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Highlights: [•] Enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation affected soybean yield. [•] Pod number was the most responsible yield component. [•] Seed size reduction was due to cotyledon cell number. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An air–earth (rock)–tunnel system has often been used for building energy saving. A computing model of the air–earth (rock) heat exchanger is necessary to predict the thermal performance. A numerical simulating model has been developed for the deeply buried air–earth (rock)–tunnel system, in which a 1-D implicit transient convection-diffusion sub-model describes the air temperature and humidity, and a 1-D transient explicit heat conduction sub-model computes the rock temperature. Based on an appropriate discrete scheme, a sequential computing algorithm has been given for solving the air sub-model and the rock sub-model respectively. The accuracy of this numerical model has been verified by comparisons of temperatures of the air and rock and the relative humidity between numerical results and the test data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Under investigation in this manuscript is the coupled Hirota equations, which describe the propagation of ultrashort optical pulses in a birefringent fiber or collision of the two waves arisen by severe weather in deep ocean. Based on the generalized Darboux transformation derived before, we obtain the semirational solutions, and properties of the solitons are discussed in detail: Elastic collisions between/among the two/three solitons on the zero-intensity background are shown in figures, which means that the solitons propagate with the stable amplitudes and velocities during the collisions. Also, inelastic collisions between/among the two/three solitons are illustrated, and some of the solitons travel with amplitudes changed. Furthermore, the bound states among the three solitons are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of MCM-41 supported functionalized ionic liquids doped with copper species were prepared, characterized and evaluated as catalysts in the Biginelli reaction. Most of these supported ionic liquids perform well in the reaction, especially the multifunctional copper coordinated MCM-41 supported heterogeneous catalysts (0.5)IL-TiCl 5 @MCM-41@Cu(15) and (0.5)IL-HSO 4 @MCM-41@Cu(15). The catalytic tests revealed that (0.5)IL-HSO 4 @MCM-41@Cu(15) was the best and powerful catalyst in the Biginelli reaction for the preparation of 3,4-dihydropyrimidinones with high to excellent yields. The catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture by filtration and reused in six consecutive cycles without significant loss in catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A primary factor regulating the composition of the microbial community in the rhizosphere is carbon (C) efflux from root systems, which fundamentally influences microbial functions in the rhizosphere, such as biodegradation, plant growth, and rhizosphere signalling. However, information regarding the incorporation of plant-C by the bacterial community in the rhizosphere is limited, particularly in soybean. Soybean plants were grown in rhizo-boxes containing low- or high-organic C (C org ) Mollisols and labelled with 13 CO 2 at the flowering stage. After soil DNA was extracted from the rhizosphere, 13 C-DNA was separated from 12 C-DNA using the stable isotope probing method, followed by pyrosequencing analysis. Between soils, significant differences in the abundance of genera incorporating 13 C in the rhizosphere were observed, with Aquincola , Dechloromonas , Massilia , Amycolatopsis , Delftia , Magnetospirillum , Psychrobacter , Ochrobactrum , Pseudoxanthomonas and Niastella showing greater relative abundances in low-C org soil ( p < 0.05) compared to high-C org soil. However, the opposite trend was observed for Enhydrobacter , Flavisolibacter , Propionibacterium and Staphylococcus. Correspondingly, the number of operational taxonomic units in each genus varied between soils. Soil type greatly affected the flow of plant-C into rhizospheric bacterial community. The plant-C metabolizing bacteria may contribute to the transformation of rhizodeposits in the soil and soil C sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims Liver graft injury and tumor recurrence are the major challenges of liver transplantation for the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we aimed to explore the role and mechanism of liver graft injury mobilizing regulatory T cells (Tregs), which lead to late phase tumor recurrence after liver transplantation. Methods The correlation among tumor recurrence, liver graft injury and Tregs mobilization were studied in 257 liver transplant recipients with HCC and orthotopic rat liver transplantation models. The direct roles of CXCL10/CXCR3 signaling on Tregs mobilization and tumor recurrence were investigated in CXCL10 −/− and CXCR3 −/− mice models with hepatic IR injury. Results Clinically, patients received the graft with graft weight ratio (GWR) <60% had higher HCC recurrence after liver transplantation than the recipients with GWR ⩾60% graft. More circulating Tregs and higher intragraft TLR4/CXCL10/CXCR3 levels were detected in recipients with GWR <60% graft. These results were further validated in rat transplantation model. Foxp3 + cells and expressions of TLR4, CXCL10, TGFβ, CTLA-4 and CD274 were increased in rat liver tumor tissues from small-for-size graft group. In mouse model, the mobilization and recruitment of Tregs were decreased in TLR4 −/− , CXCL10 −/− and CXCR3 −/− mice compared to wild-type mice. Moreover, less CXCR3 + Tregs were recruited into liver in CXCL10 −/− mice after hepatic IR injury. The knockout of CXCL10 and depletion of Tregs inhibited tumor recurrence after hepatic IR injury. Conclusion CXCL10/CXCR3 signaling upregulated at liver graft injury directly induced the mobilization and intragraft recruitment of Tregs, which further promoted HCC recurrence after transplantation. Lay summary There were positive correlation among tumor recurrence, circulating Tregs and liver graft injury after human transplantation for HCC patients. The knockout of CXCL10 decreased hepatic recruitment of CXCR3 + Tregs and late phase tumor recurrence after hepatic IR injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide with a poor prognosis of limited survival. The role of regulatory B cell (Breg), a new important B cell subset, in HCC progression remains unclear. We firstly found that the percentage of B cells at tumor margin was significantly higher than that in tumor and non-tumor regions. Especially, increased intrahepatic B cells at tumor margin were positively associated with tumor invasive features and more tumor recurrence. Besides, HCC patients had a significantly higher percentage of circulating Bregs than healthy people. Increased circulating Bregs were correlated with advanced tumor staging, tumor multiplicity and venous infiltration. Next, we firstly revealed that human Bregs promoted HCC tumor growth independent of Tregs in SCID mice. The migration of Bregs from blood into tumor was also confirmed in mice. Finally, we further explored the molecular mechanism of Bregs promoting proliferation and migration of HCC cells in vitro . Bregs promoted HCC growth and invasiveness by directly interacting with liver cancer cells through the CD40/CD154 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving living donor liver transplantation appear to possess significantly higher tumor recurrence than the recipients receiving deceased donor liver transplantation. The underlying mechanism for HCC recurrence after transplantation remains unclear. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of small-for-size liver graft injury on HCC recurrence after transplantation. Methods: The correlation between tumor recurrence, liver graft injury, CXCL10 expression and endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) mobilization was studied in 115 liver transplant recipients and rat orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) models. The direct role of CXCL10/CXCR3 signaling on EPC mobilization was investigated in CXCL10 −/− mice and CXCR3 −/− mice. The role of EPCs on tumor growth and angiogenesis was further investigated in an orthotopic liver tumor model. Results: Clinically, patients with small-for-size liver grafts (<60% of standard liver weight, SLW) had significantly higher HCC recurrence (p =0.04), accompanied by more circulating EPCs and higher early-phase intragraft and plasma CXCL10 levels, than the recipients with large grafts (⩾60% of SLW), which were further validated in rat OLT models. Circulatory EPC mobilization was reduced after liver injury both in CXCL10 −/− mice and CXCR3 −/− mice in comparison to wild-type controls. CXCL10 recruited EPCs in dose-dependent and CXCR3-dependent manners in vitro. Early-phase EPC/CXCL10 injection enhanced orthotopic liver tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis in nude mice. Conclusions: Post-transplant enhanced CXCL10/CXCR3 signaling in small-for-size liver grafts directly induced EPC mobilization, differentiation and neovessel formation, which further promotes tumor growth. Targeting CXCL10/CXCR3 signaling may attenuate early-phase liver graft injury and prevent late-phase tumor recurrence/metastasis after transplantation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with a high potential of tumor recurrence and metastasis, leading to poor prognosis. Cell motility is an important factor in the progression and metastasis of cancers. Recently, Fascin has been linked to tumor progression by induction of cell motility. However, the precise roles of Fascin in OSCC have not been elucidated clearly. The aim of this study was to analyze the roles of Fascin in OSCC progression using OSCC clinical samples. We demonstrated that Fascin over-expression was found in OSCC clinical samples and its expression was significantly associated with nodal metastasis (p =0.027), tumor recurrence (p <0.001) and poor patients’ overall survival (p =0.013). Consistently, Fascin proteins were detected in all OSCC cell lines with the expression level corresponding to the invasion ability. To specifically investigate the mechanism of Fascin in OSCC, we examined the E-cadherin expression in the same set of OSCC specimens. Fascin was negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression (p =0.018, r =−0.513). In conclusion, our findings suggested that Fascin over-expression might enhance OSCC aggressiveness, possibly by interacting with E-cadherin expression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Because of the unique layered structure, black phosphorus (BP) provides a possibility of relatively independent control in electrical and thermal conductivity for thermoelectrical applications. It is therefore of great interest to realize high-performance BP-based thermoelectrics as flexible non-toxic and ultralight devices in spite of the low energy conversion efficiency and structural instability of the bulk BP. In this work, we systematically study the thermoelectric properties for the two-dimensional BP from mono-layer up to quad-layer by first-principles calculations and Boltzmann transport theory. It can be concluded from the calculations that the thermoelectric performance of BP nanosheets can be effectively optimized by tuning the layer thickness. We reveal that the maximum ZT values at 300 and 500 K can reach up to 0.45 and 0.90 in p -type bi-layer BP along armchair direction, respectively, around 5 times higher than that of the bulk at room temperature. The high performance in bi-layer BP is mainly attributed to its highly anisotropic and degenerate carrier pockets. Accordingly, we further propose that the formation of BP/h-BN heterostructure can enhance ZT up to 1.2 at 500 K, which facilitates the real application of thin BP for flexible and eco-friendly thermoelectrics. • Black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets can be effectively optimized by tuning the layer thickness. • An obviously improved ZT of around 1.0 is predicted in bi-layer BP, compared with the bulk counterpart. • High ZT of bi-layer BP is mainly attributed to its unique anisotropic and highly degenerate band structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]