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Drawing on in-depth biographical interviews with foreign scholars in China (hereafter ‘FSC’), this paper examines the impact of various infrastructural interruptions on the transnational lives of mobile individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores how the labour of maintenance and resourceful quick-fixes employed by FSC constitute infrastructuring strategies in times of isolation and uncertainty. Specifically, the paper first asks how specific COVID-19-induced infrastructural barriers, such as tightened visa policies, mandatory PCR testing for border crossing, and suspended flights, intersect with the (im)mobility experiences and trajectories of FSC. Second, the paper investigates how these individuals navigate and cope with infrastructural glitches by fashioning a set of infrastructuring strategies to maintain transnational lives within the pandemic context. In doing so, this paper develops a deeper understanding of not only the generative but also destructive capacities of infrastructural processes in terms of their transformative effects on migrant identities, aspirations and lived experiences, further revealing the fragility, incompleteness and situationality embedded in migration infrastructures. More critically, this paper theorises how infrastructural interruptions constitute the necessary social-temporal conditions in which individuals’ infrastructuring strategies emerge through acts of waiting, adaptation and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schiff base (EDBSAD) was prepared by the hydrothermal method to be as adsorbent materials. The obtained EDBSAD can be characterised by FT-IR, UV-vis, XRD, and SEM. The adsorption desulphurisation performance of the adsorbent for dibenzothiophene in model oil was investigated. The results showed that the EDBSAD had a specific adsorption desulphurisation effect. The optimal adsorptive condition was as follows: adsorbent amount 0.5 g and adsorption time 8 min. Under the optimal situation, the maximal adsorption capacity of this adsorbent for DBT was 25.45 mg/g. In addition, the adsorption isotherms and kinetics were studied, and the associated parameters were derived. Langmuir models and pseudo-second-order kinetic presented best fitting results for DBT adsorbing on the adsorbent EDBSAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and hypertension, and the association between NIHL and hypertension using occupational physical examination data of 42,588 noise-exposed workers from local enterprises in Yangzhou between 2015 and 2017. The average binaural high-frequency threshold on average (BHFTA), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 23.09 ± 11.32 dB, 126.85 ± 15.94 mm Hg and 79.94 ± 11.61 mm Hg. The prevalence of NIHL and hypertension were 24.38% and 25.40%. An increased risk of NIHL and hypertension was observed in the groups of males, aged >35 years, noise exposure time >5 years, noise exposure level >85 dB(A) and smoking. 32.25% NIHL workers had hypertension. NIHL workers were at higher risk of hypertension (adjusted OR = 1.07, 95%CI = 1.02–1.13). This study shows that the noise-exposed workers have high risk of developing NIHL and hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored whether executive functioning skills and maths test anxiety were associated with children's untimed and timed algorithmic computational performance and their discrepancy. It also investigated whether such relations were moderated by children's basic maths fact fluency. One hundred and thirty third-graders were rated by teachers regarding their executive functioning skills. Moreover, they self-reported their maths test anxiety level and were tested on various maths skills. Results showed that for untimed computational performance, working memory was a correlate among children low in basic maths fact fluency, whereas maths test anxiety was a correlate among all children. Planning/organization and maths test anxiety were correlates of timed computational performance, regardless of the basic maths fact fluency level. As for discrepancy in computational performance across the two conditions, maths test anxiety was a correlate among children low in basic maths fact fluency. Implications on how to promote children's algorithmic computation were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have described the biogenic synthesized gold nanoparticles being supported over Kaolin mediated by Pomegranate peel extract as natural reducing and stabilizing agent under mild conditions without any toxic reagents. Pomegranate peel extract was used as a green reducing agent and an excellent stabilizer of the synthesized Au NPs. Physicochemical characterization of the as-synthesized Kaolin@extract/Au NPs nanocomposite was carried out through electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). In the cellular and molecular part of the recent study, the treated cells with Au NPs-Kaolin nanocomposite were assessed by MTT assay for 48 h about the cytotoxicity and anti-human oral squamous cell carcinoma properties on normal (HUVEC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines i.e. HSC-2, HSC-3, HSC-4 and Ca9-22. It has been observed that the Au NPs with spherical shape and size were dispersed homogeneously on the modified-Kaolin surface. The significance of this study is the novel initiative to combine the gold nanoparticle with inexpensive Kaolin clay and utilization of them as anticancer agent. The IC50 of Kaolin@extract/Au nanocomposite were 277, 367, 250 and 545 µg/mL against HSC-2, HSC-3, HSC-4 and Ca9–22 cell lines, respectively. The viability of malignant human oral cell lines reduced dose-dependently in the presence of Kaolin@extract/Au NPs nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous improvements in human diet, there is an ever-increasing demand for high-quality chicken, so it is particularly important for poultry breeders to carry out the breeding of high-quality broilers in a timely fashion. Inosine monophosphate (IMP) is a flavor-enhancing substance, which plays a critical role in the umami taste of the muscle, making the content of IMP an important umami taste indicator. Currently, research on the deposition mechanism of IMP in chicken is not only necessary for chicken breeders to promote the production of high-quality meat and poultry but also to meet the human demand for chicken meat. In this paper, the research history of IMP, its structure and taste mechanisms, the pathway and influencing factors of de novo IMP synthesis, and the key genes regulating IMP synthesis and metabolism are briefly summarized. Our aim was to lay a theoretical foundation and provide scientific background and research directions for further research on high-quality broiler breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established that emotion is extensively influenced by language. However, previous studies mainly focus on the first language (L1) rather than the second language (L2). The current study explored whether L2 shapes emotion perception in masked priming paradigm by distinguishing emotion-label words (e.g. fear, pride) and emotion-laden words (e.g. breakup, mother). Twenty-three Chinese-English bilinguals were instructed to judge the valence of the emotional pictures that were followed by masked and briefly presented L2 emotion words. Behavioral results showed that emotional pictures primed by negative emotion-label words were processed faster and more accurate than primed by emotion-laden words. Event-related potential results further revealed that emotional pictures elicited smaller N300 primed by negative emotion-label words than by emotion-laden words. The converging evidence suggests that second language can also modulate emotion perception fast and automatically, and such modulation is dependent on emotion word type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and efficient approach for the synthesis of 9-phenanthrols through a sequential ligand-free Suzuki/intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction has been developed. Twenty-five 2-([1,1′-biphenyl]-2-yl)acetic acids were obtained via Suzuki reaction with high yields. And 9-phenanthrols were regioselectively synthesized by TfOH/P2O5 catalyzed intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction with good to excellent yields. This method provides a valuable alternative to the existing strategies toward the synthesis of 9-phenanthrols. Furthermore, cytotoxic activity test indicated that the synthesized 9-phenanthrols could inhibit viability of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent way. Ten compounds displayed over 70% inhibition proportions after 24 h at the concentration of 100 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the Hermitian positive definite solution for a nonlinear matrix equation are derived. Then, a sufficient condition for the existence of the unique Hermitian positive definite solution is presented. Further, we propose to use Newton's method to solve this nonlinear matrix equation with some constraints. In addition, we prove the convergence of Newton's method. Finally, we present some numerical examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the derived results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the association between loci rs3761847 and rs10818488 of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1/complement C5 (TRAF1/C5) gene and the susceptibility to IgAV. 100 blood samples of children with IgAV and 100 blood samples of healthy children were collected from the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from June 2017 to June 2019. The target gene fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the single nucleic acid gene polymorphism of the gene loci was detected by PCR sequencing based typing technique. The association between gene polymorphism of each locus and susceptibility to IgAV was analyzed. There were significant differences in both genotype (P <.05) and allele frequencies （P <.05) of rs3761847 of TRAF1/C5 gene between the IgAV group and the control group.Besides, the risks of developing IgAV in children with the TT genotype was 0.495 times and in children with the C allele was 1.627 times of that in children with other genotypes and alleles, respectively (P <.05). For IgAV patients, renal involvement risk in children with CC genotype was 5.859 times of that in children with other genotypes (P <.05). There were no significant differences in genotype (P >.05) and allele frequencies (P >.05) of rs10818488 of TRAF1/C5 gene between the IgAV group and the control group. IgAV patients with TT genotype had a 3.2 times higher risk of renal involvement than those with other genotypes (P <.05). There is an association between locus rs3761847 of TRAF1/C5 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms and susceptibility to IgAV. The T allele at locus rs3761847 of TRAF1/C5 gene may be a protective factor for IgAV. The C allele at locus rs3761847 and the T allele at locus rs10818488 of TRAF1/C5 gene may be associated with kidney injury in IgAV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grape residue prepared from red wine has been reported as an effective antioxidant against chemical-induced toxicity and to attenuate oxidative stress. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of grape residue supplement in diet on growth performance, nutrient digestion, blood biochemical and antioxidant parameters of chicken. A total of 180, 30-day-old healthy Liangfeng chicken with paired body weight were randomly allocated into 6 groups with 5 replicates per group and 6 chickens per replicate. Control group (group I) was fed with a basal diet, while other groups were further supplemented with grape residue at 0.5% (group II), 1% (group III), 2% (group IV), 4% (group V) and 8% (group VI) respectively. All the diets were regulated in equal formula protein, metabolic energy, methionine and lysine content basic. After 49 days of the experiment, data showed that dietary supplementation with grape residue improved the growth performance of Liangfeng chicken and significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity, and the supplementation at the level of 4% was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) is the major hindrance towards the successful treatment of malignant lung cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a novel nanoparticle co-loaded with docetaxel (DTX) and si-colon cancer-associated transcript-2 (siCCAT2) (NP-DTX/siCCAT2) for overcoming the DTX-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The NP-DTX/siCCAT2, developed by DTX-conjugated poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) copolymers, has an average size of t 87.26 nm. Further modification of Transferrin (Tf) peptides on the surface of NP-DTX/siCCAT2 did not significantly change the particle size with an average diameter of 96.81 nm. The present study demonstrated that TfNP-DTX/siCCAT2 has excellent tumour targeting ability and resulted in an enhanced anti-tumour effect both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Not unexpectedly, a more excellent anti-tumour effect of NP-DTX/siCCAT2 was obtained than the NP-DTX because the silencing of CCAT2 levels in lung cancer cells resulted in down-regulated expressions of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug-resistance-associated proteins 1 (MRP1). Further investigation revealed that inhibition of CCAT2 expression dramatically increased the activity of miR-204-3p and thereby signally suppressed the IGFBP2/AKT/Bcl2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to analyse the obstetric outcome after frozen embryo transfer depending on the protocol used. The endometrial preparation during frozen embryo transfer (FET) was performed in the natural cycle (NC) with timing based on monitoring of the naturally occurring luteinizing hormone (LH) peak or in human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-triggered modified natural cycles (MNC), artificial cycle (AC) with hormone replacement therapy cycle and cycle with ovulation induction (OI). A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2018 and 2020. Pregnancy, perinatal complications and neonatal outcomes were compared among patients treated during AC or MNC or OI protocols. After adjusting for the effect of gravidity, parity, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and number of miscarriages, the AC group had higher but not significantly different rates of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) than women in OI and MNC groups. Significant differences were observed in the rates of placental adherence (15.30% in AC vs. 9.24% in MNC, p = 0.004) and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) (24.33% in AC vs. 13.07% in OI, p = 0.003, 24.33% in AC vs. 16.24% in MNC, p = 0.002) among the three groups. In singletons, significant differences were observed in the rates of placental adherence (14.09% in AC vs. 8.57% in MNC, p = 0.002), AC and MNC groups had higher risk of PPH compared with OI group (18.36% in AC vs. 12.38% in MNC, p = 0.042 and 7.69% in OI vs. 18.36% in AC, p = 0.013). Neonatal outcomes were similar among the three groups except risk of small for date infants (0.35% in AC vs. 1.44% in MNC, p = 0.008). These findings are important in view of increasing use of frozen cycles and new policy of freeze-all cycles in in vitro fertilization (IVF). The results suggest a link between the absence of corpus luteum and adverse obstetric outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empathy is crucial for our social life, with evidences suggesting that executive function is the cognitive basis of empathy. However, debates about the causal relationship between executive function and empathy still exist. A two-wave and one-year longitudinal follow-up experiment is conducted to investigate this problem, mainly focusing on preschoolers as executive function and empathy develop rapidly in preschoolers. A one-year cross-lagged panel analysis results found that preschoolers' empathy, mainly cognitive empathy, was predicted by inhibitory control. In line with previous studies, these results imply that inhibitory control is the cognitive basis of preschoolers' empathy and future educational practices and training studies should be considered.W [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of mild reaction condition as well as high stereoselectivity and efficiency, chemoselective ligations including oxime chemistry, hydrazone chemistry, cycloaddition reaction, C-C multiple bond addition reaction, nucleophilic rings opening reaction, and alkynes-based reaction, have been applied in the field of biosensing. In this review, the roles of these chemoselective ligations for the construction of biosensors have been summarized. The ligations can serve for reactant preparation, interface modification, signal probe synthesis, molecular recognition, signal amplification, and output. Meanwhile, their recent applications for detection of various targets including small molecules, metal ions, protein, and nucleic acid so on, have been reviewed. Moreover, the development trend of these ligations in biosensing has also been prospected in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue virus infection mainly causes dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and/or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). However, ADE (antibody-dependent enhancement) is one of the main pathogenic factors, and its pathogenic mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Recently, with the development of high-throughput sequencing, an increased number of RNAs have been confirmed to play a vital regulatory role in the process of virus infection. However, there is a lack of research on dengue virus infection and ADE. In this study, we used RNA-Seq to detect differentially expressed RNAs (DE RNAs) profiles in mock-infected, DENV-3-infected, and ADE-infected THP-1 cells. Firstly, we found 69 circRNAs, 259 miRNAs, and 18 mRNAs were differentially expressed in THP-1 vs DENV-3. In THP-1 vs ADE, 94 circRNAs, 263 miRNAs, and 111 mRNAs were differentially expressed. In DENV-3 vs ADE, 68 circRNAs, 105 miRNAs, and 94 mRNAs were differentially expressed. Functional enrichment analysis of these DE RNAs mainly focused on immune system, viral infectious diseases, cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, and NOD/RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathways. In DENV-3 vs ADE, notably, the expression of HBB was up-regulated, which was a Fcγ Receptor-mediated phagocytosis protein. Additionally, we predicted the encoding ability of DE circRNAs, and it was found that a small peptide was encoded by novel_circ_001562 and that its amino acid sequence was consistent with that of DDX60L, which is a class of interferon-stimulated genes. Finally, we constructed the ceRNA regulatory network pathway. Therefore, our study provides a new strategy for further investigation on DENV-host interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, application of biochar is an important management practice that can affect soil physico-chemical and biological properties. However, biochar is characterized by high pH and ash content, and due to this, little is known of potential salinization risk of application of biochar to soil. Laboratory incubation experiments were conducted with three replications comprising five treatments according to application rates of biochar (0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 g kg−1 (wt/wt)). The results indicated that application of corn straw biochar to black soil at the rate of 400 g kg−1 resulted in significant increases in soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and exchangeable K+ and soluble K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, and decreases in cation exchange capacity (CEC) and exchangeable Ca2+ in comparison to untreated soil. Based on stepwise regression analysis, the dominant independent variable that affected soil pH was exchangeable K+ saturation percentage. In addition, EC was significantly positively related to potassium adsorption ratio (PAR). It was concluded that increased soil pH and EC are related to biochar (pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C) with higher concentration of K+ and lower CEC. This is due to increased exchangeable and soluble K+ and decreased soil buffering capacity from high application rate of biochar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]