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As a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF) family, TRAF5 acts as a crucial adaptor molecule and plays important roles in the host innate immune responses. In the present study, the typical form and a splicing variant of TRAF5, termed Lc-TRAF5_tv1 and Lc-TRAF5_tv2 were characterized in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). The putative Lc -TRAF5_tv1 protein is constituted of 577 aa, contains a RING finger domain, two zinc finger domains, a coiled-coil domain, and a MATH domain, whereas Lc -TRAF5_tv2 protein is constituted of 236 aa and only contains a RING finger domain due to a premature stop resulted from the intron retention. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that both of Lc -TRAF5_tv1 and Lc -TRAF5_tv2 were localized in the cytoplasm, with Lc -TRAF5_tv2 found to aggregate around the nucleus. It was revealed that Lc-TRAF5_tv1 mRNA was broadly expressed in examined organs/tissues and showed extremely higher level than that of Lc-TRAF5_tv2 , and both of them could be up-regulated under poly I:C, LPS, PGN, and Pseudomonas plecoglossicida stimulations in vivo. Interestingly, overexpression of Lc -TRAF5_tv1 and Lc -TRAF5_tv2 could significantly induce NF-κB but not IFN1 activation, whereas co-expression of them remarkably induced IFN1 activation but impaired NF-κB activation. In addition, both Lc -TRAF5_tv1 and Lc -TRAF5_tv2 were associated with TRAF3 and RIP1 in IFN1 activation, whereas only Lc -TRAF5_tv1 cooperated with TRAF3 and RIP1 in NF-κB activation. These results collectively indicated that the splicing variant together with the typical form of TRAF5 function importantly in the regulation of host immune signaling in teleosts. • A novel TRAF5 splicing variant Lc -TRAF5_tv2 was characterized in vertebrates. • Lc-TRAF5_tv1 and Lc-TRAF5_tv2 can be induced by both viral and bacterial PAMPs. • Lc -TRAF5_tv2 cooperates with Lc -TRAF5_tv1 in type I IFN activation. • Lc -TRAF5_tv1 associates with TRAF3 and RIP1 in NF-κB and type I IFN activation. • Lc -TRAF5_tv2 associates with TRAF3 and RIP1 in type I IFN activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait recognition is a promising biometric technology that aims to identify the target subject via walking pattern. Most existing appearance-based methods focus on learning discriminative spatio-temporal representations from gait silhouettes. However, these methods pay less attention to probing the causality between identity factors and identity labels, which often mislead the model to learn gait representations that are susceptible to identity-irrelevant factors. In this paper, we attribute the cause that leads to the decline of model generalization under different external conditions to identity-irrelevant factors. We formulate the causalities among the identity factors, identity-irrelevant factors, and identity labels as a structural causal model (SCM). We accordingly propose a novel gait recognition framework named GaitSCM to learn covariate invariant gait representations, which is mainly composed of three components, including feature extraction module, feature disentanglement module, and backdoor adjustment. Specifically, we design a feature extractor with regard to the movement patterns of different body parts to learn fine-grained gait motion features, and then present a two-branch feature decoupling module to disentangle identity features and identity-irrelevant features with the aid of the classification confusion loss. To relieve the negative effect of identity-irrelevant factors, we develop a backdoor adjustment strategy to eliminate spurious associations between identity and identity-irrelevant features, which further facilitates the proposed framework to generate more powerful identity representations. Extensive experiments conducted on two public datasets validate the effectiveness of our method. The average Rank-1 can reach 93.2% and 90.4% on CASIA-B and OU-MVLP datasets, respectively, which verifies the superiority of GaitSCM. Source code is released at: https://github.com/HuoweiCode/GaitSCM. • A novel causal representation learning framework GaitSCM for gait recognition is proposed. • A causal analysis based on SCM reveals the spurious relation in gait recognition. • Feature decoupling and backdoor adjustment are used to perform causal intervention. • GaitSCM achieves competitive results on the CASIA-B and OU-MVLP datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Available evidence suggests the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathological process of several diseases. Nonetheless, molecular mechanism underlying biological effects of miRNAs such as pacemaker exosome-derived miR-127-5p in embryonic-like stem cells (ESCs) differentiation into pacemaker cell is yet to be clarified. Through real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or western blotting (WB) techniques, levels of miRNAs, miR-127-5p, and NKx2.5 expressions were quantitatively measured. Cellular differentiation (CD) was probed with flow cytometric (FC) and WB techniques. Prediction of miR-127-5p association with NKx2.5 was studied through bioinformatics tools before verification with luciferase assays. Promotion of ESCs differentiation to pacemaker through miR-127-5p was measured with qPCR and WB techniques. Through the same assaying methods, up-regulation of pace-making genes (Shox2, HCN4, Cx45, Tbx3 and Tbx18) expression was observed in Nkx2.5 knockdown group. However, Nkx2.5 expression was down-regulated during differentiation of pacemaker-like cells into ESCs. Furthermore, techniques (such as qPCR, WB, immunofluorescent staining and FC) were employed to demonstrate that overexpressed miR-127-5p could suppress NKx2.5 expression. Through NKx2.5 targeting, ESCs could be differentiated into pacemaker-like cells with miR-127-5p possibly serving as a crucial positive regulator. On the account of our findings, further researches are needed to unearth the possible underlying mechanism and role of exosome-derived miRNAs in cell signaling. • MiR-127-5p could act as a significant positive regulator in ESCs differentiated into pacemaker-like cells by targeting NKx2.5. • NKx2.5 expression was down-regulated during differentiation of pacemaker-like cells into ESCs. • This work is the first to describe the role of miR-127-5p in the regulation of NKx2.5 expression in cardiac development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbon air cathode combined with iron anode oxidation-flocculation synergistic Arsenic (As) removal was a new groundwater purification technology with low energy consumption and high efficiency for groundwater with high As concentration. The presence of organic matter such as humic acid (HA) had ambiguous effects on formation of organic colloids in the system. The effects of the particle size distribution characteristics of these colloids on the formation characteristics of flocs and the efficiency of As purification was not clear. In this work, we used five different pore size alumina filter membranes to separate mixed phase solutions and studied the corresponding changes in iron and arsenic concentrations in the presence and absence of humic acid conditions. In the presence of HA, the arsenic concentration of < 0.05 µm particle size components was 1.01, 1.28, 3.07, 7.69, 2.85 and 1.24 times of that in the absence of HA. At the same time, the arsenic content in 0.05–0.1 µm and 0.1–0.45 µm particle size components was also higher than that in the system without HA, which revealed that the presence of HA hindered the flocculation behavior of As distribution to higher particle sizes in the early stage of the reaction. The presence of HA affected the flocculation rate of iron flocs from small to large particle size fractions and it had limited effect on the behavior of large-size flocs in adsorption of As. These results provide a theoretical basis for targeted, rapid, and low consumption synergistic removal of arsenic and organic compounds in high arsenic groundwater. [Display omitted] • Humic acid hindered As toward higher particle size fractions. • Humic acid affected small flocs forming larger ones. • Humic acid slowed down large flocs formation and limited As adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, many weakly supervised video anomaly detection (WS-VAD) methods focus on generating reasonable pseudo-labels for frames by using video-level annotations. To achieve this goal, some existing label-noise cleaning techniques and pseudo-label generators are used by them, but their performance is limited. The main reason is that the useful prior knowledge, i.e., the graduality of anomaly events, is ignored. Here, we propose a Self-Training Framework, which assumes flexible soft boundaries between abnormal and normal clips. The framework consists of: (1) A prior knowledge guided pseudo-label generator that incorporates prior knowledge of video segment distributions into the MIL framework to generate high-confidence pseudo labels; (2) An improved self-guided attention encoder is developed to capture multiscale long-term spatiotemporal features, where dependencies among anomaly frames are preserved. Moreover, a pseudo-label based self-training scheme is adopted to supervise the encoder. Experimental results verify the superiority of our method over baseline approaches. • By taking the graduality of the anomaly events into account to generate pseudo labels. • Using one-dimensional median filter to constrain the anomaly scores of negative bags. • The network focuses on the most abnormal parts of the frame by the attention module. • The self-guided branch can capture the dependencies between video frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wound healing is a complex process aiming at repairing the damaged skin. MiR-23b has been reported to be upregulated during wound healing. In this study, we intended to explore the working mechanism of miR-23b during wound healing. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect the enrichment of miR-23b and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP3) in HaCaT cells. Scratch wound assay was carried out to measure the migration of HaCaT cells. The target of miR-23b was predicted by microT-CDS software, and the combination was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. The abundance of TIMP3 protein was detected by Western blot assay. The abundance of miR-23b was positively related to the concentration and time of transforming growth factor β1 treatment in HaCaT cells. MiR-23b promoted the migration of keratinocytes. TIMP3 was a direct target of miR-23b and was negatively regulated by miR-23b. TIMP3 inhibited the migration of keratinocytes. MiR-23b accelerated the migration of keratinocytes by downregulating the abundance of TIMP3. MiR-23b promoted the migration of keratinocytes partly through reducing the enrichment of TIMP3. MiR-23b might be a promising target for the treatment of wound healing–associated diseases. • The abundance of miR-23b is positively connected with the concentration and time of TGF-β1 treatment, and it promotes the migration of keratinocytes. • TIMP3 is a direct target of miR-23b. • MiR-23b/TIMP3 axis is proposed to regulate the migration of keratinocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While predicting video content is challenging given the huge unconstrained searching space, this work explores cross-modality constraints to safeguard the video generation process and seeks improved content prediction. By observing the underlying correspondence between the sound and the object movement, we propose a novel cross-modality video generation network. Via adversarial training, this network directly links sound with the movement parameters of the operated object and automatically outputs corresponding object motion according to the rhythm of the given audio signal. We experiment on both rigid object and non-rigid object motion prediction tasks and show that our method significantly reduces motion uncertainty for the generated video content, with the guidance of the associated audio information. • We propose to predict motion parameters to improve video prediction quality. • We employ audio information as cross-modality guidance for motion parameter prediction. • Our framework can be applied to both rigid object and non-rigid object motion prediction tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The MoP/CN samples exhibit superior activity in CO 2 reduction and H 2 evolution. • The CO 2 adsorption and conversion progress is well revealed in the photoreaction. • The efficient co-catalyst MoP facilitates the separation and transfer of charges. Abstract Photoreduction CO 2 to hydrocarbons and photosplitting water for H 2 production are the most promising, sustainable approaches for environmental pollution alleviation and solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However, developing low-cost, high efficient and stable photocatalysts remains a great challenge. Herein, we reported a novel visible-light activated MoP co-catalyst loaded g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst for CO 2 reduction and water splitting under simulated irradiation firstly. Experimental results demonstrated that the composites were highly active and exhibited superior stability. The maximum CO and H 2 evolution rates of 0.92 μmol h−1 and 40.38 μmol h−1 were achieved on MoP/CN-15% catalyst, which were 4.5-fold and 74.5-fold higher than the pure g-C 3 N 4 , and the corresponding apparent quantum efficiencies (AQE) were 3.5% and 18.3% at 420 nm, respectively. In situ FTIR analysis disclosed the CO 2 adsorption and conversion progress, in which the COO− acted as a major intermediate. Furthermore, comprehensive characterization analysis revealed the introduction of MoP facilitated the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and the theoretical calculation by density functional theory (DFT) also confirmed that MoP could effectively separate the photoexcited charges from g-C 3 N 4. Combining with experimental and DFT calculations results, a new way to design cost-effective photocatalysts has been enlightened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The remediation and subsequent use of saline-alkaline land are of great significance to ecological environment construction and sustainable agricultural development. Iris halophila Pall. is a salt-tolerant medicinal and ornamental plant, which has good application prospects in the ecological construction of saline-alkaline land; therefore, study of the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in I. halophila has important theoretical and practical value. To evaluate the molecular mechanism of the response of I. halophila to salt toxicity, I. halophila seedlings were treated with salt (300 mM NaCl) and subjected to deep RNA sequencing. The clean reads were obtained and assembled into 297,188 unigenes. Among them, 1120 and 100 salt-responsive genes were identified in I. halophila shoots and roots, respectively. Among them, the key flavonoid and lignin biosynthetic genes, hormone signaling genes, sodium/potassium ion transporter genes, and transcription factors were analyzed and summarized. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR analysis strengthened the reliability of the RNA sequencing results. This work provides an overview of the transcriptomic responses to salt toxicity in I. halophila and identifies the responsive genes that may contribute to its reduced salt toxicity. These results lay an important foundation for further study of the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in I. halophila and related species. Highlights • The transcriptome of Iris halophila Pall. was investigated under salt stress. • 1215 salt-regulated genes were identified by RNA-Seq in I. halophila. • Provides an overview of transcriptomic responses to salt toxicity in I. halophila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Fe 3 O 4 @PS-TMG was synthesized by immobilizing TMG onto the shell of nanohybrids. • The loading of TMG as well as surface property of catalyst can be well regulated. • The MPIC can stabilize soybean oil-in-methanol Pickering emulsion. • The MPIC exhibited higher catalytic activity for transesterification. Abstract A novel magnetic Pickering interfacial catalyst (MPIC) was developed and used for highly effective and clean production of biodiesel. The catalyst was synthesized by immobilization of 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (TMG) onto the shell of Fe 3 O 4 @Chloromethyl PS nanohybrids. The resultant Fe 3 O 4 @PS-TMG was measured by transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic lighting scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis (EA), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), contact angles (CA). The results showed that surface property and TMG loading of catalyst can be finely regulated via adjusting the feeding of TMG. Fe 3 O 4 @PS-TMG with amphiphilic surface can stabilize soybean oil-in-methanol Pickering emulsion, which would offer large interfacial area and surface enrichment of reactants, leading to a significant enhancement of such liquid-liquid (L-L) biphasic reaction with high mass transfer resistance. Furthermore, the MPIC can be facile separated from the mixture of reaction by magnet, and showed excellent stability over 5 recycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactobacillus delbrueckii is widely used in the fermentation industry. Previously, we identified Lactobacillus delbrueckii DMLD-H1, a strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus , from traditional Chinese fermented milk. In this research, we sequenced the complete genome of DMLD-H1, which contains 1,836,627 bp in length with a total of 1947 genes and an average G + C content of 49.86%. In total, 103 carbohydrate metabolism genes are annotated in the KEGG database, and it is showed that DMLD-H1 has the ability to transport lactose, glucose, fructose, and mannose. Antibiotic resistance genes, genes encoding toxins and virulence factor genes are absent in risk-associated sequences of DMLD-H1. We also confirm its safety by indole assay, nitroreductase assay, and antibiotic resistance tests. A wide range of stress-related proteins may contribute to the survival of DMLD-H1 in the gastrointestinal environment, including oxidative stress, pH, bile salts, and temperature stress. The large number of adhesion proteins and stress response genes identified in DMLD-H1 in the genome-wide analysis, as well as phenotypic experiments including resistance to bile salts and acid, antioxidant, antimicrobial and self-cohesion activity, exhibited its excellent probiotic properties. This study demonstrates that DMLD-H1 can be a candidate fermentative agent in fermented dairy products. [Display omitted] • The entire genome of Lactobacillus delbrueckii DMLD-H1 was firstly sequenced. • The carbohydrate metabolic pathway is revealed in DMLD-H1. • The safety and probiotic properties of DMLD-H1 are described by genome analysis. • DMLD-H1 has a gene cluster for the generation of enterolysin A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report herein the design and preparation of novel magneto-polymeric nanohybrids that can be used as efficient and recyclable Pickering interfacial catalyst (PIC) in selective oxidation of alcohols. The nanohybrids Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @PTMA, bearing catalytic TEMPO functionalities, were synthesized through distillation-precipitation polymerization (DPP) of the precursor monomer 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl methacrylate (TMPM) and subsequent oxidation reaction. TEM, FT-IR, DLS, EA confirmed and quantified the TEMPO loading of nanohydrids (1.0–2.4 mmol · g −1 ). It was found that the TEMPO loading, particle size, as well as surface hydrophilicity could be finely tuned via simply adjusting the TMPM monomer fraction during polymerization. The performance of the resultant nanohybrids as PIC was then evaluated in a typical Anelli system, which showed superior catalytic activity for selective oxidation of alcohols. Moreover, the PIC can be easily recycled by applying magnetic field, and reused for the following cycles of oxidation without any loss on either conversion or selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The Selaginella mitogenomes have complicated network structures and unprecedented high GC content. • Mitogenome-based phylogenomics provides insights into the positions of two controversial groups of Selaginella. Spikemoss (Selaginellaceae) is one of the basal lineages of vascular plants. This family has a single genus Selaginella which consists of about 750 extant species. The phylogeny of Selaginellaceae has been extensively studied mainly based on plastid DNA and a few nuclear sequences. However, the placement of the enigmatic sinensis group is a long-term controversy because of the long branch in the plastid DNA phylogeny. The sanguinolenta group is also a phylogenetically problematic clade owing to two alternative positions resulted from different datasets. Here, we newly sequenced 34 mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of individuals representing all seven subgenera and major clades in Selaginellaceae. We assembled the draft mitogenomes and annotated the genes and performed phylogenetic analyses based on the shared 17 mitochondrial genes. Our major results include: (1) all the assembled mitogenomes have complicated structures, unparalleled high GC content and a small gene content set, and the positive correlations among GC content, substitution rates and the number of RNA editing sites hold; (2) the sinensis group was well supported as a member of subg. Stachygynandrum ; (3) the sanguinolenta group was strongly resolved as sister to all other Selaginella species except for subg. Selaginella. This study demonstrates the potential of mitogenome data in providing novel insights into phylogenetically recalcitrant problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg) pollution is a well-recognized global environmental and health issue and exhibits distinctive persistence, neurotoxicity, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification effects. As the largest global Hg reservoir, the Hg cumulatively stored in soils has reached as high as 250–1000 Gg. Even more concerning is that global soil–rice systems distributed in many countries have become central to the global Hg cycle because they are both a major food source for more than 3 billion people worldwide and the central bridge linking atmospheric and soil Hg circulation. In this review, we discuss the form distribution, transformation, and bioavailability of Hg in soil–rice systems by focusing on the Hg methylation and demethylation pathways and distribution, uptake, and accumulation in rice plants and the effects of Hg on the community structure and ecological functions of microorganisms in soil–rice systems. In addition, we clarify the mechanisms through which commonly used humus and biochar organic amendments influence Hg and its environmental effects in soil–rice systems. The review also elaborates on the advantages of sulfur-modified biochars and their critical role in controlling Hg migration and bioavailability in soils. Finally, we provide key information about Hg pollution in soil–rice systems, which is of great significance for developing appropriate strategies and mitigation planning to limit Hg bioconcentration in rice crops and achieving key global sustainable development goals, such as the guarantee of food security and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. [Display omitted] • Microbially reductive and oxidative Hg demethylation are governed by environmental factors. • Hg in paddy soil has a predictable impact on bacterial ecological clusters and functional genes. • The formation and accumulation of MeHg in rice soil system is related to soil organic matter. • Biochar application had a two-way effect on MeHg concentration in paddy system. • Natural S-rich instead of artificial s-modified biochar has advantages in paddy Hg remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), as an important class of new persistent organic pollutants, are widely distributed in the environment. Yet the effects of different types and concentrations of PFCs on soil microbial community in urban forest ecosystems are remain uncertain. Here, two typical PFCs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), were selected to carry out a pot experiment in greenhouse with singly and joint treatment at different concentrations, to examine their effects on composition and diversity of soil microorganisms and availability of soil macronutrients by using high-throughput Illumina sequencing approach. The results showed both PFOA and PFOS application significantly increased soil NO 3 --N and NH 4 +-N content, but did not alter total phosphorus content, compared to the control check (CK) treatments. Total potassium content was reduced in PFOA treatments but increased in PFOS and PFOA×PFOS treatments. The most dominant bacterial phylum was Chloroflexi in low and medium PFCs concentrations and the CK treatments, but it was switched to Acidobacteria in high concentrations. No obvious change was detected for the composition of the dominant fungi community in PFCs treatments compared to the CK treatments. With the increase of PFCs concentrations, soil bacterial richness decreased but its diversity increased, whereas the richness and diversity of fungal community usually decreased. Redundancy analyses revealed that soil fungal community was more sensitive to PFCs pollutants than soil bacterial communities. Further data analysis revealed by structural equation model (SEM) that the PFCs exposed for 60 days indirectly affects the diversity and richness of soil bacteria and fungi by directly affecting NO 3 --N and NH 4 +-N content. The results suggested the concentration of PFCs pollutants played a primary role in determining the composition, richness and diversity of forest soil microbial communities. [Display omitted] • In the urban forest soil, fungal community was more sensitive to PFCs than bacteria. • PFCs' concentrations rather than types played a primary role in determining the composition, richness and diversity of the soil microbial communities. • Structural equation model (SEM) indicated that PFCs exposure indirectly affect the diversity and richness of soil microorganisms by affecting NO 3 --N and NH 4 +-N in urban forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are important biological contamination factors in soil systems, posing direct or indirect threats to soil health, food safety and human health. The ubiquitous pollution of ARGs is usually implicated with the application of organic manures in agricultural soil ecosystem. However, little is known about the transmission and fate of ARGs after manure input concerning different soils. Herein, the transmission potential and temporal dynamics of manure-associated ARGs was characterized with three different agricultural soils collected from Jiangxi (JX), Zhejiang (ZJ), and Jilin (JL), respectively. The results show that manure input did not affect the total abundance of ARGs in the receiving soils, but remarkedly alter the compositions of ARGs in soils. The manure-associated ARGs were significantly enriched in the manure-amended soils, including genes conferring resistance to sulfonamide, aminoglycoside, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim with the fold of 1.97 − 27.86. Variance partitioning analysis showed that the major variances of ARG community was explained by mobile genetic elements and bacterial profile (> 76%) but not the concentrations of heavy metals and antibiotics. Furthermore, 31, 37, and 38 ARG subtypes were identified as the potential extrinsic ARGs derived from manures in the JX, ZJ, and JL soils, respectively, including 13 shared ARG subtypes. It was also found that the manure-associated ARGs (aadA , sul1 , sul2 , tetC , and tetG) declined with the incubation time in the JX and ZJ soils, whereas they firstly decreased and then increased in the JL soil. The abundance of these five ARGs in the JL soil was significantly higher than that in the JX and ZJ soils. Collectively, this finding revealed that soil type was responsible for the transmission and fate of manure-associated ARGs in agroecosystem. [Display omitted] • Manure input altered the compositions of ARGs in the receiving soils. • Manure-associated ARGs were significantly enriched in the receiving soils. • ARGs were relevant to the dominant bacterial taxa and mobile genetic elements. • The persistence of manure-associated ARGs varied with soil types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antidepressant fluoxetine (FLX) has gained increasing attention due to its frequent detection in aquatic environments and negative effects on non-target organisms. However, knowledge on the ecotoxicological effects of FLX and its removal by microalgae is still limited. In this study, the ecotoxicological effects of FLX (10 −1000 μg/L) were assessed using batch cultures of the freshwater microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa for 10 days based on changes in growth, antioxidant response, and photosynthetic process. The removal efficiency, removal mechanism, and degradation pathway of FLX by C. pyrenoidosa were also investigated. The results showed that the growth of C. pyrenoidosa was inhibited by FLX with a 4 d EC 50 of 0.464 mg/L. Additionally, FLX significantly inhibited photosynthesis and caused oxidative stress on day 4. However, C. pyrenoidosa can produce resistance and acclimatize to FLX, as reflected by the declining growth inhibition rate, recovered photosynthetic efficiency, and disappearance of oxidative stress on day 10. Despite the toxicity of FLX, C. pyrenoidosa showed 41.2%− 100% removal of FLX after 10 days of exposure. Biodegradation was the primary removal mechanism, accounting for 88.2%− 92.8% of the total removal of FLX. A total of five metabolites were found in the degradation processes of FLX, which showed less toxicity than FLX. The main degradation pathways were proposed as demethylation, O-dealkylation, hydroxylation, and N-acylation. Our results not only highlight the potential application of microalgae in FLX purification, but also provide insight into the fate and ecological risk of FLX in aquatic environments. [Display omitted] • The damage of fluoxetine to photosynthesis and antioxidant system was reversible. • Biodegradation was the primary mechanism of fluoxetine removal. • Five transformation products of fluoxetine by microalgae were identified. • The demethylation product norfluoxetine was prone to accumulate in microalgal cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-Hispanic Asians (NHA) in USA have been reported with higher arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and their specific species levels, comparing with non-NHA. This study aimed to investigate the associations of these metal/metalloid levels with blood pressure levels and prevalence of hypertension among general NHA using the 2011–2018 National Health and Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES) data. The study included participants aged 20 years and older with determinations of As, Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), Pb, Cd, Hg and methyl-Hg (MeHg) in blood (n = 10, 177) and urine (n = 5, 175). These metals/metalloid levels were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels were examined through a standardized protocol. Censored normal regression model and logistic regression model were employed to explore the associations of As, DMA, Pb, Cd, Hg and MeHg levels with blood pressure levels and prevalence of hypertension respectively, and potential confounders were adjusted in these regression models. Quantile-based g-computation approach was used to analysis joint effect of metals mixture on blood pressure level and hypertension. For NHA, urinary As and Hg levels were associated with increased DBP level; Higher blood Hg and MeHg levels were related to increased blood pressure levels and hypertension; However, negative association was observed between urinary Cd and SBP level; Blood metals mixture (including blood Pb, Cd and Hg) was associated with increased DBP level, but not for hypertension. For non-NHA, urinary As and DMA levels were associated with increased SBP level, but not DBP level and prevalence of hypertension; Urinary Pb level was associated with decreased DBP level; Nevertheless, positive associations were observed between blood Pb levels and SBP and prevalence of hypertension; Blood Hg level was associated with decreased DBP level and prevalence of hypertension; Furthermore, blood MeHg level was associated with decreased DBP level; Positive association was observed between blood metals mixture and increased SBP level among non-NHA. Highly exposed to Hg level among NHA was associated with increased blood pressure levels and prevalence of hypertension. Urinary As level was associated with increased DBP level among NHA. Furthermore, blood metals mixture was related to increased DBP level among NHA. Further prospective studies with larger sample size should be performed to warrant the results. • Urinary As and Hg levels were associated with increased DBP level among NHA. • Higher blood Hg and MeHg levels were related to increased BP levels and hypertension among NHA. • Blood Hg was main contributor for the increased DBP level among NHA in blood metals mixture. • These toxic metals present heterogenicity for BP level and hypertension across sex and non-NHA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of downregulation of HIF-1 α gene on human U251 glioma cells and examine the consequent changes of TMZ induced effects and explore the molecular mechanisms. Methods U251 cell line stably expressing HIF-1 α shRNA was acquired via lentiviral vector transfection. The mRNA and protein expression alterations of genes involved in our study were determined respectively by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and colony formation assay, cell invasion/migration capacity was determined by transwell invasion assay/wound healing assay, and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Results We successfully established a U251 cell line with highly efficient HIF-1 α knockdown . HIF-1a downregulation sensitized U251 cells to TMZ treatment and enhanced the proliferation-inhibiting, invasion/migration-suppressing, apoptosis-inducing and differentiation-promoting effects exerted by TMZ. The related molecular mechanisms demonstrated that expression of O 6 -methylguanine DNA methyltransferase gene ( MGMT ) and genes of Notch1 pathway were significantly upregulated by TMZ treatment. However, this upregulation was abrogated by HIF-1 α knockdown. We further confirmed important regulatory roles of HIF-1α in the expression of MGMT and activation of Notch1 pathways. Conclusion HIF-1α downregulation sensitizes U251 glioma cells to the temozolomide treatment via inhibiting MGMT expression and Notch1 pathway activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis was considered as one of the important host defense mechanisms against mycobacteria infection. In macrophage, the main target cell of Mycobacterium tuberculosis , apoptosis after infection could help kill the bacillus inside and process the antigens for further presentation and proper immune response. Here, we identified a role of TLR8 during the apoptosis induced by Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) infection in THP-1 cells. Knockdown TLR8 further increased the apoptosis induced by BCG infection, and this enhanced apoptosis was caspase-dependent. During this process, Erk1/2, JNK and NFκB pathways were negatively affected and contributed to the enhanced apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescence-labeling technology has been widely used for rapid detection of pesticides in agricultural production. However, there are few studies on the use of this technology to investigate pesticide uptake and transport in plants with fluorescent nanoparticle formulations. Here, we investigated uptake, transport, accumulation and metabolism of imidacloprid loaded in fluorescent mesoporous SiO 2 nanoparticles (Im@FL-MSNs) in tomato plants, and compared the results with the pesticide application in granular formulation. The results revealed that Im@FL-MSNs applied via root uptake and foliar spray both could effectively transport in tomato plants and carry the imidacloprid to plant tissues. Neither Im@FL-MSNs nor imidacloprid was detected inside of tomato fruits from root uptake or foliar spray applications. Compared with the foliar application of granular formulation, imidacloprid in Im@FL-MSNs demonstrated a higher concentration in leaves (1.14 ± 0.07 mg/kg > 1.08 ± 0.04 mg/kg, 1.13 ± 0.09 mg/kg > 1.11 ± 0.02 mg/kg), longer half-life (0.84 d < 1.31 d, 0.90 d < 1.36 d) and small numbers of metabolites formed. These results suggest that mesoporous silica nanoparticles could serve as an effective and efficient pesticide carrier for achieving the high use efficiency in plant protection. The information is also helpful to guide the pesticide applications and assess the risks associated with environmental quality and dietary consumption of vegetables. [Display omitted] • Dynamic transport of Im@FL-MSNs in tomato was verified by fluorescence technology. • Morphological changes of silica nanoparticles in tomato were studied using TEM. • Metabolic mechanism of imidacloprid was verified by DFT and UPLC-MS/MS. • Im@FL-MSNs has a low risk of application on tomatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] An efficient dictionary learning method is proposed. [•] Fast kNN graph construction is well integrated with submodular dictionary learning. [•] The proposed method finds a balance between accuracy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a common residual organic pollutant in paddy soil, and its harmful effects on soil ecosystems have been confirmed. Humic acid (HA) could act as an electron shuttle to promote the reductive dechlorination of PCP under anaerobic conditions. Humic-like substances produced by composting of kitchen waste were able to facilitate the reductive dechlorination of PCP during Fe(III) oxide reduction by iron-reducing bacteria. However, the effects of compost-derived HAs on reductive dechlorination of PCP in a paddy soil system with a high iron content have not been fully confirmed. The characteristics of HAs from different stages of composting during bio-dechlorination of PCP were still unclear. The functional components of compost-derived HAs, which are responsible for reductive dechlorination of PCP in different stages of composting, also need further investigation. In this study, we conducted a series of experiments on the Guangdong paddy soil system with high iron content (17.5 mg kg−1) to investigate the reductive dechlorination of PCP by HA in the early, middle, and later stages of food waste composting. The results showed that the middle- and late-stages of compost-derived HAs all promoted reductive dechlorination of PCP in the paddy system, but it was opposite in the early-stage. Significant differences were also presented in the components of HAs from different stages of composting. The early-stage compost-derived HAs contain numerous easy degradable components, it would inhibit the dechlorination of PCP by the changes of microbial metabolism in paddy soil. Compost-derived HAs in the middle composting stage showed the best reductive dechlorination effects on PCP. The reason might be that the compost-derived HAs in the middle composting stage could act both as electron donors and transfers. The electron transfer capacities (ETC) of middle-stage compost-derived HAs were significantly higher than those in the early and later composting stages. Compared with the natural HAs in the soil system, compost-derived HAs contained more chlorinated products with lower toxicities after the PCP degradation. This result mainly contributed to the detoxification and mineralization of PCP in the soil. These findings clarified the effects of compost-derived HAs on PCP bio-dechlorination in paddy soil with high iron content, identifying the optimal phase of compost-derived HA and providing a theoretical basis for the utilization of kitchen waste composting as a resource of HA. [Display omitted] • The three stages of compost-derived HAs all promoted reductive dechlorination of PCP in the paddy system. • Middle-stage compost-derived HAs had the strongest reduction ability for PCP and best degradation effect. • The compost-derived HAs presented electron transfer function in the process of microbial anaerobic respiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Deposition, distribution and metabolism of chlorothalonil in cabbage under various application environments were elucidated. • Chlorothalonil underwent reductive dechlorination metabolism in cabbage. • Long-term or short-term dietary exposure to the first layer of cabbage leaves pose human health risks. Chlorothalonil is a fungicide commonly used to prevent and control leafy vegetable diseases. The residual distribution of chlorothalonil on cabbage is unclear and rarely reported. The spatiotemporal distribution of chlorothalonil was used to understand its environmental behavior in cabbage. The results of open-field experiments demonstrated that chlorothalonil was distributed primarily on the second and third layers of rosette leaves and the first layer of bulb leaves. The chlorothalonil residues on cabbage followed the order of winter > fall > summer, and heading stage > rosette stage > seedling stage. Chlorothalonil on cabbage underwent −OH substitution forming 4-hydroxychlorothalonil, and reductive dechlorination forming 2,4,5-trichloro-1,3-isophthalonitrile, 2,5-dichloro-1,3-isophthalonitrile, and 5-chloro-1,3-isophthalonitrile. The residues of chlorothalonil in the outermost leaves of cabbage bulb pose an unacceptable risk to human health via dietary exposure. This study contributes to better understanding on the fate and transformation chlorothalonil in cabbage and potential risks to human health via dietary consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Metal sulfides (MSs) have attracted much attention as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high sodium storage capacity. However, the unsatisfactory electrochemical performance induced by the huge volume change and sluggish kinetics hampered the practical application of SIBs. Herein, guided by the heterostructure interface engineering, novel multicomponent metal sulfide-based anodes, including SnS, FeS, and Fe 3 N embedded in N -doped carbon nanosheets (SnS/FeS/Fe 3 N/NC NSs), have been synthesized for high-performance SIBs. The as-prepared SnS/FeS/Fe 3 N/NC NSs with abundant heterointerfaces and high conductivity of N -doped carbon nanosheet matrix can shorten the Na+ diffusion path and promote reaction kinetics during the sodiation/desodiation process. Moreover, the presence of Fe 3 N can promote the reversible conversion of SnS and FeS during the cycling process. As a consequence, when evaluated as anode materials for SIBs, the SnS/FeS/Fe 3 N/NC NSs can maintain a high sodium storage capacity of 473.6 mAh g-1 after 600 cycles at 2.0 A g-1 and can still provide a high reversible capacity of 537.4 mAh g-1 even at 5.0 A g-1 This discovery offers a novel strategy for constructing metal sulfide-based anode materials for high-performance SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] As a renewable green energy, hydrogen has received widespread attention due to its huge potential in solving energy shortages and environment pollution. In this paper, a one-step solvothermal method was applied to grow ultra-thin g-C 3 N 4 (UCN) nanosheets and NiS nanoparticles on the surface of ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS). A ternary NiS/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ultra-thin-g-C 3 N 4 composite material with dual high-speed charge transfer channels was constructed for the advancement of the photocatalytic H 2 generation. The optimal ternary catalyst 1.5wt.%NiS/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ultra-thin-g-C 3 N 4 (NiS/ZIS/UCN) achieved a H 2 evolution yield reached to 5.02 mmolg−1h−1, which was 5.23 times superior than that of pristine ZnIn 2 S 4 (0.96 mmolg−1h−1) and even outperform than that of the best precious metal modified 3.0 wt%Pt/ZnIn 2 S 4 (4.08 mmolg−1h−1). The AQY at 420 nm could be achieved as high as 30.5%. The increased photocatalytic performance of NiS/ZIS/UCN could be ascribed to the type-I heterojunctions between intimated ZIS and UCN. In addition, NiS co-catalyst with large quantity of H 2 evolution sites, could result in efficient photo-induced charges separation and migration. Furthermore, the NiS/ZIS/UCN composite exhibited excellent H 2 evolution stability and recyclability. This work would also offer a reference for the design and synthesis of ternary co-catalyst with heterojunction composite for green energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac (DCF) is considered a contaminant of emerging concern. DCF can co-exist with heavy metals in aquatic environments, causing unexpected risks to aquatic organisms. This study aimed to assess the combined effects of DCF and cadmium (Cd) at environmentally relevant concentrations on the bioconcentration and status of oxidative stress and detoxification in Chironomus riparius larvae. The larvae were exposed to DCF (2 and 20 μg L−1) and Cd (5 and 50 μg L−1) alone or in mixtures for 48 h. The combined exposure to DCF and Cd was found to reciprocally facilitate the accumulation of each compound in larvae compared with single exposures. As indicated by the antioxidant enzyme activities, reduced glutathione levels, and malondialdehyde contents, the low concentration of the mixture (2 μg L−1 DCF + 5 μg L−1 Cd) did not alter the oxidative stress status in larvae, while the high concentration of the mixture (20 μg L−1 DCF + 50 μg L−1 Cd) induced stronger oxidative damage to larvae compared with single exposures. The expression levels of eight genes (CuZnSOD , MnSOD , CAT , GSTd3 , GSTe1 , GSTs4 , CYP4G , and CYP9AT2) significantly decreased due to the high concentration of the mixture compared with single exposures in most cases. Overall, the results suggest that the mixture of DCF and Cd might exert greater ecological risks to aquatic insects compared with their individual compounds. Image 1 • Combined effects of diclofenac and cadmium were assessed in C. riparius larvae. • The co-existence of diclofenac and cadmium reciprocally enhanced their accumulation. • The high-level mixture induced stronger oxidative damage to larvae. • The high-level mixture caused greater decreases in gene expressions in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GPR183/EBI2 is a key chemotactic receptor for the positioning of B cells in lymphoid organs, and also for the migration of T cells and other immune cells. Here, we demonstrate that the downregulation of GPR183 in macrophage induced during Mtb infection restrains the bacterial early infection and intracellular replication. Overexpression of GPR183 or stimulation with its natural ligand favors Mtb replication in macrophage, while treatment with its antagonist represses both Mtb early infection and intracellular replication. With mutational analysis, we find that substitution of Asp-73, Arg-83, Tyr-112, Tyr-256 abolished the promotive effect of GPR183 on Mtb early infection and replication in macrophage. In conclusion, we demonstrated that beside the known role of chemotaxis receptor, GPR183 also functions directly in the interaction between macrophage and Mtb in a cell-autonomous way. • Downregulation of GPR183 in macrophage restrains Mtb early infection and replication. • The antagonist NIBR189 represses Mtb early infection and replication. • Key residue mutations could abolish the promotive effect of GPR183 on Mtb infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

l -lysine is a basic amino acid that has been shown to exert neuroprotective effect. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigate how l -lysine exerts its neuroprotective effect in hemin-insulted mouse cortical neurons in vitro and the mouse model of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in vivo. We demonstrate that l -lysine treatment promotes M2 microglial polarization and reduces inflammatory response both in vitro and in vivo , suggesting that l -lysine may play a neuroprotective role in ICH injury. Indeed, we show that l -lysine treatment reduces cortical neuronal death after hemin insult in vitro and decrease the number of degenerating neurons after ICH in vivo. l -lysine also improves the functional recovery of ICH animals in neurobehavioral tests. Consistent with the role of PTEN in regulating inflammatory response, we find that PTEN inhibition promotes M2 microglial polarization and suppresses pro-inflammatory response in mouse ICH injury, which contribute to the neuroprotective effect of l -lysine. Moreover, our results reveal that microRNA-575 directly suppressed PTEN to promote M2 microglial polarization and mediate the neuroprotective effect of l -lysine in ICH injury. Together, our results suggest that l -lysine confers neuroprotection after ICH injury through enhancing M2 microglial polarization and reducing inflammatory response, which is mediated by microRNA-575 upregulation and subsequent PTEN downregulation. • l -lysine confers neuroprotection after mouse intracerebral hemorrhage injury. • l -lysine promotes M2 microglial polarization and reduces inflammatory response. • l -lysine upregulates miRNA-575 and downregulates PTEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ZnIn 2 S 4 @CdS photocatalyst with tuned catalytic sites promotes selective benzyl alcohol oxidation on the ZnIn 2 S 4 surface and H 2 evolution on the CdS surface. [Display omitted] Photocatalytic selective oxidation of alcohols into aldehydes and H 2 is a green strategy for obtaining both value-added chemicals and clean energy. Herein, a dual-purpose ZnIn 2 S 4 @CdS photocatalyst was designed and constructed for efficient catalyzing benzyl alcohol (BA) into benzaldehyde (BAD) with coupled H 2 evolution. To address the deep-rooted problems of pure CdS, such as high recombination of photogenerated carriers and severe photo-corrosion, while also preserving its superiority in H 2 production, ZnIn 2 S 4 with a suitable band structure and adequate oxidizing capability was chosen to match CdS by constructing a coupled reaction. As designed, the photoexcited holes (electrons) in the CdS (ZnIn 2 S 4) were spatially separated and transferred to the ZnIn 2 S 4 (CdS) by electrostatic pull from the built-in electric field, leading to expected BAD production (12.1 mmol g−1 h−1) at the ZnIn 2 S 4 site and H 2 generation (12.2 mmol g−1 h−1) at the CdS site. This composite photocatalyst also exhibited high photostability due to the reasonable hole transfer from CdS to ZnIn 2 S 4. The experimental results suggest that the photocatalytic transform of BA into BAD on ZnIn 2 S 4 @CdS is via a carbon-centered radical mechanism. This work may extend the design of advanced photocatalysts for more chemicals by replacing H 2 evolution with N 2 fixation or CO 2 reduction in the coupled reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) nuclear bodies (NBs) are dynamic and multiprotein complexes implicated in a variety of important biochemical events. Due to alternative mRNA splicing, PML has at least six nuclear isoforms that share a common N-terminus but differ in their C-terminal regions. However, the unique role of each PML isoform is not clear. Here, we report the characterization of the deubiquitinase ataxin-3 as a specific binding partner of PML isoform II (PML-II). Ataxin-3 was identified as a potential binding protein of PML-II in a yeast-hybrid screen employing the unique C-terminal region of PML-II as bait. Ataxin-3 only binds to the C-terminal region of PML-II and not that of other PML isoforms. The interaction between ataxin-3 and PML-II was confirmed by co-immunoprecipition assays, and immunofluorescent microscopy revealed that PML-II and ataxin-3 were co-localized in PML-NBs. In addition, PML-II not only interacts with ataxin-3 with a normal range of poly-Q repeats (13Q), but also with a pathological form of ataxin-3 with extended poly-Q repeats (79Q). Importantly, the deubiquitinase activity of ataxin-3 was inhibited by PML-II. Our results suggest that PML-II may be a negative regulator of ataxin-3. • The C-terminus of PML-II interacts with ataxin-3. • PML-II interacts with the full-length ataxin-3 independent on the expansion of PolyQ. • PML-II recruits ataxin-3 to PML-NBs in PML KO cells. • PML-II inhibits the DUB activity of ataxin-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have caused significant research attention due to their low redox potential of 0.76 V, high theoretical capacity of 820 mAh g−1. However, the dendrite growth of zinc anode and the side reactions caused by water seriously affect the cycle life of AZIBs. To solve the above problems, a new method of etching zinc anodes with CuCl 2 salt solution was designed, which the zinc anode was named CZn. The process resulted to a uniformly distributed micro gully morphology on the zinc surface, and providing an increased number of nucleation sites for zinc deposition and reducing local current density. The calculation results of exchange current density and activation energy show that CZn has stronger Zn/Zn2+ kinetic effect. At a current density of 5 mA cm−2 and an area capacity of 5 mAh cm−2, cycle life of the CZn symmetrical cell can reach 500 h, which is more than seven times that of the raw Zn symmetrical cell. This work proposes a simple method of zinc anode protection, which provides a new idea for zinc metal anode protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in breast cancer cell biological processes, including proliferation and apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of their target genes. Herein, we reported that miR-630 overexpression initiates apoptosis, blocks cell cycle progression and suppresses cell proliferation in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, BMI1, a member of polycomb group family, was identified as a direct target of miR-630, and there was a negative correlation between the expression levels of BMI1 and miR-630 in human breast cancer samples. With a series of biology approaches, subsequently, we proved that BMI1 was a functional downstream target of miR-630 and mediated the property of miR-630-dependent inhibition of breast cancer progression. Taken together, these findings provide further evidence on the tumor-suppression function of miR-630 in breast cancer, and clarify BMI1 as a novel functional target gene of miR-630. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) represents a significantly economical challenge to the swine industry worldwide. In this study, we investigated the importance of cellular and viral lipid rafts in PRRSV infection. First, we demonstrated that PRRSV glycoproteins, Gp3 and Gp4, were associated with lipid rafts during viral entry, and disruption of cellular lipid rafts inhibited PRRSV entry. We also showed the raft-location of CD163, which might contribute to the glycoproteins–raft association. Subsequently, raft disruption caused a significant reduction of viral RNA production. Moreover, Nsp9 was shown to be distributed in rafts, suggesting that rafts probably serve as a platform for PRRSV replication. Finally, we confirmed that disassembly of rafts on the virus envelope may affect the integrity of PRRSV particles and cause the leakage of viral proteins, which impaired PRRSV infectivity. These findings might provide insights on our understanding of the mechanism of PRRSV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CD161 elevated on T cells in Nasal Tissues. • CD161+ T cells in CRSwNPs tissues exhibited tissue-resident memory characteristics. • CD161+ T cells in CRSwNPs tissues expressed higher inhibitory functions. • Non-CD161+ T lymphocytes from nasal tissues had stronger regulatory function. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by local inflammation of the upper airway and sinus mucosa. T cell-mediated immune responses play irreplaceable roles in the pathogenesis of nasal polyps. CD161+ T cells have been implicated in the pathology of several diseases through cytokine production and cytotoxic activity. However, the immunological characteristics of CD161+ T cells in nasal mucosa are still not well understood, particularly in CRSwNPs. Our research revealed a notable enrichment of CD161+ T cells in nasal tissues compared to peripheral blood, with a significantly more infiltration of CD161+ T cells in CRSwNPs compared to control nasal samples. Phenotypical analysis found that CD161+ T cells predominantly co-expressed tissue-resident memory surface markers CD103, CD69, and CD45RO. CD161+CD103+ T cells demonstrated complicated effector functions, marked by elevated levels of PD-1, CTLA-4, IL-17, and IFN-γ and diminished expression of FoxP3 and CD25. Interestingly, despite CD161+ T cells was more abundant in polyp tissues compared to normal control tissues, and then further categorizing polyp samples into distinct groups based on clinical characteristics, only the recurrent CRSwNP group showed a significant reduction in CD161+CD8+ T cells compared to the primary CRSwNP group. This finding suggested the necessity for further research to comprehensively understand the underlying mechanisms and the broader significance of CD161+ T cells in the advancement and relapse of CRSwNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TIR-NBS-LRR (TNL) genes greatly affect plant growth and development. Ninety TNL-type genes were identified and characterized in Chinese cabbage ( Brassica rapa ssp . pekinensis ). Tissue-expression profiling revealed different expression levels in different tissues. qRT-PCR analysis revealed the expression patterns of 69 genes challenged by Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV): 42 genes were up-regulated, and 11 genes down-regulated; genes were grouped according to their different expression patterns. Sixteen candidate genes were identified as responding to TuMV infection. This study supplies information on resistance genes involved in Chinese cabbage's response against TuMV, and furthers the understanding of resistance mechanisms in B. rapa crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato protein (PP) was modified with laccase or tyrosinase to obtain covalent cross-linking structures, and then the blends of native/enzyme-treated protein and potato starch (PS) with different ratios were prepared. The FT-IR results suggested the interactions between protein and starch strengthened after enzyme treatment. The relative crystalline raised to 26–29% after the protein mixing with starch. The thermal degradation temperatures of the blends of enzyme-treated protein and PS (296.71–312.91 °C) were apparently lower than that of the blends of PP:PS (312.31–312.76 °C). Compared to the blends of PP:PS, the peak viscosity, trough viscosity and final viscosity of the blends of enzyme-treated protein and PS decreased by 12.7–41.1%. The blends of enzyme-treated protein and PS had a lower storage modulus than native blends. The outcome would provide a view on the theoretical basis of interactions between protein and starch in exploring favorable potato staple foods. •Covalent cross-linking structure in potato protein was formed by enzyme treatment. •The native/enzyme-treated protein was blended with potato starch with different ratios. •The blends of enzyme-treated protein and starch had lower thermostability. •The blends of enzyme-treated protein and starch had lower paste viscosity. •The blends of enzyme-treated protein and starch had lower storage and loss moduli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency estimation of multi-tone exponential signals plays important roles in vast applications. However, mutual spectral interference among tones (especially for cases of densely distributed tones) severely deteriorates the estimation accuracy. To address this problem, we propose a progressive spectral leakage shrinking-based multi-tone estimator derived from a range-controlled single-tone estimator. Based on deducing an interpolator with controllable range flexibility, our proposed iterative single-tone estimator acquires high accuracy via frequency shift and compensation operations, highlighting the effect of shrinking spectral leakage. Furthermore, in the multi-tone estimator design, it is necessary to construct two types of residual signals iteratively (i.e., descending residual and exclusive residual), which are fed into our proposed range-controlled single-tone estimator to output the frequency estimates. Both the residual construction and the callback of the single-tone estimator facilitate the progressive spectral leakage shrinking as the iteration proceeds, which together entitles our multi-tone estimator with the characteristic of automatically suppressing mutual spectral interference without any prior information. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed multi-tone estimator overall outperforms the existing estimators in accuracy, suppressing mutual spectral interference and robustness in dense spectrum recognition, etc., presenting the proposed multi-tone estimator with vast potential in future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It's still a challenge to design reasonably efficient catalyst using non-noble metal for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this paper, we use a simple one-step electrodeposition method to load Ce and S co-doped NiFe amorphous alloys onto Cu(OH) 2 nanorod arrays. The excellent oxygen electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst NiFeCeS/Cu(OH) 2 /CuF is attributed to the electronic environments of the active sites of Ni and Fe regulated by heteroatomic sulfur and cerium, which promote the transfer of the oxygen precipitation intermediates to the higher valence states. Meanwhile, the highly conductive substrate accelerates the electron transfer efficiency of the catalyst material, and the loose nanostructure increases the specific surface area, exposing more active sites. NiFeCeS/Cu(OH) 2 /CuF shows outsanding electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution with a low overpotential of 227 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline medium. Moreover, the nanocomposite catalyst also exhibits rapid reaction kinetics and long-term stability and durability. In this work, an efficient oxygen precipitation catalyst is reported, which indicates that non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts have great potential for application in water electrolysis and provides a basis for the rational design and synthesis of nanorod array catalysts with unique structures. Using a simple one-step electrodeposition method to load Ce and S co-doped NiFe amorphous alloys onto Cu(OH) 2 nanorod arrays. NiFeCeS/Cu(OH) 2 /CuF shows outsanding electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution with a low overpotential of 227 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline medium. [Display omitted] • Co-doping of Ce and S improved the intrinsic activity of NiFe catalysts. • Cu(OH) 2 nanorods increase the number of active sites in catalysts. • The one-step co-deposition technique is simple, efficient and repeatable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For indoor close-range high-accuracy attitude measurement using inertial and vision sensors, the major challenge is to achieve a reliable attitude in various scenarios, specifically in the absence of vision information. To address this challenge, we present a fusion strategy for reliable attitude measurement using a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope and camera, particularly during discontinuous vision observations. The proposed algorithm consecutively executes update and prediction modes. In the update mode, when both inertial and visual data are available, the complete Kalman Filter (KF) conducts the entire filtering process and updates residual and state errors. In the absence of visual data, the partial KF operates only when the time update and filtering state vectors are compensated by the transfer residual, which is estimated through self-propagating state error. The parameters of least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM-NARX) continuously update until the next discontinuous vision observation occurs, with the desired outputs and inner inputs being the error angles and the exogenous inputs being the gyroscope values and time. In the prediction mode, without visual data, LSSVM-NARX can provide estimated angle errors between the complete and partial KFs, which are used to eliminate errors from partial KF output vectors to obtain a reliable and accurate attitude solution. Comparisons and extensive semi-physical simulation experiments under various motion trajectories were performed to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed scheme in an accurate and reliable attitude measurement capability associated with discontinuous observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogens commonly enter mucosal barrier tissues and tissue-resident memory T cells (T RM) are essential for preventing mucosal lesions. However, the immunological properties of T RM cells in nasal mucosa are poorly known. In comparison with control tissues, decreasing CD103+ T RM cells were observed in Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs) and sinonasal inverted papilloma (SNIP), which presented high capability to produce effector cytokines. In CRSwNPs, we found that CD103+ T RM cells with higher cytokine and Granzyme B coexpressed high PD-1, CD103− T RM cells expressed higher IL-10. Homogenates isolated from CRSwNPs induced CD103 expression on peripheral T cells which could be inhibited by blocking TGF-β. The frequencies of CD103+ T RM cells in CRSwNPs were extremely negatively correlated with neutrophil infiltration. CD103+ T RM cells from Staphylococcus aureus positive CRSwNPs had a stronger response to SEB. Taken together, two phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets of T RM cells exist in nasal tissues and play critical roles in the progress of CRSwNPs and SNIPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining usually brought polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination. Relationships between the concentration of PAHs, bacterial communities and soil environmental factors were important for bioremediation of PAHs in soil. Total 4 kinds of soil samples with different concentrations of PAHs were selected from 7 typical coal gangue（CG） sites in Huainan, Anhui Province. The relationships between microorganisms, dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and PAHs concentration were systematically analyzed in this work. Total 11 kinds of PAHs were enriched in the soil surface layer. That was attributed to the strong binding of soil organic matter (SOM) to PAHs. PAHs contamination reduced the diversity of soil microbial. The abundance of PAHs-degrading genera such as Arthrobacter decreased with the increasing concentration of PAHs. Mycobacterium increased with the increasing concentration of PAHs in all samples. The microbial activities decreased with increasing concentration of PAHs. The increasing contents of LWM-PAHs and DOM were beneficial to improve the activities of soil microbial. The increasing DOM aromaticity was beneficial to improve the bioavailability of PAHs according to the correlation analysis between PAHs content and DOM structural parameters. The obtained results provide a basis for better understanding the contamination characteristics and microbial communities of coal gangue PAH-contaminated sites. [Display omitted] • The PAHs enriched in the soil surface in coal mining areas. • HMW-PAHs contamination inhibited the microbial activities in soil. • Increasing LWM-PAHs and DOM content might be beneficial for enhancing microbial activities. • PAHs contamination enhanced humification and aromaticity of SOM. • High humification and aromaticity of DOM promoted PAHs degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermodynamic parameters at infinite dilution for 26 solutes in IL were calculated. • Based on the γ 12 ∞ results, the S 12 ∞ and K 12 ∞ were calculated for four separation problems. • The value of δ 2 was consistent with Hansen solubility parameter at room temperature. • The δ p , δ d , δ h values were determined based on the method proposed by Voelkel and Janas. The thermodynamic parameters at infinite dilution for twenty-six organic solutes in 1-allyl-3-vinylimidazolium bis((trifluorompropyl)sulfonyl)imide ([AVIM][NTf 2) ionic liquid were determined by the inverse gas chromatography (IGC). The parameters encompassed the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (γ 12 ∞), the activity coefficient at infinite dilution (γ 12 ∞), the thermodynamic functions (Δ H 1 E , ∞ , Δ S 1 E , ∞ ) and the Hildebrand solubility parameter (δ 2) in the temperature range of 313.15 K − 343.15 K. The values of selectivity and capacity for four separation problems as heptane (1)/benzene (2), cyclohexane (1)/benzene(2), benzene(1)/ methanol(2) , hexane(1) /1-hexene(2) were calculated from γ 12 ∞ and compared to literature values for bis((trifluorompropyl)sulfonyl)imide-based ionic liquids (ILs) for the same separation problems. The Hansen solubility parameter (δ T) and its partial solubility parameters (δ d , δ p , δ h) were also determined based on the method proposed by Voelkel and Janas. It was found that for tested solutes, the value of χ 12 ∞ was less than 4 and γ 12 ∞ value was less than 25 except for the n -alkanes. The five types of solubility parameters showed a linear decrease trend with the increase of temperature and the solubility parameters at room temperature were obtained as δ 2 = 23.27, δ T = 23.21, δ d = 22.78, δ p = 3.366, δ h = 2.486 (MPa)1/2 by the extrapolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NDRG2 was up-regulated in a spinal nerve ligation rat model for neuropathic pain. • Suppression of NDRG2 expression alleviated neuropathic pain. • NDRG2 alteration was associated with changes in GLT-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines. • Inhibition of JAK/STAT3 pathway attenuated NDRG2-induced neuropathic pain. Activation of astrocytes and abnormal synaptic glutamate metabolism are closely associated with the induction and maintenance of neuropathic pain (NP), but the exact mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2), a novel tumor-suppressor protein and stress-response gene, is involved in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. However, its role in nociceptive transduction has rarely been investigated. Here, we found that NDRG2, which was mainly expressed in the astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS), was increased in the spinal cord of a spinal nerve ligation (SNL) rat model for NP. Suppression of NDRG2 by intrathecal injection of an NDRG2-RNAi-adenovirus significantly alleviated SNL-induced mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity, as well as elevated astrocytic glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) expression and downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, in the spinal dorsal horn of rats on Day 10 after SNL. Furthermore, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated primary astrocytic cultures derived from neonatal rats, inhibition of NDRG2 significantly reversed both the LPS-induced activation of astrocytes and decreased expression of GLT-1. By contrast, overexpression of NDRG2 by an adenoviral vector carrying NDRG2 resulted in astrocytic activation, aberrant glutamatergic neurotransmission, and spontaneous nociceptive responses in rats. Intrathecal injection of AG490, which is an inhibitor of the Janus tyrosine kinase and signal transducer and activator of the transcription 3 (JAK/STAT3) signaling pathway, significantly attenuated both mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, as well as inhibited reactive astrocytes and restored normal expression levels of astrocytic GLT-1, in the spinal dorsal horn of NDRG2-overexpression rats. In conclusion, spinal astrocytic NDRG2 is critical in the maintenance of NP. Moreover, NDRG2 modulates astrocytic activation and inflammatory responses via regulating GLT-1 expression through the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. Our findings suggested that NDRG2 could be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dual-model instead of traditional single model comprised of CKF-MLP and RBF-CKF algorithms is proposed for position and velocity error compensation during GPS outages. • CKF is added in MLP to reduce network errors and improve modelling accuracy by estimating the weights of MLP adaptively for training process which is termed as CKF-MLP algorithm. • RBF is added in CKF to predict the errors caused by filter itself and improve INS error compensation accuracy which is termed as RBF-CKF algorithm. To improve the performance of a microelectromechanical-system (MEMS)-based inertial navigation system (INS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) integrated navigation system, a dual optimization scheme comprising a cubature Kalman filter (CKF)-multiple layer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF)-CKF is proposed for the compensation of position and velocity errors during GPS outages. The proposed method has advantages: (i) The generalization ability of the CKF-MLP is much better than that of other methods, such as the extended Kalman filter (EKF)-MLP and unscented Kalman filter (UKF)-MLP, and the proposed CKF-MLP provides highly accurate position information even during long GPS outages; (ii) The accuracy of the error estimation of the RBF-CKF is higher than that of other neural-network-assisted CKF methods, such as the Adaboost-CKF and random forest (RF)-CKF, and the proposed CKF-MLP can estimate the weights of the MLP adaptively and achieve an appropriate internal structure when the GPS signal is available; (iii) The RBF is added to the CKF to establish the relationship between filter parameters and estimation error in the proposed RBF-CKF; (iv) During a GPS outage, position errors and velocity errors are predicted and compensated for in the proposed dual optimization scheme. Field test data are collected to evaluate the proposed solution. Experimental results show that (i) the root-mean-square error of the velocity for an eastern position is reduced by 77% to 0.34 m/s using the proposed CKF-MLP strategy; (ii) the root-mean-square error of a northern position determined by the proposed RBF-CKF remains at 23.11 m even during long outages of 500 s, and the RBF-CKF effectively suppresses the divergence seen for other methods; and (iii) the dual optimization process using different estimators provides better error compensation results than a single optimization method, which demonstrates that the proposed solution leads to the better performance of a MEMS-based INS/GPS navigation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-in-one supercapacitors constitute an indispensable part in adapting to the rapid development of flexible energy storage equipment. Herein, an all-in-one configured PANI supercapacitor with a dynamic electrode/electrolyte interface was designed through hydrogen bonds and metal coordination bonds. The supercapacitor exhibits remarkable electrochemical capacitance (162 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, 137.4 mF cm−2 at 0.5 A cm−2) and excellent structural stabilities (almost no degradation in performance and structural damage in the cases of bending, folding, stretching and self-healing process). Besides, the hydrogel electrode can be efficiently recycled through a convenient method without virtual loss of electrochemical performance. Construction of the dynamic interface inside the supercapacitor provides a practical guidance for large-scale preparation of flexible energy storage devices, electronic skin and stretchable sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil environment is a critical component of the global ecosystem and is essential for nutrient cycling and energy flow. Various physical, chemical, and biological processes occur in the soil and are affected by environmental factors. Soil is vulnerable to pollutants, especially emerging pollutants, such as microplastics (MPs). MPs pollution has become a significant environmental problem, and its harm to human health and the environment cannot be underestimated. However, most studies on MPs pollution have focused on marine ecosystems, estuaries, lakes, rivers, and other aquatic environments, whereas few considered the effects and hazards of MPs pollution of the soil, especially the responses of different environmental factors to MPs. In addition, when many MPs pollutants produced by agricultural activities (mulching film, organic fertilizer) and atmospheric sedimentation enter the soil environment, it will cause changes in soil pH, organic matter composition, microbial community, enzyme activity, animals and plants and other environmental factors. However, due to the complex and changeable soil environment, the heterogeneity is very strong. The changes of environmental factors may react on the migration, transformation and degradation of MPs, and there are synergistic or antagonistic interactions among different factors. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the specific effects of MPs pollution on soil properties to clarify the environmental behavior and effects of MPs. This review focuses on the source, formation, and influencing factors of MPs pollution in soil and summarizes its effect and influence degree on various soil environmental factors. The results provide research suggestions and theoretical support for preventing or controlling MPs soil pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The impact of electron injection on vertical leakage current of GaN-on-Si epitaxial layers with an AlN interlayer has been investigated. At high electric field, the AlN interlayer as an energy barrier can suppress the injection of electrons from the silicon substrate into the top buffer layers, and eventually a vertical leakage was reduced by two orders of magnitude at 600 V. At low electric field, the holes flow via dislocations, and prevent the formation of a negative depletion region at the top GaN layer increasing the leakage. The correlation between the vertical leakage and the buffer-related trapping has also been clarified by ramped back-gating characterizations. Highlights • The vertical leakage was reduced by two orders of magnitude at 600 V with an AlN interlayer. • At high electric field, the results indicate that the electron injection plays a key role on vertical leakage. • At low field, the hole flowing via dislocations could increase the leakage for sample with an AlN interlayer. • The buffer related trapping effect is suppressed by inserting an AlN interlayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Aberrant expression of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) has been reported in several hematologic malignancies. However, the prognostic significance of IRF4 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unknown. Methods IRF4 protein expression in ESCC tumor specimens was determined immunohistochemically. The correlation of IRF4 expression with clinico-pathological features was assessed from a cohort of 100 patients with primary ESCC. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between IRF4 expression and patient survival. Results A Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with high IRF4 expression had a significantly longer overall survival rate than those with low IRF4 expression (p = 0.0006). Furthermore, multi-variate analyses revealed that IRF4 protein expression is an independent prognostic indicator for ESCC patients. Conclusion Our results suggest that increased IRF4 protein expression correlates with improved outcome in ESCC. IRF4 may therefore represent a promising prognostic biomarker and potential immuno-therapeutic target for patients with ESCC. Highlights • Increased expression of IRF4 is closely related to improved ESCC outcome. • IRF4 serve as an independent predictor of a positive prognosis in ESCC patients. • IRF4 may represent a promising prognostic biomarker and potential immuno-therapeutic target for ESCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A genome-based systematic analysis combined with phenotypic experiments was conducted to evaluate the safety properties and metabolic characteristics of Streptococcus thermophilus DMST-H2, isolated from Chinese traditional homemade yogurt in Inner Mongolia. Comparative genomic analysis showed that DMST-H2 had a closer genetic relationship with S. thermophilus KLDS.3.1003 based on the sequence similarities of the 1193 core-genes. No genes related to antibiotic resistance and virulence factor as well as no complete biogenic amine biosynthesis gene clusters were identified in DMST-H2 genome. DMST-H2 was sensitive to various antibiotics and had no hemolytic activity and no biogenic amine production capacity, confirming that DMST-H2 is safe and non-toxic. In addition, multiple genes for carbohydrate metabolism were predicted, including various carbohydrate-active enzymes and sugar transporters that could be involved in the transport of multiple carbon sources. Two exopolysaccharide (EPS) gene clusters (eps-1 and rgp-2) were also detected, indicating that DMST-H2 has the potential to synthesize heteropolysaccharides. Gene functional features revealed a cyclic antimicrobial peptide related gene cluster in DMST-H2, which displayed high identities with the streptide biosynthesis gene cluster as previously reported. Our comprehensive analysis of the whole genome and corresponding phenotypes of S. thermophilus DMST-H2 provides important theoretical basis for its application in food products. • Comparative genomic analysis of S. thermophilus DMST-H2 was displayed. • Systematic analysis of its safety and metabolism characteristics based on phenotype and genotype. • Two exopolysaccharide (EPS) gene clusters were found in the genome of S. thermophilus DMST-H2. • Carbohydrate metabolism pathways were predicted in the genome of S. thermophilus DMST-H2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]