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This work provides a theoretical investigation into the strong coupling between a single quantum emitter (QE) and the surface plasmons of sodium metals in two representative plasmonic systems, i.e., the semi-infinite metal-dielectric interface and the metal nanoparticles (NPs) of monomer/dimer configuration. In both configurations, sodium metals exhibit distinctly stronger coupling strength and lower optical loss in the optical region than their noble metal counterparts, demonstrating the ideal candidate characteristics for single-molecule-level strong couplings with distinctly facile operation conditions. Our results provide new insights into extreme light-matter interactions with potential applications in quantum information, optical sensors, quantum chemistry, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report an atomistic understanding of the hydrogenation behavior of a highly twinned ZnSe nanorod (T-ZnSe) with a large density of surface atomic steps and the activation of N2 molecules adsorbed on its surface. Theoretical calculations suggest that the atomic steps are essential for the hydrogenation of T-ZnSe, which greatly enhances its catalytic activity. As a result, the T-ZnSe nanorods exhibit a significantly enhanced NH3 production rate of 13.3 μg h−1 mg−1 and faradaic efficiency of 5.83% towards the NRR compared with the pristine ZnSe nanorods. This report offers an important pathway for the development of efficient catalysts for the NRR, and a versatile anion-exchange strategy for efficiently manipulating materials' functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hypoxic microenvironment on PTEN-L secretion and the effects of PTEN-L on the metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the potential mechanisms. Methods. The expression levels of PTEN-L in NSCLC tissues, cells, and cell culture media were detected. The transfection of PTEN-L overexpression construct or HIF-1α-siRNAs was conducted to manipulate the expression of PTEN-L or HIF-1α. NSCLC cells were introduced into 200 μM CoCl2 medium for 72 hours under 37°C to simulate hypoxia. The proliferation and apoptosis of the A549 cells were determined by the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and Annexin V-FITC/PI-stained flow cytometry assay, respectively. Wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay were used to measure the migration and invasion of A549 cells. The protein expression of PTEN, PTEN-L, PI3K/AKT pathway-related proteins, and HIF-1α was detected by Western blot. Results. PTEN and PTEN-L are downregulated in lung cancer tissues and cells. The protein expression of PTEN-L in the culture medium of lung cancer cell lines is decreased. The hypoxic microenvironment inhibits PTEN-L secretion. The low level of PTEN-L promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as inhibits apoptosis of A549 cells. The overexpression of PTEN-L attenuated the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway by the hypoxic microenvironment. The knockdown of HIF-1α upregulates PTEN-L secretion under hypoxia. Conclusions. The hypoxic microenvironment inhibits PTEN-L secretion and thus activates PI3K/AKT pathway to induce proliferation, migration, and invasion promotion, and apoptosis inhibition in NSCLC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) activation is crucial for the establishment of a tumour promoting microenvironment, but our understanding of CAFs activation is still limited. In this study, we found that hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) was highly expressed in CAFs of human lung cancer tissues and mouse spontaneous lung tumour. Accordingly, enhancing the expression of HIF‐1α in fibroblasts via hypoxia induced the conversion of normal fibroblasts into CAFs. HIF‐1α‐specific inhibitor or HIF‐1α knockout (KO) significantly attenuated CAFs activation, which was manifested by the decreased expression of COL1A2 and α‐SMA. In vivo, during tumour formation, the expression of Ki‐67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the tumour tissue with HIF‐1α KO fibroblasts was significantly lower than that of normal fibroblasts. Moreover, HIF‐1α in fibroblasts could activate the NF‐κB signalling pathway and enhance a subsequent secretion of CCL5, thus promoting the tumour growth. In conclusion, our results suggest that HIF‐1α is essential for the activation and tumour‐promotion function of CAFs in lung cancer (LC). And targeting HIF‐1α expression on CAFs may be a promising strategy for LC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol drinking has been established as a major risk factor for esophageal diseases. Our previous study showed that ethanol exposure inhibited PAX9 expression in human esophageal squamous epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular pathways through which alcohol drinking suppresses PAX9 in esophageal squamous epithelial cells. We first demonstrated the inhibition of NOTCH by ethanol exposure in vitro. NOTCH regulated PAX9 expression in KYSE510 and KYSE410 cells in vitro and in vivo. RBPJ and NOTCH intracellular domain (NIC) D1 ChIP‐PCR confirmed Pax9 as a direct downstream target of NOTCH signaling in mouse esophagus. NOTCH inhibition by alcohol drinking was further validated in mouse esophagus and human tissue samples. In conclusion, ethanol exposure inhibited NOTCH signaling and thus suppressed PAX9 expression in esophageal squamous epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. Our data support a novel mechanism of alcohol‐induced esophageal injury through the inhibition of NOTCH–PAX9 signaling. © 2020 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One kind of ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, is used to investigate the interaction between electrospray and corona discharge under positive and negative polarity. A high-speed camera, a digital camera, and an oscilloscope are applied to observe the shape of the meniscus and the jet, photograph the discharge plume, and observe the current waveform of discharge, respectively. The electrospray and discharge modes are studied under different flow rates and voltage conditions, and the experimental results show that there is only corona discharge with no jet at a low flow rate, while the intermittent jet or droplet emission is accompanied by corona discharge at a high flow rate, and no steady cone jet mode is obtained under all experimental conditions. The inevitability of corona discharge in the electrospray process of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate is analyzed from the viewpoint of electric field. Pulse discharge at low voltage depends on the oscillation of the meniscus. The frequency of pulse discharge can be changed indirectly by changing the voltage to control the oscillation of the meniscus. The influence of corona discharge and resultant space charge is not only on the electric field strength, but also on the shape, which is the reason why the liquid surface morphology is significantly different under positive and negative polarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is the most destructive bacterial disease of rice. The cloned rice gene Xa21 confers resistance to a broad spectrum of Xoo races. To identify genes involved in Xa21‐mediated immunity, a whole‐genome oligonucleotide microarray of rice was used to profile the expression of rice genes between incompatible interactions and mock treatments at 0, 4, 8, 24, 72 and 120 h post inoculation (hpi) or between incompatible and compatible interactions at 4 hpi, respectively. A total of 441 differentially expressed genes, designated as XDGs (Xa21 mediated differentially expressed genes), were identified. Based on their functional annotations, the XDGs were assigned to 14 categories, including defense‐related, signaling, transcriptional regulators. Most of the defense‐related genes belonged to the pathogenesis‐related gene family, which was induced dramatically at 72 and 120 hpi. Interestingly, most signaling and transcriptional regulator genes were downregulated at 4 and 8 hpi, suggesting that negative regulation of cellular signaling may play a role in the Xa21‐mediated defense response. Comparison of expression profiles between Xa21‐ and other R gene‐mediated defense systems revealed interesting common responses. Representative XDGs with supporting evidences were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using a whole-genome oligonucleotide microarray, designed based on known and predicted indica rice genes, we investigated transcriptome profiles in developing leavesand panicles of superhybrid rice LYP9 and its parental cultivars 93-11 and PA64s. We detected 22,266 expressed genes out of 36,926 total genes set collectively from 7 tissues, including leaves at seedling and tillering stages, flag leaves at booting, heading, flowering, and filling stages, and panicles at filling stage. Clustering results showed that the Fl hybrid's expression profiles resembled those of its parental lines more than that which lies between the 2 parental lines. Out of the total gene set, 7,078 genes are shared by all sampled tissues and 3,926 genes (10.6% of the total gene set) are differentially expressed genes (DG). As we divided DG into those between the parents (DGpp) and between the hybrid and its parents (DGHP), the comparative results showed that genes in the categories of energy metabolism and transport are enriched in DGHP rather than in DGpp. In addition, we correlated the concurrence of DG and yield-related quantitative trait loci, providing a potential group of heterosis-related genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]