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Based on the PSR model, Fuzzy Comprehensive Appraisal (FCA) and analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were used to evaluate the health of the system and establish HEL evaluation model. The evaluation model was used to compare and quantitatively analyze the ecosystem health before and after the establishment of Saihanba forest farm.

Low temperatures significantly affect the growth and yield of peanuts. Temperatures lower than 12 °C are generally detrimental for the germination of peanuts. To date, there has been no report on precise information on the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for cold tolerance during the germination in peanuts. In this study, we developed a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population comprising 807 RILs by tolerant and sensitive parents. Phenotypic frequencies of germination rate low-temperature conditions among RIL population showed normally distributed in five environments. Then, we constructed a high density SNP-based genetic linkage map through whole genome re-sequencing (WGRS) technique and identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL), qRGRB09, on chromosome B09. The cold tolerance-related QTLs were repeatedly detected in all five environments, and the genetic distance was 6.01 cM (46.74 cM - 61.75 cM) after taking a union set. To further confirm that qRGRB09 was located on chromosome B09, we developed Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers for the corresponding QTL regions. A regional QTL mapping analysis, which was conducted after taking the intersection of QTL intervals of all environments into account, confirmed that qRGRB09 was between the KASP markers, G22096 and G220967 (chrB09:155637831–155854093), and this region was 216.26 kb in size, wherein a total of 15 annotated genes were detected. This study illustrates the relevance of WGRS-based genetic maps for QTL mapping and KASP genotyping that facilitated QTL fine mapping of peanuts. The results of our study also provided useful information on the genetic architecture underlying cold tolerance during germination in peanuts, which in turn may be useful for those engaged in molecular studies as well as crop improvement in the cold-stressed environment.

The development of biological sample-compatible fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with more functions and/or improved performance is of great importance for various bioanalytical and biomedical applications, but remains challenging. Herein, we report on a versatile strategy for preparing well-defined hydrophilic gold (Au) nanoparticle (AuNP)-containing fluorescent MIP microspheres capable of directly optosensing folic acid (FA) in undiluted urine samples and study of the effect of the incorporated AuNPs on their optosensing sensitivity. Such advanced functional fluorescent MIP particles were readily prepared by combining RAFT polymerization (including RAFT precipitation polymerization and surface-initiated RAFT polymerization) and Au-thiol chemistry [including successive attachment of AuNPs and a thiol-terminated poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) onto MIP particles after aminolysis of their surface dithioester into thiol groups]. They showed "turn-on" fluorescence and high optosensing selectivity and sensitivity toward FA in the undiluted urine sample (detection limit = 0.088 μM). They also exhibited outstanding photostability and reusability and could directly quantify FA in another undiluted urine sample with good recoveries (96.3-101.6%) and high accuracy (RSD = 0.6-3.1%), even in the presence of several interferents. Unfortunately, the incorporated AuNPs did not improve the optosensing sensitivity of AuNP-containing fluorescent MIPs. Nevertheless, introducing AuNPs onto the surfaces of fluorescent MIPs not only provides an effective new way for grafting with hydrophilic polymer brushes, but it also can endow them with certain new functions [

The development of physically cross-linked photodeformable main-chain azobenzene poly(ester-amide)s with enhanced performances via chemical structure engineering and obtention of their detailed structure–property relationship are first described.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) combined with hemoperfusion for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) complicated with acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: Medical records of 73 patients with MM complicated with AKI admitted to the First People’s Hospital of Huzhou from January 2019 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the treatment records, 35 patients received simple chemotherapy (control group), and 38 patients received CVVH combined with HP on the basis of chemotherapy (observation group). We compared the clinical efficacies, renal function indexes, and the serum globulin and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) values between the two groups. Results: After the treatment, the total efficacy of the observation group was significantly higher (81.58%) than that in the control group (57.14%; p

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is one of the most common types of epilepsy, yet approximately one-third of patients are refractory to current anticonvulsive drugs, which target neurons and synapses. Astrocytic and microglial dysfunction is commonly found in epileptic foci and has been shown to contribute to neuroinflammation and hyperexcitability in chronic epilepsy. Accumulating evidence points to a key role for glial hemichannels in epilepsy, but inhibiting both connexin (Cx) gap junctions and hemichannels can lead to undesirable side effects because the former coordinate physiological functions of cell assemblies. It would be a great benefit to use an orally available small molecule to block hemichannels to alleviate epileptic symptoms. Here, we explored the effect of D4, a newly developed compound that inhibits the Cx hemichannels but not Cx gap junctions using the pilocarpine mouse model of TLE. In vitro application of D4 caused a near-complete reduction in the pilocarpine-induced cell membrane permeability associated with increased Cx hemichannel activity. Moreover, preadministration of D4 in vivo effectively reduced neuroinflammation and altered synaptic inhibition, which then enhanced the animal survival rate. Posttreatment with a single dose of D4 in vivo has prolonged effects on suppressing the activation of astrocytes and microglia and rescued the changes in neuroinflammatory and synaptic gene expression induced by pilocarpine. Collectively, these results indicate that targeting Cx hemichannels by D4 is an effective and promising strategy for treating epilepsy in which neuroinflammation plays a critical role.

It is well known that the state of hunger can modulate hormones and hypothalamic neural circuits to drive food-seeking behavior and consumption. However, the role the sensory cortex plays in regulating foraging is much less explored. Here, we investigated whether acute fasting in mice can alter an odor-guided foraging behavior and how it can alter neurons and synapses in the (olfactory) piriform cortex (PC). Acute hunger enhances the motivation of a mouse to search for food pellets and increases food intake. The foraging behavior strongly activates the PC, as revealed by c-Fos immunostaining. The activation of PC is accompanied by an increase in excitation–inhibition ratio of synaptic density. Fasting also enhances the phosphorylation of AMP kinase, a biochemical energy regulator. Taken together, our results uncover a new regulatory brain region and implicate the PC in controlling foraging behavior.

A smartphone colorimetric sensor based on the Pt@Au nanozyme was successfully developed for the visual and quantitative detection of omethoate in fruit and vegetables. The anti-omethoate antibody was conjugated on the surface of the Pt@Au nanozyme as a catalytic functional signal probe, and coating antigen conjugated on the surface of magnetic polystyrene microspheres (MPMs) was used as a separation capture probe. In the sensing system, when the catalytic functional signal probe was combined with a separation capture probe containing no omethoate, the visible blue color appeared with the addition of tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) chromogenic solution, and the maximum B value of the sensing system was obtained via the smartphone. With increasing concentrations of omethoate, the visualization of the sensing system decreased, and the B-value obtained via the smartphone dropped. Under optimal detection conditions, the omethoate could be detected in a linear range of 0.5–50 μg/L (R2 = 0.9965), with a detection limit of 0.01 μg/L. The accuracy and reliability of the detection results of this colorimetric sensor were successfully confirmed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gas chromatography. This colorimetric sensor provides a technical reference and potential strategy for the immunoassay of hazard factors in resource-scarce laboratories.

The efficient preparation of ratiometric fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres that can directly and selectively optosense a herbicide (i.e., 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4-D) in undiluted pure milk is described. The dual fluorescent MIP microparticles were readily obtained through grafting a green 4-nitrobenzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole (NBD)-labeled 2,4-D-MIP layer with hydrophilic polymer brushes onto the preformed uniform "living" red CdTe quantum dot (QD)-labeled SiO

Cold stress is a major environmental factor that affects plant growth and development, as well as fruit postharvest life and quality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding small RNAs that play crucial roles in various abiotic stresses. Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.), one of the most important grain legumes and source of edible oils and proteins, are cultivated in the semi-arid tropical and subtropical regions of the world. To date, there has been no report on the role of miRNAs in the response to cold stress in cultivated peanuts. In this study, we profiled cold-responsive miRNAs in peanuts using deep sequencing in cold-sensitive (WQL20) alongside a tolerant variety (WQL30). A total of 407 known miRNAs and 143 novel peanut-specific miRNAs were identified. The expression of selected known and novel miRNAs was validated by northern blotting and six known cold-responsive miRNAs were revealed. Degradome sequencing identified six cold-responsive miRNAs that regulate 12 target genes. The correlative expression patterns of several miRNAs and their target genes were further validated using qRT-PCR. Our data showed that miR160-ARF, miR482-WDRL, miR2118-DR, miR396-GRF, miR162-DCL, miR1511-SRF, and miR1511-SPIRAL1 modules may mediate cold stress responses. Transient expression analysis in Nicotiana benthamiana found that miR160, miR482, and miR2118 may play positive roles, and miR396, miR162, and miR1511 play negative roles in the regulation of peanut cold tolerance. Our results provide a foundation for understanding miRNA-dependent cold stress response in peanuts. The characterized correlations between miRNAs and their response to cold stress could serve as markers in breeding programs or tools for improving cold tolerance of peanuts.

Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted significant interest as one of the most emerging photoluminescence (PL) nanomaterials. However, the realization of CDs with dominant near-infrared (NIR) absorption/emission peaks in aqueous solution remains a great challenge. Herein, CDs with both main NIR absorption bands at 720 nm and NIR emission bands at 745 nm in an aqueous solution are fabricated for the first time by fusing large conjugated perylene derivatives under solvothermal treatment. With post-surface engineering, the polyethyleneimine modified CDs (PEI-CDs) exhibit enhanced PL quantum yields (PLQY) up to 8.3% and 18.8% in bovine serum albumin aqueous and DMF solutions, which is the highest PLQY of CDs in NIR region under NIR excitation. Density functional theory calculations support the strategy of fusing large conjugated perylene derivatives to achieve NIR emissions from CDs. Compared to the commercial NIR dye Indocyanine green, PEI-CDs exhibit excellent photostability and much lower cost. Furthermore, the obtained PEI-CDs illustrate the advantages of remarkable two-photon NIR angiography and in vivo NIR fluorescence bioimaging. This work demonstrates a promising strategy of fusing large conjugated molecules for preparing CDs with strong NIR absorption/emission to promote their bioimaging applications.

Oil, lubricating and cooling the sliding parts of the compressorcomponents exposed to friction, could prevent refrigerant gas leakage in compressor chamber of vapor compression air conditioning system. For air condition heat pump system in electric vehicles, no oil circulating routes and oil separator are used to drive oil from system to compressor, making oil retainedmore difficult to control. Oil accumulated in heat exchanger and expansion valve would enhance pressure drops and reduce heat transfer capacity, leading to decrease of entire heating performance in cold climate. In this paper, a newly designed air conditioning heat pump system with R134a and PAG46 oil is introduced firstly, and oil circulation experiments were conducted on a full-scale electric vehicle. Typical heat transfer characteristics and system performance parameter were recorded and analyzed subsequently under different compressor oil charge conditions, including excessive charge and insufficient charge. Oil circulation rates in system were also measured and exhibited an increasing trend with compressor oil charge mass. Furthermore, heating performances of the system under different oil circulation rate were compared by various heating capacity and pressure drops. Results showed that both excessive and insufficient charge might decrease heating performance, i.e., determination of suitable oil charge is quite important for air condition heat pump system.

Reversible data hiding of encrypted images (RDHEI) is a technology where after the original image is encrypted with a key, secret data can be embedded in the encrypted image without knowing the information of the original image. In recent years, RDHEI has attracted much attention due to its security and effectiveness, and many RDHEI methods have been proposed. However, the capacity of embedded data is still not high enough. In this paper, a high-capacity RDHEI algorithm based on block-wise multi-predictor, and improved Huffman coding is proposed. First, the original image is divided into non-overlapping blocks. To better exploit the spatial correlation of the original image, 16 prediction models are used to predict the current pixel value from the neighboring pixels. All the pixels in one block use the same prediction model. The improved Huffman encoding is used to compress the prediction error image and the optimal prediction model determined by the sum of the absolute prediction errors, which makes more room for data embedding. The experimental results show that our method is superior to some of the latest algorithms in terms of achieving a higher embedding capacity.

The development of reprocessable and healable room temperature photoactuators from a main-chain azobenzene (azo) liquid crystalline poly(ester-urea) (PEU) is described for the first time. The azo PEU was prepared via Michael addition polymerization of an ester and urea unit-containing azo monomer with both acrylate and methacrylate end-groups and 1,2-ethanedithiol. It showed high thermal stability, low glass transition temperature, a broad range of a smectic liquid crystalline phase, reversible photoresponsivity, and dynamic hydrogen bonding interactions among urea groups. Its well-oriented fibers and films were prepared via the melt spinning method and special melt pressing approach, respectively, whose azo mesogenic alignment was along the fiber axes and homeotropic to the film surfaces, respectively. The fibers showed highly reversible UV light-induced bending (toward the light source) and visible light-induced unbending, whereas the films exhibited rapid and reversible bending (away from the light source) under UV irradiation alone together with the spontaneous quick unbending upon turning off the UV light (both at room temperature). The reasons for the special photomobile behaviors of the azo PEU films and the decisive role of the urea unit-induced physical crosslinking in their photomobility were disclosed. The successful fabrication of a remotely controlled electric circuit by using a photodeformable azo PEU film (with attached filter paper slips soaked with aqueous NaCl solution) as a photoswitch as well as the high reprocessability and healability of the azo PEU actuators was also demonstrated. Such a multifunctional main-chain azo PEU with good film-forming ability, room temperature photomobility, high reprocessability and healability holds much promise in various photoactuating applications.

A new and simple strategy towards electric-field-driven multiple chirality switching device has been designed and fabricated by combining a newly synthesized base-responsive chiroptical polymer switch (R-FLMA) and p-benzoquinone (p-BQ) via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism. Clear and stable triple chirality states (silence, positive, negative) of this device in visible band can be regulated reversibly (>1000 cycles) by adjusting voltage programs. Furthermore, such chiral switching phenomena are also accompanied by apparent changes of color and fluorescence. More importantly, the potential application of this device for a spatial light modulator has also been demonstrated.

Efficient red emissive carbon dots (CDs) in aqueous solutions are very scarce for high performance bioimaging applications. In this work, we report a one-step solvothermal treatment to synthesize pure red emissive CDs (FA-CDs) from citric acid and urea in formic acid without complicated purification procedures. Photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 43.4% was observed in their dimethyl sulfoxide solutions. High PLQY up to 21.9% in aqueous solutions was achieved in their bovine serum albumin (BSA) composites (FA-CDs@BSA) with significantly enhanced multi-photon fluorescence. The strong surface electron-withdrawing structure of FA-CDs caused by the high content of C = O groups contributes for their pure red emission. Owing to the significantly enhanced single and multi-photon red fluorescence and enlarged particle sizes after composing with BSA, in vivo tumor imaging and two-photon fluorescence imaging of blood vessels in mouse ear have been realized via intravenous injection of FA-CDs@BSA aqueous solutions.

Cold stress is a major environmental factor that affects plant growth and development, as well as fruit postharvest life and quality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding small RNAs that play crucial roles in various abiotic stresses. Peanuts (

Fully room temperature three-dimensional (3D) shape-reprogrammable, recyclable, and photomobile azobenzene (azo) polymer actuators hold much promise in many photoactuating applications, but their development is challenging. Herein, we report on the efficient synthesis of a series of main-chain azo liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) with such performances via Michael addition polymerization. They have both ester groups and two kinds of hydrogen bond-forming groups (i.e., amide and secondary amino groups) and different flexible spacer length in the backbones. Such poly(ester-amide-secondary amine)s (PEAsAs) show low glass transition temperatures (Tg ≤ 18.4 °C), highly ordered smectic liquid crystalline phases, and reversible photoresponsivity. Their uniaxially oriented fibers fabricated via the melt spinning method exhibit good mechanical strength and photoinduced reversible bending/unbending and large stress at room temperature, which are largely influenced by the flexible spacer length of the polymers. Importantly, all these fibers can be easily reprogrammed under strain at 25 °C into stable fiber springs capable of showing a totally different photomobile mode (i.e., unwinding/winding), mainly owing to the presence of low Tg and both dynamic hydrogen bonding and stable crystalline domains (induced by the uniaxial drawing during the fiber formation). They can also be recycled from a solution at 25 °C. This work not only presents the first azo LCPs with 3D shape reprogrammability, recyclability, and photomobility at room temperature, but also provides some important knowledge of their structure–property relationship, which is useful for designing more advanced photodeformable azo polymers.

Azobenzene (azo) polymer photoactuators with full room-temperature reprogrammability, reprocessability, and photomobility are highly desirable for large-scale applications, but their development remains a daunting challenge. Herein, a strategy is first presented for fabricating such advanced photoactuators from a high-molecular-weight main-chain azo crystalline poly(ester-amide) (PEA) prepared via Michael addition polymerization. This azo PEA can be readily processed into both physically cross-linked, uniaxially oriented fibers and films with high mechanical robustness and reversible photoinduced bending/unbending at room temperature. Importantly, the presence of both amide unit-induced hydrogen bonding and crystalline domains in such films and fibers endows them with dynamic, yet stable cross-linking points, which enable their easy reprogrammability under strain at room temperature into various three-dimensional (3D) shapes (e.g., film helicoid and spiral ribbon, fiber spring) capable of showing completely different shape-dependent photomobile modes. In particular, these reshaped photoactuators can maintain their accurate 3D shapes and highly reversible photoinduced motions even after being kept at 80 °C for 20 days or at 100 °C for 2 days. They can also be reprocessed and recycled from solution at room temperature. Such a multifunctional main-chain azo crystalline PEA can serve as a versatile platform for fabricating various photoactuators with desired 3D shapes and motion modes under mild ambient conditions.

Innate defensive responses, unlearned behaviors improving individuals' chances of survival, have been found to involve the dopamine (DA) system. In the superior colliculus (SC), known for its role in defensive behaviors to visual threats, neurons expressing dopaminergic receptors of type 1 (Drd1+) and of type 2 (Drd2+) have been identified. We hypothesized that SC neurons expressing dopaminergic receptors may play a role in promoting innate defensive responses. Optogenetic activation of SC Drd2+ neurons, but not Drd1+ neurons, triggered defensive behaviors. Chemogenetic inhibition of SC Drd2+ neurons decreased looming-induced defensive behaviors, as well as pretreatment with the pharmacological Drd2+ agonist quinpirole, suggesting an essential role of Drd2 receptors in the regulation of innate defensive behavior. Input and output viral tracing revealed SC Drd2+ neurons mainly receive moderate inputs from the locus coeruleus (LC). Our results suggest a sophisticated regulatory role of DA and its receptor system in innate defensive behavior.

The development of complex biological sample-compatible fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with improved performances is highly important for their real-world bioanalytical and biomedical applications. Herein, we report on the first hydrophilic “turn-on”-type fluorescent hollow MIP microparticles capable of directly, highly selectively, and rapidly optosensing hippuric acid (HA) in the undiluted human urine samples. These fluorescent hollow MIP microparticles were readily obtained through first the synthesis of core-shell-corona-structured nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD)-labeled hydrophilic fluorescent MIP microspheres by performing one-pot surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization on the preformed “living” silica particles and subsequent removal of their silica core via hydrofluoric acid etching. They showed “turn-on” fluorescence and high optosensing selectivity and sensitivity toward HA in the artificial urine (the limit of detection = 0.097 μM) as well as outstanding photostability and reusability. Particularly, they exhibited much more stable aqueous dispersion ability, significantly faster optosensing kinetics, and higher optosensing sensitivity than their solid counterparts. They were also directly used for quantifying HA in the undiluted human urine with good recoveries (96.0%–102.0%) and high accuracy (RSD ≤ 4.0%), even in the presence of several analogues of HA. Such fluorescent hollow MIP microparticles hold much promise for rapid and accurate HA detection in the clinical diagnostic field.

A facile, general, and highly efficient strategy for preparing well-defined uniform hydrophilic hairy hollow functional polymer micro- and nanoparticles by combining RAFT polymerization techniques and sacrificial template method is described. Two synthetic routes have been developed for this purpose. The first route involves one-pot synthesis of uniform “living” poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) micro/nanospheres with surface-bound dithioester groups via RAFT precipitation polymerization (RAFTPP), their successive grafting of cross-linked functional polymer layers and hydrophilic polymer brushes via surface-initiated RAFT (SI-RAFT) polymerization, and rapid etching of the PMAA core by simply washing the resulting core-shell-corona-structured particles with methanol. Alternatively, such hairy hollow polymer particles can also be prepared by synthesis of uniform “living” hollow polymer particles (through controlled grafting of cross-linked functional polymer layers onto “living” PMAA particles prepared via RAFT...

In order to improve the robustness and stability of the model predictive control system, this paper research the problem by combination of stochastic predictive control and max-plus theory. Based on the analysis of the stochastic predictive control model, the maximum plus stochastic predictive control model is constructed, which is improved by the max-plus algebraic theory. The superiority of the maximum plus stochastic predictive control model is verified by simulation and experiment. The max-plus algebra is an algorithm which is suitable for noise processing of input signal, which can stabilize the input of the control system. The disadvantage of stochastic predictive control model is that the input signal is subjected to random disturbance in the external environment, max-plus algebraic theory can better compensate for the defect. The simulation results show that the stochastic predictive control model has significant advantages in accuracy, stability and robustness.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) compatible with complex biological samples hold much promise in many bioanalytical and biomedical applications and development of new strategies for obtaining such advanced synthetic receptors is thus of high interest. Herein, a facile and efficient new approach is presented for the preparation of MIP microspheres capable of selectively recognizing small organic analyte in the complex biological sample, which involves the simple surface modification of MIP particles bearing polyethylene glycol (PEG) brushes with α-cyclodextrin (α-CD). The proof-of-principle was demonstrated by the first synthesis of propranolol-imprinted polymer microspheres bearing PEG brushes of different molecular weights (Mn = 2000 and 5000) via our previously developed reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) coupling chemistry, their supramolecular inclusion complexation with α-CD, and subsequent chemical crosslinking. The chain length of the surface-grafted PEG brushes showed much influence on the water-compatibility of MIPs. Whereas the MIP particles bearing PEG brushes of Mn = 2000 hardly showed specific template bindings in both pure water and pure milk, those bearing PEG brushes of Mn = 5000 exhibited moderate specific template bindings in pure water. Nevertheless, the latter MIP particles still failed to show enough specific template bindings in pure milk. The inclusion of α-CD onto PEG brushes proved to largely enhance the surface hydrophilicity of MIPs and lead to their much improved water-compatibility. In particular, the MIP microspheres bearing α-CD-modified PEG brushes of Mn = 5000 showed excellent specific template bindings in both pure water and pure milk. The above strategy not only paves the way for efficiently preparing biological sample-compatible MIPs, but also opens the possibility of generating many other advanced biomaterials with high antifouling properties.

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for humans and animals. Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) has been used as animal feed due to its high protein contents and bioactive components. In this laboratory study, earthworm substrates were treated with sodium selenite of 0, 20, or 40 mg kg−1, and further Se accumulation, speciation and bioaccessibility in earthworm tissues were determined. The results showed that in the Se treatments of 20 and 40 mg kg−1 the earthworm biomass and reproduction was not adversely affected, and total Se concentrations in earthworm tissues were 97.78 and 151.56 mg kg−1 dry weight, respectively. Se speciation in E. fetida was extracted with protease XIV, gastric and gastrointestinal enzymes and was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). Se (IV) was largely biotransformed into organoselenium metabolites, including about 45.8% in SeMet, 29.53% in SeCys2 and 7.3% in unidentified organic Se components. A small fraction of

The PI3K/Akt pathway is frequently deregulated in human cancers, and multiple Akt inhibitors are currently under clinical evaluation. Based on the experience from other molecular targeted therapies, however, it is likely that acquired resistance will be developed in patients treated with Akt inhibitors. We established breast cancer models of acquired resistance by prolonged treatment of cells with allosteric or ATP-competitive Akt inhibitors. Phospho-Receptor tyrosine kinase (Phospho-RTK) arrays revealed hyper-phosphorylation of multiple RTKS, including EGFR, Her2, HFGR, EhpB3 and ROR1, in Akt-inhibitor-resistant cells. Importantly, resistance can be overcome by treatment with an EGFR inhibitor. We further showed that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are enriched in breast tumor cells that have developed resistance to Akt inhibitors. Several candidates of CSC regulators, such as ID4, are identified by RNA sequencing. Cosmic analysis indicated that sensitivity of tumor cells to Akt inhibitors can be predicted by ID4 and stem cell/epithelial–mesenchymal transition pathway targets. These findings indicate the potential of targeting the EGFR pathway and CSC program to circumvent Akt inhibitor resistance in breast cancer.

Signaling by neurotrophins such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to modulate development of interneurons, but the circuit effects of this modulation remain unclear. Here, we examined the impact of deleting TrkB, a BDNF receptor, in parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons on the balance of excitation and inhibition (E-I) in cortical circuits. In the mouse olfactory cortex, TrkB deletion impairs multiple aspects of PV neuronal function including synaptic excitation, intrinsic excitability, and the innervation pattern of principal neurons. Impaired PV cell function resulted in aberrant spiking patterns in principal neurons in response to stimulation of sensory inputs. Surprisingly, dampened PV neuronal function leads to a paradoxical decrease in overall excitability in cortical circuits. Our study demonstrates that, by modulating PV circuit plasticity and development, TrkB plays a critical role in shaping the evoked pattern of activity in a cortical network.

Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) capable of directly and selectively recognizing small organic analytes in aqueous samples (particularly in the undiluted complex biological samples) is described. Such water-compatible MIPs can be readily obtained by the controlled grafting of appropriate hydrophilic polymer brushes onto the MIP particle surfaces. Two types of synthetic approaches (i.e., "two-step approach" and "one-step approach") for preparing complex biological sample-compatible hydrophilic fluorescent MIP nanoparticles and their applications for direct, selective, sensitive, and accurate optosensing of an antibiotic (i.e., tetracycline (Tc)) in the undiluted pure bovine/porcine serums are presented.

Cancer immunotherapy based on carbon-quantum-dots (CQDs) has proven effective. The CQDs composited cancer cell (CM-cancer) exhibit robust customized immunogenicity, which can recruit macrophages and dendritic cells to effectively deliver the cancer antigens into lymph nodes to activate CD8+ T cells, and eventually leads to an anti-cancer immune response all over the body. The CM-cancer is not only able to inhibit primary tumors, but also clearly eliminate metastatic tumors. Our research demonstrates a promising personalized cancer immunotheraputic technology for potential clinical applications.

Cancer immunotherapy based on carbon-quantum-dot (CQD) modified cancer cells (CM-cancer) has proven effective. The CQDs non-distinctively modify the conformational structure of proteins by hydrogen bonding between the protein chains and the permeated CQDs via a thermal treatment. CM-cancer vaccines exhibit robust immunogenicity, which can recruit macrophages and dendritic cells to effectively deliver the cancer antigens into lymph nodes to activate CD8+ T cells, and eventually leads to an anti-cancer immune response all over the body. The CM-cancer vaccinations are not only able to inhibit primary tumors, but also clearly eliminate metastatic tumors. Our research demonstrates a promising personalized cancer immunotheraputic technology for potential clinical applications.

Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) capable of directly and selectively recognizing small organic analytes in aqueous samples (particularly in the undiluted complex biological samples) is described. Such water-compatible MIPs can be readily obtained by the controlled grafting of appropriate hydrophilic polymer brushes onto the MIP particle surfaces. Two types of synthetic approaches (i.e., "two-step approach" and "one-step approach") for preparing complex biological sample-compatible hydrophilic fluorescent MIP nanoparticles and their applications for direct, selective, sensitive, and accurate optosensing of an antibiotic (i.e., tetracycline (Tc)) in the undiluted pure bovine/porcine serums are presented.

Ratiometric fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensors hold great promise in many bioanalytical areas because of their high sensitivity and selectivity as well as excellent self-referencing and visual detection capability. However, their synthetic strategies are rather limited and the development of such optosensing MIPs that can directly and selectively quantify small organic analytes in complex biological samples remains a formidable challenge owing to the complexity of sample matrices. Herein, a versatile and modular strategy to obtaining well-defined ratiometric fluorescent MIP microspheres capable of directly and selectively detecting an organic herbicide [2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)] in undiluted pure milks is described. First, it involves the synthesis of uniform "living" polymer particles via RAFT precipitation polymerization, their successive well-controlled grafting of a polymer shell labeled with red CdTe QDs (being inert to 2,4-D) and an MIP shell labeled with green 4-nitrobenzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole (NBD) units (showing fluorescence "light-up" upon binding 2,4-D) via surface-initiated RAFT polymerization, and final grafting of hydrophilic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brushes via an efficient coupling reaction (i.e., RAFT coupling chemistry). The resulting hydrophilic dual fluorescent MIP particles showed excellent photostability and reusability. They exhibited obvious analyte binding-induced "turn-on"-type ratiometric fluorescence (and color) change and high 2,4-D optosensing selectivity and sensitivity in pure bovine milk (with a detection limit of 0.13 μM). Moreover, they were directly applied to 2,4-D determination in undiluted pure goat milk with good recoveries (96.0-103.2%) and high accuracy (RSD = 1.5-5.5%), even in the presence of several analogues of 2,4-D. The general applicability of our strategy was also demonstrated. This study paves the way for efficiently developing various advanced MIP optosensors (of easily tunable structures and desired properties) highly promising in many bioanalytical applications.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic receptors with tailor-made recognition sites for target molecules. Their high affinity and selectivity, excellent stability, easy preparation, and low cost make them promising substitutes to biological receptors (e.g., antibody and enzyme) in many applications where molecular recognition is important. Despite significant progress made in the imprinting of small templates, the imprinting of biomacromolecules (e.g., proteins) remains a big challenge because of their large sizes, complexed structures, and conformational variability. These inherent characteristics of biomacromolecules lead to many significant problems for the resulting macromolecularly imprinted polymers (mMIPs) such as laborious removal of large templates and their slow access to the binding sites. Recent years have witnessed much efforts being devoted to the development of mMIPs due to their great potential in proteome analysis, clinical diagnostics, and biomedicine. So far, some useful strategies have been developed for the imprinting of proteins, mainly including the bulk polymerization method, epitope imprinting strategy, and surface imprinting approach. Among them, the surface imprinting approach has been most widely used because it can readily lead to mMIPs with higher efficiency for removing large templates and more rapid template binding kinetics. Nevertheless, the presently developed mMIPs normally have crosslinked template binding sites, whose rigid structures might have negative influence on the removal of large templates and template binding kinetics. In this sense, the development of mMIPs with more flexible biomacromolecular binding cavities (e.g., uncrosslinked ones) should be useful for solving the above problems. To our knowledge, however, only rather limited numbers of publications relating to mMIPs with uncrosslinked binding sites have been disclosed, which are all based on the use of self-assembled monolayer strategy. The development of versatile new approaches for preparing mMIPs with uncrosslinked binding sites and good molecular imprinting effect is still highly desirable. We demonstrate a facile and efficient new approach for the controlled preparation of MIP microspheres with surface uncrosslinked glycoprotein binding sites. It involves the first one-pot synthesis of uniform “living” polymer microspheres with both surface-bound epoxy groups and alkyl halide groups (i.e., atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)-initiating groups) via atom transfer radical precipitation polymerization, their surface modification with 3-aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) for introducing surface phenylboronic acid moieties and surface immobilization of a glycoprotein (ovalbumin (OVA)), subsequent use of the “living” polymer microspheres with surface-immobilized OVA as the ATRP initiator for the controlled grafting of poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) brushes, and final removal of OVA. A series of MIP microspheres with surface uncrosslinked OVA binding sites were readily obtained following the above procedure by just changing the polymerization time for grafting PNIPAAm brushes, and their morphologies, chemical structures, surface hydrophilicity, water dispersion stability, and template binding properties were characterized in detail. The experimental results demonstrated that the above approach could effectively provide MIPs with excellent recognition ability toward OVA in the aqueous medium. The surface hydrophilicity and water dispersion stability of MIP microspheres were largely improved due to their surface-grafting of hydrophilic polymer brushes. Moreover, the chain length of PNIPAAm brushes showed significant influence on the template binding properties of MIP microspheres, and the best template binding capacity and specific binding were achieved for MIPs only when the thickness of PNIPAAm layers was close to the total length of the diameter of OVA plus the length of the surface-attached phenylboronic acid unit. Furthermore, the optimal MIP also exhibited good selectivity toward OVA over other proteins. The strategy presented here paves a new way for controlled and efficient preparation of glycolprotein-imprinted polymer microspheres with good molecular recognition capability.

A multicolor electrochromic device (ECD), which can switch among three primary colors cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y), was fabricated successfully. This device contained a working layer using PEDOT:PSS as the cyan-EC material, an ion-conductive layer and a counter layer using p-benzoquinone (p-BQ)/4-hydroxy-TEMPO (4-OH-TEMPO) and phenol red (PR-Y) based on the ‘electrobase/electroacid’ theory as a magenta/yellow-EC material. All the materials could be easily acquired as they were obtained commercially. The device could switch among C/M/Y colors by applying various voltages. Besides, this device exhibited a short response time below 100 ms and excellent reversibility with no degradation after 2250 cycles. Thus, it exhibits great potential for use in smart displays and interior decorations.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) capable of selectively recognizing small organic analytes in complex biological samples hold great promise in many real-world bioanalytical and biomedical applications, but development of such advanced synthetic receptors remains a challenging task. Herein, a facile and highly efficient new approach to obtaining well-defined complex biological sample-compatible MIP microspheres is developed by combining RAFT polymerization and thiol-epoxy coupling chemistry. Its proof-of-principle has been demonstrated by the first synthesis of propranolol-imprinted polymer microspheres with surface epoxy groups (briefly MIP-EP) via the combined use of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization and surface-initiated RAFT polymerization and their subsequent coupling reaction with a hydrophilic macromolecular thiol (i.e., thiol-terminated poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA-SH)). MIP-EP proved to show good propranolol recognition ability in an organic solvent but not in aqueous solution. The coupling reaction between PHEMA-SH and MIP-EP readily led to MIP microspheres with densely grafted PHEMA brushes, which greatly enhanced the surface hydrophilicity of MIP particles and transformed water-incompatible MIP-EP particles into biological sample-compatible ones (i.e., the resulting hydrophilic MIP microspheres exhibited specific template binding almost as good as they showed in the organic solvent and high template selectivity in biological samples including undiluted pure milk and pure bovine serum). In sharp contrast, the simple ring-opening of the epoxy groups on MIP-EP particles by using perchloric acid (following a previously reported method for obtaining water-compatible MIPs) only provided MIPs with propranolol recognition ability in pure water instead of in the complex biological samples.

Controlled preparation of narrow or monodisperse, physically cross-linked, and “living” spherical polymer particles by one-stage reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization (RAFTPP) is described for the first time. The introduction of RAFT polymerization mechanism into precipitation polymerization system, together with the use of methacrylic acid (MAA) (capable of forming hydrogen bonding) as the monomer, allows ready generation of uniform spherical poly(MAA) (PMAA) particles with surface-bound “living” dithioester groups, easily tunable sizes, and low molecular weights in the absence of any cross-linking monomer. The polymerization parameters (i.e., monomer loading, molar ratio of the RAFT agent to free radical initiator, and polymerization temperature) showed much influence on the morphologies and yields of PMAA particles, and their simple adjustment allows fine-tuning of “living” PMAA particle sizes. The presence of dithioester groups on such PMAA particles was ...

Research was conducted to examine the influence of historical cadmium (Cd) contamination and soil properties on the biomass, diversity and structure of earthworm communities in a subtropical area (Hunan province) of South China. Fourteen earthworm species were identified across the twelve field sampling sites. Metaphire californica was the most widespread and dominant species. Results showed that both earthworm density and the Simpson diversity index decreased inversely with increasing soil Cd concentrations. The proportion of adult earthworms was greater in soils with high levels of Cd contamination. The abundance of earthworms was also correlated with soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents. Cd concentrations in M. californica were well predicted by both the total and available soil Cd concentrations (R2 = 0.83, R2 = 0.90, p

The heat pump air conditioning system is a promising solution for energy conservation and ensuring a good driving range can be maintained. Micro-channel heat exchangers are used as outdoor heat exchangers to improve the heat transfer efficiency. A heat pump system introduces frosting problems to the outdoor heat exchanger, especially in a low temperature and high humidity environment. This study conducted an experiment on the frosting and defrosting process of the outdoor heat exchanger of a heat pump air conditioning system for electric vehicles. The surface of the outside heat exchanger had an uneven distribution of the frost layer owing to the variation in the liquid-phase refrigeration occupation. Thermal parameters of the system were obtained. The suction pressure was sensitive to the frosting process, decreasing from (0.15 ∼ 0.25) to (0.02 ∼ 0.1) MPa, and it can be used as a frosting monitoring parameter. The frosting and defrosting behavior was also studied at a micrometer scale on the surface of the heat exchanger. The ice bridge phenomenon was observed in the frosting process. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic treatments of the heat exchanger surface were conducted for compassion and it was found that the hydrophilic treatment of the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger of the vehicle heat pump effectively slows frosting. Future experimental research should investigate the effects of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surface treatments, in addition to hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface treatments on the performance of the heat exchanger, to improve the performance of the overall heat pump system.

Bioaccumulation factors for heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Cu, and Pb) were examined for selected earthworm species (Metaphire californica, Amynthas homochaetus, Amynthas pecteniferus, and Amynthas heterochaetus) that inhabit metal-polluted soils in a subtropical area (Hunan Province) of South China. The earthworms had high plasticity in inhabiting in situ contaminated areas and showed high uptake of the heavy metals and capability for their accumulation in the tissues. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) were greatest for cadmium and ranked as follows: Cd (10.6–18.8) >> Zn (1.15–1.75) > Cu (1.01–1.35) > Pb (0.56–0.95). Earthworm species with the similar BAF of heavy metals (p > 0.05) belong to the same ecological group. Within individual groups, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cu, and Pb concentrations in earthworms are consistently predicted by total and extractable fraction (DTPA-extractable) in soil. Our results provide insights into the ecological relationships and variations in the uptake and accumulation of heavy metals in different earthworm species in contaminated soils in China.