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Invasive alien plants (IAPs) have serious environmental and economic impacts, especially in vulnerable areas of China. However, IAP richness distribution patterns, their driving factors, and the dynamic shifts in potential distribution areas remain elusive. We assessed IAP richness distribution patterns and drivers using 402 IAPs recorded in China at 88 926 occurrence points, and then predicted their potential distribution areas. The results show that IAP hotspots were mainly located in southeastern China, especially coastal areas of the South and East and large inland cities. Population density, gross domestic product (GDP), and four climate variables associated with precipitation and temperature jointly influenced the richness distribution pattern of all IAPs. Specifically, population density and GDP impacted the richness distribution pattern of narrow‐range IAPs, and population density, GDP, distance to the nearest national highway, and five climate variables affected the richness distribution pattern of widespread IAPs. Only GDP contributed significantly to the richness distribution pattern of the top 5% hotspot grid cells, whereas population density, GDP, and precipitation in the driest month (BIO14) significantly influenced the richness distribution patterns of hotspots for both the top 10% and top 20%. Prediction analysis demonstrated that southeastern China would have particularly high invasion risk under both current and future climate scenarios. Regions with increases in predicted species richness are more common (44.83–64.97%) than those with decreases, except under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario. Climate change will contribute greatly to the expansion of potential IAP distribution areas under both optimistic (RCP 2.5) and pessimistic scenarios (RCP 8.5). The results of this study provide insights into the priority management of IAPs by developing promising strategies for the control and prevention of IAP invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National key protected wild plants (NKPWPs) are species with important conservation value based on genetics, ecology, culture, and/or scientific research, which are also confronted with serious threats. However, their geographical distribution patterns and conservation status remain unclear. In this study, we compiled 1032 species of NKPWPs. We measured the diversity to identify hotspots of NKPWPs based on species richness, weighted range size rarity and a complementarity‐based analysis. Comparing the distribution and hotspots of NKPWPs with the coverage of Chinese nature reserves (NRs), we assessed conservation effectiveness and identified conservation gaps. The results identified 13 diversity hotspots; only 9.5% of them were covered by NRs with >30% of the grid cell area, and even 19.5% were not covered at all by NRs. Overall, 44.7% of NKPWPs were effectively protected by national NRs. Despite this success, 571 species in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guangxi, Guangdong, southern Hainan, Taiwan, and northern Xinjiang remain unprotected by NRs. The protected proportion of plants with first‐level protection was lower than that of plants with second‐level protection. The low overall proportion of protected hotspots indicates that the conservation outlook for NKPWPs is not optimistic. This study identifies priority conservation areas and conservation gaps and provides a scientific reference for the conservation of wild plants in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant fraction of higher plants in China are threatened due to dramatic landscape transformation and increasing climate change. However, the conservation effectiveness of threatened higher plants (THPs) and their response to climate change are still underexplored to date. Based on the latest list of THPs in China, we obtained 102 593 occurrence records with latitude and longitude for 3858 THPs. By integrating the distribution patterns of three biodiversity indexes (i.e., species richness, species complementarity, and weighted endemism) and 10 plant categories, we identified hotspots for THPs and calculated the conservation effectiveness of nature reserves. We then selected 1959 THPs to project the shift of species richness and range sizes under climate change (representative concentration pathway [RCP] 2.6 and RCP 8.5). In total, 16 hotspot areas covering 7.38% of Chinese land area and containing 91.73% of THPs were identified. Current nature reserves protected 35.05% of hotspots, 73.07% of all THPs, and 56.64% of narrow‐ranged species. By the 2070s, the species richness of THPs were predicted to decrease in Southeast and Central China, and 42.42% (RCP 2.6) and 51.40% (RCP 8.5) of the 1959 THPs would confront habitat contraction. Future conservation efforts should focus on the conservation gaps and carry out targeted conservation for THPs with narrow distribution range. In order to cope with climate change, the hotspots with relatively low species loss can serve as important areas to contain current species diversity and the areas with high species gain offer opportunities for ex‐situ conservation of THPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: CRLF2 alterations are associated with B‐cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP‐ALL). This study aimed to explore the clinical, biological, and outcome features of pediatric BCP‐ALL with CRLF2 abnormalities. Methods: This study enrolled 630 childhood BCP‐ALLs treated on CCLG‐ALL 2008 or 2018 protocol. P2RY8‐CRLF2 was determined by Sanger sequencing and CRLF2 expression was evaluated by qRT‐PCR. The correlation between clinical, biological features and outcomes with P2RY8‐CRLF2 or CRLF2 over‐expression were analyzed. Results: P2RY8‐CRLF2 and CRLF2 over‐expression were found in 3.33% and 5.71% respectively. P2RY8‐CRLF2 was associated with male, higher frequency of CD7 expression, high WBC and MRD before consolidation. CRLF2 over‐expression showed ETV6‐RUNX1−, higher frequency of CD22, CD34, CD66c, CD86 expression, hyperdiploidy and high MRD at early treatment. The lower overall survival (OS) was found in patients with P2RY8‐CRLF2 and confined only in IR group. Furthermore, adverse event‐free survival and OS of P2RY8‐CRLF2 were discovered comparing to those without known fusions or treated on CCLG‐ALL 2008 protocol. However, P2RY8‐CRLF2 was not confirmed as independent prognostic factors and no prognostic impact of CRLF2 over‐expression was found. Conclusions: These findings indicate P2RY8‐CRLF2 identifies a subset of patients with specific features and adverse outcomes that could be improved by risk‐directed treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Large B‐cell lymphoma with IRF4 rearrangement (LBCL, IRF4+) has been recently recognized as a specific entity that is frequently associated with young age and favorable prognosis. However, whether the good outcome of the disease is due to IRF4+ or other factors remains obscure. We thus analyzed 100 young patients with primary head and neck LBCL to see the clinicopathologic correlates of IRF4+. Methods: The histopathology, immunophenotype, IRF4 status of the tumors, and clinical data were reviewed. Results: Twenty‐one tumors were diagnosed as LBCL, IRF4+, which were more frequently associated with a follicular growth pattern, medium‐sized blastoid cytology, germinal center B‐cell‐like, and CD5+ phenotype, compared with IRF4− ones. While most of the patients received chemotherapy with or without radiation, eight IRF4+ patients received mere surgical resection of the tumor and exhibited excellent outcome. IRF4+ cases featured a significantly higher complete remission rate, and better survivals compared with IRF4− ones. Multivariate analysis confirmed IRF4+ correlates with a better survival. Conclusion: Our work confirmed the unique clinicopathologic features of LBCL, IRF4+, and disclosed for the first time the independent favorable prognostic impact of IRF4+. These findings may further unravel the heterogeneity of LBCL occurring in youth, and aid in risk stratification and tailoring the therapeutic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary droplet‐based microfluidic platforms generate large numbers of sub‐nanoliter (<10−9 L) volume droplets on short timescales. The controllable generation of femtoliter (10−15 L) volume droplets is however a far more challenging task. Herein, the design, fabrication, and testing of a valve‐based droplet‐on‐demand generator that enables the robust and controllable production of femtoliter‐volume water‐in‐oil droplets is described, where droplet size is determined by on‐chip pressure. This generator enables the sequential supply of femtoliter droplets to much larger "mother" droplets stored on‐chip, which in turn allows for high‐precision droplet dilution and programmable droplet pairing/merging operations. Such an approach can generate in excess of 700 fL‐volume droplets of variable content and with dilution factors of almost three orders of magnitude. Using the same principle, the microfluidic platform can also perform rapid, low‐volume consumption titrations. Accordingly, the valve‐based droplet‐on‐demand generator allows for a range of automated and multi‐step droplet‐based manipulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main Problem: Inflammation plays an important role in the pathological progress associated with stroke. Serum uric acid (SUA) to lymphocyte ratio (ULR), a novel inflammatory biomarker, has been considered as a better risk stratification tool of adverse outcomes than SUA or lymphocyte alone. This study aimed to investigate whether ULR produced more predictive value for stroke and explore the potential mediators of the associations. Methods: This study enrolled 93,023 Chinese participants without stroke and myocardial infarction at baseline. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the associations of ULR with stroke and subtypes. Mediation analyses were conducted to explore potential mediators of the associations. Results: During a median follow-up of 13.00 years, 6081 cases of incident stroke occurred, including 5048 cases of ischemic stroke (IS) and 900 cases of hemorrhagic stroke (HS). After adjustment for confounders, the Q4 group was associated with a higher risk of HS (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.03–1.50), but not with total stroke (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03–1.13) or IS (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.97–1.12). No significant associations were found between SUA or lymphocyte and any stroke. ULR outperformed SUA or lymphocytes alone in predicting stroke. Additionally, the significant association between ULR and HS was partially mediated by systolic blood pressure (20.32%), diastolic blood pressure (11.18%) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (9.19%). Conclusions: ULR was significantly associated with the risk of HS, but not with IS. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and estimated glomerular filtration rate were potential mediators for the association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by creatures reducing impact damage, a novel semi‐active protection strategy to enhance impact resistance through structural adjustment is proposed. The heat‐activated shape memory composites (PCLE) consisting of polycaprolactone (PCL) and shear stiffening elastomer are first prepared. The PCLE with 50 wt.% PCL (PCLE‐50%) presents tensile strength of 0.46 MPa, fracture strain of 148%, high shape fixity and recovery rates (97.9% and 91.1%), and stable shape‐memory repeatability. Furthermore, various PCLE‐50%‐based structures are fabricated, which show reinforced anti‐impact performance after shape‐shifting. Loading from 300 mm, the maximum drop hammer impact force of no protection, PCLE‐50%, and deformed assembled single‐branch structure are 3.98 kN, 1.75 kN, and 0.93 kN, respectively. Additionally, assembled complex structures also exhibit exceptional energy absorption properties. Ultimately, intelligent clothing is successfully manufactured. Besides good anti‐impact effect, the clothing shows excellent thermal insulation capabilities whose surface temperature is 31.7 °C after heating for 600 s at 42 °C. This study provides an innovative means to develop deformable, wearable, and intelligent protective devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognostic value of histologic grading and the Ki‐67 proliferation index in follicular lymphoma (FL) is controversial. This study investigated the clinical usefulness of these two factors in Asian FL patients. Four hundred and thirty‐three patients diagnosed with FL were retrospectively reviewed with a median follow‐up time of 47.0 months (range, 24.0‐168.0). The 10‐year overall survival (OS) rate and progression‐free survival (PFS) rate were 91.0% and 47.1%, respectively. Grade 3B and grade 3B with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) showed a better PFS than grade 1‐3A (P < 0.001), and similar findings were noted in patients who received rituximab‐containing regimens (P = 0.002). In contrast, no significant differences in terms of OS or PFS were observed between grades 1‐2 and 3A. In addition, patients with Ki‐67 ≥ 30% had a significantly better PFS than patients with Ki‐67 < 30% (P = 0.014), although the difference was eliminated in the multivariate analysis. Both grade and Ki‐67 index had no impact on prognosis in patients who did not receive rituximab treatment. In conclusion, grade 3A is closely related to grade 1‐2, as reflected by a similar indolent clinical course and a lower PFS rate than grade 3B/3B + DLBCL. In addition, a higher Ki‐67 index seems to have a positive effect on PFS in FL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to their permanent porosity, highly ordered and extended structure, good chemical stability, and tunability, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a new type of organic materials that can offer various applications in different fields. Benefiting from the huge database of organic reactions, the required functionality of COFs can be readily achieved by modification of the corresponding organic functional groups on either polymerizable monomers or established COF frameworks. This striking feature allows homochiral covalent organic frameworks (HCCOFs) to be reasonably designed and synthesized, as well as their use as a unique platform to fabricate asymmetric catalysts. This contribution provides an overview of new progress in HCCOF‐based asymmetric catalysis, including design, synthesis, and their application in asymmetric organic synthesis. Moreover, major challenges and developing trends in this field are also discussed. It is anticipated that this review article will provide some new insights into HCCOFs for heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis and help to encourage further contributions in this young but promising field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsatellite instability (MSI) has been investigated as a prognostic and predictive factor for chemotherapy in colorectal cancer and has recently been demonstrated to be predictive of the PD‐1/PD‐L1 checkpoint blockade response in various solid tumors. However, MSI status in diffuse large B‐cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) has not been thoroughly explored. This study investigated MSI status in DLBCLs and analyzed the associations between MSI and clinicopathologic characteristics and clinical outcomes. Ninety‐two cases of primary DLBCLs treated with R‐CHOP/CHOP chemotherapy between 2009 and 2017 were collected. MSI detection was performed by the Promega MSI Analysis System. The protein expression of MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 was detected by immunohistochemistry. The associations of MSI‐H and MSI‐L with progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed by COX models and Kaplan–Meier curves. The correlations of complete response (CR) after R‐CHOP/CHOP chemotherapy with MSI‐H and MSI‐L were examined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, respectively. 3 of 92 cases (3.2%) were high MSI (MSI‐H), and 9 cases (9/92, 9.8%) exhibited low MSI (MSI‐L). One case with MSI‐H showed negative expression of MSH2 and MSH6. Univariate analysis indicated that MSI‐L was correlated with poor response to R‐CHOP/CHOP chemotherapy in DLBCLs (OR, 0.178; 95% CI, 0.041‐0.776; P =.022). Multivariate analysis showed that MSI‐L was an independent predictive factor for non‐CR to R‐CHOP/CHOP chemotherapy (OR, 0.144; 95% CI, 0.027‐0.761; P =.023). Kaplan‐Meier curves showed that there was a trend that MSI‐H patients had favorable PFS (P =.36) and OS (P =.48), which did not have statistical significance and MSI‐L was not significantly correlated with PFS (P =.24) and OS (P =.52).Our study indicated that there existed MSI‐H and MSI‐L in DLBCLs. MSI‐L could be an independent predictive factor for the chemotherapy response in DLBCLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solasodine is a main active component isolated from Solanum incanum L. that performs a wide range of functions containing anti-oxidant, anti-infection, and neurogenesis promotion. In this study, we explored the influence of solasodine on three types of human colorectal cancer ( CRC) cell lines. The results show that solasodine prohibited CRC cell proliferation dose- and time-dependently and impeded CRC cell motility by downregulating MMPs. Solasodine was also found to fuel caspase-cascade reaction and increase the ratio between Bax and Bcl-2 so as to induce CRC cell apoptosis. When cells were pretreated with AKT activator (insulin-like growth factor-1) followed by solasodine, the solasodine-induced apoptosis was partially abrogated by insulin-like growth factor-1. Moreover, solasodine hindered tumor development and stimulated similar mechanisms in vivo. In general, our study provides the first evidence that solasodine has a suppressive effect on CRC cells and that this agent may be a novel therapeutic drug for CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long sought-after, intrinsically short-lived molecule ethylenedione (OCCO) was observed and investigated by anion photoelectron spectroscopy. The adiabatic electron affinity of its quasi-bound 3Σg− state is 1.936(8) eV. The vibrational progression with a 417(15) cm−1 frequency observed within the triplet band corresponds to a trans-bending mode. Several dissociative singlet states are also observed, corresponding to two components of the 1Δg state and the 1Σg+ state. The experimental results are in agreement with theoretical predictions and constitute the first spectroscopic observation and characterization of this elusive compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We present a compact printed ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna with a band-notched characteristic. A modified ground plane is introduced to achieve a wide impedance bandwidth from 3 to 13.4 GHz with S11<- 10dB. By inserting an arc-shaped slot in the radiating patch, the notch frequency band at 3.4-3.7 GHz is obtained. An equivalent circuit model and parametric studies are given to explain the principle of the proposed UWB antenna. The relationship between the current distributions and radiation patterns is discussed. Simulated and measured results show that the proposed antenna has good impedance matching, stable radiation patterns and constant gain. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:2236-2240, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

μ-Conotoxin (μ-CTX) inhibits Na+ flux by obstructing the Na+ channel pore. Previous studies of μ-CTX have focused only on charged toxin residues, ignoring the neutral sites. Here we investigated the proximity between the C-terminal neutral alanine (A22) of μ-CTX and the Na+ channel pore by replacing it with the negatively charged glutamate. The analog A22E and wild-type (WT) μ-CTX exhibited identical nuclear magnetic resonance spectra except at the site of replacement, verifying that they have identical backbone structures. A22E significantly reduced μ-CTX affinity for WT μ1 Na+ channels (90-fold↓), as if the inserted glutamate repels the anionic pore receptor. We then looked for the interacting partner(s) of residue 22 by determining the potency of block of Y401K, Y401A, E758Q, D762K, D762A, E765K, E765A and D1241K channels by WT μ-CTX and A22E, followed by mutant cycle analysis to assess their individual couplings. Our results show that A22E interacts strongly with E765K from domain II (DII) (ΔΔG=2.2±0.1 vs. <1 kcal/mol for others). We conclude that μ-CTX residue 22 closely associates with the DII pore in the toxin-bound channel complex. The approach taken may be further exploited to study the proximity of other neutral toxin residues with the Na+ channel pore. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Keywords: asymmetric catalysis; chirality; covalent organic frameworks; microporous materials; synthesis design EN asymmetric catalysis chirality covalent organic frameworks microporous materials synthesis design 1 1 1 11/06/20 20201102 NES 201102 B As newly emerged crystalline porous materials b , covalent organic frameworks (COFs) recently exhibit a new trend in asymmetric catalytic application. Read more about the latest developments and findings of homochiral COFs (HCCOFs) in asymmetric catalysis, including the design and synthesis of HCCOF-based catalysts, and their application in asymmetric organic transformations in the Minireview by Y.-B. Asymmetric catalysis, chirality, covalent organic frameworks, microporous materials, synthesis design. [Extracted from the article]

The cover page of the 2015 issue of the journal "Angewandte Chemie International Edition" is presented.