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We found that the complexes of nucleotides and terbium(III) exhibit circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). The CPL of GMP/Tb/Ag coordination polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) was converted by a magnetic field and pH. The CPL of the purine nucleobase of nucleotides was opposite to that of the pyrimidine nucleobase. GMP/Tb/Ag CPNs could be used as advanced safety coatings and acid–base switches, and Tb/Ag could be used as CPL probes for rapid differentiation of nucleotides, which provided ideas for multiple transformations and applications of CPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by B cell hyperactivation and hypergrammaglobulinemia. Currently, the role of metabolic pathways in the B cells of pSS patients is poorly defined. Here, we showed that upon cytosine phosphate‐guanine (CpG)/sCD40L/IL‐4 stimulation, B cells proportionally increased glycolysis and oxygen consumption, and compared with B cells from healthy controls (HCs), B cells from pSS patients exhibited higher glycolysis capacity and maximal oxidative respiration (OXPHOS). We also found that glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression in B cells from pSS patients was significantly higher than that in B cells from HCs. Treatment with 2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose (2‐DG) inhibited the activation of B cells in pSS patients. Both 2‐DG and Metformin inhibited the proliferation, formation of plasma/plasmablasts and decreased the IgG and IgM levels in the supernatants of B cells from pSS patients. Furthermore, inhibition of mTORC1 by rapamycin had an effect similar to that of 2‐DG, suppressing B cell activation, proliferation and antibody production. Taken together, we demonstrated that B cells from pSS patients are more metabolically active than those from HCs and suggested that the mTORC1‐GLUT1 glycolysis pathways were the major drivers of B cell hyperactivation and autoantibody production in pSS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mn metal batteries are rarely reported due to the lack of a stable electrolyte. Here, an N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)-based organic electrolyte with stable Mn plating/stripping for over 500 h and high Coulombic efficiency (CE) for a Mn metal battery is presented. The battery—specifically composed of an electrolyte made of DMF and ethylenediamine (EDA), a cathode made of 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylicdiimide (PTCDI), and an anode made of Mn metal—displayed a specific capacity of 105 mA h g−1. These results indicated the effectiveness of our new method for preparing low-cost and highly stable secondary Mn ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porphyrin (TMPyP) functionalized carbon quantum dots (CQDs-TMPyP), a novel and efficient carbon nanocomposite material, were developed as a novel luminescent material, which could be very useful for the sensitive detection of copper ions in the Cu2+ quenching luminescence of functionalized carbon quantum dots. Therefore, we constructed a sensitive "signal off" ECL biosensor for the detection of Cu2+. This sensor can sensitively respond to copper ions in the range of 10 nM to 10 μM, and the detection limit is 2.78 nM. At the same time, it has good selectivity and stability and a benign response in complex systems. With excellent properties, this proposed ECL biosensor provides an efficient and ultrasensitive method for Cu2+ detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare clonal disease of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) perform a wide range of biological functions, including the regulation of gene expression, cell differentiation, and proliferation, but their role in PNH remains unclear. CD59− and CD59+ granulocytes and monocytes from 35 PNH patients were sorted. High-throughput sequencing was analyzed in 5 PNH patients, and differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were identified. The mRNAs with fragments per kilobase of exon model per million mapped fragments (FPKM) > 10 in at least 3 patients were selected, and experiments were performed to identify their upstream regulatory lncRNAs. The expression of selected mRNAs and lncRNAs was verified by qRT‒PCR, and the correlation of these expression patterns with clinical data from other 30 PNH patients was analyzed. Then, the functions of the lncRNAs were studied in the PIGA-KO-THP-1 cell line. Transcription analysis revealed 742 upregulated and 1376 downregulated lncRNAs and 3276 upregulated and 213 downregulated mRNAs. After deep screening, 8 highly expressed mRNAs that were related to the NF-κB pathway were analyzed to determine coexpression patterns. LINC01002, FAM157C, CTD-2530H12.2, XLOC-064331 and XLOC-106677 were correlated with the 8 mRNAs. After measuring the expression of these molecules in 30 PNH patients by qRT‒PCR, lncRNA FAM157C was verified to be upregulated in the PNH clone, and its expression levels were positively correlated with the LDH levels and CD59− granulated and monocyte cell ratios. After knockdown of the FAM157C gene in the PIGA-KO-THP-1 cell line, we found that the cells were arrested in the G0/G1 phase and S phase, the apoptosis rate increased, and the cell proliferation decreased. LncRNA FAM157C was proven to promote PNH clone proliferation, and this is the first study to explore the role of lncRNAs in PNH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable precipitation data are highly necessary for geoscience research in the Third Pole (TP) region but still lacking, due to the complex terrain and high spatial variability of precipitation here. Accordingly, this study produces a long-term (1979–2020) high-resolution (1/30 ∘ , daily) precipitation dataset (TPHiPr) for the TP by merging the atmospheric simulation-based ERA5_CNN with gauge observations from more than 9000 rain gauges, using the climatologically aided interpolation and random forest methods. Validation shows that TPHiPr is generally unbiased and has a root mean square error of 5.0 mm d -1 , a correlation of 0.76 and a critical success index of 0.61 with respect to 197 independent rain gauges in the TP, demonstrating that this dataset is remarkably better than the widely used datasets, including the latest generation of reanalysis (ERA5-Land), the state-of-the-art satellite-based dataset (IMERG) and the multi-source merging datasets (MSWEP v2 and AERA5-Asia). Moreover, TPHiPr can better detect precipitation extremes compared with these widely used datasets. Overall, this study provides a new precipitation dataset with high accuracy for the TP, which may have broad applications in meteorological, hydrological and ecological studies. The produced dataset can be accessed via https://doi.org/10.11888/Atmos.tpdc.272763 (Yang and Jiang, 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) is a safe and effective surgical procedure for refractive correction. However, the nomogram from the VisuMax femtosecond laser system often overestimates the achieved lenticule thickness (LT), leading to inaccurate estimation of residual central corneal thickness in some patients. In order to improve the accuracy of predicting achieved LT, we used machine learning models to make predictions of LT and analyze the influencing factors of LT estimation in this study. We collected nine variables of 302 eyes and their LT results as input variables. The input variables included age, sex, mean K reading of anterior corneal surface, lenticule diameter, preoperative CCT, axial length, the eccentricity of the anterior corneal surface (E), diopter of spherical, and diopter of the cylinder. Multiple linear regression and several machine learning algorithms were employed in developing the models for predicting LT. According to the evaluation results, the Random Forest (RF) model achieved the highest performance in predicting the LT with an R2 of 0.95 and found the importance of CCT and E in predicting LT. To validate the effectiveness of the RF model, we selected additional 50 eyes for testing. Results showed that the nomogram overestimated LT by 19.59% on average, while the RF model underestimated LT by −0.15%. In conclusion, this study can provide efficient technical support for the accurate estimation of LT in SMILE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ideal thumbnail generator should effectively condense unimportant regions and keep the important content undeformed, completed, and at a proper scale, i.e., accuracy, completeness, and sufficiency. Each retargeting method has its own advantage for resizing arbitrary images. However, they often ignore the completeness and sufficiency for information presentation in thumbnails. In this paper, we formulate thumbnail generation as an image content condensation problem and propose a unified grid optimization framework to fuse multiple operators. From the view of accuracy, completeness, and sufficiency for information presentation, we exploit complementary relationships among three condensation operators and fuse them into a unified grid-based convex programming problem, which could be solved simultaneously and efficiently through numerical optimization. Besides warping energy to preserve the geometric structure of important objects, we put forward two grid-based energy terms to keep the completeness of important objects and retain them at a proper size. Finally, an adaptive procedure is proposed to dynamically adjust the contribution of loss functions for achieving optimal content condensation. Both qualitative and quantitative comparison results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves an excellent tradeoff among accuracy, completeness, and sufficiency of information preservation. The experimental results show that our approach is obviously superior to the state-of-the-art techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) due to their excellent photostability, good biocompatibility and multicolor fluorescence, have been preferentially selected as luminescent fluorophores and co-assembled with various chiral host templates in recent years. The as-prepared composites exhibit marvellous circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activity and show promising potentials in the fields of stereopsis and optoelectronic display, which have drawn increasing attention. However, the fussy assembly procedure and over-reliance on template chirality extremely limit the design and application of CDs-composited materials in the field of CPL. In this work, we directly prepared the CDs-composited G-quartet hydrogels with CPL activity using a one-step microwave-assisted method, and their helical chiral structure and CPL orientation can be arbitrarily switched back and forth between left-handed and right-handed through K+ and formation kinetics. Finally, the CDs-composited G-quartet hydrogels can be applied in anti-counterfeiting printing for encrypted information transfer, and their outstanding thermal cycling stability and CPL dissymmetry factor (g lum) of up to 10−1 demonstrate a wider application potential in CPL active materials based on CDs. [Display omitted] • CDs-composited fluorescent G-quartet hydrogels were directly prepared by a simple one-step microwave method. • Helical chirality and CPL properties of hydrogels can be flexibly regulated by metal ions—K+ and formation kinetics. • The CPL dissymmetry factor (g lum) of hydrogels reached 10−1, which is much higher than that of most CPL materials. • The CDs-composited G-quartet hydrogels can be employed in anti-counterfeiting printing for information encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral carbon dots (CDs) are a novel luminescent zero‐dimensional carbon‐based nanomaterial with chirality. They not only have the advantages of good biocompatibility, multi‐color‐emission, easy functionalization, but also exhibits highly symmetrical chiral optical characteristics, which broadens their applicability to enantioselectivity of some chiral amino acids like cysteine and lysine, asymmetric catalysis as well as biomedicine in gene expression and antibiosis. In addition, the exploration of the excited state chirality of CDs has developed its excellent circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) properties, opening up a new application scenario like recognition of chiral light sources and anti‐counterfeit printing with information encryption. This review mainly focuses on the mature synthesis approaches of chiral CDs, including chiral ligand method and supramolecular self‐assembly method, then we consider emerging applications of chiral CDs in CPL, biosensing and biological effect. Finally, we concluded with a perspective on the potential challenges and future opportunities of such fascinating chiral CDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic matter (SOM) is enriched on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, but its effects on the hydrothermal state of the coupled land–atmosphere system remain unclear. This study comprehensively investigates these effects during summer from multiple perspectives based on regional climate modeling, land surface modeling, and observations. Using a regional climate model, we show that accounting for SOM effects lowers cold and wet biases in simulations of this region. SOM increases 2-m air temperature, decreases 2-m specific/relative humidity, and reduces precipitation in coupled simulations. Inclusion of SOM also warms the shallow soil while cooling the deep soil, which may help to preserve frozen soil in this region. This cooling effect is captured by both observations and offline land surface simulations, but it is overestimated in the offline simulations due to no feedback from the atmosphere compared to the coupled ones. Including SOM in coupled climate models could therefore not only imrove their representations of atmospheric energy and water cycles, but also help to simulate the past, present, and future evolution of frozen soil with increased confidence and reliability. Note that these findings are from one regional climate model and do not apply to wetlands. Significance Statement: The eastern Tibetan Plateau is rich in soil organic matter (SOM), which increases the amount of water the soil can hold while decreasing the rate at which heat moves through it. Although SOM is expected to preserve frozen soil by insulating it from atmospheric warming, researchers have not yet tested the effects of coupled land–atmosphere interactions on this relationship. Using a regional climate model, we show that SOM typically warms and dries the near-surface air, warms the shallow soil, and cools the deep soil by modifying both soil properties and energy exchanges at the land–atmosphere interface. The results suggest that the cooling effect of SOM on deep soil is overestimated when atmospheric feedbacks are excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) oil is an important source of vegetable oil for supporting the human diet. However, the high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in natural soybean oil renders the oil unstable and thus susceptible to the development of unpalatable flavors and trans fatty acids. Therefore, reducing the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and increasing the content of monounsaturated fatty acids is a longstanding and important target for soybean breeding. However, soybean varieties with a high oleic acid content are rare in soybean germplasm resources, which introduces substantial difficulties in the cultivation of high-oleic-acid soybeans. In this study, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene-editing technology was used to create targeted knockout of the soybean fatty acid desaturase encoding genes GmFAD2-1A and GmFAD2-1B that contribute to the formation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. We obtained fad2-1a, fad2-1b, and fad2-1a/fad2-1b homozygous mutants using two sgRNAs. We found that the oleic acid content increased from 11% to 40-50% in the fad2-1a and fad2-1b mutants and to 85% in the fad2-1a/fad2-1b mutants. We also generated transgene-free double mutants that conferred higher oleic acid, and the fad2-1a/fad2-1b mutant had no adverse phenotyping compared with the wild type. Our study provided new materials for the selection and breeding of high-oleic-acid soybean varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the cloud macro- and micro-physical characteristics in the convective and stratiform regions and their different responses to the seeding for mixed convective-stratiform clouds that occurred in Shandong province on 21 May 2018, based on the observations from the aircraft, the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, and the high-resolution Himawari-8 (H8) satellite. The aircraft observations show that convection was deeper and radar echoes were significantly enhanced with higher tops in response to seeding in the convective region. This is linked with the conversion of supercooled liquid droplets to ice crystals with released latent heat, resulting in strengthened updrafts, enhanced radar echoes, higher cloud tops, and more and larger precipitation particles. In contrast, in the stratiform cloud region, after the Silver Iodide (AgI) seeding, the radar echoes become significantly weaker at heights close to the seeding layer, with the echo tops lowered by 1.4–1.7 km. In addition, a hollow structure appears at the height of 6.2–7.8 km with a depth of about 1.6 km and a diameter of about 5.5 km, and features such as icing seeding tracks appear. These suggest that the transformation between droplets and ice particles was accelerated by the seeding in the stratiform part. The NPP and H8 satellites also show that convective activity was stronger in the convective region after seeding; while in the stratiform region, a cloud seeding track with a width of 1–3 km appears 10 km downstream of the seeding layer 15 minutes after the AgI seeding, which moves along the wind direction as width increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite‐based precipitation products (SBPs) have been widely used in hydrological applications in recent decades but may contain large uncertainties in mountainous regions. Atmospheric simulation‐based datasets (ABDs) have been greatly improved in recent years, but their applications in mountainous hydrology are rare and need further validation. This study compares the performance of three SBPs and two ABDs in the mountainous Minjiang River basin, focusing on their potential for closing the basin‐wide water budget. The three SBPs include the China Merged Precipitation Analysis (CMPA), the Integrated Multi‐satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) and the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP); the two ABDs are the fifth generation Reanalysis product of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ERA5) and the High Asia Refined Analysis Version 2 (HAR V2). The five products are validated with rain gauge data and results show that all the five products except IMERG can generally reproduce the spatial pattern and elevation dependence of observed precipitation. Particularly, precipitation amount in the two ABDs is close to gauge observations in the low elevations, but much more than the gauge observations in areas with a sharp rise in elevations. Assessment of water budget shows that all SBPs yield severe negative water imbalance (greater than 50.0% of corresponding runoff) at most sub‐basins, while the ABDs can better close the water budget with water imbalance values between ±30.0% in most sub‐basins, respectively. Further analyses show that large relative differences between SBPs and ABDs mainly occur in areas with large topographical relief and in winter, which is likely because the ABDs outperform the SBPs in capturing orographic precipitation in complex terrain and solid precipitation in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants absorb nitrogen from the soil using ammonium transporters (AMTs). Plants can precisely regulate AMT1;3 levels using sophisticated regulatory systems, ensuring adequate nitrogen uptake without hazardous ammonium production. Here, we demonstrated that ubiquitylation can contribute to AMT1;3 degradation under high ammonium stress. Using the ubiquitin site mutant AMT1;3K75R,K233R-EGFP, we demonstrated that the loss of ubiquitination affects the dynamic characteristics of AMT1;3 proteins on the plasma membrane and markedly inhibits the endocytosis of AMT1;3 proteins under high ammonium stress. AMT1;3K75R,K233R-EGFP plants also showed inhibition of protein degradation that targets the vesicular pathway after being exposed to high levels of ammonium. Our findings showed that the dynamic properties, endocytosis, and vesicle trafficking pathways of AMT1;3 proteins are altered in AMT1;3K75R,K233R-EGFP under high ammonium conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide extracellular‐intracellular distribution of microRNA requires the on‐site, robust and efficient activation of catalytic DNA circuits inside live cells. Herein, we develop an efficient non‐enzymatic circuitry activation strategy to realize the orthogonally controlled catalytic DNA (CCD) circuit for achieving high‐fidelity in vivo microRNA imaging through multiply guaranteed molecular recognition and progressively accelerated signal amplification. For predictable on‐site activation and useful catalytic efficiency, the dominating circuitry fuel strand was initially split into inactive fuel subunits that were grafted into an auxiliary catalytic circuit. There, the in‐cell‐specific mRNA triggered the orthogonal amplification of the active fuel strands for sensitive target detection through the chief entropy‐driven catalytic DNA circuit. We believe that the on‐site orthogonal circuitry activation method can contribute to clinical diagnosis and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide extracellular‐intracellular distribution of microRNA requires the on‐site, robust and efficient activation of catalytic DNA circuits inside live cells. Herein, we develop an efficient non‐enzymatic circuitry activation strategy to realize the orthogonally controlled catalytic DNA (CCD) circuit for achieving high‐fidelity in vivo microRNA imaging through multiply guaranteed molecular recognition and progressively accelerated signal amplification. For predictable on‐site activation and useful catalytic efficiency, the dominating circuitry fuel strand was initially split into inactive fuel subunits that were grafted into an auxiliary catalytic circuit. There, the in‐cell‐specific mRNA triggered the orthogonal amplification of the active fuel strands for sensitive target detection through the chief entropy‐driven catalytic DNA circuit. We believe that the on‐site orthogonal circuitry activation method can contribute to clinical diagnosis and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) is a key parameter in understanding the variability of lake thermal conditions and evaporation. The MODIS-derived LSWT is widely used as a reference for lake model validations and process studies in data-scarce regions. In this study, the accuracy of the MODIS LSWT was examined on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). In-situ subsurface temperatures were collected at five large lakes. Although the observation period covers from summer to winter, only the observations during the lake turnover period (from October to freeze-up), when the lakes are well mixed, can be used as ground truth. The MODIS LSWT agrees well with the selected in-situ data for the five large lakes, with root mean square error (RMSE) < 1 °C at nighttime and <2 °C in the daytime, indicating a high accuracy of the MODIS LSWT data. Before the turnover period, the water is thermally stratified and the surface water is warmer than the subsurface water, and thus the in-situ subsurface water temperature data and the MODIS LSWT have different representativeness. In this case, if the observations are used as a validation basis, the MODIS errors could be much magnified. This in turn indicates the importance of period selection for the validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) composites, which combine the flexibility of resin materials with the rigidity of ceramic materials, have become a hot spot for research and development because of their structural and mechanical features that are similar to those of real teeth. In this paper, the porous feldspar ceramic part sintered body is used as the inorganic skeleton to composite with resin, and the preparation processes of porous feldspar ceramic were investigated, including the effects of different sintering temperature and holding time on the pore diameter and porosity of porous feldspar ceramic, and the effects on the properties of resin infiltration ceramic composites. The results show that when the sintering temperature is 750 ℃ and the holding time is 0 min, it has the most suitable porosity and pore size for resin infiltration. The hardness, flexural strength and flexural modulus of PICN composites were 125.5 N/mm2, 162.85 MPa, and 27.01 GPa respectively and the water absorption value and water solubility value are 10.51 μg/mm3 and 2.29 μg/mm3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Interfacial contact between PTL/CL affects both electrical resistance and heat conduction. • Imperfect contact at anode PTL results in current density dependency of HFR. • Effects of different operating protocols are studied. • Optimized contact is required to obtain improved and reliable performance. Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) cells have made significant progress with regards to their performance, durability and cost reduction in the past few decades. Although the interfacial contacts between each PEMWE cell component have a significant impact on cell performance and durability, their effects are still not fully investigated. In this study, the interfacial contact between porous transport layers (PTLs) and catalyst layers (CLs) is systematically studied utilizing various test protocols and conditions, including step scan, dynamic sweep scan, galvanostatic and potentiostatic control. Poorly designed electrical contact at the anode PTL/CL interface will lead to an increased electrical resistance, and results in a high frequency resistance (HFR) and dependency on current density. In addition, the data suggest that an uncoated PTL/CL interfacial contact causes an inhomogeneous temperature distribution on the micro-scale, which may accelerate cell degradation. Improving the interfacial contact by applying platinum group metal coatings, such as thin film Ir coatings, reduces the cell ohmic resistance and improves the heat management. This study gives insights into the effects of interfacial contacts, test protocols and impact on operation conditions. The impact of PTL microstructure as function of PTL thickness is elucidated. It emphasizes the importance of an optimized interfacial contact and provides guidelines for PEM electrolysis measurement protocols. [Display omitted]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterostructures are recognized as one promising framework toward electrocatalytic application owing to their exceptional activities. Benefiting from its rapid processing with environmental-sustainability, plasma serves as a facile approach to achieving such nano-structures. However, it is still ambiguous to elucidate why plasma can modulate surface species to fabricate heterostructures. Here, we achieve Ni–NiO heterostructures via plasma-oxidizing on Ni surface directly at ambient conditions. By introducing in situ plasma diagnostics, we verify the heterostructure formation mechanism, in which surface heating serves as an essential candidate owing to its promotion of surface species, while insufficient and excessive surface temperature during processing leads to uniform film and agglomeration. Compared to conventional thermal oxidation, our plasma strategy not only achieves heterostructures with great electrocatalytic behavior, but also modulates nano-framework with improved controllability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene response factors (ERFs) belonging to the APETALA2/ERF superfamily acted at the end of the ethylene signaling pathway, and they were found to play important roles in plant growth and development. However, the information of ERF genes in strawberry and their involvement in fruit ripening have been limited. Here, a total of 235 ERF members were identified from 426 AP2/ERF genes at octoploid strawberry genome level and classified into six subgroups according to their sequence characteristics and phylogenetic relationship. Conserved motif and gene structure analysis supported the evolutionary conservation of FaERFs. Syntenic analysis showed that four types of duplication events occurred during the expansion of FaERF gene family. Of these, WGD/segmental duplication played a major role. Transcriptomic data of FaERF genes during fruit ripening and in response to abscisic acid screened one activator (FaERF316) and one repressor (FaERF118) that were involved in fruit ripening. Transcriptional regulation analysis showed some transcription factors related to ripening such as ABI4, TCP15, and GLK1 could bind to FaERF316 or FaERF118 promoters, while protein–protein interaction analysis displayed some proteins associated with plant growth and development could interact with FaERF118 or FaERF316. These results suggested that FaERF118 and FaERF316 were potential genes to regulate strawberry ripening. In summary, the present study provides the comprehensive and systematic information on FaERF family evolution and gains insights into FaERF's potential regulatory mechanism in strawberry ripening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevalent allergic disease affecting individuals of all ages, especially children and adolescents. Patients with AR develop a specific immunoglobulin E antibody response to allergens, including pollen, mold, dust mites, and animal dander. The main symptoms of AR patients include nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal itching. Symptoms such as these can interfere with the patient's sleep and quality of life when they become severe. Moreover, AR contributes too many complications, can exacerbate asthma, and has a negative impact on productivity and social costs. Therefore, the current review focuses on how to treat AR effectively. This review discusses the correlation between AR and constitution from the perspective of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Constitution Theory in light of increasing research on AR in TCM. The constitution is adjustable, and adjusting the patient's biased constitution can improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of the disease. TCM constitution is critical in AR pathogenesis, and both are closely linked. TCM constitution theory can be applied to treat AR with positive effects, which merits popularization and application, and provides a new approach to the treatment of AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great challenge to design transition multimetallic carbonate hydroxides with delicate hollow features and defects for efficient electrolytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, a sequential self‐templating method to synthesize CoNiFe trimetallic carbonate hydroxide hierarchical hollow microflowers (CN‐xFe HMs) with oxygen vacancies (VO) is reported. The synergistic merits of hollow structure, Fe substitution, and VO endow the CN‐xFe HMs with high active‐site exposure density and increased electrical conductivity. Specially, the optimized CN‐xFe HMs validate the excellent OER performance with an overpotential of 258 mV to drive 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 48.7 mV dec−1. Theoretical calculations reveal that Fe substitution and VO can synergistically regulate the electronic states to achieve near‐ideal adsorption/desorption capacity for oxygenated intermediates. Moreover, the successful synthesis of other six metals substituted CoNiM (M = Cu, Zn, Cr, Mo, Er and La) carbonate hydroxides provides a universal protocol to construct transition multimetallic electrocatalysts with hollow structures for gaining highly efficient energy conversion reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Ti,Nb) 3 SiC 2 /60 vol%-Al 2 O 3 composite ceramic samples with different Ti/Nb atomic ratios were prepared by hot-pressing sintering using Ti/Si/Al/TiC/NbC/Al 2 O 3 powders as starting materials. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the solid solubility of Nb is approximately 7.5 at%. Excessive NbC powder addition can lead to the generation of an impurity phase. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy images reveal that most of the Nb-doped atoms aggregate at 2a -sites, as this configuration exhibits the lowest system energy. The optimized hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness of (Ti,Nb) 3 SiC 2 /Al 2 O 3 were determined to be 16.0 GPa, 672 MPa and 6.9 MPa m1/2, which corresponds to an increase of 15.9%, 18.7% and 25.4% respectively, compared with Ti 3 SiC 2 /Al 2 O 3 composite ceramics. By means of first-principle calculations, the strengthening mechanism is derived from both intragranular improvement in (Ti,Nb) 3 SiC 2 solid solutions and intergranular enhancement of (Ti,Nb) 3 SiC 2 /Al 2 O 3 grains interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil temperature is a key parameter in the soil–vegetation–atmosphere system. It plays an important role in the land surface water and energy cycles, and has a major influence on vegetation growth and other hydrological aspects. We evaluated the accuracy of the soil temperature profiles from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) using nine observational networks across the world and aimed to find a reliable global soil temperature profile dataset for future hydrological and ecological studies. In general, the soil temperature profile data generated by the Noah model driven by the GLDAS forcing data (GLDAS_Noah10 and GLDAS_Noah10_v2) were found to have high skills in terms of daily, monthly, and mean seasonal variations, indicated by smaller bias and root-mean-square-error (RMSE) (both <3 °C) and correlation coefficients larger than 0.90. Conversely, the Community Land Model (CLM) results (GLDAS_CLM10) generally showed larger bias and RMSE (both >4 °C). Further analysis showed that the overestimation by GLDAS_CLM10 was mainly caused by overestimation of the ground heat flux, determined by the thermal conductivity parameterization scheme, whereas the underestimation by GLDAS_Noah10 was due to underestimation of downward longwave radiation from the forcing data. Thus, more accurate forcing data should be required for the Noah model and an improved thermal parameterization scheme should be developed for the CLM. These approaches will improve the accuracy of simulated soil temperatures. To our knowledge, it is the first study to evaluate the GLDAS soil temperatures with comprehensive in situ observations across the world, and has a potential to facilitate an overall improvement of the GLDAS products (not only soil temperatures but also the related energy and water fluxes) as well as a refinement of the land surface parameterization used in GLDAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G = ( V , E ) be a simple graph with vertex set V ( G ) = { v 1 , v 2 , … , v n } and edge set E ( G ) . Let D ( G ) be the distance matrix of G . For a given nonnegative integer k , when n is sufficiently large with respect to k , we show that λ n − k ( D ) ≤ − 1 , thereby solving a problem proposed by Lin et al. (2014) [8] . The distance Laplacian spectral radius of a connected graph G is the spectral radius of the distance Laplacian matrix of G , defined as D L ( G ) = Tr ( G ) − D ( G ) , where Tr ( G ) is the diagonal matrix of vertex transmissions of G . Aouchiche and Hansen (2014) [3] conjectured that m ( λ 1 ( D L ) ) ≤ n − 2 when G ≇ K n , and the equality holds if and only if either G ≅ K 1 , n − 1 or G ≅ K n 2 , n 2 . In this paper, we confirm the conjecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Soil moisture is a key variable in climate system, and its accurate simulation needs effective soil parameter values. Conventional approaches may obtain soil parameter values at point scale, but they are costly and not efficient at grid scale (10–100 km) of current climate models. This study explores the possibility to estimate soil parameter values by assimilating AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System) brightness temperature (TB) data. In the assimilation system, the TB is simulated by the coupled system of a land surface model (LSM) and a radiative transfer model (RTM), and the simulation errors highly depend on parameters in both the LSM and the RTM. Thus, sensitive soil parameters may be inversely estimated through minimizing the TB errors. A crucial step for the parameter estimation is made to suppress the contamination of uncertainties in atmospheric forcing data. The effectiveness of the estimated parameter values is evaluated against intensive measurements of soil parameters and soil moisture in three grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau and the Mongolian Plateau. The results indicate that this satellite data-based approach can improve the data quality of soil porosity, a key parameter for soil moisture modeling, and LSM simulations with the estimated parameter values reasonably reproduce the measured soil moisture. This demonstrates it is feasible to calibrate LSMs for soil moisture simulations at grid scale by assimilating microwave satellite data, although more efforts are expected to improve the robustness of the model calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCF) with high energy density as a potentially useful electrode for energy storage systems still suffers from inferior rate capability and low cycling performance due to high-spin nitrogen-coordinated Co ions. While nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) with low energy density can exhibit great cycling stability due to the electrochemical inertness of Ni. Herein, we have developed a series of cobalt nickel hexacyanoferrate (CoNiHCF) via a facile cryogenically controlled co-precipitation method. We explored the Co/Ni molar ratio and synthesis temperature on the effects of the specific capacitance in detail. As supercapacitor cathode, the Co 0.7 Ni 0.3 HCF with the Co/Ni molar ratio of 0.7:0.3 synthesized at 0 °C can exhibit a high specific capacitance of 406 F g−1 at 1 A·g−1 with capacitance retention of 81.89 % after 5000 cycles. The exceptional electrochemical performance is ascribed to the upgraded conductivity resulting from the coexistence of bimetallic components, the low particle size caused by the moderate introduction of Ni, the low interstitial water content, and the synergistic effect between Co and Ni. Moreover, the symmetric supercapacitor (SSC) of Co 0.7 Ni 0.3 HCF//Co 0.7 Ni 0.3 HCF can provide a high energy density of 72.96 W h kg−1 and 40.96 W h kg−1 at specific powers of 2876 W kg−1 and 28,577 W kg−1, respectively with a capacitance retention of 74.83 % after 4000 cycles. [Display omitted] • A facile cryogenically controlled co-precipitation strategy was rationally designed. • A multicomponent Co 0.7 Ni 0.3 HCF for supercapacitors was synthesized. • The Co 0.7 Ni 0.3 HCF behaves low particle size and interstitial water content. • The Co 0.7 Ni 0.3 HCF exhibits a capacitance of 406 F g−1 at 1 A·g−1 after 5000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distinct family of plant-specific WRKY transcription factors plays a crucial role in modulating responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this investigation, we unveiled a signaling pathway activated in the desert shrub Ammopiptanthus nanus during feeding by the moth Spodoptera exigua. The process involves a Ca2+ flux that facilitates interaction between the protein kinase AnCIPK12 and AnWRKY29. AnWRKY29 directly interacts with the promoters of two key genes encoding AnPDF1 and AnHsfB1 , involved in the biosynthesis of plant defensins. Consequently, AnWRKY29 exerts its transcriptional regulatory function, influencing plant defensins biosynthesis. This discovery implies that A. nanus can bolster resistance against herbivorous insects like S. exigua by utilizing this signaling pathway, providing an effective natural defense mechanism that supports its survival and reproductive success. • The study uncovers a signaling pathway in Ammopiptanthus nanus triggered by herbivore feeding. • AnCIPK12 physically interacts with AnWRKY29. • This interaction is facilitated by the Ca2+ flux. • AnWRKY29 plays a dual role in plant defensins biosynthesis, activating AnPDF1 and repressing AnHsfB1. • AnHsfB1 is a transcriptional repressor of AnPDF1. • A complex regulatory network, including AnWRKY29 and AnHsfB1, governs plant defensins biosynthesis in response to herbivore feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distinct family of plant-specific WRKY transcription factors plays a crucial role in modulating responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this investigation, we unveiled a signaling pathway activated in the desert shrub Ammopiptanthus nanus during feeding by the moth Spodoptera exigua. The process involves a Ca2+ flux that facilitates interaction between the protein kinase AnCIPK12 and AnWRKY29. AnWRKY29 directly interacts with the promoters of two key genes encoding AnPDF1 and AnHsfB1 , involved in the biosynthesis of plant defensins. Consequently, AnWRKY29 exerts its transcriptional regulatory function, influencing plant defensins biosynthesis. This discovery implies that A. nanus can bolster resistance against herbivorous insects like S. exigua by utilizing this signaling pathway, providing an effective natural defense mechanism that supports its survival and reproductive success. • The study uncovers a signaling pathway in Ammopiptanthus nanus triggered by herbivore feeding. • AnCIPK12 physically interacts with AnWRKY29. • This interaction is facilitated by the Ca2+ flux. • AnWRKY29 plays a dual role in plant defensins biosynthesis, activating AnPDF1 and repressing AnHsfB1. • AnHsfB1 is a transcriptional repressor of AnPDF1. • A complex regulatory network, including AnWRKY29 and AnHsfB1, governs plant defensins biosynthesis in response to herbivore feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(A) Schematic diagram of construction of composite MQDs-TMPyP 4. (B) Schematic diagram of the ECL biosensor based on the composite material MQDs-TMPyP 4 for Cu2+ detection and ECL mechanism. [Display omitted] • MQDs is combined with TMPyP 4 to produce composite that enhances ECL performance. • MQDs is compounded with TMPyP 4 by π-π stacking and electrostatic interaction. • MQDs-TMPyP 4 can be used to detect copper ions with high sensitivity. • The problems of low selectivity and low luminosity of MQDs in ECL field are solved. Ti 3 C 2 MXene quantum dots (MQDs) have recently gained considerable attention as promising emerging nanomaterials for biosensing applications. However, it is still in the infancy of research on the functionalisation of MQDs to improve their properties. This work synthesised glutathione (GSH)-modified MQDs by hydrothermal method and functionalised them with porphyrin (TMPyP 4), resulting in porphyrin-functionalised GSH-Ti 3 C 2 MXene quantum dots (MQDs-TMPyP 4) nanocomposite with enhanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties. The lack of selectivity of MQDs and the weak luminescence intensity of ECL have been solved, expanding the method for developing materials with enhanced ECL properties. Cu2+ was found to quench the ECL luminescence of MQDs-TMPyP 4 , which is valuable for detecting copper ions. Consequently, we constructed a sensitive "Signal on–off" biosensor for Cu2+ detection. The biosensor demonstrated a sensitive response to copper ions within the concentration range of 10 nM to 10 μM, with an impressively low detection limit of 3.22 nM. Additionally, the biosensor exhibited good stability and selectivity. The ECL biosensor performed well and provided an efficient and ultra-sensitive method for detecting Cu2+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-omics technologies enable comprehensive characterization of colorectal cancer (CRC). • Spatial omics provide insights into the tumor microenvironment and cellular interactions in CRC. • Artificial intelligence facilitates the identification of CRC biomarkers and molecular subtypes. • Integrating multi-omics and artificial intelligence advances understanding of CRC biology and personalized therapeutic strategies. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Recent advancements in genomic technologies and analytical approaches have revolutionized CRC research, enabling precision medicine. This review highlights the integration of multi-omics, spatial omics, and artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing precision medicine for CRC. Multi-omics approaches have uncovered molecular mechanisms driving CRC progression, while spatial omics have provided insights into the spatial heterogeneity of gene expression in CRC tissues. AI techniques have been utilized to analyze complex datasets, identify new treatment targets, and enhance diagnosis and prognosis. Despite the tumor's heterogeneity and genetic and epigenetic complexity, the fusion of multi-omics, spatial omics, and AI shows the potential to overcome these challenges and advance precision medicine in CRC. The future lies in integrating these technologies to provide deeper insights and enable personalized therapies for CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Amine-directed borylation realizes high yield >90 % without hazardous lithiation. • MR-TADF emitters are constructed by integrating B,O-based framework with B-N bonds. • Bright green emissions are achieved with FWHM of 28 and 24 nm, PLQY of 85 and 90 %. • B-N bonds endow emitters with small Stokes shift and narrow spectral width. • Green OLED achieves narrow-band spectrum with FWHM of 29 nm, maximum EQE of 20.1 %. Multi-resonance (MR) thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials emerge rapidly in recent years, and are expected to be an effective solution for ultra-high-resolution displays. Solving the main issues of low yield and dangerous lithium reagent for synthesis, extending the material diversity and figuring out the structure–activity relationship would all be beneficial to promote their commercialization. Herein, two easy-to-access MR-TADF emitters, BO-N1 and BO-N2 , are constructed by integrating B,O-based MR polycyclic aromatic with B-N covalent bonds. The B-N covalent bonds are formed through simple amine-directed borylation with high yield over 90 %, which significantly improves yield, simplifies procedure and effectively avoids hazardous lithiation compared to the traditional methods. Two emitters exhibit bright green emissions in doped films with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 28 and 24 nm, and high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY) of 85 % and 90 %. The green electroluminescent device of BO-N2 achieves narrow-band spectrum with FWHM of 29 nm, maximum brightness of 10480 cd m−2 and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 20.1 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited application of garlic essential oil (GEO) is attributed to its pungent taste, poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Liposomes are nontoxic, biodegradable and biocompatible, and β-cyclodextrin can inhibit undesirable odors and improve the stability and bioavailability. Thus a promising dual-layer GEO β-cyclodextrin inclusion compound liposome (GEO-DCL) delivery system with both advantages was designed and prepared in this study. Experimental results indicated that the encapsulation efficiency of GEO-DCLs was 5% higher than that of GEO liposomes (GEO-CLs), reaching more than 88%. In vitro release experiment showed that the release rate of GEO in GEO-DCLs was 40% lower than that of GEO-CLs after incubation in gastric juice for 6-h, indicating that the stability of GEO-DCLs was better than GEO-CLs. Evaluation of the effects of GEO-DCLs on lowering blood lipid levels in hypercholesterolemia mice. GEO-DCLs could reduce the weight and fat deposition in hypercholesterolemia mice. Inhibiting the increase of TC, LDL-C, and decrease of HDL-C in mice. The degree of liver injury was decreased, the number of round lipid droplets in liver cytoplasm was reduced, and the growth of fat cells was inhibited. The lipid-lowering effects of GEO-DCLs were dose-dependent. GEO-DCL can improve the bioavailability of GEO and improve dyslipidemia. Based on GEO's efficacy in lowering blood lipids, this study developed a kind of GEO-DCL compound pomegranate juice beverage with good taste, miscibility and double effect of reducing blood lipids. This study lays a foundation for the application of GEO in the field of functional food. [Display omitted] • Cyclodextrin liposome encapsulation way was first use in garlic essential oil (GEO). • GEO β-cyclodextrin inclusion liposomes (GEO-DCLs) can release GEO slowly. • GEO-DCLs has better simulated gastric fluid stability. • GEO-DCLs could intervene dyslipidemia caused by high fat diet. • A compound GEO-DCLs beverage with double effect of lowering blood lipid was prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud seeding is a process that adjusts cloud physical properties and processes, including both natural and human measures. This study aims to assess the effects of natural ice seeding from upper ice-containing clouds on low convective clouds through in-situ aircraft observations during an Integrative Monsoon Frontal Rainfall Experiment (IMFRE-II) in the summer of 2020. We mainly focus on two distinct shallow convective clouds, one with and the other without upper ice-containing layer, namely Cloud A and Cloud D. The in-situ data demonstrate that snowfall from the upper ice-containing layer to the lower Cloud A, leading to significant changes in cloud top height, median value of radar echo as well as vertical velocity. Compared to shallow convective cloud D without upper-level seeding, cloud A had an approximately 84% less concentration of cloud droplets (diameter <100 μm) and had a slightly smaller cloud droplet effective diameter. For drizzle particles and cloud ice particles with sizes larger than 100 μm, cloud A had a concentration one order of magnitude larger than that of cloud D, also with a larger spectral broadening ratio. These findings reveal the influence of "Seeder-Feeder" effects on microphysical properties of cloud A. The physical mechanisms of Bergeron, riming, and coalescence most likely play a role in the rapid formation of large drizzle/precipitation particles. The natural seeding effect of "seeder-feeder" through snow-virga also likely forms local turbulence, accelerates turbulent entrainment mixing, and promotes the development of the seeded shallow convective cloud. • Ice-containing cloud favors the precipitation formation of convective cloud below. • Ice particles fasten the Bergeron process within low cloud with supercooled droplets. • Evaporation of falling particles helps invigorate the cloud development below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A facile microfluidic approach for controllable encapsulation of phase change material is presented. • High monodisperse PCM capsules with various reliable structures are prepared by adjusting flow rates. • Multilayer graphene is introduced into the pure PCM (RT25) modify the thermo-regulation ability. • Current PCM capsules provide new options for the real thermo-regulation and energy conservation. In this work, a facile microfluidic approach for controllable encapsulation of phase change material is presented to fabricate robust PCM capsules. The multilayer graphene is also introduced into the pure PCM (RT25) for improving the thermal conductivity of the PCM, so as to modify the thermo-regulation ability of the PCM capsules. Systematical experimental tests indicate that, via the current approach, PCM can be controllably encapsulated into every capsule with high monodispersity (coefficient of variation (C.V.) ≤ 2%) and reliable core-shell structure. The size and the core/shell proportion of the PCM capsules (i.e., the thermo-regulation ability) can be controlled precisely by adjusting the flow rates of the inner and outer phases. Especially, the thermal conductivity of PCM capsules can be improved by adding the multilayer graphene (≤ 2 wt%) with negligible degeneration of energy storage capacity less than 5%, which makes the PCM capsules response faster to the change of ambient thermal environment. The prepared PCM capsules provide new options for the real thermo-regulation and energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate sample preparation is one of the most critical steps in mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), which is closely associated with reproducible and reliable images. Despite that model insects and organisms have been widely used in various research fields, including toxicology, drug discovery, disease models, and neurobiology, a systematic investigation on sample preparation optimization for MSI analysis has been relatively rare. Unlike mammalian tissues with satisfactory homogeneity, freezing sectioning of the whole body of insects is still challenging because some insect tissues are hard on the outside and soft on the inside, especially for some small and fragile insects. Herein, we systematically investigated the sample preparation conditions of various insects and model organisms, including honeybees (Apis cerana), oriental fruit flies (Bactrocera dorsalis), zebrafish (Danio rerio), fall armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda), and diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella), for MSI. Three cutting temperatures, four embedding agents, and seven thicknesses were comprehensively investigated to achieve optimal sample preparation protocols for MSI analysis. The results presented herein indicated that the optimal cutting temperature and embedding agent were −20 °C and gelatin, respectively, providing better tissue integrity and less mass spectral interference. However, the optimal thickness for different organisms can vary with each individual. Using this optimized protocol, we exploited the potential of MSI for visualizing the tissue-specific distribution of endogenous lipids in four insects and zebrafish. Taken together, this work provides guidelines for the optimized sample preparation of insects and model organisms, facilitating the expansion of the potential of MSI in the life sciences and environmental sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signal amplification strategies increase the complexities of biosensors while improving the response signals. Herein, a novel electrochemical biosensor was developed based on a DNA hydrogel for sensitive analysis using microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) as a detection model. Poly C sequences combined with C–Ag(I)–C hydrogel formed a DNA hydrogel by the unique interaction between the cytosines and silver ions. Thus, with a three-way conjunction structure of DNA, this C–Ag(I)–C hydrogel was constructed as a novel biosensor for the detection of miRNAs. With the assistance of this hydrogel, numerous silver ions gathered around DNA strands, which would amplify the signal. Under these conditions, the silver ions produced distinct square wave voltammetry oxidation peak currents. This electrochemical biosensor we designed exhibited a great linear relationship for the logarithm of the concentration of miRNA-21 from 1 fM to 100 pM with a detection limit of 0.117 fM. Furthermore, our sensors were able to differentiate miRNA-21 from its homologous family with satisfactory responsiveness in the dilute bovine serum system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clonostachys rosea is an important mycoparasite, with great potential for controlling numerous plant fungal diseases. Understanding the mechanisms and modes of action will assist the development and application of this biocontrol fungus. In this study, the highly efficient C. rosea 67-1 strain was marked with the green fluorescent protein (GFP), and the transformant possessed the same biological characteristics as the wild-type strain. Fungal interactions with Botrytis cinerea during co-culture and encounter on tomato leaves were assessed by fluorescence confocal and electron microscopy. The results indicated that once the two fungi met, the hyphae of C. rosea grew alongside those of B. cinerea, then attached tightly to the host and developed special structures, via which the biocontrol fungus penetrated the host and absorbed nutrients, eventually disintegrating the cells of the pathogen. Mycoparasitism to B. cinerea was also observed on tomato leaves, suggesting that C. rosea can colonize on plants and act following the invasion of the pathogenic fungus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As a common complication of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), malignant ascites contributes to the peritoneal metastasis of EOC. CircRNAs play essential roles in tumor metastasis. However, no circRNAs have been reported to be involved in EOC peritoneal metastasis via ascites.Methods: Total of 22 samples from 9 EOC patients containing primary lesions (T), tumor cells from ascites (ASC), and metastatic lesions (M) were included for RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed circRNAs and mRNAs among different tumors. Bioinformatic analyses, including single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and soft cluster analysis, were performed to find circRNAs potentially correlated with ascitic metastasis. Wound healing and transwell analysis were performed to evaluate tumor cells metastasis in vitro. Quantitative real-time PCR and western-blot were used for gene expression evaluation.Results: According to transcriptomic analysis, ASC showed mesenchymal phenotype while T and M showed epithelial phenotype. 10 circRNAs were differentially expressed among ASC, T, and M. Among them, hsa_circ_0000497 and hsa_circ_0000918 were significantly up-regulated in ASC. Functional analysis showed that both hsa_circ_0000497 and hsa_circ_0000918 promoted metastasis of EOC via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. The regulatory network construction identified 8 miRNAs and 19 mRNAs, and 7 miRNAs and 17 mRNAs as potential downstream target genes of hsa_circ_0000497 and hsa_circ_0000918, respectively, which may play pivotal roles in EOC ascitic metastasis.Conclusions: circRNAs (hsa_circ_0000497 and hsa_circ_0000918) contribute to metastasis of EOC via ascites by regulating EMT. These circRNAs may serve as novel potential therapeutic targets or prognostic biomarkers for EOC peritoneal metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Dy2O3, C4H6CoO4·4H2O, C6H8O7·H2O and HNO3 as the main raw materials, DyCoO3 was successfully prepared by sol-gel method. The DyCoO3 were characterized by TG-DSC, XRD, SEM and FT-IR. Using azo dye methyl orange solution as simulated wastewater, the degradation activity of DyCoO3 under UV irradiation was studied by changing the synthesis temperature and illumination time. The results show that the pure DyCoO3 can be prepared from 750 °C to 1000 °C, DyCoO3 particles were relatively uniform with average grain size of 2–3 μm. The photocatalytic activity of DyCoO3 sample calcined at 800 °C was the best. When DyCoO3 photocatalytic degradation of 10 mg/L methyl orange for 60 min, the degradation rate was close to 100%. This shows that DyCoO3 is a new type of photocatalyst with high efficiency, which lays a foundation for the application of wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Adhesion-regulating molecule 1 (ADRM1), a receptor located on the 26S proteasome, is upregulated in many solid cancers. However, little is known about its role in acute leukemia (AL). Methods: We determined ADRM1 expression levels in both untreated AL samples and leukemia cell lines using real-time polymerase chain reaction or Western blot analysis. Growth curves, colony formation assays, cell cycle and apoptosis analyses, cell migration and invasion assays and NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation assays via Western blotting were used to examine the biological behavior of HL60 cells and the underlying mechanism. Results: ADRM1 was upregulated in both untreated AL samples and leukemia cell lines. ADRM1 knockdown significantly suppressed HL60 cell proliferation (48.82 ± 12.58%) and colony formation and caused cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, we confirmed that ADRM1 knockdown suppressed p65 nuclear translocation. Conclusion: Our study revealed that ADRM1 was overexpressed in AL, especially in CD34+ leukemia stem and progenitor cells. ADRM1 may play a role in AL via the proteasome-ubiquitin pathway by potentially sustaining the activation of NF-κB signaling. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Soil moisture is a key factor in energy and water cycles. Many satellite missions have been planned and implemented for retrieving soil moisture globally. Because the spatial representativeness of a point-scale soil moisture station is rather limited, a station network needs setting up for scale-matching validation of satellite-based soil moisture products. Even so, an upscaling procedure is needed to upscale these station soil moisture values into area-wide one. However, such a procedure itself introduces uncertainties into the upscaled soil moisture. In this study, four upscaling methods (simple average, block kriging, model-based, and apparent-thermal-inertia-based) are inter-compared according to their performance stability for evaluation of soil moisture estimated by assimilating microwave signals into a land surface model. It is found that the performance of the model-based upscaling approach is the most unstable because model simulations are full of uncertainties for representing spatial variability of soil moisture. The block kriging upscaling method performs not worse than the simple averaging approach; the former may generate more representative soil moisture if the range of the soil moisture semivariogram used in the block kriging is comparable to the extent of a satellite footprint. The apparent-thermal-inertia-based upscaling is the most stable one, which has been developed with the aid of high-resolution satellite thermal data. All analyses indicate that choosing a suitable upscaling approach is important for the effective evaluation of satellite-based soil moisture. Otherwise, uncertainties hiding in the upscaling method will be incorrectly attributed to errors in satellite products, undermining our confidence in implementing them into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper mill sludge ash (PMSA), sewage sludge ash (SSA), and desulfurization gypsum (DG) were mixed and calcined by microwave radiation to acquire a product with higher hydration activity. The resulting mixture was used as a supplementary cementitious material to prepare backfill materials for mining. The influence of the mixing ratio of raw materials, microwave parameters, and sample size on the properties and microstructure of the microwave-sintered sludge ash (MSSA) and MSSA-cement pastes was determined. Both the MSSA and the prepared pastes were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). Results indicated that the minerals in the MSSA were rankinite, mayenite, and belite, which all exhibited relatively high hydration activity and significantly improved the degree of hydration of the MSSA–cement system. As the microwave power and irradiation time increased, the water demand of the MSSA–cement pastes decreased, the setting time decreased, and the compressive strength increased. The MSSA prepared with a small length-to-diameter ratio produced more crystals and gels compared with that prepared with a larger length-to-diameter ratio. The gels mutually fused to form a dense structure, and this further enhanced the strength of the MSSA–cement pastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac damage in non-severe patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is poorly explored. This study aimed to explore the manifestations of cardiac damage at presentation in non-severe patients with COVID-19. In this study, 113 non-severe patients with COVID-19 were grouped according to the duration from symptoms onset to hospital admission: group 1 (≤ 1 week, n = 27), group 2 (> 1 to 2 weeks, n = 28), group 3 (> 2 to 3 weeks, n = 27), group 4 (> 3 weeks, n = 31). Clinical, cardiovascular, and radiological data on hospital admission were compared across the four groups. The level of high sensitivity troponin I (hs-cTnI) in group 2 [10.25 (IQR 6.75–15.63) ng/L] was significantly higher than those in group 1 [1.90 (IQR 1.90–8.80) ng/L] and group 4 [1.90 (IQR 1.90–5.80) ng/L] (all Pbonferroni < 0.05). The proportion of patients who had a level of hs-cTnI ≥ 5 ng/L in group 2 (85.71%) was significantly higher than those in the other three groups (37.04%, 51.85%, and 25.81%, respectively) (all Pbonferroni < 0.05). Compared with patients with hs-cTnI under 5 ng/L, those with hs-cTnI ≥ 5 ng/L had lower lymphocyte count (P = 0.000) and SpO2 (P = 0.002) and higher CRP (P = 0.000). Patients with hs-cTnI ≥ 5 ng/L had a higher incidence of bilateral pneumonia (P = 0.000) and longer hospital length of stay (P = 0.000). In conclusion, non-severe patients with COVID-19 in the second week after symptoms onset were most likely to suffer cardiac damage. A detectable level of hs-cTnI ≥ 5 ng/L might be a manifestation of early cardiac damage in the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China has stepped into an era of aging society, where the impending considerable economic burden attributed to high prevalence of dementia in the elderly appears to be one of the most important health and social issues to deal with for the country. However, population-based quantification and projections for the economic burden of dementia in China are lacking for further health action and policy making. Objective: To estimate and predict the costs of managing dementia in the elderly population aged 60 and above from 2010 to 2050 in China. Methods: Data were collected from a six-province study (n = 7072) and other multiple sources for calculation of the economic burden of dementia. With the convincing data from published studies, we quantified and projected the costs attributed to dementia in China from 2010 to 2050. Results: The national cost of dementia in 2010 was estimated to be US$22.8 billion by the opportunity cost method and US$26.4 billion by the proxy method. In 2050, the costs would increase to US$372.3 billion by the opportunity cost method and US$430.6 billion by the proxy method, consuming 0.53% and 0.61% of China's total GDP, respectively. A series of sensitivity analyses showed that the changes in the proportions of informal caregiving led to the most robust changes in the total burden of care for dementia in China. Conclusion: Dementia represents an enormous burden on China's population health and economy. Due to the changes in policies and population structure, policymakers should give priority to dementia care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cumulative ultraviolet (UV) exposure is important in skin and conjunctival melanomas and melanogenesis. UV light does not reach the inner posterior eye, but visible light radiates the retina, underlying retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and the choroid. The effects of visible light on the choroidal microenvironment and potential roles in choroidal melanoma progression are unknown. We examined human ocular melanoma cells for responses to white or blue light exposure, specifically, cell viability and cytotoxicity, and melanin production. Methods: Ocular melanoma cells were grown in RPMI/L‐glutamine/sodium pyruvate (Choroidal: MP38 and MP46 (RPMI + 20% FBS), 92.1 (RPMI + 10% FBS); conjunctival: CM2005.1 (RPMI + 10% FBS)). Cells were grown in 96 well black plates (8000/well; n = 5 per cell line; triplicate) for 18 hrs, then fresh medium (1% FBS) for 16 hr. Cells were exposed to: (1) white light (λ: 400–700 nm), 32,000 lux (direct sunlight) for 4 hr (short‐term), or 4 hr/day × 4 days (16 hr, cumulative); or (2) blue light (λ: 460 nm): 3100 lux for 4 hr (short‐term) or 16 hr/day X 2 days (32 hrs, cumulative). Unexposed control cells were grown in parallel. Viability and cytotoxicity of light‐exposed and control cells were measured with alamarBlue and LDH assays, respectively. Intracellular melanin was assessed after cumulative white or blue light exposure. Results: Short‐term and cumulative white light reduced viability (alamarBlue) by 5–15% (92.1, MP46 and CM2005.1 cells, but not MP38) and 10–25% (92.1, MP38, MP46 and CM2005.1 cells), respectively. Short‐term blue light did not affect viability of any cell lines; cumulative blue light exposure reduced viability by 10% in MP38 cells only. No significant change in cell cytotoxicity (LDH) or intracellular melanins was noted after white or blue light exposure for any cell lines. Conclusions: Melanoma cells showed no light‐induced cytotoxicity (measured by LDH leak), although viability (measured by alamarBlue) was reduced after cumulative light exposure, suggesting reduced cell numbers rather than cell death. Although melanoma cell lines showed variable intracellular melanins, levels were unchanged with light exposure, despite cells expressing melanogenesis‐related proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the main factors related to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) are qi stagnation and blood stasis of the five viscera. Previously, we showed that the bioactive components of Alhagi honey have various pharmacological effects in treating liver diseases, but the influence of Alhagi honey on ALD (and its mechanism of action) is not known. To determine the efficacy of the main active component of Alhagi honey, the polysaccharide AHPN80, in ALD and to explore the potential mechanism of action. AHPN80 was isolated from dried Alhagi honey and identified by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and gas chromatography. Venous blood, liver tissue, and colon tissue were collected in a mouse model of alcohol-induced acute liver injury. Histology, staining (Oil Red O, Alcian Blue–Periodic Acid Schiff) and measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were used to detect histopathologic and lipid-accumulation changes in the liver and colon. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels and the content of proinflammatory cytokines in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Commercial kits were employed to detect biochemistry parameters in serum and the liver. A terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining kit was used to identify hepatocyte apoptosis. Expression of tight junction-associated proteins in colon tissues and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1/toll-like receptor-4/mitogen-activated protein kinase (Nrf2/HO-1/TLR4/MAPK) pathway-related proteins in liver tissues and HepG2 cells were analyzed by immunofluorescence or western blotting. In a mouse model of alcohol-induced acute liver injury, AHPN80 therapy: significantly improved liver parameters (cytochrome P450 2E1, alcohol dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase); reduced serum levels of LPS, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis faction-α; increased levels of IL-10 and interferon-gamma. AHPN80 reduced ALD-induced lipid accumulation and ROS production, improved alcohol-induced inflammatory damage to hepatocytes, and inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis. Immunofluorescence staining and western blotting suggested that AHPN80 might eliminate hepatic oxidative stress by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, repair the intestinal barrier, inhibit the LPS/TLR4/MAPK signaling pathway, and reduce liver inflammation. AHPN80 may activate the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to eliminate oxidative stress, protect the intestinal barrier, and regulate the TLR4/MAPK pathway to treat ALD in mice. AHPN80 could be a functional food and natural medicine to prevent ALD and its complications. [Display omitted] • AHPN80 could activate the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, scavenge ROS and eliminate oxidative stress effectively. • AHPN80 protected against intestinal-barrier dysfunction in alcohol-fed mice. • AHPN80 improved alcohol-induced hepatic inflammation via the TLR4/MAPK pathway. • AHPN80 can be a functional food/natural medicine to prevent ALD and its complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]