype frequencies of the five SNPs showed no statistically significant difference between the LLIs and controls (all P > 0.05). The five SNPs were in strong linkage disequilibrium and defined seven common haplotypes. Likewise, no association between these haplotypes and longevity was observed (all P > 0.05). The present study reveals that common genetic variations in the SIRT6 gene are not associated with human longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In skeletal muscle, muscle fiber types are defined by four adult myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms. Four and a half LIM domain protein 3 (FHL3) regulates myoblasts differentiation and gene expression by acting as a transcriptional co-activator or co-repressor. However, how FHL3 regulates MyHC expression is currently not clear. In this study, we found that FHL3 down-regulated the expression of MyHC 1 / slow and up-regulated the expression of MyHC 2a and MyHC 2b , whereas no significant effect was found on MyHC 2x expression. MyoD and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) played important roles in the regulation of MyHC 1 / slow and MyHC 2a expression by FHL3, respectively. FHL3 could interact with MyoD, CREB and pCREB in vivo . pCREB had stronger interaction with the cyclic AMP-responsive elements (CRE) of the MyHC 2a promoter compared with CREB, and FHL3 significantly affected the binding capacity of pCREB to CRE. We established a model in which FHL3 promotes the expression of MyHC 2a through CREB-mediated transcription and inhibits the expression of MyHC 1 / slow by inhibiting MyoD transcription activity during myogenesis. Our data support the notion that FHL3 plays important roles in the regulation of muscle fiber type composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) is a key regulator of lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we identified two Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs, g.1015 A>G and g.1018 T>C) constituting four haplotypes (GT, GC, AC and AT) in the 5’ regulatory region of porcine PPARD gene. Functional analysis of the four haplotypes showed that the transcriptional activity of the PPARD promoter fragment carrying haplotype AC was significantly lower than that of the other haplotypes in 3T3-L1, C2C12 and PK-15 cells, and haplotype AC had the lowest binding capacities to the nuclear extracts. Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) enhanced the transcription activities of promoter fragments of PPARD gene carrying haplotypes GT, GC and AT in C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells, and increased the protein expression of PPARD gene in C2C12 myoblasts. TCF7L2 differentially bound to the four haplotypes, and the binding capacity of TCF7L2 to haplotype AC was the lowest. There were significant associations between -655A/G and fat deposition traits in three pig populations including the Large White × Meishan F2 pigs, France and American Large White pigs. Pigs with genotype GG had significantly higher expression of PPARD at both mRNA and protein level than those with genotype AG. These results strongly suggested that the SNPs in 5’ regulatory region of PPARD genes had significant impact on pig fat deposition traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromosome painting based on fluorescence in situ hybridization ( FISH) has played an important role in chromosome identification and research into chromosome rearrangements, diagnosis of chromosome abnormalities and evolution in human and animal species. However, it has not been applied widely in plants due to the large amounts of dispersed repetitive sequences in chromosomes. In the present work, a chromosome painting method for single-copy gene pools in Cucumis sativus was successfully developed. Gene probes with sizes above 2 kb were detected consistently. A cucumber karyotype was constructed based on FISH using a cocktail containing chromosome-specific gene probes. This single-copy gene-based chromosome painting (Scg CP) technique was performed by PCR amplification, purification, pooling, labeling and hybridization onto chromosome spreads. Gene pools containing sequential genes with an interval less than 300 kb yielded painting patterns on pachytene chromosomes. Seven gene pools corresponding to individual chromosomes unambiguously painted each chromosome pair of C. sativus. Three mis-aligned regions on chromosome 4 were identified by the painting patterns. A probe pool comprising 133 genes covering the 8 Mb distal end of chromosome 4 was used to evaluate the potential utility of the Scg CP technique for chromosome rearrangement research through cross-species FISH in the Cucumis genus. Distinct painting patterns of this region were observed in C. sativus, C. melo and C. metuliferus species. A comparative chromosome map of this region was constructed between cucumber and melon. With increasing sequence resources, this Scg CP technique may be applied on any other sequenced species for chromosome painting research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Silver icker-like architectures were grown via a modified replacement reaction. [•] The products occupied long trunks and short branches rather than dendrites. [•] Magnetic field effects were extremely crucial to silver crystal growth. [•] Silver crystals were grown by a multistep particle-mediated growth process. [•] A proposed formation mechanism reasonably explained the unusual growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-scale investigation was conducted on the cadmium (Cd) content in the farmland soils of Guizhou to explore the spatial variation in soil Cd content, identify the main factors responsible for causing Cd pollution, and determine the zonation of Cd pollution. Multivariate statistical analysis, geographic information system (GIS) analysis, and decision tree methods were used to study the distribution, spatial variation, and pollution partitioning of Cd and the factors influencing the Cd accumulation in agricultural soils of the Guizhou province. Areas with high Cd content in agricultural soil were found to be concentrated in the high-altitude areas in the western region of Guizhou province. The results of the single factor pollution index showed that the proportion of sample sites with Cd class I (priority protection), II (security utilization), and III (strict control) in the agricultural soils of Guizhou province were 65.96%, 31.27%, and 2.77%, respectively. In high-altitude areas, the Cd content in the agricultural soils was mainly derived from the soil parent material. In contrast, mining activities and road traffic were the main factors Cd accumulation in agricultural soils in lower altitude areas. [Display omitted] • A provincial-scale field survey of Cd content in agricultural soils of Guizhou province was reported for the first time. • Cd content of agricultural soil decreased from northwest to southeast in Guizhou. • Multivariate statistical analysis, GIS analysis, and decision tree models were combined with field studies. • Cd contamination of agricultural soils of Guizhou deserves special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-scale investigation was conducted on the cadmium (Cd) content in the farmland soils of Guizhou to explore the spatial variation in soil Cd content, identify the main factors responsible for causing Cd pollution, and determine the zonation of Cd pollution. Multivariate statistical analysis, geographic information system (GIS) analysis, and decision tree methods were used to study the distribution, spatial variation, and pollution partitioning of Cd and the factors influencing the Cd accumulation in agricultural soils of the Guizhou province. Areas with high Cd content in agricultural soil were found to be concentrated in the high-altitude areas in the western region of Guizhou province. The results of the single factor pollution index showed that the proportion of sample sites with Cd class I (priority protection), II (security utilization), and III (strict control) in the agricultural soils of Guizhou province were 65.96%, 31.27%, and 2.77%, respectively. In high-altitude areas, the Cd content in the agricultural soils was mainly derived from the soil parent material. In contrast, mining activities and road traffic were the main factors Cd accumulation in agricultural soils in lower altitude areas. [Display omitted] • A provincial-scale field survey of Cd content in agricultural soils of Guizhou province was reported for the first time. • Cd content of agricultural soil decreased from northwest to southeast in Guizhou. • Multivariate statistical analysis, GIS analysis, and decision tree models were combined with field studies. • Cd contamination of agricultural soils of Guizhou deserves special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We are presenting a new method for sequence-specific and naked-eye detection of nucleic acids (NAs) through isothermal amplification and magnetic particle mediated aggregation. A padlock probe was designed to hybridize to specific sequence on target genes followed by ligation and rolling circle amplification (RCA). Magnetic particles (MPs) were then added into RCA products solution. MPs would physically combine with long linear DNA coils (such as products of RCA reaction) and form visible intertwined aggregates, while no aggregate was observed in the absence of high molecular weight NAs (>1kb). As little as 0.62amol (124fM) of target DNA molecules was detected by the naked eye. It was further applied to detect human papillomavirus type 18 gene in genomic DNA isolated from HeLa cells. This assay is sensitive and low-cost with minimal instrumentation, revealing great potential for molecular diagnostics in developing countries and regions with limited settings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Size and shape, in particular of the external surfaces, are very important factors in determining the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanostructures. Here, we demonstrate that the sea-urchin-like rutile superstructure with ultrathin nanorods and exposed {110} faces is an excellent photocatalyst in the removal of CrVI ions from plating wastewater. The superstructure consists of ultrathin rutile nanorods with a specific surface area of 224.4 m2 g-1; the nanorods have a diameter of several nanometers, and the exposed faces are predominantly {110} faces. This special morphology exhibits a structure-enhanced catalytic activity because it facilitates the transport of photoelectrons to the rutile nanorod {110} faces and prevents them recombining with holes. The rutile superstructure proved excellent at removing chromium from plating wastewater by photocatalytic reduction of CrVI to CrIII in sunlight, and at adsorption of the CrIII ions. The removal effectiveness is nearly 100 % at initial Cr concentrations below 53.7 ppm, and the removal capacity can reach about 1000 mg g-1 under irradiation by sunlight for 3 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new method is proposed for sources number detection in array signal processing. This method is based on the orthogonality of signal subspace and noise subspace. At first obtain a set of bootstrap snapshots from original snapshots. Then estimate the direction of an arbitrary incident source, make eigen-decomposition of the covariance matrix and compute the weighted inner product vector. Subsequently repeat the above procedures many times to get weighted inner product vectors and calculate the average of them. Finally employ a clustering algorithm to determine the number of sources. The simulation results show the superiority of the proposed method at small number of snapshots and/or low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Our previous studies have showed that ginsenoside (GS)-Rd, a mono-compound isolated from traditional Chinese herb panax ginseng, has the neuroprotective effects following ischemic stroke. However, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. Our latest study showed that GS-Rd could block calcium influx in cultured cortical neurons after excitotoxic injury, indicating that GS-Rd may act on cation channels. To explore this possibility, in this study, we used a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model to examine the effects of GS-Rd on the expression of non-selective cation channels, including transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) and acid sensing ion channels (ASIC), and cation channels, including N-methyl- d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which all play essential roles in ischemic stroke. Our results showed that both TRPM and ASIC channels were expressed in the brain. At 24 h following MCAO insult, mRNA and protein expression levels of TRPM7, ASIC1a and ASIC2a were significantly increased. Pretreatment of 10 mg/kg GS-Rd attenuated MCAO-induced expression of TRPM7 and ASIC1a but promoted that of ASIC2a. In contrast, GS-Rd had no significant effects on the expression of NMDA receptors. Thus, our results suggest that GS-Rd neuroprotection following cerebral ischemia may be at least due to its effects on the expression of TRPM7, ASIC1a and ASIC2a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sb2Se3 hollow nanospheres have been prepared by a solvothermal treatment of SbCl3 and selenium powder in the presence of CTAB. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates that the product was orthorhombic Sb2Se3. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the nanospheres are polycrystalline with size ranging from 20 to 200 nm in diameter depending on the reaction temperature. The absorption band appeared at about 620–780 nm in the UV-VIS spectra. A possible mechanism for the formation of the nanostructures is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes a simple surfactant-assisted solvothermal approach to the large-scale synthesis of one-dimensional Sb2O3 nanorods, needle-like fibres, nanobelts and nanotubes. The shape of Sb2O3 nanomaterials can be controlled by the concentration of the reactants and CTAB. The growth mechanism and the factors that affect the shapes of 1D Sb2O3 nanomaterials are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study identified novel renal tubular biomarkers that may influence the diagnosis and treatment of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) based on immune infiltration. Three FSGS microarray datasets, GSE108112, GSE133288 and GSE121211, were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The R statistical software limma package and the combat function of the sva package were applied for preprocessing and to remove the batch effects. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between 120 FSGS and 15 control samples were identified with the limma package. Disease Ontology (DO) pathway enrichment analysis was conducted with statistical R software to search for related diseases. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to interpret the gene expression data and it revealed many common biological pathways. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database, and hub genes were identified by the Cytoscape (version 3.7.2) plug-in CytoHubba. The plug-in Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) was used to screen hub modules of the PPI network in Cytoscape, while functional analysis of the hub genes and hub nodes involved in the submodule was performed by ClusterProfiler. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) analysis were used to screen characteristic genes and build a logistic regression model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to investigate the logistic regression model and it was then validated by an external dataset GSE125779, which contained 8 FSGS samples and 8 healthy subjects. Cell-type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts (CIBERSORT) was used to calculate the immune infiltration of FSGS samples. We acquired 179 DEGs, 79 genes with downregulated expression (44.1%) and 100 genes with upregulated expression (55.9%), in the FSGS samples. The DEGs were significantly associated with arteriosclerosis, kidney disease and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. GSEA revealed that these gene sets were significantly enriched in allograft rejection signaling pathways and activation of immune response in biological processes. Fifteen genes were demonstrated to be hub genes by PPI, and three submodules were screened by MCODE linked with FSGS. Analysis by machine learning methodologies identified nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 1 (NR4A1) and dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) as sensitive tubular renal biomarkers in the diagnosis of FSGS, and they were selected as hub genes, as well as hub nodes which were enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed that the genetic biomarkers were both correlated with activated mast cells, which may amplify FSGS biological processes. DUSP1 and NR4A1 were identified as sensitive potential biomarkers in the diagnosis of FSGS. Activated mast cells have a decisive effect on the occurrence and development of FSGS through tubular lesions and tubulointerstitial inflammation, and they are expected to become therapeutic targets in FSGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Renal anemia is an important complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In addition to insufficient secretion of erythropoietin (EPO) and erythropoiesis disorders, the impact of eryptosis on renal anemia demands attention. However, a systemic analysis concerning the pathophysiology of eryptosis has not been expounded. Summary: The complicated conditions in CKD patients, including oxidative stress, osmotic stress, metabolic stress, accumulation of uremic toxins, and iron deficiency, affect the normal skeleton structure of red blood cells (RBCs) and disturbs ionic homeostasis, causing phosphatidylserine to translocate to the outer lobules of the RBC membrane that leads to early elimination and/or shortening of the RBC lifespan. Inadequate synthesis of RBCs cannot compensate for their accelerated destruction, thus exacerbating renal anemia. Meanwhile, EPO treatment alone will not reverse renal anemia. A variety of eryptosis inhibitors have so far been found, but evidence of their effectiveness in the treatment of CKD remains to be established. Key Messages: In this review, the pathophysiological processes and factors influencing eryptosis in CKD were elucidated. The aim of this review was to underline the importance of eryptosis in renal anemia and determine some promising research directions or possible therapeutic targets to correct anemia in CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urea synthesis under mild conditions starting from the electrocatalytic coupling of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrate represents a promising alternative experimentally to conquer the huge energy consumption in the industrial Haber–Bosch process. Herein, an electrocatalyst consisting of CuRu alloy nanoparticles on carbonized cellulose (CuRu-CBC) is designed and realizes the urea yield rate of 394.85 ± 16.19 μg h−1 mgcat−1 and an ultrahigh faradaic efficiency (FE) of 68.94 ± 3.05% at −0.55 V (vs. RHE) under ambient conditions. Further XAS analyses indicated that the favored internal electron transfer between Cu and Ru dual active sites significantly improved the C–N coupling activity. Various characterizations, including in situ ATR-SEIRAS and DEMS analysis highlighted the favorable generation of key intermediates *CO and *NH, making CuRu-CBC a promising catalyst for urea synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction (eNRR) has been deemed as an alternative approach to the Haber‐Bosch (H‐B) process for ammonia (NH3) production, but it remains a huge challenge. Here jet plasma oxidation of N2 is reported in air into NOx and subsequently NO2− coupling with electrochemical NO2− reduction reaction (pN2─eNO2−RR) over PdNi alloying nanoparticles on N‐doped carbon nanotubes (PdNi/N‐CNTs) for NH3 synthesis. The results demonstrate that the jet plasma reactor possesses excellent gas reforming capacity to achieve the largest NO2− yield rate of 30.46 mmol h−1 with a low energy consumption of 2.66 kWh molN−1. For subsequent eNO2−RR, PdNi/N‐CNTs can afford an NH3 yield of 34.96 mg h−1 mgcat.−1 and a faradaic efficiency (FE) of 98.21% at −0.38 and 0.02 V (vs RHE), respectively. In situ spectroscopic characterizations combined with theoretical calculations unveil that PdNi/N‐CNTs provide Pd and Ni dual active sites, enabling NO2− activation on the Ni site and active H* provision on the Pd site to facilitate eNO2−RR. A cascade pN2‐eNO2−RR system is constructed for sustainable NH3 production, achieving a stable NH3 yield rate of 25.56 mmol h−1, an average FE >85%, as well as NOx to NH3 conversion efficiency of 44.62% at constant ampere‐level current with finally collection of gram‐level (NH4) 2SO4 product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]