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Doped-carbon nanomaterials as effective electrocatalysts have been received widespread attention in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and supercapacitors system. Herein, the high-active Fe atoms dispersed on hierarchically porous N-doped carbon (FeNC-X) is synthesized via inflating the Fe-ion-denatured egg-white, followed by activation and pyrolysis. Among them, the as-prepared FeNC-900 for ORR that has an inner-connecting hierarchically porous structure shows a superior performance with a limiting current density of 5.28 mA cm−2 and half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.839 V (vs RHE), and exhibits a 4 e− ORR pathway in the alkaline medium. FeNC-900 also shows better durability and good methanol tolerance than those of commercial Pt/C. Besides, FeNC-900 exhibits an outstanding specific capacity of 258 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 for supercapacitor. The method presented here may provide a cost-efficient approach to fabricate carbon-based materials for ORR and supercapacitors.

Various strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) cause different forms of infectious bronchitis with different clinical signs. Here, primary chicken embryo kidney (CEK) cells and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were infected with three pathogenic IBV strains, and it was observed that the TLR7-MYD88 pathway was inhibited but the TLR3-TIRF pathway was activated. After treatment with poly(I:C)-LMW, poly (I:C)-LMW/LyoVec, and Imiquimod, the replication of IBV was significantly suppressed after 24 h. However, treatment with TLR3 pathway inhibitors such as Pepinh-TRIF, celastrol, chloroquine, and BX795 resulted in increased replication of IBV after 36 h. These results also showed that chloroquine and celastrol were most effective inhibitors of the antiviral response at 48 hpi.

Ethanamizuril (EZL) is a novel triazine compound with excellent anticoccidial activity. We carried out a preliminary investigation of the effects of EZL on the different life cycle stages of Eimeria tenella. EZL mainly acted on the schizogony stage, with peak activity during the second-generation merozoite stage. We also studied the possible target of EZL by identifying the majorly differentially expressed gene affected by EZL in second-generation merozoites using real-time polymerase chain reaction, and screening for surface antigen proteins (SAGs). The relative expression levels of SAGs were compared by Western blot analysis showing that expression levels of surface antigen family member (SAGfm) and SAG19 were significantly downregulated by EZL. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that SAGfm and SAG19 were localized on the surface of second-generation merozoites. In addition, fluorescence signals were significantly stronger in second-generation merozoites of infected non-medicated control (INC) group compared with that of the EZL group. Therefore, it was speculated that SAGs might be a potential target of EZL action. The inhibitory effects of anticoccidial drugs on SAG levels in coccidia thus warrant further research.

To deal with the multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs), this study proposes a new Multi-Objective Multi-Agent Complex Network Optimization Algorithm called MOMCNA based on the idea of Cellular genetic algorithm (CGA) and the Multi-agent complex network. Compared with the traditional CGA for multi objective problem, the individuals in the population of MOMCNA have more features of intelligent agent, the new form of neighborhood for the population, private archive for individuals, the new strategy of “local-global” genetic operator and the chaotic mutation are proposed in the new algorithm to balance the convergence and diversity of the algorithm. Seventeen unconstrained multi-objective optimization problems and seven many-objective problems are introduced and tested to evaluate the new algorithm, in addition, the classical traffic assignment problem based on different system optimum principle is also established to evaluate the new algorithm. The comparison between MOMCNA and other classical algorithms shows that the proposed MOMCNA proves to be competitive in dealing with multi-objective and many-objective optimization problems and the structure of the complex network made up of population also has effect on algorithm’s performance.

microRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in the regulation of large gene networks involved in plant somatic embryogenesis (SEG), but the regulatory mechanism of SEG mediated by miRNAs remains unclear. We used small RNA (sRNA) and transcriptome sequencing methods to identify and profile conserved miRNAs and target genes in five classic embryogenic cultures of Lilium davidii var. unicolor. A total of 35,450 unigenes and 1,727,322 sRNA sequences were obtained from the high-throughput sequencing data. After sequence alignment, 314 known miRNAs belonging to more than 47 miRNA families, 44 novel miRNAs and 32 miRNA*s were identified in L. davidii var. unicolor. miR159 was the largest miRNA family and exhibited the highest expression, and 711 target genes were predicted as the corresponding targets for 273 known miRNAs. In addition, we identified miRNAs that are differentially expressed during SEG and explored the expression profiles of 12 miRNAs and 8 targets. The corresponding relationships between the lda-miR167-WRKY/BGAL, lda-miR319-PCF, lda-miR395-FtsZ and lda-miR408/lda-miR397-LAC pairs were ultimately validated via 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5′ RACE). Furthermore, we summarized candidate miRNA sequence information, monitored the dynamic expression profiles of miRNAs and tested the interactions between miRNAs and their targets. The data revealed the complex regulatory roles of miRNAs during SEG in L. davidii var. unicolor, and these findings contribute to the miRNA functional annotation of Liliaceae and help elucidate the miRNA-mediated regulatory network during plant SEG.

Background Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the world's most important crops, the cultivated potato is frost-sensitive, and low-temperature severely influences potato production. However, the mechanism by which potato responds to low-temperature stress is unclear. In this research, we apply a combination of second-generation sequencing and third-generation sequencing technologies to sequence full-length transcriptomes in low-temperature-sensitive cultivars to identify the important genes and main pathways related to low-temperature resistance. Results In this study, we obtained 41,016 high-quality transcripts, which included 15,189 putative new transcripts. Amongst them, we identified 11,665 open reading frames, 6085 simple sequence repeats out of the potato dataset. We used public available genomic contigs to analyze the gene features, simple sequence repeat, and alternative splicing event of 24,658 non-redundant transcript sequences, predicted the coding sequence and identified the alternative polyadenylation. We performed cluster analysis, GO, and KEGG functional analysis of 4518 genes that were differentially expressed between the different low-temperature treatments. We examined 36 transcription factor families and identified 542 transcription factors in the differentially expressed genes, and 64 transcription factors were found in the AP2 transcription factor family which was the most. We measured the malondialdehyde, soluble sugar, and proline contents and the expression genes changed associated with low temperature resistance in the low-temperature treated leaves. We also tentatively speculate that StLPIN10369.5 and StCDPK16 may play a central coordinating role in the response of potatoes to low temperature stress. Conclusions Overall, this study provided the first large-scale full-length transcriptome sequencing of potato and will facilitate structure–function genetic and comparative genomics studies of this important crop.

A high-performing interpretable model is proposed to predict the risk of deterioration in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The model was developed using a cohort of 3028 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and exhibiting common clinical symptoms that were internally verified (AUC 0.8517, 95% CI 0.8433, 0.8601). A total of 15 high risk factors for deterioration and their approximate warning ranges were identified. This included prothrombin time (PT), prothrombin activity, lactate dehydrogenase, international normalized ratio, heart rate, body-mass index (BMI), D-dimer, creatine kinase, hematocrit, urine specific gravity, magnesium, globulin, activated partial thromboplastin time, lymphocyte count (L%), and platelet count. Four of these indicators (PT, heart rate, BMI, HCT) and comorbidities were selected for a streamlined combination of indicators to produce faster results. The resulting model showed good predictive performance (AUC 0.7941 95% CI 0.7926, 0.8151). A website for quick pre-screening online was also developed as part of the study.

To analyze the effect of customer enterprises’ behavior on freight transport markets with various products, a bi-level programming model for freight pricing is developed. The transport companies make decisions in the upper level, a large number of customer enterprises make decisions at the lower level. Cumulative prospect theory is adopted to depict customers’ bounded rationality. The complex network model is introduced to construct the interactions among customer enterprises where the changes in their risk attitudes are depicted by dynamic evolution of their heterogeneous reference points. The existence of the generalized Nash equilibrium is proved and verified. A comparison of the optimal solutions of the new model and the traditional logit based choice model is conducted. The results show that (1) the new model fully embodies the characteristics of cumulative prospect theory and can also improve customers’ utility; (2) the equilibrium freight price and the total profits of transport companies increase with increases in the customers’ interaction intensity.

Li6.4La3Zr1.7W0.3O12 (LLZWO) garnet-type structure was prepared with SiO2 as sintering aid via solid-state reaction method. The prepared ceramic samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra to judge the structure. Microstructure, lithium-ion conductivity and electronic conductivity of all components were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiostatic polarization measurement, respectively. These investigations show that SiO2 was found to be a better additive to reduce the porosity and improve conductivity. The relative density and ionic conductivity increase first and then decrease with increasing SiO2 content. The relative density of 93.8% and ionic conductivity of 9.11 × 10−4 S cm−1 in the sample with 0.2 wt% SiO2 were obtained. In contrast, the activation energy reaches a minimum value of 0.38 eV.

Phthalates have been attracted as a considerable attention in toxicological research as well as public health context due to their ubiquitous occurrence and potential adverse health effects. Newborns are susceptible to the environmental risk factors; however, data are still limited on newborn phthalate exposure and risk assessment worldwide, especially in China. This study was nested in a cross-sectional retrospective study of 1359 pregnant women recruited in Xiamen Maternity and Child Care Hospital, China, during June to July 2012. All urine samples from newborn were collected using disposal diapers during the first two postnatal days, and seven phthalate metabolites were measured by LC-ESI-MS/MS. Phthalate exposure and accumulation risk were evaluated based on the measured newborn urinary internal doses. The detection rate (96.5%) and the median concentration (17.5 ng/mL) of mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) were the highest, while monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) concentration was the lowest with a detection rate (1.50%). By estimating the daily intakes of the parent phthalates, their EDI were 0.04, 0.10, 0.32, 0.00, and 0.12 μg/kg-bw/day for dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalates (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBzP), and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), respectively. The newborns were commonly exposed to phthalates but no one exceeds the regulated tolerable daily intake (TDI) values in this large newborn population.

Background The pathogenesis of dental caries remains unclear, with increasing evidence suggesting that genetic susceptibility plays an essential role. Previous studies have reported the association between genetic polymorphisms in lactotransferrin (LTF) and the risk of dental caries with inconsistent results. Methods A systematic literature search of the PubMed, Cochrane Library, HuGE and Google Scholar databases was performed by two authors independently for papers published before December 5, 2019 on the association between genetic variants in LTF and the risk of dental caries. We adopted the subsequent inclusion criteria to assess study eligibility: 1) The studies were based on human subjects; 2) the presence of dental caries should be screened for in both the case group and the control group; and 3) genotype data on variants in LTF were available in both the case group and the control group. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using random-effects models to assess the association of genetic variants in LTF with the risk of dental caries. We also performed a gene-based analysis to explore the joint association of multiple genetic variants in LTF with the risk of dental caries. Results Our systematic literature search identified six relevant papers for analysis. We found no significant association between rs1126478 and the risk of dental caries when meta-analysing the genotype distribution between subjects with dental caries and those without dental caries (additive model: OR = 1.41; 95% CI = 0.98–2.02; P = 0.065). However, further analysis indicated that rs1126478 was associated with dental risk in subjects who had moderate or severe dental caries compared to those without dental caries (P LTF were jointly associated with the risk of dental caries (P = 0.002). Conclusions The present meta-analysis revealed some evidence of the association between rs1126478 and dental caries and that multiple genetic variants in LTF are jointly associated with the risk of dental caries. Our findings need to be validated by larger studies that adjust for important confounding factors for the risk of dental caries.

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) belong to the family of mitochondrial transporter proteins and mediate regulated proton leak across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The UCPs play an important role in energy homeostasis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) release, and have been established as candidate genes for obesity, diabetes and hypertension. This study examined the possible association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of UCP1–3 genes and essential hypertension (EH) in a northeastern Han Chinese population. A total of 2207 Chinese Han subjects were enrolled, including 1045 normotensives and 1162 hypertensives. Genotyping of UCP1 rs1800592, UCP1 rs12502572, UCP2 rs659366, UCP2 rs660339, and UCP3 rs3781907 was detected using Sequenom MassArray System. SHEsis was used to analyze linkage disequilibrium and haplotype. No evident association was observed between the genotype distributions and allele frequencies of individual SNPs and EH. Haplotype analysis showed the haplotype GAATA (rs1800592-rs12502572-rs659366-rs660339-rs3781907) was significantly associated with lower EH risk (p = 0.001, χ2 = 10.861, OR = 0.634, 95% CI = 0.483–0.833), and AGATG was associated with increased EH risk (p = 0.012, χ2 = 6.287, OR = 1.265, 95% CI = 1.052–1.521). These findings suggest haplotypes of UCP1–3 genes are linked to EH risk in a northeastern Han Chinese population. Further investigation with larger sample size in multiethnic population is needed to confirm our results.

The development of sensors that recognize Lewis oligosaccharides can help the diagnosis and early detection of cancer. Herein, we reported the design and synthesis of a series of anthracene-based bisboronic acids (9a—9e) with different N-substituents near the boronic acid unit. Among them, compound 9a could recognize sialyl Lewis X(sLex) with selectivity over other Lewis sugars, and could significantly stain sLex-expressing HEPG2 cells with selectivity over the range of 0.1—10 μmol/L. Compound 9a possibly has two properly positioned boronic acids caused by the steric hindrance by the near N-benzyl substituent group, which empower its sLex selectivity and higher binding affinity.

In 2009, a new citrus viral disease caused by citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) was first discovered in China, and now CYVCV is widely distributed in the field. CYVCV is transmissible by grafting and is spread by aphids from lemon to bean, and from bean to bean. However, whether CYVCV is transmitted by contaminated tools is unknown. In this study, the transmissibility of CYVCV with contaminated knife blades was investigated in sour orange and rough lemon. Three months after knife blade inoculation, CYVCV was detected in 16.5% of sour orange and 20.0% of rough lemon, respectively. Furthermore, six months post inoculation, the presence of CYVCV in sour orange and rough lemon was 23.3 and 20.0%, respectively. The results indicated that CYVCV is transmitted from citrus to citrus by contaminated knife blades.

Novel visible-light photocatalytic nanocomposites composed of cyclized polyacrylonitrile (CPAN) and CdS nanoparticles were prepared using a simple chemisorption and heat treatment approach. The as-prepared nanocomposites were systematically characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM (HRTEM), FTIR, XPS, UV–Vis DRS, PL, EIS, etc., and their visible-light photocatalytic performances were investigated by evaluating the photodegradation of methyl orange solutions under visible-light irradiation. The results show that the as-prepared nanocomposites display sphere-like morphology and their size is about 5 nm. A small amount of CPAN on the CdS surface can significantly enhance the absorption of CdS in the range of 500–800 nm and separation efficiency between the photogenerated electron/hole pairs in the nanocomposites. The investigated nanocomposites exhibit much higher visible-light photocatalytic activity than pure CdS and excellent photocatalytic stability. As the CPAN content increases, the visible-light photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites increases first and then decreases, and the nanocomposite with the CPAN and CdS mass ratio of 1:50 shows the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity. A possible visible-light photocatalytic mechanism of the CPAN/CdS photocatalysts was proposed.

The authors report on a ratiometric electrochemical sensor for paracetamol (PR) which was fabricated by successively electropolymerizing a layer of Prussian blue (PB) and a layer of molecularly imprinted polypyrrole (MIP) on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The binding of PR molecules to the MIP has two effects: The first is an increase of the oxidation current for PR at 0.42 V (vs. SCE), and the second is a decrease in the current for PB (at 0.18 V) due to partial blocking of the channels which results in reduced electron transmissivity. Both currents, and in particular their ratio, can serve as analytical information. Under optimized conditions, the sensor displays enhanced sensitivity for PR in the 1.0 nM to 0.1 mM concentration range and a 0.53 nM lower limit of detection. The sensor was applied to the determination of PR in tablets and urines where it gave recoveries in the range between 94.6 and 104.9 %. This dual-signal (ratiometric) detection scheme (using electropolymerized Prussian Blue and analyte-specific MIP) in our perception has a wide scope in that it may be applied to numerous other electroactive species for which specific MIP can be made available.

An efficient visible-light photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by surface-hybridizing graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) using a small amount of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles. The CdS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and photocurrent–time measurement. The photocatalytic activity of the CdS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites was investigated by evaluating the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation. The effects of the CdS content on the nanocomposites, initial RhB concentration, pH value of the investigated system, and dosage of CdS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites on the visible-light photocatalytic activity were systematically investigated. The results revealed that the visible-light photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts was significantly improved by surface-hybridization of a small amount of CdS nanoparticles, increased as both CdS content on the nanocomposites and dosage of CdS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites increased, while increased at first and then decreased as both initial RhB concentration and pH value of the investigated system increased. The visible-light photocatalytic mechanism of the CdS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites was discussed.

Visible light-responsive SnO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts were prepared by ultrasonic-assisting deposition method with melamine as a g-C3N4 precursor. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra and photoluminescence emission spectra. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by monitoring the degradation of methyl orange solution under visible light irradiation (wavelength ≥400 nm). The results show that the SnO2 nanoparticles with the size of 2–3 nm are dispersed on the surface of g-C3N4 evenly in SnO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposites. The visible-light photocatalytic activity of SnO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposites is much higher than that of pure g-C3N4, and increases at first and then decreases with the increment of the content of g-C3N4 in the nanocomposites. The visible-light photocatalytic mechanism of the investigated nanocomposites has been discussed.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with high morbidity and mortality. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) in the synovial tissues play critical roles in joint destruction. Recent studies implicate the sumoylation in the regulation of the inflammation and arthritis. Thus, we explored whether SUMO-conjugating enzyme UBC9 is involved in the progression of RA using a mouse collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. The effects of UBC9 siRNA on cell invasion and migration in human RA-FLS were also assessed in vitro. Treatment with siRNA against UBC9 for 3 weeks reduced the arthritis score and joint destruction. The expression of SUMO-1 and UBC9 protein in CIA joints was inhibited by UBC9 knockdown. Serum levels of anti-collagen (CII) antibodies, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-3, and MMP-9 were also decreased in CIA mice. In vitro, UBC9 silencing inhibited the secretion of VEGF-A, MMP-3, and MMP-9 from TNF-α-stimulated human RA-FLS. TNF-α-induced RA-FLS proliferation and migration were significantly attenuated by UBC9 knockdown. These findings indicate that SUMO-conjugating enzyme UBC9 promotes proliferation and migration of fibroblast-like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis. Inhibition of UBC9 activity may be a viable therapeutic target in amelioration of disease progression in RA by attenuating FLS proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Pancreatic cancer has the worst prognosis of any gastrointestinal cancer, with the mortality approaching the incidence. Early detection is crucial for improving patients' prognosis. CA242 has been widely reported to play a role in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. However, published data on this subject are inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic value of CA242 in pancreatic cancer. We searched all the eligible studies through PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases without language limitation. Studies were assessed for quality using the quality assessment of studies of diagnostic accuracy (QUADAS). Positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) were pooled separately and compared with overall accuracy measures diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and symmetric summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC). The PLR and NLR and their 95 % confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a fixed effects model according to the Mantel-Haensed method and random effects model based on the work of DerSimonian and Laird, respectively. A total of eight studies were included for analysis. The pooled sensitivity was 0.719 (95 % CI 0.690-0.746). The pooled specificity was 0.868 (95 % CI 0.849-0.885). The DOR estimate was performed and the result was (16.261). Our meta-analysis showed that CA242 could play an important role in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Using China Bird Report (2003–2007) as data source in combination with descriptions about bird habitats, we built up the China Bird Watching Database. We also developed spherical GIS software “Global Analyst” to create the point-based database which contains accurate spatial-temporal information. The China Bird Watching Database can reflect the achievement of Chinese bird watchers and complement the basic knowledge of bird distribution. Now a total of 30936 records from 17 Orders, 70 Families and 1078 Species of 5 years are included in the database, representing over 80% of all bird species in China. Till 2007, the geographic coverage has encompassed all provincial level administrative districts in China, with the exception of Hong Kong and Taiwan. The China Bird Watching Database also recorded a group of species which are additions at national and provincial levels, including 14 species which are additions to the national checklist and 109 species which appeared outside their original distributions. Comparing the new records with their original distributions, we found the trend that species move to higher latitude and higher elevation regions and some species of waterfowls in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, including a suite of rare seabirds in the mainland China. The majority of bird watchers come from the Eastern Region of China, but their covering range is spreading northwest. At the same time, we appeal to adopting a suite of new technologies for observation, and building up sharing platform of bird watching data to capture the distribution dynamics of birds in China and provide a direct foundation for bird conservation.

A series of polypyrrole (PPy)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposites were prepared in different polymerization conditions by ‘in situ’ chemical oxidative polymerization. The nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra (XPS), and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) was chosen as a model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of TiO2/PPy catalysts. The results show that a strong interaction exists at the interface between TiO2 and PPy, the deposition of PPy on TiO2 nanoparticles can alleviate their agglomeration, PPy/TiO2 nanocomposites show stronger absorbance than neat TiO2 under the whole range of visible light. The obtained PPy/TiO2 nanocomposites exhibit significantly higher photocatalytic activity than the neat TiO2 on the degradation of MO aqueous solution under visible and UV light illumination. The reasons for improving the photocatalytic activity were also discussed.

Objective To investigate the expression lose rates of two kinds different RASSF1 transcripts RASSF1A, RASSF1B in gastric-carcinoma and benign gastric disease and discuss their relations to clinical significance.