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Halides not only possess high ionic conductivity but also exhibit excellent electrochemical stability against high-voltage cathodes, making them promising candidates for solid-state electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs). Compared with rare-earth halide electrolytes, Li2ZrCl6 electrolytes are less costly. However, they face challenges relating to relatively lower ionic conductivity. Herein, Li2+xZr1−xLaxCl6 is synthesized through La3+ doping in Li2ZrCl6. The introduction of La3+ increases the concentration of lithium ions in the crystal and expands the lattice volume, leading to ionic conductivity as high as 8.22 × 10−4 S cm−1. When Li2.1Zr0.9La0.1Cl6 is applied in ASSLMBs (with a LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 cathode and a Li-In anode), it exhibits superior electrochemical performance, with high initial capacity of 132.5 mA h g−1, and after 100 cycles at 0.5 C, the battery still maintains a capacity of 72.4 mA h g−1 and high coulombic efficiency of 99.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entity alignment is an important task in Knowledge Graph(KG), which aims to find identical entities in two different KGs. Existing methods include two steps, graph representation and alignment inference. The representation is learned based on the semantics and structure of KG. In applications, however, incorrect triples (which are also called structure noise) inevitably exist in KGs due to low-quality corpora and low-performance construction algorithms. The structure noise in KGs affects the representation of KGs and the alignment inference. To this end, we propose an entity alignment method in noisy knowledge graphs for the first time. Firstly, a noise-aware module is designed to recognize the noisy triples and exclude them from KG representation. Secondly, we design a more strict semi-supervised algorithm that combines local similarity and global alignment cost together to obtain high-quality pseudo-alignments in noisy environments. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in noisy KGs and the good compatibility with other baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the association between homocysteine (Hcy), uric acid (UA) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to explore whether there was an interaction between Hcy and UA in the development of T2DM. A total of 1250 diabetic patients and 1250 non-diabetic controls were included in this case-control study. Binary logistic regression and interaction analysis were used to evaluate the association between Hcy, UA, and T2DM, and the combined effects of Hcy and UA on T2DM, respectively. Plasma Hcy and UA levels were significantly higher in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic controls (p < 0.001, p = 0.002). Elevated Hcy and UA were risk factors for T2DM. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the lowest quartile of Hcy and UA, the highest quartile had a significantly increased risk of T2DM (OR = 1.629, 95% CI: 1.303, 2.035 for Hcy; OR = 1.596, 95% CI: 1.277, 1.995 for UA). Stratified analysis suggested a significant association between Hcy and T2DM for those aged < 65 years and males. A significant association between UA and T2DM was found in those aged ≥ 65 years, males, and BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2. No significant interaction was observed between Hcy and UA (p > 0.05). Hcy and UA were risk factors for T2DM. However, there was no interaction between Hcy and UA in the risk of T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Ovarian cancer significantly impacts women's reproductive health and remains challenging to diagnose and treat. Despite advancements in understanding DNA repair mechanisms and identifying novel therapeutic targets, additional strategies are still needed. Recently, a novel form of cell death called disulfidptosis, which is triggered by glucose deprivation, has been linked to treatment resistance and changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, its role in ovarian cancer is not well understood. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis was performed on RNA-seq data from TCGA and GEO databases to identify disulfidptosis-related genes in ovarian cancer. Differential expression analysis and pathway enrichment were conducted, followed by the development of a prognostic model using LASSO Cox regression, validated with GEO datasets (GSE13876, GSE26712). Clinical samples were analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to validate gene expression. Results: This study identified disulfidptosis-related gene subtypes in ovarian cancer and demonstrated their influence on the tumor microenvironment (TME), immunotherapy responses, and patient prognosis. Six genes (IFNB1, IGF2, CD40LG, IL1B, IL21, CD38) associated with disulfidptosis were identified and incorporated into a prognostic model. This model predicted patient outcomes and was validated externally. Clinical validation showed its accuracy in predicting progression-free survival and resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the significant impact of disulfidptosis-related genes on the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment, providing insights that could support the development of clinical evaluations and personalized treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequent occurrence of oil spills in recent years has led to serious contamination of water resources, and materials with superhydrophobic surface properties have attracted much attention for crude oil recovery and water contamination remediation. However, the fragile robustness of superhydrophobic materials greatly hinders their practical applications. Herein, we prepared the robust, photocatalytic superhydrophobic material of SH-ZnO-PDMS@fabric by a simple two-step immersion method. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) provided the rough surface structure, and fluorine-free dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTMS) provided the low surface energy. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was introduced as a binder to strengthen the force between the nanoparticles and the fabric. The cotton fabric showed excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle (WCA) range of 146.9–156.6°. The methylene blue (MB) in water was basically degraded after 12 h of exposure to UV lamp, manifesting that the cotton fabric had excellent photocatalytic property. The cotton fabric also showed excellent self-cleaning and antifouling properties. Importantly, SH-ZnO-PDMS@fabric maintained superhydrophobic properties after mechanical abrasion, ultrasonic washing, UV irradiation, and acid/alkali immersion. The prepared superhydrophobic materials can be repeatedly used to separate various oil–water mixtures due to their superhydrophobic and recyclable properties. This versatile, efficient, and simple strategy has good application prospects in water pollution remediation and oily wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern cloud-based computing through pooled resources, service providers must ensure resource accessibility. The migration of workloads to the cloud necessitates careful planning, including the provision of a sufficient number of easily available virtual machines (VMs). This paper addresses the NP-hard problem of load distribution by proposing an advanced scheduling technique designed to tackle this issue directly. The main goal of the investigation is to maximize the assignment of tasks among virtual machines (VMs), ensuring an evenly distributed workload throughout the entire system. We proposed a new method to enhance the distribution of work in cloud-based structures, leveraging insights from spider monkey foraging habits. The proposed optimization technique tries to increase efficiency by strategically distributing jobs to the VMs with the least workload. The algorithm demonstrates robust performance in simulations evaluating load distribution, response time, and efficiency across several task types. The suggested load distribution technique demonstrates substantial enhancements compared to current methods, with an amazing 85% effectiveness in distributing the workload across 20 concurrent tasks. The proposed method outperforms existing algorithms, such as Improved Ant Colony Optimization and Particle Swarm Optimization—Artificial Bee Colony, which achieve load-balancing rates of 70% and 75%, respectively. This paper elucidates the intricacies of workload distribution in cloud-based computing systems while proposing a comprehensive method to improve resource consumption and overall system efficiency, hence advancing distributed computing settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient, stable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are crucial for advancing large-scale water electrolysis for hydrogen production. In this study, we present a novel electrocatalyst featuring FeNi/Ni2P nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped porous carbon (FeNi/Ni2P@NC). The catalyst was prepared by pyrolyzing low-cost anion exchange resin (AER) loaded with non-precious metal salts, followed by phosphidation. The FeNi/Ni2P@NC catalyst benefits from the synergistic effects of the FeNi alloy, Ni2P phosphide, and N-doped porous carbon, which together enhance the number of active sites available for the OER. The large surface area of the material optimizes both electron transfer and mass diffusion pathways, leading to remarkable OER performance. At a current density of 10 mA cm−2, FeNi/Ni2P@NC demonstrates an overpotential of 323 mV and a Tafel slope of 60.3 mV dec−1, significantly outperforming the Tafel slope of 89.3 mV dec−1 observed for the precious metal RuO2. Furthermore, the carbon shell layer effectively mitigates nanoparticle corrosion, thereby improving the long-term stability of the catalyst. This study presents a novel approach for developing efficient, stable, and cost-effective carbon-based catalysts for water electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue regeneration is a complex process involving large changes in cell proliferation, fate determination, and differentiation. Mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism play a crucial role in development and wound repair, but their function in large-scale regeneration remains poorly understood. Planarians offer an excellent model to investigate this process due to their remarkable regenerative abilities. In this study, we examine mitochondrial dynamics during planarian regeneration. We find that knockdown of the mitochondrial fusion gene, opa1, impairs both tissue regeneration and stem cell pluripotency. Interestingly, the regeneration defects caused by opa1 knockdown are rescued by simultaneous knockdown of the mitochondrial fission gene, drp1, which partially restores mitochondrial dynamics. Furthermore, we discover that Mitolow stem cells exhibit an enrichment of pluripotency due to their fate choices at earlier stages. Transcriptomic analysis reveals the delicate mitonuclear balance in metabolism and mitochondrial proteins in regeneration, controlled by mitochondrial dynamics. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining mitochondrial dynamics in large-scale tissue regeneration and suggest the potential for manipulating these dynamics to enhance stem cell functionality and regenerative processes. Mitochondrial dynamics in large-scale regeneration remain poorly understood. Here they show that the mitochondrial fusion-fission equilibrium can determine the pluripotency of planarian stem cells and that mitonuclear balance is critical for planarian regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, AuPd alloy nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared by co-reduction method using double reducing agents. Different mass percentages of AuPd alloy NPs loaded ZnO nanomaterials are prepared by classical impregnation method. The gas sensing properties of the sensor are studied. 0.5 wt% AuPd–ZnO exhibits a higher gas sensing response (Ra/Rg = 32, 50 ppm ethanol), which is 1.88 times that of ZnO gas sensing response. At the same time, the response/recovery time is 2 s/29 s. Compared with ZnO, the recovery time is reduced by 55 s. At last, the sensing mechanism in the process of gas sensing test is analyzed based on AuPd alloy NPs and ZnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Zn2SnO4-SnO2-ZnO (ZSO) cubic nanomaterials are prepared by a hydrothermal method, and then ZSO composites with Au nanoparticles are prepared by a water bath heating method. The Au/ZSO nanomaterials are characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM and TEM. The results of XRD and XPS shows that the prepared samples have no other impurities, and also prove the existence of Au. The cubic structure of the sample was observed by SEM. The lattice spacings of Zn2SnO4, ZnO, SnO2 and Au were calculated from TEM images. The gas sensing properties of pure ZSO and Au/ZSO nanocomposites are compared. At the optimum working temperature of 240 °C, the response of 3%Au/ZSO nanocomposite to 100 ppm triethylamine (TEA) is as high as 1595.5. Lower detection limit is as low as 3 ppm with a response value of 35.3. Importantly, this paper proposes an efficient method for preparing Au nanoparticles supported on ZSO and a gas sensor with high sensitivity response to TEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phellodendron amurense is the main plant source of berberine, and over exploitation has led to the depletion of wild resources. Therefore, tissue culture technology is being used to produce berberine and reduce the pressure on the utilization of wild resources. In this study, based on the seedling of P. amurense used as the material, the callus induction rate was taken as the index to optimize callus culture conditions by single factor experiments and response surface methodology. The optimal conditions of callus culture were determined: stem segment as explants, sucrose concentration 18 g/L, amount of nitrogen 1.0 N, combination of exogenous plant hormone 2, 4-D 2.0 mg /L + 6-BA 1.4 mg/L, under these conditions, the callus induction rate of P. amurense was about 97.06%±8.69. Berberine was extracted from the callus that cultured under the optimal conditions and its content was6.14 ± 1.12 mg/g (DW), which met the berberine content standard of not less than 0.6% standard of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities were tested for the extracts of the callus and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) “GuanHuangbai”. The results showed that the antioxidant activities of the two extracts were mainly related to the concentrations of berberine. The antioxidant activity of callus extracts (IC50: 0.2166 mg/ml ± 0.0387) was slightly higher than that of Guanhuangbai extracts (IC50: 0.2169 mg/ml ± 0.0392). The Guanhuangbai extracts of P. amurense exhibited much better antimicrobial activity than the callus extracts for gram-positive bacteria, but the similar potency for the gram-negative bacteria and fungi in the present study. The extracts from callus of P. amurense had better antimicrobial activity in the experiment.Key message: The present study demonstrates the optimization of callus culture from stem segment -derived in Phellodendron amurense and the antioxidative and bacteriostatic activities of callus were compared with those of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Guanhuangbai from P. amurense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have examined that bullying bystander intervention refers to a positive, pro-social bystander behavior that prevents the sustained development of bullying incidents in the face of school bullying. Limited research has investigated the different roles of bystanders and the factors that influence their behavior. This study attempts to explore the association between being bullied and intervention by bystanders in adolescent school bullying, the role of moral disengagement, and the status of only children in this context. For this purpose, 2113 middle school students completed the Being Bullied Behavior Scale, Bystander Intervention Scale, and Moral Disengagement Scale. The study findings indicate that (1) being bullied positively anticipates the intervention by bystanders in school bullying; (2) further, moral disengagement plays an essential role in mediating the effects of bullying on bystander intervention, and being bullied "masks" the related positive influence on the bystander intervention through the negative mediation of moral disengagement; and (3) finally, the status of being an only child moderates the first half of this mediating effect. Based on this, this study implies that being bullied is more effective at predicting moral disengagement for only children. Consequently, the influence of being bullied on bystander intervention in school bullying is revealed in this study, which exhibits significant practical implications for improving the ecological environment of school bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient and precise design of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is of great importance in the field of AMP development. Computing provides opportunities for peptide de novo design. In the present investigation, a new machine learning-based AMP prediction model, AP_Sin, was trained using 1160 AMP sequences and 1160 non-AMP sequences. The results showed that AP_Sin correctly classified 94.61% of AMPs on a comprehensive dataset, outperforming the mainstream and open-source models (Antimicrobial Peptide Scanner vr.2, iAMPpred and AMPlify) and being effective in identifying AMPs. In addition, a peptide sequence generator, AP_Gen, was devised based on the concept of recombining dominant amino acids and dipeptide compositions. After inputting the parameters of the 71 tridecapeptides from antimicrobial peptides database (APD3) into AP_Gen, a tridecapeptide bank consisting of de novo designed 17,496 tridecapeptide sequences were randomly generated, from which 2675 candidate AMP sequences were identified by AP_Sin. Chemical synthesis was performed on 180 randomly selected candidate AMP sequences, of which 18 showed high antimicrobial activities against a wide range of the tested pathogenic microorganisms, and 16 of which had a minimal inhibitory concentration of less than 10 μg/mL against at least one of the tested pathogenic microorganisms. The method established in this research accelerates the discovery of valuable candidate AMPs and provides a novel approach for de novo design of antimicrobial peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image inpainting seeks a semantically consistent way to recover the damaged image while taking into account its unmasked content. It is a crucial task for multiple practical applications like object removal and art image editing. Recently deep neural networks have achieved promising performance for filling large missing regions in image inpainting tasks. However, the existing methods often generate content with distorted structures and blurry textures when encountering artistic images. To address these problems, we propose an art image inpainting method via embedding multiple attention dilated convolutions (MADC). Four dilated convolution blocks with dilation ratios of 1, 3, 5, and 7 are aggregated to obtain dense multi-scale contextual information. Then, we use the coordination attention layer to capture long-range spatial dependencies while preserving precise location information in order to enhance the feature representation of interest. By explicitly using the surrounding image features as references, we insert the MADC modules into the encoder network to facilitate the recovery of large portions in incomplete images. We also employ a discriminator with local and global branches to ensure local–global content consistency. Experiments on the art image dataset show that our method performs favorably against state-of-the-art in generating sharper more coherent and visually plausible inpainting results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solieria tenuis has the tendency to become a potential bloom in some regions of the sea in China. It has massive biomass. Therefore, making the best use of the bioresource of S. tenuis has gained attention. This study proposed a process for the comprehensive extraction of carrageenan and phycoerythrin from new resource S. tenuis and measured their bioactivities. The results showed that the purity of phycoerythrin could be up to 4.19 and the yield of phycoerythrin could be 0.06 mg/g (dry weight). The yield of carrageenan was 19.60% at 4% alkali concentration, 2 h alkali treatment time, and 62 °C alkali treatment temperature using the S. tenuis residue. The phycoerythrin had applications as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent, and carrageenan had applications in the culture medium. Thus, this emerging method fully used S. tenuis as new bioresources, which realized high value use and reduced the nitrogen content in production, having potential applications in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidative weathering of petrogenic organic carbon (OCpetro) is an important source of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere on geological timescales and significantly influences the carbon cycle and global climate change. However, at present, a robust proxy to assess OCpetro oxidation is lacking. Riverine rhenium (Re) has emerged as a potential proxy to trace OCpetro oxidation, but little is known about Re sources and its relationship with OCpetro oxidation. To better understand the robustness of this proxy, we analyzed a shale weathering profile from the early Cambrian Shuijingtuo Formation in Chengkou County, Chongqing City, to address the mobility of Re and selenium (Se) and their relationship with the oxidation of OCpetro by analyses of the elemental variation and sequential extraction. The results showed that the chemical index of alteration (CIA) increases from the fresh bedrock to the weathered sections, indicating enhanced weathering intensity. Based on the sequential extraction and mass transfer coefficients (τ), Re and Se mainly exist in the organic phase of shale and are paired lost with OCpetro during weathering, with no obvious correlation with sulfide minerals. Furthermore, the different proportions of Re and Se loss with OCpetro loss can be attributed to their different geochemical behaviors during weathering. Our study supports Re as a robust proxy to trace OCpetro oxidation, whereas Se is the potential one. In the future, combined studies on various sedimentary rock profiles with catchment basins are needed to determine the sources of riverine Re and Se and their relationships with OCpetro oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The previous studies have shown that iron–manganese co-oxide film (MeOx) could simultaneously remove ammonium, manganese ion and bisphenol A. In this study, the removal of fulvic acid (FA) was explored by adding potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) to heighten the catalytic activity of MeOx. After adding about 3.0 mg/L potassium ferrate, the elimination efficiency of 7.0 mg/L FA by the MeOx increased from 20 to 50%. The effects of temperature and ammonium on the elimination of FA were investigated. Higher temperature (above 22 °C) and higher ammonium concentration (above 2.0 mg/L) caused a decrease in FA removal. Most of FA combined with the ferric hydroxide colloid produced by K2FeO4 in water to form macromolecular groups, and they were subsequently absorbed and covered on the surface of MeOx. Scanning electron microscope showed that more viscous flocs appeared on the surface of MeOx, and the film thickness became thicker. Electron energy-dispersive spectrometer analysis revealed a notable increased in the C–O element ratio and a significant decreased in the Mn–Fe element ratio on the surface of MeOx. From Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the content of transition metal carbonyl compounds increased in the surface of MeOx. XPS analysis confirmed that the presence of Fe3O4, FeO, Mn2O3 and Mn3O4 along with functional group substances of FA attached on the surface of MeOx. The removal mechanism of FA was studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of chromium and iron on glucose metabolism via the PI3K/Akt/GLUT4 signaling pathway. Skeletal muscle gene microarray data in T2DM (GSE7014) was selected using Gene Expression Omnibus database. Element-gene interaction datasets of chromium and iron were extracted from comparative toxicogenomics database (CTD). Gene ontology (GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed using DAVID online tool. Cell viability, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and protein expression level were measured in C2C12 cells. The bioinformatics research indicated that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway participated in the effects of chromium and iron associated with T2DM. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake level was significantly higher in chromium picolinate (Cr group) and lower in ammonium iron citrate (FA group) than that for the control group (P < 0.05); chromium picolinate + ammonium iron citrate (Cr + FA group) glucose uptake level was higher than that for the FA group (P < 0.05). Intracellular ROS level was significantly higher in the FAC group than that for the control group (P < 0.05), and that for the Cr + FA group was lower than that for the FA group (P < 0.05). p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, and GLUT4 levels were significantly lower in the FA group than that for the control group (P < 0.05), and the Cr + FA group had higher levels than the FA group (P < 0.05). Chromium might have a protective effect on iron-induced glucose metabolism abnormalities through the ROS-mediated PI3K/Akt/GLUT4 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complete catalase-encoding gene, designated soiCat1, was obtained from soil samples via metagenomic sequencing, assembly, and gene prediction. soiCat1 showed 73% identity to a catalase-encoding gene of Mucilaginibacter rubeus strain P1, and the amino acid sequence of soiCAT1 showed 99% similarity to the catalase of a psychrophilic bacterium, Pedobacter cryoconitis. soiCAT1 was identified as a psychrophilic enzyme due to the low optimum temperature predicted by the deep learning model Preoptem, which was subsequently validated through analysis of enzymatic properties. Experimental results showed that soiCAT1 has a very narrow range of optimum temperature, with maximal specific activity occurring at the lowest test temperature (4 °C) and decreasing with increasing reaction temperature from 4 to 50 °C. To rationally design soiCAT1 with an improved temperature range, soiCAT1 was engineered through site-directed mutagenesis based on molecular evolution data analyzed through position-specific amino acid possibility calculation. Compared with the wild type, one mutant, soiCAT1S205K, exhibited an extended range of optimum temperature ranging from 4 to 20 °C. The strategies used in this study may shed light on the mining of genes of interest and rational design of desirable proteins. Key points: • Numerous putative catalases were mined from soil samples via metagenomics. • A complete sequence encoding a psychrophilic catalase was obtained. • A mutant psychrophilic catalase with an extended range of optimum temperature was engineered through site-directed mutagenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mounting studies explored associations between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and preterm birth (PTB); however, individual and combined impacts of PM2.5 constituents on PTB were less known. PM2.5 and its seven constituents were assessed by V4.CH.02 product of the Dalhousie University Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, a dataset containing combined geophysical-statistical estimates of PM2.5 across China. Effects of PM2.5 and its constituents on PTB and gestational age were firstly explored. Furthermore, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was conducted to reveal the impacts of total PM2.5 mass and identify contributing constituents. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 was associated with increased odds ratio (OR) of PTB. PM2.5 constituents were widely associated with PTB and reduced gestational age, with different time window. The total mass of PM2.5 (per IQR increment) in the first and the second trimester was positively associated with PTB by WQS regression (Trimester 1: OR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.15, 1.65; Trimester 2: OR = 1.47, 95%CI: 1.21, 1.79). The most contributing factors were black carbon in the first trimester and sulphate ion in the second trimester, respectively. Especially, sea salt was identified as contributing constituent during the first trimester. The study indicated that prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents was individually and jointly associated with PTB and reduced gestational age. Sea salt was firstly identified as a risk factor of PTB in the seaside city, which needs further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luzon Strait is the main channel connecting the South China Sea (SCS) and the western Pacific, with complex atmospheric and oceanic dynamic processes. Based on 44 days of glider measurements and satellite observations, we investigated the temporal and vertical variations of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration in the Luzon Strait from July 25 to September 6, 2019. The Chl a was mainly distributed above 200 m and concentrated in the subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) layer. The depth of SCM ranged between 50 m and 110 m, and the magnitude of SCM varied from 0.42 mg/m3 to 1.12 mg/m3. The variation of Chl a was identified with three stages responding to different dynamic processes. Under the influence of Kuroshio intrusion, the SCM depth sharply deepened, and its magnitude decreased in Stage 1. Afterward, a prominent Chl-a bloom was observed in the SCM layer from August 6 to August 16. The Chl-a bloom in Stage 2 was related to the influence of a cyclonic eddy, which uplifted of the thermocline and thus the deep nutrients. During Stage 3, prolonged heavy rainfall in the northeastern SCS resulted in a significant salinity decrease in the upper ocean. The convergence of upper water deepened the thermocline and the mixed layer. Thus, the Chl a decreased in the SCM layer but increased in the surface layer. In particular, a typhoon passed through the Luzon Strait on August 24, which induced the Chl a increase in the upper 50 m. However, there was little change in the depth-integrated Chl a (0–200 m), indicating that the Chl a increase in the surface layer was likely associated with physical entrainment of SCM caused by strong mixing, rather than the phytoplankton bloom in the upper water column. Underwater gliders provide frequent autonomous observations that help us understand the regional ocean's complex dynamic processes and biological responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To comprehensively compare the efficacy of different antiplatelet therapies for secondary prevention of lacunar stroke (LS). Methods: The relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Collaboration Database up to May 2022. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events were chosen to evaluate the efficacy of antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention. Loop-specific approach and node-splitting analysis were used to evaluate consistency and inconsistency, respectively. The value of the surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) was calculated and ranked. Funnel-plot symmetry was used to evaluate publication bias. The meta-analysis was performed by using STATA 16.0. Results: Thirteen studies with a total of 33,011 subjects were included in this network meta-analysis. Compared with placebo, aspirin, clopidogrel, cilostazol, ticlopidine, aspirin plus dipyridamole, and aspirin plus clopidogrel were associated with reducing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. The SUCRA estimated relative ranking of treatments showed that cilostazol may be the most effective (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.42–0.74, SUCRA 95.8). No significant inconsistency or publication bias was found in the study. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that cilostazol may be a priority option for secondary prevention of patients with LS. These findings still need further study in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypoxia-mediated radioresistance is a major reason for the adverse radiotherapy outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in clinical, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still obscure.Methods: Cellular and exosomal ANGPTL4 proteins under different oxygen status were examined. Colony survival, lipid peroxidation and hallmark proteins were employed to determine the correlation between ferroptosis and radioresistance. Gene regulations, western blot and xenograft models were used to explore the underlying mechanisms of the role of ANGPTL4 in radioresistance.Results: ANGPTL4 had a much higher level in hypoxic NSCLC cells compared to normoxic cells. Up- or down- regulation of ANGPTL4 positively interrelated to the radioresistance of NSCLC cells and xenograft tumours. GPX4-elicited ferroptosis suppression and lipid peroxidation decrease were authenticated to be involved in the hypoxia-induced radioresistance. ANGPTL4 encapsulated in the exosomes from hypoxic cells was absorbed by neighbouring normoxic cells, resulting in radioresistance of these bystander cells in a GPX4-dependent manner, which was diminished when ANGPTL4 was downregulated in the donor exosomes.Conclusion: Hypoxia-induced ANGPTL4 rendered radioresistance of NSCLC through at least two parallel pathways of intracellular ANGPTL4 and exosomal ANGPTL4, suggesting that ANGPTL4 might applicable as a therapeutic target to improve the therapeutic efficacy of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically investigate the evolution of dark screening spatial solitons originating from the quadratic electro-optic effect in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive (CP) crystal by using beam propagation method (BPM). The results indicate that the multiple dark solitons sequence can be obtained in the CP crystal with the odd or even initial conditions. If the initial width of the dark notch is smaller, only a fundamental soliton or a Y-junction soliton pair is generated. When the initial width of the dark notch and the bias electric field are increased, the multiple dark spatial solitons sequence is formed, which realized a progressive transition from a low-order soliton to a higher-order solitons sequence in both odd and even conditions. The solitons characteristic is similar to that of screening solitons in the non-centrosymmetric photorefractive (NCP) crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Arabian Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal (BoB) is in contrast due to differences in air-sea freshwater fluxes and river runoff inputs. The monsoon-induced inter-basin water exchange plays an important role in regional salinity balance and atmosphere–ocean feedback in the North Indian Ocean. The satellite SSS data set reveals that significant intraseasonal variability of SSS occurs in the region south of the Indian Peninsula with the strongest amplitude in winter. A case study in autumn-winter of 2016 showed that the Northeast Monsoon Current (NMC) and mesoscale eddies play a dominant role in the intraseasonal variability of the SSS in the region south of the Indian peninsula. In November, the East India Coastal Current (EICC) transports the low-salinity water southward to the region east of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, a cyclonic eddy develops and moves westward south of the NMC. Both NMC and the cyclonic eddy advects the low-salinity water westward to the region south of the Indian Peninsula. Then, an anticyclonic eddy generates in the north of the NMC. Thus, an eddy pair forms for more than one and a half months, which develops and propagates westward, transporting low-salinity water westward. The perturbation of mesoscale eddies and SSS difference between BoB and AS leads to the significant intraseasonal variability of SSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu(InGa)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells become one of the most important thin film photovoltaic devices thus far. The doping of Sb has improved the grain size of CIGS thin film and therefore led to the enhancement of solar cell efficiency. Various approaches have been used for the Sb doping. Not many reports of electrodeposition of In, Ga and Sb alloy have been reported. In this work, the Sb thin film was coated over Cu film surface prior to the In and Ga deposition in order to form a Cu/Sb/In/Ga metal precursor. After selenization, the Sb doped CIGS film was prepared. The structure and morphology of Sb doped CIGS films were investigated compared with the undoped CIGS reference samples. A modified selenization method was proposed, which improved the grain size. Finally, the conversion efficiency of Sb doped CIGS based solar cells has been improved by 1.02%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the density functional theory and finite field method, nonlinear optical properties of nine triarylamine-α-cyanocinnamic acid derivatives were investigated at the M06-2X/6–311++ G(d,p) and ωB97X-D/6–311++ G(d,p) levels of theory. Except for (E)-2-cyano-3-(4-(di([1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)amino)phenyl)acrylic acid (a), which had a D-π-A electronic structure, all the other eight derivatives had an A-π-D-π-A structure. The results suggest that the lowest energy transition of the nine triarylamine derivatives was the π–π* transition from the HOMO to LUMO. The absorption maxima of the derivatives in their ethanol solution were redshifted with respect to those in the gas phase. The introduction of conjugated C = C or C≡C bonds between the biphenyl unit of molecule a had a minor effect on the second-order nonlinear optical properties of the molecule. However, the introduction of C = C bond into the parent molecule improved the third-order nonlinear optical properties. The introduction of a heterocyclic ring (furan ring or thiophene ring) between the triarylamine moiety and the branched chain containing the cyanocinnamic acid group enhanced the second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties; especially, the second- and third-order polarisabilities of molecules b3 and c3, which were obtained by introducing a thiophene ring, were the highest. The second- and third-order polarisabilities of b3 were 0.13 × 105 and 27.13 × 105 a.u., respectively, while those of c3 were 0.14 × 105 and 28.10 × 105 a.u., respectively. This suggests that b3 and c3 have desirable second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties and can be used for designing efficient second- and third-order nonlinear optical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant potential of Bacillus coagulans T242. B. coagulans T242 showed better antioxidant activities, including the 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging ability, lipid peroxidation inhibiting ability and reducing ability, than those exerted by Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG). B. coagulans T242 positively regulated the expression of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-relatedfactor 2/Kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1 (Nrf2/Keap1) pathway-related proteins (Nrf2, Keap1, heine oxygenase-1 (HO-1)); increased antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD)); reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) level; decreased the expression of inflammatory-related cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); and thus increased the survival rate in 2,2′-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-damaged HT-29 cells. This study proved that B. coagulans T242 exerted antioxidative effects by quenching oxygen free radicals and activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway in HT-29 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitin is abundant in nature and its degradation products are highly valuable for numerous applications. Thermophilic chitinases are increasingly appreciated for their capacity to biodegrade chitin at high temperatures and prolonged enzyme stability. Here, using deep learning approaches, we developed a prediction tool, Preoptem, to screen thermophilic proteins. A novel thermophilic chitinase, Chi304, was mined directly from the marine metagenome. Chi304 showed maximum activity at 85 ℃, its Tm reached 89.65 ± 0.22℃, and exhibited excellent thermal stability at 80 and 90 °C. Chi304 had both endo- and exo-chitinase activities, and the (GlcNAc)2 was the main hydrolysis product of chitin-related substrates. The product yields of colloidal chitin degradation reached 97% within 80 min, and 20% over 4 days of reaction with crude chitin powder. This study thus provides a method to mine the novel thermophilic chitinase for efficient chitin biodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency diverse array (FDA)-multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) radar is characterized with a range-angle-dependent transceive beampattern by introducing incremental frequencies among the transmit array elements and separating the transmitted waveforms with matched filtering in the receiver. In this respect, the paper aims to control the range-angle-dependent transceive beampattern for FDA-MIMO radar by designing the weight vector according to the desired response. At the design stage, the weight vectors to control the beampattern responses of different regions are devised by performing the orthogonal decomposition technique. Then, a filtering matrix using the oblique projection operator is constructed to filter the weight vectors for different regions, where two iterative algorithms are developed either considering concurrent or successive control of multiple regions. In such a way, a desired range-angle-dependent transceive beampattern is formed with simultaneously broadened nulls and a flat-top mainlobe. At the analysis stage, the method has been applied to interference mitigation in FDA-MIMO radar, where the mismatch exists both in the sidelobes and mainlobe. Simulated and measured results are provided to corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a qualitative analysis of discontinuous Llibre-Menezes piecewise linear systems. We obtain the explicit parameter conditions for the existence of limit cycles and the stable sliding segments. In addition, we prove that if a Llibre-Menezes piecewise system is continuous, then this system has a global asymptotically stable equilibrium point. Some examples are given to illustrate the main results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to clarify the main factors associated with lung function and to analyze the correlation between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and lung function in a rural Chinese population. We analyzed data of 5195 participants in the China Northwest Natural Population Cohort: Ningxia Project who were ≥ 30 years old. They were recruited from 2018 to 2019, underwent spirometry during the physical examination, and completed a self-report questionnaire. A satellite-based spatiotemporal model was used to estimate the 2-year average PM2.5 exposure based on participants' home addresses. A generalized linear mixed model was used to test the relationship between PM2.5 concentration and lung function. Sex, age, exposure to cooking oil fumes, and occupational exposure were negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). Educational status, economic level, tea consumption, and alcohol consumption were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with FVC and FEV1. The adjusted results of each model revealed that FVC and FEV1 decreased with increased exposure to PM2.5. There was a strong negative correlation between a PM2.5 concentration of 35.66 μg/m3 and FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC, with unadjusted hazard ratios of − 0.06 (95% confidence interval, − 0.10 to − 0.01), − 0.13 (− 0.17 to − 0.10), and − 22.10 (− 24.62 to − 19.26), respectively. In conclusion, long-term exposure to high concentrations of ambient PM2.5 is related to reduce lung function among people in rural areas in northwestern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an annual herbaceous plant of the Cruciferae family that has attracted attention as an oil crop and interseeded cover crop. We collected seeds of pennycress from five provenances in Northeast China, compared their characteristics, i.e. oil content, fatty acid composition, physical, chemical and antioxidant properties, their correlations with environmental factors were also analysed. Results: There were significant differences in the seed characteristics, oil content, quality indicators and composition among different provenances (P < 0.05). The 1000-seed weight ranged from 0.80 to 1.03 g; seed oil content from 28.89 to 42.57%; iodine from 79.19 to 99.09; saponification value from 186.51 to 199.60; peroxide value from 0.07 to 10.60; and acid value from 0.97 to 13.02. The range of seed oil colours were 66.53–78.78 (L*), 4.51–10.29 (a*), and 105.68–121.35 (b*). Erucic acid (C22:1) was the fatty acids with the highest content in pennycress seed oils (31.12–35.31%), followed by linoleic acid (C18:2 16.92–18.95%) and α-linolenic acid (C18:3 14.05–15.34%). The fatty acid 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3) was detected for the first time in seed oils from Beian city, Panshi city and Kedong county, with contents of 1.13%, 0.84% and 1.03%, respectively. We compare and report for the first time on the radical-scavenging activity of the seed oils of pennycress. The EC50 values of the DPPH radical-scavenging activity and ABTS+ radical-scavenging activity of the seed oils from different provenances were 8.65–19.21 mg/mL and 6.82–10.61 mg/mL, respectively. The ferric ion reduction antioxidant capacity (FRAP) ranged from 0.11 to 0.30 mmol Fe2+/g, which is equivalent to 4 mg/mL FeSO4 of pennycress seed oils. Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between seed characteristics and changes in geographical factors. With increasing longitude, the thickness of seeds, 1000-seed weight, and seed oil content increased, while the acid and peroxide values of the seed oil decreased. As the latitude increased, the 1000-seed weight and seed oil content increased, while the seed oil peroxide value decreased. Furthermore, mean annual temperature and annual rainfall are the two key environmental factors affecting the quality of pennycress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, based on two-grid discretizations and superposition principle, a new local and parallel finite element method is presented and studied for the coupled Stokes–Darcy model. Superposition principle is used to generate a series of local and independent subproblems to obtain a global continuous approximation. Optimal error estimates are derived. Numerical results are reported to support the theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a degenerative motor neuron disease and a leading cause of infant mortality, is caused by loss of functional survival motor neuron (SMN) protein due to SMN1 gene mutation. Here, using mouse and cell models for behavioral and histological studies, we found that SENP2 (SUMO/sentrin-specific protease 2)-deficient mice developed a notable SMA-like pathology phenotype with significantly decreased muscle fibers and motor neurons. At the molecular level, SENP2 deficiency in mice did not affect transcription but decreased SMN protein levels by promoting the SUMOylation of SMN. SMN was modified by SUMO2 with the E3 PIAS2α and deconjugated by SENP2. SUMOylation of SMN accelerated its degradation by the ubiquitin–proteasome degradation pathway with the ubiquitin E1 UBA1 (ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 1) and E3 ITCH. SUMOylation of SMN increased its acetylation to inhibit the formation of Cajal bodies (CBs). These results showed that SENP2 deficiency induced hyper-SUMOylation of the SMN protein, which further affected the stability and functions of the SMN protein, eventually leading to the SMA-like phenotype. Thus, we uncovered the important roles for hyper-SUMOylation of SMN induced by SENP2 deficiency in motor neurons and provided a novel targeted therapeutic strategy for SMA. Key messages: SENP2 deficiency enhanced the hyper-SUMOylation of SMN and promoted the degradation of SMN by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. SUMOylation increased the acetylation of SMN to inhibit CB formation. SENP2 deficiency caused hyper-SUMOylation of SMN protein, which further affected the stability and functions of SMN protein and eventually led to the occurrence of SMA-like pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have managed to learn cross-lingual word embeddings in a completely unsupervised manner through generative adversarial networks (GANs). These GANs-based methods enable the alignment of two monolingual embedding spaces approximately, but the performance on the embeddings of low-frequency words (LFEs) is still unsatisfactory. The existing solution is to set up the low sampling rates for the embeddings of LFEs based on word-frequency information. However, such a solution has two shortcomings. First, this solution relies on the word-frequency information that is not always available in real scenarios. Second, the uneven sampling may cause the models to overlook the distribution information of LFEs, thereby negatively affecting their performance. In this study, we propose a novel unsupervised GANs-based method that effectively improves the quality of LFEs, circumventing the above two issues. Our method is based on the observation that LFEs tend to be densely clustered in the embedding space. In these dense embedding points, obtaining fine-grained alignment through adversarial training is difficult. We use this idea to introduce a noise function that can disperse the dense embedding points to a certain extent. In addition, we train a Wasserstein critic network to encourage the noise-adding embeddings and the original embeddings to have similar semantics. We test our approach on two common evaluation tasks, namely, bilingual lexicon induction and cross-lingual word similarity. Experimental results show that the proposed model has stronger or competitive performance compared with the supervised and unsupervised baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite solar cells have achieved high efficiency of 25.5%. Finding an effective means to suppress the formation of traps and correlate stability losses are thought to be a promising route for further increasing the photovoltaic performance and commercialization potential of perovskite photovoltaic devices. Herein, we report a facile passivation model, which uses a multi-functional organic molecule to simultaneously realize the chemical passivation and field-effect passivation for the perovskite film by an upgraded anti-solvent coating method, which reduces the trap states density of the perovskite, improves interface charge transfer, and thus promotes device performance. In addition, the hydrophobic groups of the molecules can form a moisture-repelling barrier on the perovskite grains, which apparently promotes the humidity stability of the solar cells. Therefore, the optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells after synergistic passivation reaches 21.52%, and it can still retain 95% of the original PCE when stored in ∼ 40% humidity for 30 days. Our findings extend the scope for traps passivation to further promote both the photovoltaic performance and the stability of the perovskite solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional difference of sea surface salinity (SSS) variations in the western tropical Pacific is investigated with Ocean Reanalysis System 5 datasets. Three robust zonal bands of SSS variations have been identified in the northwestern tropical Pacific (NWTP), the western equatorial tropical Pacific (WEqP), and the southwestern tropical Pacific (SWTP), respectively. SSS in the WEqP and the SWTP has a strong interannual variability that is related to ENSO. In the WEqP, SSS variations are mainly controlled by anomalous freshwater flux, while in the SWTP they are governed by both freshwater forcing and oceanic processes. In the NWTP, SSS variations present a low-frequency variability that is correlated with Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), which is mostly dominated by the freshwater flux and strongly adjusted by the ocean advection and mixed layer changes. After removing interannual signals, the SSS in all three regions are highly related to IPO, indicating that IPO has a general influence on the western tropical Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To construct a genetic transformation system for Bacillus velezensis NSZ-YBGJ001 and identify the origin element in an endogenous plasmidpBV01 for curing pBV01 by plasmid incompatibility. Results: A plasmid pUBC01 was constructed, and then an electrotransformation system for B. velezensis NSZ-YBGJ001 was developed, which reached ~ 1000 transformants per microgram of pUBC01 DNA. Additionally, a 7276-bp circular plasmid pBV01 with a G + C content of 37.5% was isolated from B. velezensis NSZ-YBGJ001 and analyzed via sequence analysis. To cure pBV01, an incompatible plasmid pBV02 harboring the replication element of pBV01 was developed and functionally replicated in both Bacillus subtilis WB600 and B. velezensis NSZ-YBGJ001. pBV01 was cured through introduction of pBV02 into B. velezensis NSZ-YBGJ001 after serial subculturing for approximately 40 generations. Finally, another plasmid, pBV03, was constructed based on pBV-ori, and exogenous genes in pBV03 could be efficiently expressed in B. subtilis. Conclusions: The results of this study, including the genetic transformation system, plasmid-curing strategy, and exogenous gene expression, will support genetic manipulation of B. velezensis to promote its application in biocontrol and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of conventional ultrasound (US) and strain elastography (SE) in malignant soft tissue tumors. Method: A total of 83 soft tissue masses were included prospectively. US and SE imaging were performed at the same time. Two observers assessed the B mode, color Doppler, elastic scores (ES), strain ratio (SR), and SE size to B mode size (EI/B) ratio and compared the consistency of the data between the observers. According to the pathological diagnosis of resection, the cases were divided into malignant and nonmalignant groups. The diagnostic value of conventional US and SE in the prediction of malignant soft tissue tumors was assessed. Results: The pathology results divided cases into 36 malignant lesions and 47 nonmalignant lesions. There was no statistically significant difference in gender, location, maximum diameter, echo, tail sign, cystic component, Doppler scores, or SR between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, significant differences between the two groups were found in age, depth, heterogeneity, edge, ES, and EI/B (p < 0.05). The biggest area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (0.934) was the combination model of age, heterogeneity, edge, ES, and EI/B, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.861 and 0.957, respectively. Conclusions: Conventional US and SE are significant for the diagnosis of malignant soft tissue tumors, and SE can be used as a complementary technique to the characterization of STTs using conventional US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kidney and upper urinary tract develop through reciprocal interactions between the ureteric bud and the surrounding mesenchyme. Ureteric bud branching forms the arborized collecting duct system of the kidney, while ureteric tips promote nephron formation from dedicated progenitor cells. While nephron progenitor cells are relatively well characterized, the origin of ureteric bud progenitors has received little attention so far. It is well established that the ureteric bud is induced from the nephric duct, an epithelial duct derived from the intermediate mesoderm of the embryo. However, the cell state transitions underlying the progression from intermediate mesoderm to nephric duct and ureteric bud remain unknown. Here we show that nephric duct morphogenesis results from the coordinated organization of four major progenitor cell populations. Using single cell RNA-seq and Cluster RNA-seq, we show that these progenitors emerge in time and space according to a stereotypical pattern. We identify the transcription factors Tfap2a/b and Gata3 as critical coordinators of this progenitor cell progression. This study provides a better understanding of the cellular origin of the renal collecting duct system and associated urinary tract developmental diseases, which may inform guided differentiation of functional kidney tissue. Nephric duct (ND)-derived ureteric buds (UB) form the kidney collecting duct system, while ureteric tips promote nephron formation. Here the authors use single-cell RNA-seq and introduce Cluster RNA-seq to identify four progenitor populations in developing ND/UB regulated by the transcription factors Tfap2a/b and Gata3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argo observations revealed dramatic sea surface salinity (SSS) changes in the northeastern tropical Pacific Ocean (NETPO) during the past one and half decades, with a steady increase during 2004–2012 and a sharp decrease during 2013–2016. These changes mainly result from anomalous precipitation associated with the Walker Circulation through moisture transport across Central America. The anomalous Walker Circulation is caused by changes in trans-basin sea surface temperature (SST) gradients, especially those in the eastern tropical Pacific. Results using a longer reanalysis indicate that the upward trend of SSS in the NETPO started from the mid-1990s as the moisture transport across Central America decreased in response to reduced trans-basin SST gradients associated with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective treatment of cancer has always been a major medical problem. Although some nanoformulations can guide chemotherapeutic drugs to reach the tumor sites, their large size (~ 100 nm) is still the bottleneck for the treatment of solid tumors through deep penetration. In this study, we develop a kind of biodegradable hybrid nanogels to multistage delivery of anticancer drug. The nanogels can effectively encapsulate an anticancer drug (doxorubicin hydrochloride) and accelerate its release under redox and acidic conditions mimicking tumor and intracellular situations as well as controlling its release using a remote heating approach. Furthermore, the nanogels can enter the narrow space between the cells by diminishing their sizes to 40–60 nm drug-carrying mesoporous silica nanoparticles at solid tumor area, eventually entering the tumor cells and functioning in the nucleus. The drug-loaded nanogels present higher intracellular drug accumulation capacity, resulting in a two-fold enhancement in anticancer cytotoxicity as compared to free drug, suggesting their high potential as a good nanoplatform for delivery of therapeutic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Judicious combination of noble metals and smart gels makes cell imaging and drug delivery into one, which provides support for the integrated technology of diagnosis and treatment. In this work, the Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs)/poly-(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate) core–shell multifunctional composite nanosphere (Ag–p (NIPAM-co-DMAEMA)) was successfully synthesized by two-step one-pot method. The composite nanospheres had a particle size of approximately 200 nm and possessed multiple sensitive release properties, biocompatibility, and pharmacological activity. Importantly, it was found that cancer cells (CT-26) uptake more hybrid gels and exhibited stronger fluorescence, compared to normal cells (COS-7). This indicated that the hybrid gel had certain specificity and could be used for the imaging of cancer cells. Multifunctional composite nanospheres with optical and therapeutic functionality constructed by a simple method offered broad opportunities for cancer treatment and cell imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel KGM-based superabsorbent polymer KGM-g-poly-(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide-co-N,N'-dimethyl-N-ethylmethacryloxylethylammoniumbromide) (KAAD) was prepared, which was obtained by the free radical grafting solution polymerization of acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA) and N,N'-dimethyl-N-ethylethacryloxylethylammonium bromide (DMAEA-EB) onto konjac glucomannan (KGM) with of potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) as initiator and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as crosslinker. The groups of AA, AM and DMAEA-EB grafted on KGM were detected by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of the reaction conditions (including an initiator dosage, AA and AM mass ratio, and a reaction temperature, etc.) on the grafting degree and grafting efficiency were investigated by a gravimetric method. The maximum grafting degree and grafting efficiency of the obtained graft polymer in the experiment were 71.51 and 89.90%, respectively. The effects of crosslinking agent and GD on water absorption were explored. And all of the experimental data show that the water absorption ratio of the KAAD resin exceeds 527.00 g/g under each optimal reaction conditions. Therefore, KAAD can be widely used as a functional material in pharmaceutics, textiles, construction and other fields due to its excellent superabsorbent properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous study, we developed Pichia pastoris GS115m, an engineered strain with decreased expression of one key gene, LRA4, in rhamnose metabolism. P. pastoris GS115m/LacB was subsequently constructed via introducing a β-galactosidase gene, LacB, under the control of rhamnose-inducible PLRA3 into P. pastoris GS115m. P. pastoris GS115m/LacB greatly improved recombinant protein production relative to the parental strain (P. pastoris GS115/LacB). In the present study, transcriptomes of P. pastoris GS115m/LacB and P. pastoris GS115/LacB grown in YPR medium were analyzed. P. pastoris GS115m/LacB was found to suffer from the mild carbon source starvation. To attenuate the starvation stress, P. pastoris GS115m/LacB attempted to enhance rhamnose metabolism by elevating the transcription levels of rhamnose-utilization genes LRA1-3 and RhaR. The transcription level of LacB under the control of PLRA3 thereby increased, resulting in the improved production of recombinant protein in P. pastoris GS115m/LacB. It was also revealed that P. pastoris GS115m/LacB cells coped with carbon starvation mostly via autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]