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The presence of Per-, Poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aquatic ecosystems has drawn broad concerns in the scientific community due to their biological toxicity. However, little has been explored regarding PFASs' removal in phytoplankton-dominated environments. This study aimed to create a simulated bacteria-algae symbiotic ecosystem to observe the potential transportation of PFASs. Mass distributions showed that sand (63-2000 μm), siltclay (0-63 μm), the phycosphere (3 μm plankton), and the free-living biosphere (0.22-3 μm plankton) contained 19.00, 7.78, 5.73 and 2.75% PFASs in their total mass, respectively. Significant correlations were observed between carbon chain lengths and removal rates (R

Magnetization roasting and magnetic separation is an effective method of recovering iron from low-grade ores. The phase transformation mechanism of minerals is an important basis for optimizing technological parameters. In this study, biomass was used as a reducing agent to roast Baotou low-grade limonite in a high-temperature vacuum furnace. The phase transformation law and its influence on magnetic properties were studied via X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results show that roasting temperature is related to the magnetism of iron ore. With an increase in temperature, iron content increases gradually, and limonite magnetism also increases, at 700 °C reaching a maximum saturation magnetization of iron concentrate of 43.06 emu/g. It was also found that during vacuum roasting, S elements migrated and accumulated on the surface of limonite and distributed evenly on the surface of mineral particles in the form of FeS, forming ash shells.

Aim Growing evidence suggests that endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) play key roles in pulmonary arterial remodeling during pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but the underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully understood. miR-27a has been shown to promote proliferation of pulmonary arterial cells during PAH, but its role in EndMT remains unexplored. This study was designed to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of miR-27a in EndMT during PAH. Main methods Rats were exposed in hypoxia (10% O2) for 3 weeks to induce PAH, and human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) were exposed in hypoxia (1% O2) for 48 h to induce EndMT. Immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence, real-time PCR and Western blot were conducted to detect the expressions of RNAs and proteins, and luciferase assay was used to verify the putative binding site of miR-27a. Key findings We found that hypoxia up-regulated miR-27a in the tunica intima of rat pulmonary arteries and HPAECs, and that inhibition of miR-27a suppressed hypoxia-induced EndMT. Furthermore, elevated expression of miR-27a suppressed bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling by targeting Smad5, thereby lessening Id2-mediated repression of the 2 critical mediators of EndMT (Snail and Twist). Significance Our data unveiled a novel role of miR-27a in EndMT during hypoxia-induced PAH. Thus, targeting of miR-27a-related pathway may be therapeutically harnessed to treat PAH.

All-optical devices have wide application in computing and communicating, among whom, all-optical router plays important role in it. In this letter, we build up a plasmonic router based on spin–orbital interaction. The spin–orbital interaction is generated by a metasurface, which is an array of air-slit resonator. The resonator is enclosed by four Archimedes spirals etched on 300 nm thick Au film. The metasurface have two interfaces, Au–Air interface and Au–SiO2 interface, each interface processes two output ports. And at 1064 nm, the ports on Au–SiO2 interface are activated and spin can control one of them open. And at 1500 nm, the ports on Au–Air interface are activated and also, spin can control the states of them. Besides, the metasurface can be cladded with liquid crystal, which can tune the optimal frequency of specific ports by changing the optical axis. This result may contribute to the application of all-optical devices.

Understanding the pre- and post-rigor meat quality characteristics is crucial for the development of featured goat meat products. To evaluate the quality characteristics of goat meat in different rigor states, knuckle muscle in pre-rigor, rigor, and post-rigor states of Taihang and Huanghuai goats were used to analyze chemical characteristics, water mobility, and electronic sense. Results indicated that Taihang and Huanghuai goat meat samples were rich in protein and essential amino acids, especially Lys. Pre-rigor goat meat samples had lower content of free moisture and higher water holding capacity than post-rigor goat meat samples. Furthermore, Taihang and Huanghuai goat meat samples exhibited different odour characteristics. Aromatic constituents content of post-rigor goat meat samples were greater than those of pre-rigor goat meat samples. The sweetness and bitterness of post-rigor goat meat samples were higher than those of pre-rigor goat meat samples. In conclusion, Taihang and Huanghuai goat meat samples have different quality characteristics, which were regulated by rigor state through different texture and flavor profiles.

Enhancement in the signals of electrochemical immunosensors via advanced nanomaterials is beneficial for developing immunoassay of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) with high sensitivity and selectivity. By virtue of K3[Fe(CN)6] as a signal probe, an advanced label-free electrochemical immunosensor was fabricated for ultrasensitive detection of cTnI with trimetallic alloyed AuPtPd porous fluffy-like nanodendrites (AuPtPd FNDs), followed by assembly of the antibody (Ab). By virtue of the structural advantages, electronic effects and synergetic catalysis of the trimetals, such nanostructures showed large specific surface area to increase the loading of the cTnI Ab and amplify the electrochemical signals of the probe. The sensor displayed a wide linear range (0.01 ~ 100.0 ng mL−1) and a low detection limit (LOD = 3 pg mL−1) under the optimal conditions, which showed great potential for detecting cTnI in serum samples. Furthermore, this biosensor provides an effective detection platform for analysis of other cardiac markers in practical samples.

Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a proliferative disorder associated with enhanced proliferation and suppressed apoptosis of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Our lately study demonstrated that let-7g inhibited hypoxia-induced proliferation of PASMCs via repressing c-myc-Bmi-1-p16 signaling pathway. However, the upstream of let-7g has not yet been fully defined. Previous studies have shown that LOX-1, a target of let-7g, could also regulate the expression of let-7g in human aortic endothelial cells. In this present study, we aimed to investigate whether there is a negative feedback regulation between microRNA let-7g and LOX-1 in hypoxia-induced proliferation of PASMCs. Methods SD Rats were exposed to hypoxia (10% O2, 3 weeks) to induce PH. HE staining was used to evaluate pulmonary artery remodeling. in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were performed to assess the expression and distribution of let-7g and LOX-1, respectively. MTS, EDU and flow cytometry were performed to evaluate PASMCs proliferation. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were conducted to assess the expression of let-7g, LOX-1, calpain-1,-2,-4, and OCT-1. Results The expression of let-7g was significantly down-regulated in pulmonary arteries of hypoxia-induced PH rats accompanied by pulmonary vascular remodeling, whereas let-7g mimic inhibited hypoxia-induced proliferation of PASMCs and up-regulation of LOX-1 expression. LOX-1 blocking reversed hypoxia-induced down-regulation of let-7g expression. Calpains, protein kinase C and OCT-1 were involved in negative feedback regulation between let-7g and LOX-1. Conclusion Negative feedback regulation between let-7g and LOX-1 mediated hypoxia-induced proliferation of in PASMCs.

Ample empirical evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Prohibitin (PHB), a mitochondrial inner-membrane protein involved in mitochondrial homeostasis and function, may be involved in the pathogenesis of PD. We investigated the functional role of PHB in mitochondrial biogenesis and ER stress in methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP +)-induced in vivo and in vitro models of PD. The overexpression of PHB in SH-SY5Y cells block ed cell death and the apoptosis induced by MPP + incubation. PHB also block ed the activation of ER stress markers, including glucose-regulated protein 78, while increasing the expression of Xbox- binding protein 1 and caspase-12. Moreover, the intracerebroventricular administration of the PHB overexpression vector greatly block ed motor dysfunction and the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-mediated neurodegeneration in the mouse model of PD. The production of reactive oxygen species, ER stress, and autophagic stress induced by MPTP were also significantly block ed in PD mice overexpressing PHB. Our results suggest that PHB blocks the dopaminergic-neuron depletion by preserving mitochondrial function and inhibiting ER stress. The genetic manipulation of PHB may feature potential as a treatment for PD.

Aim Proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) are regarded as the primary factors resulting in pulmonary arterial remodeling in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Myeloid ecotropic viral integration site 1 (MEIS1) has been positioned as a negative cardiomyocyte cell cycle regulator and regulates proliferation of multiple kinds of cancer cells. Whether MESI1 is involved in the proliferation and migration of PASMCs deserves to be identified. Main methods Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to hypoxia condition (10% O2) for 4 weeks to induce PH and primary rat PASMCs were cultured in hypoxia condition (3% O2) for 48 h to induce proliferation and migration. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, reverse transcription PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to detect the expressions of target mRNAs and proteins. EDU, CCK8 and wound healing assays were conducted to measure the proliferation and migration of PASMCs. Key findings Hypoxia down-regulated the expression of MEIS1 (both mRNA and protein) in pulmonary arteries and PASMCs. Over-expression of MEIS1 inhibited the proliferation and migration of PASMCs afforded by hypoxia. In contrast, knockdown of MEIS1 under normoxia condition like hypoxia induced the proliferation and migration of PASMCs. MEIS1 mediated hypoxia-induced the proliferation and migration of PASMCs via METTL14/MEIS1/p21 signaling. Significance The present study revealed that MEIS1 regulated the proliferation and migration of PASMCs during hypoxia-induced PH. Thus, MEIS1 may be a potential target for PH therapy.

This paper adds partial household evacuation to the traditional binary evacuate/stay decision. Based on data from a survey of Jacksonville, FL residents after Hurricane Matthew, multinomial (MNL) and random parameter MNL models were developed to determine the influential factors and whether some variables’ effects are more nuanced than prior literature suggests. The random parameter model was preferred to the fixed parameters model. Variables significant in this model included injury concern, certainty about hurricane impact location, age, marital status, family cohesion, and living in mobile or detached homes. Greater injury concern results in lower likelihood of none of the household evacuating and greater likelihood of partial evacuation, but lower likelihood of full household evacuation. Similarly, greater certainty about hurricane impact increased the probability of partial household evacuation but decreased the probability of full evacuation. Respondent age had heterogenous effects; for 85.54% of respondents, additional years of age increased the likelihood of the household staying. Married households had a higher likelihood of staying or evacuating together. Similarly, greater family cohesion was associated with the household remaining together. Living in mobile homes decreased the likelihood that all of the household stays or evacuates and increased the probability of partial household evacuation. Living in a single-family detached home was associated with lower likelihood of all of the household staying or evacuating and a greater likelihood of a partial household evacuation. These findings can inform strategies that influence full or partial household evacuations, material requirements based on these decisions, and ways to reduce family risk.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is viewed as a tumor marker of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, whose facile and sensitive detection is critical for clinical diagnosis. In this work, core-shell Au nanoparticles @Pd nanoclusters-poly(bismarck brown Y) (Au@Pd-P(BBY)) and hierarchically dendritic AuPt nanoassemblies (AuPt NAs) were synthesized independently by a one-pot aqueous method. A dual-signal ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor was developed for ultrasensitive determination of NSE based on ferrocene grafted Au@Pd-P(BBY) (Fc-g-Au@Pd-P(BBY)) and reduced graphene oxide/thionine decorated AuPt NAs (rGO/Thi/AuPt NAs). Under optimal conditions, the changes in the peak currents linearly correlate to the NSE concentrations in the wide range of 0.0001―50.0 ng mL–1 with ultralow detection limit (0.03 pg mL–1, S/N = 3). The aptasensor was explored in a diluted human serum sample with acceptable results, showing its great potential in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

The surface properties of the modified rare earth concentrate supported by γ-Al2O3 and the factors affecting the catalytic activity were studied. Roasting and NaHCO3-oxalic acid leaching were used to study on surface properties of modified rare earth concentrates. The effects of modification treatment on the microstructure and catalytic activity of the impurity-removed samples were characterized by XRD, BET, TPD, TPR, XPS, in-situ DRIFTS. The results show that the optimum nitrogen removal efficiency of the modified rare earth concentrate loaded γ-Al2O3 sample can reach 80.5%. For rare earth concentrates, the oxalic acid and the mineral are co-calcined together, and then leached by a NaHCO3, the content of calcium fluorophosphate and calcium fluoride is remarkably small, and the content of Ce7O12 in the active powder is increased and the dispersion is more uniform. Active ingredients on the sample surface such as Ce, La, Mn were increased, the specific surface area of the sample was increased. The redox capacity of the rare earth concentrate surface and the NH3 adsorption performance are enhanced. Ce coexists in the form of Ce3+ and Ce4+. Mn coexists in the form of Mn3+ and Mn4+. The synergistic action of cerium and manganese increases catalytic activity.

This paper presents large-area profile measurement of ultra-precision diamond turned sinusoidal surfaces by using a specially developed scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The new prototype of STM system employs a long stroke PZT servo actuator as the Z-directional scanner, an integrated capacitance displacement sensor to accurately measure the Z-directional profile height, a motorized stage with long traveling stroke for carrying out large-area scanning. A simple method for self-calibration of the inevitable sample tilt is proposed in order to achieve large-area measurement without tip-crashing or losing of tip-sample interaction. Several types of ultra-precision machined sinusoidal freeform surfaces with different geometrical parameters are measured by the new STM system over large scanning areas at the scale of millimeters. Specially, a sinusoidal surface with peak-valley amplitude of 22 μm and periodical wavelength of 550 μm is successfully measured and imaged by the STM system. The measurement repeatability error, repeatability standard deviation and measured profile deviation are also evaluated. It is confirmed that the new STM system is capable of carrying out large-area as well as large-amplitude measurement of the ultra-precision machined sinusoidal surfaces.

The flow sharing problem is a class of techniques that can be used to find the optimal flow in a capacitated network, which realizes an equitable distribution of flows. This paper extends the integer flow sharing problem by considering fuzzy capacities and fuzzy weights such that the flux received at each sink node and the flow value through each arc are restricted to be multiples of some block unit. Fuzzy capacity describes the flexibility of the upper limit of flow value through each arc. Fuzzy weight represents the degree of satisfaction of the flux to a sink node. Our model has the two following criteria: to maximize the minimal degree of satisfaction among all of the fuzzy capacity constraints and to maximize the minimal degree of satisfaction among the fluxes to all of the sink nodes. Because an optimal flow pattern that simultaneously maximizes the two objectives is usually not feasible, we define non-domination in this setting and propose a pseudo-polynomial algorithm that finds some non-dominated flow patterns. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate how our algorithm works.

Propiconazole induces hepatocellular carcinomas and hepatocellular adenomas in mice and promotes liver tumors in rats. Transcriptional, proteomic, metabolomic and biochemical studies of hepatic tissues from mice treated with propiconazole under the conditions of the chronic bioassay indicated that propiconazole induced oxidative stress. Here we sought to identify the source of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by propiconazole using both AML12 immortalized mouse hepatocytes in culture and liver tissues from mice. We also sought to further characterize the nature and effects of ROS formation induced by propiconazole treatment in mouse liver. ROS was induced in AML12 cells by propiconazole as measured by fluorescence detection and its formation was ameliorated by N-acetylcysteine. Propiconazole induced glutathione-S-transferase (GSTα) protein levels and increased the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in AML12 cells. The TBARS levels were decreased by diphenylene iodonium chloride (DPIC), a cytochrome P450 (CYP) reductase inhibitor revealing the role of CYPs in ROS generation. It has been previously reported that Cyp2b and Cyp3a proteins were induced in mouse liver by propiconazole and that Cyp2b and Cyp3a proteins undergo uncoupling of their CYP catalytic cycle releasing ROS. Therefore, salicylic acid hydroxylation was used as probe for ROS formation using microsomes from mice treated with propiconazole. These studies showed that levels of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (an ROS derived metabolite) were decreased by ketoconazole, melatonin and DPIC. In vivo, propiconazole increased hepatic malondialdehyde levels and GSTα protein levels and had no effect on hepatic catalase or superoxide dismutase activities. Based on these observations we conclude that propiconazole induces ROS in mouse liver by increasing CYP protein levels leading to increased ROS levels. Our data also suggest that propiconazole induces the hydroxyl radical as a major ROS form.

Previous research has indicated that anxious individuals are more prone to evaluate ambiguous information as negative compared to non-anxious individuals. The feedback-related negativity (FRN) component of event-related brain potential (ERP) has been shown to be sensitive to outcome evaluation. The current ERP study aimed to test the hypothesis that the FRNs associated with ambiguous outcomes and negative outcomes are different between high-trait anxiety (HTA) and low-trait anxiety (LTA) individuals. The FRN was measured as a difference wave created across conditions. We found significantly different FRN responses between high-anxious and low-anxious participants in ambiguous outcome condition, as well as in negative outcome condition. Moreover, the HTA group's FRN responses under the ambiguous outcome condition were larger than the negative outcome condition. Nevertheless, the FRN following neutral outcome did not show any difference between the two groups. The present results support the idea that there is link between individual differences in anxiety and ambiguous outcome evaluation, which possibly reflects the adaptive function of anxiety. Additionally, the results indicate that the mechanisms underlying the evaluation of neutral outcomes and ambiguous outcomes might be different from each other.

We describe a fluorescence-based assay for the analysis of xylanase activity using a novel fluorogenic substrate, 6,8-difluoro-4-methylumbelliferyl beta-D-xylobioside (DiFMUX(2)). Generation of fluorescent 6,8-difluoro-4-methylumbelliferone (DiFMU) from the substrate corresponded directly to xylanase activity. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the digestion products showed that xylanase hydrolyzed DiFMUX(2) directly to DiFMU and xylobiose. The assay provides the speed, sensitivity, and convenience required for measuring xylanase activity or for screening xylanase inhibitors in a high-throughput format and is suitable for the kinetic assay of xylanases from a variety of sources.

Co3O4 nanoparticles have been successfully prepared by polymer combustion method. The structure, crystal type, and surface state were characterized by means of physical techniques, including IR, TG–DTA and XRD measurement. The IR data revealed that metal carbonate could be formed by the combustion reaction of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and cobalt nitrate, and the data of TG–DTA suggested that most of the organic and other volatiles could be removed at temperatures

To investigate the role of the ras gene in erythroid differentiation, a human erythroleukemic cell line, TF1, was transduced with a selectable retroviral vector carrying a mammalian wild type H-ras gene or a cytoplasmic dominant negative RAS1 gene. Transduction of TF1 cells with the wild type H-ras gene resulted in changes of cell types and up-regulation of erythroid-specific gene expression similar to that seen in differentiating erythroid cells. The number of red blood cell containing colonies derived from TF1 cells transduced with wild type H-ras cDNA was significantly increased and the cells in the colonies were more hemoglobinized as estimated by a deeper red color compared to those colony cells from mock or dominant negative RAS1 gene transduced TF1 cells, suggesting increased erythroid differentiation of TF1 cells after transduction of wild type H-ras in vitro. The mRNA levels of beta- and gamma-, but not alpha-, globin genes were significantly higher in H-ras transduced TF1 cells than those in TF1 cells transduced with mock or dominant negative RAS1 gene. Moreover, a 4kb pre-mRNA of the Erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) was highly expressed only in H-ras transduced TF1 cells. Additionally, human umbilical cord blood (CB) CD34 cells which are highly enriched for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells were transduced with the same retroviral vectors to evaluate in normal primary cells the activities of H-ras in erythroid differentiation. Increased numbers of erythroid cell containing colonies (BFU-E and CFU-GEMM) were observed in CD34 cells transduced with the H-ras cDNA, compared to that from mock transduced cells. These data suggest a possible role for ras in erythroid differentiation.