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Aims. The molecular mechanisms of Chinese traditional medicine Wenxin Keli (WXKL) were unknown. This study was aimed at exploring the effects of WXKL on the gene expression profile and pathological alteration of rabbits with myocardial infarction. Methods. Twenty male adult rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham, model, WXKL, and captopril groups. Model, WXKL, and captopril groups underwent the ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery while sham group went through an identical procedure without ligation. WXKL (817 mg/kg/d), captopril (8 mg/kg/d), and distilled water (to model and sham groups) were administered orally to each group. After 4 weeks, the rabbits were examined with echocardiography and the hearts were taken for expression chip and pathological staining (H&E, Masson, and Tunel) studies. Results. The data revealed that WXKL downregulated genes associated with inflammation (CX3CR1, MRC1, and FPR1), apoptosis (CTSC and TTC5), and neurohumoral system (ACE and EDN1) and upregulated angiogenesis promoting genes such as RSPO3. Moreover, the results also showed that WXKL improved cardiac function and prevented histopathological injury and apoptosis. Conclusion. The present study demonstrated that WXKL might play an important role in inhibiting inflammation, renin-angiotensin system, and apoptosis. It might be a promising Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw retention and wheat-soybean rotation play critical role in maintaining soil quality. However, the correlation between bacterial diversity and community structure, and soil nutrients is unknown, and a systematic understanding of their responses to straw retention is lacking. In the field experiment, the straw retention treatments included no straw (NS), half straw (HS), and total straw (TS) retention during long-term wheat-soybean rotation. The mean contents of soil total nitrogen (TN), nitrate-N (NO3−-N), and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) increased by 15.06%, 21.10%, and 38.23%, respectively, with straw retention relative to NS, while that of ammonium-N (NH4+-N) reduced by 3.68%. The concentration of carbon components increased as straw retention increased. The levels of soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and soil organic carbon (SOC) increased by 4.34%, 7.63%, and 9.34%, respectively, with straw retention relative to NS. Soil bacterial alpha diversity was reduced with straw retention. Soil pH and nutrient content were identified as the main factors affecting the soil microbial diversity and structure at the phylum level. Accordingly, straw retention and soybean-wheat rotation enable sustainable agriculture in the dryland of northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-021-00360-y [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a reliable synthesis strategy to concurrently realize electronic structure modulation and two‐dimensionalization of materials is of paramount significance yet still challenging. Herein, a facile and universal strategy is reported to fabricate defect‐abundant atomic‐layered materials with unique electronic structures by mechanical shear‐assisted exfoliation. As a proof‐of‐concept demonstration, atomic‐layered defect‐rich LiCoO2 nanosheets (AD‐LCO) are successfully synthesized, which enable accelerated oxygen evolution kinetics with a substantially decreased oxygen evolution reaction overpotential by 184 and 216 mV at 10 and 50 mA cm–2, respectively. X‐ray absorption spectroscopy suggests that AD‐LCO possesses more d‐band holes and enhanced Co‐O covalency. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the presence of Co lattice vacancies can optimize the adsorption kinetics of intermediates, consequently lowering the energy barrier of the rate‐determining step. Importantly, this method has universal applicability to the fabrication of other ultrathin defect‐rich 2D materials such as BN, WS2, and MoS2. The study has potential implications for offering novel insights into the rational design of ultrathin 2D materials with abundant surface defects for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize the environmental sustainability, a raw bloom-forming species Microcystis aeruginosa harvested from natural waters without any modification was employed in the biosorption of uranium. The results of adsorption experiments indicated the process of U(VI) adsorbed on the surface of M. aeruginosa was pH-dependent, endothermic and spontaneous. The analysis of FTIR and XPS proved the oxygenated function groups of M. aeruginosa performed an important role in the biosorption of uranium. The high adsorption capacity and satisfied regenerated availability of M. aeruginosa make it possible to clean 'polluter (radioactive wastewater)' with 'polluter (toxic cyanobacteria)'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally consistent long-term radar measurements are imperative for understanding the global climatology and potential trends of convection. This study investigates the consistency of vertical profiles of reflectivity (VPR) and 20-dBZ echo-top height (Topht20) between the two precipitation radars onboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellites. Results show that VPR coincidently observed by the TRMM's and GPM's Ku-band radar agree well for both convective and stratiform precipitation, although certain discrepancies exist in the VPR of weak convection. Topht20s of the TRMM and GPM are consistent either for coincident events, or latitudinal mean during the 7-month common period, all with biases within the radar range resolution (0.1–0.2 km). The largest difference in the Topht20 between the TRMM's and GPM's Ku-band radar occurs in shallow precipitation. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed, including sidelobe clutter, beam-mismatch, non-uniform beam filling, and insufficient sampling. Finally, a 23-year (1998–2020) climatology of Topht20 has been constructed from the two spaceborne radars, and the global mean Topht20 time series shows no significant trend in convective depth during the last two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bacterial communities and brGDGTs are compared along an aridity transect. • Cyclic brGDGTs do not respond to changes in arid soils of pH > 7.5. • 5- and 6-methyl brGDGTs show opposite trends along the aridity transect. • Acidobacteria abundances show no relationships with brGDGTs, pH or aridity. • Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia possibly produce brGDGTs in arid soils. Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are membrane lipids of certain soil bacteria, and their relative distributions are used as a proxy for air temperature and soil pH. While temperature is recorded by the degree of methylation, soil pH is reflected by the amount of internal cyclization and the relative abundance of 6-methyl isomers. Since the exact producers of brGDGTs remain enigmatic, the mechanisms underlying their empirical relationships with temperature and soil pH, and thus the reliability of brGDGT-based paleorecords, are not well understood, especially in arid regions where mean annual precipitation (MAP) is less than 500 mm. Here, we evaluate the influence of soil pH and aridity on brGDGT distributions in grassland soils along an aridity transect (MAP = 173–415 mm) in Inner Mongolia. While the absolute and fractional abundance of 6-methyl brGDGTs increases with increasing soil pH and aridity, following the trend in the global surface soil calibration dataset, the degree of cyclization does not. This indicates that in arid regions, soil pH reconstructions based on the relative contribution of 6-methyl brGDGTs are likely more reliable than those based on the degree of cyclization. Furthermore, 5- and 6-methyl brGDGTs respond differently to aridity, supporting prior suggestions that the distribution of brGDGTs could be the result of changes in bacterial community composition instead of the direct physiological alteration of molecular structures by the source organisms. Analysis of the bacterial community composition in the same soil transect indicates that the relative abundance of Acidobacteria, the phylum hosting potential brGDGT source-organisms, shows a poor relationship with aridity. Instead, Verrucomicrobia (r2 = 0.70, p < 0.01) , and its subclass Spartobacteria (r2 = 0.70, p < 0.01) in particular, show a significant negative correlation with aridity, resembling that of 5-methyl brGDGTs. Similarly, Actinobacteria are positively correlated with aridity (r2 = 0.59, p < 0.01), following the same trend as that of 6-methyl brGDGTs. The ability of certain cultures of Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria to produce iso- C 15:0 fatty acids that could serve as building blocks for brGDGTs hints that Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria could possibly produce brGDGTs in arid soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The esophagus is one of the most commonly used parts in a person's life, and its importance is self-evident. With the unhealthy food diet, people are more and more likely to suffer from esophageal cancer, and there is an urgent need for breakthroughs in the treatment of esophageal cancer. This article is aimed at studying the effects of medical treatment and chemotherapy for patients with malignant esophageal cancer. To this end, this article proposes a treatment method based on endoscopy and improves the image imaging of the endoscopy and the image quality of the image and the edge processing of the image. At the same time, this article designs an experiment to conduct statistical analysis of the situation during the treatment process. The experimental results in this article show that the improved treatment method has a 21% increase in success rate compared with the existing treatment method. And the optimized image quality has increased by 27%. It can very well help the attending doctor to improve the efficiency of treatment in the actual treatment process. Its most important contribution is that through the edge optimization and image enhancement processing technology, the success rate of endoscopic treatment has been better improved, and the treatment efficiency has also been improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first study to identify genes associated with voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) alterations in patients with schizophrenia using the transcription-neuroimaging association analysis approach. • This study determined the biological functions of the identified genes, as well as the cell types, brain regions and developmental stages in which they were enriched. • We also found cognitive processes related to VMHC alterations in schizophrenia. • The findings offer novel insights into the genetic mechanisms of schizophrenia-related VMHC alterations. It has been revealed that abnormal voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) is present in patients with schizophrenia, yet there are inconsistencies in the relevant findings. Moreover, little is known about their association with brain gene expression profiles. In this study, transcription-neuroimaging association analyses using gene expression data from Allen Human Brain Atlas and case-control VMHC differences from both the discovery (meta-analysis, including 9 studies with a total of 386 patients and 357 controls) and replication (separate group-level comparisons within two datasets, including a total of 258 patients and 287 controls) phases were performed to identify genes associated with VMHC alterations. Enrichment analyses were conducted to characterize the biological functions and specific expression of identified genes, and Neurosynth decoding analysis was performed to examine the correlation between cognitive-related processes and VMHC alterations in schizophrenia. In the discovery and replication phases, patients with schizophrenia exhibited consistent VMHC changes compared to controls, which were correlated with a series of cognitive-related processes; meta-regression analysis revealed that illness duration was negatively correlated with VMHC abnormalities in the cerebellum and postcentral/precentral gyrus. The abnormal VMHC patterns were stably correlated with 1287 genes enriched for fundamental biological processes like regulation of cell communication, nervous system development, and cell communication. In addition, these genes were overexpressed in astrocytes and immune cells, enriched in extensive cortical regions and wide developmental time windows. The present findings may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying VMHC alterations in patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of strengthening the substrate's surface properties, it is easy to produce cracks or air holes and other defects between the coatings and the substrate, and rare earth elements can improve the microstructure and properties of the metal surface coatings. Using laser cladding(LC) technology, the effect of the addition of rare earth oxides CeO 2 on the properties of AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 coatings is investigated to find the optimal amount of CeO 2 added. AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 alloy powder doped with Xwt% (X = 0–3) rare-earth oxide CeO2 was clad on the surface of the H13 steel substrate by laser cladding process using RFL-C3000 laser. The macroscopic morphology, microstructure, hardness, and corrosion resistance of specimens were analyzed and studied by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), hardness tester, and other equipment. The results show that the addition of the appropriate amount of rare earth oxide CeO 2 (3 %) can effectively reduce the cracks, air holes, and inclusions in the composite layer, and promote grain refinement. The addition of 3 wt%CeO 2 to AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 can improve the microstructure uniformity and surface hardness of the coatings, and significantly improve the wear and corrosion resistance of the composite coatings. • AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 high-entropy alloy coatings with added CeO 2 were prepared by laser cladding. • The increase of CeO 2 content refines the grains and produces lattice distortion. • The high-entropy alloy coatings with added CeO 2 have better-forming quality, uniform microstructure, and composition. • The CeO 2 -added high-entropy alloy coating has high hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three series of AIE-active cyanostilbene-based amphiphilic mesogens with different degree of fluorination were synthesized. • The mesomorphic transition from Col hex / p 6 mm to Cub I / I m 3 ¯ m was achieved. • The increase in the degree of fluorination led to the disappearance of Cub I / I m 3 ¯ m. Three series of amphiphilic mesogens containing a cyanostilbene core with zero, one or two lateral fluorine atoms, which attach one polar glycerol group at one end and three lipophilic alkyl chains at the other end were synthesized by Suzuki coupling and Knoevenagel reactions. The thermodynamics, liquid crystalline and photophysical properties of these amphiphilic mesogens were evaluated by polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, small-angle X-ray diffraction, density functional theory calculation, absorption and emission spectra. The non-fluoro and mono-fluoro amphiphilic mesogens display a mesophase transition from hexagonal columnar phase to three-dimensional micellar cubic phase with I m 3 ¯ m lattice by the increase of temperature or the elongation of terminal lipophilic alkyl chains. The bi-fluoro amphiphilic mesogens can only self-organize into hexagonal columnar mesophase. Similar spectral properties and weak solvatochromism in these amphiphilic mesogens are observed attributed to the weak intramolecular charge transfer and weak influence of fluorine atom on the electronic properties in both ground and excited states. In addition, aggregation-induced emission behavior could be achieved in these amphiphilic mesogens due to the twisted molecular configuration. Therefore, complex self-assembly structures and interesting photophysical properties may be altered by varying the degree of fluorination of amphiphilic mesogens, which could promote the application of liquid crystalline materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three series of AIE-active cyanostilbene-based amphiphilic mesogens with different degree of fluorination were synthesized. • The mesomorphic transition from Col hex / p 6 mm to Cub I / I m 3 ¯ m was achieved. • The increase in the degree of fluorination led to the disappearance of Cub I / I m 3 ¯ m. Three series of amphiphilic mesogens containing a cyanostilbene core with zero, one or two lateral fluorine atoms, which attach one polar glycerol group at one end and three lipophilic alkyl chains at the other end were synthesized by Suzuki coupling and Knoevenagel reactions. The thermodynamics, liquid crystalline and photophysical properties of these amphiphilic mesogens were evaluated by polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, small-angle X-ray diffraction, density functional theory calculation, absorption and emission spectra. The non-fluoro and mono-fluoro amphiphilic mesogens display a mesophase transition from hexagonal columnar phase to three-dimensional micellar cubic phase with I m 3 ¯ m lattice by the increase of temperature or the elongation of terminal lipophilic alkyl chains. The bi-fluoro amphiphilic mesogens can only self-organize into hexagonal columnar mesophase. Similar spectral properties and weak solvatochromism in these amphiphilic mesogens are observed attributed to the weak intramolecular charge transfer and weak influence of fluorine atom on the electronic properties in both ground and excited states. In addition, aggregation-induced emission behavior could be achieved in these amphiphilic mesogens due to the twisted molecular configuration. Therefore, complex self-assembly structures and interesting photophysical properties may be altered by varying the degree of fluorination of amphiphilic mesogens, which could promote the application of liquid crystalline materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXenes are a growing family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides and/or nitrides that are densely stacked into macroscopically layered films and have been considered for applications such as flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. However, the mechanical and electrical reliabilities of titanium carbide MXene films are affected by voids in their structure. We applied sequential bridging of hydrogen and covalent bonding agents to induce the densification of MXene films and removal of the voids, leading to highly compact MXene films. The obtained MXene films show high tensile strength, in combination with high toughness, electrical conductivity, and EMI shielding capability. Our high-performance MXene films are scalable, providing an avenue for assembling other two-dimensional platelets into high-performance films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C63H57Cl2N13Ni3O6, monoclinic, P21/c, a = 16.136(4) Å, b = 16.432(4) Å, c = 23.881(6) Å, β = 101.900(3)°, V = 6196(3) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0461, wRref(F2) = 0.1357, T = 298 K [1], [2], [3]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomotic leak is one of the deadliest complications after esophagectomy. In recent years, we have implemented new method for the treatment of intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomotic leak with the nasogastric placement of sump drainage tube through fistula into abscess cavity. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of the new method and conventional therapies for intrathoracic anastomotic leak after esophagectomy.Method: Esophagectomy and esophagogastric anastomotic procedures were performed in 875 patients at our institution from January 2008 to December 2019. Of these patients, 43(4.9%) patients developed intrathoracic anastomotic leaks postoperatively were enrolled into our study and their clinical data were retrospectively assessed. 20 (47%) patients from January 2008 to December 2012 received conventional treatments (group 1) known as the traditional "three-tube method", and 23 (53%) patients from January 2013 to December 2019 received new treatments (group 2), consisted of conventional therapies and the nasogastric placement of sump drainage tube through fistula into abscess cavity.Results: The presence of intrathoracic anastomotic leak was proven by contrast esophagography in 43 patients (4.9%). Among them, The average duration of chest tube was 47 days in group 1 and 28 days in group 2. The average length of leak treatment was 52 days in group 1 and 35 days in group 2. The average length of postoperative hospital stay was 56 days in group 1 and 39 days in group 2, respectively. 7(35%) patients among 20 patients died from intrathoracic anastomotic leak in group 1; and 3(13%) patients among 23 patients died from intrathoracic anastomotic leak in group 2. Compared with the conventional treatments (group 1), The average duration of chest tube was significantly decreased in the new treatments (group 2) (P < 0.01), as well as the length of leak treatment (P < 0.05) and the length of postoperative hospital stay (P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in the mortality rate (P = 0.148 > 0.05).Conclusion: In conclusion, Our results showed this method of the nasogastric placement of sump drainage tube through fistula appears to be an safe, effective, technically feasible treatment option for intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomotic leak. The efficacy and feasibility could be further investigated with a well-designed and large-scale RCT research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that the spontaneous precipitation of minerals caused by urea hydrolysis and abundant organic compounds, membrane fouling became a major obstacle for urine recovery by membrane distillation (MD). Herein, this study developed a combined system (TAP-MD) by integrating thermally activated peroxydisulfate (TAP) and MD process to inhibit membrane fouling and improve separation efficiency. Based on the TAP-MD system, the separation performance was improved significantly, improving nutrient recovery efficiency and quality of reclaimed water. More than 80% of water could be recovered from urine, and about 94.13% of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), 99.02% of total nitrogen (TN), 100% of total phosphate (TP), and 100% of K+ were rejected. The mechanism for alleviating urine-induced fouling was systematically and intensively studied. With TAP pretreatment, the TAN concentration of pretreated urine was kept at a low level steadily and the pH was at neutral or weakly acidic. Hence, inorganic scaling represented by carbonate and phosphate precipitates were significantly inhibited by creating unfavorable solvent environment for crystallization with TAP pretreatment. Additionally, aromatic proteins were found as the main organic foulants. According to the secondary structure of protein, the proteins were degraded by the cleavage of peptide bonds by TAP pretreatment. Meanwhile, the hydrophilicity of protein increased, which reduced the hydrophobic interaction of protein and membrane surface and thus alleviated protein-induced membrane fouling. This study revealed the inorganic and organic foulants in urine that caused membrane fouling and demonstrated the mechanism of membrane fouling alleviation by TAP-MD system. The experimental results will be instrumental in better understanding the mechanisms of membrane fouling induced by urine and optimize MD process for resource recovery from urine. [Display omitted] • Thermally activated peroxydisulfate (TAP) pretreatment increased membrane performance. • Nutrient rejection rate was improved significantly by TAP pretreatment. • Carbonate, phosphate minerals and aromatic protein are main foulants in urine. • TAP pretreatment creates unfavorable crystallization conditions to control scaling. • Organics in urine are degraded by TAP pretreatment to alleviate fouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced deposition of atmospheric nitrogen (N) leads to loss of plant diversity in grassland ecosystems. Numerous theories have provided potential explanations for the negative effects of N enrichment on plant diversity. However, the relative importance of each mechanism and the time‐scales of responses for the different functional groups remain unclear.We investigated the temporal responses of plant community in a temperate steppe to N enrichment by linking above‐ground to below‐ground processes using a series of field N‐addition and greenhouse experiments.The N enrichment‐induced declines in plant diversity of grasslands were phase‐based, functional group‐dependent and driven by three below‐ground processes. The rapid accumulation of NH4+-N by N addition inhibited photosynthetic rates of broad‐leaf non‐rhizomatous forbs, contributing to loss of these N‐sensitive species during early phase of N enrichment (≤3 years). The N‐induced changes in this phase were independent of soil pH as evidenced by results from application of lime to mitigate N‐evoked soil acidification. With progression of N addition, manganese (Mn) toxicity to narrow‐leaf non‐rhizomatous forbs due to soil acidification‐induced Mn2+ mobilization in soil accounted for their loss in the second phase of N enrichment (~4–9 years). When N addition proceeded longer than ~10 years, N enrichment stimulated below‐ground meristem differentiation and rhizome growth of the rhizomatous species, leading to the dominance by rhizomatous sedges/grasses in the community at the later phase of N enrichment.Synthesis. The hierarchical mechanisms not only provide a comprehensive explanation for the N enrichment‐induced diversity decline in grasslands, but can also facilitate us to understand the differential sensitivities of ecosystems to chronic N enrichment, and predict future ecosystem dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing highly efficient and cost-effective catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of paramount importance to solve the problems arising from the depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels and increasing air pollution issues. Herein, an in-situ heterogeneous catalytic synthesis approach is developed for constructing hierarchical Ni/carbon hybrids via grafting nitrogen-doped-carbon (NC) nanotubes with Ni encapsulation onto the metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon matrix. Following the "nanotube tip-growth model" involved in the in-situ catalytic synthesis process, the morphology and size of the nanotubes and encapsulated particles of the as-prepared hierarchical Ni-based carbon hybrids can be controlled by regulating the conditions during the thermal decomposition of the Ni-MOF in the presence of melamine. The grafting and decoration of the Ni-encapsulated carbon nanotubes on the MOF-derived architecture rapidly enhance the HER electrocatalytic performance of the bare thermally decomposed Ni/N-doped carbon composite. Due to the synergistic effects of the stable metallic Ni active sites and the N-doped carbon support, the optimized Ni@NC 6 -600 sample exhibits stable and high catalytic activity, only requiring an overpotential of 181 mV to drive 10 mA/cm2 towards the HER in alkaline media. Ni-encapsulated N-doped multi-layer CNTs, which adopts the "tip-growth model" for CNTs, were successfully grown by thermal decomposition of a Ni-based metal-organic framework (MOF) in the presence of melamine vapour. It has been demonstrated that the annealing temperature and the ratio of the melamine to Ni(dmg) 2 could affect the final structure and catalytic properties of the as-prepared Ni@NC x -T. Due to the synergistic effects of the structure and composition, the optimized Ni@NC 6 -600 exhibits the highest catalytic activity and stability, only requiring an overpotential of 181 mV to drive 10 mA/cm2. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In public–private partnership (PPP) project, government's control right (GCR) cannot be completely defined by contract information. Government has some advantageous information resources outside of the contract, such as status, supervision level, trust etc. These information lead investors to overestimate the GCR and aggravate the escalation of commitment (EOC), especially for investors who prefer the other-face concern. According to the degree of quantification of information owned by government in a PPP project, the study divided GCR into explicit control rights (ECR) and implicit control rights (ICR). In order to discuss the difference of actions that two types' control right on investor's EOC who have other-face concern. The study collected 176 valid data through scenario questionnaires and constructed the structural equation model with regulating effect. After verifying the model with AMOS. We found the ECR influence investor's EOC significantly, while the ICR does not; the other-face concern only regulate the influence of ICR on investors' EOC. These findings are helpful to reduce the behavioral risk of investors' EOC in PPP project. • Escalation of commitment (EOC) is discussed in PPP project, which offers new insight. • 14 secondary indicators can measure government's control rights (GCR) in PPP project. • GCR includes explicit control rights (ECR) and implicit control rights (ICR). • ECR influence investor's EOC significantly, while the ICR does not. • Other-face concern regulates the influence of ICR on investors' EOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propargyl terminal Polybutadiene (PTPB) was successfully prepared through hydroxyl terminal polybutadiene (HTPB) end-capping modification. The FTIR and 13C NMR results indicated that the HTPB terminal hydroxyl was thoroughly replaced and yielded the target product, PTPB, with a theoretical propargyl content of 0.66 mmol g−1. In comparison with HTPB, PTPB has a lower viscosity. Using 1,6-diazide hexane as a curing agent, polytriazole crosslinked polybutadiene (PTriPB) elastomers with various functional molar ratios (R) were prepared by CuAAC reaction, and the glass transition temperatures of the resultant PTriPB elastomers were approximately −75 °C, measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), nearly independent of elastomer R values. Mechanical tests indicated, that with the increase in R, the mechanical properties of PTriPB elastomers exhibit a parabolic dependence on R. In addition, the thermal stability of PTriPB elastomers were also studied. The findings revealed some fundamental features of polytriazole crosslinking elastomer prepared by CuAAC reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Robust data regarding genotype–phenotype correlations in left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) are lacking. Methods: About 72 cardiomyopathy‐related genes were comprehensively screened in a cohort of LVNC patients using targeted sequencing. Baseline and follow‐up data were collected. The primary endpoint was a composite of death and heart transplantation. Results: A total of 83 unrelated adult patients were included in analyses. Following stringent classification according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines, 36 pathogenic variants of 14 genes were detected in 32 patients. Among them, 12 patients carried at least one nonsarcomere variant (NSV). At baseline, NSV carriers had a higher frequency of atrial fibrillation, but lower left ventricular ejection fraction, than did noncarriers. During a median follow‐up of 4.2 years, NSV carriers experienced a higher rate of the primary endpoint compared with noncarriers. There was no significant difference in the rate between carriers of sarcomere variant (SV) and noncarriers, as well as between carriers of SV and NSV. The presence of NSV was associated with an increased risk of the primary endpoint independent of age, sex, and cardiac function (hazard ratio: 3.61, 95% confidence interval: 1.42–9.19, p = .002). Conclusion: NSV may act as a genetic modifier and worsen the clinical phenotype in patients with LVNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant cellulose is synthesized by rosette-structured cellulose synthase (CESA) complexes (CSCs). Each CSC is composed of multiple subunits of CESAs representing three different isoforms. Individual CESA proteins contain conserved catalytic domains for catalyzing cellulose synthesis, other domains such as plant-conserved sequences, and class-specific regions that are thought to facilitate complex assembly and CSC trafficking. Because of the current lack of atomic-resolution structures for plant CSCs or CESAs, the molecular mechanism through which CESA catalyzes cellulose synthesis and whether its catalytic activity influences efficient CSC transport at the subcellular level remain unknown. Here, by performing chemical genetic analyses, biochemical assays, structural modeling, and molecular docking, we demonstrate that Endosidin20 (ES20) targets the catalytic site of CESA6 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Chemical genetic analysis revealed important amino acids that potentially participate in the catalytic activity of plant CESA6, in addition to previously identified conserved motifs across kingdoms. Using high spatiotemporal resolution live cell imaging, we found that inhibiting the catalytic activity of CESA6 by ES20 treatment reduced the efficiency of CSC transport to the plasma membrane. Our results demonstrate that ES20 is a chemical inhibitor of CESA activity and trafficking that represents a powerful tool for studying cellulose synthesis in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hemizygous mutations in GRIA3 encoding the GluA3 subunit of the amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor are known to be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, hypotonia, an autism spectrum disorder, sleep disturbances, and epilepsy in males.Objective: To describe a new and consistent phenotype in 4 affected male patients associated with an undescribed deleterious variant in GRIA3.Methods: We evaluated a large French family in which segregate a singular phenotype according to an apparent X-linked mode of inheritance. Molecular analyses using next generation sequencing and in vitro functional studies using 2-electrode voltage clamp recordings on Xenopus laevis oocytes and a β-lactamase reporter assay in transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells were performed.Results: In addition to mild intellectual disability and dysarthria, affected patients presented a tightly consistent early-onset movement disorder combining an exaggerated startle reflex with generalized chorea and multifocal myoclonus. The unreported GRIA3 missense variant c.2477G > A; p.(Gly826Asp) affecting the fourth transmembrane domain of the protein was identified in index patients and their unaffected mothers. Functional studies revealed that variant receptors show decreased current response evoked by agonist (ie, kainic acid and glutamate) and reduced expression on the cell surface in favor of pathogenicity by a loss-of-function mechanism.Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggest that apart from known GRIA3-related disorders, an undescribed mutation-specific singular movement disorder does exist. We thus advocate considering GRIA3 mutations in the differential diagnosis of hyperekplexia and generalized chorea with myoclonus. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the effects of high temperature (HT) and light on the physiological and biochemical aspects of macroalga Ulva prolifera, we cultured this species under two temperatures (20°C: low temperature, LT; 30°C: HT) and two light intensities (80 μmol m−2 s−1: low light, LL; 400 μmol m−2 s−1: high light, HL) for 5 days. It was found that (a) compared to 20°C, the chlorophyll a (Chl a) content was increased at 30°C under LL conditions, the relative growth rate (RGR) was significantly decreased at 30°C; (b) compared to LL treatment, HL significantly increased RGR but significantly decreased Chl a content; (c) LL‐grown U. prolifera at 30°C showed the highest photosynthetic oxygen evolution rate; however, there were no significant effects of temperature and light on the relative electron transport rate; (d) superoxide dismutase activity was significantly decreased by HL, but no significant effects of temperature were observed; and (e) compared to LL, HL significantly increased the soluble sugar content at 20°C, but significantly reduced at 30°C. These results showed that the inhibitory effects of HT can be offset by HL intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin few‐layer materials have attracted intensive research attention because of their distinctive and unique properties. Few‐layer GeP (FL‐GP) is potentially interesting for application in electronics and optoelectronics because of its appropriate band gap and good stability under ambient conditions. Nevertheless, it is a challenge to achieve ultrathin few‐layer or single layer GeP from exfoliation of bulk crystals. Here, a lithiation‐assisted chemical exfoliation technique is employed to achieve FL‐GP, in which the interlayer spacing can be efficiently enlarged after a preliminary lithium ion intercalation, allowing the bulk crystal to be readily exfoliated in a following ultrasonication. As a result, ultrathin FL‐GP is obtained. In a demonstration, the FL‐GP/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) demonstrates remarkable sodium storage performance. The FL‐GP with a two‐dimensional structure shortens the ion transport pathways and alleviates the volume variation during sodiation. Meanwhile, the rGO in the composite improves the conductivity of the whole electrode. The as‐prepared FL‐GP/rGO electrode exhibits a high capacity of 504.2 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1, remarkable rate performance, and superior cycling stability in the half cells. FL‐GP/rGO//Na3V2(PO4)3 full cells are also assembled and demonstrated satisfactory electrochemical performance, indicating potential application of the as‐prepared anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PSSG was supported by cellulose-based scaffold via top-down and bottom-up methods. • CS was prepared by removing lignin and hemicellulose from wood to encapsule PSSG. • CNF was used as nanofiller to support and strengthen PSSG to prevent its cold flow. • Rigid PSSG@CS shows outstanding mechanical & impact-resistance properties. • PSSG@CNF as impact-resistance gel is flexible, self-healable, and adhesive. Shear stiffening gel (SSG) is a promising cushioning material for impact-resistant applications as its moduli significantly increase under shear. However, SSG cannot retain its shape due to cold flow effect, which severely restricts its broad applications. In this study, both "top-down" and "bottom-up" strategies were respectively employed to construct cellulose supported and strengthened polyborosiloxane SSG (PSSG), resulting in stable shapes with significantly enhanced mechanical properties and impact-resistant performance attributed to reinforced concrete-like "steel-and-cement" structure. In "top-down" strategy, porous cellulose scaffolds (CS) were fabricated by removing lignin and hemicellulose from wood and then used as templates to encapsulate PSSG (PSSG@CS). In "bottom-up" strategy, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were well dispersed in PSSG and employed as nanofillers to strengthen PSSG (PSSG@CNF). Both PSSG@CS and PSSG@CNF effectively inhibited the cold flow deformation of PSSG and exhibited significantly enhanced shear stiffening properties. Rigid and hydrophobic PSSG@CS with fixed shape inherits the excellent mechanical properties of wood, with maximum storage modulus of 908 MPa, much higher than PSSG@CNF (15.3 MPa) and pristine PSSG (4.7 MPa). PSSG@CNF is flexible, self-healable, and adhesive, and could be processed to varied shapes. Both PSSG@CS and PSSG@CNF displayed outstanding impact-resistant performance when employed as protective cushion for glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous disease. Though sarcomere gene defects are common in LVNC patients, pathogenic variants in nonsarcomere genes (NSV) can also be detected in a certain number of patients. The relationships among NSV, clinical manifestations, and long-term outcomes remain unclear. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that NSV was associated with poor outcomes in LVNC patients. Methods: A total of 78 cardiomyopathy-associated genes were comprehensively screened in 83 unrelated adult patients with LVNC by targeted sequencing. Pathogenicity of the detected variants was determined according to their prevalence and ACMG recommendations. Baseline and follow-up clinical data were collected. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular death. Results: Overall, 12 NSV were identified in 15 (18%) patients, with DSP, DMD and KCNE1 being the most commonly involved genes. Baseline characteristics were similar between carriers of NSV and non-carriers regarding to age at onset, family history of cardiomyopathy and left ventricular function. During a median follow-up of 4.2 years, significantly more cardiovascular deaths occurred in NSV carriers than non-carriers (53.3% versus 23.5%, P =0.030). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that NSV were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death independent of age, sex, and cardiac function at baseline (adjusted hazards ratio: 2.67, 95% confidence interval: 1.10–6.49, P =0.030). Conclusions: In conclusion, the presence of NSV is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular death and may aid in risk stratification in adult patients with LVNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new structures for efficient AlGaN based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diode (DUV -LED) with irregular sawtooth hole barrier layer (HBL) and electronic barrier layer (EBL) is proposed in this work. Optical output power and internal quantum efficiency(IQE), the energy band diagrams, radiative recombination rate are investigated by APSYS software. The results indicate that light output power of the DUV-LED with the new structure is enhanced by 131.8%, and internal quantum efficiency is increased by 125.0% at an injection current of 180 mA compared with the conventional AlGaN based DUV-LED structure. Further research shows that irregular sawtooth hole blocking layer(HBL) and electron blocking layer(EBL) can obviously improve the carrier radiation recombination rate, modulate carrier distribution, enhance electron injection efficiency, and confine hole leakage; thus the IQE and optical output power are enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To evaluate the additional diagnostic yield of whole exome sequencing (WES) reanalysis in patients with epilepsy and intellectual disability/mental retardation, we reanalyzed raw WES data and clinical information for 76 patient trios whose initial reports returned negative results. Eight patients (10.5%, 8/76) had positive genetic diagnoses finally, including six novel mutations in five genes. The reasons for the previous false-negative reports were divided into four categories: specific gene–disease associations had not been established at the time of the initial report; the disease database of the genetic test center had not been updated in a timely manner; the patient's clinical phenotype had not been carefully or correctly collected, submitted and reviewed when applicating genetic test and analyzing the variants; and the first round of data analysis missed a synonymous variant that affected splicing. Therefore, physicians should not give up the discovery of disease-causing mutations before re-examining the WES data and clinical phenotype by themselves or by collaborating with bioinformatic experts in the genetic test centers, especially for patients with strongly suspected genetic disease whose initial WES result was "negative". The suitable time points for reanalysis might be the 6–12 months after initial report. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Eight patients (8/76) had positive genetic diagnoses, including 6 novel mutations in 5 genes. • Mutations in KCNQ5 and PACS2 are reported for the second time to cause ID or EE. • Ion channel gene could also cause brain cortical malformation. • Unestablished associations between gene and disease are the main cause of false-negative report. • Reanalysis of the WES data after some while (6–12 months) is important and necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of puerarin preconditioning on the expression levels of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), troponin I (cTnI), and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) in the neutrophils of patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was evaluated. We enrolled 50 patients scheduled for cardiac valve replacement and assigned them randomly divided into either a puerarin or a control group. Puerarin was dissolved in 10 ml normal saline before CPB, and administered by intravenous infusion to patients in the puerarin group. The control group was administered an equivalent amount of saline. We used flow cytometry to determine the expression levels of NF-κB, IL-6 and IL-8 in neutrophils and an auto chemistry analyzer to determine the serum levels of cTnI and CK-MB before anesthesia induction (T0), 30 min after aortic declamping (T1), 4 h after aortic declamping (T2), and 8 h after aortic declamping (T3). We found the mean serum cTnI and CK-MB levels of the puerarin group tended to decrease with time. The positive rates of NF-κB, IL-6 and IL-8 at different time-points were lower in patients of the puerarin group than in those of the control group (and the differences at T3 were statistically significant). The clinical manifestations of patients in the puerarin group after operation were better than those in the control group (P<0.05). We found that the expression levels of NF-κB, IL-6 and IL-8 were positively correlated with the levels of CK-MB and cTnI (P<0.05). Puerarin preconditioning can reduce the NF-κB activation and the overexpression of IL-6 and IL-8 in neutrophils, and it inhibits the release of myocardial enzyme cTnI and CK-MB reflecting myocardial cell protection. Puerarin seems to improve safety and efficacy of valvular replacement operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) is initiated upon PAMP recognition by pattern recognition receptors (PRR). PTI signals are transmitted through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), inducing signaling and defense processes such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and callose deposition. Here, we examine mutants for two Arabidopsis thaliana genes encoding homologs of UBIQUITIN-ASSOCIATED DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN 2 (UBAC2), a conserved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein implicated in ER protein quality control. The ubac2 mutants were hypersusceptible to a type III secretion-deficient strain of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae , indicating a PTI defect. The ubac2 mutants showed normal PRR biogenesis, MAPK activation, ROS burst, and PTI-associated gene expression. Pathogen- and PAMP-induced callose deposition, however, was compromised in ubac2 mutants. UBAC2 proteins interact with the plant-specific long coiled-coil protein PAMP-INDUCED COILED COIL (PICC), and picc mutants were compromised in callose deposition and PTI. Compromised callose deposition in the ubac2 and picc mutants was associated with reduced accumulation of the POWDERY MILDEW RESISTANT 4 (PMR4) callose synthase, which is responsible for pathogen-induced callose synthesis. Constitutive overexpression of PMR4 restored pathogen-induced callose synthesis and PTI in the ubac2 and picc mutants. These results uncover an ER pathway involving the conserved UBAC2 and plant-specific PICC proteins that specifically regulate pathogen-induced callose deposition in plant innate immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Five series of rod-like liquid crystals containing cyanostilbene and different terminal atoms were constructed. • Different terminal atoms and chain length induced mesogenic transition between smectic A phase and nematic phase. • Increasing temperature induced fluorescence quenching. • The terminal halogen atoms induced different AIE and mechanochromism behaviors. Five series of cyanostilbene-based rod-like liquid crystals containing one different terminal atom (H, F, Cl, Br and I) at one end and one terminal aliphatic chain with different numbers of carbon atoms at the other end were reported by Suzuki coupling and Knoevenagel reactions. The influence of terminal halogen atoms and terminal chain length on the self-assembly, AIE behavior, temperature-dependent emission and mechanochromism behavior was explored by POM, DSC, XRD, SEM, absorption spectra and emission spectra. All the compounds are enantiotropic liquid crystals. The lowest non-halogen substituted homologue exhibited solo N phase, but the higher non-halogen substituted homologues exhibited mesogenic transition from SmA phase to N phase upon rising temperature. All the lowest halogen substituted homologues exhibited mesogenic transition from SmA phase to N phase upon rising temperature and all the higher homologues only exhibited SmA. The distinct mesogenic phase transition could be attributed to the intermolecular interaction produced by terminal halogen and the rigidity of the terminal aliphatic chain. All the non-halogen substituted compounds and halogen substituted compounds with smaller terminal halogen atom (F, Cl and Br atom) exhibited AIE behaviors, whereas the iodinated compounds exhibited extremely weak emission in solution and aggregated states due to the heavy atoms effect. These compounds also exhibited distinct solid-state emission with blue or cyan fluorescence, which could be quenched by increasing temperature. The reversible mechanochromism behavior was also achieved in all the compounds. The mechanical force induced quench in emission in non-halogen substituted compounds and halogen substituted compounds with smaller terminal halogen atom (F, Cl and Br atom), whereas enhancement in iodinated compounds. The reversible mechanochromism behavior endowed these compounds with potential applications in rewritable paper and anti-counterfeiting. The interesting properties in these liquid crystals would be attributed to the balance of the halogen-halogen interactions, heavy atom effect, steric-hindrance effect and chain length. These investigations would be helpful to understand the relationship between chemical structures and properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nearly 93% of N, 97% of P, 99% of K, and 80% of water were recovered by TAP-MD system. • The TAP pretreatment improves separation efficiency of MD process. • The TAP pretreatment inhibits membrane fouling in MD treatment. • Urine stabilization is achieved by TAP process and further enhanced by MD treatment. • The TAP-MD system has better performance on thermal efficiency and energy consumption. Membrane distillation (MD) has been applied to urine recovery with growing interest and demand for resource recovery from waste. However, MD application to urine is limited by obstacles, including the inability to recover nutrients and water simultaneously, low separation efficiency due to ammonia permeation, and membrane fouling. Herein, a novel system integrating thermally activated peroxydisulfate with MD (TAP-MD) was developed to overcome the above obstacles. The synergy effects were found between TAP pretreatment and MD process. With TAP pretreatment, membrane fouling was alleviated by organics degradation and mineral precipitation reduction, resulting in significant improvements in MD performance. Water flux of pretreated urine decreased from 25 L/m2/h to 15 L/m2/h after 80 % of water recovery, but that of unpretreated urine decreased to near zero after 38 % of water recovery. Meanwhile, MD process revealed further enhancement in urine stability by activating residual peroxydisulfate, reducing nutrient losses due to ammonia volatilization during storage and utilization of concentrated fertilizer. As a result, nearly 92.95 % of N -urea, 97.35 % of P, and 99.77 % of K was recovered as concentrated liquid fertilizer, meanwhile, 80 % of water was recovered as high-quality reclaimed water. The energy efficiency was improved by reusing waste heat from pretreatment. The TAP-MD system achieved a 45.63 % increase in thermal efficiency and a 38.25 % reduction in specific energy consumption compared to no pretreatment. This study developed an energy-efficient and high-performance separation treatment for complete resource recovery from urine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Credit scoring is an effective tool for banks to properly guide decision profitably on granting loans. Ensemble methods, which according to their structures can be divided into parallel and sequential ensembles, have been recently developed in the credit scoring domain. These methods have proven their superiority in discriminating borrowers accurately. However, among the ensemble models, little consideration has been provided to the following: (1) highlighting the hyper-parameter tuning of base learner despite being critical to well-performed ensemble models; (2) building sequential models (i.e., boosting, as most have focused on developing the same or different algorithms in parallel); and (3) focusing on the comprehensibility of models. This paper aims to propose a sequential ensemble credit scoring model based on a variant of gradient boosting machine (i.e., extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)). The model mainly comprises three steps. First, data pre-processing is employed to scale the data and handle missing values. Second, a model-based feature selection system based on the relative feature importance scores is utilized to remove redundant variables. Third, the hyper-parameters of XGBoost are adaptively tuned with Bayesian hyper-parameter optimization and used to train the model with selected feature subset. Several hyper-parameter optimization methods and baseline classifiers are considered as reference points in the experiment. Results demonstrate that Bayesian hyper-parameter optimization performs better than random search, grid search, and manual search. Moreover, the proposed model outperforms baseline models on average over four evaluation measures: accuracy, error rate, the area under the curve (AUC) H measure (AUC-H measure), and Brier score. The proposed model also provides feature importance scores and decision chart, which enhance the interpretability of credit scoring model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SNARE proteins are essential to vesicle trafficking and membrane fusion in eukaryotic cells. In addition, the SNARE-mediated secretory pathway can deliver diverse defense products to infection sites during exocytosis-associated immune responses in plants. In this study, a novel gene (CkSNAP33) encoding a synaptosomal-associated protein was isolated from Cynanchum komarovii and characterized. CkSNAP33 contains Qb- and Qc-SNARE domains in the N- and C-terminal regions, respectively, and shares high sequence identity with AtSNAP33 from Arabidopsis. CkSNAP33 expression was induced by H2O2, salicylic acid (SA), Verticillium dahliae, and wounding. Arabidopsis lines overexpressing CkSNAP33 had longer primary roots and larger seedlings than the wild type (WT). Transgenic Arabidopsis lines showed significantly enhanced resistance to V. dahliae, and displayed reductions in disease index and fungal biomass, and also showed elevated expression of PR1 and PR5. The leaves of transgenic plants infected with V. dahliae showed strong callose deposition and cell death that hindered the penetration and spread of the fungus at the infection site. Taken together, these results suggest that CkSNAP33 is involved in the defense response against V. dahliae and enhanced disease resistance in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We pay a special attention on volatility forecasting of green bond. • Two novel heterogeneous ensemble models, EX-MV and EX-SEL, are proposed. • The proposed approaches combine tree-based ensemble models and exogenous predictors. • The incorporation of exogenous predictors boosts predictive accuracy. • EX-SEL significantly outperforms the benchmarks in most cases. Green bonds are powerful tools for fighting against climate change and typically exhibit more volatility than conventional bonds do. However, the volatility forecasting of green bond has received little attention in previous literature. This study proposes two novel heterogeneous ensemble models, which differ from common volatility forecasting in that they are combine advanced tree-based ensemble models and exogenous predictors from other financial and commodity markets to forecast the volatility of green bonds. Validated on multiple green bonds indexes, loss functions, and time horizons, the comparative results show that the incorporation of exogenous predictors can enhance the predictive accuracy of volatility forecasting models, which is also confirmed by the marginal effects illustrated by SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values. The proposed EX-SEL model significantly outperforms the benchmark models in most cases. The results of the robustness check further indicate that the empirical results are robust to alternative volatility estimators, extreme events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and alternative selection strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calanthe fimbriata Franch. is a Tujia ethnic herb, which has traditionally been used to treat gastric ulcers, chronic hepatitis, etc. We explored the chemical constitutes, gastroprotective effects, and the active fraction of C. fimbriata , as well as elucidating the underlying mechanisms. Firstly, four in vitro antioxidant tests were applied to determine the oxidation resistance of C. fimbriata methanol extract and its fractions. The gastroprotective effects were evaluated in ethanol-induced gastric ulcer rats, gastric histopathology was visualized by H&E staining, and the acidity of gastric juice was measured by titrating with NaOH solution. The contents of malondialdehyde, catalase, superoxide dismutase, gastrin, and the activity of H+K+-ATPase were estimated using commercial kits. EtOAc fraction of C. fimbriata methanol extract (CfEF) exhibited significant gastroprotective effects by ameliorating stomach pathological changes and elevating the pH value of gastric juice. It also manifested remarkable antioxidant activities in vitro and in vivo. Using various chromatographic methods and spectroscopic techniques, 22 compounds were isolated and characterized from CfEF, in which alkaloids were the predominant components. All of these substances were derived from C. fimbriata for the first time. The results indicated that CfEF is a promising source of gastroprotective agents. The antioxidant activity of this herb, as well as prevention of gastrin secretion and inhibition of H+K+ -ATPase, was found to be the underlying mechanism of action. [Display omitted] • The ethnic herb of Calanthe fimbriata had significantly anti-gastric ulcer effects in rats. • The EtOAc fraction was the active part of the anti-gastric ulcer. • The main chemical constituents of the active fraction were alkaloids. • The mechanisms of action were antioxidation and inhibition of gastric acid secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of phytoplankton and thus marine primary productivity depend on photophysiological performance of phytoplankton cells that respond to changing environmental conditions. The South China Sea (SCS) is the largest marginal sea of the western Pacific and plays important roles in modulating regional climate and carbon budget. However, little has been documented on photophysiological characteristics of phytoplankton in the SCS. For the first time, we investigated photophysiological characteristics of phytoplankton assemblages in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) using a real-time in-situ active chlorophyll a fluorometry, covering 4.0 × 105 km2. The functional absorption cross section of photosystem II (PSII) in darkness (σPSII) or under ambient light (σPSII’) (A2 quanta-1) increased from the surface to deeper waters at all the stations during the survey period (29 July to 23 August 2012). While the maximum (Fv/Fm, measured in darkness) or effective (Fq’/Fm’, measured under ambient light) photochemical efficiency of PSII appeared to increase with increasing depth at most stations, it showed inverse relationship with depth in river plume areas. The functional absorption cross section of PSII changes could be attributed to light-adapted genotypic feature due to niche-partition and the alteration of photochemical efficiency of PSII could be attributed to photo-acclimation. The chlorophyll a fluorometry can be taken as an analog to estimate primary productivity, since areas of higher photochemical efficiency of PSII coincided with those of higher primary productivity reported previously in the NSCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive and long-term alcohol consumption leads to liver disease and low immunity. Extensive evidence suggests that C-phycocyanin (C-PC), a chromophore phycocyanobilin derived from Arthrospira ( Spirulina) platensis, exerts protective effects against chemical-induced organ damage and improves immunity. In this study, we investigated whether C-PC could protect against ethanol-induced subacute liver injury and improve immunity. KM mice with ethanol-induced liver injury were established, and animals were divided into three groups that were treated with high, medium, and low doses of C-PC. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total bilirubin (TBIL), liver homogenate malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were measured. In addition, the number of thymus T cell subsets was assessed, and liver sections were examined pathologically. C-PC exhibited obvious inhibitory effects on serum ALT, AST, TG, CHOL, LDL, and MDA levels and increased SOD content significantly in the liver. C-PC also increased serum CD3+ and CD4+ cell activation and T cell proliferation significantly compared with the model group. The structure of the hepatic lobules was clear, the liver sinus returned to normal, and the liver cell cords were arranged in neat rows. Therefore, C-PC could protect against ethanol-induced subacute liver injury significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive alcohol consumption leads to liver disease. Extensive evidence suggests that C-phycocyanin (C-PC), a chromophore phycocyanobilin derived from Spirulina platensis, exerts protective effects against chemical-induced organ damage. In this study, we investigated whether C-PC could protect against ethanol-induced acute liver injury. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), liver homogenate malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) content were measured, and pathological examination of liver sections were examined. C-PC showed obvious inhibitory effects on serum ALT, AST, TG, CHOL, LDL and MDA, and SOD content significantly increased in the liver. The structure of hepatic lobules was clear, liver sinus returned to normal, and liver cell cords were arranged in neat rows. Cloudiness, swelling, inflammatory cell infiltration and spotty necrosis of liver cells were significantly reduced. Therefore, C-PC can significantly protect against ethanol-induced acute liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced deposition of atmospheric nitrogen (N) has profound impacts on ecosystem processes such as above-ground productivity and community structure in grasslands across the globe. But how N deposition affects below-ground processes of grasslands is less well known., Here, we evaluated the effects of chronic N amendment at a relatively low rate (20 kg ha−1 year−1) on root traits (root productivity, root biomass, root/shoot ratio) in Inner Mongolia steppes by rhizotron and ingrowth core and soil monolith techniques at levels of individual species, functional groups and ecosystem., For 8 years, N amendment suppressed above-ground net primary production ( ANPP), photosynthetic rates and root biomass of forbs, but enhanced ANPP and root biomass of grasses. This led to an overall reduction in below-ground productivity of the grassland by 24-33%, while ANPP remained unchanged., Nitrogen amendment acidified soil and subsequently increased extractable soil manganese (Mn) concentration. Nitrogen amendment increased foliar Mn concentrations in forb, but not grass species, leading to a significant inhibition of photosynthetic rates in forb species., Synthesis. These findings highlight the importance of the differentiating responses of plant functional groups to long-term N deposition and the important consequences of these responses for below-ground productivity and long-term soil C sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amphiphilic segments on polypropylene nonwoven (PP nonwoven) surface were constructed using the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation graft polymerization for the removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) with different polarity from aqueous solution. The stearyl acrylate (SA) as hydrophobic functional monomer was introduced onto the surface of PP nonwoven fabric at first stage and then the hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) as hydrophilic functional monomer was introduced subsequently. The effect of functional monomer concentration and UV irradiation time on grafting ratio was studied and discussed. The novel amphiphilic structure was designed and constructed based on adsorption capacity for the target micropollutants. The structure and composition of the amphiphilic adsorption materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle (CA). The adsorption behaviors for EDCs of the amphiphilic adsorption materials were studied and the results indicated that the adsorption capacity and adsorption rate were superior to single SA grafted PP nonwoven (PP- g -SA) and single HEA grafted PP nonwoven (PP- g -HEA). The novel amphiphilic adsorption material was efficient for the removal of EDCs with different polarity and could be utilized as a potential adsorption material for removing EDCs from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thestudy mainly investigated the synergetic adsorption of hydrogen bondingand hydrophobic interaction. To simplify the adsorption driving forcesand binding sites, the hydrophilic and hydrophobic microdomain wasintroduced onto polypropylene (PP) nonwoven. The amphiphilic structurewas constructed for the adsorption of bisphenol A (BPA). A solventshielding experiment was conducted to calculate the contributionsof diverse interactions. Also, a specific structure without hydrophilicmicrodomain was constructed as comparison to determine the adsorptionrate and quantify the diffusion behaviors. On the basis of double-exponentialmodel, the adsorption process can be distinctly divided into threestages, namely film diffusion stage, intralayer diffusion stage, anddynamic equilibrium stage. The adsorption rate was dramatically improveddue to the influence of hydrophilic microdomain and participationof hydrogen bonding adsorption. Discussions on adsorption prioritywere also proposed. The results of surface energy heterogeneity revealedthat the hydrophilic microdomain or the hydrogen bonding site wasoccupied preferentially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filipendula palmata Maxim. as an ethnic herb is commonly used by Oroqen minority people in the treatment of rheumatism in China and as a wild vegetable is eaten by Russian in the Far East area. However, so far, the chemical constituents and bioactivity of this edible herb are still unclear, especially the anti-inflammatory constituents and action have not been elucidated despite the traditional folk use. Aim of study : The current study was conducted to investigate the main chemical components of the aerial part of F. palmata and evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the extract and the isolated constituents. Materials and methods: Various chromatographic techniques including silica gel, ODS, HPLC were used to isolate the components and several spectroscopic methods such as UV, IR, MS and NMR were adopted to characterize the structures of the compounds. The inhibitory action of the extract and components on the production of nitric oxide stimulated by LPS in RAW264.7 cells was applied to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity and the MTT method was used to investigate the cytotoxicity. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of F. palmata was measured in three in vitro assays including DPPH and hydroxyl radicals scavenging and FRAP experiments. Results: The bioactivity research demonstrated that the EtOAc fraction and n -BuOH fraction of this ethnic herb possessed potent anti-inflammation activity in RAW264.7 macrophages and antioxidant activity in three in vitro assays. The chemical study on the EtOAc fraction led to a new dihydrophenanthrene derivative, filipendutin A (1), together with 9 known compounds from the herb, in which compound 4 could significantly inhibit the production of nitric oxide in RAW264.7 cells, while compounds 1 and 9 exhibited obvious cytotoxicity in cells. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that F. palmata had significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and could be used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Meanwhile, the cytotoxic activity of EtOAc fraction and its components also indicated the potential application in antitumor which remained the further study in the future. [Display omitted] • EtOAc and BuOH fractions of the ethnic herb of Filipendula palmata had strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. • The main chemical constituents of F. palmata were elucidated by isolation of ten compounds including a new compound. • One of the flavonoids exhibited significantly anti-inflammatory activity in RAW264.7 cells. • EtOAc fraction of F. palmata and a new component and a triterpenoid possessed significant cytotoxic activity in cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase (2-OGD) superfamily is one of the largest protein families in plants. The main oxidation reactions they catalyze in plants are hydroxylation, desaturation, demethylation, epimerization, and halogenation. Four members of the 2-OGD superfamily, i.e., flavonone 3β-hydroxylase (F3H), flavones synthase I (FNS I), flavonol synthase (FLS), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS)/leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase (LDOX), are present in the flavonoid pathway, catalyzing hydroxylation and desaturation reactions. In this review, we summarize the recent research progress on these proteins, from the discovery of their enzymatic activity, to their functional verification, to the analysis of the response they mediate in plants towards adversity. Substrate diversity analysis indicated that F3H, FNS Ⅰ, ANS/LDOX, and FLS perform their respective dominant functions in the flavonoid pathway, despite the presence of functional redundancy among them. The phylogenetic tree classified two types of FNS Ⅰ, one mainly performing FNS activity, and the other, a new type of FNS present in angiosperms, mainly involved in C-5 hydroxylation of SA. Additionally, a new class of LDOXs is highlighted, which can catalyze the conversion of (+)-catechin to cyanidin, further influencing the starter and extension unit composition of proanthocyanidins (PAs). The systematical description of the functional diversity and evolutionary relationship among these enzymes can facilitate the understanding of their impacts on plant metabolism. On the other hand, it provides molecular genetic evidence of the chemical evolution of flavonoids from lower to higher plants, promoting plant adaptation to harsh environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous-variable quantum information, encoded into infinite-dimensional quantum systems, is a promising platform for the realization of many quantum information protocols, including quantum computation, quantum metrology, quantum cryptography, and quantum communication. To successfully demonstrate these protocols, an essential step is the certification of multimode continuous-variable quantum states and quantum devices. This problem is well studied under the assumption that multiple uses of the same device result in identical and independently distributed (i.i.d.) operations. However, in realistic scenarios, identical and independent state preparation and calls to the quantum devices cannot be generally guaranteed. Important instances include adversarial scenarios and instances of time-dependent and correlated noise. In this Letter, we propose the first set of reliable protocols for verifying multimode continuous-variable entangled states and devices in these non-i.i.d scenarios. Although not fully universal, these protocols are applicable to Gaussian quantum states, non-Gaussian hypergraph states, as well as amplification, attenuation, and purification of noisy coherent states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Se(VI) was main form in soluble Se fraction regardless of soil type and moisture. • Both soil moisture and type affected Se species in exchangeable Se fraction. • Water-saturated condition accelerated the aging process of exogenous Se in soil. • Se aging process was fastest for loess soil due to its high pH and low Eh. • Effect of soil moisture on Se aging was attributed to changes in soil properties. Soil moisture influences the aging of metals/metalloids in soil by affecting soil properties and metal/metalloid speciation transformation. However, the effect of soil moisture on selenium (Se) aging in soil and its mechanism remain unclear. This study is the first to investigate the effects of water-deficient (50% WFC), -sufficient (75% WFC), and -saturated (100% WFC) conditions on Se aging in three distinct soils (loess soil, black soil, and krasnozem) through incubation experiment (140 d) with selenate addition. The results indicated that hexavalent Se (Se(VI)) was the predominant species in the soluble Se fractions in soils regardless of soil moisture condition, while Se species in the exchangeable Se fractions were affected by soil moisture and type. The soluble Se fractions were gradually transformed into less available Se fractions during aging. Among the three soil moisture conditions, the decrease in the soluble Se fractions was largest under the water-saturated condition (94%–98%). Combined with the results of the mobility factor (MF) of soil Se and the Elovich model simulation, the water-saturated condition accelerated Se aging in soils compared with water-deficient and -sufficient conditions. The water-saturated condition decreased soil Eh and increased soil pH and DOC content, resulting in the reduction of Se(VI) to the low-valence Se states such as Se(IV), Se(0), or Se(–II). Se aging was fastest for the loess soil among the three tested soils due to its high pH and low Eh which are conducive to the reduction of Se(VI). 70 d was the equilibrium time of selenate aging in the three tested soils regardless of soil moisture condition. The findings provide a guideline for water management in Se biofortification practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Selenium application had no significant effect on the growth of P. eryngii. • The uptake ability of P. eryngii to exogenous Se was Na 2 SeO 3 > Se yeast > Na 2 SeO 4. • Both the boiling and frying treatments resulted in Se loss in P. eryngii. • Frying reduced the bioaccessibility of Se in P. eryngii , while boiling enhanced it. • Se yeast and boiling are the ideal Se source and cooking method for P. eryngii. Understanding the effects of processing on the Se content and bioaccessibility in food is critical in guiding the development of Se-enriched products. In this study, Se-enriched Pleurotus eryngii was obtained by applying different Se supplements to the substrate. Selenium content and its bioaccessibility among raw and processed fruit bodies were compared. The application of exogenous Se had no significant effect on the yield of P. eryngii , while amendment Se yeast could slightly promote the growth of P. eryngii. The enrichment ability of P. eryngii among different Se supplements declined in the order of Na 2 SeO 3 > Se yeast > Na 2 SeO 4. However, the processing treatments resulted in 6.6%–45.9% Se loss. The Se bioaccessibility of P. eryngii was 78.4%–89.7%. Frying treatment reduced Se bioaccessibility in samples, whereas boiling treatment enhanced it. Therefore, Se yeast and boiling treatment are recommended as the ideal Se supplement and processing method for Se-enriched P. eryngii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microbial necromass abundance is regulated by community production in subsoil. • Microbial necromass abundance is more related to its preservation in topsoil. • Climate is the primary predictor for microbial necromass distribution in topsoil. • Soil properties best explain microbial necromass spatial distribution in subsoil. • Subsoil shows elevated preservation of microbial necromass relative to biomass. Microbial carbon has recently been highlighted to play a key role in the formation and persistence of soil organic carbon, bearing significant implications for regulating ecosystem carbon stocks under global changes. However, microbial carbon distribution and the link between biomass and necromass components are poorly understood in natural soils, especially at depth. Here, we employ various microbial biomarkers, including phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), amino sugars and glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), to investigate the spatial distribution patterns of microbial biomass and necromass components in the top- (0–10 cm) versus subsoils (30–50 cm) across Chinese temperate grasslands along an aridity gradient. We find that bacterial necromass components are better preserved relative to bacterial biomass in the sub- than topsoil, possibly due to a stronger association of microbial necromass with calcium and/or lower nitrogen competition between plants and microbes at depth in these neutral-to-alkaline soils. As a result, there is a stronger link between bacterial necromass components (especially for core lipid branched GDGTs and muramic acid) and their producers (reflected by intact polar lipid-derived branched GDGTs) in the sub- than topsoil, while such a trend is not observed for fungi- or archaea-derived components. Furthermore, using linear mixed effect model analyses, we find that aridity index best explains the concentration variance of most microbial biomarkers in the topsoil, whereas edaphic properties (i.e., pH and macronutrients) also contribute significantly to their variance in the subsoil. These findings highlight different links between microbial necromass and biomass components and distinct preservation mechanisms for microbial carbon at different soil depths, which is crucial for improved understanding of microbial carbon sequestration potentials at different depths in a changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Above-low-level-cloud aerosols (ACAs) have gradually gained more interest in recent years; however, the combined aerosol–cloud radiation effects are not well understood. The uncertainty about the radiative effects of aerosols above cloud mainly stems from the lack of comprehensive and accurate retrieval of aerosols and clouds for ACA scenes. In this study, an improved ACA identification and retrieval methodology was developed to provide a new global view of the ACA distribution by combining three-channel CALIOP (The Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) observations. The new method can reliably identify and retrieve both thin and dense ACA layers, providing consistent results between the day- and night-time retrieval of ACAs. Then, new four-year (2007 to 2010) global ACA datasets were built, and new seasonal mean views of global ACA occurrence, optical depth, and geometrical thickness were presented and analyzed. Further discussion on the relative position of ACAs to low clouds showed that the mean distance between the ACA layer and the low cloud deck over the tropical Atlantic region is less than 0.2 km. This indicates that the ACAs over this region are more likely to be mixed with low-level clouds, thereby possibly influencing the cloud microphysics over this region, contrary to findings reported from previous studies. The results not only help us better understand global aerosol transportation and aerosol–cloud interactions but also provide useful information for model evaluation and improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]