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In view of the rapid growth of English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education institutions (HEIs), we observe the need to account for the educational and linguistic consequences of HEIs' decision to 'Englishise' their curricula. Especially, EMI in Asian countries (e.g. China) are fuelled by state-level initiatives to internationalise the higher education sector and implemented top-down in local universities. Although empirical studies report on the (mis)alignments between policymaking and implementation of EMI, little is known about how the interplay between EMI and internationalisation of HEIs is contextualised and negotiated in local contexts. Using the ROAD-MAPPING framework [Dafouz, E., and U. Smit. 2016. 'Towards a Dynamic Conceptual Framework for English-Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings.' Applied Linguistics 37 (3): 397–415], we present a case study of an internationally-oriented Chinese university with five distinctive types of EMI. Triangulated documentary and interview data reveal: (1) contextualised policymaking of EMI, which takes into account the bi-directional internationalisation and the needs of the target student cohort, is crucial at the practitioner-level; (2) norms of language use are shaped both top-down and bottom-up, and the teacher-practitioners exercise their agency in enabling bi/multilingual language use and awareness toward Global Englishes from the bottom-up. We also shed new light on how the integration of language and content in EMI is negotiated and/or realised by presenting three special cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heart failure (HF) after myocardial infarction (MI) is a prevalent disease with a poor prognosis. Relieving pathological cardiac remodeling and preserving cardiac function is a critical link in the treatment of post-MI HF. Thus, more new therapeutic targets are urgently needed. The expression of ADAM17 is increased in patients with acute MI, but its functional role in post-MI HF remains unclear. Methods: To address this question, we examined the effects of ADAM17 on the severity and prognosis of HF within 1 year of MI in 152 MI patients with or without HF. In mechanistic studies, the effects of ADAM17 on ventricular remodeling and systolic function were extensively assessed at the tissue and cellular levels by establishing animal model of post-MI HF and in vitro hypoxic cell model. Results: High levels of ADAM17 predicted a higher incidence of post-MI HF, poorer cardiac function and higher mortality. Animal studies demonstrated that ADAM17 promoted the occurrence of post-MI HF, as indicated by increased infarct size, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, myocardial interstitial collagen deposition and cardiac failure. ADAM17 knock down significantly improved pathological cardiac remodeling and cardiac function in mice with MI. Mechanistically, activated ADAM17 inhibited the cardioprotective effects of ACE2 by promoting hydrolytic shedding of the transmembrane protein ACE2 in cardiomyocytes, which subsequently mediated the occurrence of cardiac remodeling and the progression of heart failure. Moreover, the activation of ADAM17 in hypoxic cardiomyocytes was dependent on p38 MAPK phosphorylation at threonine 735. Conclusions: These data highlight a novel and important mechanism for ADAM17 to cause post-MI HF, which will hopefully be a new potential target for early prediction or intervention of post-MI HF. 1TH-7ttE8r63zZ3UeeV3ZM Video abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a competitive technology, the superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is developing from a single-pixel to array architecture; however, it is a major challenge for reading array detectors. We propose an encodable trigger through the thermal coupling of two adjacent superconducting nanowires, which can read a current pulse with microampere amplitude and code the current pulses of different positions with different output resistances simultaneously. At the same time, the influence of external noise on superconducting devices can be avoided for isolated circuits. As a demonstration, the response pulses of a 4-pixel SNSPD are read using this trigger in the absence of an amplifier, and the photon flux distribution of different pixels is accurately reconstructed, where the total power consumption is approximately 0.8 μW. The superconducting trigger is promising for application in integrated superconducting electronics and quantum optics in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new, precast concrete frame beam-column connection is designed in this research. The connection adopts the assembly mode of the precast column and seam area jointly to maintain the integrity of the joint area and increase the assembly efficiency. Based on the conventional grouting sleeve connection, a disc spring device is constructed on the beam end to improve the ductility of the joint. Ten connecting specimens were tested under low cyclic loads, including two monolithic connections, four ordinary precast connections, and four new precast connections. The test parameters included the joint type and axial pressure ratio, and the difference in the seismic performance was determined by evaluating the failure mode, hysteresis characteristics, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation, and shear deformation of the joint area. Compared to monolithic connections, conventional precast connections display similar hysteresis characteristics. Although their ductility is slightly lower, their bearing capacity is higher. Compared with the previous two connections, the new connection with the built-in disc spring device has superior seismic performance. The axial pressure ratio is a significant aspect in determining the failure mode of the precast connection, and the specimen exhibits less shear damage at a larger axial pressure ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group III-nitrides have attracted significant attention in recent years for their wide tunable band-gaps and excellent optoelectronic capabilities, which are advantageous for several applications including light-emitting diodes, lasers, photodetectors, and large-size low-cost power electronic devices. However, conventional epitaxy accompanied by the covalent bond formation renders the transfer of nitride epilayers difficult, thereby limiting the application potential of nitrides in wearable and flexible electronics. Furthermore, interfacial covalent bonds also limit substrate selection and hinder the development of heterogeneous integration between nitrides and other material systems. 2D materials can mitigate these problems significantly. On the one hand, due to the weak van der Waals forces between the layers of 2D materials, influences of lattice mismatch can be avoided to improve crystal quality. On the other hand, delamination and transfer of nitride epilayers can be achieved easily. Therefore, this study focuses on providing comprehensive guidelines regarding the exfoliation of epitaxial layers using 2D materials to provide new design freedoms for nitride devices. Different 2D buffers and release layers have also been discussed. Furthermore, the limitations, promising solutions, future directions, and applicability of this strategy to flexible nitride devices are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Metal‐organic framework (MOF) materials have attracted intense scientific interest in the solar cell research community owing to their unique physiochemical properties and various preparation methods. The photovoltaic performance and stability of resultant optoelectronic devices can also be improved by adopting MOF materials. This review pays close attention to the summary and generalization of recent representative achievements in solar cells by utilizing MOFs, including dye‐sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells, organic solar cells, and so on. This mini‐review is expected to improve understanding of material properties and broaden the scope of future material applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Reliable ex vivo cardiac ablation models have the potential to increase catheter testing throughput while minimizing animal usage. The goal of this work was to develop a physiologically relevant ex vivo swine model of cardiac ablation displaying minimal variability and high repeatability and identify and optimize key parameters involved in ablation outcomes. Methods and Results: A root cause analysis was conducted to identify variables affecting ablation outcomes. Parameters associated with the tissue, bath media, and impedance were identified. Variables were defined experimentally and/or from literature sources to best mimic the clinical cardiac ablation setting. The model was validated by performing three independent replicates of ex vivo myocardial ablation and a direct comparison of lesion outcomes of the ex vivo swine myocardial and in vivo canine thigh preparation (TP) models. Replicate experiments on the ex vivo model demonstrated low variance in ablation depth (6.5 ± 0.6, 6.3 ± 0.6, 6.2 ± 0.4 mm) and width (10.4 ± 1.1, 9.7 ± 1.0, 9.9 ± 0.9 mm) and no significant differences between replicates. In a direct comparison of the two models, the ex vivo model demonstrated ablation depths similar to the canine TP model at 35 W (6.9 ± 1.0, and 7.0 ± 0.9 mm) and 50 W (8.0 ± 0.7, and 8.4 ± 0.7 mm), as well as similar power to depth ratios (15% and 19% for the ex vivo cardiac and in vivo TP models, respectively). Conclusion: The ex vivo model exhibited strong lesion reproducibility and power‐to‐depth ratios comparable to the in vivo TP model. The optimized ex vivo model minimizes animal usage with increased throughput, lesion characteristics similar to the in vivo TP model, and ability to discriminate minor variations between different catheter designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning to walk expands infants' access to the physical environment and prompts changes in their communicative behaviors. However, little is known about whether walking also shapes infants' proximity to their adult social partners during everyday activities at home. Here we followed 89 infants (42 boys, 47 girls; 92% White, not Hispanic or Latino) longitudinally and documented connections between infant locomotion and infant‐adult proximity on two timescales: (1) across developmental time, by comparing data from a session when infants could only crawl to a later session when they could walk (M walk onset = 12.15 months, range = 8‐15); and (2) in real time, by testing whether the amount of time that infants spent in motion (regardless of their locomotor status) related to their interpersonal distance to adults. The developmental transition to walking corresponded to a significant, but modest, decrease in infant‐adult proximity. Infants' moment‐to‐moment locomotion, however, was strongly related to patterns of interpersonal distance: infants who spent more time in motion spent less time near adults and instigated more proximity transitions, resulting in shorter and more dispersed bouts of proximity throughout sessions. Findings shed new light on how infants' motor achievements can reverberate across other domains of development, and how changes in infant development that researchers often observe over months arise from infants' moment‐to‐moment experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the discovery of apoptosis signal‐regulated kinase 1 (ASK1), the signal transduction mechanism and pathophysiological process involved in its regulation have been continuously revealed. Many previous studies have identified that ASK1 is involved and plays a critical role in the development of diseases affecting the nervous, cardiac, renal, and other systems. As a mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase, ASK1 mediates apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, and other pathological processes by activating its downstream c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK)/p38 MAPK. Owing to the important role of ASK1, an increasing number of studies in recent years have focused on its status in liver‐related diseases. In this paper, we review the mechanisms and targets of ASK1 in liver‐related diseases to emphasize its important role in the development of liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ENY2 (Enhancer of yellow 2 transcription factor) is a transcription nuclear protein and primarily participates in the course of mRNA export and histone deubiquitination to influence gene expression. Current studies have shown that the expression of ENY2 is significantly upregulated in multiple cancers. However, the exact association between ENY2 and pan-cancers has not been fully established. Here, we comprehensively analyzed ENY2 from the online public database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, including gene expression level in pan-cancer, comparison of ENY2 expression in different molecular and immune subtypes of pan-cancer, targeted protein, biological functions, molecular signatures, diagnostic and prognostic value in pan-cancer. Moreover, we focused on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) and explored ENY2 from the perspective of the correlations with clinical characteristics, prognosis, co-expression genes, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and immune Infiltration. Our findings showed that the expression of ENY2 differed enormously not only in most cancer types but also in different molecular and immune subtypes of cancers. High accuracy in predicting cancers and notable correlations with prognosis of certain cancers suggested that ENY2 might be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of cancers. In addition, ENY2 was identified to be significantly correlated with clinical stage, gender, histologic grade and lymphovascular invasion in HNSC. Overexpression of ENY2 could lead to a worse overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) in HNSC, especially in different clinical subgroups of HNSC. Taken together, ENY2 showed strong correlation with the diagnosis and prognosis of pan-cancer, and was an independent prognostic risk factor of HNSC, which may serve as a potential target for cancer management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) plays a crucial role in regulating the hypoxia-inducible state of nucleus pulposus cells in the intervertebral disc. In addition, the oxygen-dependent conversion of HIF-1α in nucleus pulposus cells is controlled by the protein proline 4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) family. To explore whether HIF-1α can be regulated by modulating PHD homologs to inhibit nucleus pulposus degeneration, PHD2-shRNAs were designed and a PHD2 interference vector was constructed. The expression of HIF-1α and PHD2 genes in the nucleus pulposus cells in the experimental group was detected by RT-PCR, and the expression of HIF-1α, MMP-2, Aggrecan, and Col II proteins in the P0-P3 cells in the experimental group and the control group was detected by Western blotting. The apoptosis of P0-P3 nucleus pulposus cells was detected by flow cytometry. After lentivirus infection, the interference efficiency of the PHD2 gene decreased with cell passage. The apoptosis of P1-P3 cells in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group or degeneration group. Compared to the control group, the expression of HIF-1α, Aggrecan, and Col II proteins increased significantly, and the expression of MMP-2 protein decreased significantly. In conclusion, interference with PHD2 can upregulate the expression of HIF-1α, accelerate anabolism, reduce catabolism, inhibit apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells, and then these can inhibit degeneration of nucleus pulposus cells. Our results can provide an effective therapeutic target in intervertebral discs during intervertebral disc degeneration, and this may have important clinical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotic spore germinator-based living biotherapeutics capable of specifically inhibiting Enterobacteriaceae growth and relieving acute colitis as well as colibactin-induced colonic cancerization was reported, which may propose a paradigm on gastrointestinal tract disease therapy by restoring gastrointestinal microenvironment. [Display omitted] The abnormal intestinal features like increased epithelial oxygenation, elevated inflammatory cascades and excess nitrate production can exacerbate colitis progression and even trigger colorectal cancer by promoting gut microbiota dysbiosis. Here, probiotic spores decorated with anti-inflammatory curcumin are encapsulated into cysteine-modified konjac glucomannan microspheres, to intervene colitis and colonic cancerization through remodeling gut microenvironment. Benefiting from the prolonged intestinal retention effect of polysaccharide microspheres, epithelial oxygenation is effectively restored into hypoxia in colon location due to spore germination-induced oxygen consumption, which blunts luminal Enterobacteriaceae overgrowth, and facilitates short chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria. By fermenting prebiotics of konjac glucomannan, the produced butyrate by SCFAs-producing bacteria further converts cell energy metabolism from glycolysis to oxygen-consumed β-oxidation by activating epithelial peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) signaling, resulting in thorough oxygen outage, nitrate production-related enzymes downregulation and inflammatory response elimination. In view of directed gut microbiota modulation and colonic epithelial cell functions normalization, the potent intervention effect of spore germinator-loaded polysaccharide microspheres is achieved in multiple colitis models and genotoxic colibactin-producing Enterobacteriaceae - induced colon tumorigenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unifying relations of amplitudes are elegant results in flat spacetime, but the research on these in (A)dS case is not very rich. In this paper, we discuss a type of unifying relation in (A)dS by using Berends-Giele currents. By taking the flat limit, we also get a semi-on-shell way to prove the unifying relations in the flat case. We also discuss the applications of our results in cosmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is associated with impairment of hippocampal neurons. This study investigated the effect of PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 pathway in CRF. Rat CRF model was established and rat hippocampal neurons were separated. Xanthine Oxidase method, fluorescence spectrophotometry and flow cytometry were applied to detect superoxide dismutase (SOD) content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and apoptosis in hippocampal neurons, respectively. The levels of phosphorylated (p)-PERK, phosphorylated (p)-eIF2α, CHOP, Bax, C-Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 in rats were measured using Western blot. Then, the neurotoxicity of serum from CRF rats was assessed in rat hippocampal neurons after treatment with rat CRF serum and transfection with or without PERK overexpression or knockdown plasmid. SOD activity was reduced, while ROS level and apoptosis rate were increased in hippocampal tissues of CRF rats. PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 and apoptosis pathways were activated in CRF rats. Cells treated with serum from CRF rats showed increases in apoptosis rate and LDH and ROS levels, and decreases in cell viability and SOD activity. However, overexpressed PERK could reverse the cytotoxic effect of serum from CRF rats. PERK overexpression could enhance the activation of PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 pathway in hippocampal neurons induced by serum from CRF rats. Furthermore, PERK overexpression could alleviate the increases in CHOP, Bax, C-Caspase-3 expressions and the reduction of Bcl-2 expression in hippocampal neurons induced by serum from CRF rats. PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 pathway induced by increased endoplasmic reticulum stress may alleviate CRF-induced hippocampal neuronal damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene families, which are parts of a genome's information storage hierarchy, play a significant role in the development and diversity of multicellular organisms. Several studies have focused on the characteristics of gene families, such as function, homology, or phenotype. However, statistical and correlation analyses on the distribution of gene family members in the genome have yet to be conducted. Here, a novel framework incorporating gene family analysis and genome selection based on NMF-ReliefF is reported. Specifically, the proposed method starts by obtaining gene families from the TreeFam database and determining the number of gene families within the feature matrix. Then, NMF-ReliefF is used to select features from the gene feature matrix, which is a new feature selection algorithm that overcomes the inefficiencies of traditional methods. Finally, a support vector machine is utilized to classify the acquired features. The results show that the framework achieved an accuracy of 89.1% and an AUC of 0.919 on the insect genome test set. We also employed four microarray gene data sets to evaluate the performance of the NMF-ReliefF algorithm. The outcomes show that the proposed method may strike a delicate balance between robustness and discrimination. Additionally, the proposed method's categorization is superior to state-of-the-art feature selection approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgeons often encounter recurrent kyphosis of Cobb angle following thoracolumbar burst fracture surgery. Some factors affecting postoperative correction loss have been studied in previous studies, but few have examined the relationship between laminar fractures and postoperative loss of correction. Methods: The clinical data of 86 patients with thoracolumbar burst fracture who met the inclusion criteria and were admitted to our Department of Spine Surgery between 2013 and 2020 was retrospectively analyzed. To examine the association between laminar fracturs and postoperative correction loss, demographic and radiographic characteristics of the two groups were analyzed. Results: The presence or absence of laminar fractures was statistically different between the two groups (P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that laminar fractures and preoperative Cobb were statistically significant in the two groups. There were statistically significant differences in the degree of injury of laminar fractures in the coronal plane between the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study investigated that the presence or absence of laminar fractures and preoperative Cobb contribute to loss of correction after thoracolumbar burst fracture surgery. There was a statistically significant difference between full-length and partial-length laminar fractures on the loss of postoperative correction of thoracolumbar burst fractures with laminar fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Itch sensation is one of the major sensory experiences of humans and animals. Recent studies using genetic deletion techniques have proposed that gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is a key neurotransmitter for itch in the spinal cord. However, these studies are mainly based on behavioral responses and lack direct electrophysiological evidence that GRP indeed mediates itch information between primary afferent fibers and spinal dorsal horn neurons. In this review, we reviewed recent studies using different experimental approaches and proposed that glutamate but not GRP acts as the key neurotransmitter in the primary afferents in the transmission of itch. GRP is more likely to serve as an itch-related neuromodulator. In the cerebral cortex, we propose that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a significant role in both itch and pain sensations. Only behavioral measurement of itch (scratching) is not sufficient for itch measurement, since scratching the itching area also produces pleasure. Integrative experimental approaches as well as better behavioral scoring models are needed to help to understand the neuronal mechanism of itch and aid future treatment for patients with pruritic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early identification of pre-diabetes provides an opportunity for intervention and treatment to delay its progression to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to identify the biomarkers of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) through bioinformatics analysis. The GSE76896 dataset, including non-diabetic (ND), IGT, and T2DM clinical samples, was deeply analyzed to identify 309 Co-DEGs for IGT and T2DM. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses indicated that inflammatory responses and the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway are important patho-physiological features of IGT and T2DM. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and cytoHubba technolgy identified seven hub genes: namely, CCL2, CXCL1, CXCL8, EDN1, FGF13, MMP1, and NGF. The expression and ROC curves of these hub genes were validated using the GSE38642 dataset. Through an immunofluorescence assay, we found that the expression of FGF13 in islets of mice in the HFD and T2DM groups was significantly lower than in the control group. Similarly, the level of FGF13 in the sera of IGT and T2DM patients was lower than that in the healthy group. Together, these results suggest that FGF13 can be treated as a novel biomarker of IGT, which may provide new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of pre-diabetes and T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a computational impact angle control guidance law based on the energy cost weighted by arbitrary functions in order to shape the acceleration command as desired. The optimal guidance problem is established in the impact angle frame and is solved by the Gauss orthogonal collocation method. The proposed guidance law is formulated from the generalized optimal control framework, thus a new guidance law that allows achieving a specific guidance goal can be easily obtained in the way of devising a proper weighting function (smooth, piecewise, nonsmooth, or even discontinuous). This property provides more degrees of freedom in the guidance law design to accomplish a specified guidance objective. A hardware experiment is conducted to evaluate the real-time computational capacity of the proposed computational guidance law. Illustrative examples with several types of weighting functions, including smooth, piecewise, nonsmooth, and discontinuous functions, are provided to demonstrate the advantages and capacity of the proposed guidance law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of large-scale hydropower stations could solve the problem of China's power and energy shortages. However, the construction of hydropower stations requires reservoir water storage. Artificially raising the water level by several tens of meters or even hundreds of meters will undoubtedly change the hydrogeological conditions of an area, which will lead to surface deformation near the reservoir. In this paper, we first used SBAS-InSAR technology to monitor the surface deformation near the Xiluodu reservoir area for various data and analyzed the surface deformation of the Xiluodu reservoir area from 2014 to 2019. By using the 12 ALOS2 ascending data, the 100 Sentinel-1 ascending data, and the 97 Sentinel-1 descending data, the horizontal and vertical deformations of the Xiluodu reservoir area were obtained. We found that the Xiluodu reservoir area is mainly deformed along the vertical shore, with a maximum deformation rate of 250 mm/a, accompanied by vertical deformation, and the maximum deformation rate is 60 mm/a. Furthermore, by analyzing the relationship between the horizontal deformation sequence, the vertical deformation sequence, and the impoundment, we found the following: (1) Since the commencement of Xiluodu water storage, the vertical shore direction displacement has continued to increase, indicating that the deformation caused by the water storage is not due to the elastic displacement caused by the load, but by irreversible shaping displacement. According to its development trend, we speculate that the vertical shore direction displacement will continue to increase until it eventually stabilizes; (2) Vertical displacement increases rapidly in the initial stage of water storage; after two water-storage cycles, absolute settlement begins to slow down in the vertical direction, but its deformation still changes with the change in the storage period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MADS-box transcription factors are known to be involved in several aspects of plant growth and development, especially in floral organ specification. However, little is known in eggplant. Here, 120 eggplant MADS-box genes were identified and categorized into type II (MIKCC and MIKC*) and type I (Mα, Mβ, and Mγ) subfamilies based on phylogenetic relationships. The exon number in type II SmMADS-box genes was greater than that in type I SmMADS-box genes, and the K-box domain was unique to type II MADS-box TFs. Gene duplication analysis revealed that segmental duplications were the sole contributor to the expansion of type II genes. Cis-elements of MYB binding sites related to flavonoid biosynthesis were identified in three SmMADS-box promoters. Flower tissue-specific expression profiles showed that 46, 44, 38, and 40 MADS-box genes were expressed in the stamens, stigmas, petals, and pedicels, respectively. In the flowers of SmMYB113-overexpression transgenic plants, the expression levels of 3 SmMADS-box genes were co-regulated in different tissues with the same pattern. Correlation and protein interaction predictive analysis revealed six SmMADS-box genes that might be involved in the SmMYB113-regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. This study will aid future studies aimed at functionally characterizing important members of the MADS-box gene family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The therapeutic value of targeted therapies in patients with lung cancer is reduced when tumours acquire secondary resistance after an initial period of successful treatment. However, the molecular events behind the resistance to targeted therapies in lung cancer remain largely unknown. Aims: To discover the important role and mechanism of lncRNA BC in promoting tumor metastasis and influencing clinical prognosis of LUAD. Materials & Methods: Microarrays were used to screen a comprehensive set of lncRNAs with differential expression profiles in lung cancer cells. The functional role and mechanism of lncRNA were further investigated by gain‐ and loss‐of‐function assays. RNA pull‐down, protein assays, and mass spectrometry were used to identify proteins that interacted with lncRNA. TaqMan PCR was used to measure lncRNA in lung adenocarcinoma and adjacent nontumor tissues from 428 patients. The clinical significance of lncRNA identified was statistically confirmed in this cohort of patients. Results: In this study, we show that the long non‐coding RNA BC009639 (BC) is involved in acquired resistance to EGFR‐targeted therapies. Among the 235 long non‐coding RNAs that were differentially expressed in lung cancer cell lines, with different metastatic potentials, BC promoted growth, invasion, metastasis, and resistance to EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‐TKIs), both in vitro and in vivo. BC was highly expressed in 428 patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and high BC expression correlated with reduced efficacy of EGFR‐TKI therapy. To uncover the molecular mechanism of BC‐mediated EGFR‐TKI resistance in lung cancer, we screened and identified nucleolin and hnRNPK that interact with BC. BC formed the splicing complex with nucleolin and hnRNPK to facilitate the production of a non‐protein‐coding inositol monophosphatase domain containing 1 (IMPAD1) splice variant, instead of the protein‐coding variant. The BC‐mediated alternative splicing (AS) of IMPAD1 resulted in the induction of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and resistance to EGFR‐TKI in lung cancer. High BC expression correlated with clinical progress and poor survival among 402 patients with LUAD. Disscussion: Through alternative splicing, BC boosted the non‐coding IMPAD1‐203 transcript variant while suppressing the IMPAD1‐201 variant. In order to control the processing of pre‐mRNA, BC not only attracted RNA binding proteins (NCL, IGF2BP1) or splicing factors (hnRNPK), but also controlled the formation of the splicing‐regulator complex by creating RNA‐RNA‐duplexes. Conclusion: Our results reveal an important role for BC in mediating resistance to EGFR‐targeted therapy in LUAD through IMPAD1 AS and in implication for the targeted therapy resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence now shows that in addition to delivering a haploid DNA, the mammalian sperm also carry various types of RNAs that respond to the paternal environment, which can mediate the intergenerational transmission of certain phenotypes to the offspring relating to the paternal environmental exposures (e.g. diet, mental stress). Improved analytical tools are beginning to decipher the complexity of sperm RNAs, RNA modifications and their spatial compartmentalisation, which support the concept of 'sperm RNA code' in programming specific offspring phenotypes during embryonic development. In this commentary article, I discuss the challenges and opportunities in solidifying the field of mammalian sperm RNA-mediated epigenetic inheritance, including the identification of the key sperm RNAs that are responsible for the paternal phenotype transmission, and the cellular and molecular events that are triggered by sperm RNAs during embryo development. I also discuss the translational application potential by harnessing the knowledge of sperm RNA code to improve farm animal production and human health. In addition to delivering a haploid DNA, the mammalian sperm also carry various types of RNAs and associated RNA modifications that can transmit paternal environmental exposure-related phenotypes to the offspring, giving rise to the concept of 'sperm RNA code'. I discuss the challenges and opportunities in understanding the functions and mechanisms of sperm RNA code and its potential for translational applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We erected a new genus (Grylloprimevala Zhou & Ren gen. nov.) and defined a new species (Grylloprimevala jilina Zhou & Ren sp. nov.) from a natural cave in the primeval forest of Jilin Province, China, according to the morphological, behavioral, and molecular evidence. Grylloprimevala gen. nov. is distinguishable from other genera of Grylloblattodea primarily by morphological characters, including the slightly concave posterior margin of the pronotum and no poorly sclerotized zones, six intramarginal and nine intermarginal setae on the cervical sclerite, one tooth on the lacinia, no pulvilli on tarsal segments, and a symmetrical epiproct with a pointed triangular and middle‐depressed median projection on the posterior margin. Based on the morphological features mentioned above, we further identified a new species, G. jilina sp. nov. At the aspect of behavior, G. jilina sp. nov. displays the typical characteristics of troglobites, including degraded visual senses, developed body surface sensors, and predation between individuals. Furthermore, molecular phylogenetic analyses also supported the morphological delimitation of G. jilina sp. nov. due to the separate clade of G. jilina sp. nov. Our results provide materials for the determination and conservation of Grylloblattodea in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop transparent flame-retardant epoxy resin (EP) having good mechanical properties, a 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) derived flame retardant (PAHDOPO) was prepared by a neutralization reaction between 10-hydroxy-9, 10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO-OH) and piperazine. When 7% PAHDOPO was added to EP, the obtained flame-retardant EP (EP7) can pass the UL-94 V-0 rating test and exhibit a high limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 35.8%. Microscale combustion calorimetry investigation results proved that, compared with EP, the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and heat release capacity (HRC) of EP7 decreased by 34.6% and 33.6%, respectively. The observation of the char residue morphology indicated that the addition of PAHDOPO can lead to the formation of the continuous and dense char residue layer, which can improve EP flame retardancy. Meanwhile, compared with EP, EP7 exhibited similar transparency with less than 8% reduction in the average transmittance. Moreover, the mechanical properties of EP7 hardly decreased in comparison with EP. All these results indicated that PAHDOPO can be applied as a high-performance flame retardant of EP with good mechanical properties, transparency, and flame retardancy simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renewed interest in troponoid compounds as potential therapeutic agents and the ongoing discovery of new, naturally occurring and biologically active members of the class has resulted in an attendant focus on developing and deploying methods for their synthesis. This account highlights some of the significant recent developments in the area of troponoid chemistry that serve to contextualize our group's longstanding and ongoing interest in the synthesis of such compounds through the cyclopropane-mediated ring-expansion of cyclohexanoid and benzenoid compounds. The various means by which such conversions can be accomplished and their application to the synthesis of both natural and non-natural troponoids are detailed. 1 Introduction 2 Naturally Occurring Troponoid Compounds and Their Biogenesis 3 Medicinal Chemistry Aspects of Troponoid Compounds 4 Troponoids in Materials Science 5 Troponoids as Scaffolds in Chemical Synthesis 6 An Overview of the Methods Available for Preparing Troponoids 7 Cyclopropane-Mediated Ring-Expansion Reactions Leading to Troponoids 8 Conclusions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine if Exendin-4 could be a therapeutic agent for burn-induced hyperglycemia. Male Balb/c mice received a bolus of Exendin-4 intraperitoneally immediately after 15% total body surface area scald injury. Tail glucose levels were recorded and T-cell functions were analyzed at 4 h and 24 h postburn (pb). Pancreatic pathology was observed consecutively. The secretions of cytokines were detected in serum, spleen, and lung. Apoptosis of splenic CD3+ T-cells was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling and flow cytometry. Although Exendin-4 could attenuate burn-induced hyperglycemia in mice at 4 h pb, it accelerated their survival dose dependently with progressive depletion of splenocyte number. T-cell function underwent two-phasic changes following Exendin-4 treatment. Compared to placebo mice, T-cell from Exendin-4–treated mice was manifested with increased proliferation, while decreased IL-2 secretion and lower ratio of IL-4/IFN-γ at 4 h pb. However, at 24 h pb, it showed decreased proliferation, while increased IL-2 secretion and higher ratio of IL-4/IFN-γ. Exendin-4 could elicit higher circulating IL-6 and IL-10 levels at 4 h pb, which were pronounced in the lung at 24 h pb. In the meanwhile, severe inflammation could be found in the pancreas. At 24 h pb, the numbers of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling or caspase-3 positive cells and the apoptosis of CD3+ T-cells were significantly increased in the spleens of Exendin-4 mice relative to placebo mice. These data support a pathogenic role of Exendin-4 signaling during thermal injury, warning against its clinical application in acute insults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice guidelines recommend that non-physicians such as nurses, social workers, and psychologists should be prepared to discuss fertility and sexual concerns with patients. However, literature showed that the utilization rate of sexual and reproductive care for women with cancer remained low. We conducted a scoping review to describe non-physicians' roles, barriers, and facilitators providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care to women of reproductive age with cancer.Methods: We searched six databases for articles that met the following criteria: (1) English language; (2) original research; (3) non-physician providers; (4) women with cancer under age 50. We categorized barriers and facilitators at the system-, individual-, and clinical encounter-levels from providers' and patients' perspectives.Results: We included 27 studies from 3451 retrieved articles. The majority of studies have a focus on fertility preservation or sexuality (n = 25). At the system level, the main barriers for non-physicians were lack of SRH care guidelines and collaborating experts. Concerns for patients included socioeconomic and geographic constraints in obtaining care. At the encounter level, providers and patients lacked experience discussing SRH. At the individual level, providers' lack of knowledge in SRH treatment options and interprofessional collaboration and patients' lack of awareness about treatment effects hindered SRH discussions. Facilitators include the availability of SRH programs and specialists, and rapport between providers and patients.Conclusions: Supporting non-physicians to provide SRH services to women with cancer requires investment in clinical guidelines, interprofessional collaboration, and training in patient communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereocomplexation between enantiomeric poly(l -lactide) (PLLA) and poly(d -lactide) (PDLA) is a promising sustainable approach and gaining momentum to overcome the shortcomings of polylactide (PLA) for its use as a replacement for fossil-based plastics. Filler addition in tailoring the crystallization of stereocomplex PLA (SC-PLA) has attracted extensive attention; however, research has primarily focused on the heterogeneous nucleation effect of filler. The impact of filler on the chain behavior of SC-PLA during crystallization has not been exclusively discussed, and the rigid amorphous fraction (RAF) development remains unknown. In this study, the crystallization of PLLA/PDLA blends was modified by low loading of layered double hydroxide (LDH) (≤ 1 wt%) with the proposed local effect of such filler, and additional RAF development was incurred. In the early stage of crystallization, LDH facilitates the pairing of PLLA and PDLA and arrests the ordered SC pairs during the dynamic balance between the separation and pairing of racemic segments. This explains the severely suppressed homochiral (HC) crystallization, promoted SC crystallization, and additional RAF formation driven by the nucleation-induced chain ordering. This work, for the first time, highlights the role of LDH in creating SC-PLA with tailorable polymorphism and RAF, where the mechanism can be extended to other filler-type nucleator systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding crystal/melt xenon (Xe) partitioning at depth is key to properly trace planetary processes using Xe isotopes. Partition coefficients measured on experimental samples recovered at room pressure (P) and temperature (T) span 6 orders of magnitude, potentially due to Xe exsolution from crystals upon quenching. We chose two in situ synchrotron X-ray methods to investigate Xe crystal/melt partitioning under high P and T up to 3 GPa and 1050°C using (1) resistive-heated diamond anvil cell with angle-dispersive diffraction and X-ray fluorescence, and (2) a new protocol using large volume press with energy-dispersive diffraction set-up. Results from both methods are consistent, and Xe is found to be compatible at depth, suggesting the continental crust could be a Xe-rich reservoir. This new protocol advances research to probe geological systems at the higher P–T conditions accessible with large volume press while maintaining homogeneous T throughout the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N Liangyou 769 was a new combination of green and high-quality late indica two-line hybrid rice bred by Nanping Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Wuyishan Kelixing Seed Industry Co., Ltd., which was approved by Fujian Crop Variety Approval Committee in 2021. This variety was planted as the late rice in Datian County from 2020 to 2021, showing the characteristics of regular population, strong tillering ability, large panicle and more grains, high and stable yield, good rice blast resistance and wide adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes, as gifts of nature derived from various cell types with a size range from ~40 to 160 nm in diameter, have gained attention recently. They are composed of a lipid membrane bilayer structure containing different constituents, such as surface ligands and receptors, from the parental cells. Originating from a variety of sources, exosomes have the ability to participate in a diverse range of biological processes, including the regulation of cellular communication. On account of their ideal native structure and characteristics, exosomes are taken into account as drug delivery systems (DDSs). They can provide profound effects on conveying therapeutic agents with great advantages, including specific targeting, high biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. Further, they can also be considered to ameliorate natural compounds, the main constituents of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which are usually ignored due to the complexity of their structures, poor stability, and unclear mechanisms of action. This review summarizes the classification of exosomes as well as the research progress on exosome-based DDSs for the treatment of different diseases in TCM. Furthermore, this review discusses the advantages and challenges faced by exosomes to contribute to their further investigation and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthesis involves a series of redox reactions and is the major source of reactive oxygen species in plant cells. Fluctuating light (FL) levels, which occur commonly in natural environments, affect photosynthesis; however, little is known about the specific effects of FL on the redox regulation of photosynthesis. Here, we performed global quantitative mapping of the Arabidopsis thaliana cysteine thiol redox proteome under constant light and FL conditions. We identified 8857 redox‐switched thiols in 4350 proteins, and 1501 proteins that are differentially modified depending on light conditions. Notably, proteins related to photosynthesis, especially photosystem I (PSI), are operational thiol‐switching hotspots. Exposure of wild‐type A. thaliana to FL resulted in decreased PSI abundance, stability, and activity. Interestingly, in response to PSI photodamage, more of the PSI assembly factor PSA3 dynamically switches to the reduced state. Furthermore, the Cys199 and Cys200 sites in PSA3 are necessary for its full function. Moreover, thioredoxin m (Trx m) proteins play roles in redox switching of PSA3, and are required for PSI activity and photosynthesis. This study thus reveals a mechanism for redox‐based regulation of PSI under FL, and provides insight into the dynamic acclimation of photosynthesis in a changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mantle heterogeneity is caused by recycling of crustal materials into the mantle, and mafic arc magmatism provides important imformation on the nature of crust–mantle interaction. Here we undertake an integrated study of whole rock major-trace elements and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes, in-situ zircon U–Pb ages and Hf–O isotopes as well as mineral major-trace elements and clinopyroxene Sr isotopes for mafic intrusives in the Qilian orogen. The studied Jinyuan and Jishishan mafic igneous rocks show consistent zircon U–Pb ages of ca. 448–450 Ma. They all display arc-like trace element distribution patterns, relatively depleted Sr–Nd isotope compositions, and variably high zircon O isotopes. In comparison, the Jinyuan mafic igneous rocks have less depleted Sr–Nd–Hf and higher O isotope compositions than the Jishishan mafic rocks. These geochemicial features indicate they originated from a heterogeneous orogenic lithospheric mantle source, which resulted from the incorporation of variable crustal materials into the mantle. Model calculations confirm that the heterogeneous mantle source would be generated by reaction of the mantle wedge peridotite with different proportions of the subducting Proto–Tethyan oceanic crust-derived aqueous solutions and sediment-derived hydrous melts. Partial melting of the heterogeneous mantle source would generate different batches of mafic melts, which led to magma mixing and recharge processes prior to emplacement as evidenced by mineral compositional zonings. Therefore, in addition to heterogeneous crust–mantle interaction during oceanic subduction, magmatic processes such as magma recharge and mixing may also contribute to the petrogenesis of arc igneous rocks above the oceanic subduction zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Placental extracellular vesicles (EVs) have increasingly been recognized as a major mediator of feto-maternal communication. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the uptake of placental EVs by recipient cells are still not well-understood. We previously reported that placental EVs target a limited number of organs in vivo. In the current study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the uptake of placental EVs into target cells. Placental EVs were derived from explant cultures of normal or preeclamptic placentae. The mechanisms underlying the uptake of placental EVs were elucidated, using the phagocytosis or endocytosis inhibitor, trypsin-treatment or integrin-blocking peptides. The endothelial cell activation was studied using the monocyte adhesion assay after the preeclamptic EVs exposure, with and/or without treatment with the integrin blocking peptide, YIGSR. The cellular mechanism of the uptake of the placental EVs was time, concentration and energy-dependent and both the phagocytosis and endocytosis were involved in this process. Additionally, proteins on the surface of the placental EVs, including integrins, were involved in the EV uptake process. Furthermore, inhibiting the uptake of preeclamptic EVs with YIGSR, reduced the endothelial cell activation. The interaction between the placental EVs and the recipient cells is mediated by integrins, and the cellular uptake is mediated by a combination of both phagocytosis and endocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) represents one of the largest reduced carbon pools on Earth. Diverse microbial metabolic activities play important roles in shaping this pool. However, the links between changing DOM substrates and microbial communities and its influence on the microbial produced DOM remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how the addition of substrates with different complexity (glucose, laminarin, and Synechococcus‐derived DOM) impacted the production of new DOM by an individual opportunist Alteromonas strain and a coastal natural microbial community. Our experiments reveal that the microbial complexity was more important than the substrate in shaping the molecular composition of DOM. Furthermore, our results showed that the DOM composition played a larger role in shaping the microbial compositions than the concentrations of DOM and inorganic nutrients. Combined our network analysis revealed that complex substrates resulted in higher molecular diversity of the microbial produced DOM, sustained a higher microbial diversity, and maintained a more diverse association between microbial communities and DOM molecules. Overall, the present study indicate that the microbial diversity contributes to DOM molecular diversity and vice versa, highlighting the importance of microbial–substrate interactions in shaping the marine DOM pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to review the development of strengths assessment in mental health services and evaluate the features of those newly developed strengths assessments. A systematic literature review approach was adopted to identify relevant articles from September 2010 to August 2021. The results reveals that 1) the Value in Action Inventory of Strengths is the most widely studied strengths assessment but contains shortcomings in the application of mental health services; 2) 12 strengths assessments have been newly developed, which demonstrated quantitative measure, brief questionnaire, and contextual consideration are the tendency of measure development; 3) domains of strengths assessments were categorized into individual strengths, environmental strengths, and interpersonal strengths, in which individual strengths was the most commonly focus; 4) strengths conceptualization and psychometric properties are two remained limitations of existing strengths assessments. Developing a brief, quantitative, holistic, contextualized, recovery-oriented, psychometrically sound, and strengths-based assessment for people with mental illnesses is promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration between social workers (SW) and community health workers (CHW) plays an essential role in addressing health inequities in the United States (US). However, little is known about the current state of CHW/SW collaboration. The objectives of this review were to identify (a) the nature, goals and setting of CHWs and SW collaboration; (b) the patient outcomes utilised to measure intervention efficacy. The literature search was conducted in December 2020 using six databases. The inclusion criteria were (1) interventions that included CHWs and SWs; (2) US‐based; (3) published between 2000–2020; (4) peer‐reviewed journal articles; (5) examining health or mental health outcomes. Search results identified 281 articles, and 15 were included in the final analysis. Settings that utilised SW/CHW collaboration included outpatient clinics (n = 10); community organisations (n = 4) or hospital (n = 1). CHW and SW interventions focused on disease prevention (n = 8), chronic care (n = 4) and mental health (n = 3). Health outcomes were the most evaluated (n = 13), and significant improvement of at least one health outcome was reported in those studies. Mental health outcomes (n = 3) were also significantly improved, while social determinants of health (n = 2) were least common and descriptive only. This is the first review of SW and CHW collaboration. Clarity regarding SW and CHW roles and scopes of practice are needed to understand better SW/CHW collaboration and its impacts on community health outcomes and improve the process of collaboration. SW and CHW collaboration may increase clients' access to preventive care, mental health and address health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles are prone to aggregation in the matrix under the action of surface energy, chemical bonding, electrostatic attraction, and van der Waals forces. Based on the molecular dynamics method, the tensile properties of graphene oxide (GO)‐reinforced nylon 66 composites were simulated and calculated, and the stress–strain curves, atomic stress clouds, and changes in the number of hydrogen bonds were obtained for the composites under tensile loading, and the effects of GO agglomeration on the mechanical properties of GO/PA66 composites were analyzed. When the GO mass fraction accounted for 90.3%, 80.5%, and 70.6% of the model, respectively, the mechanical properties of the composites decreased by 15.4%, 4.5%, and 4.2%, respectively. Because GO agglomeration in the composites made it difficult to bond effectively between GO and PA66, the number of hydrogen bonds and the type of hydrogen bonds within the model, varied with the degree of aggregation. The changes in the number of hydrogen bonds and the type of hydrogen bonds during uniaxial stretching were simulated by molecular dynamics. The number of hydrogen bonds and the type of hydrogen bonds directly affect the mechanical properties of the composites. It can be seen from the atomic stress cloud diagram that the aggregation of GO makes the mechanical properties of GO fail to exert effectively. The main stress is on the C atoms in the outermost layer of GO, while the stress on the inner layer C atoms is relatively small. As the degree of GO agglomeration decreases, the stress on each C atom of GO lamellae tends to be uniform, which effectively brings into play the excellent mechanical properties of GO and improves the mechanical properties of the composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Arthroderma multifidum infection occurred in immunocompromised patients. • Zoonoses may be caused by dermatophytes. • Genomic characterization and function annotation of A. multifidum. A rare case of fungus Arthroderma multifidum infection occurred in a 63-year-old man. The patient had some risk factors, including occupational exposure, immunosuppressive state, and structural basis following pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumothorax surgery. The pathogen was repeatedly isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and identified by gene sequencing. It is the first report of human infection caused by A. multifidum. Whole genome sequencing and analysis of its genomic characterization are completed. The findings provide us with a key clinical insight that the combination of immune suppression and environmental exposure could create an ideal condition for zoonotic fungal infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In photo-electrochemical etching for macroporous silicon, the electrolyte diffusion in the macropore greatly influences the formation of macroporous silicon, especially the etching rate and macropore diameter. In this study, the electrolyte diffusion was investigated systematically. We focused on the establishment of the electrolyte diffusion model and its impact on the etching rate and macropore diameter. By solving the diffusion equation, the electrolyte diffusion model was deduced, which is different from the commonly accepted model. The main difference is that, in the model, the HF concentration at the macropore tip decreases nonlinearly with macropore length. The module can effectively predict the etching rate. Based on this model, the practical method of etching current density adjustment for fabricating high aspect ratio macroporous silicon was proposed. In addition, the samples were fabricated with a constant etching current density and corrected etching current density. The experimental result indicates that the novel electrolyte diffusion model is practical. The finding from this study shows that the adjustment of etching current density based on the electrolyte diffusion model can effectively control the macropore diameter of high aspect ratio macroporous silicon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This meta-analysis compared the quality of lung collapse and the resultant adverse reactions between the use of double-lumen endotracheal tubes (DLT) and bronchial blockers (BB) in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. Methods: A search was performed in five bibliographic databases, namely PubMed, Springer, Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library ignoring the original language, which identified five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published on or before December 31, 2021. These studies were subsequently analyzed. All included studies compared the efficacy and safety of DLT and BB as a lung isolation technique in surgery. The methodological quality of each study was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. The quality of lung collapse and the malposition rate were adopted as the main outcome indicators. Alternatively, the intubation time and the incidence of postoperative sore throat were adopted as secondary indicators. Results: When either DLT or BB were utilized in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, no differences were observed in the quality of lung collapse (odds ratio [OR], 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63 to 1.58), the intubation time (mean difference [MD], 0.06; 95% CI, -1.02 to 1.14), or the malposition rate (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.37 to 2.06). However, the incidence of postoperative sore throat among patients treated with BB was significantly lower than that among patients treated with DLT (OR, 5.25; 95% CI, 2.55 to 10.75). Conclusion: When utilized in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, the quality of lung collapse with DLT was identical to that with BB. However, patients treated with the latter demonstrated a significantly lower incidence of postoperative sore throat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The Ag 2 S-Au heterogeneous nanocomposites are prepared by a facile two-step method. • The Ag 2 S-Au heterostructure catalyst exhibits a high CO Faradaic efficiency of 94.5% at – 0.8 V vs RHE. • The enhanced performance is synergistically ascribed to the interface effect and electronic effect. • DFT shows that Ag 2 S-Au heterogeneous interface is beneficial to COOH*formation and improves CO 2 RR selectivity. Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is regarded as an effective strategy to store abundant renewable energy and build a carbon neutral society. Gold (Au) and silver (Ag)-based catalysts for the effective electrochemical transformation of CO 2 to CO emerge as promising candidates. Heterogeneous nanocomposites composed of noble metals and semiconductors exhibit great potential for electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction through the electronic coupling effect at coherent interfaces. Herein, we successfully synthesize heterogeneous Ag 2 S-Au composite nanoparticles (NPs) as effective catalysts for CO production through CO 2 RR. At −0.8 V vs RHE, the heterogeneous Ag 2 S-Au nanocatalysts display a considerable CO Faradaic efficiency of 94.5%, and an appreciable CO partial current density of 9.17 mA cm−2. Moreover, they exhibit good stability for 30 h without obvious decrease. On the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it can be made clear that the heterogeneous Ag 2 S-Au interface is energetically more beneficial to the generation of COOH* intermediate for CO 2 RR. This study provides a new application for noble metal–semiconductor nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MePMTR1 and ZmPMTR1 are membrane proteins that show a high affinity for melatonin binding and are required for melatonin-mediated drought resistance and alleviation of darkness-induced leaf senescence and stomatal closure. Identification of melatonin in plants and its effects on plasma melatonin levels and binding to melatonin receptors in vertebrates. PP2C1 fine-tunes melatonin biosynthesis and phytomelatonin receptor PMTR1 binding to melatonin in cassava. Keywords: Phytomelatonin; phytohormone; signaling pathways; metabolism; nutrient homeostasis; stress resistance EN Phytomelatonin phytohormone signaling pathways metabolism nutrient homeostasis stress resistance 5773 5778 6 10/04/22 20220930 NES 220930 Melatonin ( I N i -acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) synthesized by plants is known as phytomelatonin. [Extracted from the article]

Phytomelatonin is a newly identified plant hormone, and its primary functions in plant growth and development remain relatively poorly appraised. Phytomelatonin is a master regulator of reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling and acts as a darkness signal in circadian stomatal closure. Plants exhibit at least three interrelated patterns of interaction between phytomelatonin and ROS production. Exogenous melatonin can induce flavonoid biosynthesis, which might be required for maintenance of antioxidant capacity under stress, after harvest, and in leaf senescence conditions. However, several genetic studies have provided direct evidence that phytomelatonin plays a negative role in the biosynthesis of flavonoids under non-stress conditions. Phytomelatonin delays flowering time in both dicot and monocot plants, probably via its receptor PMTR1 and interactions with the gibberellin, strigolactone, and ROS signaling pathways. Furthermore, phytomelatonin signaling also functions in hypocotyl and shoot growth in skotomorphogenesis and ultraviolet B (UV-B) exposure; the G protein α-subunit (Arabidopsis GPA1 and rice RGA1) and constitutive photomorphogenic1 (COP1) are important signal components during this process. Taken together, these findings indicate that phytomelatonin acts as a darkness signal with important regulatory roles in circadian stomatal closure, flavonoid biosynthesis, flowering, and hypocotyl and shoot growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to reveal the associations of osteoporotic vertebral compression refracture (OVCRF) incidence with sarcopenia and paravertebral muscles (PVM). Methods: A total of 214 elderly patients who underwent percutaneous kyphoplasty in our hospital between January 2017 and December 2019 were analyzed. Data on possible risk factors, including sex, age, weight, height, diabetes, treated vertebral levels (thoracolumbar junction [(T10–L2]), vacuum clefts, and body mass index (BMI), were collected. Preoperative bone mineral density (BMD) and appendicular muscle mass were evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to evaluate the physiological cross-sectional area of the PVM. Results: Overall, 74 (15 men and 59 women) and 60 (55 women and 14 men) patients developed OVCRF and sarcopenia, respectively. Sarcopenia is related to advanced age, ower BMD and BMI values. Sarcopenia-related indicators (PVM fat rate, appendicular muscle mass index, grip strength) were significantly lower in the sarcopenia group. Univariate analysis showed a correlation between OVCRF and BMD, BMI, diabetes, sarcopenia, and age. Multivariate analysis suggested that fatty infiltration of the PVM, BMD, sarcopenia, diabetes, BMI, and treated vertebral level remained as the independent predictors of OVCRF (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The association between sarcopenia and PVM as independent risk factors for OVCRF was established in this study; therefore, sarcopenia should be greatly considered in OVCRF prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile benzylic alkylation of indenes and other arenes was developed from readily available primary and secondary alcohols using our newly investigated CCC pincer IrIII catalyst (SNIr−H). Excellent regioselectivity and yield (89 %) of the C3‐alkylated indenes were obtained. Additionally, the challenging sp2C‐alkylation was readily accomplished. This method could be utilized for the synthesis of the analogs of a histamine H1 receptor antagonist and the functional material template molecule, indeno[2,1‐a]indene. A hemilabile IrIII‐dihydride intermediate was proposed based on control experiments and previous density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the borrowing hydrogen mechanism and is key to the success of this IrIII catalyst in the reduction of unactivated multi‐substituted olefin intermediates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distributed model predictive control method is used to transform the formation and maintenance problem of fixed-wing UAV formation during flight into an online rolling optimization problem to solve in this paper. Firstly, the state estimation model of the neighborhood UAV is established according to the relative information of the UAV. Secondly, the error state model in the three-dimensional inertial coordinate frame of the UAV is established without considering the time delay, sensor error, and external interference. Thirdly, a cost function is designed by introducing the error state of the UAV in the neighborhood. Finally, four UAVs are used to verify that under the action of the controller, the UAVs can quickly form and maintain the desired formation while tracking the reference line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile benzylic alkylation of indenes and other arenes was developed from readily available primary and secondary alcohols using our newly investigated CCC pincer IrIII catalyst (SNIr−H). Excellent regioselectivity and yield (89 %) of the C3‐alkylated indenes were obtained. Additionally, the challenging sp2C‐alkylation was readily accomplished. This method could be utilized for the synthesis of the analogs of a histamine H1 receptor antagonist and the functional material template molecule, indeno[2,1‐a]indene. A hemilabile IrIII‐dihydride intermediate was proposed based on control experiments and previous density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the borrowing hydrogen mechanism and is key to the success of this IrIII catalyst in the reduction of unactivated multi‐substituted olefin intermediates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the diagnostic value of bulbocavernosus muscle reflex and pudendal somatosensory evoked potentials for diabetic neurogenic bladder. Methods. From January 2021 to December 2021, 104 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted to the hospital were recruited, with 57 allocated to the case group and 47 to the control group. Outcome measures included bulbocavernosus muscle response, pudendal somatosensory evoked potentials, and bladder residual urine volume. The connection of bulbocavernosus muscle response and pudendal somatosensory evoked potentials with bladder residual urine volume was investigated using the Pearson analysis. Results. In both males and females, the latency of the left and right bulbocavernosus muscle reflexes in the case group was longer than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), and the wave amplitude of the left and right bulbocavernosus muscle reflexes was significantly smaller than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The diabetic neurogenic bladder was associated with a significantly longer latency and a smaller wave amplitude of pudendal somatosensory evoked potentials versus without neurogenic bladder (P < 0.05). Patients with a diabetic neurogenic bladder had more residual bladder urine volume versus those without (P < 0.05). Bladder residual urine volume was significantly positively correlated with bulbocavernosus muscle reflex and pudendal somatosensory evoked potential latency and negatively correlated with wave amplitude (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The bulbocavernosus muscle reflex and pudendal somatosensory evoked potentials demonstrate great potential as adjuncts to diagnose diabetic neurogenic bladder and correlate with ultrasound results in determining bladder function in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]