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Developing an optimized electronic structure of α-NiS electrode material is critical for its high-rate electrochemical performance of quasi-solid-state capacitor. Herein, Al3+ have been doped into α-NiS lattice and the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is employed to modify Al-doping α-NiS, to alleviate the low-mobility charge of α-NiS. The electronic structure and electrochemical properties of α-NiS hollow spheres induced by Al-doping and rGO modification are investigated, both experimental characterization and theoretical results confirm Al-doping affect the electronic structure and electrochemical performance of α-NiS hollow spheres. In the composite of Al-doping α-NiS and rGO (named as Al x Ni 1-x S/rGO), the doped heteroatom improves the intrinsic electronic structure of α-NiS and the rGO provides a good electric conducting network, leading to an enhanced electrochemical performance of α-NiS as high-rate electrode material. After evaluation, the optimized Al 0.2 Ni 0.8 S/rGO composite shows a superior reversible capacity of 1096 C g−1 at 2 A g−1, and retains a capability of 471 C g−1 at a high-rate of 30 A g−1. Moreover, an asymmetric quasi-solid-state hybrid capacitors assembled by Al 0.2 Ni 0.8 S/rGO and activated carbon presents a high energy density of 30.6 Wh kg−1. This work provides a foundational strategy for the modification of α-NiS through Al-doping and combining with rGO, which has a positive effect on α-NiS electrode material in quasi-solid-state hybrid capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Unilateral auditory deprivation changes the membrane properties of principal neurons in the LSO on both sides. • mIPSCs in principal neurons are downregulated on the intact side at one week after unilateral cochlear ablation. • mEPSCs in principal neurons show compensatory effects on the ablated side at one week after unilateral cochlear ablation. Unilateral auditory deprivation results in lateralization changes in the central auditory system, interfering with the integration of binaural information and thereby leading to a decrease in binaural auditory functions such as sound localization. Principal neurons of the lateral superior olive (LSO) are responsible for computing the interaural intensity differences that are critical for sound localization in the horizontal plane. To investigate changes caused by unilateral auditory deprivation, electrophysiological activity was recorded from LSO principal neurons in control rats and rats with unilateral cochlear ablation. At one week after unilateral cochlear ablation, the excitability of LSO principal neurons on the side ipsilateral to the ablation (the ablated side) was greater than that on the side contralateral to the ablation (the intact side); however, the input resistance increased on both sides. Furthermore, by analysing the miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, we found that unilateral auditory deprivation weakened the inhibitory driving force on the intact side, whereas it strengthened the excitatory driving force on the ablated side. In summary, asymmetric changes in the electrophysiological activity of LSO principal neurons were found on both sides at postnatal day 19, one week after unilateral cochlear ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silk fibroin (SF) has potential applications in the biomedical field because of its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In the current study, chitooligosaccharide (COS) was enzymatically grafted onto SF using laccase. Subsequently, COS-grafted SF (SF-g-COS) was treated enzymatically in the presence of hexokinase and Mg-chelated adenosine triphosphate (ATP), so as to introduce phosphate groups onto the fibroin chains and promote the deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAp) during in situ biomimetic mineralization. The efficacy of phosphorylation and biomimetic mineralization of the SF-g-COS was evaluated by means of HPLC, MALDI-TOF MS, FTIR, XRD and EDS-Mapping. The results indicate that hexokinase has the capability to catalyze the phosphorylation of COS, resulting in an increase in the quantity of phosphorus in the SF-g-COS. Following mineralization of the phosphorylated SF-g-COS, a greater number of mineral phases were detected on its surface, accompanied by a higher content of calcium and phosphorus compared with other specimens. Cell viability tests using NIH/3T3 cells and cellular adhesion potential with MG-63 cells indicated that the fibroin-based biocomposite exhibited acceptable biocompatibility and superior cellular adhesion properties. The present study describes a novel method for preparation of fibroin/HAp biocomposites for bone tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For a long time, priority has been given to urban development at the expense of agriculture and the rural economy, so widening the gap between urban and rural areas in China. The way rapid urbanization has brought threats to the surrounding environment, and the consequent changes have implications for both rural and urban livelihoods and well-being. Urbanization has increased the pressure on farmers and makes it less economic to farm in a traditional way, while it also provides opportunities for alternative, higher value agricultural enterprises to take advantage of urban market. With more rural people moving into cities, occupational hazards of the working environments，low awareness of health risk, and poor living conditions make them more vulnerable to health risks than other groups. Several strategies particularly relating to agricultural reform and rural-urban migration need to be considered at the national level for sustainable cities. We also suggest ways of handling the delicate rural-urban relationship for smooth social transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal zone is of great importance in the provision of various valuable ecosystem services. However, it is also sensitive and vulnerable to environmental changes due to high human populations and interactions between the land and ocean. Major threats of pollution from over enrichment of nutrients, increasing metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and climate change have led to severe ecological degradation in the coastal zone, while few studies have focused on the combined impacts of pollution and climate change on the coastal ecosystems at the global level. A global overview of nutrients, metals, POPs, and major environmental changes due to climate change and their impacts on coastal ecosystems was carried out in this study. Coasts of the Eastern Atlantic and Western Pacific were hotspots of concentrations of several pollutants, and mostly affected by warming climate. These hotspots shared the same features of large populations, heavy industry and (semi-) closed sea. Estimation of coastal ocean capital, integrated management of land-ocean interaction in the coastal zone, enhancement of integrated global observation system, and coastal ecosystem-based management can play effective roles in promoting sustainable management of coastal marine ecosystems. Enhanced management from the perspective of mitigating pollution and climate change was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel classification method for lung nodules from CT images based on hybrid features. Towards nodules of different types, including well-circumscribed, vascularized, juxta-pleural, pleural-tail, as well as ground glass optical (GGO) and non-nodule from CT scans, our method has achieved promising classification results. The proposed method utilizes hybrid descriptors consisting of statistical features from multi-view multi-scale convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and geometrical features from Fisher vector (FV) encodings based on scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT). First, we approximate the nodule radii based on icosahedron sampling and intensity analysis. Then, we apply high frequency content measure analysis to obtain sampling views with more abundant information. After that, based on re-sampled views, we train multi-view multi-scale CNNs to extract statistical features and calculate FV encodings as geometrical features. Finally, we achieve hybrid features by merging statistical and geometrical features based on multiple kernel learning (MKL) and classify nodule types through a multi-class support vector machine. The experiments on LIDC-IDRI and ELCAP have shown that our method has achieved promising results and can be of great assistance for radiologists’ diagnosis of lung cancer in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing high dams in karst valleys remains a challenging issue as karst conduits provide preferential channels for flow through the foundations. The uncertainty of the karst system drastically increases the risk of leakage and hence the difficulty in seepage control at the foundations. This study examined the transient flow behaviors through a karst foundation on which a rockfill dam with a height of 219 m had been constructed. During reservoir filling, an abnormal pressure rise occurred in the foundation downstream the grout curtains, typically with a magnitude of 53∼69 m higher than the pore pressure head at the neighboring positions. This phenomenon was comprehensively investigated by site characterization, inverse modelling, numerical simulation and cross-correlation analysis, demonstrating that the abnormal pressure rise is locally induced by eroded fault (left bank) or contact zones between karst formations (right bank). These conduits have an effective permeability value one order of magnitude higher than that of the karst formations, which quickly transmit the reservoir pressure pulse across the grout curtains, as evidenced by a higher cross-correlation and a smaller lag between pool level and piezometer measurements. The grout curtains have sufficiently low permeability in limiting the amount of leakage through the foundation, and hence ensure the safety of the reservoir operation in spite of the pressure rise. This study confirms the applicability of the equivalent continuum model in addressing groundwater flow problems in karst formations, as long as the site conditions are properly characterized. • The abnormal pressure rise at a high dam foundation in karst valley was dissected. • Eroded fault and contact zones of higher permeability cause the local pressure rise. • The conduits fast transmit pressure with higher cross-correlation and smaller lag. • The continuum model applies as long as site conditions are properly characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• miRNA-223-3p affects ibrutinib susceptibility in mantle cell lymphoma. • CHUK is targeted and negatively regulated by miRNA-223-3p. • The miRNA-223-3p/CHUK/NF-κB2 axis affects ibrutinib resistance in mantle cell. Since the use of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib in relapsed/refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), the problem of drug resistance has become increasingly prominent. Though it has been proven that the nonclassic nuclear factor κB pathway (nonclassic NF-κB pathway) correlates with ibrutinib resistance in MCL, the upstream regulator is unknown. In the present study, conserved helix–loop–helix ubiquitous kinase (CHUK) overexpression accelerated proliferation and suppressed apoptosis of MCL cells after ibrutinib treatment in vitro. The results of luciferase reporter assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and Western blot revealed that CHUK was targeted and negatively regulated by miRNA-223-3p. miRNA-223-3p knockdown promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of MCL cells after ibrutinib treatment in vitro and vivo, whereas CHUK knockdown reversed downregulated miRNA-223-3p-promoted cell proliferation after ibrutinib treatment in vitro. In conclusion, miRNA-223-3p modulates ibrutinib resistance through regulation of the CHUK/NF-κB signaling pathway in MCL, which is crucial in providing a marker to predict disease response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Eight unsymmetrical N and/or O-bridged calixarene derivatives were obtained by 1 (naphthalene-2,7-diol), 2 (bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methanone), 3 (4,4′-methylenedianiline), 4 (3,3′-methylenedianiline), 5 (4,4′-oxydianiline) and 6 (4,4′-(perfluoropropane-2,2-diyl)dianiline) reacting with fragment a (4,4′-bis(dichloro-s-triazinyloxy)propane-2,2-diyldibenzene) and b (N,N′-bis(dichloro-s-triazinyl)-4,4′-methylenedianiline) under very mild reaction conditions via efficient fragment coupling strategy. We also obtained the crystal structure of 1a (tetraoxocalix[2](propane-2,2-diyldibenzene,naphthalene)[2]triazine) which can form a molecular capsule by two dimers with C–H⋯N and C–H⋯O quadruple hydrogen bonds, and it has the encapsulation ability toward solvent molecules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Despite Australia's high reliance on coal for electricity generation, no study has addressed the extent to which mercury (Hg) deposition has increased since the commissioning of coal-fired power plants. We present stratigraphic data from lake sediments in the Hunter Valley (New South Wales) and Latrobe Valley (Victoria), where a significant proportion of Australia's electricity is generated via coal combustion. Mercury deposition in lake sediments increased in the 1970s with the commissioning of coal-fired power plants, by a factor of 2.9-times in sediments of Lake Glenbawn (Hunter Valley) and 14-times in Traralgon Reservoir (Latrobe Valley). Sediments deposited after the commissioning of power plants have distinct Hg isotope compositions, similar to those of combusted coals. Mercury emission, estimated using an atmospheric model (CALPUFF), was higher in the Latrobe Valley than in the Hunter Valley. This is a result of higher Hg concentrations in lignite coal, lax regulation and older pollution-control technologies adopted by coal-fired power plants in the Latrobe Valley. Near-source deposition of Hg in Australia is significantly higher than North America and Europe, where better emission controls (e.g. wet flue gas desulfurization) have been in effect for decades. The challenge for Australia in years to come will be to ratify the Minamata Convention and develop better regulation policies to reduce Hg emissions. [Display omitted] • Coal accounts for 62% of total electricity generated in Australia. • Australia-Pacific is the region with the largest gap in Hg knowledge in the world. • Hg emissions and deposition in Australia are still increasing since ~1970s. • High near-source deposition has identified in urban areas of Victoria. • Hg emission regulations in Australia starkly contrast those of counterpart countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Bifunctional PEG endows SF aerogel with flexibility and structural stability. • cPEG promotes pyrrole binding onto SF scaffold and PPy deposition. • Flexible and conductive SF aerogel exhibits potential as a pressure sensor. Silk fibroin (SF) has excellent biocompatibility and can be regenerated to obtain diverse materials. However, high brittleness and poor elasticity limit its applications in flexible devices, mainly due to high amounts of β -sheet structures in SF. Herein, a flexible SF aerogel is prepared by coupling polyethylene glycol (PEG) containing double-carboxyl end group with fibroin chains. This is followed by ammonium persulfate (APS)-initiated deposition of polypyrrole (PPy) units onto the scaffold. The bifunctional PEG not only improves the elasticity of SF aerogel, but it also promotes the accumulation of pyrrole cations on the fibroin surface and guides the formation of PPy. Meanwhile, PPy distributed in the SF matrix forms an electrically conductive pathway with an encouraging static conductivity, which is responsive to environmental humidity and external pressure. The sensitivity of the prepared SF-based conductive aerogel as a pressure sensor is much better than those reported in literature. Meanwhile, the stress and resistance show good synchronization during cyclic compressions. The present work provides a promising alternative for the fabrication of fibroin-based flexible and conductive aerogels as highly sensitive pressure sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the occurrence and profile of 14 organophosphate esters (OPEs) in surface water and sediment of the whole Bohai Sea. A total of 53 pairs of surface water and sediment samples were collected and the contained OPEs were quantified using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The average concentrations of OPEs in surface water and sediment were in the range of 0–92.9 ng/L and 0.001–8.58 ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively, with tri (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) as the predominant congener in both compartments. The total concentrations of 14 OPEs (∑ 14 OPEs) in surface water and sediment were in the range of 10.9–516.4 ng/L and 1.42–52.9 ng/g dw, respectively. The inventories of ∑ 14 OPEs were calculated to be 179.3 tons in the water and 101.5 tons in the sediment. Based on the risk quotients (RQs), the ecological risks of OPEs to the aquatic organisms in the Bohai Sea were considered to be negligible. • TCEP was the dominant OPE in both surface water and sediment of the Bohai Sea. • Higher levels of OPEs were detected in Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay. • The estimated loads of OPEs in water and sediment were 179 and 102 tons, respectively. • OPE contamination posed negligible risks to the aquatic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The installation rate of denitrification devices is accelerating in Chinese urban boilers. Previous studies on pulverized coal-fired boilers without denitrification devices showed that combustion products containing mainly oxidized mercury (Hg) preferably enriched lighter Hg isotopes than feed coals. However, the magnitude of this enrichment becomes less pronounced if denitrification devices are installed. The underlying Hg isotope fractionation mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, three types of urban boilers (two pulverized coal-fired boilers, one circulating fluidized bed boiler and one municipal waste incinerator boiler) all installed with denitrification devices were measured for Hg isotope compositions of their feed fuels and corresponding combustion products. We observed little mass independent fractionation but very significant mass dependent fractionation (MDF) between feed fuels and combustion products. The fly ash and desulfurization products both enriched heavier Hg isotopes than feed coals in three coal-fired boilers, and the enrichment of heavy Hg isotopes increased with sequential removal of combustion products in all boilers. Different from previously suggested kinetic MDF for gaseous Hg0(g)→HgII(g) and gaseous HgII(g)→particulate HgII(p) in coal combustion flue gases, we propose an equilibrium MDF for Hg0(g)↔HgII(g) followed by a kinetic MDF for HgII(g)→HgII(p). This equilibrium MDF most likely occurs during Hg0(g) oxidation in denitrification devices, which enriches heavy Hg isotopes in oxidized products (HgII(g) and HgII(p)) that are then sequestrated in fly ash and desulfurization products. The paradigm shift of MDF in boilers with denitrification devices was further verified by parallel Hg isotope measurement in urban atmosphere particulates. Our study clearly demonstrates that modern coal-fired boilers with denitrification devices have a quite different MDF compared to traditional boilers without denitrification devices. This has important implications for estimating isotope signatures of urban boiler Hg emissions, and for isotope tracing of anthropogenic Hg emissions. Image 1 • Hg isotope fractionation in urban boiler denitrification devices is first addressed. • Hg(0) oxidation in denitrification devices enriches heavy Hg isotopes in products. • Heavy Hg isotope enrichment increases with sequential removal of combustion products. • Particulate matter registers Hg isotope signatures of fly ash from urban boilers. Mercury vapor oxidation in denitrification devices enriches heavier mercury isotopes in oxidized products, and the enrichment of heavy mercury isotopes increases with sequential removal of combustion products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ethanolic extract of Actaea racemosa L. (Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt.) has recently been reported to ameliorate obesity-related insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and fatty liver in rodents. However, it remains unclear which A. racemosa components are responsible for these beneficial effects.Purpose: We aimed to examine the anti-obesity potential of 23-epi-26-deoxyactein (DA), which is contained in the ethanolic extracts of A. racemosa.Study Design and Methods: To evaluate the effects of DA on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6 mice, in vitro and in vivo tests were performed. For in vitro assessment, we used Oil red O staining that showed lipid accumulation in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. For in vivo tests, male 5-week-old C57BL/6 mice were fed with low-fat diet (LFD), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD with 10 mg/kg/d luteolin (LU; positive control drug), HFD with 1 mg/kg/d DA, and HFD with 5 mg/kg/d DA for 12 weeks, respectively. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed at week 17. The lipid deposition of adipose tissue and liver was visualized by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Real-time PCR showed mRNA levels of genes involved in adipogenesis, lipogenesis, and lipolysis. AMPK signaling and SIRT1-FOXO1 pathway were assessed by real-time PCR and western blot.Results: 10 μM DA and 20 μM LU treatments inhibited 3T3-L1 adipogenesis through down-regulating the expression of C/ebpα, C/ebpβ, and Pparγ, which are the critical adipogenic transcription factors. The in vivo results showed that 5 mg/kg/d DA and 10 mg/kg/d LU significantly lowered body weight gain, fat mass, and liver weight in HFD-fed mice. Meanwhile, DA and LU also reduced insulin resistance and serum lipoprotein levels in HFD-fed mice. Mechanistic studies showed that DA and LU promoted adipocyte lipolysis in mice through activating the AMPK signaling and SIRT1-FOXO1 pathway.Conclusion: The in vitro results indicate that 10 μM DA suppresses adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The in vivo treatment with 5 mg/kg/d DA ameliorates diet-induced obesity in mice, suggesting that DA is a promising natural compound for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development presented seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs). As the largest developing country, China faces large regional imbalances in its economy and social welfare. A nationwide synthetic indicator cannot reflect the sustainable development profile. As SDGs have not been evaluated at the national level of China and related studies worldwide at national or sub-national levels are rare, this paper aims to present a quantitative assessment of sustainable development goals at the sub-national level in China. We constructed a sustainable development index and dashboard evaluation framework under the SDGs and evaluated sustainable development indicators at the provincial scale to explore the sub-national heterogeneity. Results showed that the state of sustainable development in China is characterized by its pronounced geographic zones. Eastern provinces, including Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, have the highest scores of the China SDG Index. By contrast, western provinces, including Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Ningxia and Shanxi, have the lowest scores. We observe that both the Green Development Index and per capita GDP have very significant positive correlations with the China SDG Index and many single SDGs. Prioritizing economic development is beneficial to the implementation of the sustainable development goals for the western provinces, while trade-offs between economic development and environmental protection must be considered for eastern provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The results in lead–zinc tailings environment have guiding significance. • The optimal bacterial activity and suitable experimental time is 20–38 h of cultivation. • Temperatures have the greatest impact on the size and morphology of crystals. • Crystal size and morphology are crucial factors that affect bonding ability. • The yield and characteristic parameters of crystal from the lead–zinc tailings environment were obtained. Exploring a low-cost and environmentally friendly cementation method to replace cement bond is a hot topic in tailings cementation backfills. In this study, microbially induced carbonate precipitation technology was used in tailings environment and the mechanisms of mineralization and precipitation of microorganisms were studied, including ambient temperature, pH, cementing solution concentration, and the ratio of bacteria to cement solution. The considered factors are based on tailings backfill site compared to the grouting method, the bacterial liquid and tailings were mixed only once to obtain enough calcium carbonate. The yield and surface morphology of crystal under different parameter conditions were obtained. The experiment results showed that temperature was the most critical factor controlling the yield and morphology of calcium carbonate crystals. The crystal productivity at 35 °C was 92.67%, which was 5.34–14.0% higher than that obtained at other temperatures. Compared with other temperature conditions, the crystal grain size was 2.03–5.57 μm at 35 °C and the crystal structure was irregular and rough, which was more conducive to adhesion and bonding effect with other materials. The bacterium exhibited higher activity and a greater ability to precipitate crystals within the pH range of 6.0 to 8.0, while the environment at a pH of 9.0 had an obvious inhibitory effect on bacterial activity. There was an inversely proportional relationship between the cementing solution concentration and the amount of crystal precipitation. The utilization rate of bacteria and calcium ions reached the highest when the ratio of bacterial liquid to cementing solution was 1:1. The optimal experimental parameters were determined based on a comprehensive consideration of the crystal yield and experimental cost. The research process provided a theoretical basis for the application of microbial tailings backfill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is the most common brain malignancy and surgical resection is the primary option for patient with glioma. Anesthetics could be used to inhibit cancer dissemination and metastasis during surgery. This study aims to assess the function of volatile anesthetic sevoflurane in glioma migration and invasion and explore the potential mechanism. Twenty-five patients with glioma were recruited in this study. LN229 and U251 cells were used in vitro experiments. Cell viability was analyzed by MTT analysis. Cell migration and invasion were examined via transwell analysis. microRNA-34a-5p (miR-34a-5p) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) levels were measured via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The relationship of miR-34a-5p and MMP-2 was tested via bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down. Sevoflurane decreased glioma cell migration and invasion. In glioma cells, sevoflurane up-regulated miR-34a-5p abundance and down-regulated MMP-2 level. Overexpression of miR-34a-5p contributed to sevoflurane-caused suppression of migration and invasion, while its knockdown played an opposite effect. MMP-2 was targeted via miR-34a-5p and MMP-2 silence reversed the influence of miR-34a-5p knockdown under sevoflurane. Sevoflurane exposure represses cell migration and invasion, which might be related to inhibition of MMP-2 by up-regulating miR-34a-5p. This study provides a novel mechanism for understanding the pharmacological effects of sevoflurane on glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Entomopathogenic nematodes are widely used as biological control agents that can suppress or evade the host immune defense upon entry into insects. The surface coat of Steinernema glaseri has been shown to play important roles in defeating the host immune system. In this work, a protein fraction with antiphagocytic activity was separated by electro-elution and further analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). LC–MS/MS analysis of one protein spot from a 2-DE gel gave five peptides that were highly similar to enolases of many organisms. A 1311bp cDNA was cloned that encodes a 47kDa protein with high sequence identity to enolases from different species of nematodes. The deduced protein, Sg-ENOL, was expressed in Escherichia coli, and its glycolytic activity was demonstrated by the conversion of 2-phospho-d-glycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate. Recombinant Sg-ENOL significantly reduced the LT50s of Xenorhabdus poinarii and Metarhizium anisopliae when co-injected into Galleria mellonella and Locusta migratoria manilensis Meyen, respectively. Using immuno-gold transmission electron microscopy, native Sg-ENOL was confirmed to be localized to both the nematode cuticle and the surface coat. In vitro, secretion of Sg-ENOL was inducible rather than constitutive. In vivo, Sg-ENOL was detected in the host hemolymph after infection of G. mellonella with S. glaseri, indicating that Sg-ENOL was secreted into the insect hemocoel and was involved in infection. This is the first report of the cloning and characterization of a surface coat protein in an entomopathogenic nematode. Our findings provide clear evidence for an important role for a cell surface enolase in S. glaseri infection and host immune suppression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel antimicrobial peptide, with molecular mass of 1602.0469Da, produced by Brevibacillus laterosporus strain A60 was isolated and purified from the soil of mango plants. The purification procedure consisted of ammonium sulfate precipitation, cation exchange chromatography on an HiTrap SP HP column, thin layer chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) on C18 reversed-phase column. After the four isolation procedures, one peptide with antimicrobial activity was obtained and named BL-A60. The determination of the complete amino acid sequences of this peptide showed that it contains eleven amino acid residues, L-Y-K-L-V-K-V-V-L-N-M, and a choline connected to the N-terminal and a tenuazonic acid modified of the C-terminal. This peptide shows relatively low identification to other antimicrobial peptides from bacteria. Purified BL-A60 showed high pH and thermal stability and a strong inhibition of different stages of the life cycle of Phytophthora capsici, including mycelial growth, sporangia formation and cystospore germination, with EC50 values of 7.89, 0.60 and 21.96μgml−1, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel series of diarylethenes incorporating different heterocycles and their N-methylated derivatives have been synthesized, and the products have been characterized by means of NMR, MS and elemental analysis. Each of the compounds displays photochromism and “turn-on” fluorescence properties upon irradiation with UV light. It has been found that both the nature of the heterocycle attached to the imidazole ring and methylation of the imidazole ring greatly affect the optical properties. The light-emitting properties can be easily tuned from blue light-emitting to yellow light-emitting fluorescence by varying the nature of the heterocycle or by simple modification of structures, which provides a new strategy for the design of novel fluorescent switches. Moreover, Cu2+, Hg2+, and Fe3+ greatly affect the fluorescence properties of diarylethene 4 in the photostationary state, so that these systems might be deployed in a novel molecular sensor for the detection of such cations by fluorescence recognition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: PebC1, a novel protein elicitor was isolated and purified from the mycelium of gray mold fungus, Botrytis cinerea strain BC-4-2-2-1. The protein was eluted through HiTrap™ DEAE FF and RESOURCE™ Q anion exchange chromatography and displayed as a single band with an apparent molecular weight of 36kDa on silver staining sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The pI of the purified protein PebC1 was determined by 2-DE and was 4.85. Three peptide segments were obtained by MALDI-TOF. Similarity, the homology matching using protein BLAST search found that two proteins, viz. XP_001593856 and XP_001551609 were having high score and covered sequence of the three peptides. Protein XP_001551609, a deduced protein nascent polypeptide-associated complex alpha-polypeptide, was more authentic because it was from Botryotinia fuckeliana that is better known as its anamorph, B.cinerea and showed 95% homology with the three polypeptides. The full cDNA sequence encoding for pebC1 (Genbank accession number FJ748868) was amplified from B. cinerea and consists of 639bp, which is same as a registered gene of XM_001551559, a nascent polypeptide-associated complex alpha-polypeptide partial mRNA. The gene encode a hypothetical protein speculated from an annotated genomic sequence from B. fuckeliana B05.10 (NW_001814507) and there is no publication about the gene. The PebC1 protein significantly promoted wheat seedling growth with an optimum protein concentration of 5μg/mL. Root systemic activity of wheat with 4–5 leaves increased by 1.29 fold, and the wheat seedling drought resistance integrated index increased from 36.53 to 57.08 under two cycles of drought stress after treatment of PebC1. PebC1 protein at the optimum concentration of 10μg/mL induced 69.19% disease resistance against gray mold fungus in tomato. Furthermore, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxides (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) related to plant resistance metabolism were also increased considerably after PebC1 treatment. PAL activity was increased by 46.84% at 24h post-treatment, while POD and PPO activity increased by 109.5% and 111.0% at 72h, respectively over the control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mercury (Hg) stable isotopes have a great potential to track coal combustion Hg emissions, but mass-dependent fractionation (MDF) during Hg adsorption onto fly ash particles could significantly alter isotope signatures of emitted Hg species. The detailed processes causing this MDF, however, are not well understood. Here, we simulated how isotopes fractionate during gaseous Hg0 adsorption onto fly ash at different times and temperatures. Kinetic MDF that preferably transfers light Hg isotopes to fly ash dominated Hg0 adsorption processes. The magnitude of MDF during Hg0 adsorption was invariable in the time-series experiment but increased significantly with increasing temperature in the temperature-series experiment. The external mass transfer and chemisorption are suggested to be the controlling processes for isotopic fractionation. Relative to diffusion-driven Hg0 adsorption, chemisorption is suggested to be a more important Hg0 adsorption step causing MDF, especially at high temperatures. The chemisorption involves Hg redox change from Hg0 to HgII and is likely enhanced with increasing temperature (50–180 °C). The proposed kinetic MDF model reveals that MDF in modern coal-fired power plants is likely driven by temperature-induced redox processes during Hg0 adsorption, and has great implications for developing MDF models in coal-fired boilers and tracing coal combustion Hg emissions. ga1 • The adsorption of Hg onto coal ash mainly induced the kinetic MDF of Hg isotopes. • The external mass transfer and the chemisorption are the controlling process for Hg isotopes fractionation. • Chemisorption is suggested to be a more important Hg0 adsorption step causing MDF, especially at high temperatures. • MDF in coal-fired power plants is likely driven by temperature-induced redox processes during Hg0 adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material flow analysis is one of the developed tools to analyze regional resource utilization and efficiency, but still, no holistic analysis has been done for African sub-regions. Africa and its sub-regions are experiencing a gradual but transitional development, leading to the steady growth of resource use. This study dived into African nations' material flow accounts and conducted a statistical evaluation of material use, resource efficiency and driving forces in different sub-regions of Africa between 1980 and 2017 to investigate resource use patterns in Africa. Our results reveal significant disparities of material use and distinguishable driving forces at the sub-regional level of Africa. During the last four decades, Western and Central Africa shows the highest cumulative material consumption at 54 Gt dominated by biomass consumption, while non-metallic minerals dominate the consumption in North Africa with a compounding annual growth rate of 4.5 %. Per capita domestic material consumption (DMC) in Southern Africa experiences a declining trend from >10 t/capita to 7 t/capita per year. Per capita DMC in other three sub-regions is increasing, in which North Africa now has the highest per capita DMC at 10 t/capita per year. Using the logarithmic mean divisia index (LMDI) technique, this study examines the IPAT equation in DMC at the sub-regional level of Africa. GDP growth has surpassed the impact of population growth in Southern Africa, while population growth is still the most significant driver in other three regions over a period of time. Technological factors have begun to offset material use in all sub-regions since 2000, and this offset is prominent in Southern Africa. Our results could be a basis to spur mutual communication and cooperation among African countries on the governance of sustainable resource production and use to improve the resource efficiency of African countries as a convergent and lasting trend. Image 1 • Biomass is the most used in three of the four sub-regions, except North Africa. • West and Central Africa has the highest cumulative domestic material consumption. • East Africa shows the lowest resource efficiency. • Population and affluence show regional differences in driving material use in Africa. • Efficiency improvement in Africa is mainly driven by East and Southern Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]