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The environmental behavior of microplastics (MPs) has attracted global attention. Research has confirmed that MPs can strongly absorb almost every kind of pollutant and can serve as vectors for pollutant transport. In this research, the sorption isotherms of six organic pollutants with different structure on four virgin plastic particles with different crystallinity were determined. Results indicated that the hydrophobicity (KOW) of organic pollutants and the crystallinity of MPs were the two key factors that affected the sorption process of organic pollutants on MPs. Strong correlations were observed between KOW and the partition coefficient. Hydrophobic partition was one of the major mechanisms regardless of the type of organic chemical (hydrophobic, polar, or dissociable). What is more, the influence of the crystallinity of MPs on the sorption process increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the chemical. Combining this result with analyzing the related literature on the effect of crystallinity, it was concluded that the effect of crystallinity on the sorption of chemicals with strong hydrophobicity was obvious, whereas this effect was negligible for chemicals with weak hydrophobicity. The influence of the crystallinity of MPs on sorption could even exceed the influence of MPs type, so crystallinity should be considered carefully when discussing the sorption capacity of MPs. This study enhances the understanding of the sorption of organic pollutants by MPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication that occurs during pregnancy. Emerging evidence suggests that immune abnormalities play a pivotal role in the development of GDM. Specifically, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are considered a critical factor in controlling maternal–fetal immune tolerance. However, the specific characteristics and alterations of Tregs during the pathogenesis of GDM remain poorly elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the changes in Tregs among pregnant women diagnosed with GDM compared to healthy pregnant women. A prospective study was conducted, enrolling 23 healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and 21 third-trimester women diagnosed with GDM. Participants were followed up until the postpartum period. The proportions of various Treg, including Tregs, mTregs, and nTregs, were detected in the peripheral blood of pregnant women from both groups. Additionally, the expression levels of PD-1, HLA-G, and HLA-DR on these Tregs were examined. The results revealed no significant differences in the proportions of Tregs, mTregs, and nTregs between the two groups during the third trimester and postpartum period. However, GDM patients exhibited significantly reduced levels of PD-1+ Tregs (P < 0.01) and HLA-G+ Tregs (P < 0.05) in the third trimester compared to healthy pregnant women in the third trimester. Furthermore, GDM patients demonstrated significantly lower levels of PD-1+ mTregs (P < 0.01) and HLA-G+ (P < 0.05) mTregs compared to healthy pregnant women in the third trimester. Overall, the proportion of Tregs did not exhibit significant changes during the third trimester in GDM patients compared to healthy pregnant women. Nevertheless, the observed dysregulation of immune regulation function in Tregs and mTregs may be associated with the development of GDM in pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulating evidence revealed that gut microbiota plays an important role in pathological process of disease including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Polysaccharides extracted from Chinese medicine (CM) can not only alleviate pathological status but also promote health by anti-inflammatory, regulating immunity, lowering blood glucose and lipids, anti-cancer, and anti-oxidation. The alterations of gut microbiota composition and metabolism pathways are the potential mechanisms of CM polysaccharides treatment. In addition, they exert functions through gut-organ axis or play an indirect role by synergistic actions with other drugs or components mediated by gut microbiota. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms of CM polysaccharides interacted with intestinal microbial inhabitants as potential prebiotics for promoting health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major neuron type in the brain, the excitatory neuron (EN) regulates the lifespan in C. elegans. How the EN acquires senescence, however, is unknown. Here, we show that growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is predominantly expressed in the EN in the adult mouse, marmoset and human brain. In mice, selective knock-out of GDF11 in the post-mitotic EN shapes the brain ageing-related transcriptional profile, induces EN senescence and hyperexcitability, prunes their dendrites, impedes their synaptic input, impairs object recognition memory and shortens the lifespan, establishing a functional link between GDF11, brain ageing and cognition. In vitro GDF11 deletion causes cellular senescence in Neuro-2a cells. Mechanistically, GDF11 deletion induces neuronal senescence via Smad2-induced transcription of the pro-senescence factor p21. This work indicates that endogenous GDF11 acts as a brake on EN senescence and brain ageing. How excitatory neurons (EN) acquire senescence is unclear. Here, the authors show that GDF11 in ENs slows EN senescence, brain ageing, cognitive decline and maintains lifespan, revealing a mechanism underlying EN senescence and brain ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the distribution of soil organic carbon and nitrogen (OC(N)) content, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and specific surface area (SSA) in different soil particle sizes is crucial for studying soil fertility and properties. In this study, we investigated the distribution characteristics of the OC(N), CECand SSA in different particles of yellow–brown soil under different methods. The result revealed that as the particle size decreased, the soil OC(N), SSA and CEC content gradually increase. The content of OC and ON different soil particles ranged from 1.50–28.16 g·kg−1 to 0.18–3.78 g·kg−1, respectively, and exhibited significant differences between different particles. We observed good linear relationships between OC and ON in different particle sizes of yellow–brown soil under different utilization methods, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.86 to 0.98, reaching a very significant level (n = 12, p < 0.01). The ranges of SSA and CEC in different particles of the four soils were 0.30–94.70 m2·g−1 and 0.70–62.91 cmol·kg−1, respectively. Additionally, we found logarithmic relationships between SSA (CEC) and the equivalent diameter for the four soils, with correlation coefficients (r2) higher than 0.91. Furthermore, there was an extremely significant linear relationship between CEC and SSA of the four soils, with correlation coefficients (r2) of 0.92–0.97 (n = 12, p < 0.01). These results highlight the close relationship between soil particle size and soil OC(N), SSA, and CEC. The conclusions drawn from this study provide valuable data support and a theoretical basis for further understanding soil properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: To analyze the level of growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) in follicle fluid (FF) and granulosa cells (GCs) derived from young patients with low prognosis for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment. Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out by enrolling 52 young patients with low prognosis according to the POSEIDON classification group 3 (low prognosis group) and 51 young patients with normal ovarian reserve (control group). The concentration of the GDF9 and BMP15 proteins in FF was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA level of the GDF9 and BMP15 in the GCs was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: The concentration of GDF9 (1026.72 ± 159.12 pg/mL vs. 1298.06 ± 185.41 pg/mL) and BMP15 (685.23 ± 143.91 pg/mL vs. 794.37 ± 81.79 pg/mL) in FF and the mRNA level of GDF9 and BMP15 in the GCs and the live birth rate per treatment cycle started (30.77% vs. 50.98%) and oocytes retrieved (4.25 ± 1.91 vs.12.04 ± 4.24) were significantly lower, whereas the canceled cycle rate was significantly higher (9.62% vs. 0) in the low prognosis group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of GDF9 and BMP15 in the ovary was positively correlated with live birth (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The expression of GDF9 and BMP15 in the ovary was decreased in young patients with low prognosis accompanied by a poorer outcome of IVF-ET treatment. Trial registration: ChiCTR1800016107 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry), May 11, 2018. (http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=27216&htm=4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: To study the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) in rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into 3 groups using a random number table: the control group, the OIPN group, and the EA (OIPN + EA) group, with 10 rats in each. The time courses of mechanical, cold sensitivity, and microcirculation blood flow intensity were determined. The morphology of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was observed by electron microscopic examination. The protein levels of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and the transient receptor potential (TRP) protein family in DRGs were assayed by Western blot. Results: EA treatment significantly reduced mechanical allodynia and cold allodynia in OIPN rats (P<0.01). Notably, oxaliplatin treatment resulted in impaired microcirculatory blood flow and pathomorphological defects in DRGs (P<0.01). EA treatment increased the microcirculation blood flow and attenuated the pathological changes induced by oxaliplatin (P<0.01). In addition, the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 were down-regulated, and the TRP protein family was over-expressed in the DRGs of OIPN rats (P<0.01). EA increased the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 and decreased the level of TRP protein family in DRG (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion: EA may be a potential alternative therapy for OIPN, and its mechanism may be mainly mediated by restoring the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Migraine is a common headache disorder. Many studies have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to explore the possible pathogenesis of migraine, but they have not reached consistent conclusions and lack rigorous multiple comparison correction. Thus, this study investigates the mechanisms of migraine development from the perspective of altered functional connectivity (FC) in brain regions by using data-driven and regions of interest (ROI)-based approaches. Methods: Resting-state functional MRI data were collected from 30 patients with migraine and 40 healthy controls (HCs) matched for age, gender, and years of education. For the data-driven method, we used a voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) approach to compare the FC between the patients and HCs. For the ROI-based method, significant differences in VMHC maps between the patients and HCs were defined as ROI. The seed-based approach further revealed significant differences in FC between the seeds and the other brain regions. Furthermore, the correlations between abnormal FC and clinical characteristics of patients were investigated. A rigorous multiple comparison correction was used with false discovery rate and permutation test (5000 times). Results: In comparison with the controls group, patients showed enhanced VMHC in the bilateral thalamus. We also observed enhanced FC between the left thalamus and the left superior frontal gyrus, and increased FC between the right thalamus and the left middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann area 45 and Brodmann area 8) in patients. Further analysis showed that the FC values in the left superior frontal gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus were negatively corrected with visual analogue scale scores or attack times for headaches. Conclusions: Patients with migraine showed altered VMHC in the bilateral thalamus, and abnormal FC of bilateral thalamus and other brain regions. The abnormalities in thalamic FC are a likely mechanism for the development of migraine. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000033995. Registered on 20 June 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Open-Set recognition is an important topic in the pattern recognition research field. Different from the close-set recognition task, in the open-set recognition problem, the test data contains unknown classes that do not appear in the training phase. Consequently, the recognition of the open-set data is much more difficult than that of the close-set problem. This study applies the Error-Correcting Output Codes (ECOC) framework to handle the open-set problem by dynamically adding new functions to deal with the unknown classes, named ECOC-OS. Our algorithm includes two steps: (1) the unknown data discovery step based on a rejection strategy; (2) the code matrix expanding step for the separation of the unknown classes from the known classes. Due to the wide and chaotic distribution of the unknown class samples, this paper refines the unknown class into multiple sub-classes, and each sub-class has its own feature distribution. After preliminary row and column expansion and class splitting for the unknown class, the clustering algorithm is used to continuously refine the characteristics of the unknown class, dividing it into several sub-classes. Then the algorithm adds multiple coding rows and multiple "one-to-all" basic classifiers, so as to distinguish each unknown sub-class from multiple known classes. Finally, without re-training the existing learners, the zero symbols in the code matrix are selectively re-encoded according to the basic learners' preference. The experiments deploy 16 data sets for the test, and the results confirm that ECOC-OS algorithm effectively improves the performance compared with other open-set recognition methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The taxonomic status of Knodu in the family Characidae is not yet clear. This study aimed to address this by sequencing and annotating Knodu borki Zarske, 2008. Materials and results: K. borki Zarske, 2008 was sequenced using a Hiseq platform and the complete mitogenome was assembled in SPAdes v3.15.2 and SOAPdenovo2 v.2.01. The mitogenome of K. borki from Guangzhou, the first sequenced species of the genus Knodu, is 16,837 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal (r) RNAs, 22 transfer (t) RNAs, and one D-loop. Among these 37 genes, 28 are encoded by the heavy strand, while nine are encoded by the light strand. Twenty-one of the tRNAs can form typical cloverleaf secondary structures, except tRNA-Ser1, which lacks dihydrouridine arms. All PCGs have the same start codon (ATG), with the exception of COI (GTG). Four PCGs (ND1, ATP8, ND4L, and ND5) have TAA as the stop codon, ND6 has TAG as the stop codon, COI has AGG as the stop codon, and the remaining seven genes have incomplete stop codons of TA-/T-(ND2, COII, COIII, ND3, ND4, and Cyt b as T-, ATP6 as TA-). Phylogenetic analysis showed that K. borki belongs to the family Characidae. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that K. borki belongs to the family Characidae, due to consistency with the morphological identification. This study provides molecular information for further research on the phylogeny of the genus Knodus and for analyses of the taxonomic status of Characidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterization of the microbial community is essential for understanding the symbiotic relationships between microbes and host insects. Chrysomya megacephala is a vital resource, a forensic insect, a pollinator, and a vector for enteric bacteria, protozoa, helminths, and viruses. However, research on its microbial community is incomprehensive, particularly at the pupal stage, which comprises approximately half of the entire larval development stage and is important entomological evidence in forensic medicine. For the first time, this study investigated the bacterial communities of C. megacephala pupae at different ages using third-generation sequencing technology. The results showed that C. megacephala has a diverse and dynamic bacterial community. Cluster analysis at ≥ 97% similarity produced 154 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that belonged to 10 different phyla and were distributed into 15 classes, 28 orders, 50 families, 88 genera, and 130 species. Overall, the number of bacterial OTUs increased with the development of pupae, and the relative abundance of Wolbachia in the Day5 group was significantly lower than that in the other groups. Within the pupal stage, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla of bacteria. At the genus level, Wolbachia and Ignatzschineria coexisted, a rarely known feature. In addition, we found Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, the etiological agent of swine erysipelas, which is rarely identified in insects. This study enriches the understanding of the microbial community of C. megacephala and provides a reference for better utilization and control of C. megacephala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residual antibiotics in different environmental media pose a serious threat to human health and the ecosystem. The high-efficient elimination of antibiotics is one of the foremost works. In this study, chloramphenicol (CAP) was eliminated efficiently by electrocatalytic advanced oxidation process with carbon nanotubes/agarose/indium tin oxide (CNTs/AG/ITO) electrode. The influences of different experimental parameters on the degradation efficiency were systematically studied. Under the optimal conditions (4 V potential, 10 wt% CNTs dosage, and pH = 10), the maximum degradation efficiency of CAP (20 mg L−1) achieved 88% within 180 min. Besides, the electrocatalytic degradation pathway and mechanism for CAP were also investigated, •O2− played a major role in the process of electrocatalytic degradation. Based on the QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationship) model, the toxicities of CAP and identified intermediates were analyzed. Compared with the parent compound, the maximal chronic toxicity of intermediate ((E)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)prop-1-ene-1,3-diol) for daphnid increased 197-fold. Besides, the hybrid toxicity of the degradation system was further confirmed via disk agar biocidal tests with Escherichia coli ATCC25922, which changed slightly during the degradation process. Based on the above results, it is worth noting that the degradation pathway and toxicity assessment should be paid more attention to the treatment of antibiotic wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnC2O4 is a promising anode material for high-energy lithium-ion batteries due to its low cost and high capacity. However, the application is limited by the poor cyclic-stability and rate performance due to its low conductivity. Herein, a mesoporous MnC2O4 nanorod/rGO composite is prepared via precipitation followed by a reflux reduction process, where MnC2O4 nanorods are attached to the surface of graphene through electrostatic adsorption. This composite delivers a discharge capacity of 1082, 964, and 808 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 3, 5, and 8 C, respectively. The good electrochemical performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect between mesoporous nanorod and rGO, which not only offers high conductivity, nanoparticles, and abundant mesopores to accelerate electrode kinetics but also provides a more stable structure to reduce the volume effect during the charge/discharge process. Therefore, the mesoporous MnC2O4 nanorod/rGO composite could be used as an excellent candidate for its potential application in high-energy lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodically driven non-Hermitian quantum systems have become the center of interest in recent years due to their rich physical phenomena. In this work, we consider a one-dimensional non-Hermitian lattice model induced by partially asymmetric coupling with time-periodic and spatially periodic modulations upon on-site potentials. Within Floquet theorem, we obtain the Floquet quasienergy spectrum of this one-dimensional non-Hermitian system. We show that the robust zero-energy modes exist in the band gap from the real parts of quasienergy spectrum. Compared with the case of no modulations, two pairs of the conjugate imaginary parts are added, which can be attributed to the combined modulations upon the on-site potentials. With the increase of non-Hermitian degree, the imaginary parts of the spectra are enlarged. We also observe the dynamical characteristics that, for different kinds of tunneling amplitudes between lattices, the amplitude of evolution gradually either decays to zero or eventually stabilizes at one particular value. Our protocol, possible to realize in photonic lattices, may facilitate the engineering of novel Floquet topological phases in non-Hermitian systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To exploit the information from two-dimensional structured data, two-dimensional principal component analysis (2-DPCA) has been widely used for dimensionality reduction and feature extraction. However, 2-DPCA is sensitive to outliers which are common in real applications. Therefore, many robust 2-DPCA methods have been proposed to improve the robustness of 2-DPCA. But existing robust 2-DPCAs have several weaknesses. First, these methods cannot be robust enough to outliers. Second, to center a sample set mixed with outliers using the L2-norm distance is usually biased. Third, most methods do not preserve the nice property of 2-DPCA (rotational invariance), which is important for learning algorithm. To alleviate these issues, we present a generalized robust 2-DPCA, which is named as 2-DPCA with ℓ 2 , p -norm minimization ( ℓ 2 , p -2-DPCA), for image representation and recognition. In ℓ 2 , p -2-DPCA, ℓ 2 , p -norm is employed as the distance metric to measure the reconstruction error, which can alleviate the effect of outliers. Therefore, the proposed method is robust to outliers and preserves the desirable property of 2-DPCA which is invariant to rotational and well characterizes the geometric structure of samples. Moreover, most existing robust PCA methods estimate sample mean from database with outliers by averaging, which is usually biased. Sample mean are treated as an unknown variable to remedy the bias of computing sample mean in ℓ 2 , p -2-DPCA. To solve ℓ 2 , p -2-DPCA, we propose an iterative algorithm, which has a closed-form solution in each iteration. Experimental results on several benchmark databases demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous study, we have demonstrated in the context of WNV-ΔNS1 vaccine (a replication-defective West Nile virus (WNV) lacking NS1) that the NS1 trans-complementation system may offer a promising platform for the development of safe and efficient flavivirus vaccines only requiring one dose. Here, we produced high titer (107 IU/ml) replication-defective Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) with NS1 deletion (JEV-ΔNS1) in the BHK-21 cell line stably expressing NS1 (BHKNS1) using the same strategy. JEV-ΔNS1 appeared safe with a remarkable genetic stability and high degrees of attenuation of in vivo neuroinvasiveness and neurovirulence. Meanwhile, it was demonstrated to be highly immunogenic in mice after a single dose, providing similar degrees of protection to SA14-14-2 vaccine (a most widely used live attenuated JEV vaccine), with healthy condition, undetectable viremia and gradually rising body weight. Importantly, we also found JEV-ΔNS1 induced robust cross-protective immune responses against the challenge of heterologous West Nile virus (WNV), another important member in the same JEV serocomplex, accounting for up to 80% survival rate following a single dose of immunization relative to mock-vaccinated mice. These results not only support the identification of the NS1-deleted flavivirus vaccines with a satisfied balance between safety and efficacy, but also demonstrate the potential of the JEV-ΔNS1 as an alternative vaccine candidate against both JEV and WNV challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), it is important to analyse the prognostic value of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, in pretreatment biopsies of 69 patients with stage II–IVa NPC, the expression levels of MMR proteins, including MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2, were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The median follow-up time was 37.5 months (3.1–87.4 months). 50.7% of cases (35/69) showed preserved expression of all 4 MMR proteins, which was interpreted as proficient mismatch repair (pMMR). Only 1.5% of cases (1/69) lost expression of all 4 MMR proteins, 26.1% of cases (18/69) have PMS2 loss alone and 21.7% of cases (15/69) lost expression of both PMS2 and MLH1. Thus, 49.3% of cases (34/69) lost expression of one or more MMR proteins, which was interpreted as dMMR. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in terms of sex, age, clinical stage, T category, N category or therapy regimens between the dMMR and pMMR groups. The multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that dMMR was an independent significant prognostic factor for distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (dMMR vs pMMR: P = 0.01, HR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.09~0.75). Therefore, NPC patients with dMMR had significantly superior DMFS compared with patients with pMMR. It can be expected that dMMR will become a new independent prognostic factor for NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell-derived microvesicles (MVs) are secreted from almost all kinds of mammalian cells into the extracellular space, and play crucial roles in intercellular communication and transporting biomolecules between cells. However, there is a great challenge for visualizing and monitoring of MVs' bio-behaviors due to the limitations of existing labeling methods. Herein, we report the first paradigm of designer cell-self-implemented labeling of MVs secreted from living mammalian MCF-7 cells in situ using the intracellular-synthesized fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) during the formation of MVs. By elaborately coupling intracellular biochemical reactions and metabolism pathways, the MCF-7 cells can be illuminated brightly by intracellular-biosynthesized fluorescent CdSe QDs. Simultaneously, intracellular-synthesized QDs can be in situ encapsulated by the secreted MVs budding from the plasma membrane of the fluorescing cells to label the MVs with an efficiency of up to 89.9%. The whole labeling process skillfully combines designer precise cell-tuned intricate synthesis of CdSe QDs with mild in-situ labeling via cell-self-implementation just after feeding the cell with suitable chemicals, which is structure- or function-nondestructive and much more straightforward and milder than those by chemical conjugation or indirect encapsulation with conventional fluorogenic labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognosis of advanced stage cervical cancer is poorer due to cancer invasion and metastasis. Exploring new factors and signalling pathways associated with invasiveness and metastasis would help to identify new therapeutic targets for advanced cervical cancer. We searched the cancer microarray database, Oncomine, and found elevated calponin 3 (CNN3) mRNA expression in cervical cancer tissues. QRT-PCR verified the increased CNN3 expression in cervical cancer compared to para-cancer tissues. Proliferation, migration and invasion assays showed that overexpressed CNN3 promoted the viability and motility of cervical cancer cells, the opposite was observed in CNN3-knockdown cells. In addition, xenografted tumours, established from SiHa cells with CNN3 knockdown, displayed decreased growth and metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, RNA-sequencing showed that ribosomal protein lateral stalk subunit P1 (RPLP1) was a potential downstream gene. Gene function experiments revealed that RPLP1 had the same biological effects as CNN3 did. Rescue experiments demonstrated that the phenotypes inhibited by CNN3 silencing were partly or completely reversed by RPLP1 overexpression. In conclusion, we verified that CNN3 acts as an oncogene to promote the viability and motility of cervical cancer cells in vitro and accelerate the growth and metastasis of xenografted tumours in vivo, by affecting RPLP1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to improve our understanding of methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) complicated by homocystinuria disease by analyzing the clinical characteristics, treatment response and prognosis of three patients. Hyperhomocysteinemia and developmental retardation were present in all patients, epilepsy was present in one patient, and hemolytic uremic syndrome was present in one patient. The conditions of two patients were complicated by pulmonary arterial hypertension, one patient by left pulmonary vein ectopic drainage to the coronary sinus and the other by noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium. The two MMA patients with the complication of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension died because of late diagnosis and irregular treatment of MMA. Echocardiography is necessary for patients with combined MMA and homocystinuria, and these patients are susceptible to cardiovascular disease. When a patient with combined MMA and homocystinuria has the complication of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, the prognosis is poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a scheme of bidirectional quantum controlled teleportation of three-qubit state by using GHZ states. Alice transmits an unknown three-qubit entangled state to Bob, and Bob transmit an unknown three-qubit entangled state to Alice via the control of the supervisor Charlie. In order to facilitate the implementation in the experimental environment, the preparation method of quantum channel is given. This scheme is based on that three-qubit entangled state are transformed into two-qubit entangled state and single qubit superposition state by using Toffoli Gate and Controlled-NOT operation, receivers can by introducing the appropriate unitary transformation and auxiliary particles to reconstruct the initial state. Finally, this paper is implemented a scheme of bidirectional quantum controlled teleportation of more than two qubits via the control of the supervisor Charlie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Zhejiang University: Science A is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Silicon nanodots (SiNDs) as an excellent fluorescent nanomaterial have got more and more applications. In this work, the terbium-modified silicon nanodots (SiNDs-Tb) were synthesized and successfully applied to the detection of dipicolinic acid (DPA), a biomarker of anthrax spores. Here, SiNDs serve as scaffolds and a fluorescence reference (F445), coordinating with Tb3+ ions, while terbium ions as specific recognition elements and response signals (F490 and F547) with zero background fluorescence. The sensing process was easily operated in aqueous media and can be finished in a short time. With a concentration range of 0.2–10 μM of DPA, the fluorescence intensity ratio (F547/F445) correspondingly generated quantitative changes and the limit of detection was 24 nM. It is a rapid and sensitive sensing system and provides a new approach for full exploitation of SiNDs in fluorescence assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolism of adenosine (ADO) and nitric oxide (NO) in brain tissues is closely associated with the change of oxygen content. They have contrary effects in the onset of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO)-induced central nervous system oxygen toxicity (CNS OT): ADO can suppress the onset, while NO promotes it. We adopted the ADO-augmenting measure and NO-inhibiting measure in this study and found the combined use had a far superior preventive and therapeutic effect in protecting against CNS OT compared with the use of either measure alone. So we hypothesized that there is an interaction between ADO and NO which has an important impact on the onset of CNS OT. On this basis, we administered ADO-augmenting or ADO-inhibiting drugs to rats. After exposure to HBO, the onset of CNS OT was evaluated, followed by the measurement of NO content in brain tissues. In another experiment, rats were administered NO-augmenting or NO-inhibiting drugs. After exposure to HBO, the onset of CNS OT was evaluated, followed by measurement of the activities of ADO metabolism-related enzymes in brain tissues. The results showed that, following ADO augmentation, the content of NO and its metabolite was significantly reduced, and the onset of CNS OT significantly improved. After ADO inhibition, just the opposite was observed. NO promotion resulted in a decrease in the activity of ADO-producing enzyme, an increase in the activity of ADO-decomposing enzyme, and an aggravation in CNS OT. The above results were all reversed after an inhibition in NO content. Studies have shown that exposure to HBO has a significant impact on the content of ADO and NO in brain tissues as well as their biological effects, and ADO and NO might have an intense interaction, which might generate an important effect on the onset of CNS OT. The prophylaxis and treatment effects of CNS OT can be greatly enhanced by augmenting ADO and inhibiting NO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, uses (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate as the major component of its sex pheromone. Previous isotope-labeling experiments demonstrated an unusual ∆12 desaturase activity involved in the biosynthesis of this compound; however, the putative ∆12 desaturase gene has not been reported to date. In the present study, we confirmed this ∆12 desaturation pathway by in vivo labeling experiments, and characterized candidate desaturase genes in a yeast heterologous expression system. We demonstrated that a pheromone gland-specific desaturase, SexiDes5, uses palmitic acid and the subsequently chain-shortened product (Z)-9-tetradecenoic acid as substrates to produce (Z)-11-hexadecenoic and (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienoic acids, respectively. In addition, the homologous desaturase SlitDes5 from the congeneric Spodoptera litura had analogous functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of iodide and iodate by reversed phase liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection using imidazolium ionic liquids as mobile phase additives was developed in this paper. Imidazolium ionic liquids, pyridinium ionic liquids, and common ion pair reagent tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as mobile phase additives were compared. The results indicated that imidazolium ionic liquids as the mobile phase additives were better than any tetrabutylammonium hydroxide or pyridinium ionic liquids. The relevant mechanisms of separation and detection for the anions were discussed. Imidazolium ionic liquids acted as ion pair reagents and ultraviolet absorption reagents in the separation and detection of the anions. The optimized mobile phase of methanol/0.3 mmol/L 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate aqueous solutions (12/88, v/v), detection wavelength of 210 nm, and column temperature of 35 °C were used for the determination of iodide and iodate. Under these conditions, the detection limits of iodide and iodate were 0.02 and 0.03 mg/L, respectively. To evaluate the practicability of the method, the determination of iodide and iodate in medicines and beverages was performed by this method. The results are that the spiked recoveries were greater than 95% and RSD was less than 3.0%. The method was simple, accurate, and reliable and could provide a reference for the analysis of iodide and iodate.The simultaneous determination of iodide and iodate by reversed phase liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection using imidazolium ionic liquids as mobile phase additives [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of CO to realize both swelling and deswelling in a same type of copolymer is a challenging topic. Herein, we synthesized poly(acrylamide- co-2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (P(AM- co-DMAEMA)) copolymer hydrogels by easy solution copolymerization that showed both swelling and deswelling when exposed to CO. Interestingly, the copolymer hydrogels were found to show a convincing CO-induced 'composition-dependent' swelling behaviors. The as-prepared hydrogels with 4.1 to 23.3 mol% DMAEMA showed a decreased swelling ratio when CO was purged. In contrast, further raising DMAEMA molar ratio from 23.3 to 67.8%, the copolymer hydrogels showed CO-induced increased swelling. Insights from NMR and XPS results revealed different characteristics of poly( N, N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate in the hydrogel samples with varying monomer compositions, which were considered to be responsible for the composition-dependent swelling behavior. By discovering a simple method to synthesize a copolymer hydrogel which showed CO-induced composition-dependent swelling behaviors, this study is conducive to developing CO-tunable smart materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of bromide, thiosulfate, thiocyanate, hexafluorophosphate, trifluoroacetate and trifluoromethanesulfonate anions by reversed phase liquid chromatography with indirect ultraviolet detection using imidazolium ionic liquids as mobile phase additives. The effects of imidazolium ionic liquids, organic solvent, column temperature and detection wavelength on separation and detection of the anions were investigated and the mechanism was discussed, in which imidazolium ionic liquids acted as ion pair reagent and background ultraviolet absorption reagent of indirect ultraviolet detection. The suitable chromatographic conditions were methanol/0.5 mmol L 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate aqueous solution (10/90, v/v) as mobile phase, column temperature of 35 °C and flow rate of 1.0 mL min. The results indicated that the successful separation of the six anions within 10 min was achieved and the symmetry of peaks was satisfactory. Under these conditions, the detection limits of anions ranged from 0.02 to 0.52 mg L. Relative standard deviations for peak area and retention time were less than 0.24 and 0.46%, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of ionic liquid samples synthesized by chemistry laboratory. The results were accurate and reliable, and could meet the requirements for quantitative analysis. Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) and surplus embryo rate of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed 1142 PCOS patients who underwent first IVF in our institution between January 2011 and December 2014. All patients were categorized into five groups according to the number of oocytes retrieved. Main outcomes include CLBR and surplus embryo rate. Results: A strong correlation was observed between number of oocytes retrieved and CLBR as well as surplus embryo rate in PCOS patients. CLBR was elevated with the increasing number of oocytes and plateaued when oocyte number was up to ten, whereas the surplus embryo rate steadily increased in line with the increase of oocyte number. Patients transferred with frozen embryos showed higher CLBR and LBR during first ET than patients transferred with fresh embryos. Conclusions: For PCOS patients, retrieving more than ten oocytes leads to no significant benefit to CLBR but generates surplus embryos. Thus, moderate ovarian stimulation should be reconsidered during IVF treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species-specific sex pheromone is biosynthesized and released in most female moths as a chemical cue in mating communication. However, information on genes involved in this pathway is limited. The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is a cosmopolitan agricultural pest that causes severe economic losses to many crops. In China, the female sex pheromones in sex pheromone glands (PGs) of S. exigua have been measured which comprises (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate, (Z)-9-tetradecen-l-ol, (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate, and (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol in a ratio of 47:18:18:17. Fifty-nine putative genes related to sex pheromone biosynthesis were identified in the present study by sequencing and analyzing the sex pheromone gland (PG) transcriptome of S. exigua. Expression profiles revealed that two desaturase ( SexiDes5 and SexiDes11) and three fatty acyl reductase ( SexiFAR2, 3, and 9) genes had PG-specific expression, and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that they clustered with genes known to be involved in pheromone synthesis in other moth species. Our results provide crucial background information that could facilitate the elucidation of sex pheromone biosynthesis pathway of S. exigua as well as other Spodoptera species and help identify potential targets for disrupting sexual communication in S. exigua for developing novel environment-friendly pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic diversity is an important consideration in developing effective conservation strategies for threatened species. The Saunders's Gull ( Saundersilarus saundersi) is a globally vulnerable species, which breeds in coastal wetlands in eastern China and western South Korea. Approximately 85% of the world population breeds at three sites along Bohai Bay in eastern China: Nanxiaohe in Liaohekou National Nature Reserve of Liaoning Province, and Yiqianer and Dawenliu in Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve of Shandong Province. We examined mitochondrial and nuclear markers to detect genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of the three Bohai Bay subpopulations. Unexpectedly high genetic diversity was observed in both mitochondrial and nuclear markers for every subpopulation. There was no evidence of phylogeographic structure among the three breeding subpopulations, indicating high levels of gene flow in the recent past, possibly continuing into the present day. These results reveal high levels of genetic diversity and evolutionary potential among the current populations of S. saundersi in Bohai Bay. If timely conservation measures are implemented, this gull species would has excellent prospects for long-term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological 3D printing composite forming process is combined with the 3D printing technology and electrospinning technology. The composite molding process is used for preparing 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering. Complex biological 3D printing composite forming process and unstable processing environment make it difficult to form better quality of composite scaffolds. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the process parameters. In this paper, based on orthogonal experiment, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analytical technique, one of the parameter designing methods, is adopted to determine the degree of influence exerted by process parameters on the quality of composite scaffold and thus obtain the degree sequence of each process parameter on the evaluation criterion during biological 3D printing composite forming process. Moreover, under grey correlation theory, the multi-objective parameter optimization problem can be transformed into the single objective optimization one. A group of optimized process parameters under multiple process criterions is obtained. Through the forming experiment of composite scaffold, the results show that process parameters obtained by the above method can produce good quality scaffold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly sensitive and simple spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of copper(II) based on its fluorescence quenching effect on the hemoglobin-catalyzed reaction of HO with L-tyrosine was developed. The concentration of copper(II) is linear with the fluorescence quenching (Δ F) of system under the optimal experimental conditions. The calibration graph is linear in the range 2.7 to 5.3 × 10 ng/mL with the limit of detection of 2 ng/mL. This method can be used for the determination of copper(II) in foodstuffs and hair with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gender differences in pharmacokinetics of a combination tablet of niacin extended-release/simvastatin were evaluated in healthy Chinese volunteers. Thirty-six healthy male and female volunteers were enrolled in the study receiving a single oral dose of niacin extended-release/simvastatin 1,000/20 mg. The results indicated that the systemic exposure of simvastatin hydroxy acid and the total urine excretion of niacin were significantly higher for females compared with those for males, and the T of niacin in plasma was significantly shorter for males than that for females. There were no significant differences in the systemic exposure of simvastatin, niacin, and NUA in plasma between males and females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general pathway of biosynthesis and degradation for Type-I sex pheromones in moths is well established, but some genes involved in this pathway remain to be characterized. The purple stem borer, Sesamia inferens, employs a pheromone blend containing components with three different terminal functional groups (Z11-16:OAc, Z11-16:OH, and Z11-16:Ald) of Type-I sex pheromones. Thus, it provides a good model to study the diversity of genes involved in pheromone biosynthesis and degradation pathways. By analyzing previously obtained transcriptomic data of the sex pheromone glands and antennae, we identified 73 novel genes that are possibly related to pheromone biosynthesis (46 genes) or degradation (27 genes). Gene expression patterns and phylogenetic analysis revealed that one desaturase ( SinfDes4), one fatty acid reductase ( SinfFAR2), and one fatty acid xtransport protein ( SinfFATP1) genes were predominantly expressed in pheromone glands, and clustered with genes involved in pheromone synthesis in other moth species. Ten genes including five carboxylesterases ( SinfCXE10, 13, 14, 18, and 20), three aldehyde oxidases ( SinfAOX1, 2 and 3), and two alcohol dehydrogenases ( SinfAD1 and 3) were expressed specifically or predominantly in antennae, and could be candidate genes involved in pheromone degradation. SinfAD1 and 3 are the first reported alcohol dehydrogenase genes with antennae-biased expression. Based on these results we propose a pathway involving these potential enzyme-encoding gene candidates in sex pheromone biosynthesis and degradation in S. inferens. This study provides robust background information for further elucidation of the genetic basis of sex pheromone biosynthesis and degradation, and ultimately provides potential targets to disrupt sexual communication in S. inferens for control purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the two-stage submerged fermentation of medicinal mushroom Cordyceps militaris, it was found that K, Ca, Mg, and Mn were favorable to the mycelial growth. The EPS production reached the highest levels in the media containing Mg and Mn. However, Ca and K almost failed to increase significantly exopolysaccharides (EPS) production. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) significantly enhanced EPS production compared with that of without adding SDS when SDS was added on static culture stage of two-stage cultivation process. The presence of Tween 80 in the medium not only simulated mycelial growth but also increased EPS production. By response surface methods (RSM), EPS production reached its peak value of 3.28 g/L under optimal combination of 27.6 mM Mg, 11.1 mM Mn, and 0.05 mM SDS, which was 3.76-fold compared with that of without metal ion and surfactant. The results obtained were useful in better understanding the regulation for efficient production of EPS of C. militaris in the two-stage submerged culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the responses of broad bean cultivars resistant (YD) and sensitive (AD) to aluminum (Al) stress were investigated at physiological and molecular levels. The results showed that Al induced more citrate exudation in YD roots than that in AD roots, suggesting that citrate exudation is involved in broad bean Al resistance. The analyses for oxidative stress levels and antioxidant enzyme activities indicated that YD had a strong ability to cope with the oxidative stress induced by Al. To investigate the molecular responses of broad bean to Al stress further, a forward suppression subtractive hybridization cDNA library was constructed to identify Al-responsive genes in YD roots treated with 50-μM Al for a 24-h period. Of the obtained 162 high-quality ESTs, genes related to antioxidant enzymes including copper-zinc superoxide dismutase ( SOD), class III peroxidase ( POD) and germin-like protein ( GEP) were up-regulated. Higher transcription levels of SOD and POD were observed in YD but not in AD roots, which is in agreement with the enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes in YD roots under Al stress conditions. Furthermore, the up-regulated expression of vha2, encoding a plasma membrane (PM) H-ATPase, and 14- 3- 3b in YD roots under Al stress were also detected and confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Western and immunoprecipitation analyses indicated that Al-enhanced expressions and interactions of the PM H-ATPase and 14-3-3 proteins might be involved in the regulation of citrate secretion in YD roots under Al stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the pathogenic properties of Helicobacter pylori by comparing the proteome map of H. pylori clinical strains. Methods: Two wild-type H. pylori strains, YN8 (isolated from biopsy tissue of a gastric cancer patient) and YN14 (isolated from biopsy tissue of a gastritis and duodenal ulcer patient), were used. Proteomic analysis, using a pH range of 3-10 and 5-8, was performed. The individual proteins were identified by quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer and protein database search. Results: Variation in spot patterns directed towards differential protein expression levels was observed between the strains. The gel revealed prominent proteins with several protein 'families'. The comparison of protein expressions of the two strains reveals a high variability. Differentially present or absent spots were observed. Nine differentially expressed protein spots identified by Q-TOF included adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding protein, disulfide oxidoreductase B (DsbB)-like protein, N utilization substance A (NusA), ATP-dependent protease binding subunit/heat shock protein, hydantoin utilization protein A, seryl-tRNA synthetase, molybdenum ABC transporter ModD, and hypothetical proteins. Conclusions: This study suggests that H. pylori strains express/repress protein variation, not only in terms of the virulence proteins, but also in terms of physiological proteins, when they infect a human host. The difference of protein expression levels between H. pylori strains isolated from gastric cancer and gastritis may be the initiator of inflammation, and result in the different clinical presentation. In this preliminary study, we report seven differential proteins between strains, with molecule weights from approximately 10 kDa to approximately 40 kDa. Further studies are needed to investigate those proteins and their function associated with H. pylori colonization and adaptation to host environment stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses and compares some common architectures used in autonomous mobile robotics. Then it describes a behavior-based autonomous mobile robot that was implemented successfully in the Robotics Lab of the Department of Precision Mechanical Engineering. Fuzzy controller was used to implement the emergency behavior, the behaviors arbitration was implemented using the subsumption architecture. In an unknown dynamic indoor environment, the robot achieved real-time obstacle avoidance properties that are cruel for mobile robotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro robot based on screw motion wheels, which features high payload/mass ratio, fast and continuous motion, adaptation to pipe diameter or roundness variations, is suitable for locomotion and inspection inside small-diameter pipelines. The robot inspection system, Tubot I, developed at Shanghai University is composed of locomotion mechanism with an inner motor, a micro CCD camera and a monitor outside the pipeline. In the paper, the kinematics and statics analyses are presented for the screw locomotion system of Tubot I. The moving characteristics are obtained from experiments on the robot prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]