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The threat posed by biological and chemical warfare agents (BCWA) to national security, the environment, and personal health underscores the need for innovative chemical protective clothing. To address the limitations of conventional activated carbon materials, which are prone to falling off and adsorption saturation, an efficient self-association approach was introduced. In this study, we proposed the immobilization of metal–organic framework (MOF) 808 and Ag nanoparticles onto a polypropylene (PP) fiber membrane using a rapid self-association method facilitated by chitosan (CS). The MOF 808/Ag-based (PP-CS/808-Ag) fiber membrane demonstrated exceptional degradation efficiency, achieving a remarkable rate of t1/2within 2 h for the mustard simulant 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES) and a rate of t1/2= 4.12 min for the G-series simulant dimethyl 4-nitrophenylphosphate (DMNP). A theoretical computational model was developed to determine the overall reaction mechanism, and it was verified that MOF 808 and Ag nanoparticles were mainly involved in the hydrolysis process against 2-CEES and DMNP. The PP-CS/808-Ag composite fiber film was prepared as the core layer, and the fracture strength, bending resistance, and moisture permeability were better than those specified by many countries for biochemical protective clothing, showing that it has a broad application prospect in developing a generation of broad-spectrum bioprotective clothing.

Background Altitude sickness is often prone to occur during tourism or work in high-altitude areas. In China, traditional Tibetan medicines have a long history of preventing or treating altitude sickness, especially altitude hypoxia, which may lead to myocardial cell apoptosis and myocardial hypoxia-reoxygenation injury.Purpose This study investigated the effect of a Tibetan-origin edible Chinese herbal prescription (named C18) on protecting H9C2 cardiomyocytes from cobalt chloride-induced hypoxia injury and its potential mechanism.Materials and Methods In this study, a hypoxic injury model of H9C2 cardiomyocytes induced by cobalt chloride was established first. Then the cell viability, relevant antioxidant indicators malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and protein expression (hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT)) were measured after pretreatment with or without C18. At last, the specific PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 was applied to verify the antihypoxia signaling pathway.Results C18 could significantly promote normal H9C2 cardiomyocyte proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of hypoxic H9C2 cardiomyocytes, reduce the release of lactate dehydrogenase and MDA, and increase the levels of SOD and GSH-Px antioxidant enzymes. In addition, C18 could significantly downregulate the expression of HIF-1α protein and upregulate the expression of intracellular p-AKT. Moreover, these effects of C18 can be blocked by the specific PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002.Conclusion C18 protects H9C2 cardiomyocytes from cobalt chloride-induced hypoxia injury through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Chemical industrial parks have an overconcentration of major risk sources. The high density of plants and various hazardous chemicals makes it easy for a domino effect to occur, with serious consequences. In this study, the dynamic process of a domino accident was divided into several stages using an incomplete information dynamic game. The transport plan for emergency supplies was determined to achieve the lowest expected cost. This improves the efficiency of emergency supply distribution. To resolve the conflict between rescue time and expected cost in target decision-making, the evolutionary game method was used to analyze the performance of emergencies and decision-makers under different combinations of target behaviors. Multiple plants can achieve an equilibrium state characterized by the average time and lowest cost. This study can serve as a reference for studying dynamic game problems in cases involving multiple rescue schemes. Moreover, it can assist in designing site selection and planning from the viewpoint of inherent safety.

Ammonia (NH3), the most common alkaline gas in the atmosphere, participates in heterogeneous reactions on the surface of aerosols and produces ammonium (NH4+). While most previous studies have focused on the effect of NH3on the heterogeneous reactions of other gases on mineral dust aerosols, little research has been done on the heterogeneous reactions of NH3influenced by acidic gases. Here, the effects of sulfur dioxide (SO2), formic acid, acetic acid and acrylic acid on the heterogeneous reaction of NH3on the surface of nano α-Fe2O3particles were investigated. We found that NH3can promote the dissolution of α-Fe2O3through NH3–Fe complexation and be oxidized to NO3−, while the addition of acidic gas inhibits the NH3–Fe complex formation and converts it into physical adsorption. SO2promoted the conversion of NH3to NH4+, while weakly inhibiting the oxidation of NH3to NO3−by competing for oxidation sites under light conditions. Organic acids, on the other hand, inhibited the heterogeneous conversion of NH3, and strongly competed for oxidation sites under light conditions, significantly reducing NO3−production. This study reveals the various influences of acidic gases on NH3heterogeneous reactions on α-Fe2O3particles, which helps to improve the understanding of atmospheric processes involving NH3, acidic gases, and mineral dust aerosols.

Background: Female fertility declines with increased maternal age, and this decline is even more rapid after the age of 35 years. Follicular fluid (FF) is a crucial microenvironment that plays a significant role in the development of oocytes, permits intercellular communication, and provides the oocytes with nutrition. Exosomes have emerged as being important cell communication mediators that are linked to age-related physiological and pathological conditions. However, the metabolomic profiling of FF derived exosomes from advanced age females are still lacking. Methods: The individuals who were involved in this study were separated into two different groups: young age with a normal ovarian reserve and advanced age. The samples were analysed by using gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOFMS) analysis. The altered metabolites were analysed by using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis to identify the functions and pathways that were involved. Results: Our data showed that metabolites in exosomes from FF were different between women of young age and women of advanced age. The set of 17 FF exosomal metabolites (P≤ 0.05) may be biomarkers to differentiate between the two groups. Most of these differentially expressed metabolites in FF were closely involved in the regulation of oocyte number and hormone levels. Conclusions: In this study, we identified differences in the metabolites of exosomes from FF between women of young age and women of advanced age. These different metabolites were tightly related to oocyte count and hormone levels. Importantly, these findings elucidate the metabolites of the FF exosomes and provide a better understanding of the nutritional profiles of the follicles with age.

The effect of adding trehalose in the culture medium on Lactiplantibacillus plantarumLIP-1 was investigated during spray- and freeze-drying. Although previous studies reported that the enhancement of bacterial resistance is due to intracellular trehalose accumulation, our study revealed that it was related to trehalose metabolism by the strain, and not accumulation. The underlying mechanisms were mainly related to the activation of l-glutamic acid and cysteine metabolic pathways during trehalose metabolism. First, murL, murD, and vanYin the l-glutamic acid metabolic pathway were significantly upregulated, increasing peptidoglycan synthesis and thus improving the cell wall integrity during drying process. Second, gshAin the cysteine metabolic pathway was upregulated, increasing intracellular glutathione content, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and thereby reducing the degree of cell membrane damage during drying process. Third, alkaline substances produced during l-glutamic acid and cysteine metabolisms increased the intracellular pH and reduced the degree of DNA damage caused by acid stress.

COVID‐19 is currently pandemic and the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 variants in wastewater is causing widespread concern. Herein, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is proposed as a novel wastewater disinfection technology that effectively inactivates SARS‐CoV‐2 transcription‐ and replication‐competent virus‐like particles, coronavirus GX_P2V, pseudotyped SARS‐CoV‐2 variants, and porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus in a large volume of water within 180 s (inhibition rate > 99%). Further, CAP disinfection did not adversely affect the viability of various human cell lines. It is identified that CAP produced peroxynitrite (ONOO−), ozone (O3), superoxide anion radicals (O2−), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as the major active substances for coronavirus disinfection. Investigation of the mechanism showed that active substances not only reacted with the coronavirus spike protein and affected its infectivity, but also destroyed the nucleocapsid protein and genome, thus affecting virus replication. This method provides an efficient and environmentally friendly strategy for the elimination of SARS‐CoV‐2 and other coronaviruses from wastewater. Cold atmospheric plasma can produce peroxynitrite (ONOO−), ozone (O3), superoxide anion radicals (O2−), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as the major reactive species to inactivate coronaviruses by disrupting the viral Spike protein and genomic RNA, thus hindering viral entry and replication. This study highlights the potential of cold atmospheric plasma as a promising approach to combat coronavirus infections.

The influence of rising global temperatures on malaria dynamics and distribution remains controversial, especially in central highland regions. We aimed to address this subject by studying the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of malaria and the effect of climate change on malaria transmission over 27 years in Hainan, an island province in China.

As green solvents, ionic liquids (ILs) are quite suitable for the absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and its homologues. However, solvent selection is the key to the VOC absorption process. In the present study, a rapid solvent screening tool, Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS), was used to predict the solubility of toluene in 816 ILs. The effects of four structure characters, namely, the type and alkyl chain length of the cations and anions on the solubility of toluene were discussed. The following conclusions were drawn from the results: (1) ILs with pyrrolidinium-based cations showed better solubility than pyridinium- and imidazolium-based ones. (2) The solubility of toluene in PF6-based ILs increased with the increasing alkyl chain length, while its solubility in Ac-based ILs exhibited the opposite trend. (3) Toluene showed greater solubility in Cl-based ILs than those based on other anions. (4) The solubility of toluene increased with the anion alkyl chain length. Ac-based ILs were chosen as the most promising potential solvents, and further studied to determine the relationship between various interaction energy parameters and toluene solubility. The results showed that the misfit energy played a dominant role during the absorption process. Furthermore, several ILs were selected for experimental verification of the predicted solubility behavior using liquid and gaseous toluene. The results demonstrated that COSMO-RS could be used to semi-quantitatively and qualitatively predict the solubility of toluene, and this model had promising prospects in screening ILs for VOCs absorption. In summary, this study provided a fundamental basis and practical data for the control and treatment of VOCs.

To develop and refine a self-driven plasma decontamination system, this study investigated the effect of different gas environments (air, Ar, Ar/O2, and Ar/O2/H2O) on the degradation efficiency of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES). A dielectric-dielectric rotating triboelectric nanogenerator (dd-rTENG) was constructed to mechanically induce atmospheric plasma. The dominant active species of different plasmas were identified through spectroscopic and chemical probe diagnostic methods. The results revealed that Ar/O2and Ar/O2/H2O plasmas generated higher levels of reactive Oxspecies (O3, O2-, and 1O2) and OH radicals, respectively. Notably, the Ar/O2and Ar/O2/H2O plasmas exhibited significantly higher decontamination efficiencies than the other plasmas. Moreover, the Ar/O2/H2O plasma featured an energy utilization efficiency of 0.962 μg/J, which is nearly twice that of the previously reported study. However, the Ar plasma exhibited minimal decontamination effect owing to its low electron energy and absence of active species. Further studies have indicated the vital role of reactive oxygen species in the 2-CEES decontamination process. Active Oxcan promote the oxidation of 2-CEES, while OH can effectively mitigate the peroxidation process. Furthermore, the system exhibited low electron energy, which might play small role for 2-CEES decontamination. This study is vital for developing self-driven plasma decontamination devices and provides significant clues for understanding the 2-CEES decontamination mechanism.

Two well-defined synthetic polyphosphazene immunoadjuvants, PCPP and PCEP, were studied for their ability to potentiate the immune response to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 glycoprotein antigen in vivo. We report that PCEP induced significantly higher serum neutralization and HCV-specific IgG titers in mice compared to other adjuvants used in the study: PCPP, Alum, and Addavax. PCEP also shifted the response toward the desirable balanced Th1/Th2 immunity, as evaluated by the antibody isotype ratio (IgG2a/IgG1). The in vivoresults were analyzed in the context of antigen–adjuvant molecular interactions in the system and in vitroimmunostimulatory activity of formulations. Asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis showed that both PCPP and PCEP spontaneously self-assemble with the E2 glycoprotein with the formation of multimeric water-soluble complexes, which demonstrates the role of polyphosphazene macromolecules as vaccine delivery vehicles. Intrinsic in vitroimmunostimulatory activity of polyphosphazene adjuvants, which was assessed using a mouse macrophage cell line, revealed comparable activities of both polymers and did not provide an explanation of their in vivoperformance. However, PCEP complexes with E2 displayed greater stability against agglomeration and improved in vitroimmunostimulatory activity compared to those of PCPP, which is in line with superior in vivoperformance of PCEP. The results emphasize the importance of often neglected antigen–polyphosphazene self-assembly mechanisms in formulations, which can provide important insights on their in vivobehavior and facilitate the establishment of a structure–activity relationship for this important class of immunoadjuvants.

We demonstrated a 2.1 µm nanosecond laser pumped, 2.6 µm continuous-wave (CW) seed injected, cadmium selenide (CdSe) signal singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO). A maximum average power of 1.05 W was obtained corresponding to a pulse energy of 1.05 mJ at the idler wavelength of 10.1 µm and optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 4.69%, beam quality of $M_x^2={2.25}$Mx2=2.25, $M_y^2={2.12}$My2=2.12 and pulse width of 24.4 ns. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to achieve 10–12 µm laser with watt-level average power using OPO technology.

Solid polymer electrolytes have attracted much attention due to they can greatly improve the energy density and safety performance of batteries. However, solid polymer electrolytes suffer from low ionic conductivity and poor interfacial stability, so solving the problems of ionic conductivity and high elasticity of solid polymer electrolytes to cope with volume expansion remains a challenge. Herein, a highly elastic polyurea electrolyte was prepared, which was crosslinked by urea chain extension and epoxy ring-opening polymerization. The high polarity of urea group made the electrolyte have high ionic conductivity of 4.4 × 10−4 S cm−1and high ion migration number of 0.76, and its excellent mechanical properties. In particular, the high resilience can effectively resist the volume expansion problem during the battery cycle. The capacity retention rate of the prepared Li| polyurea-CPE-10%SN |LiFePO4battery reached 75 % after 500 cycles at 1 C and 25 °C.

We experimentally demonstrated doubly resonant oscillator (DRO), signal singly resonant oscillator (SSRO), and idler singly resonant oscillator (ISRO) ZnGeP_2 (ZGP) optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), respectively, pumped by a 1 kHz Q-switched Ho:YAG laser. At the full incident pump energy, the ISRO got the highest output pulse energy of 8.38 mJ and the best beam quality factors Mx2 of 2.3 for idler (4.6 μm) and 2.7 for signal (3.8 μm) but got the highest threshold of 3.97  MW/cm^2. The DRO had the lowest threshold of 3.12  MW/cm^2 but had the lowest output energy of 8.29 mJ and the worst Mx2 of 3.9 for idler and 4.1 for signal. The output laser characteristics of the SSRO were slightly worse than those of the ISRO. The experimental results show that the ISRO is the most suitable resonant regime for high brightness mid-infrared ZGP planar ring OPOs pumped by 2 μm nanosecond lasers.

Expansins are essential components of plant cell wall and play an important role in plant growth, development, and stress resistance via loosening function. To understand the codon usage pattern of expansin genes, we gained the sequence data of expansin genes from eight plant species. Statistics analysis showed obvious codon characteristics between monocot and dicot plants. Comparably, expansin genes in monocot plants had really higher GC content, more high-frequency codons, and more optimal codons than that in dicot plants. Several monocot plants performed somehow as dicot plants in a few characters. Codon information of expansin genes might contribute to the understanding of the relationship and evolution clues between monocot and dicot plants. It further gained insight into the improvement of the gene expression and roles.

Objective This study aimed to assess the value of measuring the tubule diameter during microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) in predicting outcomes in patients with Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS).Methods Fifty-six consecutive patients with SCOS were included. Patients were classified into two groups on the basis of the diameter of seminiferous tubules measured against 5/0 surgical suture (≥100 µm or <100 µm).Results The sperm retrieval rate (SRR) in men with a tubule diameter ≥100 µm was significantly lower than that in those with <100 µm (3.1% vs. 25.0%). The SRR from the contralateral testis in men with a tubule diameter ≥100 µm was lower than that in those with <100 µm (0% vs. 14.3%). Men with a tubule diameter ≥100 µm had a significantly larger testis and lower follicle-stimulating hormone levels than did men with <100 µm (8.1 ± 2.4 vs. 5.3±1.8 mL, 19.9 ± 9.7 vs. 25.9 ± 7.1 mIU/mL, respectively).Conclusions The diameter of tubules is a useful predictor for a successful SRR in men with SCOS. Intraoperative assessment of homogeneous large tubules allows some men to perform a limited (superficial) contralateral micro-TESE after no spermatozoa are initially identified.

In the process of spermatogenesis and maturation, histones of the sperm nucleus were gradually replaced by protamine. Abnormal sperm nucleoprotein histotype conversion can make sperm DNA unstable and affect sperm function. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of high and low proportion of sperm histone positivity in semen sample on embryonic development and assisted reproductive technology results, and to evaluate its diagnostic value in assisted reproduction. Sperm nuclear status was detected with aniline blue staining. Under acidic conditions, aniline blue combines with histones rich in lysine residues to form blue compounds. The groups were divided according to the critical value of sperm histone positive ratio of 30%. Using the intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure, the fertilization rate and normal fertilization rate in the normal sperm histone positive ratio group were significantly higher than those in the abnormal group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < .001). Using the in vitro fertilization procedure, the effect of sperm histone positive ratio on each index was not statistically different. Overall the study provides some preliminary evidence that abnormal sperm histones may be a factor that affects the fertilization success of intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedures. However, more research is needed to confirm this finding to determine the exact mechanism by which abnormal sperm histones affect fertilization.

CeO2rods with {110} facets and cubes with {100} facets were utilized as catalyst supports to probe the effect of crystallographic facets on the iron species and the structure-dependent catalytic performance. In this approach, Fe-doped ceria nanorods and nanocubes with dominantly exposed {110} and {100} crystal planes were respectively prepared and were subjected to pretreatments either in a N2or O2atmosphere. We find that Fe-doped nanocubes exhibit much better CO oxidation performance after calcination in O2than in N2, even better than nanorods, which is unusual. This interesting observation is because Fe atoms migrate more efficiently to the {100} crystal surfaces, giving rise to a Fe3+-rich surface, when Fe-doped catalysts are sintered in O2, which consequently results in an increase of adsorbed surface oxygen species on nanocubes. Various analysis strategies (TEM, STEM, XRD, N2-physisorption, H2-TPR, XPS and Raman) reveal that the crystallographic facets have a strong effect on the iron species, and finally support our hypothesis.

Both low strain hysteresis and high piezoelectric performance are required for practical applications in precisely controlled piezoelectric devices and systems. Unfortunately, enhanced piezoelectric properties were usually obtained with the presence of a large strain hysteresis in BaTiO3(BT)-based piezoceramics. In this work, we propose to integrate crystallographic texturing and domain engineering strategies into BT-based ceramics to resolve this challenge. [001]cgrain-oriented (Ba0.94Ca0.06)(Ti0.95Zr0.05)O3(BCTZ) ceramics with a texture degree as high as 98.6% were synthesized by templated grain growth. A very high piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of 755 pC/N, and an extremely large piezoelectric strain coefficient (d33* = 2027 pm/V) along with an ultralow strain hysteresis (Hs) of 4.1% were simultaneously achieved in BT-based systems for the first time, which are among the best values ever reported on both lead-free and lead-based piezoceramics. The exceptionally high piezoelectric response is mainly from the reversible contribution, and can be ascribed to the piezoelectric anisotropy, the favorable domain configuration, and the formation of smaller sized domains in the BCTZ textured ceramics. This study paves a new pathway to develop lead-free piezoelectrics with both low strain hysteresis and high piezoelectric coefficient. More importantly, it represents a very exciting discovery with potential application of BT-based ceramics in high-precision piezoelectric actuators.

We determined the effects of different pre-freezing temperatures (−20 °C and −80 °C) on the freeze-drying survival rate and stability during room temperature storage of Lactiplantibacillus plantarumLIP-1. The underlying mechanisms of survival and stability were also assessed. The freeze-drying survival rate and stability during room temperature storage of Lactiplantibacillus plantarumLIP-1 was significantly higher in the −80 °C than −20 °C group (p < 0.05). Regarding the underlying mechanism, compared with the −20 °C group, the −80 °C group had a lower level of intracellular reactive oxygen species, lower degree of oxidation of fatty acids in the cell membrane, high integrity and fluidity of the cell membrane during freeze-drying and room temperature storage, and a significantly higher freeze-drying survival rate and storage stability (p < 0.05). This study provides reference data that could help improve the freeze-drying survival rate and stability of probiotics during room temperature storage.

There are some problems, such as low precision, on existing network traffic forecast model. In accordance with these problems, this paper proposed the network traffic forecast model of support vector regression (SVR) algorithm optimized by global artificial fish swarm algorithm (GAFSA). GAFSA constitutes an improvement of artificial fish swarm algorithm, which is a swarm intelligence optimization algorithm with a significant effect of optimization. The optimum training parameters used for SVR could be calculated by optimizing chosen parameters, which would make the forecast more accurate. With the optimum training parameters searched by GAFSA algorithm, a model of network traffic forecast, which greatly solved problems of great errors in SVR improved by others intelligent algorithms, could be built with the forecast result approaching stability and the increased forecast precision. The simulation shows that, compared with other models (e.g. GA-SVR, CPSO-SVR), the forecast results of GAFSA-SVR network traffic forecast model is more stable with the precision improved to more than 89%, which plays an important role on instructing network control behavior and analyzing security situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has presented the potential use of plasma-activated water (PAW) for the inactivation of Escherichia coli(E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) inoculated on blueberries. The generation parameters of PAW were optimized to a voltage of 8 kV, a frequency of 14 kHz, a processing volume of 30 mL, and a processing time of 50 min. PAW treatments achieved significantly higher (p < 0.05) reductions than those obtained by water treatment in E. coliand S. aureus. As shown by propidium iodide and acridine orange staining, electron microscopy and optical emission spectra of plasma, the microbial inactivation of PAW was attributable to damage to the cell membrane and the denaturation of DNA induced by reactive oxygen species produced from plasma. During storage, PAW treatment was more beneficial to the quality of blueberries than water treatment. Thus, PAW immersion is a promising method for maintaining the freshness of blueberries.

The morphology and optical and electrical properties of solution-processed and vacuum-deposited 4,4′,4″-tris(carbazol-9-yl)triphenylamine (TCTA):2,2′-(1,3-phenylene)bis[5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole] (OXD-7) composite films are investigated. All of the films exhibit smooth and pinhole-free morphology, while the evaporated films possess enhanced carrier-transport properties compared to solution-processed ones. The close correlation between the carrier-transport feature and the packing density of the film is established. High-efficiency monochromatic and white phosphorescent hybrid organic–inorganic light-emitting diodes with solution-processed small-molecule emissive layers are reported: the maximum external quantum efficiencies of blue, yellow, and red devices are 18.9, 14.6, and 10.2%, respectively; white devices show a maximum luminance efficiency of 40 cd A–1and a power efficiency of 20.8 lm W–1at 1000 cd m–2. The efficiencies of blue, red, and white devices represent significant improvement over previously reported values.

AbstractIn this paper, the general structural models of single-fiber bidirectional wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network with star topology and ring topology are proposed. The performances of the two general structural models including network scale, construction cost and system reliability, are analyzed and compared numerically. In particular, link failure and node failure are considered as two different types of failures and discussed separately in the context. The characteristics of the two models, which are concluded in the end of this paper, can be the guide in the deployment of WDM-PON.

Aqueous‐phase Fe3O4nanoparticles (NPs), with a size of 9.8 ± 3.0 nm, are directly synthesized by a modified iron salt coprecipitation process, stabilized by the synergistic effect of a combination of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), trisodium citrate (TSC), and maleic anhydride (MAH). These NPs show good aqueous‐phase dispersion stability and excellent superparamagnetic properties with a saturation magnetization of 48.0 emu/g at a low magnetic field of 0.5 T. Their biocompatibility and metabolism for application in magnetic resonance reticuloendothelial system examinations are investigated by using rabbits as animal models for the determination of optimized dosage and diagnosis time for the enhanced imaging contrast for the early diagnosis of diseases. Results indicate that a significant darkening effect on the liver epithelial net lymph tissue can be observed in less than 30 min, with about 20 % reduction of the spin–spin relaxation time of T2after injection. A metabolism study on the NPs indicates that they show little toxicity to the living organs examined, and finally enter into the spleen without obvious retention in any related organs after recycling for more than 2 d.

Previous studies have found that the decreased activity of probiotics during long-term storage is one of the main reasons leading to the decline of probiotics function. To improve the stability of probiotics during storage at room temperature, this study observed the effect of glutathione (GSH) addition to the culture medium on the storage stability of four Lactiplantibacillus plantarumstrains. The results showed that the absorption of GSH by L. plantarumwas strain-specific; Strain with GSH absorption capacity had significantly improved room temperature storage stability (P < 0.05). The mechanism of action was also determined. The main reason for the death of the strain during storage was the loss of integrity caused by the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids on the cell membrane, after the consumption of GSH by a strain, the scavenging rates of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-nitrophenylhydrazine free radical (DPPH) and hydroxyl free radical, as well as their total reducing ability, were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were effectively eliminated after absorption of GSH by a particular strain during storage (P < 0.05), which reduced the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids on cell membrane, the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (U/S) in the cell membrane was maintained, which reduced cell membrane damage and improved storage stability at room temperature. These findings provide a theoretical reference for improving strain storage stability at room temperature by adjusting the composition of the culture medium.

Low-temperature air plasma, as an emerging green and efficient technology, has great potential to do chemical warfare agents (CWAs) decontamination. However, conventional plasma devices are bulky, costly and inconvenient. More importantly, their practical application is limited by the power grid and battery capacity. Here, A double layer paper-strip rotary triboelectric nanogenerator (dps-rTENG) is fabricated to serve as a self-powered high-voltage device to induce microplasma in air for CWAs decontamination. The degradation efficiency of 2-chloroethylethyl sulfide (2-CEES), a surrogate for the sulfur mustard (HD), reaches more than 99% within 2min of microplasma treatment, and the energy utilization efficiency (Ee)of the dps-rTENG is calculated to be 0.520μg/J, which is one order of magnitude higher than those of the commercial power supplies. Further study confirms that the degradation process of the dps-rTENG induced microplasma is well controllable to avoid the formation of large amounts of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfone (2-CEESO2), a toxic excessive oxidation product. Triboelectric microplasma provides a new approach for self-powered, easily portable decontamination system for CWAs in future.

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyzes the binding of acyl-CoA to diacylglycerol to form triacylglycerol (TAG). Previous studies strongly indicate that DGAT2, rather than DGAT1, is crucial for TAG accumulation in the oleaginous fungus Mucor circinelloides. To increase the lipid content of M. circinelloidesWJ11, McDGAT2 was overexpressed by homologous recombination; compared to the control strain Mc2075, transformants McDGAT2d showed a significant increase in biomass for both spores and mycelia (from 87.7 to 101.2 mg/g in spores and from 75.6 to 93.1 mg/g in mycelia). McDGAT2 overexpression under static solid fermentation gave a greater boost to lipid accumulation in mycelia than in spores. Total fatty acid content in mycelia increased by 68.0% (from 13.6 to 22.8%) and in spores by 26.3% (from 10.6 to 13.4%). However, under submerged fermentation, the lipid content of McDGAT2d was the same as the control, while biomass was slightly reduced. Transcriptomics showed that NADPH was derived mainly from the pentose phosphate pathway, acetyl-CoA was from multiple pathways, and leucine metabolism played an important role in substrate supply for fatty acid biosynthesis. Static solid fermentation may be the more suitable fermentation method for microbial oil production by filamentous fungi due to its lower fermentation costs.

Objective: To determine the gene sequence and tissue distribution of uncoupling protein 3 (Ucp3) in the collared lemming, we quantified mRNA expression of Ucp3 under known states of altered energy expenditure (photoperiod‐induced weight gain and loss, cold exposure, and fasting) and measured mitochondrial oxygen consumption to assess possible functional changes in energy expenditure. Research Methods and Procedures: The Ucp3 gene sequence information was obtained using the reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends methods. Northern blots were used to determine mRNA expression levels. Respirometry was used to measure oxygen consumption rates in isolated mitochondria. Results: The lemming Ucp3 gene has a 97% sequence similarity with other published Ucp3 sequences at the amino acid level. Ucp3 mRNA is expressed in muscle, heart, and brown adipose tissue of collared lemmings. Long‐photoperiod lemmings have a higher expression of Ucp3 mRNA than short‐photoperiod lemmings (p< 0.001) in both muscle and brown adipose tissue. Transferring lemmings from long to short photoperiods (inducing weight gain) significantly decreased Ucp3 mRNA expression (p< 0.01), whereas transferring lemmings from short to long photoperiods (inducing weight loss) significantly increased Ucp3 expression (p< 0.001). Muscle Ucp3 mRNA expression was significantly decreased by 10 days of mild (10 °C) cold exposure (p< 0.001). Muscle Ucp3 mRNA expression was significantly increased by fasting (p< 0.01) and was correlated to plasma free fatty acid levels (r= 0.7). Photoperiod transfer did not alter mitochondrial coupling. Discussion: These data suggest that UCP3 may not be involved in energy expenditure in the collared lemming.

FTL-1, -3 and -10 are three murine day 14 fetal thymocyte cell lines produced in order to model developmental stages within early (CD3-CD4-CD8-) thymocyte differentiation. In this study, we used the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) method to perform a systematic analysis of transcripts present in these three cell lines. A total of 77,313 SAGE tags were sequence identified from the three cell lines, representing 24,645 unique transcripts. Differentially expressed mRNA transcripts representing different gene classes were identified, including T cell functional genes, cytokine receptors, adhesion molecules and transcription factors. These results may serve as a model of the transcriptome of early thymocyte differentiation. A large number of unknown expressed sequence tags were also found to be differentially expressed. In order to validate the SAGE data, selected differentially expressed transcripts identified by SAGE were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR in normal murine double-negative stage DN1-4 thymocytes. Expression of the transcription factors RUNX2 and PHD finger protein 2 and of the IGF type 1 receptor was shown to have differentially regulated expression patterns in sorted DN1-4 cells. These genes, and others identified by this analysis, are likely to play important roles in the development of T cells.

Objective:To determine the role of total energy expenditure (TEE) and its components in the ability of collared lemmings to increase weight in response to a decrease in photoperiod. Research Methods and Procedures:Energy expenditure was measured by 24‐hour indirect calorimetry concurrent with food‐intake studies. TEE and resting and nonresting energy expenditure (REE and NREE, respectively) were adjusted for body weight by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) mRNA levels from interscapular brown adipose tissue were determined by Northern blot. Results:TEE and REE of lemmings exposed to a short photoperiod for 10 days were significantly lower than that of lemmings exposed to a long photoperiod (p< 0.05), whereas NREE was not significantly different (p= 0.44). Ucp1 mRNA levels in interscapular brown adipose tissue were 50% lower in short‐ vs. long‐photoperiod lemmings (p< 0.01). Ucp1 mRNA levels were positively related to REE (r2= 0.79, p< 0.01). After adjustment of REE for differences in Ucp1 mRNA levels, there was no longer a significant difference attributable to photoperiod treatment (p= 0.54). Discussion:The results of this study indicate that the increase in body mass that occurs when collared lemmings are exposed to a short photoperiod may be primarily fueled by a decrease in REE and is correlated with a decrease in Ucp1 mRNA levels.

Glomerular basement membrane (GBM) assembly and maturation are marked by the replacement of laminin-1 (containing α1-, β1-, and γ1-chains) with laminin-11 (consisting of α5-, β2-, and γ1-chains). Similarly, the α1- and α2-chains of type IV collagen are replaced by collagen α3-, α4-, and α5(IV)-chains. The cellular origins of these molecules and mechanisms for isoform removal and substitution are unknown. To explore glomerular laminin isoform transitions in vitro, we assessed metanephric organ cultures. Standard culture conditions do not support endothelial cell differentiation, and glomerular structures that form in vitro are avascular. Nevertheless, extensive podocyte development occurs in these cultures, including the formation of foot processes and assembly of a GBM-like matrix. Here, we show that the podocyte-specific markers, glomerular epithelial protein 1 and nephrin, which are normally expressed in capillary loop stage glomeruli in vivo, are also expressed by glomerular figures that form in organ culture. However, the GBM-like segments that form in vitro do not undergo normal laminin isoform switching. Instead, both laminin α1- and α5-chains are present, as is the β1-chain, but not β2. When avascular organ-cultured kidneys are grafted into anterior eye chambers, however, kidney-derived angioblasts establish extensive vasculature by 6 days, and glomeruli are lined by endothelial cells. We evaluated embryonic day 12(E12) vascular endothelial growth factor receptor(Flk1)-lacZkidneys that had first been grown in organ culture for 6–7 days and then grafted into wild-type mice. Correct laminin isoform substitution occurred and correlated with the appearance of endothelial cells expressing Flk1. Our findings indicate that endothelial cells, and/or factors present in the circulation, mediate normal GBM laminin isoform transitions in vivo.

Targeting solid tumors must overcome several major obstacles, in particular, the identification of elusive tumor-specific antigens. Here, we devise a strategy to help identify tumor-specific epitopes. Glypican 2 (GPC2) is overexpressed in neuroblastoma. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, we show that exon 3 and exons 7–10 of GPC2 are expressed in cancer but are minimally expressed in normal tissues. Accordingly, we discover a monoclonal antibody (CT3) that binds exons 3 and 10 and visualize the complex structure of CT3 and GPC2 by electron microscopy. The potential of this approach is exemplified by designing CT3-derived chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that regress neuroblastoma in mice. Genomic sequencing of T cells recovered from mice reveals the CAR integration sites that may contribute to CAR T cell proliferation and persistence. These studies demonstrate how RNA-seq data can be exploited to help identify tumor-associated exons that can be targeted by CAR T cell therapies.

ABSTRACTThe swine-origin H1N1 influenza A virus emerged in early 2009 and caused the first influenza pandemic in 41 years. The virus has spread efficiently to both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres and has been associated with over 16,000 deaths. Given the virus’s recent zoonotic origin, there is concern that the virus could acquire signature mutations associated with the enhanced pathogenicity of previous pandemic viruses or H5N1 viruses with pandemic potential. We tested the hypothesis that mutations in the polymerase PB2 gene at residues 627 and 701 would enhance virulence but found that influenza viruses containing these mutations in the context of the pandemic virus polymerase complex are attenuated in cell culture and mice.IMPORTANCEInfluenza A virus (IAV) evolution is characterized by host-specific lineages, and IAVs derived in whole or in part from animal reservoirs have caused pandemics in humans. Because IAVs are known to acquire host-adaptive genome mutations, and since the PB2 gene of the 2009 H1N1 virus is of recent avian derivation, there exists concern that the pathogenicity of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic virus could be potentiated by acquisition of the host-adaptive PB2-E627K or -D701N mutations, which have been shown to enhance the virulence of other influenza viruses. We present data from a mouse model of influenza infection showing that such mutations do not increase the virulence of viruses containing the 2009 H1N1 viral polymerase.