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An intermetallic phase in the Al–Mn–Ni system crystallizing in space group Cmcm (No. 63) and refined formula Al61.49Mn11.35Ni4 (called the R′ phase) has been synthesized by high-temperature sintering of a mixture with initial chemical composition Al60Mn7Ni3. In comparison with the structure model of the previously reported R phase with composition Al60Mn11Ni4 [Robinson (1954). Acta Cryst. 7, 494–497], there are two mutually exchanged Mn and Ni sites together with one positionally disordered Al site [occupancy ratio 0.811 (8):0.121 (7)] and one partially occupied Mn site [s.o.f. 0.677 (5)] in the current structure model of the R′ phase.

Acetaminophen (AC) is one of the most popular pharmacologically active substances used as an analgesic and antipyretic drug. Herein, a new type of hollow Fe3O4-rGO/GCE electrode was prepared for electrochemical detection of AC through a three-step approach involving a solvothermal method for the synthesis of hollow Fe3O4 and the chemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) for reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and Fe3O4-rGO nanocomposites modified on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface. The as-prepared Fe3O4-rGO nanocomposites were characterized using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a magnetic measurement system (SQUID-VSM). The magnetic Fe3O4-rGO/GCE electrodes were employed for the electrochemical detection of AC using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and square wave voltammetry (SWV) and exhibited an ultra-high selectivity and accuracy, a low detection limit of 0.11 µmol/L with a wider linear range from 5 × 10−7 to 10−4 mol/L, and high recovery between 100.52% and 101.43%. The obtained Fe3O4-rGO-modified GCE displays great practical significance for the detection of AC in drug analysis.

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is a production process that converts petroleum into petroleum products in the presence of catalysts. The performance of an FCC catalyst plays a decisive role in petroleum refining. An FCC catalyst mainly comprises a molecular sieve (catalytic cracking active center), a carrier, and a binder. The carrier can enable the precracking of the heavy oil in its large pore, which can improve the overall activity of the catalyst and the conversion rate of heavy oil. The surface area and pore structure of carrier materials with different microscopic morphologies differ, which significantly affects the precracking of heavy oil molecules. Therefore, here, FCC catalysts were prepared using flake kaolinite, tubular halloysite, natural flake-tube-combined kaolinite, and mixed kaolinite as support materials, respectively. The FCC catalysts were used in FCC-heavy oil, and the influence of the carrier material morphology on the comprehensive performance of the catalysts was studied. The strength and cracking performance of the catalyst prepared using flake Maoming (M) were poor, whereas the catalyst prepared using tubular halloysite exhibited a good strength, high activity, and a good cracking ability for heavy oil. The catalyst prepared using natural flake-tube combined with Suzhou (S) exhibited a good strength and cracking performance, and it has been widely used in the industrial production of FCC catalysts. When 40% tube-like halloysite was mixed into M, the attrition of the prepared catalyst decreased by 0.5 units, the microreactivity increased by 1.4 units, the gasoline + liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) yield increased by 3.09 percentage points, and the gasoline research octane number (RON) increased by 0.6 units. The comprehensive performance of the catalyst can reach or exceed that of the natural-lamp-tube-based kaolin carrier. The results can not only provide guidance for the stable quality control of kaolin, but they can also significantly alleviate the resource restrictions for FCC catalyst production enterprises.

Cost-effective reefs improve the yield of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicas cultured in ponds. The reaction to reef models was studied in laboratory experiments regarding selectivity and fitness-related behaviors (crawling, feeding and defecation) in different roughness (rough and smooth), angles (30°, 60° and 90°) and heights (3.5, 7, 10.5 and 14 cm). The present study found that significantly more sea cucumbers selected the rough model, with significantly better crawling frequency, tentacles activity frequency and defecation behavior compared with those on the smooth model. This indicates that rough materials in artificial reefs are appropriate for the fitness-related behaviors of sea cucumbers. Regarding the angles, the 30° model attracted significantly more sea cucumbers than those of 60° and 90°. Among the three angles, sea cucumbers in the 30° model showed significantly better defecation behavior, while showed higher frequencies of crawling and tentacles activity in comparison with the 90° model. In other words, the models of 30° and 60° serve as the ''toilet'' and the ''kitchen'' of sea cucumbers better in defecation and food intake. No significant difference was found in the number of sea cucumbers selecting any model of three heights. The 7-cm model sees significantly higher frequencies of crawling and tentacles activity than the ones of 3.5 and 14 cm. These results indicate that the higher reef may not necessarily be valuable in the pond culture and a shorter one may help boost the feeding efficiency of sea cucumbers.

Tumor-infiltrating CD8+T lymphocytes are mostly associated with a favorable prognosis in numerous cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Biejiajian Pill (BJJP) is a common type of traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used in the treatment of HCC in China. Previous studies showed that BJJP suppressed the growth of HCC cells both in vivo and in vitro, by exerting direct cytotoxic effects on tumor cells. The present study demonstrated that in addition to direct cytotoxicity, BJJP inhibits the growth of tumor cells by promoting the infiltration of CD8+T cells into the tumor in H22-bearing mice. Mechanistically, chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) was identified as one of the most highly expressed chemokines by tumor cells in vivo after treatment with BJJP. Additionally, CCL5 was knocked down in H22 cells and the results showed that knockdown of the gene significantly impaired the infiltration of CD8+T cells in vivo. Furthermore, the effects of BJJP on human HCC cell lines were assessed in vitro. Similarly, cells treated with BJJP had higher expression of CCL5 mRNA, which was consistent with increased levels of CCL5 protein in human tumor cells. These findings provide new insights into the anticancer effects of BJJP, which regulated the expression of CCL5 and the infiltration of CD8+T cells. The results, therefore, suggest that BJJP has great potential application in clinical practice.

Sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius) is an economically important mariculture species in Asia, and its gonads are the only edible part. The efficiency of genetic breeding in sea urchins is hampered due to the inability to distinguish gender by appearance. In this study, we first identified a sex-associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) by combining type IIB endonuclease restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (2b-RAD-seq) and genome survey. Importantly, this SNP is located within spata4, a gene specifically expressed in male. Knocking down of spata4 by RNA interference (RNAi) in male individuals led to the downregulation of other conserved testis differentiation-related genes and germ cell marker genes. We also revealed that sex ratio in this validated culture population of S. intermedius is not 1:1. Moreover, after a 58-day feeding experiment with estradiol, the expression levels of several conserved genes that are related to testis differentiation, ovary differentiation, and estrogen metabolism were dynamically changed. Taken together, our results will contribute toward improving breeding efficiency, developing sex-controlled breeding, and providing a solid base for understanding sex determination mechanisms in sea urchins.

Exposure to high-temperature stress (HTS) during early regeneration in plants can profoundly shape seed germination, seedling growth, and development, thereby providing stress resilience. In this study, we assessed how the timing of HTS, which was implemented as 8 h in 40°C, could affect the early regeneration stages and phytohormone concentration of four hemiepiphytic (Hs) and four non-hemiepiphytic (NHs) Ficus species. Their seed germination, seedling emergence, and seedling survival probabilities and the concentrations of three endogenous phytohormones, abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and salicylic acid (SA) were assessed after HTS imposed during imbibition, germination, and emergence. In both groups, seeds were more sensitive to HTS in the early regeneration process; stress experienced during imbibition affected emergence and survival, and stress experienced during germination affected subsequent emergence. There was no effect from HTS when received after emergence. Survival was highest in hemiepiphytes regardless of the HTS treatment. The phytohormones showed growth form- and regeneration stage-specific responses to HTS. Due to the HTS treatment, both SA and ABA levels decreased in non-hemiepiphytes during imbibition and germination; during germination, IAA increased in hemiepiphytes but was reduced in non-hemiepiphytes. Due to the HTS treatment experienced during emergence ABA and IAA concentrations were greater for hemiepiphytes but an opposite effect was seen in the two growth forms for the SA concentration. Our study showed that the two growth forms have different strategies for regulating their growth and development in the early regeneration stages in order to respond to HTS. The ability to respond to HTS is an ecologically important functional trait that allows plant species to appropriately time their seed germination and seedling development. Flexibility in modulating species regeneration in response to HTS in these subtropical and tropical Ficus species could provide greater community resilience under climate change.

An aluminium-abundant Al8Mn5/γ-brass-type intermetallic with formula Al8.6Mn4.4, which is isotypic with γ-Al8Cr5 and γ-Al8V5, was discovered by high-temperature sintering of an Al/Mn mixture with initial composition Al2Mn. Structure analysis revealed that one special position (Wyckoff site 18h in space group R\overline{3}m) is shared by Al and Mn, with refined site occupancy factors of 0.7 and 0.3, respectively. The present low-temperature Al8Mn5-type phase crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group R\overline{3}m (No. 166), rather than R3m (No. 160) as previously reported for the same intermetallic characterized by TEM measurements [Zeng et al. (2018). Acta Mater. 153, 364–376].

The intermetallic phase with composition Al20Mn5.37Ni1.31 (icosaaluminium pentamanganese nickel) was synthesized by high-temperature sintering of a mixture with initial chemical composition Al60Mn7Ni3. Al20Mn5.37Ni1.31 adopts the Co2Al5 structure type in space-group type P63/mmc, replacing the Co atoms with the transition-metal atoms Mn and Ni. Structure analysis revealed that one of the two transition-metal sites is partially occupied by Ni [refined occupancy 0.342 (2)] and the other is co-occupied by Mn and Ni with a ratio of 0.895 (14):0.105 (14). The present refined chemical composition is supported by complementary energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX) analysis and is in agreement with the previously determined Al–Mn–Ni phase diagram [Balanetskyy et al. (2011). J. Alloys Compd, 509, 3795–3805].

C30H22S2, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 7.604(4) Å, b = 11.556(5) Å, c = 13.090(7) Å, α = 93.964(8)°, β = 93.209(8)°, γ = 90.619(9)°, V = 1145.7(10) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0497, wRref(F2) = 0.1295, T = 296(2) K.

The chromium(III) complex, Cr(C7H3NO4)2·C4H12N5 (1), was synthesised by chelating chromium with dipicolinic (H2dipic) in methanol, and its structure was characterised using elemental analysis (EA), spectroscopy (infrared, UV–visible, and fluorescence) and single-crystal X-ray method. The density functional theoretical (DFT) computation was performed using the Gaussian 09 package. The stability of solution at different temperatures and pH values, the electrochemical, morphological and thermal properties of complex 1 were discussed. The preliminary bioactivities of complex 1 in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice were investigated using daily oral gavage for 12 weeks. The cytotoxicity was assessed using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assays, and the acute toxicity experiment test was carried out on healthy C57BL/6 mice with this complex. The complex 1 crystallised in the monoclinic system with the space group P2(1)/n, R1 = 0.0642. The DFT-optimised structure of complex 1 was in excellent agreement with the X-ray crystal structure. The complex 1 exhibited good physical and chemical properties and beneficial function on blood glucose and lipid metabolism for T2DM. The antidiabetic activity of chromium(III) might be associated with chromium(VI). Furthermore, the cytotoxicity and the acute toxicity experiments showed that the complex 1 was hypotonic and secure to organism. The study of complex 1 showed that the prepared complex on the basis of H2dipic and Met could inhibit hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia in vivo and did not have potential toxicity. These results demonstrated that the complex 1 might provide an important reference for the development of functional hypoglycaemic foods or pharmaceuticals of T2DM.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most usual cancers globally. In China, Biejiajian pill (BJJP), Traditional Chinese Medicine clinical prescription, is broadly utilized for the prevention and therapy of HCC. However, the mechanisms by which BJJP exerts its effects on the prevention of tumor invasion and metastasis are still largely unknown. In this study, in vitro multiple hepatic cancer cell lines and an in vivo xenograft mice model were used to validate the preventive effects and molecular mechanisms of BJJP in HCC. We established that BJJP significantly repressed the proliferation, metastasis and infiltration of HCC cells. Furthermore, BJJP remarkably suppressed HCC cell migration, as well as invasion via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by modulating Snail expression, which was associated with the repression of Akt/GSK-3β/Snail signaling axis activation. In vivo HCC xenograft results indicated that BJJP delayed HCC development and efficiently inhibited lung metastasis. Taken together, BJJP was shown to be an effective therapeutic agent against HCC through repression of the Akt/GSK-3β/Snail signaling cascade and EMT.

An ordered ω-Al4Cr phase synthesized recently by a high-pressure sintering (HPS) approach was calculated to be stable by density function theory (DFT), implying that high pressure can accelerate the disorder-order phase transitions. The structural building units of the ω-Al4Cr phase as well as the non-stoichiometric disordered ε-Al4Cr and μ-Al4Cr phases have been analyzed by the topological “nanocluster” method in order to explore the structural relations among these phases. Both the ε-and μ-Al4Cr phases contain the typical Macky or pseudo-Macky cluster, and their centered positions were all occupied by Cr atoms, which all occupy the high-symmetry Wyckoff positions. The mechanism of the pressure-induced disorder-order phase transitions from the ε-/μ-Al4Cr to the ω-Al4Cr phase has been analyzed. and the related peritectic and eutectoid reactions have been re-evaluated. All results suggest that the stable ω-Al4Cr phase are transformed from the μ-Al4Cr phase by the eutectoid reaction that is accelerated by high-pressure conditions, whereas the ε-Al4Cr phase should form by the peritectic reaction.

The monoclinic η-phase in the binary Al–Cr system was initially named by Bradley & Lu [Bradley & Lu (1937). J. Inst. Met. 60, 319–337] as having the composition Al11Cr2 (Al:Cr ratio = 5.5:1). Its crystal structure was later refined [Cao & Kuo (2008). J. Alloys Compd. 458, 30, 319–337] to have a slightly lower Al content (Al:Cr ratio = 5.16:1). In the present work, a monoclinic phase with composition Al2.95Cr0.59 (Al:Cr ratio = 5.04:1) was obtained by high-pressure sintering (HPS) of a stoichiometric Al11Cr2 mixture. Structure analysis of this phase, hereafter named η′, revealed a close relationship to the previously reported η-Al11Cr2 structure, but with different mixed-occupied sites. Five fully occupied sites exhibit refined site occupation factors of 0.899 (5), 0.984 (4), 0.977 (5), 0.946 (4) and 0.945 (4) for the corresponding Al atoms. Moreover, there are no split Al sites in the η′-structure as reported for the η-structure. The refined chemical composition of the η′-phase revealed that it comprises two Al atoms fewer and two Cr atoms more than the previously reported η-Al11Cr2 phase.

The discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) is an ornamental fish that is well-known around the world. In artificial reproduction, they must be matched by one male and one female, whereas phenotype investigation indicated that there are no significant differences in appearance between males and females, which causes great difficulties in the mating during artificial reproduction. So, it is of great importance to establish artificial sex identification methods for the discus fish. The molecular mechanism of the sexual dimorphism of the discus fish was previously unknown. In this study, we constructed six cDNA libraries from three adult testes and three adult ovaries and performed RNA sequencing for identifying sex-biased candidate genes and microRNAs (miRNAs). A total of 50,082 non-redundant genes (unigenes) were identified, of which 18,570 unigenes were significantly overexpressed in testes, and 11,182 unigenes were significantly overexpressed in ovaries. A total of 551 miRNAs were identified, of which 47 miRNAs were differentially expressed between testes and ovaries. Eight differentially expressed unigenes, seven differentially expressed miRNAs and one non-differential miRNA were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Twenty-four of these differentially expressed miRNAs and their 15 predicted target genes constituted 41 miRNA–mRNA interaction pairs, and some of vital sex-related metabolic pathways were also identified. These results revealed these differentially expressed genes and miRNAs between ovary and testis might be involved in regulating gonadal development, sex determination, gametogenesis, and physiological function maintenance, and there are complex regulatory networks between genes and miRNAs. It can help us understand the molecular mechanism of the sexual dimorphism and obtain a high-efficiency sex identification method in the artificial reproduction process of the discus fish.

An aluminium-deficient Al8Cr5-type intermetallic with formula Al7.85Cr5.16 (octaaluminium pentachromium) was uncovered when high-pressure sintering of a mixture with composition Al11Cr4 was carried out. Structure analysis reveals that there are three co-occupied positions with refined occupancy factors for Al atoms being 0.958, 0.772 and 1/2. The present phase is confirmed to be isotypic with the previously reported rhombohedral Al8Cr5 ordered phase [Bradley & Lu (1937). Z. Kristallogr. 96, 20–37] and structurally closely related to the disordered phases of rhombohedral Al16Cr9.5 and cubic Al8Cr5.

Oligo-peptide I-C-F-6 is a Carapax trionycis extract component that has an effect on hepatic fibrosis, however, its mechanism of action is still unclear. This study investigated whether oligo-peptide I-C-F-6 could inhibit liver fibrosis by suppressing NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling, which are important in liver fibrosis. HSC-T6 cells were treated with oligo-peptide I-C-F-6, and rats were divided randomly into five groups: control (saline), CCl4, CCl4 plus oligo-peptide I-C-F-6 (0.12 and 0.24 mg/kg), and CCl4 plus colchicine (0.11 mg/kg). Here, we demonstrated that oligo-peptide I-C-F-6 ameliorated liver injury, inflammation, and hepatic fibrogenesis induced by CCl4. Oligo-peptide I-C-F-6 also inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vivo and in vitro, as evaluated by the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), which is a specific marker of HSC activation. Moreover, oligo-peptide I-C-F-6 significantly reduced the expression and distribution of β-catenin, P-AKT, phospho (P)-GSK-3β, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) P65, phospho-P65, and IκB kinase α/β (IKK-α/β) levels; additionally, IκB-α level was elevated both in vivo and in vitro. Together, these results indicate that oligo-peptide I-C-F-6 has hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic effects in animal models of liver fibrosis, the mechanism of which may be related to modulating NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Keywords: Oligo-peptide I-C-F-6, Hepatic fibrosis, Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), NF-κB signaling, Wnt/β-catenin signaling

A 56 days experiment was carried out to examine the effects of nine different diets on the growth and biochemical composition of discus fish Symphysodon haraldi tissues. Nine different types of diets were created using three main ingredients (beef heart, duck heart, and shrimp meat) in varying proportions, i.e., 10:0:0 (F1), 9:0:1 (F2), 8:0:2 (F3), 6:2:2 (F4), 4:4:2 (F5), 2:6:2 (F6), 0:8:2 (F7), 0:9:1 (F8) and 0:10:0 (F9). As the proportion of beef heart within the diet decreased, the specific growth rates (SGR), length growth rates (LGR), and height growth rates (HGR) of S. haraldi first decreased (F1-F3), then increased (F4-F6), and thereafter decreased (F7-F9), while the feed coefficient rates (FCR) showed the opposite trend. No significant differences in SGR, LGR, HGR, and FCR between the F1 and F6 groups were observed. The survival rates decreased with lower beef heart levels. Dietary inclusion of beef heart and/or shrimp meat often resulted in a decrease of crude protein and ash content. Dietary fatty acids (FA) associated with the F3, F8, and F9 groups showed significantly lower concentrations of 18:3n-3 and 20:5n-3 relative to the other groups. Similarly, the F7 and F9 diets and the S. haraldi these diets were fed to demonstrated low and high 20:4n-6 levels, respectively. While the F1 and F9 diets were both poor in 22:6n-3, the F1 group showed significantly higher 22:6n-3 content than the F9 group, indicating the more efficient retention and/or bioconversion of this FA by S. haraldi in the F1 group. The results of this study suggest that shrimp meat might not necessarily be added into moist feed for S. haraldi culture. Diets with up to 60% duck heart could be achieved without affecting growth, but showed some negative influence on survival rates. Keywords: Symphysodon haraldi, Beef heart, Duck heart, Growth, Fatty acid

Abstract Rabbit with hypercholesterolaemia is an important model for studying cholesterol metabolism disease. This study aimed to evaluate the expression stability of nine reference genes for quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis in adrenal gland, liver, spleen, and kidney tissue from rabbits with hypercholesterolaemia. In total, 30 male Harbin Large White (HLW) rabbits were fed a normal feed (n = 15) or a high cholesterol feed (n = 15) for 8 weeks to induce hypercholesterolaemia. Nine reference genes were verified by qPCR using cDNA extracted from rabbit tissue samples. For qPCR analysis, reference genes were evaluated using the RefFinder and GeNorm algorithms. Overall, seven rabbits with hypercholesterolaemia were identified based on body weight and total cholesterol measurements. Combining the results of the RefFinder and GeNorm algorithms, the most stable reference genes were hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1 (Hprt1) and eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha 1 (Eef1a1) in the adrenal gland, β-2-microglobulin (B2m) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gapdh) in the liver, tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta (Ywhaz) and Gapdh in the spleen, and peptidylprolyl isomerase (Ppia), β-actin (Actb), succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit A flavoprotein (Sdha), and B2m in the kidney. Taken together, our results confirmed that Hprt1 and Eef1a1, B2m and Gapdh, Ywhaz and Gapdh, and Ppia, Actb, Sdha, and B2m were the best reference genes for qPCR analyses in adrenal gland, liver, spleen, and kidney tissue, respectively, of rabbits with hypercholesterolaemia.

A variety of cardiac transcription factors/cofactors, signaling pathways, and downstream structural genes integrate to form the regulatory hierarchies to ensure proper cardiogenesis in vertebrate. Major interaction proteins of the transcription cofactor vestigial like family member 4 (VGLL4) include myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) and TEA domain transcription factors (TEAD), both of which play important roles in embryonic cardiac development and in adulthood. In this study, we identified that the deficiency of zebrafish vgll4b paralog, a unique family member expressed in developing heart, led to an impaired valve development. Mechanistically, in vgll4b mutant embryos the disruption of Vgll4b-Mef2c complex, rather than that of Vgll4b-Tead complex, resulted in an aberrant expression of krüppel-like factor 2a (klf2a) in endocardium. Such misexpression of klf2a eventually evoked the valvulogenesis defects. Our findings suggest that zebrafish Vgll4b plays an important role in modulating the transcription activity of Mef2c on klf2a during valve development in a blood-flow-independent manner.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis, which leads to 20% of sufferers developing coronary artery aneurysm in children if not appropriately treated. Therefore, the early diagnosis of KD is essential for alleviating the risk of developing heart disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large class of small non-coding RNAs which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and have been shown to play critical roles in numerous biological processes and diseases. In this study, we used high-throughput miRNA sequencing and found dozens of miRNAs are highly expressed in platelets. By comparing the miRNA expression profile of platelets of acute KD patients and other febrile patients, miR-222-3p is validated to be significantly upregulated in platelets of acute KD patients. Furthermore, KEGG pathway analysis shows that targets of miR-222-3p are enriched in immune-related signaling pathways. Our study uncovers the potential of miR-222-3p in platelets as biomarker for early diagnosis of Kawasaki disease.

In-cylinder oxygen concentration (ICOC) is critical for advanced combustion control of internal combustion engines, and is hard to be accessed in commercial measurements. In existing research, ICOC is predicted by conventional dynamical model based on mass/energy conservation, which suffers from uncertainties such as inaccuracy of volumetric efficiency or the error of orifice geometry. In this paper, we enhance the ICOC estimation by implementing two vital strategies. Firstly, we introduce a method called virtual measurement to resist the conventional model uncertainties, in this method we modeling the ICOC as a function of ignition delay which can be obtained by measuring the in-cylinder pressure. Secondly, we apply Kalman filter to fuse the ICOC results from the conventional dynamical model and the virtual measurement. The data fusion algorithm turns the estimation to a predictor-corrector fashion, which further improves the overall accuracy and robustness. The proposed approach is validated through a calibrated GT-Power engine model. The results show that the estimation error can be achieved form at worst 0.03 to at best 0.01 on steady state.

Abstract Mitophagy is an essential intracellular process that eliminates dysfunctional mitochondria and maintains cellular homeostasis. Mitophagy is regulated by the post-translational modification of mitophagy receptors. Fun14 domain-containing protein 1 (FUNDC1) was reported to be a new receptor for hypoxia-induced mitophagy in mammalian cells and interact with microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 beta (LC3B) through its LC3 interaction region (LIR). Moreover, the phosphorylation modification of FUNDC1 affects its binding affinity for LC3B and regulates selective mitophagy. However, the structural basis of this regulation mechanism remains unclear. Here, we present the crystal structure of LC3B in complex with a FUNDC1 LIR peptide phosphorylated at Ser17 (pS17), demonstrating the key residues of LC3B for the specific recognition of the phosphorylated or dephosphorylated FUNDC1. Intriguingly, the side chain of LC3B Lys49 shifts remarkably and forms a hydrogen bond and electrostatic interaction with the phosphate group of FUNDC1 pS17. Alternatively, phosphorylated Tyr18 (pY18) and Ser13 (pS13) in FUNDC1 significantly obstruct their interaction with the hydrophobic pocket and Arg10 of LC3B, respectively. Structural observations are further validated by mutation and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assays. Therefore, our structural and biochemical results reveal a working model for the specific recognition of FUNDC1 by LC3B and imply that the reversible phosphorylation modification of mitophagy receptors may be a switch for selective mitophagy.

Based on the apparent energy consumption data, a systematic and comprehensive city-level total carbon accounting approach was established and applied in Guangzhou, China. A newly extended LMDI method based on the Kaya identity was adopted to examine the main drivers for the carbon emissions increments both at the industrial sector and the residential sector. Research results are listed as follow: (1) Carbon emissions embodied in the imported electricity played a significant important role in emissions mitigation in Guangzhou. (2) The influences and impacts of various driving factors on industrial and residential carbon emissions are different in the three different development periods, namely, the 10th five-year plan period (2003-2005), the 11th five-year plan period (2005-2010), and the 12th five-year plan period (2010-2013). The main reasons underlying these influencing mechanisms were different policy measures announced by the central and local government during the different five-year plan periods. (3) The affluence effect (g-effect) was the dominant positive effect in driving emissions increase, while the energy intensity effect of production (e-effect-Production), the economic structure effect (s-effect) and the carbon intensity effect of production (f-effect-Production) were the main contributing factors suppressing emissions growth at the industrial sector. (4) The affluence effect of urban (g-effect-AUI) was the most dominant positive driving factor on emissions increment, while the energy intensity effect of urban (e-effect-Urban) played the most important role in curbing emissions growth at the residential sector.

Gastrointestinal bacteria are essential for host health, and only viable microorganisms contribute to gastrointestinal functions. When evaluating the gut microbiota by next generation sequencing method, dead bacteria, which compose a proportion of gut bacteria, may distort analysis of the live gut microbiota. We collected stomach, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and colon contents from Rex rabbits. A modified propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment protocol was used to exclude DNA from dead bacteria. Analysis of untreated samples yielded total bacteria, and analysis of PMA-treated samples yielded live bacteria. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were performed to evaluate the live-to-total bacteria ratio and compare the difference between live and total microbiota in the entire digestive tract. A low proportion of live bacteria in the foregut (stomach 1.12%, jejunum 1.2%, ileum 2.84%) and a high proportion of live bacteria in the hindgut (cecum 24.66%, colon 19.08%) were observed. A significant difference existed between total and live microbiota. Clostridiales, Ruminococcaceae, and S24-7 dominated the hindgut of both groups, while Acinetobacter and Cupriavidus dominated only in live foregut microbiota. Clostridiales and Ruminococcaceae abundance decreased, while S24-7 increased in live hindgut microbiota. The alpha- and beta-diversities differed significantly between groups. Analysis of networks showed the mutual relationship between live bacteria differed vastly when compared with total bacteria. Our study revealed a large number of dead bacteria existed in the digestive tract of Rex rabbits and distorted the community profile of the live microbiota. Total bacteria is an improper representation of the live gut microbiota, particularly in the foregut.

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated anti–programmed cell death (PD)-1 immunotherapy (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) for overall efficacy, safety, and effective dose relative to standard chemotherapy or other conventional drugs in the treatment of malignant tumors. We searched the following databases, PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane, Wangfang Data, Weipu, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the reference lists of the selected articles for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of anti–PD-1 therapies in humans. The outcome measures were overall survival, treatment response, and adverse events. Only four randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria. Three of these evaluated responses to nivolumab, whereas one tested pembrolizumab. The result of our analysis suggested that nivolumab may improve the overall response rate in treating melanoma relative to chemotherapy and has few associated adverse events. Similarly, in metastatic melanoma patients, nivolumab had a significant advantage over dacarbazine in terms of 1-year survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rate. Regarding dose levels of nivolumab for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the outcomes in response to 2 and 10 mg/kg were similar, but both had significant advantages over 0.3 mg/kg. In addition, pembrolizumab showed similar outcomes in response to 2- and 10-mg/kg treatment. Anti–PD-1 immunotherapy appears to be safe and effective for patients with melanoma or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Our meta-analysis is limited, but additional clinical trials are warranted to verify this preliminary evidence of positive outcomes and before anti–PD-1 therapy can be recommended for routine clinical use.

Crassocephalum crepidioides, Conyza canadensis, and Ageratum conyzoides are alien annuals naturalized in China, which produce a large number of viable seeds every year. They widely grow in Xishuangbanna, becoming troublesome weeds that compete with crops for water and nutrients. As seed germination is among the most important life-stages which contribute to plant distribution and invasiveness, its adaptation to temperature and water stress were investigated in these three species. Results showed that: (1) These three species have wide temperature ranges to allow seed germination, i.e., high germination and seedling percentages were achieved between 15°C and 30°C, but germination was seriously inhibited at 35°C; only A. conyzoides demonstrated relative preference for warmer temperatures with approximately 25% germination and seedling percentage at 35°C; (2) light was a vital germination prerequisite for C. crepidioides and A. conyzoides, whereas most C. canadensis seeds germinated in full darkness; (3) Although all three species have good adaptation to bare ground habitat characterized by high temperatures and water stress, including their tolerance to soil surface temperatures of 70°C in air-dried seeds, A. conyzoides seeds exhibited higher tolerance to both continuous and daily periodic high-temperature treatment at 40°C, and to water restriction (e.g., ca. 65% seeds germinated to -0.8 MPa created by NaCl), which is consistent with their field behavior in Xishuangbanna. This study suggests that seed high-temperature tolerance contributes to the weed attributes of these three species, and that adaptation to local micro-habitats is a critical determinant for invasiveness of an alien plant.

Tumor suppressor genes (TSGs), including Ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1), are hypermethylated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). TET1 catalytic domain (TET1-CD) induces genome-wide DNA demethylation to activate TSGs, but so far, anticancer effects of TET1-CD are unclear. Here we showed that after HCC cells were transiently transfected with TET1-CD, the methylation levels of TSGs, namely APC, p16, RASSF1A, SOCS1 and TET1, were distinctly reduced, and their mRNA levels were significantly increased and HCC cells proliferation, migration and invasion were suppressed, but the methylation and mRNA levels of oncogenes, namely C-myc, Bmi1, EMS1, Kpna2 and c-fos, were not significantly change. Strikingly, HCC subcutaneous xenografts in nude mice remained to be significantly repressed even 54 days after transient transfection of TET1-CD. So, transient transfection of TET1-CD may be a great advance in HCC treatment due to its activation of multiple TSGs and persistent anticancer effects.

Both spiny and edible amaranths (Amaranthus spinosus and A. tricolor) are exotic annuals in China that produce numerous small seeds every year. Spiny amaranth has become a successful invader and a troublesome weed in Xishuangbanna, but edible amaranth has not, although it is widely grown as a vegetable there. As seed germination is one of the most important life-stages contributing to the ability of a plant to become invasive, we conducted experiments to compare the effects of high temperature and water stress on seed germination in two varieties each of spiny amaranth and edible amaranth. Overall, the seeds of both amaranth species exhibited adaptation to high temperature and water stress, including tolerance to ground temperatures of 70°C for air-dried seeds, which is consistent with their behavior in their native ranges in the tropics. As expected, the invasive spiny amaranth seeds exhibited higher tolerance to both continuous and daily periodic high-temperature treatment at 45°C, and to imbibition-desiccation treatment, compared to edible amaranth seeds. Unexpectedly, edible amaranth seeds exhibited higher germination at extreme temperatures (10°C, 15°C, and 40°C), and at lower water potential (below -0.6 MPa). It is likely that cultivation of edible amaranth has selected seed traits that include rapid germination and germination under stressful conditions, either of which, under natural conditions, may result in the death of most germinating edible amaranth seeds and prevent them from becoming invasive weeds in Xishuangbanna. This study suggests that rapid germination and high germination under stress conditions-excellent seed traits for crops and for many invasive species-might be a disadvantage under natural conditions if these traits are asynchronous with natural local conditions that support successful germination.

Blade tip clearance (BTC) measurement and active clearance control (ACC) are becoming crucial technologies in aero-engine health monitoring so as to improve the efficiency and reliability as well as to ensure timely maintenance. Eddy current sensor (ECS) offers an attractive option for BTC measurement due to its robustness, whereas current approaches have not considered two issues sufficiently. One is that BTC affects the response time of a measurement loop, the other is that ECS signal decays with increasing speed. This paper proposes a speed adjustment model (SAM) to deal with these issues in detail. SAM is trained using a nonlinear regression method from a dynamic training data set obtained by an experiment. The Levenberg⁻Marquardt (LM) algorithm is used to estimate SAM characteristic parameters. The quantitative relationship between the response time of ECS measurement loop and BTC, as well as the output signal and speed are obtained. A BTC measurement method (BTCMM) based on the SAM is proposed and a geometric constraint equation is constructed to assess the accuracy of BTC measurement. Experiment on a real-time BTC measurement during the running process for a micro turbojet engine is conducted to validate the BTCMM. It is desirable and significative to effectively improve BTC measurement accuracy and expand the range of applicable engine speed.

This paper studies the problem of H∞ state estimation for a class of delayed static neural networks. The purpose of the problem is to design a delay-dependent state estimator such that the dynamics of the error system is globally exponentially stable and a prescribed H∞ performance is guaranteed. Some improved delay-dependent conditions are established by constructing augmented Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals (LKFs). The desired estimator gain matrix can be characterized in terms of the solution to LMIs (linear matrix inequalities). Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method compared with some existing results.

Mexican sunflower is native to Mexico and Central America and was introduced into China early last century. Now it has widely naturalized and is exhibiting increasing invasiveness in South China. As this species often dominates bare ground, a habitat characterized by extreme fluctuation in temperature and water, it is reasonable to hypothesize that it has special adaptations to high temperature and water stress. Using laboratory experiments to simulate these stresses, this study investigated the response of Mexican sunflower seed germination to temperature and water stress, and compared these responses with those previously reported for another invasive, bamboo piper, which is confined to relatively cool and moist habitats in Xishuangbanna. As expected, Mexican sunflower seeds exhibited higher tolerance to these stresses than bamboo piper. Germination of Mexican sunflower seeds was highest at 15-30°C, but significant numbers of seeds germinated and formed seedlings at 10°C and 35°C, at which no bamboo piper seeds formed seedlings, indicating a wider temperature range for germination than the latter. Roughly half the seeds survived 240 h continuous heat treatment and up to 15 h daily periodical heat treatment at 40°C, while bamboo piper seeds were mostly killed by these treatments. About 20% of Mexican sunflower but no bamboo piper seeds germinated after heat treatment for 30 min at 80°C. Germination was completely inhibited in bamboo piper seeds at -0.6 mPa, while 20-60% of Mexican sunflower seeds germinated depending on PEG or NaCl as osmoticum. This higher tolerance in Mexican sunflower seeds accords with its stronger invasiveness in this area. This comparison between two plant invaders demonstrates that invasiveness is not an all-or-nothing situation, and that adaptation to local habitats is a critical determinant of successful invasiveness for an alien plant.

Aims. To explore the effects and mechanisms of fluid shear stress on portal vein remodeling in a rat model of portal hypertension. Methods. Subcutaneous injections of CCl4 were given to establish a rat model of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Biomechanical technology was adopted to determine the dynamic changes of haemodynamic indices and fluid shear stress. Nitric oxide (NO), synthase (NOS), and endothelin-1 (ET-1) of the portal vein blood were measured. Changes in geometric structure and ultrastructure of the portal vein were observed using optical and electron microscopy. Results. After the CC14 injections, rat haemodynamics were notably altered. From week 4 onwards, PVP, PVF, and PVR gradually and significantly increased (P