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In this paper, a carbon dot hydrogel composite (CDs-Hy) capable of efficiently removing Pb(II) was prepared by hydrogen bonding self-assembly in combination with carbon dots and a hydrogel. CDs-Hy was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the effect of the adsorption conditions on the adsorption efficiency of CDs-Hy was studied. The results of the study showed that the incorporation of carbon dots, on the one hand, significantly increased the adsorption capacity of the material. On the other hand, it can increase the stability of hydrogels in aqueous solution. The possible adsorption mechanisms were further verified as ion exchange and coordination. CDs-Hy is a novel adsorbent material capable of removing Pb2+efficiently, which can be reused several times with high stability.

Since starch digestion in the small intestine provides more energy than digestion in the rumen of ruminants, reducing dietary rumen degradable starch (RDS) content is beneficial for improving energy utilization of starch in ruminants. The present study tested whether the reduction of rumen degradable starch by restricting dietary corn processing for growing goats could improve growth performance, and further investigated the possible underlying mechanism. In this study, twenty-four 12-wk-old goats were selected and randomly allocated to receive either a high RDS diet (HRDS, crushed corn-based concentrate, the mean of particle sizes of corn grain = 1.64 mm, n = 12) or a low RDS diet (LRDS, non-processed corn-based concentrate, the mean of particle sizes of corn grain >8 mm, n = 12). Growth performance, carcass traits, plasma biochemical indices, gene expression of glucose and amino acid transporters, and protein expression of the AMPK-mTOR pathway were measured. Compared to the HRDS, LRDS tended to increase the average daily gain (ADG, P = 0.054) and decreased the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G, P < 0.05). Furthermore, LRDS increased the net lean tissue rate (P < 0.01), protein content (P < 0.05) and total free amino acids (P < 0.05) in the biceps femoris (BF) muscle of goats. LRDS increased the glucose concentration (P < 0.01), but reduced total amino acid concentration (P < 0.05) and tended to reduce blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration (P = 0.062) in plasma of goats. The mRNA expression of insulin receptors (INSR), glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) and 4F2 heavy chain (4F2hc) in BF muscle, and sodium-glucose cotransporters 1 (SGLT1) and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) in the small intestine were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in LRDS goats. LRDS also led to marked activation of p70-S6 kinase (S6K) (P < 0.05), but lower activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (P < 0.05) and eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (P < 0.01). Our findings suggested that reducing the content of dietary RDS enhanced postruminal starch digestion and increased plasma glucose, thereby improving amino acid utilization and promoting protein synthesis in the skeletal muscle of goats via the AMPK-mTOR pathway. These changes may contribute to improvement in growth performance and carcass traits in LRDS goats.

In this study, new red light-emitting carbon dots (R-CDs) that can selectively recognize Cr(vi) were prepared using a strategy that utilizes 2,4-diaminophenol to enhance the fluorescence of O-phenylenediamine based carbon dots. The results showed that 2,4-diaminophenol increased the quantum yield (QY) of the carbon quantum dots (CDs), and that the QY of the CDs increased from their original value of 8.7% to 20.1% (R-CDs). The R-CDs show sensitivity to acidic conditions and maintain good linearity between pH = 1.00–4.00, making them useful as pH probes. Furthermore, the prepared R-CDs possess good solubility in water and are responsive to changes in Cr(vi) concentrations in aqueous environments. The quenching of the R-CDs fluorescence was linearly correlated with the Cr(vi) concentration within a range of 0–20 μM, with a lower detection limit of 66 nM. The detection mechanism is attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonds between Cr(vi) and the R-CDs, resulting in the fluorescence quenching of the R-CDs. The R-CDs can be considered effective multifunctional fluorescent probes for both pH and Cr(vi) in aqueous environments. This study will provide new R-CD design strategies for probes that selectively identify specific target substances.

There is a high incidence of postoperative sleep and sleep architecture disorders in patients undergoing surgery, and dexmedetomidine (DEX) is commonly used to improve postoperative sleep quality and ameliorate the adverse effects of poor sleep on various organ systems. The continuous intraoperative intravenous infusion of DEX, the addition of DEX to postoperative intravenous analgesia pumps, and the continuous infusion of DEX after admission to the intensive care unit are often used clinically to improve postoperative sleep quality at doses of 0.1 to 0.7 μg/kg/hour, but the effects of DEX on sleep quality and structure identified in these studies have been inconsistent. Thus, it is unclear whether DEX improves postoperative sleep quality. The various methods of administering DEX to improve postoperative sleep quality have differing effects, the route used modifies the effect of DEX on sleep structure, and the intrinsic mechanism whereby DEX improves sleep quality remains to be fully investigated. In the present review, we describe new directions for future research into the effects of DEX on postoperative sleep quality and the mechanisms involved, which should help guide the design of further studies. This narrative review was completed according to the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA).

Metastasis is the leading cause of death of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Although an increasing number of studies have demonstrated the involvement of G3BP2 in several human cancers, how G3BP2 interacts with long noncoding RNAs and regulates mRNA transcripts in mediating ESCC metastasis remains unclear. In this study, we uncovered that G3BP2 was upregulated in ESCC. Further analysis revealed that upregulation of G3BP2 was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, depth of tumor invasion and unfavorable outcomes in ESCC patients. Both in vitro and in vivo functional assays demonstrated that G3BP2 dramatically enhanced ESCC cell migration and invasion. Mechanistically, LINC01554 maintained the high G3BP2 expression in ESCC by protecting G3BP2 from degradation through ubiquitination and the interaction domains within LINC01554 and G3BP2 were identified. In addition, RNA-seq revealed that HDGF was regulated by G3BP2. G3BP2 bound to HDGF mRNA transcript to stabilize its expression. Ectopic expression of HDGF effectively abolished the G3BP2 depletion-mediated inhibitory effect on tumor cell migration. Intriguingly, introduction of compound C108 which can inhibit G3BP2 remarkedly suppressed ESCC cell metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, this study describes a newly discovered regulatory axis, LINC01554/G3BP2/HDGF, that facilitates ESCC metastasis and will provide novel therapeutic strategies for ESCC.

Trimap generation is currently playing an important role in the field of image matting. The current trimap generation methods cannot adaptively adjust the classification thresholds, and ignore the nonlocal correlations between pixels. Besides, they also need finely provided trimaps. This paper raises a dual-level trimap generation approach which requires sparse user inputs. The first level introduces a unary data term from adaptive learned thresholds combined with local spatial constraints to effectively overcome the drawback of fixed threshold methods. The second level introduces a smoothness term from a nonlocal affinity for foreground probability estimation, and a pixel correlation constraint is computed and added to the data term. The foreground probability is finally solved in a closed form solution and truncated to generate the final trimap. In the experiments, firstly, this approach raises a novel trimap evaluation criterion according to the two classic terms of missing and false classifications. Based on this criterion, the final trimaps generated by our approach are better than those generated by other methods. Secondly, in the final matting process from four typical matting algorithms, the matting results from the trimaps by our approach are still better than those from the trimaps by other trimap generation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under iron-deficiency stress, which occurs frequently in natural aquatic environments, cyanobacteria reduce the amount of iron-enriched proteins, including photosystem I (PSI) and ferredoxin (Fd), and upregulate the expression of iron-stress-induced proteins A and B (IsiA and flavodoxin (Fld)). Multiple IsiAs function as the peripheral antennae that encircle the PSI core, whereas Fld replaces Fd as the electron receptor of PSI. Here, we report the structures of the PSI3–IsiA18–Fld3and PSI3–IsiA18supercomplexes from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942, revealing features that are different from the previously reported PSI structures, and a sophisticated pigment network that involves previously unobserved pigment molecules. Spectroscopic results demonstrated that IsiAs are efficient light harvesters for PSI. Three Flds bind symmetrically to the trimeric PSI core—we reveal the detailed interaction and the electron transport path between PSI and Fld. Our results provide a structural basis for understanding the mechanisms of light harvesting, energy transfer and electron transport of cyanobacterial PSI under stressed conditions.

Postruminal intestinal inflammation and hindgut acidosis caused by increased dietary starch supply and thereby increased quantities of ruminal degradable starch (RDS) in ruminants have been widely studied. Although the roles of the microbiota in mediating hindgut health that are focused on the hindgut have been widely studied, the absence of whole gastrointestinal insight may influence the depth of research. We integrated the microbiome, metabolome, and host transcriptome changes in the rumen, jejunum, ileum, and colon to investigate the contributions of foregut changes to hindgut gene expression driven by gastrointestinal microbiota and metabolite flow. Forty goats were randomly assigned to receive either a low rumen degradable starch diet (LRDS, RDS=13.85%, n=20) or a high rumen degradable starch diet (HRDS, RDS=20.74%, n=20). Compared with the high RDS (HRDS) group, the low RDS (LRDS) group significantly decreased the diarrheal rate. Based on the mean values of the fecal scores, 6 represented goats of LRDS group (fecal scores=4.58±0.120) and 6 represented goats of HRDS group (fecal scores=3.53±0.343) were selected for sampling and subsequent analysis. LRDS had significantly decreased the colonic pathologic scores. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that LRDS reduced jejunal, ileal, and colonic inflammatory responses. An increase in beneficial commensals and a decreased abundance of pathogenic genera in the small intestine and hindgut were found in goats fed the LRDS diet using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. To identify microbial transmission as well as the transmission of microbial metabolites, 8 genera were identified as core genera according to their calculated niche width. Metabolomics analysis revealed that a total of 554 metabolites were identified among different gastrointestinal sites. Then, metabolites were incorporated into 3 modules: metabolites increased in the current site (ICS), unchanged inflow metabolites in the current site (UICS), and metabolites decreased in the current site (DCS). The results indicated that the UICS metabolites contributed more than 10% to host gene expression in the jejunum, ileum, and colon. When we further focused on the effects of colonic UICS metabolites on the colonic immune-related differentially expressed genes, the results indicated that 1-palmitoylglycerol and deoxycholic acid contributed 60.74% and 11.5% to the colonic immune-related differentially expressed genes, respectively. Our findings provide a preliminary framework of microbial effects that includes the microbiota and their metabolite changes, especially reduced 1-palmitoylglycerol and deoxycholic acid, in the former gastrointestinal tract that could be involved in the alleviation of colonic inflammation in goats fed LRDS diets.

This article utilizes a double dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) technology to enhance the removal of five commonly found highly toxic organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) by modifying carbon-based materials. This study investigated the adsorption performance of carbon-based materials modified under various discharge times, frequencies, and voltage conditions on five different OPFRs. Before the modification, the adsorption amount of TPP was only 0.56 mg/g, but the modification significantly improved the adsorption effect of TPP to 14.8 mg/g. Furthermore, the overall adsorption amount of the flame retardants with five different polarities increased by 70.51 mg/g. The study also examined the adsorption kinetics and isotherms, the dosage effect, and the adsorption mechanism and reusability of the modified carbon materials for OPFRs. In the end, the study found that the optimal adsorption capacity for 5 types of OPFRs was achieved at a voltage frequency of 8 kHz, a voltage of 12 kV, and 15 min. The fitting kinetic and isotherm model determines that chemical adsorption is the main mechanism supplemented by physical adsorption, and Langmuir and Freundlich provide better fitting for the adsorption isotherms. The material exhibits a favorable pore structure, high adsorption capacity, and stable regenerative adsorption performance. The adsorption mechanism for OPFRs involves pore filling, hydrogen bonding, π - π conjugation, and strong electrostatic interaction. The optimal adsorption capacity is 109.81 mg/g. This study provides a new strategy for synthesizing activated carbon materials with broad polarity. The relative standard deviation of all experiments did not exceed 2.88 %.

During oxygenic photosynthesis, photosystems I and II (PSI and PSII) are essential for light-driven electron transport. Excitation energy transfer in PSI occurs extremely quickly, making it an efficient energy converter. In the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii(Cr), multiple units of light-harvesting complex I (LHCI) bind to the PSI core and function as peripheral antennae, forming a PSI–LHCI supercomplex. CrPSI–LHCI shows significantly larger antennae compared with plant PSI–LHCI while maintaining highly efficient energy transfer from LHCI to PSI. Here, we report structures of CrPSI–LHCI, solved by cryo-electron microscopy, revealing that up to ten LHCIs are associated with the PSI core. The structures provide detailed information about antenna organization and pigment arrangement within the supercomplexes. Highly populated and closely associated chlorophylls in the antennae explain the high efficiency of light harvesting and excitation energy transfer in CrPSI–LHCI.

Cell transplantation holds considerable promise for end‐stage liver diseases but identifying a suitable, transplantable cell type has been problematic. Here, we describe a novel type of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from human adipose tissue. These cells are different from previously reported MSCs, they are in the euchromatin state with epigenetic multipotency, and express pluripotent markers MYC, KLF4, and GMNN. Most of the genes associated with germ layer specification are modified by H3K4me3 or co‐modified by H3K4me3 and H3K27me3. We named this new type of MSCs as adult multipotent adipose‐derived stem cells (M‐ADSCs). Using a four‐step nonviral system, M‐ADSCs can be efficiently Induced into hepatocyte like cells with expression of hepatocyte markers, drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters, and the other basic functional properties including albumin (ALB) secretion, glycogen storage, detoxification, low‐density lipoprotein intake, and lipids accumulation. In vivo both M‐ADSCs‐derived hepatoblasts and hepatocytes could form vascularized liver‐like tissue, secrete ALB and express metabolic enzymes. Single‐cell RNA‐seq was used to investigate the important stages in this conversion. M‐ADSCs could be converted to a functionally multipotent state during the preinduction stage without undergoing reprogramming process. Our findings provide important insights into mechanisms underlying cell development and conversion. Stem Cells Translational Medicine2018;7:792–805 (A) The process of specialization of multipotent adipose‐derived stem cells (M‐ADSCs) to liver cells was speculated that will go through the activation, specialization, and maturation stages. (B) The single‐cell RNA‐seq was used to examine the underlying molecular mechanisms during hepatic differentiation and identified important events. (C) The schematic shows the actual differentiation pattern of M‐ADSCs conversion to hepatocyte like cells.

Bacterial binary cell division requires accurate placement of division machinery. FtsZ, a vital component of the division machinery, can assemble into filaments and self-organize into a ring structure (Z ring) at the appropriate site for cell division. MapZ, a recently identified FtsZ regulator in Streptococcaceae, has been found to localize at the midcell where it helps to properly position the FtsZ ring. However, its mechanism is still unclear. Here, by using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, super-resolution imaging, and single molecule tracking, we investigated the mechanism by which MapZ controls the position of the FtsZ ring. Our results show that FtsZ exhibits a dynamic treadmilling motion in S. mutans. Importantly, depletion of MapZ leads to the unconstrained movement of treadmilling FtsZ filaments and a shorter lifetime of the constricting FtsZ ring, which is frequently misplaced. Furthermore, by revealing that MapZ forms an immobile ring-like nanostructure at the division site, our study suggests that MapZ forms a stable ring that acts as a nanotrack to guide and restrict treadmilling FtsZ filaments in S. mutans.

For increasing accuracy rate of landing risk assessment of carrier-based aircraft, this article is committed to research on landing risk assessment of carrier-based aircraft based on mean-variance dynamic multi-attribute decision making. Attribute values are provided in the form of triangle fuzzy number. Mean sort values is acquired by formula of possibility degree and order. For solving a problem of the same or similar orders, the improved method combines mean and variance, analyzing and judging, getting alternatives rank. Finally, the feasibility and availability of the improved method is proved by simulation results.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image target measurement technology is widely used in military, traffic, environmental monitoring, security and other fields, and has important application value. The characteristics of UAV aerial images, such as many kinds of targets and large-scale changes, bring great challenges to target recognition. Common UAV image target measurement algorithms are complex and cannot be well deployed to UAV platform. Aiming at the above two problems, a lightweight UAV image target detection algorithm was proposed in this study. Based on YOLOv3-SPP, a measuring head suitable for UAV image was designed. Combined with ASFF adaptive feature fusion method, an adaptive feature fusion method ASFF Small was proposed. Meanwhile, a new loss function SIoU was introduced to accelerate the convergence speed and improve the accuracy of the model. Bottleneck module was improved by depth separable convolution to reduce the computational complexity and complexity of the model. A large number of experiments on VisDrone open data set show that the method reduces the parameters of baseline model by 53% and the number of floating-point operations by 46.6%, respectively, and achieves a mean average accuracy (mAP) of 42.5%. Compared with the baseline algorithm, it improves 11.3%, which is superior to the common similar algorithms, and can well complete the target detection task of UAV aerial images.

We report the fabrication and testing of ultrafast response nonenzymatic glucose sensor based on the use of interlaced chain structure Au@CuS nanomaterial. The new Au@CuS nanomaterial was synthesized by a facile solvothermal method from L-cysteine、Cu(NO3)2·3H2O and Au Seeds without using additional surfactants or templates. The combination of Au and CuS solves the problems of poor electrical conductivity of CuS and the susceptibility of Au to toxicity, while the interlaced chain structure exposes more active sites to facilitate the diffusion of glucose molecules with a low resistance to increase the inter-electron transfer rate. The non-enzymatic Au@CuS-based glucose sensor showed a wide linear range with excellent sensitivity (5817.37 and 3629.78 μA mM−1cm−2), ultrafast response time (<0.1 s), excellent selectivity and outstanding long-term stability. Further, the designed glucose sensor was used to determine glucose in human blood serum sample with satisfactory result.

Increasing attention has now been focused on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen evolution as a promising route to transforming solar energy into chemical fuels. Silicon is one of the most studied PEC electrode materials, but its performance is still limited by its inherent PEC instability and electrochemical inertness toward water splitting. To achieve significant PEC activities, silicon-based photoelectrodes usually have to be coupled with proper cocatalysts, and thus, the formed semiconductor–cocatalyst interface presents a critical structural parameter in the rational design of efficient PEC devices. In this study, we directly grow nanostructured pyrite-phase nickel phosphide (NiP2) cocatalyst films on textured pn+-Si photocathodes via on-surface reaction at high temperatures. The areal loading of the cocatalyst film can be tailored to achieve an optimal balance between its optical transparency and electrocatalytic activity. As a result, our pn+-Si/Ti/NiP2photocathodes demonstrate a great PEC onset potential of 0.41 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), a decent photocurrent density of ∼12 mA/cm2at the thermodynamic potential of hydrogen evolution, and an impressive operation durability for at least 6 h in 0.5 M H2SO4. Comparable PEC performance is also observed in 1 M potassium borate buffer (pH = 9.5) using this device.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a new therapeutic paradigm for a number of diseases because they possess unique biological characteristics such as multipotency, immunomodulation and production of cytokines. Currently, 425 MSC based clinical trials have been conducted for at least 12 kinds of pathological conditions, with many completed trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of MSCs. Here, we provide an overview of the clinical status of MSCs by searching the public clinical trials database http://clinicaltrials.gov. Particularly, the role of MSCs in clinical trials to treat bone defects and injuries is highlighted.

During photosynthesis, the plant photosystem II core complex receives excitation energy from the peripheral light-harvesting complex II (LHCII). The pathways along which excitation energy is transferred between them, and their assembly mechanisms, remain to be deciphered through high-resolution structural studies. Here we report the structure of a 1.1-megadalton spinach photosystem II–LHCII supercomplex solved at 3.2 Å resolution through single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. The structure reveals a homodimeric supramolecular system in which each monomer contains 25 protein subunits, 105 chlorophylls, 28 carotenoids and other cofactors. Three extrinsic subunits (PsbO, PsbP and PsbQ), which are essential for optimal oxygen-evolving activity of photosystem II, form a triangular crown that shields the Mn4CaO5-binding domains of CP43 and D1. One major trimeric and two minor monomeric LHCIIs associate with each core-complex monomer, and the antenna–core interactions are reinforced by three small intrinsic subunits (PsbW, PsbH and PsbZ). By analysing the closely connected interfacial chlorophylls, we have obtained detailed insights into the energy-transfer pathways between the antenna and core complexes.

A novel method was developed to introduce Ag layers inside individual Bi-2223 filaments. The introduction of well-aligned double Ag layers leads to a significant improvement of the critical current density: the Jcvalue is about 60% higher than that for our standard tapes. The microstructure showed that highly aligned Bi-2223 grains formed not only along the external Ag sheath, but also along the additional internal Ag layers. Rocking curve measurements were performed both after etching and peeling of the Ag sheath in order to investigate the texturing in the surface and inside the filaments. Compared with that for our standard tape, the average grain misalignment degree in the tape with 2 × 2 additional Ag layers is about 1° narrower. Introducing Ag layers inside a filament also leads to a higher density of the precursor during the deformation.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate T staging system for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using tumor volume (TV) and other prognostic factors.Methods: This study included 1309 cases. The TV and greatest tumor diameter (GTD) were semi-automatically measured. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of TV and GTD were used to predict survival. The regression analysis was used to describe the correlation between GTD and TV. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox’s proportional hazards regression model was applied for multivariate analysis.Results: Using the OS in pN0M0 patients (997 cases), we obtained 4 optimal cutoff values and divided all cases into 5 TV groups (V1: TV ≤ 2.80 cm3; V2: TV > 2.80–6.40 cm3; V3: TV > 6.40–12.9 cm3; V4: TV > 12.9–55.01 cm3; V5: TV > 55.01 cm3) with significant OS (P< 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age, visceral pleural invasion (VPI), and all TV cutoff points were independent factors of OS (P< 0.05). For V3 and V4 groups, the OS in patients without VPI was better than that in patients with VPI. Using the values of TV, VPI, and N stages, we classified all cases into 5 stages from I to V depending on the OS. The OS in I, II, III, IV, and V stages were 71.3%, 65.5%, 59.8%, 47.7%, and 35.1% respectively (P< 0.001).Conclusions: We proposed a new T staging system using TV as the main prognostic descriptor in NSCLC patients, which may provide a better comprehensive clinical value than GTD in clinical applications.