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DNA damage plays a significant role in the tumorigenesis and progression of the disease. Abnormal DNA repair affects the therapy and prognosis of cancer. In this study, it is demonstrated that the deubiquitinase USP25 promotes non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ), which in turn contributes to chemoresistance in cancer. It is shown that USP25 deubiquitinates SHLD2 at the K64 site, which enhances its binding with REV7 and promotes NHEJ. Furthermore, USP25 deficiency impairs NHEJ‐mediated DNA repair and reduces class switch recombination (CSR) in USP25‐deficient mice. USP25 is overexpressed in a subset of colon cancers. Depletion of USP25 sensitizes colon cancer cells to IR, 5‐Fu, and cisplatin. TRIM25 is also identified, an E3 ligase, as the enzyme responsible for degrading USP25. Downregulation of TRIM25 leads to an increase in USP25 levels, which in turn induces chemoresistance in colon cancer cells. Finally, a peptide that disrupts the USP25‐SHLD2 interaction is successfully identified, impairing NHEJ and increasing sensitivity to chemotherapy in PDX model. Overall, these findings reveal USP25 as a critical effector of SHLD2 in regulating the NHEJ repair pathway and suggest its potential as a therapeutic target for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further explore the mechanism of "the longer storage time, the better bioactivity" of aged Guang Chenpi, the dry pericarp of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' (CRC), a series of activity assessments were performed on spleen deficiency mice. The constituents in CRC with different storage years were analyzed by LC‐Q‐Orbitrap/MS. A total of 53 compounds were identified, and CRC stored for more than 5 years showed higher flavonoid content, especially that of polymethoxyflavones. Anti‐spleen deficiency bioactivity analysis among various CRC with different storage years showed aged CRC (stored for more than 3 years) could significantly alleviate fatigue and depression behaviors much better, increase D‐xylose and gastrin secretion, and upregulate the expression of the linking protein occludin in the colon walls. Results from 16S rDNA sequencing showed that aged CRC could downregulate the abundance of Enterococcus, Gemmata, Citrobacter, Escherichia_Shigella, and Klebsiella, which were significantly overrepresented in the model group. Bacteroides, Muribaculum, Alloprevotella, Paraprevotella, Alistipes, Eisenbergiella, and Colidextribacter were downregulated in the model group but enriched in the CRC groups. At last, the spectrum‐effect relationship analysis indicated that flavonoids such as citrusin III, homoeriodictyol, hesperidin, nobiletin, and isosinensetin in aged CRC showed the highest correlation with better activity in ameliorating spleen deficiency by regulating gut microbiota. Flavonoids contribute most to discriminating aged CRC and could disclose the basis of "the longer storage time, the better bioactivity" of aged Guang Chenpi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using biodegradable blending materials is one of the most effective ways to address plastic pollution but it is hindered by its poor interfacial interaction along with high costs. Herein, an envirionmentally friendly filler, camellia seed powder (CSP)−a byproduct of camellia seed after defatting, is reported, which is first served as a compatibilizer in polylactic acid (PLA)/polybutylene succinate (PBS) blends without any other aids or complicated pretreatment, effectively toughening the PLA/PBS blends due to a better interfacial interaction. The results show that the toughness of composites increases with CSP content. With the addition of 30 phr CSP, its impact strength and elongation at break increase by 44.31% and 148.42%, respectively, as compared with the blend without CSP. The combined effects of improved interfacial bonding, reduced particle size of PBS and efficient stress transfer are responsible for the toughness enhancement. The compatibilization mechanism is proposed that ─COOH groups in PLA and PBS react with ─NH2 in CSP. The above finding of CSP as a compatibilizer provides a facile and inexpensive strategy in the fabrication of high‐performance biodegradable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the advantages of cellulosic biomass, such as abundant reserves, renewable, and wide sources, the large‐scale development of lignocellulosic biomass fuels has the advantage of relieving energy pressure and promoting energy conservation and emission reduction, of which the levulinate esters are a potential biomass liquid fuel. In this study, different alkyl chain lengths of the levulinate esters were blended with 0# fossil diesel, and the physicochemical properties of the blended fuels, such as mutual solubility, density, distillation range, closed flash point, kinematic viscosity, cold filter plugging point, oxidation stability, and sulfur content and other physical and chemical properties were tested and investigated. The results showed that the longer the alkyl chains of the levulinate esters, the better their stability when mixed with 0# petrochemical diesel. And levulinate esters with short alkyl chains can be easily separated from blended fuels at low temperatures. The physicochemical properties of the blended fuels improved significantly with the increase of carbon chain length and levulinate esters content, low‐temperature flow characteristics, atomization characteristics of spraying, and safety of transportation and storage, and the physicochemical properties of levulinate blended fuels with long alkyl chains were more superior than shorter alkyl chains of the levulinate esters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parasitic dinoflagellates of the genus Hematodinium have been considered one of the most important emerging pathogens for a broad range of marine crustaceans around the world. In China, frequent outbreaks of Hematodinium infections have caused serious economic losses for local farmers since 2004. Wild crabs were recently indicated to play a vital role in the transmission and spreading of the Hematodinium disease in polyculture pond systems. Based on PCR amplification and histopathological examination, we demonstrated that H. perezi can naturally infect a wild crab species, Hemigrapsus takanoi, which were collected from the waterways located on the coast of Rizhao or Weifang, Shandong Peninsula, China. According to the sequence similarity analysis and phylogenetic analysis, the Hematodinium isolates were identified as H. perezi and belonged to genotype II. The prevalence of H. perezi ranged from 3.3% to 5.7% in H. takanoi originating from Rizhao (n = 165 wild crabs) and from 0.9% to 20.0% in that originating from Weifang (n = 1386 wild crabs), respectively. To our knowledge, H. takanoi is, for the first time, reported as a new host for Hematodinium. Given the wide distribution of H. takanoi on the coasts along the Shandong Peninsula and the relative high prevalence of infection we monitored in our study, we speculate that H. takanoi contributes to the introducing and spreading parasitic Hematodinium between ponds via waterways in a poly‐culturing system. Findings in this study broaden the host range of this parasite and expand the scope of our surveillance for Hematodinium disease in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium(III/IV) is a redox couple with promising applications in redox flow batteries and redox‐mediated water electrolyzers, but due to its high oxidation potential, parasitic oxygen evolution can occur and decrease the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of the oxidation reaction. Dynamic potential dosing can help balance the transport limitations and the electrooxidation rates, allowing for control over the cerium(III) concentration near the electrode, enhancing FE. Due to the large number of possible pulsing operating conditions, Bayesian optimization (BO) was used to rapidly identify the optimal potential pulses. With an active pulse voltage of 2.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl, the maximum FE achieved was 0.91 (active pulse time = 5 ms, resting pulse time = 136 ms), underscoring the need for long inactive times for cerium(III) diffusion to the electrode. Furthermore, a multiobjective BO was performed to identify optimal trade‐offs between FE and the partial current density to achieve improvements over constant current operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly active and stable cathode catalysts are crucial functional materials for high‐performance proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Herein, robust cathode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (Pt/melem‐modified carbon (MMC)) that are assembled with Pt nanoclusters (NCs) and MMC supports are reported. The mass activity (MA) of a Pt/MMC catalyst reaches 907 mA mg−1Pt, which is 3.9 and 4.2 times over a homemade Pt/C catalyst (Pt/VXC‐72R) and a commercial Pt/C catalyst with similar Pt particle sizes, respectively. After 10 000 voltage cycles from 1.0 to 1.5 V at 60 °C, the MA of Pt/MMC decreases by only 2% from the initial value, vastly superior to that of the Pt/C catalysts. Theoretical calculations and X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis results show that chemical bonds form between Pt nanoclusters and MMC. The adsorption energies of OOH* on the catalytic sites in Pt/MMC obviously increase, while those of OH−* decrease compared with those on Pt/C, which accounts for the measured high catalytic activity, providing a promising manner to overcome the specific scaling relations between the stability of adsorbed OH−* and OOH* on a given Pt surface. The high durability of Pt/MMC derives from strong chemical interactions between Pt NCs and the support MMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic biology, an emerging research field, can promote biomanufacturing 4.0 by offering various efficient chassis. Engineering Bacillus subtilis, a prominent workhorse in industrial biotechnology, through synthetic biology approaches may be a disruptive innovation. Diverse chassis forms are envisaged to deal with challenges in metabolic complexity, metabolic burden, and systems robustness. Thus, advancements in chassis engineering, a synthetic biology strategy for genome‐reduced cell factories, cell‐free systems, and synthetic microbial consortia would be a driving force facilitating microbial production. In this review article, we summarized chassis engineering categories and applications for B. subtilis. Prospects and challenges for chassis engineering in B. subtilis were also discussed. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antitumor effects of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. polysaccharides (LRPS) and Lycium ruthenicum Murr. anthocyanins (LRAC) were comprehensively investigated in this study. LPRS was obtained by water extraction and alcohol precipitation and further purified using diethylaminoethyl cellulose (DEAE‐Cellulose) and Sephadex G‐75 columns. High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier transform‐infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the purified LRPS. The results showed that the purified LRPS contained heteropolysaccharides, mainly composed of arabinose, galactose, and glucose with weight percentage of 41.2%, 33.6%, and 10.8%, respectively. More importantly, LRPS (500 μg/ml) and LRAC (80 μg/ml) failed to impede the proliferation of tumor cells when applied solely (48 h incubation), yet remarkable antineoplastic effects were found once they were applied altogether, since the LoVo cells, a typical human colorectal carcinoma cell line, were significantly inhibited by the mixture of LRPS (150 μg/ml) and LRAC (20 μg/ml) (LRPS&AC) in 24 h. The antineoplastic activity resulted from the combination of both LRPS and LRAC (LRPS&AC), by means of blocking the cell cycle at the G0–G1 phase and inducing LoVo cell apoptosis via reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐dependent pathway. The inhibitory effects of LRPS&AC were specific to the tumor cells, without imposing on the proliferation of normal cells. Western blotting revealed that the antitumor effect was related to the mitochondria‐mediated apoptosis launched by the cross‐action of PI3K/Akt (phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/protein kinase B) and JAK2/STAT3 (janus kinase 2/signal transduction and activator of transcription 3) signaling pathways. These findings for the first time reveal the synergistic antitumor effects of LRPS&AC and the related mechanisms, which enable Lycium ruthenicum Murr. to serve as a natural source to develop therapeutic reagents and functional foods with antineoplastic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the impacts of a center‐based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of caregivers, using data from a cluster‐randomized controlled trial of 1664 caregivers (Mage = 36.87 years old) of 6‐ to 24‐month‐old children in 100 villages in rural China. Caregivers and children in 50 villages received individual parenting training, group activities and open play space in village parenting centers. The results show no significant overall change in caregiver‐reported mental health symptoms after 1 year of intervention. Subgroup analyses reveal heterogeneous effects by caregiver socioeconomic status and identity (mother vs. grandmother). Findings suggest that early childhood development interventions without targeted mental health components may not provide sufficient support to improve caregiver mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Anaerobic degradation has been demonstrated as an important pathway for the removal of sulfonamide (SA) in contaminated environments, and identifying the microorganisms responsible for the degradation of SA is a key step in developing bioaugmentation approaches. In this study, we investigated the anaerobic degradation activity of three SA [sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamethazine (SMZ) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX)] and the associated bacterial community in wetland sediments contaminated by aquaculture (in Fujian Province, coded with FJ), livestock farming (in Sichuan Province, coded with SC), or rural wastewaters (in Guangdong Province, coded with GD). Additionally, the combination of DNA‐stable isotope probing (SIP) with metagenomics was further applied to assess the active SA‐degrading microbes using SMX as a model SA. Among SDZ, SMZ and SMX, only SMX could be effectively dissipated, and the degradation of SMX was relatively fast in the microcosms of sediments with higher levels of SA contamination (FJ and SC). The anaerobic biotransformation pathway of SMX was initiated by hydrogenation with the cleavage of the N–O bond on the isoxazole ring. DNA‐SIP revealed that the in situ active anaerobic SMX‐degraders (5, 18 and 3 genera in sediments FJ, SC and GD respectively) were dominated by Proteobacteria in sediments FJ and SC, but by Firmicutes (two Family XVIII members) in sediment GD. Mycobacterium, unclassified Burkholderiaceae and Rhodocyclaceae were identified as the dominant active SMX‐degrading bacteria in both sediments FJ and SC. Higher proportions of antibiotic resistance gene and genes involved in various functional categories were observed in sediments FJ and SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene, a hydrocarbon (C2H4), is one of the widely used products in the chemical industry. A traditional dehydration method of ethanol to ethylene relies strongly on high‐temperature and high‐pressure process with significant energy consumption. In this regard, producing ethylene from bioethanol through dehydration is a promising and sustainable approach, but, this process under mild conditions results in low yields and poor selectivity. Herein, an integrated solar energy catalytic system driven by only sun energy under ambient conditions is established for the first time for bioethanol dehydration using oxygen‐vacancy‐abundant (Ov) WO3 coupled with a thin layer of carbon coating (CL) (WO3−x@C). A record‐high ethylene selectivity of 98.1% is achieved driven by full solar spectrum without any external power, featuring zero pollution emission nature. In this process, Ov acts as a solid acid center, which is the key to initiate the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene via a solar thermal process, while the CL promotes solar thermal synergy, ensuring the high reaction temperature and hot carriers transmission simultaneously. In‐situ infrared spectroscopy and thermodynamic calculations demonstrate a novel proton hydrogen‐mediated catalytic process over WO3−x@C. This work provides a new opportunity of using full‐spectrum solar energy for catalytic generation of value‐added chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive polypyrrole (PPy) is an excellent polymer material for microwave absorption, which is vital for reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) for electronic devices. To improve the microwave absorption capability and enhance the thermal stability and mechanical ductility of conductive PPy, metallic magnetic nanoparticles can be added to form PPy nanocomposites. In this paper, we present the first study to compute the electromagnetic properties of PPy nanocomposites based on the first principles method. It is discovered that (1) while doping can improve the microwave absorbing properties of PPy material, the absorption performance does not necessarily increase with the number of doping position; (2) conductivity and absorption coefficient increase significantly for the PPy nanocomposite compared with PPy. The dielectric loss is more than 2 at about 2 eV; (3) reflectivity and absorption coefficient decrease with the increase of PPy content in PPy/Co nanocomposite; (4) the average magnetic moment of the PPy nanocomposite is the same as that of pure nanoparticles, and this indicates that only nanoparticles generate magnetic loss for the nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel pathogenic strain Vibrio 20190611023 was isolated from the hepatopancreas of moribund cultured Penaeus vannamei suffering from black gill disease. This strain was identified as V. brasiliensis based on the phylogenetic analyses of 16S rDNA gene and five other housekeeping genes (i.e., gapA, ftsZ, mreB, topA and gyrB). Some biochemical features of this strain were determined with an API 20NE system, and its haemolytic activity was determined using a sheep blood agar plate. The pathogenicity of this isolate 20190611023 was confirmed by the experimental challenge tests and histopathological examinations. P. vannamei were challenged via reverse gavage with different doses of bacterial suspensions. The calculated median lethal dose (LD50) was (3.16 ± 1.78) × 105 CFU/g (body weight). Moreover, antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed, the results of which showed that the strain 20190611023 was sensitive to chloramphenicol, compound sulphamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline and oxacillin, but resistant to erythromycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone, cefamezin and piperacillin. To our knowledge, this is the first report for demonstrating V. brasiliensis as a shrimp pathogen, which expands the host range of V. brasiliensis infection. The present study highlights that more attention should be paid to this novel pathogen in intensive shrimp aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Val‐Val‐Tyr‐Pro (VVYP) peptide is one of the main active components of Globin digest (GD). Our previous studies indicated that VVYP could protect against acetaminophen and carbon tetrachloride‐induced acute liver failure in mice and decrease blood lipid level. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of VVYP in the treatment of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) have not been discovered. Our present study was designed to investigate the preventive effect of VVYP on NASH and its underlying specific mechanisms. We found that VVYP inhibited the cytotoxicity and lipid accumulation in L‐02 cells that were exposed to a mixture of free fatty acid (FFA). VVYP effectively alleviated the liver injury induced by methionine‐choline‐deficient (MCD) diet, demonstrated by reducing the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/triglycerides (TG)/non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and improving liver histology. VVYP decreased expression levels of lipid synthesis‐related genes and reduced levels of the proinflammation cytokines in the liver of mice fed by MCD diet. Moreover, VVYP inhibited the increased level of LPS and reversed the liver mitochondria dysfunction induced by MCD diet. Meanwhile, VVYP significantly increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Eubacteriaceae, coriobacteriacease, Desulfovibrionaceae, S24‐7 and Bacteroidia in high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed mice, however, VVYP reduced the abundance of Lactobacillus. Moreover, VVYP conferred the protective effect of intestinal barrier via promoting the expression of the mucins and tight junction (TJ)‐associated genes and inhibited subsequent liver inflammatory responses. These results indicated that the protective role of VVYP on NASH is mediated by modulating gut microbiota imbalance and related gut‐liver axis activation. VVYP might be a promising drug candidate for NASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG) on glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in human placental trophoblasts and involvement of the cAMP/PKA/CREB1 signaling pathway in these effects. Methods: An insulin resistance cell model of human trophoblasts was established. An SHBG‐overexpression plasmid was transfected into these cells, and the expression of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), CREB and p‐CREB was detected and analyzed in normal cells, model cells and all groups of transfected cells by real‐time PCR and western blotting; cAMP, PKA, glucose consumption and pyruvic acid levels were also detected. Results: Among the four groups, there was no significant difference in the expression of CREB mRNA or GLUT1 mRNA (P > 0.05); however, CREB, p‐CREB, GLUT1 protein, cAMP and PKA showed low expression (P < 0.05) and cell glucose consumption and pyruvate production were decreased (P < 0.05) in the model group, compared to the normal group. SHBG overexpression in insulin‐resistant cells partially increased the levels of p‐CREB, GLUT1, cAMP and PKA (P < 0.05). Intracellular glucose consumption and pyruvate production were nearly restored to the levels observed in cells from the normal group. Conclusion: Sex hormone‐binding globulin regulates GLUT1 expression via the cAMP/PKA/CREB1 pathway and affects glucose transport in the placenta, which can induce insulin resistance and gestational diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uveal melanoma (UM) has a high mortality rate due to liver metastasis. The insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) is highly expressed in UM and has been shown to be associated with hepatic metastases. Targeting IGF signalling may be considered as a promising approach to inhibit the process of metastatic UM cells. Pristimerin (PRI) has been demonstrated to inhibit the growth of several cancer cells, but its role and underlying mechanisms in the IGF‐1‐induced UM cell proliferation are largely unknown. The present study examined the anti‐proliferative effect of PRI on UM cells and its possible role in IGF‐1R signalling transduction. MTT and clonogenic assays were used to determine the role of PRI in the proliferation of UM cells. Flow cytometry was performed to detect the effect of PRI on the cell cycle distribution of UM cells. Western blotting was carried out to assess the effects of PRI and IGF‐1 on the IGF‐1R phosphorylation and its downstream targets. The results indicated that IGF‐1 promoted the UM cell proliferation and improved the level of IGF‐1R phosphorylation, whereas PRI attenuated the effect of IGF‐1. Interestingly, PRI could not only induce the G1 phase accumulation and reduce the G2 phase induced by IGF‐1, but also could stimulate the expression of p21 and inhibit the expression of cyclin D1. Besides, PRI could attenuate the phosphorylations of Akt, mTOR and ERK1/2 induced by IGF‐1. Furthermore, the molecular docking study also demonstrated that PRI had potential inhibitory effects on IGF‐1R. Taken together, these results indicated that PRI could inhibit the proliferation of UM cells through down‐regulation of phosphorylated IGF‐1R and its downstream signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this paper, a robust fractional‐order PID (FOPID) controller design method for fractional‐order delay systems is proposed based on positive stability region (PSR) analysis. Firstly, the PSR is presented to improve the existing stability region (SR) in D‐decomposition method. Then, the optimal fractional orders λ and μ of FOPID controller are achieved at the biggest three‐dimensional PSR, which means the best robustness. Given the optimal λ and μ, the other FOPID controller parameters kp, ki, kd can be solved under the control specifications, including gain crossover frequency, phase margin, and an extended flat phase constraint. In addition, the steps of the proposed robust FOPID controller design process are listed at length, and an example is given to illustrate the corresponding steps. At last, the control performances of the obtained robust FOPID controller are compared with some other controllers (PID and FOPI). The simulation results illustrate the superior robustness as well as the transient performance of the proposed control algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroalgae play a crucial role in coastal marine ecosystems, but they are also subject to multiple challenges due to tidal and seasonal alterations. In this work, we investigated the photosynthetic response of Pyropia yezoensis to ultraviolet radiation (PAR: 400–700 nm; PAB: 280–700 nm) under changing temperatures (5, 10 and 15°C) and light intensities (200, 500 and 800 μmol photons m−2 s−1). Under low light intensity (200 μmol photons m−2 s−1), P. yezoensis showed the lowest sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation, regardless of temperature. However, higher temperatures inhibited the repair rates (r) and damage rates (k) of photosystem II (PSII) in P. yezoensis. However, under higher light intensities (500 and 800 μmol photons m−2 s−1), P. yezoensis showed higher sensitivity to UV radiation. Both r and the ratio of repair rate to damage rate (r:k) were significantly inhibited in P. yezoensis by PAB, regardless of temperature. In addition, higher temperatures significantly decreased the relative UV‐inhibition rates, while an increased carbon fixation rate was found. Our study suggested that higher light intensities enhanced the sensitivity to UV radiation, while higher temperatures could relieve the stress caused by high light intensity and UV radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three super city clusters in eastern China, that is, Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Pearl River Delta (PRD), have been developed in recent decades. The spatial and diurnal variations of summer hourly rainfall over these city clusters and their possible link to the urbanization are investigated in this study, with the Climate Prediction Center Morphing technique (CMORPH) satellite precipitation estimates at high spatial‐temporal resolutions for 2004‐2009. Although the summer rainfall in eastern China is mainly characterized by large‐scale pattern, significant regional rainfall features over the three city clusters can be clearly observed, which are related to the clustered urbanization. Large hourly rainfall intensity is found over the city clusters or downwind from them. Those regions with large hourly rainfall intensity are named as the city cluster impacted regions (CCIRs), contrast to the surrounding mountainous regions where high frequency and large amount but low hourly intensity of rainfall occur. Location and geometry of each CCIR are unique because of the distinctive geography and structures among city clusters. The CCIR situates right over YRD, but it is shifted to the downwind region with an elongated shape for BTH and a circular shape for PRD. More heavy rain but less light rain occurs over the CCIRs than the surrounding regions. Diurnal variations of light rain amount and frequency can be influenced by both mountain and urbanization, and a diurnal cycle amplitude increase related to the urbanization is detected only over the CCIR of YRD where the terrains are mostly low and flat. Key Points: Large hourly rainfall intensity is found over the city clusters of eastern China or downwind from themThose regions with large hourly rainfall intensity are named as the city cluster impacted regions (CCIRs)More heavy rain but less light rain occurs over the CCIRs than the surrounding regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four novel divalent lead coordination polymers based on a series of zwitterionic ligands, Pb2Cl4L1 (1), [Pb2Cl4L2]·2H2O (2), Pb2Cl2(CH3COO)2L2 (3), and Pb3Cl4(NO3)2L3 (4) were solvothermally synthesized and successfully characterized. Single crystal structure studies reveal that compound 1 is a chain structure based on the inorganic "PbCl2" chain motif, whereas compounds 2–4 are sheet structures each constructed by inorganic "PbCl2", "PbCl(CH3COO)", and "Pb3Cl4" chain motifs. Hydrogen bonding interactions in term of C–H···Cl and C–H···O play a key role to form supramolecular 3D structures of 1–4. Additionally, studies of solid state fluorescence indicate 1–4 emit in the ultraviolet and visible region that can be assigned to the inter‐ligand π*–π and/or π*–n transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various neuropeptides related to the energy equilibrium affect bone growth in humans and animals. Neuropeptides W (NPW) are identical in the internal ligands of the two G‐protein receptors (GPRs) included in subtypes 7 and 8. Neuropeptides W inhibits proliferation in the cultivated rat calvarial osteoblast‐like (ROB) cells. This study examines the expression of NPW and GPR7 in murine chondrocyte and their function. An immunohistochemical analysis showed that NPW and GPR7 were expressed in the proliferative chondrocytes of the growth plates in the hind limbs of mice. The NPW mRNA quickly elevated in the early differentiation (7‐14 days) of ATDC5 cells, while NPW and GPR7 mRNA were reduced during the late stage (14‐21 days) of differentiation. Neuropeptide W‐23 (NPW‐23) promoted the proliferation of ATDC5 cells, which was attenuated by inhibiting the GPR7, protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC) and ERK1/2 pathways. Neuropeptide W‐23 enhanced the early cell differentiation, as evaluated by collagen type II and the aggrecan gene expression, which was unaffected by inhibiting the ERK1/2 pathway, but significantly decreased by inhibiting the PKA, PKC and p38 MAPK pathways. In contrast, NPW‐23 was not involved in the terminal differentiation of the chondrocytes, as evaluated by the mineralization of the chondrocytes and the activity of the alkaline phosphatase. Neuropeptides W stimulated the PKA, PKC, p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 activities in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner in the ATDC5 cells. These results show that NPW promotes the proliferation and early differentiation of murine chondrocyte via GPR7 activation, as well as PKA and PKC‐dependent signalling cascades, which may be involved in endochondral bone formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study evaluated the stiffness of tissue surrounding thyroid nodules using shear wave elastography (SWE). Methods: A total of 128 thyroid nodules in 108 patients were examined with conventional ultrasound imaging and SWE. The maximum Young modulus value was measured to evaluate the stiffness of the thyroid nodules (E) and the 2‐mm perinodular region (Eshell). The number of thyroid fibrocytes was evaluated by Masson trichrome staining and image‐processing software. The arrangement of the fibrous structure was also classified. Results: The mean age ± SD of the 108 patients was 33.12 ± 13.34 years (range, 18–80 years). Thirty‐nine thyroid nodules were classified as benign and 89 as malignant. Eshell was significantly higher for malignant nodules (95.0 ± 21.9 kPa) compared with benign nodules (48.1 ± 17.0 kPa; P < .001). Eshell yielded an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve value of 0.951, which was used for the diagnosis of nodules. There was a high positive correlation between E and Eshell in the malignant group (R = 0.722; P < .001) and a moderate positive correlation in the benign group (R = 0.601; P < .001). Percentages of fibrocytes correlated highly with Eshell in all samples as well as in malignant samples (R = 0.867 and R = 0.729, respectively; P < .001). The degree of disorder of the tissue surrounding thyroid nodules was positively correlated with Eshell (R = 0.833). Conclusions: Perinodular stiffness has potential to improve diagnosis of thyroid nodules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influence ways of structural feature, hydrolytic viscosity and monosaccharides′ concentrations on the enzymatic hydrolysis of high‐solid liquid hot water (LHW)‐treated lignocellulose were evaluated. The SEM observation showed that the residual lignin in the LHW‐treated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) played an important role in gluing fasciculate structures, and XRD detection indicated the decrease of crystalline index (CrI) of LHW‐treated SCB after lignin removal. The enzymatic hydrolysis of LHW‐treated SCB with and without lignin removal showed that the residual lignin might block the access of cellobiohydrolase to the crystalline cellulose. The fractal kinetic model indicated that the benefit of the low viscosity for high‐solid enzymatic hydrolysis of LHW‐treated SCB would appear with the time going. As the enzymatic hydrolysis proceeding, the accumulation of glucose imposed more and more intense inhibition on the cellulolytic hydrolysis, while the xylose showed a little inhibition. The changes of UV spectra indicated that the glucose accumulation hardly affected the side chains containing tyrosine (Try) and/or tryptophan (Trp) which should be not in the catalytic active center of cellulase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RATIONALE: Under certain conditions some amino acid (AA) residues undergo special reactions in the gas phase, generating characteristic neutral losses and productions. Taking these special fragments into account and understanding the effect of AA residues on peptide cleavages will consummate database search algorithms and manual data interpretation in peptide sequencing by mass spectrometry (MS). In this study, the details of the characteristic NH3 and CO losses of glutamine (Gln) residues located at the C-terminus of peptides are presented. METHODS: A number of selected peptides were fragmented under collision-induced dissociation (CID) in electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS). Density functional theory (DFT) quantum mechanical calculations at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level were carried out to optimize the geometry of peptide ions and provide energy barriers of ions in each step during fragmentations. RESULTS: Two characteristic peaks appear near the precursor ions of sodiated Gln C-terminated peptides, suggesting the loss of neutral NH3 and CO via a two-step process. The proposed mechanism of their formation is as follows: after losing NH3, a non-classical bn* ion is formed with a glutaric anhydride structure that further dissociates to lose CO. The sodiated peptides show more intensive peaks corresponding to the loss of neutral molecules than the protonated ones. This type of neutral loss can also occur at the Gln residue that is rearranged to the C-terminus of sodiated peptides. CONCLUSIONS: The experiments and calculations suggest that the two-step characteristic NH3 and CO loss of sodiated peptides is energetically favored, and can be applied to identify C-terminated Gln residues. This study provides a mechanistic insight into the role of sodium ion during peptide fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peptide fragments such as b and y sequence ions generated upon low-energy collision-induced dissociation have been routinely used for tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based peptide/protein identification. The underlying formation mechanisms have been studied extensively and described within the literature. As a result, the ‘mobile proton model’ and ‘pathways in competition model’ have been built to interpret a majority of peptide fragmentation behavior. However, unusual peptide fragments which involve unfamiliar fragmentation pathways or various rearrangement reactions occasionally appear in MS/MS spectra, resulting in confused MS/MS interpretations. In this work, a series of unfamiliar c ions are detected in MS/MS spectra of the model peptides having an N-terminal Arg or deuterohemin group upon low-energy collision-induced dissociation process. Both the protonated Arg and deuterohemin group play an important role in retention of a positive charge at the N-terminus that is remote from the cleavage sites. According to previous reports and our studies involving amino acid substitutions and hydrogen–deuterium exchange, we propose a McLafferty-type rearrangement via charge-remote fragmentation as the potential mechanism to explain the formation of c ions from precursor peptide ions or unconventional b ions. Density functional theory calculations are also employed in order to elucidate the proposed fragmentation mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Letter proposes two methods for the Gaussian‐tailed zero‐memory non‐linearity (GZMNL) design in symmetric α‐stable noise. The optimal GZMNL is designed by maximising the efficacy via a derivative‐free method. The efficient GZMNL is designed by polynomial fitting with the derived coefficients. Simulated results demonstrate that the GZMNL designs are nearly as optimal as the locally optimal detector, with an advantage of closed‐form formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metagenomics analysis has been applied to identify the dominant anaerobic microbial consortium of the carbon monoxide ( CO) oxidizers in anaerobic sludge. Reads from the hypervariable V6 region in the bacterial 16s rDNA were aligned and finally clustered into operational taxonomic units ( OTUs). The OTUs from different stages in anaerobic CO condition were classified. Alphaproteobacteria, clostridia, betaproteobacteria and actinobacteria were the most abundant groups, while alphaproteobacteria, betaproteobacteria and actinobacteria were variable groups. CO consumption and production efficiency of the microbial consortium were studied. Semi-continuous trials showed that these anaerobic CO oxidizers formed a stable microbial community, and the CO conversion rate was at over 84%, with the highest CO consumption activity of 28.9 mmol CO/g VSS●day and methane production activity at 7.6 mmol CH4/g VSS●day during six cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Hydrothermal pretreatments were applied to improve the cellulose digestibility of sugarcane bagasse (SB). The effect of hydrothermal process parameters, i.e. temperature, pressure and NH3 addition on the enzymatic digestibility was studied. With the objective of understanding the relationship between pretreatment and enzymatic digestibility, the ultrastructure of untreated and treated SB cell wall was observed. RESULTS 72 h digestibility was enhanced from 15.7% (untreated SB) to 77.9% for the samples treated with hot water at 180 °C, 4 MPa for 20 min, while it reached 98.5% with the addition of 25% NH3 at 160 °C, 6 MPa for 60 min. There is no direct relationship between enzymatic digestibility and crystallinity index value, but it has a close relationship with the removal of hemicellulose and lignin. The boundaries among the different layers in the secondary wall of treated SB could not be distinguished exactly resulting from the migration of lignin in the hot water process or removal of lignin in the NH3 addition pretreatment. CONCLUSION The enzymatic digestibility of SB was enhanced by the hydrothermal pretreatment. The homogenization of distribution of cellulose and lignin in the cell wall layer resulted from the removal of hemicellulose or lignin contributed to the enhancement of accessibility to enzymatic attack. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRMT5 is a type II protein arginine methyltransferase with roles in stem cell biology, reprograming, cancer and neurogenesis. During embryogenesis in the mouse, it was hypothesized that PRMT5 functions with the master germline determinant BLIMP1 to promote primordial germ cell ( PGC) specification. Using a Blimp1- Cre germline conditional knockout, we discovered that Prmt5 has no major role in murine germline specification, or the first global epigenetic reprograming event involving depletion of cytosine methylation from DNA and histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation from chromatin. Instead, we discovered that PRMT5 functions at the conclusion of PGC reprograming I to promote proliferation, survival and expression of the gonadal germline program as marked by MVH. We show that PRMT5 regulates gene expression by promoting methylation of the Sm spliceosomal proteins and significantly altering the spliced repertoire of RNAs in mammalian embryonic cells and primordial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A characteristic neutral loss of 44 Da is observed in the MS/MS spectra of Thr-containing sodiated peptides. A combination of tandem mass spectrometry and quantum chemical calculations calculated at the B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) level of ab initio theory is used to elucidate this fragmentation pathway. The high resolution mass spectrometry data indicate this neutral loss is acetaldehyde lost from the side chain of Thr rather than CO2. The intensity of this neutral loss can be enhanced when Thr residue is far from the C-terminus and when the C-terminus is esterified as well. The mechanism of the acetaldehyde loss is proposed to adopt a McLafferty-type rearrangement reaction, which involves a proton transfer from the hydroxyl of Thr side chain to its C-terminal neighboring carbonyl oxygen inducing the cleavage of the Ca-Cβ bond. This mechanism is further supported by examining the fragmentation of a [GT(tBu)G + Na]+ peptide derivative and by comparing the product ion spectra of [M + Na-44]+ of [GTGA + Na]+ with [M + Na]+ of [GGGA + Na]+. A similar neutral loss of HCHO can also be detected in Ser-containing peptides. Our computational results reveal that the most stable [GTG + Na]+ ion is present as a tridentate charge-solvated structure and the dissociation leading to the 44 loss is dynamically and energetically favorable. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are numerous anecdotal reports of ventricular arrhythmias during spaceflight; however, it is not known whether spaceflight or microgravity systematically increases the risk of cardiac dysrhythmias. Microvolt T wave alternans (MTWA) testing compares favorably with other noninvasive risk stratifiers and invasive electrophysiological testing in patients as a predictor of sudden cardiac death, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation. We hypothesized that simulated microgravity leads to an increase in MTWA.Methods: Twenty-four healthy male subjects underwent 9 to 16 days of head-down tilt bed rest (HDTB). MTWA was measured before and after the bed rest period during bicycle exercise stress. For the purposes of this study, we defined MTWA outcome to be positive if sustained MTWA was present with an onset heart rateResults: Before HDTB, 17% of the subjects were MTWA positive [95%CI: (0.6%, 37%)]; after HDTB, 42% of the subjects were MTWA positive [95%CI: (23%, 63%)] (P=0.03). The subjects who were MTWA positive after HDTB compared with MTWA negative subjects had an increased versus decreased sympathetic responsiveness (P=0.03) and serum norepinephrine levels (P=0.05), and a trend toward higher potassium excretion (P=0.06) after bed rest compared to baseline.Conclusions: HDTB leads to an increase in MTWA, providing the first evidence that simulated microgravity has a measurable effect on electrical repolarization processes. Possible contributing factors include loss in potassium and changes in sympathetic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable magnesium sulfur batteries (MSBs) face issues like polysulfide shuttling, sluggish redox kinetics, and high cost, leading to dissatisfied practical demonstrations. Herein, simple battery configurations utilizing 100% sulfur are proposed on nine collectors and a low‐cost phenolate‐based magnesium complex (PMC) electrolyte to address these problems. Comprehensive studies indicate that the Cu collector is the most conducive to improving battery performance, not only facilitating the generation of magnesium sulfides during discharging but also effectively dissociating Mg─S bonds during charging. Moreover, Cu surfaces can effectively adsorb magnesium polysulfides (MgSx) and induce an insulator‐to‐metal transition of MgS, leading to a more effective suppression of the shuttle effect and the transfer of electrons. MXene interlayers are further introduced between electrodes to inhibit MgSx shuttling and enhance the interfacial electronic conductivity, as reflected by the reinforced high discharge voltage plateau at ≈1.7 V and stable long discharge voltage plateau at ≈1.2 V. The assembled MSBs exhibit the highest reported capacity of 1260 mAh g−1S and an energy density of 1230 Wh kg−1S with a cycle life of over 1000 cycles. This research contributes to the fundamental understanding of rechargeable MSBs and marks a significant advancement in optimizing cell designs for better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Letter proposes two methods for the Gaussian-tailed zero-memory non-linearity (GZMNL) design in symmetric a-stable noise. The optimal GZMNL is designed by maximising the efficacy via a derivative-free method. The efficient GZMNL is designed by polynomial fitting with the derived coefficients. Simulated results demonstrate that the GZMNL designs are nearly as optimal as the locally optimal detector, with an advantage of closed-form formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with a low melting point and a similar performance to polyethylene is employed as a printing material; talc is introduced into the matrix to enhance the melt strength of pure PBS during printing. The PBS/talc composite 3D printing filament is prepared by melt extrusion, and the thermal, mechanical, morphological, and rheological properties of the composites are investigated. The results show that the addition of talc to PBS leads to an increase in crystallization temperature. In addition, the tensile and flexural strengths of the injection‐molded specimens increase when the talc concentration increases. However, the mechanical properties of the printed specimens exhibit an opposite variation trend due to their distinct forming process. The printing temperature is 135 °C, which is far lower than those of commercial grade polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) printing filaments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that increasing the talc concentration creates better printed formability and well‐organized fracture surface structures. By comparing printed fishbones, the results suggest that the presence of talc leads to a good printing performance with the composite. Furthermore, the rheological results reveal that η*, G′, and G″ are enhanced by the addition of talc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A long-term goal of our research is to understand the RNA splicing code: how exons and splice sites are identified in primary transcripts, and how this code is altered in cell- and condition-specific alternative splicing. We are focusing on understanding the context-dependent activities and interactions among splicing regulatory elements. We have found that most members of a class of elements known as exonic splicing silencers share a consistent pattern of context-dependent activity, silencing splicing when present in exons, activating splicing when present in introns, and altering splice site choice when present between competing splice sites. Splicing regulatory activity may also depend on splice site strength; we are exploring a pattern in which some intronic splicing enhancers enhance splicing of exons more strongly when 5' splice site (5'ss) strength is weak/moderate than when the 5'ss is either stronger or weaker. We are also using computational approaches to identify pairs of preferentially co-occurring motifs, and have used this approach to identify a pair of intronic motifs that can function cooperatively to silence the splicing of intervening exons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]