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In this paper, we study the quantum tunneling of non-asymptotically flat Park black hole in IR modified Hořava gravity, as well as its thermodynamical stability. In order to calculate the quantum tunneling more comprehensively, Kraus-Parikh-Wilczek method and Hamilton-Jacoby method are used together. The results show that two methods give us the same logarithmic modified entropy, namely $$S = (\alpha - \Lambda _W) A/4\alpha + \pi /\alpha \ln A/4$$. This kind of logarithmic entropy is explained well by the effect of self-gravitation in quantum tunneling picture. At tow that the thermodynamics is stable for small case ( $$r_+ < r_3$$) and unstable for large case ( $$r_+ > r_3$$) where $$r_3$$ is the critical position of Park solution, which is concordant with asymptotically flat case shown by Kehagias-Sfetsos (Phys. Lett. B 678:127, ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between the built environment (BE) and car dependence have been thoroughly evaluated, with a primary focus on the residential BE; however, the effects of the BE at workplaces have remained largely unexplored. Little is known about the potential nonlinear effects of the BE at both locations. Using data from a household travel survey in Changchun, China, we aimed to reveal the nonlinear effects of the residential and workplace BE on car dependence by building a gradient boosting decision trees model. The results show that the BE at both locations has strong explanatory power for car ownership and car purchasing intention. With relative contributions values of 17.90% and 18.13%, respectively, the BE at workplaces contributes less to explaining the two dependent variables than the BE at residences. All BE attributes show nonlinear effects on car ownership, and car purchasing intention and the effects differ between residential and workplace locations. • This study examines the effects of the built environment (BE) on car ownership and car purchasing intention. • The BEs at both residential and workplace locations show impacts on two dependent variables. • The relative contributions of the BE at residences are larger than the BE at workplaces. • The effects of all BE attributes at both locations are nonlinear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the anatomical features of frontal recess (FR) drainage, and the classification of FR cells and frontal sinus (FS). Methods: Fifty sides from 30 adult cadaver heads were examined. FR cells and FS along the drainage pathways were dissected under 0° and 70° endoscopic views using unique connecting structures between the uncinate process and the ethmoid bulla as landmarks. Results: Connecting plates between the uncinate process and the ethmoid bulla were discovered and termed medial suprainfundibular plate (MSIP), which were observed on each cadaver head, and lateral suprainfundibular plate (LSIP) on 92% (46/50) sides. Separated by MSIP, two drainage pathways were identified and named medial pathways of the FR (MPFR) medial to the MSIP and the lateral pathways of the FR (LPFR) in the lateral side. Different drainage pathways of the FS were confirmed, in which drained into the MPFR in 37 and into the LPFR in 13 of the cadaver sides. Conclusions: MSIP is the critical landmark for the recognition of MPFR, LPFR, and the classification of FR cells. The FR resection along LPFR and MPFR facilitated excellent exposure of FS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aromatic ring substituted tryptophans and phenylalanines can provide valuable tools in developing highly potent and selective peptide ligands with specific structural features in addition to providing a large lipophilic surface for binding to receptors and for crossing membrane barriers. An efficient method for the synthesis of these novel amino acids has been developed. In the approach, asymmetric hydrogenations of α-enamides using Burk''s DuPHOS-based Rh (I) catalysts generated high enantiomerically pure α-amino acid derivatives, which subsequently underwent Suzuki cross couplings with boronic acid derivatives to afford these aromatic substituted amino acids in high yields and high enantioselectivity. The method can allow for the preparation of such amino acids in large scales for extensive structure–activity studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Hyperspectral image segmentation of leaf veins was used to improve LCC modeling. • An enhanced green peak feature was proposed to remove the background interference. • An enhanced red valley feature was proposed to remove maize bright leaf veins. • The LCC estimation was improved by image segmentation and wavelengths selection. Leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) is one of nutritional parameters which could be estimated by Hyperspectral image (HSI) technology by combining spatial and spectral information. The objective of this study was to propose a novel segmentation algorithm to remove the influences of the veins in maize leaves so as to improve the accuracy of LCC modeling. Firstly, an enhanced green peak feature (EGPF) was built by local extremum points at 451, 552 and 648 nm, and then the image of EGPF was automatically segmented by OTSU method to get region of interest (ROI) of all leaf regions (ROI-ALR) without background and main stem. Secondly, an enhanced red valley feature (ERVF) was proposed to enlarge the edge difference between veins and mesophylls. ROI of only mesophyll regions (ROI-OMR) were extracted by removing of leaf veins resorted to edge segmentation. For the two spectral reflectance datasets from ROI-ALR and ROI-OMR, multiplicative scattering correction (MSC) was implemented. Correlation analysis (CA) and Random-Frog (RF) coupled with partial least square regression (PLSR) were applied to select characteristic wavelengths and establish LCC estimating models. Compared ROI-ALR- CA-PLSR with ROI-OMR-CA-PLSR, R v 2 increased from 0.43 to 0.52 and RMSE decreased from 4.11 to 3.61; Compared ROI-ALR- RF -PLSR with ROI-OMR- RF –PLSR, R v 2 increased from 0.83 to 0.86 and RMSE decreased from 2.14 to 1.86. The proposed HSI segmentation method for veins removal provides an effective strategy to improve LCC diagnosis of maize leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify differences in serum metabolomics profiles of house-dust-mite (HDM)-induced allergic rhinitis (AR) patients compared to controls and to explore novel biomarkers reflecting disease severity. Serum samples were collected from 29 healthy controls and HDM-induced 72 AR patients, including 30 mild patients (MAR) and 42 moderate to severe AR patients (MSAR). Metabolomics detection was performed, and orthogonal partial least square discriminate analysis was applied to assess the differences between AR patients and controls and for subgroups based on disease severity. These analysis results successfully revealed distinct metabolite signatures which distinguished MAR patients and MSAR patients from controls. MSAR patients also could be discriminated from MAR patients based on their metabolic fingerprints. Most observed metabolite changes were related to glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. Levels of sarcosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, cytidine, and linoleic acid significantly correlated with the total nasal symptom score and visual analogue scale in AR patients. These results suggest that metabolomics profiling may provide novel insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of HDM-induced AR and contribute to its evaluation of disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to multi-source data information fusion, the precision of eco-hydrology models is improving rapidly. In particular, the fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) is of great significance in the remote sensing monitoring of surface parameters. In this study, downscaling inversion was performed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) data from Land Remote-Sensing Satellite (System, Landsat-8) and RVI-Freeman data from Radarsat-2 with polarization decomposition, incorporating the scattering entropy (H) and anisotropy (α). Further, modified vegetation indices (mVIs) and corresponding calculation methods were developed to describe the FVC precisely. Two deep learning (DL) methods were used for mVI optimization. The results showed that the inclusion of H and α greatly facilitated FVC estimation and that the mVIs and DL provided higher accuracies and smaller errors than the previous methods (NDVI or RVI). HαmRVI, one of the mVIs, had the highest accuracy in FVC simulation using a vegetation index, and the particle swarm optimization neural network (PSONN) achieved the best performance. The FVC was then predicted with 8 m resolution using the mVIs and PSONN, demonstrating that the proposed method effectively compensates for the fluctuations in high-FVC valley wetlands caused by high water content, avoids overestimation in grasslands, and provides great detail while retaining the original regional variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asymmetrical cell division (ACD) maintains the proper number of stem cells to ensure self-renewal. The rate of symmetric division increases as more cancer stem cells (CSCs) become malignant; however, the signaling pathway network involved in CSC division remains elusive. FXR (Farnesoid X receptor), a ligand-activated transcription factor, has several anti-tumor effects and has been shown to target CSCs. Here, we aimed at evaluating the role of FXR in the regulation of the cell division of CSCs. Methods: The FXR target gene and downstream molecular mechanisms were confirmed by qRT-PCR, Western blot, luciferase reporter assay, EMAS, Chip, and IF analyses. Pulse-chase BrdU labeling and paired-cell experiments were used to detect the cell division of liver CSCs. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments in Huh7 cells and mouse models were performed to support findings and elucidate the function and underlying mechanisms of FXR-Notch1 in liver CSC division. Results: We demonstrated that activation of Notch1 was significantly elevated in the livers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Farnesoid X receptor-knockout (FXR-KO) mice and that FXR expression negatively correlated with Notch1 level during chronic liver injury. Activation of FXR induced the asymmetric divisions of Sox9+ liver CSCs and ameliorated liver injury. Mechanistically, FXR directs Sox9+ liver CSCs from symmetry to asymmetry via inhibition of Notch1 expression and activity. Deletion of FXR signaling or over-expression of Notch1 greatly increased Notch1 expression and activity along with ACD reduction. FXR inhibited Notch1 expression by directly binding to its promoter FXRE. FXR also positively regulated Numb expression, contributing to a feedback circuit, which decreased Notch1 activity and directed ACD. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that FXR represses Notch1 expression and directs ACD of Sox9+ cells to prevent the development of liver cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

l 2-nFlu was the most predominant NPAH. l ΣNPAHs showed the highest concentration in dry season. l The main source of NPAHs was the direct emission via combustion. l Seven sampling sites in the surface water had health risk. Nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) have toxic potentials that are higher than those of their corresponding parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and thus have received increasing attention in recent years. In this study, the occurrence, distribution, source, and human health risk assessment of 15 NPAHs and 16 PAHs were investigated in the surface water from 20 sampling sites of Lake Taihu during the dry, normal, and flood seasons of 2018. The ΣPAH concentrations ranged from 255 to 7298 ng/L and the ΣNPAH concentrations ranged from not-detected (ND) to 212 ng/L. Among the target analytes, 2-nitrofluorene (2-nFlu) was the predominant NPAH, with a detection frequency ranging from 85% to 90% and a maximum concentration of 56.2 ng/L. The three-ringed and four-ringed NPAHs and PAHs comprised the majority of the detected compounds. In terms of seasonal variation, the highest levels of the ΣNPAHs and ΣPAHs were in the dry season and flood season, respectively. Diagnostic ratio analysis indicated that the prime source of NPAHs was direct combustion, whereas in the case of PAHs the contribution was predominantly from a mixed pattern including pollution from unburned petroleum and petroleum combustion. The human health risk of NPAHs and PAHs was evaluated using a lifetime carcinogenic risk assessment model. The carcinogenic risk level of the targets ranged from 2.09 × 10−7 to 5.75 × 10−5 and some surface water samples posed a potential health risk. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relative abundance and biomass of phytoplankton is exponential distribution. • Three new indices including a, k and N were established. • The a was the critical relative abundance of extinction. • The k and N were competition coefficient and the environmental taxa capacity. • Relationship among a, k and N and traditional diversity indices was analysed. Phytoplankton are primary producers in aquatic ecosystems and their diversity directly affects the community stability and primary productivity. However, the commonly used diversity indices (such as Shannon and Pielou indices) were originally derived from other fields rather than ecology and did not have a direct biological explanatory function. There is still a need to incorporate biological explanatory functions into diversity evaluation methods and theories to bridge the gap between phytoplankton biodiversity and biological characteristics. This study aimed to explicate the intrinsic distribution patterns of phytoplankton relative abundance and biomass. Our study demonstrated an exponential distribution pattern of phytoplankton relative abundance and biomass ranking through field investigations of 367 phytoplankton samples in China and microcosm experiments, respectively. Microcosm experiments illustrated that the linear distribution of the specific growth rate ranking resulted in an exponential distribution of the relative phytoplankton biomass ranking due to exponential growth patterns. Through mathematical deduction, it was found that the three indices a, k and N in the exponential distribution could be considered as the critical relative abundance of extinction, competition coefficient and the environmental taxa capacity, respectively. We found that a was positively correlated with Shannon index and Pielou index, k was negatively correlated with Shannon index, Pielou index and Chao1 index. In addition, N and Chao1 index were almost exactly the same. Our study obtained these indices based on the distribution pattern of phytoplankton, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the phytoplankton community and providing novel insights for further evaluating the health of aquatic ecosystems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soundless chemical demolition (SCD) holds significant promise in building demolition engineering due to its safety, eco-friendliness, and flexibility, while insufficient understanding of the damage to concrete structure using this method hinders its application, which requires further research. This study investigated the damage of concrete structure caused by the soundless chemical demolition agent from the perspective of internal expansion and external constraint. The two parameters were controlled by adjusting the hole diameter, spacing and specimen size in the experiment and finite element simulation. Experiment results showed that the cracking time of concrete blocks shortened with increased internal expansion or decreased external constraint. The damage of blocks varied between the double-hole, unidirectional single-hole and multidirectional single-hole pattern with the increase of inter-hole constraint. Further, the damage range and level of blocks damaged in the unidirectional single-hole pattern were almost 45 % and 50 % lower than those of blocks damaged in other patterns, respectively, indicating that enhancing the synergy of adjacent holes or weakening the around-hole constraint can significantly improve the damage of concrete blocks. For the blocks damaged in the same pattern, internal expansion played a significant role in the damage range and level, while the effect of external constraint was not obvious. In addition, a hole parameter design method was established based on the comprehensive analysis of the synergy between external constraint and internal expansion, which was verified by the experiment of concrete shear walls. This work provides a new solution for the efficient demolition of concrete structure based on SCD. ● Effect of internal expansion and external constraint on soundless chemical demolition efficiency was clarified. ● Effects of different parameters on concrete structure damage were investigated. ● Concrete structures exhibit three cracking patterns during demolition process. ● A hole parameter design method was established based on systematically analysis over parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the diagnosis accuracy of chlorophyll content in maize canopy, the remote sensing image of maize canopy with multiple growth stages was acquired by using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a spectral camera. The dynamic influencing factors of the canopy multispectral images of maize were removed by using different image segmentation methods. The chlorophyll content of maize in the field was diagnosed. The crop canopy spectral reflectance, coverage, and texture information are combined to discuss the different segmentation methods. A full-grown maize canopy chlorophyll content diagnostic model was created on the basis of the different segmentation methods. Results showed that different segmentation methods have variations in the extraction of maize canopy parameters. The wavelet segmentation method demonstrated better advantages than threshold and ExG index segmentation methods. This method segments the soil background, reduces the texture complexity of the image, and achieves satisfactory results. The maize canopy multispectral band reflectance and vegetation index were extracted on the basis of the different segmentation methods. A partial least square regression algorithm was used to construct a full-grown maize canopy chlorophyll content diagnostic model. The result showed that the model accuracy was low when the image background was not removed (Rc2 (the determination coefficient of calibration set) = 0.5431, RMSEF (the root mean squared error of forecast) = 4.2184, MAE (the mean absolute error) = 3.24; Rv2 (the determination coefficient of validation set) = 0.5894, RMSEP (the root mean squared error of prediction) = 4.6947, and MAE = 3.36). The diagnostic accuracy of the chlorophyll content could be improved by extracting the maize canopy through the segmentation method, which was based on the wavelet segmentation method. The maize canopy chlorophyll content diagnostic model had the highest accuracy (Rc2 = 0.6638, RMSEF = 3.6211, MAE = 2.89; Rv2 = 0.6923, RMSEP = 3.9067, and MAE = 3.19). The research can provide a feasible method for crop growth and nutrition monitoring on the basis of the UAV platform and has a guiding significance for crop cultivation management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is the boundary constraints of simple variables, which can hardly be directly applied in the constrained optimization. Furthermore, the standard PSO algorithm often fails to obtain the global optimal solution when the dimensionality is high for unconstrained optimization. Thus, an improved PSO-based extended domain method (IPSO-EDM) is proposed to solve engineering optimization problems. The core idea of this method is that the original feasible region is expanded in the constrained optimization which is transformed into the unconstrained optimization by combining the ergodicity of chaos optimization and the evolutionary variation to realize global search. In addition, to verify the effectiveness of the IPSO-EDM, an unconstrained optimization case study, four constrained optimization case studies, and one engineering example are investigated. The results indicate that the computational accuracy of the IPSO-EDM is comparable to that provided by the existing literature, and the computational efficiency of the IPSO-EDM is significantly improved. Meanwhile, this method has conspicuous global search ability and stability in engineering optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the metabolic improvements in obese patients with different serum triglyceride (TG) levels after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Methods: 118 severely obese patients [body mass index (BMI)>35kg/m2] underwent LSG with complete information of follow-up for 3 and 6 months were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on their different baseline serum levels of TG. Results: The metabolic parameters (BMI, NC, WC, HC, WHR, blood pressure, liver function, blood glucose, blood lipids, insulin resistance, HbA1c, and UA) of the normal and higher TG groups were significantly improved after surgery. Patients with normal TG had better improvement in BMI and WC compared with higher TG patients in both 3 and 6 months. After adjustment for age and gender, ΔWC positively correlated with ΔBMI (r=0.446, P<0.001), creatinine level (ΔCr, r=0.365, P=0.005) in the normal group in 3 months follow-up. In 6 months after LSG, ΔWC positively correlated with ΔBMI (r=0.657, P<0.001) and ΔCr (r=0.442, P=0.009) while ΔWC negatively correlated with the change in eGFR level (ΔeGFR, r=-0.374, P=0.009) in the normal group. In addition, multivariate linear regression analysis showed that decreased ΔWC levels significantly correlated with ΔBMI (β=1.333, R2 =0.259, P<0.001) and ΔCr (β=0.336, R2 =0.160, P=0.005) both in 3 months and 6 months after LSG. Conclusion: LSG can effectively improve metabolic disorders. Moreover, there were differences in weight loss between the normal and high TG groups after LSG, indicating that the baseline TG level can be used to predict short-term weight loss after LSG. Disclosure: G. Li: None. Y. Huang: None. J. Zhang: None. X. Wang: None. C. Qian: None. X. Cheng: None. S. Qu: None. Funding: National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1314100); National Natural Science Foundation of China (81970677); Shanghai Pujiang Program (2019PJD040); Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (18411951803, 17DZ1910603) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cause of phytoplankton blooms has been extensively discussed and largely attributed to favorable external conditions such as nitrogen/phosphorus resources, pH and temperature. Here from the standpoint of hormesis response, we propose that phytoplankton blooms are initiated by stimulatory effects of low concentrations of herbicides as environmental contaminants spread over estuaries and lakes. The experimental results revealed general stimulations by herbicides on Microcystis aeruginosa and Selenastrum capricornutum , with the maximum stimulation in the 30–60% range, depending on the agent and experiment. In parallel with enhancing stimulation, the ratio of HP (high-potential) form to LP (low-potential) form of cytochrome b 559 (RHL) was observed decreasing, while intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were observed increasing. We propose that the ROS originated from the thermodynamic transformation of cytochrome b 559 , enhancing the stimulatory response. Furthermore, the results also proved that thermodynamic states of cytochrome b 559 could be modulated by nitric oxide, thus affecting cellular equilibrium of oxidative stress (OS) and correspondingly causing the inhibitory effect of higher concentrations of herbicides on phytoplankton. This suggests that hormesis substantially derives from equilibrium shifting of OS. Moreover, it is reasonable to infer that phytoplankton blooms would be motivated by herbicides or other environmental pollutants. This study provides a new thought into global phytoplankton blooms from a contaminant perspective. Image 1 • The experimental results revealed hormesis effects by herbicides on Microcystis aeruginosa and Selenastrum capricornutum. • Cytochrome b 559 played a vital role in alleviating photoinhibition caused by herbicides. • Hormesis response substantially derived from equilibrium shifting of oxidative stress. • It is proposed that low concentrations of water pollutants are supportive factors in the formation of phytoplankton blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life trajectory analysis has been shown a powerful approach to understand the interdependencies between key life events, critical incidents and long-term mobility decisions such as residential move, job change and change in vehicle possession, which in turn constitute the context of daily activity-travel decisions. Because people in multi-earner households share resources, some of these long-term decisions affect them equally, while job change affects them differently because their job location likely differs. Current life course models in transportation research, however, have typically considered individuals' trajectories. To contribute to the further development of the relatively thin line of research in transportation studies, a dynamic Bayesian network approach is proposed to investigate the temporal interdependencies between life course events from a household perspective. Results show that the effects of child birth are much larger on residential and car ownership change than on job change for both household heads in dual-earner households. Moreover, the probability of residential and car ownership change increases when both spouses have relatively long commuting times. In case only the husband faces an excessive commuting time, households have a larger probability of moving house or purchasing an additional car. By contrast, in case only the wife faces an excessive commuting time, she is more likely to change job rather than the household taking particular actions to adjust to the problematic situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the chlorophyll content in tuber formation and tuber bulking stage has great significance for the nutritional status diagnosis in the potato field. In this paper, the 314 canopy spectra of potato crops were collected at four stages, respectively. The leaves were collected simultaneously to measure the chlorophyll content. After spectra pre-processing, the dynamic changes in chlorophyll content and spectral response during growth were analyzed. Two variable selection algorithms (successive projection algorithm, and random frog algorithm) were employed to select chlorophyll characteristic wavelengths. The partial least square algorithm was used for modeling analysis. The performance of sensitive wavelengths selected by two algorithms was compared, respectively, from the perspective of correlation with chlorophyll, reflecting leaf information, and model result. The sensitive wavelengths selected by random frog was optimal. The determination coefficient of calibration and validation set of the detection model established based on above sensitive wavelengths was respectively 0.827 and 0.798. The results showed the chlorophyll content of potato could be detected accurately based on the spectroscopy method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidation of the linkages between the bacterial community composition and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in lake ecosystems is critical for the understanding of the inland water carbon cycling. Despite substantial research into the relationship between the bacteria community and the bulk DOM pool, knowledge of the specific relationship between the optical dynamics of DOM and the bacterioplankton community in lake ecosystems is still poor. We investigated the linkages between the optical dynamics of DOM and bacteria composition in shallow eutrophic Lake Taihu, China. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) indicated that besides water temperature and phytoplankton biomass, also CDOM was an important factor determining the composition of the bacterial community. Generalized Additive Models (GAM) showed that terrestrial humic-like C1 and tyrosine-like C4 were the key factors explaining the abundance of the main bacterial clades. C1 was closely correlated with Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Planctomycetes, and C4 was closely related to the latter two and to Bacteroidetes. At family level, the dominant families – Pelagibacteraceae (Alphaproteobacteria) and Gemmataceae (Planctomycetes) – were related to both allochthonous and autochthonous CDOM fluorophores but responded differently to the various CDOM components. Tryptophan-like C2 was significantly and positively correlated with Gemmataceae and Ellin6075 (Acidobacteria). Additionally, we found that the biomasses of Cyanophyta, terrestrial humic-like C1, tryptophan-like C4 and C5 were significantly related to the richness of heterotrophic bacterioplankton. Our results provide new insight into the relationship between bacteria and DOM optical dynamics although the mechanisms leading to these relationships need further experimental investigations. Unlabelled Image • The composition of the heterotrophic bacterioplankton community is linked to dissolved organic matter optical property. • Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in the lake. • Humic-like and tyrosine-like materials were related to the main bacterial clades. • Cyanophyta and dissolved organic matter components affect bacterioplankton richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Denitrification is the most important process for nitrogen removal in eutrophic lakes and was mostly investigated in lake sediment. Denitrification could also be mediated by cyanobacterial aggregates, yet how this process impacts nitrogen (N) availability and the associated autotroph-heterotroph relationships within cyanobacterial aggregates has not been investigated. In this study, incubation experiments with nitrate amendment were conducted with Microcystis aggregates (MAs). Measurement of nitrogen contents, 16S rRNA-based microbial community profiling and metatranscriptomic sequencing were used to jointly assess nitrogen turnover dynamics, as well as changes in microbial composition and gene expression. Strong denitrification potential was revealed, and maximal N removal was achieved within two days, after which the communities entered a state of severe N limitation. Changes of active microbial communities were further promoted both with regard to taxonomic composition and transcriptive activities. Expression of transportation-related genes confirmed competition for N sources by Microcystis and phycospheric communities. Strong stress response to reactive oxygen species by Microcystis was revealed. Notably, interspecific relationships among Microcystis and phycospheric communities exhibited a shift toward antagonistic interactions, particularly evidenced by overall increased expression of genes related to cell lysis and utilization of cellular materials. Patterns of fatty acid and starch metabolism also suggested changes in carbon metabolism and cross-feeding patterns within MAs. Taken together, this study demonstrated substantial denitrification potential of MAs, which, importantly, further induced changes in both metabolic activities and autotroph-heterotroph interactions. These findings also highlight the key role of nutrient condition in shaping autotroph-heterotroph relationships. [Display omitted] • Microcystis aggregates have strong denitrification potential. • Denitrification shifted composition and gene expression of active communities. • Prolonged incubation promoted antagonistic autotroph-heterotroph relationships. • Changes in carbon metabolism and cross-feeding patterns within Microcystis aggregates also occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis is an important neuronal cell death mechanism. Previous studies reported that activation of melanocortin MC4 receptor exerted neuroprotection in several neurological diseases. Here, we have investigated the role of MC4 receptor activation with RO27-3225 in suppressing neuronal pyroptosis after experimental intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and the underlying mechanism.Experimental Approach: One hundred and sixty-nine male CD1 mice were used. ICH was induced by injection of bacterial collagenase into the right-side basal ganglia. RO27-3225, a selective agonist of MC4 receptor, was injected intraperitoneally at 1 hr after ICH. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, we used the specific MC4 receptor antagonist HS024 and NQDI-1, a specific inhibitor of the apoptosis signalling-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). Neurological tests, Western blot, Fluoro-Jade C, TUNEL, and immunofluorescence staining were conducted.Key Results: Expression of MC4 receptor and the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 1 (NLRP1) inflammasome in brain were increased after ICH. RO27-3225 treatment decreased neuronal pyroptosis and neurobehavioural deficits at 24 and 72 hr after ICH. RO27-3225 reduced the expression of p-ASK1, p-JNK, p-p38 MAPK, NLRP1 inflammasome, cleaved caspase-1, and IL-1β after ICH. HS024 pretreatment prevented the effects of RO27-3225. Similar to RO27-3225, NQDI-1 alone improved neurological functions and down-regulated ASK1/JNK/p38MAPK expression after ICH.Conclusions and Implications: RO27-3225 suppressed NLRP1-dependent neuronal pyroptosis and improved neurological function, possibly mediated by activation of MC4 receptor and inhibition of ASK1/JNK/p38 MAPK signalling pathways, after experimental ICH in mice. The MC4 receptor may be a promising therapeutic target for the management of ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Response to P deficiency is species specific among cyanobacteria and therefore P limitation should be determined on population level other than ecosystem level. • Microcystis acclimated and adapted to low P and replaced Dolichospermum who couldn't survive P deficiency. • To combat cyanobacterial bloom, target of P controlling is largely dependent on dominant species. Dolichospermum (formerly Anabaena) and Microcystis cause harmful cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Input reduction of both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are commonly recognized as basic ways of controlling blooms, but little is known about the roles of nutrients and their using strategy among cyanobacteria in triggering the succession of diazotrophic to non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria. In this study, we investigated in situ responses of cyanobactria to ambient P status during the transition from Dolichospermum flos-aquae to Microcystis spp. in Lake Taihu and Lake Chaohu. While dominant in phytoplankton community, D. flos-aquae experienced P deficiency as evidenced by qualitative detection of extracellular phosphatase via enzyme labeled fluorescence (ELF). The percentage of ELF-labelled D. flos-aquae cells was 33% when it dominated the phytoplankton community, and was 78% when it co-dominated with Microcystis spp., indicating an increase in P deficiency. Meanwhile, no ELF-labelled Microcystis cells were observed while polyphosphate body (PPB) were present, suggesting that Microcystis spp. were not P deficient. Additionally, the percentages of Microcystis cells containing PPB showed an inverted "U-shaped" relationship with concentrations on soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). To validate the field observation, a laboratory study of the monocultures of the dominant cyanobacteria was conducted. Extracellular alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) and PPB accumulation were regulated by P availability in monocultures of D. flos-aquae. Interestingly, no cell bound extracellular phosphatase was found on Microcystis aeruginasa even in the culture without P supply. Consistently, the expressions of phosphatase encoding gene phoX showed no differences among the treatments. The way in which PPB accumulation occurred in Microcystis spp. in response to P availability in the cultures was similar to that observed in the field, demonstrating a strategy of energy conservation over P accumulation. The competitive advantage of Microcystis spp. was displayed at low P concentrations: where it could rapidly uptake and store inorganic P, which also increased the P deficiency of the coexisting phytoplankton species. Responses of P-transport gene pstS confirmed this hypothesis. The physiological and molecular mechanisms mentioned above enable Microcystis to survive and proliferate in environment with low available P supply more efficiently. In conclusion, different cyanobacterial species have distinct ways of responding to P availability, suggesting that the control of cyanobacterial blooms by targeted nutrient reduction is largely dependent upon the dominant species. P reduction is more effective in controlling diazotrophic cyanobacteria than non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the utilization of construction waste derived recycled aggregate (CWDRA) has been reported as a promising way to reduce carbon emission and energy consumption for construction industry, the resistance of reinforced concrete containing CWDRA to corrosion and freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles are usually inferior than that containing natural aggregate. This study aims to provide a clean and efficient strategy (CO 2 curing) for the modification of CWDRA to enhance corrosive F-T durability of such green concrete, and thus promote its application to marine or offshore structures under cold environment. Some experiments are conducted on specimens exposed to NaCl F-T cycles to verify the improvement effect of CO 2 curing, including the mass loss, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity (RDME), mechanical properties, chloride migration coefficient (CMC) of plain concrete as well as the corrosion degradation of steel bar reinforced concrete. Results show that the concrete damage caused by NaCl F-T cycles can be significantly alleviated by CO 2 treatment on CWDRA. The compressive and flexural strength of concrete after exposure to NaCl F-T cycles are enhanced by 40.1% and 25.9%, while the CMC value is reduced by 66.1%. Besides, incorporating CO 2 -cured CWDRA decreases the corrosion speed of reinforced concrete (by 42.4%) and particularly inhibits the progress of rust generation from steel bar (by 48.4%). The phase transformation inside material during CO 2 curing makes the loose interface between mortar matrix and CWDRA grows to be rougher, which significantly promotes the improvement effect on the corrosive freeze-thaw resistance. Therefore, CO 2 curing technology for CWDRA is highly recommended for the cleaner production of durable concrete in cold region offshore structures. [Display omitted] • Coupled effect of CO 2 cured recycled aggregate and salt freeze-thaw cycles on concrete mechanical properties is investigated. • CO 2 curing for recycled aggregate improves the freeze-thaw resistance of green concrete. • CO 2 curing for recycled aggregate inhibits the corrosion process of steel bar in concrete. • CO 2 cured recycled aggregate presents more compacted interface with concrete matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a game-theoretical model of port competition for the intermodal network design and pricing strategy problem. In the model, port operators determine the dry port locations and pricing strategy to maximize profit considering the shipper’s route choice behavior. According to the characteristics of the Nash equilibrium solution for reduced strategy sets, a Nash equilibrium solution algorithm is adapted. We describe a case study involving the competition between Dalian port and Yingkou port in China. We find an obvious link between dry port location and geography. The modal split is related to the number and locations of dry ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of CoO x addition on the performance and structure of V 2 O 5 /ZrO 2 –CeO 2 catalyst for simultaneous removal of NO and Hg 0 in simulated flue gas was investigated by various methods including SEM, BET, XRD, XPS, H 2 –TPR and FT–IR. It was found that the introduction of CoO x not only greatly enhanced the redox properties of catalysts, but also increased the catalytic performance for simultaneous removal of NO and Hg 0 . The CoO x –modified V 2 O 5 /ZrO 2 –CeO 2 catalyst displayed excellent catalytic activity for NO conversion (89.6%) and Hg 0 oxidation (88.9%) at 250 °C under SCR atmosphere. The synergistic effect among vanadium, cobalt, and the ZrCe support could induce oxygen vacancies formation and promote oxygen mobility via charge transfer. Besides, CoO x could assist vanadium species in rapidly changing the valence by the redox cycle of V 5+ + Co 2+ ↔ V 4+ + Co 3+ . All the above features contribute to the excellent catalytic performance through CoO x addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy all over the world, and the factors that can affect progress and prognosis of the gastric cancer patients are various, such as TNM stages, invasive depth, and lymph node metastasis ratio. T cell immunity is important component of human immunity system and immunity responding to tumor and dysfunction or imbalance of T cell immunity will lead to serious outcomes for body. T cell immunity includes many different types of cells, CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, memory cell, and so on, and each of them has special function on antitumor response or tumor immune escape which is revealed in lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and so on. But its correlation with gastric cancer is not clear. Our review was preformed to explore the relationship between the progress and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) and T cell immunity. According to recent researches, T cell immunity may have an important role in the progress and prognosis of GCs, but its function is affected by location, category, related molecule, and interaction between the cells, and some effects still are controversial. More researches are needed to clarify this correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaetocin is a small-molecule natural product produced by Chaetomium species fungi, and it has a potent anti-proliferative pharmacological activity on various cancer cells. However, the effect of chaetocin on anti-melanoma pharmacological role has not been investigated. Therefore, in this study, we explored the effect of chaetocin on cell proliferation in the human melanoma Sk-Mel-28 and A375 cells and the growth of tumor xenografts in nude mice. The results indicated that chaetocin treatment significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in the Sk-Mel-28 and A375 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, chaetocin treatment resulted in an increased level of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and pre-incubation of cells with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) significantly abrogated chaetocin-induced apoptosis in the melanoma cells. A significant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c were observed after chaetocin treatment. Additionally, chaetocin treatment significantly up-regulated the protein levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-9/-3, simultaneously down-regulated the protein levels of Bcl-2, procaspase-9/-3, and activated caspase-9/-3 activity in the melanoma cells. The in vivo data demonstrated that chaetocin treatment significantly inhibited the growth of melanoma tumor xenografts in nude mice, which was closely associated with apoptosis induction, a reduced level of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) expression, and activation of capase-9/-3 in tumor xenografts. These are the first data to demonstrate that chaetocin exerts a proapoptotic activity on human melanoma cells through ROS generation and the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. Therefore, chaetocin might represent an effective candidate for melanoma chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different addition amounts of ZrO 2 on CuO-CeO 2 /TiO 2 catalyst synthesized by co-precipitation method were investigated to research the simultaneous removal of Hg 0 and NO in simulated flue gas. Results indicated that the CuCe/TiZr 0.15 catalyst exhibited the superior Hg 0 removal efficiency (72.7%) and prominent NO conversion (83.3%). Hg 0 slightly restrained the NO conversion. Except for the effect of the separate NH 3 and NO on Hg 0 removal, significances of the increased NH 3 /NO ratio on Hg 0 removal and NO conversion were detected. The lower GHSV could give rise to the significant acceleration of Hg 0 and NO removal. With the existence of SO 2 and H 2 O, the slightly prohibitive effect on Hg 0 and NO removal was displayed. BET, XRD, SEM, H 2 -TPR, XPS, FTIR analysis were applied to characterize catalysts and the results revealed the ZrO 2 modified support on CuO-CeO 2 /TiO 2 resulted in strong redox ability, great mobility of surface oxygen and growing total amount of chemisorbed oxygen and lattice oxygen, which favorably impacted on Hg 0 and NO removal. The introduction of Zr benefited great surface area, weakened crystallinity of TiO 2 and then improved the dispersion of metal oxide species. More stable Lewis acid sites to form coordinated NH 3 were generated due to ZrO 2 additive . The synergetic effect through redox equilibrium of C e 3 + + C u 2 + ↔ C e 4 + + C u + contributed to Hg 0 removal and NO conversion. In addition, the simultaneous removal of Hg 0 and NO on CuCe/TiZr 0.15 in terms of detailed mechanism was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrafine PdNi bimetallic NPs were uniformly anchored on N-doped porous carbon. • PdNi/NC catalyst shows excellent selectivity for semi-hydrogenation of alkynes. • The reasons for the high selectivity of semi-hydrogenation were investigated. • The PdNi/NC catalyst can be reused with favorable stability. Catalytic semi-hydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes plays an important role in the polymer, fragrance, medicine, and other chemical industrial fields. However, increasing the selectivity of alkenes during the semi-hydrogenation process is a huge challenge. Herein, N-doped porous carbon support (NC) was fabricated from zinc-based zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIF-8). Ultrafine PdNi bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) were uniformly dispersed, stably anchored on the NC support, and used as an efficient alkynes semi-hydrogenation catalyst. The synthesized Pd 2 Ni 2 /NC catalyst had a selectivity of 95.1% toward styrene and high catalytic activity (TOF=977.7 h−1) for the semi-hydrogenation of phenylacetylene under mild reaction conditions. The catalyst was mainly through metal-support interaction and electron transfer between Pd and Ni metal, modulating the electronic structure of the active sites, thus improving the selectivity of styrene. Selective hydrogenation of various substituted alkynes on Pd 2 Ni 2 /NC catalyst has also proved excellent applicability, and the obtained catalyst can be reused with favorable stability. This study adjusted the catalytic performance by adding a secondary metal, which provided a useful strategy for designing highly efficient catalysts for the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of dockless bike-sharing (DBS) has made it more convenient for residents to travel within the city. The integration of public transit and DBS provides an effective method to sustainable transportation development. While some studies have accounted for heterogeneity of travel behavior, very few have considered how attitudes and preferences towards DBS affect combined travel mode choice. This study aims to reveal the effect of residents' attitude towards bike-sharing on combined travel mode choice using stated-preference data collected in Beijing, China. An integrated model of choice model and latent variables based on nested logit model (ICLV-NL) is used to incorporate two latent variables of social benefit and satisfaction with bike-sharing into the discrete choice model and thereby captures relationships between attitudinal factors and observed variables. The results indicate that compared with multinomial logit and nested logit models, the ICLV-NL model yields a better fit and explanatory power. The ICLV-NL model results show that positive impressions on bike-sharing make residents more likely to choose the integration of public transit and DBS, and the pick-up distance of DBS significantly affects the use of DBS as a feeder mode to public transit. Surprisingly, the status of DBS does not have a significant impact on travel mode choice. This paper provides more insights into the choice of the integration of DBS and public transit, which is helpful to the development of green and sustainable transportation. • An ICLV-NL model is proposed to account for the unobservable attitude factors towards DBS. • Users' attitudes, including social benefits and satisfaction with DBS, positively affect the choice of integration mode. • Female, high-education, low-income, and young passengers are more likely to utilize the integration of DBS and public transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of V/ZrCe x catalyst synthesized by a co-precipitation method was employed to investigate the simultaneous removal of NO and elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) in simulated flue gas. The catalysts were characterized using BET, SEM, XRD, H 2 –TPR, XPS, and FT–IR. V/ZrCe 0.6 with CeO 2 /ZrO 2 molar ratio of 0.6 showed excellent SCR activity (87.3%) and high Hg 0 oxidation efficiency (77.6%) in SCR atmosphere (NH 3 /NO = 1). The results indicated that the Hg 0 had little impact on NO conversion, while the coexistence of NO and O 2 would be beneficial for the Hg 0 oxidation. Hg 0 oxidation was inhibited in SCR atmosphere owing to the presence of NH 3 . The characterization results demonstrated that the superior performance of V/ZrCe 0.6 catalyst might be attributed to lower crystallinity, better texture properties, strong redox ability and high reactive nitrate together with NH 3 species. The redox equilibrium (Ce 3+ + V 5+ ↔ Ce 4+ + V 4+ ) contributed to the NO conversion and Hg 0 oxidation. The bidentate sulfates formed by adsorbed SO 2 could provide new acid sites for NH 3 adsorption and increase the amount of NH 4 + , which reduced the poisoning effect of SO 2 and H 2 O. Based on the experimental results, a mechanism for the simultaneous removal of NO and Hg 0 was proposed for the V/ZrCe 0.6 catalysts: 2NH 3 /NH 4 + (ad) + NO 2 (ad) + NO(g) → 2N 2 + 3H 2 O + /2H + , Hg(ad) + Oβ → HgO(ad). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study attempted to elucidate the underlying correlations among replant problems of Rehmannia glutinosa, the autotoxins and microbes within its root-zone soil. Methods: Different root-zone soils of R. glutinosa were collected to identify the potential autotoxins, to quantify the phenolic acids' concentration and to analyse the microbial community composition. Bioassay was conducted to assess the autotoxic potential of these samples and candidate autotoxins. Results: R. glutinosa autotoxicity was presented within a 20 cm radius of the plant. Concentrations of the phenolic acids were significantly higher within this range. Twenty compounds and 17 microbes emerged in this range after the R. glutinosa cultivation. Further seedling test showed that four selected compounds possessed conspicuous autotoxic activity and a synergistic effect was observed. Moreover, one potential beneficial fungi (99 % similar with Arthrobotrys oligospora) and one potential pathogens (100 % similar with Acremonium sclerotigenum) were identified. Conclusions: Our work defined the 'autotoxic circle' of R. glutinosa and identified the corresponding autotoxins and microbes. We suggest that R. glutinosa has various autotoxins and that these autotoxins and specific microbes deserve further investigation to unravel their interaction with R. glutinosa in replant problems' occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new welding technology is proposed, which introduces the trailing ultrasonic vibration into the conventional laser welding process. • Trailing ultrasonic assisted laser welding (T-ULW) on grain refinement and mechanical properties of weld was studied. • In the finite element simulation analysis of T-ULW, a novel heat source model fitting the actual weld is proposed. • Sequential coupled finite element simulation and experiment reveals the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach. A trailing ultrasonic-assisted laser welding (T-ULW) technology is first proposed to weld SUS301 stainless steel sheet with a thickness of 0.6 mm. Secondly, welding experiments with conventional laser welding and ultrasonic-assisted laser welding are carried out on SUS301 stainless steel thin sheet, and the weld morphologies are obtained. Thirdly, based the experimentally obtained cross section shape of the weld, a novel heat source model is proposed by means of polynomial fitting the actual weld contour. Fourthly, the welding temperature field, the welding deformation and residual stress are simulated, and the welding temperatures at some special points in the sample, the welding deformation and residual stress are measured. These experimental measurement results agree very well with the corresponding simulation results, which verify the proposed analysis approach based on the above novel heat source model is feasible and has high enough accuracy. Finally, the mechanism of how ultrasonic vibration affects the stress distribution in the samples welded by ultrasonic-assisted laser welding is discussed. Ultrasonic vibration affects the residual stress distribution of the weld mainly through two mechanisms. One is that ultrasonic vibration can speed up the flow of the molten material in the molten pool, and then make the temperature distribution there more uniformly and decrease the temperature gradient, and finally decrease the residual stress of the weld. The other one is that ultrasonic vibration can result in compression and plastic deformation, which finally increase to some extent the compressive stress of the weld near the ultrasonic vibration exerted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial compartmentalisation of biochemical signalling pathways is essential for cell function. Nesprins are a multi-isomeric family of proteins that have emerged as signalling scaffolds, herein, we investigate the localisation and function of novel nesprin-2 N-terminal variants. We show that these nesprin-2 variants display cell specific distribution and reside in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that nesprin-2 N-terminal variants colocalised with β-catenin at cell-cell junctions in U2OS cells. Calcium switch assays demonstrated that nesprin-2 and β-catenin are lost from cell-cell junctions in low calcium conditions whereas emerin localisation at the NE remained unaltered, furthermore, an N-terminal fragment of nesprin-2 was sufficient for cell-cell junction localisation and interacted with β-catenin. Disruption of these N-terminal nesprin-2 variants, using siRNA depletion resulted in loss of β-catenin from cell-cell junctions, nuclear accumulation of active β-catenin and augmented β-catenin transcriptional activity. Importantly, we show that U2OS cells lack nesprin-2 giant, suggesting that the N-terminal nesprin-2 variants regulate β-catenin signalling independently of the NE. Together, these data identify N-terminal nesprin-2 variants as novel regulators of β-catenin signalling that tether β-catenin to cell-cell contacts to inhibit β-catenin transcriptional activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical heat flux (CHF) is important to thermal-hydraulics design and safety analysis. In the purpose to validate the CHF data acquired from LS-THTF of NPIC, experimental investigation on repeatability of the CHF data is carried out with full length non-uniform axial heat flux distribution rod bundle. The repeatability of the CHF data from LS-THTF itself is examined by comparing the data from the same run but different time and data from different runs. The rod bundle powers of CHF data acquired under well controlled parameters are directly compared with reference measured data from HTRF of Columbia University. The rod bundle power ratio of CHF data is employed to describe the repeatability of CHF data from LS-THTF to HTRF, and the variations of power ratio with inlet and outlet parameters show a reasonable trend. The point to point differences of CHF power between the two facilities of every single point are found to be within 5%. The result demonstrates good repeatability between data from LS-THTF and data from HTRF. LS-THTF is capable of acquiring reliable and repeatable CHF data to verifying thermal-hydraulics performance of PWR fuel assemblies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach to generate an optical millimeter wave is introduced with frequency octupling using two cascaded polarization modulators followed by polarizers, respectively. By adjusting the modulation indexes of polarization modulators, only the ±4th-order sidebands are generated with a pure spectrum. Since no filter is needed, the proposed technique can be used to generate a frequency-tunable millimeter wave with a large frequency-tunable range. To prove the feasibility of the proposed approach, a simulation is conducted to generate an 80-GHz millimeter wave, and then its transmission performance is checked. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Cyanobacteria impacted plankton bio-diversity and resource use efficiency. • No clear relation between cyanobacteria and phytoplankton absolute abundances. • Cyanobacteria had opposite relation with phytoplankton and zooplankton bio-diversities. • Cyanobacteria increased total algae and cladocerans RUEs. • Cyanobacteria decreased phytoplankton and rotifers RUEs. Cyanobacterial blooms are global threats to freshwater ecosystem functioning, human health, and ecoservices. We assessed impacts of cyanobacterial bloom intensity on plankton ecosystem functioning using eukaryotic phytoplankton and zooplankton indicators and associated key physicochemical data collected from four seasons of two years at 24 evenly distributed sites in Lake Taihu that has year-around cyanobacterial blooms. Our analyses involved comparison of four site-groups with different bloom intensities and analyzing all sampling sites together using comparison, hierarchical partitioning analysis, generalized additive mixed model, and structural equation model. We found that cyanobacterial abundance positively associated with TP and temperature (negatively with TN:TP), while phytoplankton positively associated with TN. There was an inverse relation trend between relative abundances of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, but there was no clear trend between absolute abundances of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria. Rotifers were most dominant when cyanobacteria were unabundant, while cladocerans presented higher abundance when cyanobacteria were in high abundance. Phytoplankton functional richness and species richness negatively and zooplankton functional richness and species richness positively associated with cyanobacterial bloom intensity. Cyanobacterial bloom intensity negatively associated with resource use efficiencies (RUEs) of phytoplankton and rotifers, and positively associated with RUE of cladocerans. Our analytical approach of integrating comparison of site-groups and analyzing all sites together uncovered how cyanobacterial bloom intensity shifted and altered physicochemical and biological conditions and plankton ecosystem functioning, and identified the mechanism and strength of the interactive linkages among physicochemical and biological indicators. Although our results may be different from oligotrophic lakes or reservoirs, our findings provide new insights in understanding the impacts of cyanobacterial bloom intensity on the dynamics of plankton communities and ecosystem functioning for polymictic eutrophic lakes, which may have broad application in enhancing the knowledge of this subject and provides the science base for managing polymictic eutrophic lake water quality and ecosystem functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastomas are malignant tumors of the central nervous system hallmarked by subclonal diversity and dynamic adaptation amid developmental hierarchies. The source of dynamic reorganization within the spatial context of these tumors remains elusive. Here, we characterized glioblastomas by spatially resolved transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics. By deciphering regionally shared transcriptional programs across patients, we infer that glioblastoma is organized by spatial segregation of lineage states and adapts to inflammatory and/or metabolic stimuli, reminiscent of the reactive transformation in mature astrocytes. Integration of metabolic imaging and imaging mass cytometry uncovered locoregional tumor-host interdependence, resulting in spatially exclusive adaptive transcriptional programs. Inferring copy-number alterations emphasizes a spatially cohesive organization of subclones associated with reactive transcriptional programs, confirming that environmental stress gives rise to selection pressure. A model of glioblastoma stem cells implanted into human and rodent neocortical tissue mimicking various environments confirmed that transcriptional states originate from dynamic adaptation to various environments. [Display omitted] • Five spatially distinct transcriptional programs are identified in glioblastomas • Hypoxia induces defined transcriptional and genomic responses, including CNAs • Immunosuppressive tumor-myeloid cell interactions are enhanced in segregated niches • Non-stress environments support subtype transition towards developmental stages Ravi et al. employ spatially resolved multi-omics in glioblastoma samples and identify segregated niches hallmarked by immunological and metabolic stress factors. These spatial niches are influenced by the tumor microenvironment and reflect transcriptional adaptations to inflammatory or metabolic stimuli and recapitulate neural developmental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZFPM2, encoding a zinc finger protein and abundantly expressed in the brain, uterus and smooth muscles, plays important roles in cardiac and gonadal development. Abnormal expression of ZFPM2 in ovarian tumors and neuroblastoma has been reported but hitherto its genetic association with cancer and effects on gliomas have not been studied. In the present study, the hexamer insertion-deletion polymorphism rs71305152, located within a large haplotype block spanning intron 1 to intron 3 of ZFPM2, was genotyped in Chinese cohorts of glioma (n = 350), non-glioma cancer (n = 354) and healthy control (n = 463) by direct sequencing and length polymorphism in gel electrophoresis, and ZFPM2 expression in glioma tissues (n = 69) of different grades was quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Moreover, potential natural selection pressure acting on the gene was investigated. Disease-association analysis showed that the overall genotype of rs71305152 was significantly associated with gliomas (P = 0.016), and the heterozygous genotype compared to the combined homozygous genotypes was less frequent in gliomas than in controls (P = 0.005) or non-glioma cancers (P = 0.020). ZFPM2 mRNA expression was negatively correlated with the grades of gliomas (P = 0.002), with higher expression levels in the low-grade gliomas. In the astrocytoma subtype, higher ZFPM2 expression was also correlated with the rs71305152 heterozygous genotype (P = 0.028). In addition, summary statistics tests gave highly positive values, demonstrating that the gene is under the influence of balancing selection. These findings suggest that ZFPM2 is a glioma susceptibility gene, its genotype and expression showing associations with incidence and severity, respectively. Moreover, the balancing selection acting on ZFPM2 may be related to the important roles it has to play in multiple organ development or associated disease etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In this study, positron emission tomography-computed tomography ( PET-CT) was used to monitor the maximal standard uptake value ( SUVmax) in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with epithermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) mutation to prove its role in predicting the prognosis of targeted therapy. Methods A total of 46 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma ( IIIb- IV stage) were enrolled in the current study. They were positive for EGFR mutation. All patients received gefitinib (250 mg per day, administered orally). PET- CT was conducted prior to (at baseline) and six months after gefitinib administration for the lesion size and SUVmax. The recommendations of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer criteria were chosen for PET assessment. Metabolic response ( SUV decline < −25%) was compared with morphologic response evaluated by CT scan and overall survival. Result Compared to patients with △ SUV% ≥ 25% (progressive metabolic disease), the survival time was significantly prolonged in △ SUV% < −25% (including complete metabolic response and progressive metabolic disease) (10.6/18.4, P = 0.000), but was not in −25% ≤ △ SUV% < 25% (stable metabolic disease) (10.6/10.7, P = 0.088). Patients who achieved △ SUV% < −25% after treatment were associated with a longer median survival, higher control rate, and better prognosis. There was a strong correlation between SUV changes (△ SUV%) and CT size change (△lesion size%) (R2 = 0.891, P = 0.000). Conclusion Changes in the SUV could be used to predict the prognosis of targeted therapy in advanced lung adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple process of thermal oxidation and self-assembly modification was developed to fabricate a stable superhydrophobic film with controllable adhesion on titanium surface. Pure titanium plate was first heat treated in atmospheric environment at 900°C, 1000°C and 1100°C respectively for a certain time, then air cooled. The subsequent air-cooling process separated the flaky yellow oxide layer formed on titanium plate during the oxidation from the substrate and a rough titanium oxide surface with micrometer and nanometer-scale hierarchical structures was obtained. The following immersion process in N-octadecyltrichlorosilane solution endowed the surface with excellent water repellence, raised its contact angle up to 166° and reduced its slide angle as low as 2°. What's more, by controlling heat temperature and time, the surface's superhydrophobicity switched from sticky state to sliding state. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and contact angle measurement were used to characterize the morphological features and wettability of the as-prepared surface respectively. Immersion test in corrosive liquids and abrasion test with sandpaper have a further exhibition of its chemical stability and mechanical durability. The result is meaningful to a wider range of future applications of superhydrophobic titanium surface in industry and real life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The thermal stability of (NbMoTaW) 100- x V x films are evaluated. • Surface current distribution are performed to character the compositional status. • Relationship between local structure and the properties of the films was studied. • The local structure is interpreted according to the cluster plus glue atom model. • The effect of V on the microstructure and properties of the films are discussed. A local structure determines the properties in disordered solid solutions with simple crystal structure. Introducing a weak enthalpy-interaction-element will change the local structure evolution of refractory high-entropy alloy films, thereby bringing effects for the properties. Herein series of (NbMoTaW) 100- x V x (x = 0 ~ 30.5, at%) thin films were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, and systematic investigations of the films are carried out through combining the underlying microstructure, mechanical properties, and resistivity-temperature behavior. Furtherly, in accordance with the cluster-plus-glue-atom model, the present paper interpreted the local structure evolution with the film components changing. The results reveal that the excellent thermal stability of the films is originate from the enthalpy interaction, and the high stability of the refractory element itself. The V addition is free of crystal structure variation in the films, but bringing two-fold effects. The main one is the enhancement of the microstructural homogeneity by increasing the disorder degree. The other is weakening interatomic interactions as well as enabling the films more unstable due to the increasing system energy. The refractory high-entropy films can be promising candidates for high temperature, high hardness, and wear-resistance applications, e.g., high-temperature-bearing structures, heat-protection systems, diffusion barriers, and film resistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Based on extended Huygens–Fresnel principle, an analytical expression of M 2 factor for partially coherent Hermite–Gaussian (PCHG) beams through non-Kolmogorov turbulence is obtained. Our results show that M 2 factor of PCHG beams depends on coherence length, beam order m, wavelength, exponent value , outer scale L 0 and inner scale l 0. The impact of the exponent''s variation on the M 2 factor is analyzed in detail. When the propagation distance fixed, the M 2 factor of PCHG beams has a maximum for alpha values lower than 11/3. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We propose a novel method theoretically to generate the slow and fast light with large bandwidth and low gains, which is based on the parametric process in fiber. In our scheme, the wide band fiber optical parametric amplifier is employed and the whole signal bandwidth should be located at a certain frequency range of the band-edge of gain spectrum, and then signal waves will be delayed or advanced with low signal gains because of the peculiar feature of signal gain and phase shift. By changing the pump power, the delay time is continuously-tunable optically. The ultimate delay bandwidth and the delay bandwidth product are constrained by the shape of time delay spectrum. Our simulation verifies that 22.4ps delay or advanced time for the bandwidth of 10GHz with little distortion can be obtained at certain wavelengths in the optical communication waveband, and their gains are nearly zero. The tunable range is from 0ps to 22.4ps for the signal bandwidth of 10GHz, and it is from 0ps to 15.6ps for the bandwidth of 15GHz. This type of slow and fast light in wide band FOPA has the potential capability to produce the tunable slow and fast light for large bandwidth with low signal gains in future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The comprehensive characters of delay time and delay bandwidth with distortion, signal wavelength dependence and delay bandwidth product in fiber optical parametric amplifier are investigated theoretically when the pump locates at anomalous dispersion region. The delay character of single pulse, data stream with certain bit pattern and pseudo random data stream are analyzed comprehensively. In this category of fiber optical parametric amplifier, the delay time and delay bandwidth product vary from signal wavelengths and bit rates. For the same nonlinear coefficient, pump power and fiber length, the diverse dependences of bit pattern in different signal wavelengths are found by numerical simulation. The impacts of pump power and fiber length on the delay character and distortion are also discussed. These relations are conductive to the design of slow light based on fiber optical parametric amplifier in telecommunication waveband. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chemokines secreted by DC are instrumental for DC to regulate their own migratory capacities and to recruit T lymphocytes during local tumour immune response. Using the recently developed chemokine protein arrays, we analyzed 38 chemokines associated with monocyte-derived DC (MoDC), including the CC family (CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL17, CCL18, CCL22, CCL23, CCL24, CCL27) and the CXC family (CXCL3, CXCL5, CXCL7, CXCL8, CXCL16) chemokines. Our results indicate that MoDC largely inherit the chemokines constitutively expressed by monocytes, with a significant induction of CCL17, CCL22 and CCL23. Spent culture supernatant collected from MoDC exhibited chemotatic abilities to activate CD4+, CD8+, and CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Selective knock down of CCL22 and CCL17 expression by siRNA decreased the ratios of CD4+ to CD8+, as well as the frequency of Tregs recruited by MoDC. Intratumoural injection of MoDC transfected with siCCL22 and siCCL17, significantly reduced the number of Tregs while increasing the number of infiltrating CD8+ T cells in human tumour xenografts in athymic nude mice. This study demonstrates that chemokine expression of MoDC is complex and may change dynamically. Using siRNA to selectively knock down chemokines which are highly chemoattractive to Tregs may consequentially alter the lymphocyte populations recruited into the tumour microenvironment, therefore has the potency to provide insight into cellular interactions in cancer immunology. This may lead to a new strategy for DC vaccine development to improve cancer immunobiotherapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper synthesizes existing information and knowledge on subsurface environments to understand the major cause and effect relationships of subsurface environmental issues by using the DPSIR (Driving force–Pressure–Status–Impact–Response) approach as the framework of analysis. Description is given to the major subsurface environmental issues common among the selected Asian cities (Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo), such as excessive groundwater abstraction, land subsidence and groundwater contamination. The DPSIR framework is used to analyze the issues and problems of subsurface in key stages and suggestions are made for additional indicators to improve our description of the stages of urban development for the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Conclusion. The endoscopic approaches developed for the treatment of the chordomas according to the different clival location provide the possibility for more complete tumor resection with maximal preservation of anatomic structures and reduction of the overall incidence of complications. Objective. The endoscope has recently been applied in patients with chordomas, but rare studies report the various endoscopic approaches in the treatment of chordomas in the different regions of clivus. In this study, the authors present their experience with these techniques in patients with chordomas. Patients and methods. Four chordomas in the upper-middle clivus underwent an endoscopic transseptal transsphenoidal (ETT) approach. Five macro-chordomas involving whole clivus underwent an extended ETT approach. Three chordomas in the lower clivus underwent an endoscopic transoropharyngeal (ETOP) approach. The surgical access points were designed for each patient. After safe planes were identified along the surgical access points, the tumor was fractionally removed. Results. Seven gross total, four subtotal, and one partial resection were achieved after surgery. At 6 months to 3 years follow-up, eight patients were recurrence-free and two patients had unchanged residual tumor. One patient with recurrent chordoma underwent second surgery and subsequent intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The other patient with a recurrent chordoma died 1 year postoperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel hydrophobic, bulky χ2-constrained phenylalanine, naphthylalanine, and tryptophan derivatives was designed and synthesized. The key steps involved asymmetric hydrogenations of α-enamides using Burk''s DuPHOS-based Rh(I) catalysts to give high enantiomerically pure α-amino acid derivatives. The subsequent Suzuki cross couplings of the amino acid analogues with boronic acid derivatives afforded these aromatic substituted amino acids in high yields and with high enantioselectivity. The incorporation of these novel χ2-constrained amino acids into peptides and peptidomimetics provides fruitful information in the development of peptide and peptidomimetic ligands of melanotropins and an understanding of the interactions between ligands and receptors/acceptors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]