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ABSTRACT Domestication has shaped the population structure and agronomic traits of tea plants, yet the complexity of tea population structure and genetic variation that determines these traits remains unclear. We here investigated the resequencing data of 363 diverse tea accessions collected extensively from almost all tea distributions and found that the population structure of tea plants was divided into eight subgroups, which were basically consistent with their geographical distributions. The genetic diversity of tea plants in China decreased from southwest to east as latitude increased. Results also indicated that Camellia sinensis var. assamica (CSA) illustrated divergent selection signatures with Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS). The domesticated genes of CSA were mainly involved in leaf development, flavonoid and alkaloid biosynthesis, while the domesticated genes in CSS mainly participated in amino acid metabolism, aroma compounds biosynthesis, and cold stress. Comparative population genomics further identified ~730 Mb novel sequences, generating 6,058 full‐length protein‐encoding genes, significantly expanding the gene pool of tea plants. We also discovered 217,376 large‐scale structural variations and 56,583 presence and absence variations (PAVs) across diverse tea accessions, some of which were associated with tea quality and stress resistance. Functional experiments demonstrated that two PAV genes (CSS0049975 and CSS0006599) were likely to drive trait diversification in cold tolerance between CSA and CSS tea plants. The overall findings not only revealed the genetic diversity and domestication of tea plants, but also underscored the vital role of structural variations in the diversification of tea plant traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between dietary protein intake and constipation remains inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dietary protein intake is associated with constipation. Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 13,941 adults from the 2005 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A weighted logistic regression analysis was used to control for confounding factors. In addition, weighted interaction and stratified analyses were conducted to ascertain the potential modifying factors. Results: The prevalence of constipation was 7.5% when constipation was defined by stool consistency and 3.5% when constipation was defined by stool frequency. After adjusting for covariates, an increase in dietary protein intake of 10 g was not associated with constipation, as defined by stool frequency (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.54, 1.62) or stool consistency (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.75, 1.39). Subgroup analyses revealed that dietary protein intake was associated with an increase in constipation defined by stool consistency risk in participants who consumed a low amount of carbohydrates (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.02–1.14 for every 10‐g increase in protein intake), but a decrease in risk in participants in the moderate‐carbohydrate group (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.89–0.99 for every 10‐g increase in protein intake), suggesting a significant interaction (p = 0.001). Conclusion & Inferences: Dietary protein intake is not associated with stool consistency or frequency‐defined constipation. However, the association between dietary protein intake and constipation defined by stool consistency in participants with a low carbohydrate intake differed from that in participants with a moderate carbohydrate intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Drought is one of the major environmental constraints for wheat production world‐wide. As the progenitor and genetic reservoir of common wheat, emmer wheat is considered as an invaluable gene pool for breeding drought‐tolerant wheat.Combining GWAS and eGWAS analysis of 107 accessions, we identified 86 QTLs, 105 462 eQTLs as well as 68 eQTL hotspots associating with drought tolerance (DT) in emmer wheat.A complex regulatory network composed of 185 upstream regulator and 2432 downstream drought‐responsive candidates was developed, of which TtOTS1 was found to play a negative effect in determining DT through affecting root development.This study sheds light on revealing the genetic basis underlying DT, which will provide the indispensable genes and germplasm resources for elite drought tolerance wheat improvement and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychopathy is closely related to many negative interpersonal outcomes in daily life, including violence. Therefore, psychopathy intervention in subclinical individuals has significant application value. Objective: Guided by the personality–relationship transaction model and social investment theory, this study examined how marital quality affects self‐ and partner‐rated psychopathy. We also used the actor–partner interdependence mediation model to explore the mediating effect of communication. Methods: We examined self‐reports and partner reports of psychopathy, marital quality, and communication among 260 married Chinese couples. Results: The results indicated that marital quality directly influenced couples' self‐rated psychopathy, with both actor and partner effects on husbands' psychopathy and actor effects on wives' psychopathy. Moreover, verbal communication had mediating effects at time 2 between marital quality at time 1 and partner‐reported psychopathy at time 3. Meanwhile, the mediating effect of nonverbal communication was not significant. Conclusion: Our investigation of relationship effects on psychopathy revealed that the underlying mechanisms differed between self‐ and partner‐rated psychopathy. The findings can highlight directions for exploring potential intervention strategies for subclinical psychopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed the Couple Interaction Pattern Scale (CIPS) based on the interpersonal theory, comprising five subscales: friendly complementary (FC), hostile complementary (HC), mutual hostile‐dominant (MHD), friendly‐dominant eliciting hostile‐submissive (FDHS), and hostile‐dominant eliciting friendly‐submissive (HDFS). The psychometric properties of the CIPS were examined through three independent studies. Study one conducted item reduction and preliminary analysis using a sample of 662 married individuals, with an additional 80 married individuals for test–retest reliability assessment. Study two validated the scale through 1207 married individuals. In study three, the effect of couple interaction pattern (CIP) on marital quality was analyzed among 310 newlywed couples using the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM). Results supported the construct validity, acceptable internal consistency, and test–retest reliability of the CIPS. Besides, concurrent validity was also proved by associations with conflictual communication patterns, marital quality, stability, emotional connection, and perceived partner support. APIM analysis also supported the association between CIP and marital quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disuse osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mass caused by abnormal mechanical stimulation of bone. Piezo1 is a major mechanosensitive ion channel in bone homeostasis. However, whether intervening in the action of Piezo1 can rescue disuse osteoporosis remains unresolved. In this study, a commonly‐used hindlimb‐unloading model is employed to simulate microgravity. By single‐cell RNA sequencing, bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are the most downregulated cell cluster, and coincidentally, Piezo1 expression is mostly enriched in those cells, and is substantially downregulated by unloading. Importantly, activation of Piezo1 by systemically‐introducing yoda1 mimics the effects of mechanical stimulation and thus ameliorates bone loss under simulated microgravity. Mechanistically, Piezo1 activation promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of Gli1+ BMSCs by activating the β‐catenin and its target gene activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Inhibiting β‐catenin expression substantially attenuates the effect of yoda1 on bone loss, possibly due to inhibited proliferation and osteogenic differentiation capability of Gli1+ BMSCs mediated by ATF4. Lastly, Piezo1 activation also slightly alleviates the osteoporosis of OVX and aged mice. In conclusion, impaired function of Piezo1 in BMSCs leads to insufficient bone formation especially caused by abnormal mechanical stimuli, and is thus a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies (ME) are frequently associated with mutations of mitochondrial DNA, but the pathogenesis of a subset of ME (sME) remains elusive. Here we report that haploinsufficiency of a mitochondrial inner membrane protein, Mic60, causes progressive neurological abnormalities with insulted mitochondrial structure and neuronal loss in mice. In addition, haploinsufficiency of Mic60 reduces mitochondrial membrane potential and cellular ATP production, increases reactive oxygen species, and alters mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation complexes in neurons in an age‐dependent manner. Moreover, haploinsufficiency of Mic60 compromises brain glucose intake and oxygen consumption in mice, resembling human ME syndrome. We further discover that MIC60 protein expression declined significantly in human sME, implying that insufficient MIC60 may contribute for pathogenesis of human ME. Notably, systemic administration of antioxidant N‐acetylcysteine largely reverses mitochondrial dysfunctions and metabolic disorders in haplo‐insufficient Mic60 mice, also restores neurological abnormal symptom. These results reveal Mic60 is required in the maintenance of mitochondrial integrity and function, and likely a potential therapeutics target for mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cuffless blood pressure (BP) monitoring device has attracted much attention because of its comfortable and real‐time monitoring. Inspired by the physical structure of the human epidermis, an ultra‐sensitive flexible resistive sensor with a double strain layer and crack structure is prepared by screen printing in this study. The strain material of the sensor is mainly prepared by blending Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) :poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with waterborne polyurethane and reduced graphene oxide. The sensor exhibits a high gauge factor (GF, ≈1682), fast response (≈48 ms), and long‐term stability (> 2000 cycles) at low strain (≈0–5%). The sensor is placed on the human radial artery and can accurately measure the pulse wave. The features of the pulse wave are automatically extracted using a convolutional neural network. Then the features are corrected using a long short‐term memory neural network, and the current BP value is predicted using a fully connected network layer. The BP result meets the A‐level standards of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and the British Hypertension Society. This study provides an efficient device and method for continuous and non‐invasive BP monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently developed Li‐excess cation‐disordered rock salts (DRXs) exhibit an excellent chemical diversity for the development of alternative Co/Ni‐free high‐energy cathodes. Herein, the synthesis of a highly fluorinated DRX cathode, Li1.2Mn0.6Ti0.2O1.8F0.2, based on cost‐effective and earth‐abundant transition metals, via a solid‐state reaction, is reported. The fluorinated DRX cathode using ammonium fluoride precursor exhibits more uniform particle size and delivers a specific discharge capacity of 233 mAh g−1 and specific energy of 754 Wh kg−1, with 206 mAh g−1 retained after 200 cycles. The combined synchrotron X‐ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering spectroscopy analysis reveals that the remarkable cycling performance is attributed to the high fluorination and thus enhanced Mn content, enabling the utilization of more Mn redox than the oxide analog. This study demonstrates a great promise to develop next‐generation cost‐effective DRX cathodes with enhanced capacity retention for high‐energy Li‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding racial disparities in cancer outcomes continues to be a challenge, with likely many factors at play, including socioeconomic factors and genetic polymorphisms impacting basic cellular and molecular functions. Additionally, it is possible that specific combinations of environment and genetics have specific impacts. T‐cell receptor (TCR) gene segment usage, HLA allele combinations have been associated with autoimmune and infectious disease courses, and more recently, TCR gene segment usage, HLA allele combinations have been associated with distinct survival outcomes in cancer as well. We examined several such, previously reported cancer‐related TCR gene segment usage, HLA allele combinations for evidence of racial disparities, with regard to the prevalence of the combination in different racial groups. Results indicated that TCR gene segment usage, potentially reflecting environmental factors related to previous pathogen exposure, in combination with certain HLA alleles or independently, may represent a novel explanation for racial disparities in cancer outcomes. Overall, at this point, a genetic connection to racial disparities in cancer outcomes is detectable but remains modest, suggesting that other factors, such as socioeconomic factors, remain as important considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HELQ plays a key role in DNA damage response and cell‐cycle checkpoint regulation. It has been implicated in ovarian and pituitary tumors and may play a role in germ cell maintenance. This study investigated the role of HELQ in lung cancer. The expression of HELQ in patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was downregulated compared with normal human lungs. Clinical prognostic analysis of Kaplan–Meier plots revealed that patients with NSCLC with low HELQ levels had a reduced overall survival. Further, we found that HELQ depletion enhanced lung cancer cell malignancy. Furthermore, overexpression of HELQ in lung cancer cells reduced cell migration in vitro, while DNA damage repair was inhibited. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that HELQ induces cell death. Mechanistically, we found that cells overexpressing HELQ showed a tendency to induce necrosis. After analyzing the database of HELQ interactors. we found that RIPK3 may interact with it and proved this conclusion by immunoprecipitation. Our findings identified the tumor suppressive role of HELQ in malignant human lung cancer and unraveled a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment through HELQ activation. Moreover, HELQ may also be a predictive biomarker for the clinical predisposition, progression, and prognosis of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient limit of detection (LoD) toward volatile organic compounds (VOCs) hinders the promising applications of metal oxide chemiresistors in emerging air quality monitoring and/or breath analysis. There is an inherent limitation of widely adopted strategies of creating sensitive chemiresistors then operating at the optimized temperature via a continuous heating (CH) mode. Herein, a strategy combining Pt single atoms anchoring (chemical sensitization) with pulsed temperature modulation (PTM, physical sensitization) is proposed. Apart from generating abundant surface asymmetric oxygen vacancy (Pt‐VO‐W) active sites at pulsed high temperature (HT) stage, inward diffusion of trace target VOCs across the sensing layer at pulsed low temperature stage (driven by PTM induced concentration gradient), can greatly enhance the charge interaction probability between the generated surface active species and the surrounding VOCs, and thus offers a novel avenue on addressing the bottleneck issue of low LoD by PTM. Triggered by HT of 300 °C, the responses of Pt anchored WO3 chemiresistor to 1 ppm trimethylamine (TMA) and xylene can be drastically boosted from 1.9 (CH) to 6541.5 (PTM) and 1.5 (CH) to 1001.1 (PTM), respectively. And ultra‐low theoretic LoD of 0.78 ppt (TMA) and 0.18 ppt (xylene) are successfully achieved, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analog arithmetic operations are the most fundamental mathematical operations used in image and signal processing as well as artificial intelligence (AI). In‐memory computing (IMC) offers a high performance and energy‐efficient computing paradigm. To date, in‐memory analog arithmetic operations with emerging nonvolatile devices are usually implemented using discrete components, which limits the scalability and blocks large scale integration. Here, a prototypical implementation of in‐memory analog arithmetic operations (summation, subtraction and multiplication) is experimentally demonstrated, based on in‐memory electrical current sensing units using spin‐orbit torque (SOT) devices. The proposed structures for analog arithmetic operations are smaller than the state‐of‐the‐art complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) counterparts by several orders of magnitude. Moreover, data to be processed and computing results can be locally stored, or the analog computing can be done in the nonvolatile SOT devices, which are exploited to experimentally implement the image edge detection and signal amplitude modulation with a simple structure. Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) with SOT devices based synapses is constructed to realize pattern recognition with high accuracy of ≈95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Camellia plants include more than 200 species of great diversity and immense economic, ornamental, and cultural values. We sequenced the transcriptomes of 116 Camellia plants from almost all sections of the genus Camellia. We constructed a pan‐transcriptome of Camellia plants with 89 394 gene families and then resolved the phylogeny of genus Camellia based on 405 high‐quality low‐copy core genes. Most of the inferred relationships are well supported by multiple nuclear gene trees and morphological traits. We provide strong evidence that Camellia plants shared a recent whole genome duplication event, followed by large expansions of transcription factor families associated with stress resistance and secondary metabolism. Secondary metabolites, particularly those associated with tea quality such as catechins and caffeine, were preferentially heavily accumulated in the Camellia plants from section Thea. We thoroughly examined the expression patterns of hundreds of genes associated with tea quality, and found that some of them exhibited significantly high expression and correlations with secondary metabolite accumulations in Thea species. We also released a web‐accessible database for efficient retrieval of Camellia transcriptomes. The reported transcriptome sequences and obtained novel findings will facilitate the efficient conservation and utilization of Camellia germplasm towards a breeding program for cultivated tea, camellia, and oil‐tea plants. Significance Statement: High‐quality transcriptomes of 116 Camellia plants from almost all sections of genus Camellia unveils their deep phylogeny and the transcriptional mechanism underlying the dynamic evolution of quality traits related secondary metabolites, which will facilitate the efficient conservation and utilization of Camellia germplasm towards a breeding program for cultivated tea, camellia, and oil‐tea plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Tea (Camellia sinensis) is concocted from tea plant shoot tips that produce catechins, caffeine, theanine, and terpenoids, which collectively determine the rich flavors and health benefits of the infusion. However, little is known about the integrated regulation of shoot tip development and characteristic secondary metabolite biosynthesis in tea plants. Here, we demonstrate that MYB transcription factors (TFs) play key and yet diverse roles in regulating leaf and stem development, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and environmental stress responses in tea plants. By integrating transcriptomic and metabolic profiling data in different tissues at a series of developmental stages or under various stress conditions, alongside biochemical and genetic analyses, we predicted the MYB TFs involved in regulating shoot development (CsMYB2, 98, 107, and 221), epidermal cell initiation (CsMYB184, 41, 139, and 219), stomatal initiation (CsMYB113 and 153), and the biosynthesis of flavonoids (including catechins, anthocyanins, and flavonols; CsMYB8 and 99), caffeine (CsMYB85 and 86), theanine (CsMYB9 and 49), carotenoids (CsMYB110), mono‐/sesquiterpenoid volatiles (CsMYB68, 147, 148, and 193), lignin (CsMYB164 and 192), and indolic compounds (CsMYB139, 162, and 198), as well as the MYB TFs that are likely involved in hormone signaling‐mediated environmental stress and defense responses. We characterized the functions of some key MYBs in regulating flavonoid and carotenoid biosynthesis for tea quality and flavor. This study provides a cross‐family analysis of MYBs in tea alongside new insights into the coordinated regulation of tea plant shoot development and secondary metabolism, paving the way towards understanding of tea quality trait formation and genetic improvement of quality tea plants. Significance Statement: Transcriptomic and metabolomic alongside functional genomic analyses enabled the characterization of several core MYBs from 221 MYB TFs to direct various MYB–bHLH–WD40 complexes for regulating anthocyanin/catechin and carotenoid biosynthesis, trichome initiation, and root hair patterning in tea plants. Potential regulatory functions of these MYB TFs were also explored in the context of leaf and shoot development and various stress responses, which pave the way towards future functional genomic studies to improve tea production and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Tea trichomes synthesize numerous specialized metabolites to protect plants from environmental stresses and contribute to tea flavours, but little is known about the regulation of trichome development.Here, we showed that CsMYB1 is involved in the regulation of trichome formation and galloylated cis‐catechins biosynthesis in tea plants. The variations in CsMYB1 expression levels are closely correlated with trichome indexes and galloylated cis‐catechins contents in tea plant populations. Genome resequencing showed that CsMYB1 may be selected in modern tea cultivars, since a 192‐bp insertion in CsMYB1 promoter was found exclusively in modern tea cultivars but not in the glabrous wild tea Camellia taliensis. Several enhancers in the 192‐bp insertion increased CsMYB1 transcription in modern tea cultivars that coincided with their higher galloylated cis‐catechins contents and trichome indexes.Biochemical analyses and transgenic data showed that CsMYB1 interacted with CsGL3 and CsWD40 and formed a MYB‐bHLH‐WD40 (MBW) transcriptional complex to activate the trichome regulator genes CsGL2 and CsCPC, and the galloylated cis‐catechins biosynthesis genes anthocyanidin reductase and serine carboxypeptidase‐like 1A. CsMYB1 integratively regulated trichome formation and galloylated cis‐catechins biosynthesis.Results suggest that CsMYB1, trichome and galloylated cis‐catechins are coincidently selected during tea domestication by harsh environments for improved adaption and by breeders for better tea flavours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the potent effect of intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) treatment on promoting new bone formation, bone mineral density (BMD) rapidly decreases upon discontinuation of PTH administration. To uncover the mechanisms behind this adverse phenomenon, we investigated the immediate responses in bone microstructure and bone cell activities to PTH treatment withdrawal and the associated long‐term consequences. Unexpectedly, intact female and estrogen‐deficient female rats had distinct responses to the discontinuation of PTH treatment. Significant tibial bone loss and bone microarchitecture deterioration occurred in estrogen‐deficient rats, with the treatment benefits of PTH completely lost 9 weeks after discontinuation. In contrast, no adverse effect was observed in intact rats, with sustained treatment benefit 9 weeks after discontinuation. Intriguingly, there is an extended anabolic period during the first week of treatment withdrawal in estrogen‐deficient rats, during which no significant change occurred in the number of osteoclasts, whereas the number of osteoblasts remained elevated compared with vehicle‐treated rats. However, increases in number of osteoclasts and decreases in number of osteoblasts occurred 2 weeks after discontinuation of PTH treatment, leading to significant reduction in bone mass and bone microarchitecture. To leverage the extended anabolic period upon early withdrawal from PTH, a cyclic administration regimen with repeated cycles of on and off PTH treatment was explored. We demonstrated that the cyclic treatment regimen efficiently alleviated the PTH withdrawal‐induced bone loss, improved bone mass, bone microarchitecture, and whole‐bone mechanical properties, and extended the treatment duration. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching multiple types of terahertz (THz) irradiation source is crucial for the THz technology. In addition to the conventional fermionic cases, bosonic quasi‐/particles also promise energy‐efficient THz wave emission. Here, by utilizing a 2D ferromagnetic Cr2Ge2Te6 crystal, first a phonon‐related magneto‐tunable monochromatic THz irradiation source is demonstrated. With a low‐photonic‐energy broadband THz pump, a strong THz irradiation with frequency ≈0.9 THz and bandwidth ≈0.25 THz can be generated and its conversion efficiency could even reach 2.1% at 160 K. Moreover, it is intriguing to find that such monochromatic THz irradiation can be efficiently modulated by external magnetic field below 160 K. According to both experimental and theoretical analyses, the emergent THz irradiation is identified as the emission from the phonon‐polariton and its temperature and magnetic field dependent behaviors confirm the large spin‐lattice coupling in this 2D ferromagnetic crystal. These observations provide a new route for the creation of tunable monochromatic THz source which may have great practical interests in future applications in photonic and spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of lithium rich disordered rock salts (DRX) as cathode materials has greatly expanded the materials space for high energy density cathodes. These materials are able to consistently achieve capacities higher than 250mAhg-1via a complex percolation based intercalation mechanism. Most current DRX materials face significant capacity fade when cycled over an extended period. One of the factors responsible for this could be deleterious side effect of interface reactions between the electrode and electrolyte at high voltage. We aim to focus on one aspect of this interaction, i.e the effect of exposure to electrolyte on the surface and its effect on the electrochemical properties of Li1.2Mn0.625Nb0.175O1.95F0.05 (LMNOF) powder. LMNOF was systematically treated in an electrolyte solution for varying periods of time at an elevated temperature. Treated samples exhibit surface layer modification (removal of F rich surface layer), leading to a 10 % improvement in the capacity retention behavior of LMNOF. Surface and bulk based measurements indicate an increase in disorder and gradual removal of F and Li. All of these processes mimic an aging process similar to cycling. This a priori formed interface allows for increased stability with respect to retention of capacity and oxygen loss.Cathode/electrolyte interface stabilization in disordered rock salts was achieved by a priori modification of the surface layer by electrolyte pre‐treatment. The exposure to electrolyte removes an amorphous layer on the surface exposing fresh crystalline facets for Li (de)intercalation. It also acts as a trigger to reduce cation short range order and form a more permeable 0‐TM network. The resulting modified material indicates a 10 % improvement in capacity retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While caffeine biosynthetic pathways have been extensively studied in tea ( I Camellia sinensis i L) and coffee plants, the regulation of caffeine biosynthesis is not understood (Zhao I et al i ., 2020). Keywords: caffeine biosynthesis; MYB factor; regulation; Thea plants EN caffeine biosynthesis MYB factor regulation Thea plants 1012 1014 3 05/26/22 20220601 NES 220601 As the most well-known and globally consumed central nervous system stimulant, caffeine is a purine alkaloid natural product usually derived from tea and coffee. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper, the boron‐containing mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) nanospheres have been successfully synthesized by modified sol‐gel method assisted by surfactant, and the effect of boron substitution on structure and bioactivity was evaluated by combining experiments and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. All of the samples exhibit regularly uniform mesoporous spherical microstructure with an average size of about 60 nm, and the boron‐containing MBGs show higher specific surface area with the value up to 416.20 m2/g. The simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion test confirms that the deposited hydroxyapatite (HA) evidently increases with the increasing of boron content, indicating that the biological behavior has been significantly improved resulting from incorporation of boron. Additionally, our results also reveal that B2O3 substitution has positive impact on cell proliferation of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) at lower extracted concentration. Furthermore, AIMD simulation is employed to understand the relationship between structural changes and in vitro bioactivity in terms of structural information, especially the boron coordination number. The results illustrate that the boron‐containing MBG nanospheres with excellent bioactivity are great potential for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cation‐disordered rocksalt (DRX) materials have emerged as a class of novel high‐capacity cathodes for Li‐ion batteries. However, the commercialization of DRX cathodes will require reducing their capacity decay, which has been associated with oxygen loss during cycling. Recent studies show that fluorination of DRX cathodes can effectively reduce oxygen loss and improve cycling stability; however, the underlying atomic‐scale mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, using a combination of electrochemical measurements, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy, the correlation between the electrochemical properties and structural evolution in Mn‐redox‐based DRX cathodes, Li1.2Ti0.4–xMn0.4+xO2.0‐xFx (x = 0 and 0.2) is examined. It is found that fluorination strongly suppresses structural amorphization and void formation initiated from the particle surface, therefore greatly enhancing the cyclability of the cathode. A novel rocksalt‐to‐spinel‐like structural transformation in the DRX bulk is further revealed, which surprisingly contributes to a gradual capacity increase during cycling. The results provide important insight for the design of novel DRX cathodes with high capacity and long cycle life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is a thermophilic cash crop and contains a highly duplicated and repeat‐rich genome. It is still unclear how DNA methylation regulates the evolution of duplicated genes and chilling stress in tea plants. We therefore generated a single‐base‐resolution DNA methylation map of tea plants under chilling stress. We found that, compared with other plants, the tea plant genome is highly methylated in all three sequence contexts, including CG, CHG and CHH (where H = A, T, or C), which is further proven to be correlated with its repeat content and genome size. We show that DNA methylation in the gene body negatively regulates the gene expression of tea plants, whereas non‐CG methylation in the flanking region enables a positive regulation of gene expression. We demonstrate that transposable element‐mediated methylation dynamics significantly drives the expression divergence of duplicated genes in tea plants. The DNA methylation and expression divergence of duplicated genes in the tea plant increases with evolutionary age and selective pressure. Moreover, we detect thousands of differentially methylated genes, some of which are functionally associated with chilling stress. We also experimentally reveal that DNA methyltransferase genes of tea plants are significantly downregulated, whereas demethylase genes are upregulated at the initial stage of chilling stress, which is in line with the significant loss of DNA methylation of three well‐known cold‐responsive genes at their promoter and gene body regions. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of DNA methylation regulation and offer new insights into duplicated gene evolution and chilling tolerance in tea plants. Significance Statement: Our results show solid evidence that DNA methylation not only drives transposable element (TE)‐mediated functional diversification of duplicated genes in the tea plant, but also facilitates the enhancement of chilling tolerance in the tea plant through suppressing the activities of DNA methyltransferase under chilling stress. The overall findings underscore the importance of DNA methylation regulation on gene expression through TE insertions and broaden our understanding of duplicated gene evolution and chilling tolerance in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liquid-phase concentrated growth factor (LPCGF), a new-generation platelet concentrate, may potently stimulate human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells. This study assessed the effectiveness of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and/or LPCGF on periodontally diseased root surfaces through their effects on PDL cells.Methods: Dentin blocks prepared from periodontal teeth were divided into four groups and treated as follows: group I, scaling and root planning (SRP); group II, SRP + EDTA; group III, SRP + LPCGF; and group IV, SRP+EDTA + LPCGF. PDL cells were cultured on dentin blocks, and LPCGF-induced biological effects were evaluated by migration and cell adhesion/proliferation assays. Furthermore, PDL cell differentiation was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Results: Significantly more adherent cells were observed in the EDTA, LPCGF and combination treatment groups than in the control group. Root conditioning with EDTA and/or LPCGF enhanced cell proliferation and migration more than SRP did. Compared with the control group, the combined treatment group exhibited significant upregulation of cell differentiation-related genes. Electron microscopy of the tooth surface revealed removal of the smear layer and exposed dentin holes in the EDTA-treated group but not in the control group.Conclusion: EDTA and LPCGF application to periodontitis-affected root surfaces forms a surface suitable for cell attachment, growth, migration and differentiation. Thus, LPCGF is promising in clinical periodontics applications. Further studies to support these results are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cation‐disordered rocksalts (DRXs) have emerged as a new class of high‐capacity Li‐ion cathode materials. One unique advantage of the DRX chemistry is the structural flexibility that substantially lessens the elemental constraints in the crystal lattice, such as Li content, choice of transition metal redox center paired with appropriate d0 metal, and incorporation of F anion, which allows optimization of the key redox reactions. Herein, a series of the DRX oxyfluorides based on the Mn redox have been designed and synthesized. By tailoring the stoichiometry of the DRX compositions, high‐capacity cycling by promoting the cationic Mn2+/Mn4+ redox reactions while suppressing those from anionic O is successfully demonstrated. A highly fluorinated DRX compound, Li1.2Mn0.625Nb0.175O1.325F0.675 (M0.625F0.675), delivers a capacity of ≈170 mAh g−1 at C/3 for 100 cycles. This work showcases the concept of balancing the cationic and anionic redox reactions in the DRX cathodes for improved electrochemical performance through the rational composition design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world‐wide spreading of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has greatly shaken human society, thus effective and fast‐speed methods of non‐daily‐life‐disturbance sterilization have become extremely significant. In this work, by fully benefitting from high‐quality AlN template (with threading dislocation density as low as ≈6×108 cm−2) as well as outstanding deep ultraviolet (UVC‐less than 280 nm) light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) structure design and epitaxy optimization, high power UVC LEDs and ultra‐high‐power sterilization irradiation source are achieved. Moreover, for the first time, a result in which a fast and complete elimination of SARS‐CoV‐2 (the virus causes COVID‐19) within only 1 s is achieved by the nearly whole industry‐chain‐covered product. These results advance the promising potential in UVC‐LED disinfection particularly in the shadow of COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioinspired surfaces with micro/nanostructures have attracted tremendous scientific interests in the aspect of anti‐icing due to their extreme stability and hydrophobicity. Nevertheless, poor durability and stability have greatly hindered their applications. Here, the copper surfaces with four kinds of wood morphologies are obtained via Zr‐based metallic glasses (MGs) as the intermediate template, i.e., thermoplasticity of MGs in the supercooled liquid region (SCLR) matters. These as‐prepared copper surfaces show excellent water repellency and remarkably can delay the freezing process. Compared with a smooth copper surface with a water contact angle (WCA) of 39.5 ± 2.0°, these as‐prepared copper surfaces exhibit WCAs of 120 ± 2.2, 132 ± 1.8, 127 ± 1.7, and 123 ± 1.5°, respectively, and their freezing temperatures decrease significantly, from 0 to −5.6, −9.8, −7.2, and −6.8 °C, respectively. Notably, the hydrophobic copper surfaces maintain good stability without losing hydrophobicity while undergoing heat treatments at 200 or 400 °C for 5 h, showing an extreme stability. In contrast, many hydrophobic surfaces prepared by chemical treatments become weak at such high temperatures. Thus, the MGs‐transferred wooden structures provide a time‐saving and low‐cost approach for the preparation of the stable and hydrophobic copper surfaces with anti‐icing, self‐cleaning, and corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal supraspinous ligament (SL) osteogenesis is the key risk of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), with an unclear pathogenesis. We previously found that transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1), bone morphogenetic proteins (eg BMP2) and type III TGF‐β1 receptor (TβRIII) expression were markedly up‐regulated in AS‐SLs. However, the roles of these closely related molecules in AS are unknown. Here, we showed that BMP2, TGF‐β1, TβRIII and S100A4 (a fibroblast marker) were abundant in active osteogenic AS‐SL tissues. In vitro, AS‐SL fibroblasts (AS‐SLFs) showed high BMP2, TGF‐β1 and TβRIII expression and auto‐osteogenic capacity. We further evaluated the role of TβRIII in the osteogenesis of normal SLFs. BMP2 combined with TGF‐β1 induced the osteogenesis of TβRIII‐overexpressing SLFs, but the activity was lost in SLFs upon TβRIII knockdown. Moreover, our data suggested that BMP2 combined with TGF‐β1 significantly activated both TGF‐β1/Smad signalling and BMP2/Smad/RUNX2 signalling to induce osteogenesis of SLFs with TβRIII up‐regulation. Furthermore, our multi‐strategy molecular interaction analysis approach indicated that TGF‐β1 presented BMP2 to TβRIII, sequentially facilitating BMP2 recognition by BMPR1A and promoting the osteogenesis of TβRIII‐overexpressing SLFs. Collectively, our results indicate that TGF‐β1 combined with BMP2 may participate in the osteogenic differentiation of AS‐SLF by acting on up‐regulated TβRIII, resulting in excessive activation of both TGF‐β1/Smad and BMP2/BMPR1A/Smad/RUNX2 signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: College students are at high risk of problematic internet use (PIU). A great amount of research has focused on the PIU among college students. However, little is known about the change pattern of PIU across the college years. Moreover, how peer internet overuse behavior and peer attitude toward internet overuse work together to shape college students' PIU trajectory, and whether such peer contagion effects are equal for all students remain unclear. The present study used latent growth curve model to examine these issues.Methods: A total of 2572 Chinese college students (Mage = 18.37, SD = 0.85; 65% girls) participated in the study. They completed questionnaires regarding demographics, peer internet overuse behavior, peer attitude toward internet overuse, and friendship satisfaction at Wave 1, and PIU at Waves 1-4.Results: After controlling for covariates, the findings revealed that (a) PIU slightly increased before the second year of college and then declined rapidly; (b) both peer internet overuse behavior and peer attitude toward internet overuse were related to the PIU at baseline; however, only peer internet overuse behavior was associated with the change of PIU; and (c) the effect of peer internet overuse behavior on PIU change was moderated by friendship satisfaction and gender.Conclusions: These findings emphasized the dynamic and context-sensitive nature of PIU and clarified how peer contagion unfolded with peer internet overuse behavior and peer attitude toward internet overuse. Theoretical implications and application of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implantable electrodes that can communicate with a small, selective group of neurons via both neural stimulation and recording are critical for the development of advanced neuroprosthetic devices. Microfiber electrodes with neuron‐scale cross‐sections have the potential to improve the spatial resolution for both stimulation and recording, while minimizing the chronic inflammation response after implantation. In this work, glass insulated microfiber electrodes are fabricated by coating carbon fibers with boron‐doped carbon nanowalls. The coating significantly improves the electrochemical properties of carbon fibers, leading to a charge injection capacity of 7.82 ± 0.35 mC cm−2, while retaining good flexibility, stability and biocompatibility. When used for neural interfacing, the coated microelectrodes successfully elicit localized stimulation responses in explanted retina, and are also able to detect signals from single neurons, in vivo with a signal‐to‐noise ratio as high as 6.7 in an acute study. This is the first report of using carbon nanowall coated carbon fibers for neural interfacing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a superhydrophobic surface of AZ31B magnesium alloy prepared by high‐speed wire electrical discharge machining and modification with stearic acid is reported. The surface morphology and wettability of the superhydrophobic surface were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and optical contact angle measurement, respectively. A uniform micro‐/nanopetal‐like structure was shown within the superhydrophobic surface, resulting in a contact angle of 151 ± 0.5° and a sliding angle of 4 ± 0.5°. Notably, the superhydrophobic surface had better corrosion resistance than the bare magnesium alloy, and its corrosion current density was reduced by nearly one order of magnitude. Under both dry and wet friction conditions, the friction coefficient of the superhydrophobic surface was lower than that of the bare magnesium alloy surface, with a much lower wear loss. In addition, the friction coefficient of the superhydrophobic sample was lower than that of the bare magnesium alloy sample under both the dry and wet friction conditions. Thus, the superhydrophobic sample experienced reduced wear and had a low wear rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for high energy‐density, mass‐producible cathode materials has spurred the exploration of new material structures and compositions. Lithium‐excess, cation‐disordered rocksalt (DRX) materials are a new class of transition metal oxides that display high capacity and environmental friendly composition. These materials achieve their high capacities partially through oxygen redox, which leads to oxygen loss and detrimental reactivity with the electrolyte. It has previously been shown that oxygen loss can be suppressed by partial substitution of the lattice oxygen for fluorine, but the explicit mechanism behind this effect remains unknown. In this work, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) and titration mass spectrometry are used to quantify the primary electrochemical reactions occurring during the first cycle in DRX materials. Comparing a DRX oxide and a DRX oxyfluoride, it is shown that fluorination limits oxygen redox and suppresses oxygen loss. Additionally, DEMS is coupled with fluoride‐scavenging to demonstrate that small amounts of fluorine dissolve from DRX oxyfluorides during the first cycle. Finally, these techniques are extended over the first several cycles, demonstrating that CO2 evolution persists and fluoride dissolution continues to a diminishing extent during the first few cycles. These findings motivate surface modifications to control interfacial reactivity and improve long‐term cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To elucidate the role of decorin, a small leucine‐rich proteoglycan, in the degradation of cartilage matrix during the progression of post‐traumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Three‐month–old decorin‐null (Dcn−/−) and inducible decorin‐knockout (DcniKO) mice were subjected to surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) to induce post‐traumatic OA. The OA phenotype that resulted was evaluated by assessing joint morphology and sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) staining via histological analysis (n = 6 mice per group), surface collagen fibril nanostructure via scanning electron microscopy (n = 4 mice per group), tissue modulus via atomic force microscopy–nanoindentation (n = 5 or more mice per group) and subchondral bone structure via micro–computed tomography (n = 5 mice per group). Femoral head cartilage explants from wild‐type and Dcn−/− mice were stimulated with the inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) in vitro (n = 6 mice per group). The resulting chondrocyte response to IL‐1β and release of sGAGs were quantified. Results: In both Dcn−/− and DcniKO mice, the absence of decorin resulted in accelerated sGAG loss and formation of highly aligned collagen fibrils on the cartilage surface relative to the control (P < 0.05). Also, Dcn−/− mice developed more salient osteophytes, illustrating more severe OA. In cartilage explants treated with IL‐1β, loss of decorin did not alter the expression of either anabolic or catabolic genes. However, a greater proportion of sGAGs was released to the media from Dcn−/− mouse explants, in both live and devitalized conditions (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In post‐traumatic OA, decorin delays the loss of fragmented aggrecan and fibrillation of cartilage surface, and thus, plays a protective role in ameliorating cartilage degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of enzyme mimics from stable and nonprotein systems is especially attractive for applications in highly specific cancer diagnosis and treatment, and it has become an emerging field in recent years. Herein, metal crosslinked polymeric nanogels (MPGs) were prepared using FeII ion coordinated biocompatible acryloyl‐lysine polymer brushes obtained from an enzyme‐catalyzed atomic transfer radical polymerization (ATRPase) method. The monoatomic and highly dispersed Fe ions in the MPGs serve as efficient crosslinkers of the gel network, and also as active centers of multienzyme mimics of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD). The catalytic activities were compared to those of conventional Fe‐based nanozymes. Studies on both cells and animals verify that efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsive biofluorescence imaging can be successfully realized using the MPGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wheat is one of the most important staple crops worldwide and also an excellent model species for crop evolution and polyploidization studies. The breakthrough of sequencing the bread wheat genome and progenitor genomes lays the foundation to decipher the complexity of wheat origin and evolutionary process as well as the genetic consequences of polyploidization. In this study, we sequenced 3286 BACs from chromosome 7DL of bread wheat cv. Chinese Spring and integrated the unmapped contigs from IWGSC v1 and available PacBio sequences to close gaps present in the 7DL assembly. In total, 8043 out of 12 825 gaps, representing 3 491 264 bp, were closed. We then used the improved assembly of 7DL to perform comparative genomic analysis of bread wheat (Ta7DL) and its D donor, Aegilops tauschii (At7DL), to identify domestication signatures. Results showed a strong syntenic relationship between Ta7DL and At7DL, although some small rearrangements were detected at the distal regions. A total of 53 genes appear to be lost genes during wheat polyploidization, with 23% (12 genes) as RGA (disease resistance gene analogue). Furthermore, 86 positively selected genes (PSGs) were identified, considered to be domestication‐related candidates. Finally, overlapping of QTLs obtained from GWAS analysis and PSGs indicated that TraesCS7D02G321000 may be one of the domestication genes involved in grain morphology. This study provides comparative information on the sequence, structure and organization between bread wheat and Ae. tauschii from the perspective of the 7DL chromosome, which contribute to better understanding of the evolution of wheat, and supports wheat crop improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mononuclear five‐coordinate Cu(II) complex [Cu(12‐TMC)Cl][B(C6H5)4] (1) (12‐TMC = 1,4,7,10‐tetramethyl‐1,4,7,10‐tetraazacyclododecane) with distorted square pyramidal geometry has been synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, direct‐current and alternating‐current magnetic measurements and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The complex displays slow magnetic relaxation under an external dc field. The analysis of the field‐ and temperature‐dependence of the relaxation rates suggests that the slow dynamics of the magnetization is dominated by the Raman‐like process in the temperature range of 1.8 K to 11 K under an applied dc field of 0.15 T. In addition, the results of magnetic dynamics for the diluted sample with diamagnetic Zn(II) ions confirms the molecular origin of slow magnetic relaxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Tea is the world's widely consumed nonalcohol beverage with essential economic and health benefits. Confronted with the increasing large‐scale omics‐data set particularly the genome sequence released in tea plant, the construction of a comprehensive knowledgebase is urgently needed to facilitate the utilization of these data sets towards molecular breeding. We hereby present the first integrative and specially designed web‐accessible database, Tea Plant Information Archive (TPIA; http://tpia.teaplant.org). The current release of TPIA employs the comprehensively annotated tea plant genome as framework and incorporates with abundant well‐organized transcriptomes, gene expressions (across species, tissues and stresses), orthologs and characteristic metabolites determining tea quality. It also hosts massive transcription factors, polymorphic simple sequence repeats, single nucleotide polymorphisms, correlations, manually curated functional genes and globally collected germplasm information. A variety of versatile analytic tools (e.g. JBrowse, blast, enrichment analysis, etc.) are established helping users to perform further comparative, evolutionary and functional analysis. We show a case application of TPIA that provides novel and interesting insights into the phytochemical content variation of section Thea of genus Camellia under a well‐resolved phylogenetic framework. The constructed knowledgebase of tea plant will serve as a central gateway for global tea community to better understand the tea plant biology that largely benefits the whole tea industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fu‐Ke‐Zai‐Zao pills, the famous traditional Chinese medicine formula, composed of 42 medicinal herbs, have been widely used to treat various gynecological diseases. However, the chemical constituents and metabolic profiling of Fu‐Ke‐Zai‐Zao pills remain largely unknown, which hampers improvement of the quality control and pharmacological elucidation of this formula. In the present study, a sensitive and selective ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method was developed to separate and identify the comprehensive chemical constituents of Fu‐Ke‐Zai‐Zao pills. According to the results, a total of 83 compounds were identified, including phenylpropionic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, triterpene saponins, and phthalides, and 81 compounds were first reported in Fu‐Ke‐Zai‐Zao pills. Moreover, the absorbed components and metabolites in rat plasma after intragastric administration of Fu‐Ke‐Zai‐Zao pills were also detected by the same analytical method. A total of 36 compounds were identified, including 21 prototypes and 15 metabolites. The latter were generated through the metabolic pathways of methylation and glucuronidation, and glucuronidated metabolites were the main constituents in the plasma. This is the first systematic study on the chemical constituents and metabolic profiling of Fu‐Ke‐Zai‐Zao pills, and the results provide valuable chemical information for further elucidating pharmacological effects and mechanism of action of Fu‐Ke‐Zai‐Zao pills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have been evolved as a class of promising materials for sensing application. However, it is still a challenging issue to understand the sensing mechanism of luminescent MOFs interacting with analyte species from molecule level. Herein, fluorescent Sc2(NH2‐BDC)3 crystals are prepared as a probe. The compositional and structural characteristics of the obtained product are systematically characterized. Sc2(NH2‐BDC)3 shows admirable thermal and chemical stability in different solvents and aqueous solutions with diverse pH values. It shows excellent fluorescence sensing behaviors towards Co2+ and Ni2+ ions through fluorescence quenching effect. The sensing mechanism of Sc2(NH2‐BDC)3 towards heavy metal ions is elucidated via X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses, solid‐state NMR (ssNMR) spectra and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analyses. The as‐prepared Sc2(NH2‐BDC)3 crystals contain some defects with formation of scandium hydroxyls in the crystal structure from the evidence analyzed by ssNMR and EPR, which are inclined to interact with Co2+ and Ni2+ ions, leading to the fluorescent quenching. This research not only demonstrates the understanding of the sensing mechanism of luminescent MOFs from molecular level, but also highlights the design of functionalized MOFs for fluorescent sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrophic nonunion represents an extremely challenging clinical dilemma for both physicians and fracture patients alike, but its underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. Here, we established a mouse model that recapitulates clinical atrophic nonunion through the administration of focal radiation to the long bone midshaft 2 weeks before a closed, semistabilized, transverse fracture. Strikingly, fractures in previously irradiated bone showed no bony bridging with a 100% nonunion rate. Radiation triggered distinct repair responses, separated by the fracture line: a less robust callus formation at the proximal side (close to the knee) and bony atrophy at the distal side (close to the ankle) characterized by sustained fibrotic cells and type I collagen‐rich matrix. These fibrotic cells, similar to human nonunion samples, lacked osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation and exhibited impaired blood vessel infiltration. Mechanistically, focal radiation reduced the numbers of periosteal mesenchymal progenitors and blood vessels and blunted injury‐induced proliferation of mesenchymal progenitors shortly after fracture, with greater damage particularly at the distal side. In culture, radiation drastically suppressed proliferation of periosteal mesenchymal progenitors. Radiation did not affect hypoxia‐induced periosteal cell chondrogenesis but greatly reduced osteogenic differentiation. Lineage tracing using multiple reporter mouse models revealed that mesenchymal progenitors within the bone marrow or along the periosteal bone surface did not contribute to nonunion fibrosis. Therefore, we conclude that atrophic nonunion fractures are caused by severe damage to the periosteal mesenchymal progenitors and are accompanied by an extraskeletal, fibro‐cellular response. In addition, we present this radiation‐induced periosteal damage model as a new, clinically relevant tool to study the biologic basis of therapies for atrophic nonunion. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The opportunity for the highly efficient recovery of immune receptor recombination data from cancer specimens, including the ready assessment of immune receptor V and J usage, raises the issue of establishing precise values of assessing the immune receptor status as opposed to obtaining basic information regarding lymphocyte infiltration, in the cancer setting. In this report, we obtained the lymphocyte infiltration percentages from the cancer digital slide archive representing uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) and correlated these data with recovery of the immune receptor recombination reads from corresponding UCEC exome files. Results indicated a basic correlation of the recovery of productive T‐cell receptor beta (TRB) recombination reads with lymphocyte infiltration percentages. However, the recovery of specific immune receptor recombination reads did not indicate the same survival outcomes as microscope detection of lymphocyte infiltrate percentages. To further exploit the value of recovery of the TRB recombination reads from the UCEC exome files, we determined the survival outcomes for combinations of TRB gene segment usage and HLA class I alleles, with the most important result being that the combination of HLA‐A*01:01 and TRB‐J1 segment usage reflected a strikingly high survival rate. Overall, this report emphasized the increased value of the knowledge of the immune receptor recombinations, in comparison with basic lymphocyte infiltration percentages, in assessing cancer survival rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The female skeleton undergoes substantial structural changes during the course of reproduction. Although bone mineral density recovers postweaning, reproduction may induce permanent alterations in maternal bone microarchitecture. However, epidemiological studies suggest that a history of pregnancy and/or lactation does not increase the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis or fracture and may even have a protective effect. Our study aimed to explain this paradox by using a rat model, combined with in vivo micro–computed tomography (μCT) imaging and bone histomorphometry, to track the changes in bone structure and cellular activities in response to estrogen deficiency following ovariectomy (OVX) in rats with and without a reproductive history. Our results demonstrated that a history of reproduction results in an altered skeletal response to estrogen‐deficiency‐induced bone loss later in life. Prior to OVX, rats with a reproductive history had lower trabecular bone mass, altered trabecular microarchitecture, and more robust cortical structure at the proximal tibia when compared to virgins. After OVX, these rats underwent a lower rate of trabecular bone loss than virgins, with minimal structural deterioration. As a result, by 12 weeks post‐OVX, rats with a reproductive history had similar trabecular bone mass, elevated trabecular thickness, and increased robustness of cortical bone when compared to virgins, resulting in greater bone stiffness. Further evaluation suggested that reproductive‐history‐induced differences in post‐OVX trabecular bone loss were likely due to differences in baseline trabecular microarchitecture, particularly trabecular thickness. Rats with a reproductive history had a larger population of thick trabeculae, which may be protective against post‐OVX trabecular connectivity deterioration and bone loss. Taken together, these findings indicate that reproduction‐associated changes in bone microarchitecture appear to reduce the rate of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency later in life, and thereby exert a long‐term protective effect on bone strength. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: Indian individuals are more insulin resistant (IR) than Chinese individuals, even among those with a non‐obese body mass index (BMI). However, BMI often underestimates body fat in Indian individuals, and it remains unclear whether Indians would remain more IR than Chinese individuals when both BMI and body fat are equally matched. Materials and Methods: Using the hyperinsulinemic‐euglycemic clamp with stable‐isotope infusion, we comprehensively assessed IR between 13 non‐obese Indian men with 13 Chinese men matched for age, BMI and body fat. We further compared the differences in insulin metabolic clearance rate (MCR) between the two groups and its relationship with various metabolic parameters. The response of lipid and amino acid metabolism to insulin stimulation was also evaluated using metabolomic profiling. Results: The rates of endogenous glucose production during fasting were similar, and endogenous glucose production was completely suppressed during insulin clamp for both ethnic groups. Glucose disappearance during insulin clamp was also similar between the two groups, even after accounting for differences in insulin concentration. Metabolomic profiles of amino acids and various acylcarnitines were similar during both fasting and insulin clamp. However, plasma insulin during clamp was significantly higher in Indian men, indicating that insulin MCR was lower. Insulin MCR correlated significantly with total adiposity and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. Conclusion: When equally matched for body fat, non‐obese Indian men had similar skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and endogenous glucose production to Chinese men. The effects of insulin on lipid and amino acid metabolism were also similar. Low insulin MCR is associated with greater adiposity and lower skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. When equally matched for adiposity, non‐obese Asian Indians had the same endogenous glucose production during fasting and insulin clamp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The unique property of ultrafast water transport in graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) coating is attributed to the frictionless interaction between the smooth hydrophobic carbon nanostructures and the well‐ordered hydrogen bonds of water molecules, whereas the driving force originates from the randomly distributed hydrophilic functionalities. The anomalous two‐phase heat transfer enhancement that results from this distinctive property of GNPs‐coating is investigated. The fast water permeation property of graphene enables the formation of ultrathin water film that synergizes the evaporation and the circulation of water in a two‐phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT). In addition, the GNPs‐coating which performs as a hydrophilic surface, improves the droplet nucleation during condensation and its fast water permeation property augments the circulation of condensate back to the evaporator. Ultimately, the ultrafast water permeation property of GNPs‐coating enhances the efficiencies of all the three main processes taking place in a TPCT, namely, evaporation, condensation, and circulation of condensate, leading to a maximum enhancement of 80.7% in the effective thermal conductance and 116.3% in the evaporative heat transfer coefficient. The experimental results are supported by the molecular dynamics simulations. A great potential for the application of GNPs‐coating in the phase‐change heat transfer devices is envisaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To establish an unbiased, 3‐dimensional (3‐D) approach that quantifies subchondral bone plate (SBP) changes in mouse joints, and to investigate the mechanism that mediates SBP sclerosis at a late stage of osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: A new micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT) protocol was developed to characterize the entire thickness of the SBP in the distal femur of a normal mouse knee. Four mouse models of severe joint OA were generated: cartilage‐specific Egfr–knockout (Egfr‐CKO) mice at 2 months after surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM), Egfr‐CKO mice with aging‐related spontaneous OA, wild‐type (WT) mice at 10 months after DMM, and WT mice at 14 weeks after DMM plus hemisectomy of the meniscus (DMMH) surgery. As an additional model, mice with knockout of the sclerostin gene (Sost‐KO) were subjected to DMMH surgery. Knee joints were examined by micro‐CT, histology, and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: Examination of the mouse distal femur by 3‐D micro‐CT revealed a positive correlation between SBP thickness and the loading status in normal knees. In all 4 mouse models of late‐stage OA, SBP sclerosis was restricted to the areas under severely eroded articular cartilage. This was accompanied by elevated bone formation at the bone marrow side of the SBP and a drastic reduction in the levels of sclerostin in osteocytes within the SBP. Unlike in WT mice, no further increase in the thickness of the SBP was observed in response to DMMH in Sost‐KO mice. Conclusion: Since focal stress on the SBP underlying sites of cartilage damage increases during late stages of OA, these findings establish mechanical loading–induced attenuation of sclerostin expression and elevation of bone formation along the SBP surface as the major mechanisms characterizing subchondral bone phenotypes associated with severe late‐stage OA in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]