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We consider the FitzHugh-Nagumo system equipped with boundary condition of Dirichlet type on some two/three-dimensional domains. This system describes the signal transmission across the axonal membrane in neurophysiology. It is a semilinear parabolic PDE for the voltage variable coupled with a first-order ODE of space-time type for the recovery variable. We prove that there exists a finite-dimensional global manifold in the case of the fast recovery variable. Since the manifold is uniformly attracting, it gives geometric insight into the global long-time dynamics of the solutions. The proof is based on an abstract invariant manifold theorem for dynamical systems on a Banach space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In this study, a new composite (MWCNTs-CuNiFe 2 O 4) prepared by loading magnetic CuNiFe 2 O 4 particles onto carboxylated carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) through co-precipitation was applied to remove oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) in solution. The magnetic properties of this composite could address of the issue of difficulty associated with the separation of MWCNTs from mixtures when applied as an adsorbent. In addition to the good adsorption properties recorded for MWCNTs-CuNiFe 2 O 4 towards OTC-HCl, this developed composite could be used to activate potassium persulfate (KPS) for an efficient degradation of OTC-HCl. The MWCNTs-CuNiFe 2 O 4 was systematically characterized using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The influence of dose of MWCNTs-CuNiFe 2 O 4 , the initial pH, the amount of KPS and the reaction temperature on the adsorption and degradation of OTC-HCl by MWCNTs-CuNiFe 2 O 4 were discussed. The adsorption and degradation experiments showed that MWCNTs-CuNiFe 2 O 4 exhibited an adsorption capacity of 270 mg·g−1 for OTC-HCl with the removal efficiency 88.6% at 303 K (at an initial pH 3.52, 5 mg KPS, 10 mg composite, 10 mL reaction concentration 300 mg·L−1 of OTC-HCl). The Langmuir and Koble-Corrigan models were used to describe the equilibrium process while the Elovich equation and Double constant model were suitable to describe the kinetic process. The adsorption process was based on single-molecule layer reaction and non-homogeneous diffusion process. The mechanisms of adsorption were complexation and hydrogen bond whereas active species such as SO 4 ‧-, ‧OH and 1O 2 were confirmed to have played a major role in the degradation of OTC-HCl. The composite was also found to be very stable with good reusability property. These results confirm the good potential associated with the use of MWCNTs-CuNiFe 2 O 4 /KPS system for the removal of some typical pollutants from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a q -analogue of the polynomial reduction which was originally developed for hypergeometric terms. Using the q -Gosper representation, we describe the structure of rational functions that are summable when multiplied with a given q -hypergeometric term. The structure theorem enables us to generalize the q -polynomial reduction to the rational case, which can be used in the automatic proof and discovery of q -identities. As applications, several q -analogues of series for π are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mounting behaviour of dairy cows is driven by oestrus and is also related to their welfare. To improve the accuracy and speed of the detection of mounting of dairy cows in dense scenes, a detection model for the mounting behaviour of dairy cows was developed in this study based on the feature enhancement module. Firstly, an improved attention module (C3GC-3) based on global context information and convolution was proposed to capture long-distance dependence. Then, a feature enhancement module based on atrous spatial pyramid pooling and the C3GC-3 was designed to realise the multiscale fusion of high-level semantic information and improve the feature extraction ability of the model for dense dairy cows images. Finally, the K-means clustering algorithm was used to obtain new anchors for the mounting behaviour of dairy cows, and CIoU was used to optimise the loss function. A camera was installed on a farm containing 200 dairy cows for data collection. The mosaic method was used to expand the 2668 images of the mounting behaviour of dairy cows to train the model, and the remaining 675 images were used to test the model. The experimental results showed that the proposed model had a high inference speed of 61 fps, and the detection time for each image was 16.3 ms, which met the real-time performance requirements for detecting mounting in dairy cows. The mean average precision of the model was 94.3%, which was 5.9% higher than that of YOLOv5l. The proposed model showed promising results regarding the mounting of dairy cows and might be used in any weather. • A mounting behaviour dataset of group-raised dairy cows in dense scenes was proposed.. • ASPP can improve the accuracy of multi-scale object detection. • Attention mechanism can improve the feature extraction ability of the model. • Mean average precision model was 94.3%, which is 5.9% higher than that of YOLOv5l. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the long-time dynamics of an epidemic model whose diffusion and reaction terms involve nonlocal effects described by suitable convolution operators. The spreading front of the disease is represented by the free boundaries in the model. We show that the model is well-posed, its long-time dynamical behaviour is characterised by a spreading-vanishing dichotomy, and we also obtain sharp criteria to determine the dichotomy. Some of the nonlocal effects in the model pose extra difficulties in the mathematical treatment, which are dealt with by introducing new approaches. The model can capture accelerated spreading, and its spreading rate will be discussed in a subsequent work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tropical and subtropical countries, dengue virus (DENV) infections have been increasing; however, we still lack effective therapy. In the present study, we aimed to engineer a bispecific antibody (subsequently named LUZ-8F2–6B1), based on monoclonal antibody 6B1, which has anti DENV-1, 2, and 3 activity, and 8F2, which has anti DENV-4 activity. LUZ-8F2–6B1 displayed potent neutralization activity against four serotypes of DENV by binding to the envelop protein. In vivo , we demonstrated that LUZ-8F2–6B1 could provide protection against infection by four serotypes of DENV in a mouse model. In addition, the deletion of nine amino acids in the Fc region (LUZ-8F2–6B1-9del) completely abolished the antibody-dependent enhancement observed at lower doses of the antibody. Thus, LUZ-8F2–6B1 is a promising, safe, and effective agent for the prophylaxis and treatment of DENV infection. • An engineered bispecific antibody LUZ-8F2-6B1 showed potent neutralization activity against all four serotypes of DENV. • In vivo, a mouse model showed that LUZ-8F2-6B1 provided protection against infection by all four serotypes of DENVs. • LUZ-8F2-6B1-9del completely abrogated antibody dependent enhancement, which occurs when using lower doses of the antibody. • LUZ-8F2-6B1 could be an effective and safe agent for the prophylaxis and therapy of DENV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a malignant breast cancer subtype with poor prognosis. Recent studies have revealed the critical roles of dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in many cancer types, including TNBC. LncRNA WEE2 antisense RNA 1 (WEE2-AS1) has been reported to be able to promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma, but the function of WEE2-AS1 in TNBC is still unknown. Therefore, in this study, we specifically researched the role of WEE2-AS1 and probed its molecular mechanism in TNBC cells. Our results showed that WEE2-AS1 was up-regulated in TNBC cell lines, and WEE2-AS1 knockdown could inhibit TNBC cell proliferation, promote apoptosis, and suppress migration and invasion. Further, we found that miR-32-5p was down-regulated in TNBC cells and could be sponged by WEE2-AS1. Moreover, miR-32-5p could target its downstream gene transducer of ERBB2, 1 (TOB1), which was highly expressed and could play the oncogenic role in TNBC cells. Through rescue assays, we proved that WEE2-AS1/miR-32-5p/TOB1 axis could modulate cancer progression in TNBC cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrated the oncogenic function of lncRNA WEE2-AS1 in TNBC cells, providing a novel insight into TNBC therapy. • WEE2-AS1 knockdown inhibited TNBC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and enhanced apoptosis. • WEE2-AS1 sponged miR-32-5p in TNBC cells. • MiR-32-5p targeted TOB1, whose knockdown exerted anti-oncogenic roles in TNBC cells. • WEE2-AS1/miR-32-5p/TOB1 axis contributed to cancer progression in TNBC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human adenovirus serotype 7 (HAdV-7), belonging to species B, has caused severe lower respiratory tract diseases and even deaths recently. However, no adenovirus vaccine or therapeutic is available thus far. In this study, a HAdV-7-specific human monoclonal antibody (HMAb), 3-3E, isolated from single plasma cells obtained from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HAdV-7-infected patients showed potent HAdV-7 neutralization activity. The results showed HMAb 3-3E only binds to the hexon protein of intact HAdV-7 or the recombinant hexon protein and it does not bind to other intact virion particles. This could mean the antibody recognizes a conformational epitope of the hexon protein. Further, HMAb 3-3E potently neutralized HAdV-7 in vitro at low concentrations. In vivo studies showed HMAb 3-3E protected from HAdV-7 infection in a murine model. Therefore, HMAb 3-3E is promising as a safe and effective prophylactic and therapeutic treatment for HAdV-7 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Hou, Mu and Zeilberger introduced a new process of polynomial reduction for hypergeometric terms, which can be used to prove and generate hypergeometric identities automatically. In this paper, we extend this polynomial reduction to holonomic sequences. As applications, we describe an algorithmic way to prove and generate new multi-summation identities. Especially we present new families of π -series involving Domb numbers and Franel numbers, and new families of congruences for Franel numbers and Delannoy numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although inflammation is emerging as a candidate risk factor in tumorigenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In particular, Interleukin (IL) 13 involved inflammatory diseases and cancers. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in IL-13 have been associated with multiple cancers. The study analyzed genetic polymorphisms in IL-13 aiming to investigate its' potential susceptibility with the NPC. The genotyping of polymorphisms (rs20541, rs1295687 and rs2069744) was examined by Snapshot SNP and DNA sequencing. All SNPs were within Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and each appeared in three genotypes in NPC and controls. Adjusted logistic regression showed that the TT genotype of rs20541 increased the risk of lymph node metastasis (TT vs. CC: OR = 2.87, 95%CI, 1.33–6.18, P = 0.007). CT/CC genotypes were associated with the decreased the risk of lymph node metastasis in NPC (CT/CC vs. TT: OR = 0.32, 95%CI, 0.16–0.65, P = 0.002). The concentration of IL-13 was significantly elevated in NPC patients compared with controls (P = 0.012). Moreover, significant differences were detected in the T-C-T haplotype distribution between NPC patients and controls (OR = 2.47, 95%CI, 1.06–5.78, P = 0.031). Our results, the first report, provide evidence that rs20541 polymorphisms may affect the lymph node metastasis of NPC patients in Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract By employing the solvothermal in situ N -alkylation of organic bases with alcohol molecules, four new organically templated iodometallates as [L1][Ag 2 I 4 ] (L12+ = 1,1,4,4-tetramethyl-1λ4,4λ4-piperazinium) 1 , [L2] 1.5 [AgI 4 ] (L22+ = 1,4-dibenzyl-1λ4,4λ4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octanium) 2 , [L2] 1.5 [CuI 4 ] 3 and [L3][CuI 3 ] (L32+ = 4,4′-bis(3-methyl-1H-3λ4-imidazol-1-yl)-1,1′-biphenylium) 4 were obtained. In 1 , the in situ substitution and N-alkylation of 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)piperazine (L1') with CH 3 OH has occurred, producing L12+. Templated by L12+, Ag+ and I- aggregate into a chained iodoargentate, which can be described as a linear arrangement of AgI 4 tedrahedra by sharing the edges. 2 and 3 are isostructural. In 2 and 3 , the in situ N -alkylation of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane (L2') with phenylmethanol has occurred, generating L22+. Templated by L22+, Ag+ (or Cu+) and I- aggregate into a mononuclear iodometallate with a tetrahedral structure. In 4 , the in situ N -alkylation of 4,4′-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-1,1′-biphenyl (L3') with CH 3 OH has occurred, creating L32+. Templating by L32+, Cu+ and I- aggregate into a mononuclear iodocuprate(I) with a planar trigonal structure. The photoluminescence analysis reveals that (i) at the room temperature, only 1 emits light (λ em = 550 nm); (ii) at the low temperature, 4 is found to possess the photoluminescence property (λ em = 546 nm at 77 K) with a ms-grade lifetime (τ = 4.915 ms). Graphical abstract By employing solvothermal in situ N -alkylation of organic bases with alcohol molecules, four new organically templated iodometallate(I) were obtained, and their photoluminescence properties were investigated. fx1 Highlights • Four new organically templated iodometallates(I) (M+ = Ag+, Cu+) are reported; • In situ N -alkylation of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane with phenylmethanol is investigated for the first time; • In situ N -alkylation of 4,4′-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-1,1′-biphenyl with alcohol molecules is investigated for the first time; • Their photoluminescence properties at different temperature are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The purpose of this work is to develop a single-phase phosphor emitting white light under the excitation of near UV light, targeted at the possible application in white light emitting diodes. Our rationale is to employ a host containing noncentrosymmetric coordination sites for rare earth, therefore the f - f absorptions in the near UV range could be enhanced. Indeed, YGa 3 (BO 3) 4 is such a host where Y3+ is in a twisted triangular prism and could be substituted by various rare earth elements. The photoluminescence of Dy3+ and Tm3+ were investigated in Y 1- x Dy x Ga 3 (BO 3) 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.10) and Y 1- y Tm y Ga 3 (BO 3) 4 (0.01 ≤ y ≤ 0.10), whose phase purity was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction. Dy3+ emits yellowish white light and Tm3+ emits blue light under their respective f - f excitations (350 and 358 nm). The optimal concentrations in the singly-doped phosphors are 7 and 3 atom%, respectively. When co-doping Dy3+ and Tm3+ in YGa 3 (BO 3) 4 , there was no energy transfer between them. Eventually, a white light emission could be obtained with the CIE coordinates of (0.325, 0.329) in Y 0.91 Dy 0.07 Tm 0.02 Ga 3 (BO 3) 4 under the excitation of 364 nm. Graphical abstract Dy3+ and Tm3+ singly and co-doped YGa 3 (BO 3) 4 were synthesized by solid state reactions. Rietveld refinements confirmed that Dy3+ and Tm3+ replace Y3+ and locate in a triangular prism environment, which is beneficial for their f - f absorptions in near UV range. Since there is no energy transfer, tuning the content of Dy3+ and Tm3+ leads to the white emission with the CIE coordinate of (0.325, 0.329). fx1 Highlights • Structural refinements confirmed Dy3+/Tm3+ locates at the Y3+ site in YGa 3 (BO 3) 4. • Dy3+ and Tm3+ emit yellowish white and blue light in YGa 3 (BO 3) 4 , respectively. • The optimal concentration for Dy3+ is 7 atom% in Y 1- x Dy x Ga 3 (BO 3) 4. • The optimal concentration for Tm3+ is 3 atom% in Y 1- y Tm y Ga 3 (BO 3) 4. • Near UV excited white emission can be obtained in Y 0.91 Dy 0.07 Tm 0.02 Ga 3 (BO 3) 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Functional biopolymer scaffolds are in high demand for tissue regeneration. In this study, we incorporated functionalized CNT in collagen or silk protein solution to generate biocomposite fibers by electrospinning. The addition of CNT reinforced the strength of the scaffolds and rendered the fibers electrical conductivity to not only facilitate the E-spun fiber formation but also grant the fibers an additional functionality that can be utilized for cell stimulation. Considering fiber dimension, alignment, mechanical strength, electrical conductivity and biocompatibility, silk-CNT fibers containing a minute amount of CNT (0.05%) outperformed other fiber types. The modulation effect of these fibers was examined by their application in inducing polarization and activation of fibroblasts with cellular deficit. While the fibroblasts on both collagen-CNT and silk-CNT fibers synthesized a substantially higher level of collagen type III (COLIII) than cells on pure protein fibers to reduce the abnormally high COLI/COLIII ratio, electrical stimulation boosted the collagen productivity by 20 folds in cells on silk-CNT than on collagen-CNT due to silk-CNT's high electrical conductivity. The developed approach can be potentially utilized to remedy the dysfunctional fibroblasts for therapeutic treatment of diseases and health conditions associated with collagen disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male germ cells are transformed from undifferentiated stem cells into spermatozoa through a series of highly regulated steps together termed spermatogenesis. Spermatogonial stem cells undergo mitosis and differentiation followed by two rounds of meiotic division and then proceed through a series of dramatic cell shape changes to form highly differentiated spermatozoa. Using indirect immunofluorescence, we investigated a role for the mitotic kinase, Aurora A (AURKA), in these events through localization of this protein in mouse testis and spermatozoa. AURKA is expressed in several cell types in the testis. Spermatogonia and spermatocytes express AURKA as expected based on the known role of this kinase in cell division. Surprisingly, we also found AURKA localized to spermatids and the flagellum of spermatozoa. Total AURKA and activated AURKA are expressed in different compartments of the sperm flagellum with total AURKA found in the principal piece and its phosphorylated and activated form found in the sperm midpiece. In addition, active AURKA is enriched in the flagellum of motile sperm isolated from cauda epididymis. These results provide evidence for a unique role for AURKA in spermatogenesis and sperm motility. Defining the signaling mechanisms that govern spermatogenesis and sperm cell function is crucial to understanding and treating male infertility as well as for development of new contraceptive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes inflammatory injuries in infected pigs. PRRSV induces secretion of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) that enhances inflammatory response. However, the mechanism of PRRSV-induced HMGB1 secretion is unknown. Here, we discovered PRRSV induced HMGB1 secretion via activating protein kinase C-delta (PKCδ). HMGB1 secretion was positively correlated with PKCδ activation in PRRSV-infected cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. Suppression of PKCδ with inhibitor and siRNA significantly blocked PRRSV-induced HMGB1 translocation and secretion, which indicates PKCδ activation is essential for the PRRSV-mediated HMGB1 secretion. In addition, PKCδ knockdown in PRRSV-infected cells led to downregulation of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1beta and IL-6. Moreover, PRRSV E and pORF5a proteins were found to activate PKCδ and consequent HMGB1 secretion. These results demonstrate PRRSV activates PKCδ to induce HMGB1 secretion via E and pORF5a. This finding provides insights on the inflammatory response and pathogenesis of PRRSV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin (IL) 13 plays a critical role in inflammatory diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aims to explore the potential association of IL-13 polymorphisms with the risk of SLE. We genotyped IL-13 rs20541, rs848 and rs1295686 using Snapshot SNP genotyping assays. Plasma IL-13 level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that rs20541 was associated with increased risk of SLE (CT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.43, 95%CI, 1.04–1.99, P = .030; TT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.73, 95%CI, 1.10–2.73, P = .018; CT/TT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.50, 95%CI, 1.10–2.04, P = .010; T vs. C adjusted OR = 1.34, 95%CI, 1.08–1.93, P = .031). CT and TT genotypes in rs20541 were associated with increased risk of renal disorder in SLE (CT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.97, 95%CI, 1.18–3.28, P = .009; TT vs. CC: adjusted OR=2.42, 95%CI, 1.22–4.77, P = .011). Moreover, The concentration of IL-13 was significantly elevated in rs20541 CT/TT genotypes compared with CC genotype ( P < .001). These results suggest that rs20541 CT/TT genotypes may be a risk factor for SLE, probably by increasing the level of IL-13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wrinkles exist widely in nature and our life. In this paper, wrinkles on polydopamine (PDA)/polystyrene (PS) bilayer films were formed by thermal annealing due to the different thermal coefficients of expansion of each layer. The factors that influenced the dimensions of wrinkles were studied. We found that oriented wrinkles could be formed if the bilayer films were patterned with micro-grooves, and the degree of the orientation depended on the thickness of the PDA and the dimensions of the grooves. Combined with the strong adhesion, biocompatibility and reactivity of PDA, the oriented wrinkles on PDA/PS patterned bilayers may find potential application in diffraction gratings, optical sensors and microfluidic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have quantitatively investigated the formation kinetics of metastable vacancy-dioxygen (VO 2 ) complex in a structure of [VO + O i ], where a VO complex is trapped in a next-neighbor position to an interstitial oxygen atom (O i ). It is found that the VO annihilation is accompanied by the generation of metastable [VO + O i ] complex during annealing in the temperature range of 220–250 °C. The activation energy for [VO + O i ] generation appears at around 0.48 eV, which is much lower than the counterpart of stable VO 2 complex. This indicates that the formation of [VO + O i ] complex originates from the reaction between VO and O i . The ab initio calculations show that the formation energy of [VO + O i ] complex is larger than that of VO 2 complex, which means that [VO + O i ] complex is thermodynamically unfavorable as compared to VO 2 complex. However, the binding energy of [VO + O i ] complex is positive, indicating that [VO + O i ] complex is stable against decomposition of VO and O i in silicon. It is believed that [VO + O i ] complex serves as the intermediate for VO to VO 2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is the most virulent agent to Grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella , and causes a severe infectious disease called hemorrhagic disease of grass carp. Generally, barbel chub, Squaliobarbus curriculus , a genetically closely related species to grass carp, exhibits significant resistance against GCRV infection compared to grass carp. To investigate whether the Toll-like receptor 22 ( tlr22 ) has got a vital role against the GCRV infection, the full cDNA sequence of tlr22 from barbel chub ( Sctlr22 ) was cloned by RACE-PCR, and the structure and expression feature were studied. The complete cDNA sequence of Sctlr22 has a size of 3504 bp, encoding for 960 amino acid residues. Sctlr22 possesses typical structural features of the tlrs family, including 19 leucine rich repeats (LRRs), a transmembrane (TM) and a Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that barbel chub Tlr22 was clustered together with the Tlr22 of grass carp ( Citlr22 ). Structurally, barbel chub Tlr22 have two different structure in LRRs domain and TIR domain with grass carp (Susceptible to GCRV), but was similar to that of Danio rerio and Cyprinus carpio (Resistance to GCRV). Quantitative RT-PCR analysis has shown that Sctlr22 is prominently expressed in immune relevant tissues such as head kidney and spleen. After GCRV infection, Sctlr22 expression level was up-regulated in four tested tissues and the highest expression of Sctlr22 appeared fast and higher than Citlr22 . The interferon-β ( ifn-β ) expression level in CIK cells over-expressing fused cDNA encoding the LRR domain of Sctlr22 to the transmembrane and TIR domain of Citlr22 was significantly higher than that cells overexpressing Citlr22 after GCRV infection. The virus titer was significantly reduced compared to Citlr22 over-expressing cells. These results suggested that Sctlr22 seems to play a vital role in the immune response against GCRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydro(solvo)thermal reactions of CuI with diverse bisimidazole molecules were investigated, affording five new copper(I) iodides [Cu 4 I 4 (L1) 2 ] (L1=1,3-bis(2-methylimidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene) 1 , [CuI(L2)] (L2=4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl) 2 , [Cu 4 I 4 (L3)] (L3=1,3-bis(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)propane) 3 , [Cu 4 I 4 (L4) 2 ] (L4=1,4-bis(2-ethylimidazol-1-yl)butane) 4, and [Cu 4 I 4 (L5)] (L5=1,4-bis(1-imidazoly)benzene) 5 . X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis reveals that (i) in 1 , a tetranuclear Cu-I cluster (stepped cubane) is observed, and the L1 molecule only acts as an ancillary ligand; (ii) in 2 , the L2 molecules extend the castellated Cu-I chains into a 2-D layer network with a certain thickness; (iii) in 2-D single-layer network of 3 , a 1-D Cu-I column is found, which can be viewed as a longitudinal packing of stepped Cu 4 I 4 cubanes; (vi) in 4 , the L4 molecules propagate the cubic Cu 4 I 4 cubanes into a 3-D 4-fold interpenetrated network with a cds topology; and (v) in 5 , the L5 molecules link the 1-D Cu-I ribbons into a 2-D single-layer network. The photoluminescence analysis indicates that 1 , 2 and 4 emit light (red light for 1 ; yellow light for 2 and 4 ), while 3 and 5 are not emissive. Their photoluminescence behaviors are confirmed to be related to the Cu···Cu interactions in the molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-modal plasticity within the visual and auditory cortices of early binocularly blind macaques is not well studied. In this study, four healthy neonatal macaques were assigned to group A (control group) or group B (binocularly blind group). Sixteen months later, blood oxygenation level-dependent functional imaging (BOLD-fMRI) was conducted to examine the activation in the visual and auditory cortices of each macaque while being tested using pure tones as auditory stimuli. The changes in the BOLD response in the visual and auditory cortices of all macaques were compared with immunofluorescence staining findings. Compared with group A, greater BOLD activity was observed in the bilateral visual cortices of group B, and this effect was particularly obvious in the right visual cortex. In addition, more activated volumes were found in the bilateral auditory cortices of group B than of group A, especially in the right auditory cortex. These findings were consistent with the fact that there were more c-Fos-positive cells in the bilateral visual and auditory cortices of group B compared with group A ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, the bilateral visual cortices of binocularly blind macaques can be reorganized to process auditory stimuli after visual deprivation, and this effect is more obvious in the right than the left visual cortex. These results indicate the establishment of cross-modal plasticity within the visual and auditory cortices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansion of PD-1-expressing CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and associated CTL exhaustion are chief issues for ineffective virus-elimination in chronic infectious diseases. PD-1 blockade using antagonistic anti-PD-L1 antibodies results in a moderate conversion of CTL exhaustion. We previously demonstrated that CD40L signaling of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific vaccine, OVA-Texo, converts CTL exhaustion via the activation of the mTORC1 pathway in OVA-expressing adenovirus (AdVova)-infected B6 mice showing CTL inflation and exhaustion. Here, we developed AdVova-infected B6 and transgenic CD11c-DTR (termed AdVova-B6 and AdVova-CD11c-DTR) mice with chronic infection, and assessed a potential effect of CD40 agonist on the conversion of CTL exhaustion and on a potential enhancement of PD-1 antagonist action in rescuing exhausted CTLs in our chronic infection models. We demonstrate that a single dose of anti-CD40 alone can effectively convert CTL exhaustion by activating the mTORC1 pathway, leading to CTL proliferation, up-regulation of an effector-cytokine IFN-γ and the cytolytic effect in AdVova-B6 mice. Using anti-CD4 antibody and diphtheria toxin (DT) to deplete CD4 + T-cells and dendritic cells (DCs), we discovered that the CD40 agonist-induced conversion in AdVova-B6 and AdVova-CD11c-DTR mice is dependent upon host CD4 + T-cell and DC involvements. Moreover, CD40 agonist significantly enhances PD-1 antagonist effectiveness in rescuing exhausted CTLs in chronic infection. Taken together, our data demonstrate the importance of CD40 signaling in the conversion of CTL exhaustion and its ability to enhance PD-1 antagonist action in rescuing exhausted CTLs in chronic infection. Therefore, our findings may positively impact the design of new therapeutic strategies for chronic infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ten new indole alkaloids were isolated from Uncaria rhynchophylla. • Their structures were elucidated by the analysis of spectroscopic data and quantum chemical calculations. • Eight of the ten new compounds exhibited at least one antagonistic effect on the dopamine D2 and Mu opioid receptors. • Compounds 1 and 21 processed dual-target activities on the two receptors. Ten new indole alkaloids (1 – 10) as well as eleven known analogs (11 – 21) were isolated from the stems and hooks of Uncaria rhynchophylla. Their structure elucidation was based on extensive NMR studies, MS and ECD data, with the essential aid of DFT prediction of ECD spectra. Compound 1 was determined as a 17,19 - seco - cadambine - type alkaloid, and compound 3 was confirmed to be a 3,4 - seco - tricyclic monoterpene indole alkaloid, which are the first seco - alkaloids possessing such cleavage positions from U. rhynchophylla. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their bioactivities on dopamine D2 and Mu opioid receptors for discovering natural therapeutic drugs targeting central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Compounds 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 20 and 21 showed antagonistic bioactivities on the D2 receptor (IC 50 0.678–15.200 μM), and compounds 1 , 3 , 6 , 9 , 10 , 13 , 18 , 19 and 21 exhibited antagonistic effects on the Mu receptor (IC 50 2.243–32.200 μM). Among them, compounds 1 and 21 displayed dual - target activities. Compound 1 showed conspicuous antagonistic activity on D2 and Mu receptors with the IC 50 values of 0.678 ± 0.182 μM and 13.520 ± 2.480 μM, respectively. Compound 21 displayed moderate antagonistic activity on the two receptors with the IC 50 values at 15.200 ± 1.764 μM and 32.200 ± 5.695 μM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human adenovirus type 7 (HAdV7) is commonly associated with febrile acute respiratory disease (ARD) outbreaks. We have reported that 10G12, a mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) specifically recognizing and neutralizing HAdV7, is a promising candidate for humanization. In this study, we engineered the six variants of 10G12 with increased degree of humanization and investigated their biological activity. The humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) 10G12-M2 was shown to retain the parental antibody's high binding affinity, specificity and potent efficacy of viral suppression. The mAb 10G12-M2 recognized a conformational neutralization epitope of the hexon protein. Complex structure-based molecular docking simulation showed that the hexon protein formed several interactions with 10G12-M2, including hydrogen bonds and salt bridges interaction. Physicochemical properties analysis of 10G12-M2 demonstrated that it is stable and desirable lead candidate. In general, 10G12-M2 had excellent biological activity after humanization combined with the potential for use in prophylactic or therapeutic applications against HAdV7. • The first report of the assess of the humanized mAb that can neutralize HAdV7. • A novel candidate therapeutic antibody with high binding affinity, specificity and potent efficacy of viral suppression. • A novel anti-HAdV7 antibody recognized a conformational neutralization epitope of the hexon protein. • A antibody had excellent physicochemical properties for use in prophylactic or therapeutic applications against HAdV7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a dangerous hypoxic illness that can affect humans who rapidly reach a high altitude above 2500 m. In the study, we investigated the changes of cytokines induced by plateau, and the acetazolamide (ACZ) influenced the cytokines in rats exposed to high altitude. Wistar rats were divided into low altitude (Control), high altitude (HA), and high altitude + ACZ (22.33 mg/kg, Bid) (HA + ACZ) group. The rats were acute exposed to high altitude at 4300 m for 3 days. The HA + ACZ group were given ACZ by intragastric administration. The placebo was equal volume saline. The results showed that hypoxia caused the heart, liver and lung damage, compared with the control group. Supplementation with ACZ significantly alleviated hypoxia-caused damage to the main organs. Compared with the HA group, the biochemical and blood gas indicators of the HA + ACZ group showed no difference, while some cytokines have significantly changed, such as activin A, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54), interleukin-1α,2 (IL-1α,2), l -selectin, monocyte chemotactic factor (MCP-1), CC chemokines (MIP-3α) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1). Then, the significant difference pro-inflammatory cytokines in protein array were chosen for further research. The protein and mRNA content of pro-inflammatory cytokines MCP-1, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in rat lung were detected. The results demonstrated that the high altitude affected the body’s physiological and biochemical parameters, but, ACZ did not change those parameters of the hypoxia rats. This study found that ACZ could decrease the content of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as MCP-1, IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ in rat lungs, and, the lung injury in the HA + ACZ group reduced. The mechanism that ACZ protected hypoxia rats might be related to changes in cytokine content. The reducing of the pro-inflammatory cytokines in rat lung might be other reason to explain ACZ against the acute mountain sickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathophysiology of coronary atherosclerotic plaques is a complex process. Early detection of coronary atherosclerotic plaques is critical in the prevention, prognostic and therapeutic intervention of cardiovascular disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), endogenous short non-coding RNAs, have been reported to play an important role in cardiovascular diseases and are also used as disease markers. However, the miRNA expression profile in early coronary atherosclerotic plaques has yet been reported. We hypothesize that miRNAs can be used as effective disease markers for detection of early coronary atherosclerotic plaques. In this analysis, coronary artery samples from three patients with early coronary atherosclerosis were harvested and miRNA expression profile determined using microarray analysis. Compared with healthy controls, a total of 44 miRNAs were upregulated and 57 miRNAs were downregulated. Among the dysregulated miRNAs, eight were significantly upregulated while five miRNAs were significantly downregulated, as determined by t- test ( P < 0.05). Four of the significantly dysregulated miRNAs, including miR-221, miR-155, miR-100 and hsa-miR-1273, were selected and verified by real-time PCR. The real-time PCR results were consistent with the microarray data that miR-221, miR-155 and miR-100 were significantly downregulated in plaques, whereas miR-1273 was significantly upregulated. These results indicate that miRNAs expression level can be used as potential markers for early coronary atherosclerotic plaque formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Δ x f ( x , y ) = f ( x + 1 , y ) − f ( x , y ) and Δ y f ( x , y ) = f ( x , y + 1 ) − f ( x , y ) be the difference operators with respect to x and y . A rational function f ( x , y ) is called summable if there exist rational functions g ( x , y ) and h ( x , y ) such that f ( x , y ) = Δ x g ( x , y ) + Δ y h ( x , y ) . Recently, Chen and Singer presented a method for deciding whether a rational function is summable. To implement their method in the sense of algorithms, we need to solve two problems. The first is to determine the shift equivalence of two bivariate polynomials. We solve this problem by presenting an algorithm for computing the dispersion sets of any two bivariate polynomials. The second is to solve a univariate difference equation in an algebraically closed field. By considering the irreducible factorization of the denominator of f ( x , y ) in a general field, we present a new criterion which requires only finding a rational solution of a bivariate difference equation. We give a new estimation of the universal denominators based on the m -fold Gosper representation and transform the bivariate difference equation to a system of linear difference equations in one variable. Combining these algorithms, we can decide the summability of a bivariate rational function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural enemies that reduce plant reproductive success are often utilized for biological control of invasive species. Reproduction in fig trees depends on host-specific fig wasp pollinators that develop in galled ovules, but there are also many species of non-pollinating fig wasps (NPFWs) that reduce seed and pollinator numbers. Fig wasps associated with an invasive Asian fig tree, Ficus microcarpa (Moraceae), were surveyed around the Mediterranean. Eight NPFW species are now known from the area, three of which are newly-recorded. The impacts of the two most prevalent ovule galling NPFW species (both Pteromalidae, Epichrysomallinae) on the tree’s reproduction were compared: Odontofroggatia galili Wiebes is widely-introduced, whereas Meselatus bicolor Chen has not been recorded previously outside its native range. Both gall-forming NPFWs significantly reduce seed and pollinator production, but M. bicolor has a far greater impact, entirely preventing seeds and pollinators from developing in the figs it occupies. M. bicolor has only been recorded from F. microcarpa and has the potential to be a valuable biological control agent in other countries outside the Mediterranean where F. microcarpa has become invasive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothesis Surface coatings that are either antifouling or bactericidal can reduce bacterial colonization, but either type has certain drawbacks. We hypothesize that by integrating an antifouling polymer, poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (pSBMA), and a bactericidal polymer, N -[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl] chitosan chloride (HTCC), in one coating, these drawbacks can be overcome and the antibacterial efficacy can be greatly improved compared to an antifouling or bactericidal coating. Experiments A copolymer comprising chitosan and pSBMA in almost equal molar ratio was grafted onto an aminolyzed silicone surface via genipin-induced crosslinking reaction, and treated with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride to endow the surface with quaternary ammonium groups. The antibacterial property and cytotoxicity of the resultant coating (HTCC- b -pSBMA) were tested. The possibility of incorporating heparin in the coating to improve blood compatibility was also investigated. Findings The HTCC- b -pSBMA coating reduced colonization by both planktonic bacteria from aqueous medium and aerosolized bacteria by approximately two orders of magnitude compared with the pristine surface. In comparison, surfaces coated with either the pSBMA or HTCC component are unable to achieve such efficacy. The heparin-loaded HTCC- b -pSBMA coating improved hemocompatibility without adversely affecting the antibacterial efficacy. No significant cytotoxicity of the coatings was observed with mammalian cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the study of dual sequences, Z.-W. Sun introduced the polynomials D n (x , y) = ∑ k = 0 n n k x k y k and S n (x , y) = ∑ k = 0 n n k x k − 1 − x k y k. Many related congruences were also established and conjectured. Here we generalize some of them by determining ∑ k = 0 p − 1 D k (x 1 , y 1) D k (x 2 , y 2) (mod p) and ∑ k = 0 p − 1 S k (x 1 , y 1) S k (x 2 , y 2) (mod p) for odd primes p and p -adic integers x i , y i with i ∈ { 1 , 2 }. In addition, we also characterize ∑ n = 0 p − 1 ∑ k = 0 n n k C k a k 2 (mod p) , where C k denotes the k th Catalan number, a ∈ Z ∖ { 0 } with gcd (a , p) = 1. These results confirm and generalize some of Z.-W. Sun's conjectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon neutrality is an important environmental management tool to deal with the global greenhouse effect. Addressing climate change is an important starting point for promoting the high-quality development of China's economy and the construction of ecological civilization, as well as an important area for participating in global governance and adhering to multilateralism. In this paper, from the perspective of carbon neutrality, taking China's Jiangsu Province as an example, the super-efficiency DEA model is selected to measure the level of ecological efficiency in Jiangsu, and on this basis, the Tobit model is used to verify the main factors affecting regional ecological efficiency. The results are as follows: (1) The regional eco-efficiency in Jiangsu shows a trend of decreasing from south to north, with obvious phenomenon of "club convergence", with significant spatial correlation and agglomeration. (2) The industrial structure is negatively related to the regional eco-efficiency of Jiangsu regions; Energy consumption structure has a positively impact in southern Jiangsu,but negatively in central and northern Jiangsu; FDI has a positively impact in central and northern Jiangsu, but negatively in southern Jiangsu; Regional economic development has a positively impact in southern and northern Jiangsu, but negatively in central Jiangsu; The progress in the technological level has positive effects on the eco-efficiency of all regions of Jiangsu. The final paper puts forward some suggestions based on the carbon neutral target Provide theoretical reference for achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. • Construct an regional ecological efficiency evaluation index system. • Use super-DEAmethod to measure ecological efficiency level. • Study from the perspective of carbon neutrality. • Propose a reference for achieving carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of carbon neutrality, the paper uses Super Efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to evaluate the level of regional energy efficiency in China, then selects Theil index to analyze the difference and change of regional energy efficiency. The results are as follows: (1) The overall level of energy efficiency in China is relatively low, and the average efficiency level from 2007 to 2019 is 0.568. Among them, Beijing is the highest, at 1.261, and Xinjiang is the lowest, at only 0.205. The energy efficiency of the eastern region is the highest in China: the average is 0.812. The central region is lower than the national average, with the value of 0.534. The lowest energy efficiency is in the western region, which is only 0.349. It can be seen that there are significant differences in regional energy efficiency, and from west to east has increased. (2) The Theil coefficient increased before 2012 and began to show a downward trend in 2013. The difference in the eastern region maintained the smallest downward trend among the three regions. The difference in the central region fluctuated and increased before 2011, and dropped sharply after 2012. In the western region, the coefficient is relatively stable and has not changed significantly. (3) Differences within and between regions in China show an overall downward trend. From the perspective of contribution rate, the difference between regions contributes the most to the overall difference. • We use super-efficiency DEA to measure China's regional energy efficiency. • We use Theil Index to illustrate regional differences in energy efficiency. • We have reached a conclusion that can provide a theoretical reference for policy making. • We compared the magnitude and trend of energy efficiency in various regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four-component of double-layer infinite coordination polymer (ICP) nanocomposites were formulated. Lot of high efficiency synergies among four components have been identified, revealing combinations with remarkably low combination index (CI) values, forming a powerful electrothermal-thermodynamic-multi-chemo trimodal synergistic therapy for large tumors.This approach has an tumor inhibition rate of 100 % in 16 days and no tumor recurrence within 60 days. [Display omitted] Multimodal /components tumors synergistic therapy is a crucial approach for enhancing comprehensive efficacy. Our research has identified lots of high efficiency synergies among four suitable components, revealing combinations with remarkably low combination index (CI) values (10-3-10-8). These combinations hold promise for large tumor powerful electrothermal-thermodynamic-multi-chemo trimodal therapy. To implement this approach, we developed four-component of double-layer infinite coordination polymer (ICP) nanocomposites, in which hypoxia-activated AQ4N and thermodynamic agent AIPH coordinated with Cu(Ⅱ) to form initial layer of positively charged ICPs-l NPs, chemotherapeutic agents gossypol-hyaluronic acid (G-HA) and CA4 coordinated with Fe(Ⅲ) to form out layer of negatively charged ICPs-2 NPs, then double-layer infinite coordination polymer nanocomposites (ICPs-1@ICPs-2 CNPs) were fabricated by electrostatic adsorption using ICPs-l NPs and ICPs-2 NPs. Cell experiments have extensively optimized the coordination combinations of the four components and the composition of the two layers. A programmable three-stage therapeutic procedure, assisted by a micro-electrothermal needle (MEN), was developed. Under this procedure the resulting nanocomposites demonstrate the powerful trimodal comprehensive therapeutic outcomes for large tumors using lower components dosage, achieving a tumor inhibition rate nearly reaching 100 % and no recurrence for 60 days. This study offers remarkable potential for tumor multimodal /components synergistic therapy in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer immunotherapy has recently attracted attention as an approach for cancer treatment through the activation of the immune system. Group-specific component (Gc) protein is a precursor for macrophage activating factor (GcMAF), which has a promising immunomodulatory effect on the suppression of tumor growth and angiogenesis. In this study, we successfully purified Gc protein from human serum using anion-exchange chromatography combined with affinity chromatography using a 25-OH-D 3 -immobilized column. The purity of Gc protein reached 95.0% after anion-exchange chromatography. The known allelic variants of Gc protein are classified into three subtypes—Gc1F, Gc1S and Gc2. The fragment sequence of residues 412–424 determined according to their MS/MS spectra is available to evaluate the subtypes of Gc protein. The data showed that the Gc protein purified in this study consisted of the Gc1F and Gc2 subtypes. Our method improved the purity of Gc protein, which was not affected by the treatment to convert it into GcMAF using β-galactosidase- or neuraminidase-immobilized resin, and will be useful for biological studies and/or advanced clinical uses of GcMAF, such as cancer immunotherapy. • Gc protein is a precursor of macrophage activating factor (GcMAF). • High-purity Gc protein is successfully prepared by anion-exchange chromatography. • The MS/MS spectra of residues 412–424 can be used to evaluate Gc protein subtypes. • The improved purity would help produce GcMAF for cancer immunotherapy studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the dynamics of carbon emissions for N-11 countries from 1990 to 2017. We introduce some innovative factors such as financial development, human capital, renewable energy consumption, and gross domestic product as determinants of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions. The empirical estimations are based on Pesaran (2007) unit root test, common correlated effect mean group, and augmented mean group. The findings reveal a positive relationship between carbon emissions and financial development as well as a gross domestic product. In contrast, technological innovation and renewable energy consumption are adversely related to carbon emissions. These findings have important implications, and we recommend the promotion of technological innovation and the use of renewable energy consumption. This will help in achieving the goals set by COP21. • This paper provides broader policy to achieve the goals laid down in COP21. • We investigate the role of determinants of CO2 emissions in N-11 countries. • Financial development and GDP seem to make climatic situations adverse. • Renewable energy consumption and innovation help reduce CO2 emissions. • Human capital development may also help to reduce CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An ortholog of SNF1 was identified in C. militaris. • CmSnf1 is necessary for fruiting body formation on silkworm pupae. • Cordycepin content increased in culture supernatants of CmSnf1 deletion strain. • CmSnf1 regulated expression of genes involved in cell autophagy and oxidative stress tolerance. SNF1/AMPK protein kinases play important roles in fungal development and activation of catabolite-repressed genes. In this study, we characterized the role of SNF1 ortholog in Cordyceps militaris (CmSnf1). The vegetative growth of a CmSnf1 deletion mutant was (Δ CmSnf1) reduced by 42.2% with arabinose as a sole carbon source. Most strikingly, the Δ CmSnf1 produced only a few conidia and exhibited delayed conidial germination. We found that CmSnf1 was necessary for mycelium to penetrate the insect cuticle to form the fruiting body on silkworm pupae, consistent with the down-regulation of chitinase- and protease-encoding genes in Δ CmSnf1. However, cordycepin content increased by more than 7 times in culture supernatants. Correspondingly, the relative expression levels of cordycepin gene cluster members were also elevated. In particular, the expression of cns4 associated with cordycepin transfer was up-regulated >10-fold. Furthermore, transcriptional analysis showed that CmSnf1 regulated the expression of genes involved in cell autophagy and oxidative stress tolerance. We speculated that under environmental stress, both the ATG and SNF1 pathways might collaborate to sustain adverse environments. Our study provides an initial framework to probe the diverse function and regulation of CmSnf1 in C. militaris , which will shed more light on the direction of molecular improvement of medicinal fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Direct nebulization of tea particles into ICP plasma and MS detection. • Efficient transportation and ionization of tea particles (<3 μm) in ICP. • Aqueous standard calibration for particle nebulization ICP-MS analysis. • High levels of LREEs and low levels of toxic elements and HREEs in teas. • Total REEs in 30% of Pu'er tea exceeds the Chinese national limit. Toxic elements profiling of teas is vital in terms of both quality control as well as a means to generate a comprehensive database for human-health-risk assessment. Accordingly, in the present study, a rapid method using direct nebulization of tea particles for inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ionization and subsequent detection of toxic elements by mass spectrometry (MS) was developed. Dried and well grounded tea particles were stably dispersed in 0.5% polyethylene-imine and the particle slurries were analyzed by ICP-MS using aqueous standard calibration. Monitoring the nebulization, transportation, and ionization behaviors of particles of different sizes revealed that particles with a mean size of 1 μm provide values comparable with those of aqueous standards containing equivalent concentrations of the analyte. The excellent recoveries of the method (90–105%) were verified by analyzing two tea certified reference materials, and the detection limits ranged from 0.03 (for Tm) to 1.2 (for Cr) μg kg−1. Then, we performed screening analysis of five toxic elements (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb) and 16 rare-earth elements in 20 Pu'er teas, and the results revealed that the contents of all the toxic elements and heavy rare earth oxides were low level, where those of the light rare-earth oxides were high. Furthermore, the total rare-earth oxides content of 30% of the Pu'er teas exceeded the Chinese National limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indocyanine green (ICG) is an FDA-approved near infrared (NIR) imaging agent for diagnosis and imaging guided surgery. It also exhibits phototoxicity under high-dose NIR irradiation, expanding its application as a photo-therapeutic agent. Since ICG's efficiency as a type II photosensitizer has been controversial due to its low triplet state yield, other mechanisms have been explored. While claims of toxic decomposition products, accompanied by irreversible ICG photobleaching, were proposed as the main mechanism, evidences from systemic studies are lacking. In this work, we aimed to unravel the factors affecting ICG photobleaching and the associated photo-killing effect on neuroblastoma, one of the most common pediatric tumors but often escapes therapy. Specifically, we examined how albumin-induced ICG stabilization affects the ICG photobleaching process, and the effect of photobleached ICG on cell proliferation and viability of neuroblastoma cells. It was found that ICG photobleaching was significant only under aerobic conditions and was more efficient in solutions with higher concentration ICG monomers, which were stabilized from aggregates by the presence of BSA while increasing photobleaching and associated oxygen consumption. Photobleached ICG inhibited cell proliferation, indicating another effect of tumor treatment by ICG. Taken together, while enhanced photobleaching by BSA-bound ICG monomers may reduce the photodynamic effect targeting cellular components, the photoproducts directly contribute to tumor growth inhibition and assist in a secondary mechanism to stop tumor growth. • Photobleached ICG inhibited neuroblastoma cell proliferation. • ICG requires and consumes dissolved oxygen for photobleaching in cells. • BSA enhances photobleaching by preventing monomers from aggregating. • Monomers are more photoreactive than aggregates. • Lower ICG doses preferentially kill neuroblastoma cells over fibroblast cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diseases caused by Vibrio harveyi in shrimps have gradually become one group of the most serious threats to shrimp production, while related molecular mechanisms of infections with Vibrio harveyi are still not known well in shrimps. Here, we performed proteomic sequencing of hepatopancreas in whiteleg shrimps (Litopenaeus vannamei) infected with exogenous Vibrio harveyi , and subsequent functional annotation and calculation of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in this study. A total of 145 DEPs were obtained, among them 36 were up-regulated and 109 were down-regulated after the infection. Meanwhile, our results showed that after the infection of Vibrio harveyi , expression levels of a variety of C-type lectins (CTLs) were changed significantly. In-depth functional domain analysis and spatial structure prediction of these CTLs revealed that amino acid sequences and spatial structures of the C-type lectin domain (CTLD) shared by the CTL-S and IML proteins were variant, suggesting differential functions between the two CTLs. In summary, various members of the CTL family have different epidemic responses to Vibrio harveyi infection, which provides a theoretical guidance for deep-going investigations on practical immunity reactions and pathogen infections in shrimps. • We build a proteomics dataset of whiteleg shrimp. • First systematic study (Including structure and function) of C type lectin in whiteleg shrimp. • This study is helpful for in-depth understanding on pathogen infections in whiteleg shrimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeilberger's method of creative telescoping is crucial for the computer-generated proofs of combinatorial and special-function identities. Telescopers are linear differential or (q -)recurrence operators computed by algorithms for creative telescoping. Two fundamental problems related to creative telescoping are whether telescopers exist, and how to construct them efficiently when they do. In this paper, we solve the existence problem of telescopers for rational functions in three variables including 18 cases. We reduce the existence problem from the trivariate case to the bivariate case and some related problems. The existence criteria given in this paper enable us to determine the termination of algorithms for creative telescoping with trivariate rational inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds are common industrial pollutants that seriously endangers water ecology and human health. Therefore, the development of efficient and recyclable adsorbents is of importance for wastewater treatment. In this research, HCNTs/Fe 3 O 4 composites were constructed using co-precipitation way by loading magnetic Fe 3 O 4 particles onto hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), showing excellent adsorption capacity for Bisphenol A (BPA) and p -chlorophenol (p -CP), and excellent catalytic ability of activating potassium persulphate (KPS) for degradation of BPA and p -CP. The adsorption capacity and catalytic degradation potential were evaluated for the removal of BPA and p -CP from solutions. The results showed that the adsorption took only 1 h to reach equilibrium and HCNTs/Fe 3 O 4 had maximum adsorption capacities of 113 mg g−1 for BPA and 41.6 mg g−1 for p -CP at 303 K, respectively. The adsorption of BPA fitted well using the Langmuir, Temkin and Freundlich models while the adsorption of p -CP fitted well using the Freundlich and Temkin models. BPA adsorption on HCNTs/Fe 3 O 4 was dominated by π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding forces. The adsorption included both the mono-molecular layer adsorption on the adsorbent surface and the multi-molecular layer adsorption on the non-uniform surface. The adsorption of p -CP on HCNTs/Fe 3 O 4 was a multi-molecular layer adsorption on a dissimilar surface. The adsorption was controlled by forces such as π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, partition effect and molecular sieve effect. Moreover, KPS was added to the adsorption system to initiate a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalytic degradation. Over a wide pH range (4–10), 90% of the aqueous BPA solution and 88% of the p -CP solution were degraded in 3 and 2 h, respectively. After three adsorption-regeneration or degradation cycles, the removal of BPA and p -CP remained up to 88% and 66%, indicating that HCNTs/Fe 3 O 4 composite is cost-effective, stable and highly efficient to remove BPA and p -CP from solution. • One composite (HCNTs/Fe 3 O 4) with facile synthesis was characterized. • The adsorption property is performed about HCNTs/Fe 3 O 4 toward BPA and p -CP. • The composite can effectively activate persulfate to degrade BPA and p -CP. • Mechanisms of adsorption and degradation were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pili have been demonstrated to contribute to the pathogenicity of many bacterial pathogens. Flp pilus encoded by the tad locus belongs to the type IVb pilus. Our previous study has revealed that the intact tad locus is essential for Flp pilus formation in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae , a very important porcine respiratory pathogen. To further investigate the functions of Flp pilus in A. pleuropneumoniae pathogenesis, the flp1 and tadD single deletion mutants were constructed by homologous recombination. Both of the mutant strains lost pilus on their cell surfaces. The abilities of biofilm formation, cell adhesion, resistance to phagocytosis, survival in swine whole blood, and in vivo colonization of the two mutants were significantly reduced compared with those of the parental strain. The corresponding complemented strains recovered the phenotypes. These results demonstrated that flp1 and tadD were essential for the biosynthesis of Flp pilus and that the pilus played important roles during infection of A. pleuropneumoniae. Highlights • The genes flp1 and tadD are essential for biosynthesis of A. pleuropneumoniae Flp pilus. • A. pleuropneumoniae Flp pilus is important for biofilm formation. • A. pleuropneumoniae Flp pilus is involved in adherence and anti-phagocytosis in vitro. • Flp pilus plays essential roles in A. pleuropneumoniae colonization in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Iron-cobalt dual single-atom anchoring on nitrogen-doped graphene (Fe x Co y -NG) improves the efficiency of migration and separation of photo-generated carriers. In this work, the perylene diimide (PDI) is self-assembled on the Fe x Co y -NG to form the Fe x Co y -NG/PDI composites by π-π interaction, which is reported for the first time. The bisphenol A (BPA) degradation of optimized 20% Fe 0.2 Co 0.8 -NG/PDI are nearly 100%, and the degradation rate is 1.5 and 12.7 times that of the self-assembled PDI and commercial-grade PDI. The high degradation performance by Fe x Co y -NG/PDI are mainly due to: (i) regulating the proportion of Fe-Co dual active sites content, so that it can achieve the synergistic interaction to facilitate the transfer of electrons in the catalytic reaction. (ii) PDI is uniformly dispersed by adding the Fe x Co y -NG, which increases the specific surface area of composites to adsorb more pollutants. Free radical trapping experiments and electron spin-resonance spectroscopy characterization confirmed that the O 2 –, OH, 1O 2 and h+ are the main reactive species (RSs) for BPA degradation. Under the attack of RSs, BPA completes the processes of hydroxylation, demethylation, aromatization, ring-opening, and finally complete mineralization into CO 2 and H 2 O. These results revealed that Fe 0.2 Co 0.8 -NG/PDI photocatalysts may be efficiently applied for the remediation of phenol contaminated natural waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phytoremediation by using of green plants in the removal of environmental pollutant is an environment friendly, green technology that is cost effective and energetically inexpensive. By using Agrobacterium -mediated gene transfer, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants ectopically expressing mercuric transport protein gene ( merT ) from Pseudomonas alcaligenes . Compared with wild-type (WT) plants, overexpressing PamerT in Arabidopsis enhanced the tolerance to HgCl 2 . Further results showed that the enhanced total activities or corresponding transcripts of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and guaiacol peroxidase (POD) were observed in transgenic Arabidopsis under HgCl 2 stress. These results were confirmed by the alleviation of oxidative damage, as indicated by the decrease of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) contents and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. In addition, localization analysis of PaMerT in Arabidopsis protoplast showed that it is likely to be associated with vacuole. In all, PamerT increased mercury (Hg) tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis , and decreased production of Hg-induced ROS, thereby protecting plants from oxidative damage. The present study has provided further evidence that bacterial MerT plays an important role in the plant tolerance to HgCl 2 and in reducing the production of ROS induced by HgCl 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In the present work, we designed and synthesized a cationic cyano-substituted p-phenylenevinylene derivative (PPTA), which can form supramolecular assemblies through electrostatic interaction with a type of polyelectrolyte material anionic guar gum (GP5A). A polyelectrolyte-based artificial light-harvesting system (LHS) was constructed by selecting a fluorescent dye sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) that matched its energy level as an energy acceptor. The energy harvested by the acceptors was used in the aqueous phase cross dehydrogenation coupling (CDC) reaction with a yield of up to 87%. In addition, the general applicability of polyelectrolyte materials to build artificial LHS was demonstrated by three other polyelectrolyte materials sodium polyphenylene sulfonate (RSS), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and sodium polyacrylate (PAAS), in which the CDC reaction was also carried out by these three LHSs and obtained high yields. This work not only provides a new method to construct LHSs by using polyelectrolyte materials, but also provides a beneficial exploration for further applying the energy harvested in LHSs to the field of photocatalysis in an aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The succinylated Antarctic krill proteins (SAKP) were fabricated using the ultrasound, and the curcumin-loaded emulsions stabilized by SAKP were selected as photosensitizers to construct a photodynamic inactivation (PDI) system to preserve salmon during storage at 4 °C. The SAKP treated with 200 W ultrasound (SAKP-U-200) presented an expanded and flexible structure, a decreased particle size from 465 nm to 358 nm, an increased surface hydrophobicity from 207.1 to 411.5, and its interface absorption capacity was increased by ∼8.0%, which displayed a superior encapsulation and emulsification ability compared with the other succinylated proteins. The emulsions stabilized by SAKP-U-200 efficiently loaded curcumin, and the established PDI mediated by the coating photosensitizers potently inactivated the bacteria in salmon by ∼3.0 Log 10 CFU/g (99.9%) after the illumination of 18.72 J/cm2. Meanwhile, the PDI inhibited the changes of color and pH, maintained the integrity of muscle fibers, and reduced the water loss of salmon during the post-treatment storage. Notably, the PDI treatment inhibited the degradation of proteins by ∼7.7%, and decreased the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids by ∼21%. Therefore, this study expands the application of PDI in preserving the storage quality of aquatic products. • Succinylated Antarctic krill proteins were fabricated driven by ultrasound. • Physicochemical and functional properties of the proteins were highly improved. • Curcumin-loaded emulsions stabilized by the proteins were used as photosensitizer. • A novel photodynamic inactivation method was developed to preserve salmon. • The method limited the physical, chemical and histological changes of salmon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue virus (DENV) is a prevalent mosquito-transmitted human pathogen, causing about 100 million cases of acute dengue fever and 21,000 deaths annually worldwide. Therapeutic neutralizing antibodies against dengue virus might be effective to treat severe dengue fever. Here, we showed that human monoclonal antibody (HMAb) 9C7 bound to all four intact serotypes of DENV but not to the recombinant envelope protein, suggesting HMAb 9C7 recognized a conformational epitope of the envelope protein. Taken together our results suggested that HMAb 9C7 neutralized all four serotypes of DENV in vitro and, for DENV-1, indicated activity at the pre- and post-attachment steps in the viral life cycle. HMAb 9C7 potently protected suckling mice from lethal challenge with all four serotypes of DENV. FcγRII-mediated uptake of immune complexes and antibody-dependent enhancement at low doses of the antibody were abolished by two Leu-to-Ala (9C7-LALA) mutations or deletion of nine amino acids (9C7-9del) in HMAb 9C7 Fc. Therefore, HMAb 9C7 represented a promising prophylactic and therapeutic agent against all four serotypes of DENV. • We generated and characterized a novel DENV-specific HMAb 9C7 recognized a conformational epitope of the envelope protein. • HMAb 9C7 potently neutralized all four serotypes DENV in vitro at the pre- and post-attachment steps in the viral life cycle. • HMAb 9C7 potently protected model mice from lethal challenge with all four serotypes of DENV. • FcγRII-mediated ADE were abolished by two Leu-to-Ala mutations or deletion of nine amino acids in HMAb 9C7 Fc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical treatment of human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is rapidly progressing from chemotherapy to targeted therapies led by the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VEN). Despite its unprecedented success, VEN still encounters clinical resistance. Thus, uncovering the biological vulnerability of VEN-resistant AML disease and identifying effective therapies to treat them are urgently needed. We have previously demonstrated that iron oxide nanozymes (IONE) are capable of overcoming chemoresistance in AML. The current study reports a new activity of IONE in overcoming VEN resistance. Specifically, we revealed an aberrant redox balance with excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in VEN-resistant monocytic AML. Treatment with IONE potently induced ROS-dependent cell death in monocytic AML in both cell lines and primary AML models. In primary AML with developmental heterogeneity containing primitive and monocytic subpopulations, IONE selectively eradicated the VEN-resistant ROS-high monocytic subpopulation, successfully resolving the challenge of developmental heterogeneity faced by VEN. Overall, our study revealed an aberrant redox balance as a therapeutic target for monocytic AML and identified a candidate IONE that could selectively and potently eradicate VEN-resistant monocytic disease. [Display omitted] • VEN-resistant monocytic AML exhibits aberrant redox balance with excessive intracellular ROS. • IONE induces ROS dependent cell death in monocytic AML cells. • In primary AML samples with mixed subpopulations, IONE selectively eradicated the VEN-resistant monocytic subpopulation. • IONE potently resolves the challenge of developmental heterogeneity faced by VEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation delves into the utilization of tremolite, a rare mineral, as a pottery temper for cooking vessels of the late Neolithic lower Yangtze Liangzhu culture. Raman spectroscopy analysis of 165 mineral-tempered pottery sherds from the Dazemiao site revealed that tremolite was the predominant tempering material for tripods (ding), whereas a mixture of feldspar and quartz was used for open-topped vats (da-kou-gang). SEM images indicate that the tremolite temper exhibits relatively coarse fiber structure, corresponding to one of the nephrite materials used for the Liangzhu jade. It is suggested that the Liangzhu miners reallocated materials according to nephrite quality, formulating different product lines, including different types of jade objects and pottery temper. Additionally, the utilization of tremolite temper persisted throughout the entire Liangzhu culture. The presence of tremolite-tempered pottery in regions without indigenous tremolite mines necessitated robust logistical networks for the transportation of these bulky materials. The tremolite temper not only reconfirms the strong 'jade culture' of Liangzhu, but also provides evidence of extensive socio-economic exchanges between different geographical regions on the Yangtze River delta. • Potters used tremolite temper in Liangzhu culture (5300-4300 BP), China. • Tremolite temper was widely used in the cooking vessel – tripod (Ding). • Nephrite jade craftsmanship influenced the use of tremolite temper. • A riverine logistical network encouraged the circulation of tremolite. • A complex polity made efforts to integrate transport networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ephrin-B2, a member of the Eph/ephrin family of cell signaling molecules, has been implicated in the guidance of cranial and trunk neural crest cells (NCC) and development of the branchial arches(BA), but detailed examination in mice has been hindered by embryonic lethality of Efnb2 null loss of function due to a requirement in angiogenic remodeling. To elucidate the developmental roles for Efnb2 , we generated a conditional rescue knock-in allele that allows rescue of ephrin-B2 specifically in the vascular endothelium (VE), but is otherwise ephrin-B2 deficient. Restoration of ephrin-B2 expression specifically to the VE completely circumvents angiogenic phenotypes, indicating that the requirement of ephrin-B2 in angiogenesis is limited to the VE. Surprisingly, we find that expression of ephrin-B2 specifically in the VE is also sufficient for normal NCC migration and that conversely, embryos in which ephrin-B2 is absent specifically from the VE exhibit NCC migration and survival defects. Disruption of vascular development independent of loss of ephrin-B2 function also leads to defects in NCC and BA development. Together, these data indicate that direct ephrin-B2 signaling to NCCs is not required for NCC guidance, which instead depends on proper organization of the embryonic vasculature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]