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Almansi-type decomposition theorem for bi-k-regular functions defined in a star-like domain Ω ⊆ ℝn+1 × ℝn+1 centered at the origin with values in the Clifford algebra Cl2n+2,0(ℝ) is proved. As a corollary, Almansi-type decomposition theorem for biharmonic functions of degree k is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to better monitor the content of Fe3+ and H2S in the biological environment, two new fluorescent probes were designed and synthesized. With the addition of Fe3+, the strong fluorescence emission of two probes was significantly quenched due to the paramagnetic effect of Fe3+. With the further addition of S2−, the fluorescence intensity was quickly restored. Two probes showed high selectivity and strong sensitivity for the detection of Fe3+ and S2−, and the fluorescence intensity "ON-OFF-ON" was accompanied with the interaction process. At the same time, two probes displayed good anti-interference ability which was not interfered by the existence of other ions. In addition, two probes illustrated fast response time to Fe3+, S2− and small cytotoxicity to cells. Therefore, two probes can provide a potential ideal tool for detecting Fe3+ and H2S in organisms and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of their function of catalyzing the rearrangement of the carbon chains, thiolases have attracted increasing attentions over the past decades. The 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (KAT) is a member of the thiolase, which is capable of catalyzing the Claisen condensation reaction between the two acyl-CoAs, thereby achieving carbon chain elongation. In this way, diverse value-added compounds might be synthesized starting from simple small CoA thioesters. However, most KATs are hampered by low stability and poor substrate specificity, which has hindered the development of large-scale biosynthesis. In this review, the common characteristics in the three-dimensional structure of KATs from different sources are summarized. Moreover, structure-guided rational engineering is discussed as a strategy for enhancing the performance of KATs. Finally, we reviewed the metabolic engineering applications of KATs for producing various energy-storage molecules, such as n-butanol, fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids, and polyhydroxyalkanoates. Key points: • Summarize the structural characteristics and catalyzation mechanisms of KATs. • Review on the rational engineering to enhance the performance of KATs. • Discuss the applications of KATs for producing energy-storage molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EAEC is a common cause of diarrheal illness worldwide. Pathogenesis is believed to occur in the ileum and colon, where the bacteria adhere and form a robust aggregating biofilm. Among the multiple virulence factors produced by EAEC, the Pic serine protease has been implicated in bacterial colonization by virtue of its mucinolytic activity. Hence, a potential role of Pic in mucus barrier disruption during EAEC infection has been long postulated. In this study, we used human colonoids comprising goblet cells and a thick mucin barrier as an intestinal model to investigate Pic's roles during infection with EAEC. We demonstrated the ability of purified Pic, but not a protease defective Pic mutant to degrade MUC2. Western blot and confocal microscopy analysis revealed degradation of the MUC2 layer in colonoids infected with EAEC, but not with its isogenic EAECpic mutant. Wild-type and MUC2-knockdown colonoids infected with EAEC strains exposed a differential biofilm distribution, greater penetration of the mucus layer and increased colonization of the colonic epithelium by Wild-type EAEC than its isogenic Pic mutant. Higher secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines was seen in colonoids infected with EAEC than EAECpic. Although commensal E. coli expressing Pic degraded MUC2, it did not show improved mucus layer penetration or colonization of the colonic epithelium. Our study demonstrates a role of Pic in MUC2 barrier disruption in the human intestine and shows that colonoids are a reliable system to study the interaction of pathogens with the mucus layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of potential chiral compounds containing an α,β-unsaturated ketone was developed for anion detection. The interplay of compounds and biological momentous anions (Cl−, H2PO4−, I−, AcO−, HS−, F−, and Br−) was evaluated by UV-vis experiments, fluorescence experiments, and electrochemical tests. By comparison, compound 1 had the best selectivity and compound 5 had the strongest binding ability among the five compounds. And compound 5 had the highest sensitivity to H2PO4− among the measured anions, and it also can be applied to actual samples, the content of H2PO4− tested in the potassium dihydrogen phosphate fertilizer solution reached above 97.5% of the marked content, and the recovery rates were within the range of 98.5–99.1%, attesting that this method was reliable for the test of H2PO4− in fertilizer. Through HRMS titration, circular dichroism and optical rotation experiments, the probable interacted mechanism was proved that the interaction site was the C=C of the α,β-unsaturated ketone structure. In addition, the interacted mechanism was researched from the perspective of chirality. Furthermore, theoretical investigation analysis was introduced to reveal that the roles of molecular frontier orbitals in molecular interplay were determined. Therefore, this series of potential chiral compounds has potential application prospects in anion recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of non-conjugated methylene-anthracene Schiff base derivatives (DNCAs) were designed and synthesized. Photoluminescence emission spectra indicated that DNCA-4 and DNCA-12 showed obviously mechanofluorochromic properties, and distinctive 26- and 37-nm hypochromic shifts were observed, respectively. The experiment results revealed that there is no specific relationship between alkoxy chain lengths and their stimuli-response behavior. The PXRD profiles demonstrated a transformation from crystalline to amorphous state upon grinding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the large-scale clustering resource pool as human-centric cloud computing, peer load balance not only improves overall system efficiency, but also saves energy. As various factors should be considered in resource scheduling and each has different emphasis, resource allocation method adapted by different scene also has respective criteria. Based on resource allocation techniques, the multi-QoS load balance resource allocation method (MQLB-RAM) was proposed in the paper. It combines needs of users and service providers to constitute multi-QoS indexes. The needs from cost, system and network were met by quantitative analysis on load balancing using real-time load of peers. The algorithm also compares weight of each index in peer to match need and resource, so as to achieve the target of ensuring load balance, making full use of resources and saving money. Simulation experiment with CloudSim shows that the MQLB-RAM can achieve balance among load, resource access performance and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools, such as the large eddy simulation technique, have become feasible in aiding the field of computational aeroacoustics (CAA) to compute noise on petascale computing platforms. CAA poses significant challenges for researchers because the computational schemes used in the CFD tools should have high accuracy, good spectral resolution, and low dispersion and diffusion errors. A high-order compact finite difference scheme, which is implicit in space, can be used for such simulations because it fulfills the requirements for CAA. Usually, this method is parallelized using a transposition scheme; however, that approach has a high communication overhead. In this paper, we discuss the use of a parallel tridiagonal linear system solver based on the truncated SPIKE algorithm for reducing the communication overhead in our large eddy simulations. We present theoretical performance analysis and report experimental results collected on two parallel computing platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel magnetic dual-template molecularly imprinted polymer (DMIP) was prepared with methyl-parathion and quinalphos as templates. For comparison, a series of single-template polymers with only methyl-parathion (MPMIP) or quinalphos (QPMIP) as template as well as a non-imprinted polymer (NIP) in the absence of the template, were synthesized using the same procedure of DMIP. The obtained MIPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The properties including kinetic effect, thermodynamic effect, selectivity, and reusability of MIPs were investigated. Only DMIP possessed high affinity and good recognition for all twelve OPPs including quinalphos, isazophos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, chlorpyrifos, methidathion, triazophos, profenofos, fenthion, fenitrothion, methyl-parathion, parathion, and paraoxon in comparison to MPMIP, QPMIP, or NIP. Moreover, DMIP was used as magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for the pre-concentration of twelve OPPs in cabbage samples. The developed DMIP-MSPE-GC-MS method showed high sensitivity, low LODs (1.62–13.9 ng/g), fast adsorption equilibrium (10 min), and acceptable spiked recoveries (81.5–113.4%) with relative standard deviations (RSD) in the range 0.05–7.0% (n = 3). The calibration plots were linear in the range 10–800 ng/mL with coefficients of determination (R2) better 0.99 for all twelve compounds. These results suggest that the DMIP is applicable for rapid determination and high throughput analysis of multi-pesticide residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourth-order tensors play a fundamental role in signal processing, wireless communication systems, image processing, data analysis and higher-order statistics. In this paper, we introduce a Z-identity tensor and establish two Z-eigenvalue inclusion sets for fourth-order tensors, which are sharper than some existing results. Numerical examples are proposed to verify the efficiency of the obtained results. As applications, we provide some checkable sufficient conditions for the positive definiteness of fourth-order symmetric tensors. Further, we propose upper bounds on the Z-spectral radius of fourth-order nonnegative tensors and estimate the convergence rate of the greedy rank-one algorithms under suitable conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold acclimation is a process used by most temperate plants to cope with freezing stress. In this process, the expression of cold-responsive (COR) genes is activated and the genes undergo physiological changes in response to the exposure to low, non-freezing temperatures and other environmental signals. The C-repeat-binding factors (CBFs) have been demonstrated to regulate the expression of many COR genes. Recent studies have elucidated the molecular mechanisms of how plants transmit cold signals from the plasma membrane to the CBFs and the results have indicated that COR genes are also regulated through CBF-independent pathways. Climate change is expected to have a major impact on cold acclimation and freezing tolerance of plants. However, how climate change affects plant cold acclimation at the molecular level remains unclear. This mini-review focuses on recent advances in cold acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana and discusses how signaling can be potentially impacted by climate change. Understanding how plants acquire cold acclimation is valuable for the improvement of the freezing tolerance in plants and for predicting the effects of climate change on plant distribution and agricultural yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oliguria is a clinical symptom characterized by decreased urine output, which can occur at any stage of acute kidney injury and also during renal replacement therapy. In some cases, oliguria may resolve with adjustment of blood purification dose or fluid management, while in others, it may suggest a need for further evaluation and intervention. It is important to determine the underlying cause of oliguria during renal replacement therapy and to develop an appropriate treatment plan. This review looks into the mechanisms of urine production to investigate the mechanism of oliguria during renal replacement therapy from two aspects: diminished glomerular filtration rate and tubular abnormalities. The above conditions all implying a renal oxygen supply–demand imbalance, which is the signal of worsening kidney injury. It also proposes a viable clinical pathway for the treatment and management of patients with acute kidney injury receiving renal replacement therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second deadliest disease in Asia, so it is crucial to find its promising therapeutic targets. The expression profile data of miR383-5p in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. The expression levels of miR383-5p in the collected clinical tissue samples and peripheral blood samples were examined by qPCR, and the relationship between its expression and the clinical data of patients was evaluated. MiR383-5p was overexpressed in the AGS cells, and cell biology assays, such as Transwell, were performed to detect the cell proliferation, migration, invasion and other cell biology abilities of miR383-5p. Target prediction and dual luciferase reporter gene assay were performed to find and validate the target genes of miR383-5p. The expression and activity of MMP and related proteins after overexpression of miR383-5p and NCKAP1 were detected by WB and gelatin zymography assay. The expression of miR383-5p was down-regulated in GC tissues, and its low expression was associated with lymph node metastasis. Restoration of miR383-5p expression in GC cells can inhibit the invasion and migration abilities of GC cells. MiR383-5p negatively regulated NCKAP1 through direct interaction with the 3’UTR sequence of NCKAP1. The overexpression of NCKAP1 can improve the migration and invasion abilities of GC cells, whereas overexpression of miR383-5p can inhibit growth of the aforementioned abilities of GC cells induced by NCKAP1 overexpression. The overexpression of NCKAP1 can increase the expression level and activity of MMP2, while the overexpression of miR383-5p can inhibit the increase of MMP2 expression level and activity in GC cells induced by NCKAP1 overexpression. NCKAP1 is a target gene of miR383-5p, and miR383-5p could be a valuable therapeutic target for stomach adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Demoralization, a significant mental health concern in patients with chronic diseases, can have a large impact on physical symptom burden and quality of life. The present review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for demoralization among patients with chronic diseases.PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched. Research on providing interventions to patients with chronic diseases that included quantitative data on demoralization was then systematically reviewed.Fourteen studies were included, most of which considered demoralization as a secondary outcome. Interventions included evidence-based meaning-centered psychotherapy, dignity therapy, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, and others. Ten studies used randomized controlled designs. Six of these investigated evidence-based meaning-centered therapy, and four investigated dignity therapy, showing the best empirical support for these intervention types. Most studies showed significant impacts on demoralization in patients with chronic diseases.This systematic review provides insights into potential psychological interventions for reducing demoralization in patients with chronic diseases. Randomized controlled designs and adequately powered samples, with demoralization as the primary outcome, are needed to more clearly evaluate its effectiveness.Method: Demoralization, a significant mental health concern in patients with chronic diseases, can have a large impact on physical symptom burden and quality of life. The present review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for demoralization among patients with chronic diseases.PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched. Research on providing interventions to patients with chronic diseases that included quantitative data on demoralization was then systematically reviewed.Fourteen studies were included, most of which considered demoralization as a secondary outcome. Interventions included evidence-based meaning-centered psychotherapy, dignity therapy, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, and others. Ten studies used randomized controlled designs. Six of these investigated evidence-based meaning-centered therapy, and four investigated dignity therapy, showing the best empirical support for these intervention types. Most studies showed significant impacts on demoralization in patients with chronic diseases.This systematic review provides insights into potential psychological interventions for reducing demoralization in patients with chronic diseases. Randomized controlled designs and adequately powered samples, with demoralization as the primary outcome, are needed to more clearly evaluate its effectiveness.Results: Demoralization, a significant mental health concern in patients with chronic diseases, can have a large impact on physical symptom burden and quality of life. The present review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for demoralization among patients with chronic diseases.PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched. Research on providing interventions to patients with chronic diseases that included quantitative data on demoralization was then systematically reviewed.Fourteen studies were included, most of which considered demoralization as a secondary outcome. Interventions included evidence-based meaning-centered psychotherapy, dignity therapy, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, and others. Ten studies used randomized controlled designs. Six of these investigated evidence-based meaning-centered therapy, and four investigated dignity therapy, showing the best empirical support for these intervention types. Most studies showed significant impacts on demoralization in patients with chronic diseases.This systematic review provides insights into potential psychological interventions for reducing demoralization in patients with chronic diseases. Randomized controlled designs and adequately powered samples, with demoralization as the primary outcome, are needed to more clearly evaluate its effectiveness.Conclusion: Demoralization, a significant mental health concern in patients with chronic diseases, can have a large impact on physical symptom burden and quality of life. The present review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for demoralization among patients with chronic diseases.PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched. Research on providing interventions to patients with chronic diseases that included quantitative data on demoralization was then systematically reviewed.Fourteen studies were included, most of which considered demoralization as a secondary outcome. Interventions included evidence-based meaning-centered psychotherapy, dignity therapy, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, and others. Ten studies used randomized controlled designs. Six of these investigated evidence-based meaning-centered therapy, and four investigated dignity therapy, showing the best empirical support for these intervention types. Most studies showed significant impacts on demoralization in patients with chronic diseases.This systematic review provides insights into potential psychological interventions for reducing demoralization in patients with chronic diseases. Randomized controlled designs and adequately powered samples, with demoralization as the primary outcome, are needed to more clearly evaluate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are universal signal transduction modules in plants. Linking upstream MAPK kinase kinase (MAPKKK) to downstream MAPK, MAPK kinase (MAPKK) plays a crucial role in MAPK cascade. MAPKK6 is one member of the MAPKK family. In this study, we have found that plant MAPKK6 genes are widely distributed in different plant species, including moss, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. However, no MAPKK6 can be found in genomes of algae. Analysis of exon-intron organization and intron phase showed that plant MAPKK6s are highly conserved genes during plant evolution. In Physcomitrella patens, Selaginella moellendorffii, and Picea glauca, MAPKK6s exist as multicopy genes. In most high plants, however, MAPKK6s exist as single-copy. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the occurrence of single-copy of MAPKK6s in high plants is likely because of genomic copy-number loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel donor-acceptor (D-A)-conjugated polymers, poly[(thiophene-2,5-yl)-((benzo[1,2-b:6,5-b′]dithiophene-4,5-dione)-2,7-yl)] (PTDT) and poly[((2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b] [1-2]dioxine)-5,7-diyl)-((benzo[1,2-b:6,5-b′]dithiophene-4,5-dione)-2,7-diyl)] (PTDO), have been synthesized with the same acceptor unit of benzo[1,2-b:6,5-b′]dithiophene-4,5-dione and different donor units of thiophene (Th) and 3,4-ethylenedioxothiphene (EDOT), respectively. And then, two composites (PTDT@C and PTDO@C) are made by coating the polymers on the surface of active carbon with an in situ method, which are used as the electrode materials of lithium-ion battery. The reversible capacities of PTDT@C and PTDO@C are 246.9 and 322.3 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 300 cycles running, respectively. By deducing the capability contribution of pure carbon, the theoretical capacities of the pure polymers are calculated to be 596 and 991 mAh g−1, respectively, for PTDT and PTDO, which correspond to the lithium storage number of 6.7 and 13.3, respectively, for the least repeating unit of the polymers. With the help of theoretical calculations, the underlying mechanisms for the different electrochemical performances of the polymers are discussed and revealed. The structure-activity relationship discussed in this work may provide the design principle for the construction of the D-A-type polymers used as high-capacity electrode materials for organic rechargeable batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the effects of rice straw biochar (RSBC) and swine manure biochar (SMBC) on N2O emission from paddy soil. The biochars were added to soil at the rates of 1% and 5% (w/w), and N2O emission, soil properties and soil enzyme activities were determined at the elongation, heading and maturation stages of rice growth. The N2O flux started within 2 h of adding the biochar, and decreased significantly thereafter during the three growth stages. The cumulative N2O emission was suppressed by 45.14–73.96% following biochar application, and 5% SMBC resulted in the lowest cumulative emission. In addition, biochar application significantly increased soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), NO3− levels and urease activity, and decreased soil NH4+ and nitrate reductase activity. Regression analysis indicated that cumulative N2O emission was correlated positively to NH4+, and negatively to soil pH, SOC and NO3−. SEM further revealed that biochar application weakened the denitrification process, and the NH4+ level had the most significant impact on N2O emission. Taken together, RSBC and SMBC regulated the nitrogen cycle in paddy soil and mitigated N2O emission by increasing soil pH, decreasing nitrate reductase activity and NH4+ content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact plasmonic lens is proposed in this paper. This plasmonic lens consists of rectangular holes etched on the silver film and arranged on one straight line and possesses the characteristics of short focus length, ultrathin thickness, and strong focus ability. The theoretical design for the plasmonic lens abides by the constructive interference theorem, and the surface plasmon polaritons excited by the holes with linearly polarized light illumination focuses effectively. The plasmonic lenses with single and double focus spots are provided, and the simulation experiment gives the powerful verification. The distinct structure feature and the excellent focusing characteristic of this plasmonic lens are benefit for its applications in optical integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hairpin RNA-encoding construct targeting gmFAD2- 1 was transformed into soybean, and an optimised Agrobacterium-mediated embryonic tip system was employed. A novel intergeneric grafting method using transgenic plantlets as scions was used instead of the conventional rooting method. Compared with traditional acclimatisation, the survival ratio of cleft grafts increased by 70%, and the culture period was shortened by about 40 days. The regeneration frequency of the grafted shoots in this embryonic tip system was approximately 74.6%. Soybean transformants were confirmed by Southern and Northern blot hybridisation analyses. The fatty acid composition of the T and T seeds from the transformed plants was determined by gas chromatography. The resulting downregulation of the gmFAD2- 1 gene substantially increased the level of oleic acid from 16% to 55% as indicated by the oleic desaturation proportion (ODP). The ratio of plants with high ODP, moderate ODP and low ODP was about 1:2:1, which was consistent with a single-gene segregation pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

putative vacuolar Na/H antiporter gene ( SsNHX1) was isolated from the halophyte Salsola soda using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends method. Highly conserved regions of plant vacuolar Na/H antiporter, including amiloride-binding domain, NHE (Na/H exchange) domain, and 12 transmembrane segments, were found in the deduced amino acid sequence of SsNHX1. Multiple alignments of vacuolar Na/H antiporters showed that SsNHX1 shared high identity with other plant vacuolar Na/H antiporters. Phylogenetic relationship analysis indicated that SsNHX1 was clustered into the vacuolar Na/H antiporter group. Taken together, these results suggest that SsNHX1 is a new member of the vacuolar Na/H antiporter family. The effective expression of SsNHX1 in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) enhanced the salt tolerance of transgenic alfalfa which could grow in high concentrations of NaCl (up to 400 mM) over 50 days. This was the highest level of salt tolerance reported in transgenic plants. A further analysis of the physiological characteristics of transgenic and wild-type plants, including the Na and K contents, superoxide dismutase activity, the rate of electrolyte leakage, and the proline content, showed that large amounts of Na in the cytoplasm of leaves were transported into vacuoles by the exogenous Na/H antiporter, which averted the toxic effects of Na to the cell of transgenic alfalfa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]